Guest Post: Cooking Matters Tompkins Campaign on PEAKS

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Guest post from Lara Kaltman at Cornell Cooperative Extension:


Calling all cooks, from home to restaurant, to help raise money and spread awareness through your own healthy, affordable recipes.

Hello, I'm the Nutrition Team Coordinator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. One of the programs that I coordinate is a partnership with Share our Strength's Cooking Matters, a national program dedicated to helping families with limited resources by teaching them how to prepare healthy and affordable meals at home. Volunteers are at the heart of the cooking classes and grocery store tours, which are co-facilitated by nutrition educators and culinary instructors.  Cooking class participants prepare and share healthy meals during every class, and take home the ingredients to try one of the recipes at home. Grocery store tour participants receive a $10 gift card to purchase the ingredients for a healthy, affordable family meal.
This year, we have a new group of volunteers who went through an intensive 8-week leadership development training called Community Chef.  The Community Chef Coordinator, Neisha Butler, and I wanted to find new ways that would allow Community Chefs to be directly involved with raising funding for the courses, tours and outreach activities in our community that matter most to them. Many of our colleagues at CCE Tompkins are using the web platform PEAKS, which helps Changemakers bring a good cause to life with easy, affordable online tools for raising money, building a community and developing capacity to raise funding for their programs.  So we turned to Emma Frisch, PEAKS Director and Co-founder, for guidance.  Emma met with me and one of our dedicated volunteers several times to coach us on how to develop a creative campaign for Cooking Matters.  We played around with ideas that involved a food stamp challenge. But that seemed too complicated and time-consuming for our busy volunteers, friends and family members. We finally decided on a campaign that would let us use our passion as a vehicle for change: cook good food and brag about how delicious, healthy and affordable it is! 
Here is what you have to do:

1. Click "Be a Champion" and set up your Champion page. Set a fundraising goal and start cooking!
2. Make one healthy, affordable home-cooked meal every week (4 total). Write down the recipe and take a picture of your final dish! (See an example at bottom of update page: Fall Vegetable Salad)
3. Tell everyone you know about it!  Post a photo of your meal in your Updates. Include a description of what makes your dish healthy, affordable and enjoyable! (See an example at bottom of update page: Fall Vegetable Salad)
   

Here is what we promise to do with the money we raise:
Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Nutrition Educators will team up with Volunteer Culinary Instructors to offer effective hands-on courses for groups of kids, teens, adults and families in CCE's new teaching kitchen and various community locations.  Course participants will prepare and share a meal together, and then take home the ingredients to try the recipe at home. Nutrition Educators and Volunteers will lead Shopping Matters grocery store tours, which teach families how to shop for healthy foods on a limited budget.  At the end of every tour participants use what they've learned to plan a healthy meal for a family of four and shop for the ingredients using a $10 gift card.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions!
___________________________
Lara Parrilla Kaltman, MPH, RD

Nutrition Team Coordinator
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County
615 Willow Ave.
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-272-2292
ljp9@cornell.edu

Event: Evening with Kristin Kimball, Author of "The Dirty Life On Farming, Food and Love"

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Announcement:

Evening with Kristin Kimball, Author of "The Dirty Life On Farming, Food and Love"

Monday, December 3, 2012 at 7:00pm to 8:00pm

Goldwin Smith Hall, Kaufman Auditorium 232 East Ave, Central Campus, Cornell University

From Harvard to New York City to Upstate NY: Starting the world’s first full-diet CSA farm.
Author of "The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food and Love"Presented by the Farmers' Market at Cornell; co-sponsored by CALS Advisory Board and Ithaca CollegeAbout Kristin Kimball,
"I was born in 1971, and grew up in central New York. I graduated from Harvard in 1994, then moved to New York City, where I worked at a literary agency, taught creative writing, and freelanced for magazines and travel guides. In 2002, I interviewed a wingnut farmer named Mark, and took more than a professional interest in both him and his vocation. We founded Essex Farm together in 2004 – the world’s first full-diet CSA, as far as we know – and I’ve been professionally dirty ever since."

Local Harvest Holiday Challenge (from Get Your Greenback Tompkins)

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From Karim Beers, Get Your GreenBack Tompkins Campaign Coordinator:

Local Harvest Holiday Challenge

Looking to combine local jobs, healthy eating, community building, fighting hunger, and creative giving in this holiday season? The Get Your GreenBack Tompkins coalition encourages you this December to consider giving the gift of local food and take the Local Harvest Holiday Challenge.

*Use local ingredients in your holiday recipes--how about a root vegetable roast?
*Eat local meat--from turkey to venison, our region is well endowed with native protein
*Pick up a market box filled with affordable local produce—or help others get one
*Gift local foods--local maple syrup, honey, bread, and homemade canned goods make a distinctive and delicious gift
*Drink local--there is so much more holiday cheer in local beer, wine, cider, and coffee!
*Enjoy a night out at a restaurant that serves local food
*Beside being delicious and wholesome, local food supports the livelihood of 100s of farmers, restaurant workers, contributes to ending hunger, and builds community.

Go to getyourgreenback.org to learn about integrating local food into your holiday season, and to share your own local recipes and ideas. Get Your GreenBack Tompkins is a community-based campaign that encourages all 42,000 households and all businesses in Tompkins County to take a step to save energy and money. www.facebook.com/GetYourGreenBackTompkins

Local food. Good for you, good for your loved ones, good for the whole community.

Local mom celebrates slight increase in child's vegetable intake

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This just in: a picky Ithaca child ate several slices of parsnip bread today.

The child normally subsists on yogurt and cream cheese sandwiches, according to the child's mom. "When I say it's meal time, he says 'no like my dinner,' before he even sees what it is!" she exclaims. "He even refuses local, organic squash swimming in maple syrup from a nearby sustainable sugarbush. How can I ensure that he's getting all his micronutrients?"

Desperate inspiration struck in the midst of a freezer cleaning frenzy (to prepare for an upcoming bulk beef delivery). She discovered a frozen block of creamy parsnip soup that had lurked in the back of the fridge for approximately two years.

"The soup wasn't so good the first time around. It was pretty gloppy," recalled the mother. "But I hate to throw things out." So on a whim she followed a Mark Bittman recipe for vegetable bread, substituting the parsnip-carrot-onion soup for vegetable puree. "And I threw in a freezer-burned cube of pureed spinach from my baby food-making days," she added.

The boy ate it. "It's a miracle," said the mom. "He's branched out from a virtually all-white diet to one that includes yellow. With green flecks."

Event: Agribusiness Economic Outlook Conference

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Announcement:

Agribusiness Economic Outlook Conference
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Statler Hotel, Ballroom, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Description
New York agricultural leaders learn about the short-and long-term outlook for agriculture and agricultural products. Breakout sessions concentrate on dairy, grains and feed, and horticultural products.
Audience
Industry leaders, agribusiness professionals, policymakers, educators, and farm managers.

For more info, see http://dyson.cornell.edu/outreach/ag_outlook_conference.php

EPA Environmental Justice Grant will Tackle Water Pollution in Peekskill, NY

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EPA Press Release:


EPA Environmental Justice Grant will Tackle Water Pollution in Peekskill, NY
Contact: John Martin 212 637 3662; martin.johnj@epa.gov
(New York, N.Y. – December 28, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded nearly $25,000 to the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater to improve water quality in Peekskill, New York. The grant was awarded under the EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants Program, which supports and empowers communities working on solutions to local environmental and public health issues.
“EPA is happy to provide this grant to the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater to work with the Peekskill community to prevent water pollution,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “Everyone has a role to play in keeping our water clean and this federal grant will boost the public’s role in Peekskill.”
Using the EPA grant, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. will lead a collaborative, community-based watershed planning and protection initiative focused on the urban watershed of the city of Peekskill. The waterways are used by people for fishing, swimming and boating. Through training, technical assistance and hands-on activities, the project will give members of the community the knowledge needed to better understand how to prevent water pollution. Residents will also learn about environmental hazards and health risks associated with polluted local waterways. The project will also include an Urban Watershed Steward program, which will be geared toward young people and will promote peer-to-peer learning and encourage neighborhood cleanup projects.
Since 1994, EPA’s environmental justice small grants program has supported projects to address environmental justice issues in more than 1,300 communities. The grants represent EPA’s continued commitment to expand the conversation on environmentalism and advance environmental justice in communities across the nation.
2012 EJ Small Grant recipients and project descriptions: http://www.epa.govenvironmentaljustice/resources/publications/grants/ej-smgrants-recipients-2012.pdf.
More information about EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants program: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.html.
Request for Proposals (RFP) for the FY 2013 Environmental Justice Small Grants and schedule of pre-application teleconference calls: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/publications/grants/ej-smgrants-rfp-2013.pdf.
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EPA Environmental Justice Grant Will Help Train Syracuse Area Residents About How to Reduce Asthma Attacks and Protect Against Lead Poisoning

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EPA Press Release:


EPA Environmental Justice Grant Will Help Train Syracuse Area Residents About How to Reduce Asthma Attacks and Protect Against Lead Poisoning
Contact: John Martin 212 637-3662; martin.johnj@epa.gov
(New York, N.Y. – December 28, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded nearly $25,000 to the Onondaga Environmental Institute to train and certify central New York area residents to perform environmental jobs. Under the grant, the institute will also hold four community meetings to educate people about environmental hazards in the home, with an emphasis on lead and pollutants that trigger asthma attacks. Childhood lead poisoning is particularly a problem in low income neighborhoods in Syracuse.
Lead is a toxic metal that is especially dangerous to children because their growing bodies can absorb more of it than adults. Even at low levels of exposure, lead can result in I.Q. deficiencies, reading and learning disabilities, reduced attention spans, hyperactivity and other behavioral problems.
“EPA environmental justice grants provide much needed funds to tackle local pollution problems in low income communities," said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. "Lead poisoning remains one of the most prevalent threats to children's health but it is also one of the most preventable. Increasing public awareness about lead paint and asthma triggers will protect health, particularly children’s health.”
It is estimated that three-quarters of U.S. residential dwellings built before 1978 contain some lead-based paint and 93 percent of housing in Syracuse is pre-1978. Using the EPA grant, the Onondaga Environmental Institute will work to reduce local lead poisoning levels and asthma hospitalization incidents by raising awareness and training residents on lead and asthma prevention practices.
The Onondaga Environmental Institute will also work with the L&M Training Center and State University of New York Education Opportunity Center to train and certify local residents in the skills needed for environmental jobs. The classes will instruct participants on occupational safety and health in construction work, EPA requirements on renovations, repairs and painting activities that disturb lead paint and the New York State Department of Health’s asbestos work safety requirements. After the free four-week training, certified workers will be connected with a local network that employs qualified workers.
Since 1994, EPA’s environmental justice small grants program has supported projects to address environmental justice issues in more than 1,300 communities. The grants represent EPA’s continued commitment to expand the conversation on environmentalism and advance environmental justice in communities across the nation.
2012 EJ Small Grant recipients and project descriptions: http://www.epa.govenvironmentaljustice/resources/publications/grants/ej-smgrants-recipients-2012.pdf.
More information about EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants program: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.html.
Request for Proposals (RFP) for the FY 2013 Environmental Justice Small Grants and schedule of pre-application teleconference calls: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/publications/grants/ej-smgrants-rfp-2013.pdf.
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EPA Grants to Help Two Puerto Rico Communities Boost Recycling and Composting and Reduce Water Pollution

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EPA Press Release:


EPA Grants to Help Two Puerto Rico Communities Boost Recycling and Composting and Reduce Water Pollution Grants Will Fund Education Initiatives in San Juan and Loiza
Contact: John Martin, (212) 637-3662, martin.johnj@epa.gov
(New York, N.Y. – December 28, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded nearly $50,000 to two Puerto Rico organizations, Leaders of the World and the Scuba Dogs Society, to educate low-income communities about effective waste management, recycling and the negative effects of improper waste disposal on people’s health and water quality. The grant was awarded under the EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants Program, which supports and empowers communities working on solutions to local environmental and public health issues.
“EPA environmental justice grants provide much needed funds to tackle local pollution problems in low income communities," said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. "Puerto Rico is facing a solid waste crisis. These grants will encourage community members to become active participants in efforts to reduce waste through waste reduction, recycling and composting.”
Using a $25,000 EPA environmental justice grant, Leaders for the World Inc. will educate young adults in San Juan’s Cantera Peninsula about the harmful effects that improper waste disposal has on the ecosystem of Cantera’s lagoon system and the local community. Leaders of the World will work with the community to monitor water quality, conserve and restore local wetlands and other areas of the ecosystem and prevent water pollution.
The Scuba Dogs Society, Inc. will use a $24,286 EPA environmental justice grant to educate residents of Loiza about the serious impacts of illegal dumping on nearby water bodies and the deficiencies of local waste management services. Through a hands-on educational program, workshops and direct assistance, the Scuba Dogs Society will work with Loiza residents, many of whom are subsistence fishers, to properly manage waste and to recycle. The program will also educate residents about the effect marine debris has on local waterways.
Since 1994, the EPA’s environmental justice small grants program has supported projects to address environmental justice issues in more than 1,300 communities. The grants represent EPA’s continued commitment to expand the conversation on environmentalism and advance environmental justice in communities across the nation.
2012 EJ Small Grant recipients and project descriptions: http://www.epa.govenvironmentaljustice/resources/publications/grants/ej-smgrants-recipients-2012.pdf.
More information about EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants program: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.html.
Request for Proposals (RFP) for the FY 2013 Environmental Justice Small Grants and schedule of pre-application teleconference calls: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/publications/grants/ej-smgrants-rfp-2013.pdf.
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Webinar on EPA's Environmental Job Training Program

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You are cordially invited to join

Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator of the Office of Solid Waste & Emergency Response of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

for a

Webinar & Conversation on EPA's Environmental Job Training Program Friday, September 21^st,  3:00 p.m. EDT

The webinar will highlight EPA’s Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grant Program that provides funding to recruit, train, and place unemployed individuals residing in waste-impacted communities with the skills needed to secure employment in the environmental field. In addition to the Assistant Administrator, participants will learn about the program from previous grantee and program leaders.

If you are able to attend, please register by 3pm, Wednesday, September 19th. Upon receipt of your rsvp, you will receive a confirmation email with more details.

*****************

Note: Prospective applicants include government entities, states, tribes, nonprofit organizations, community colleges and workforce investment boards. For more information on EPA’s Environmental Workforce Development & Job Training Grant Program, please visit www.epa.gov/brownfields/job.htm

NEJAC January Teleconference Meeting

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National Environmental Justice Advisory Council Public Teleconference Meeting Wednesday, January 23, 2013

The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) will host a public teleconference meeting on Wednesday, January 23, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. Eastern Time. The primary topic of discussion will be promoting community resiliency in overburdened industrial waterfront areas.

There will be a public comment period from 3:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Eastern Time. Members of the public are encouraged to provide comments relevant to the topics of the meeting.
To Register

• Register Online
• By Email: Send an email to with "Register for the NEJAC January 2013 Teleconference" in the subject line.
• By Phone: Leave a voice message at 877-773-0779.

When registering, please provide your name, organization, city and state, email address, and telephone number for follow up. Please also state whether you would like to be put on the list to provide public comment, and whether you are submitting written comments before the Friday, January 11, 2013, deadline. Non-English speaking attendees wishing to arrange for a foreign language interpreter may also make appropriate arrangements using the email address or telephone number.

Members of the public who wish to attend or to provide public comment must pre-register by 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, January 11, 2013. Individuals or groups making remarks during the public comment period will be limited to five minutes. To accommodate the large number of people who want to address the NEJAC, only one representative of a community, organization, or group will be allowed to speak. Written comments can also be submitted for the record. The suggested format for individuals providing public comments is as follows: name of speaker; name of organization/community; city and state; and email address; brief description of the concern, and what you want the NEJAC to advise EPA to do.

Written comments received by 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, January 11, 2013, will be included in the materials distributed to the NEJAC prior to the teleconference. Written comments received after that time will be provided to the NEJAC as time allows. All written comments should be sent to EPA’s support contractor, APEX Direct, Inc., via email.

Information about Services for Individuals with Disabilities: For information about access or services for individuals with disabilities, please contact Ms. Estela Rosas, APEX Direct, Inc., at 877-773-0779 or via email.

Pottery Sale to benefit Healthy Food For All

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Announcement from Elizabeth Viviana Karabinakis, Director, Ithaca Community Harvest & Healthy Food For All:

Pottery Sale to benefit Healthy Food For All
A wonderful opportunity to purchase a gift (or add beautiful handmade pottery to your own collection) that keeps your dollars circulating locally and invested in our community.

New pieces, seconds and closeouts will be put out throughout the sale so you'll find stunningly beautiful pottery whenever you go (30-70% off!).

10% of the proceeds will benefit Healthy Food For All, a farmer driven initiative in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County to make fresh seasonal produce accessible to families with limited income.

What: 6th Annual Renata Wadsworth Pottery Holiday Studio Sale
When: Wednesday December 12th from 5-8pm & Saturday December 15th from 11-2pm
Where: The Studio at 379 Gunderman Road, Danby NY
More info: www.nataspots.com / renata@nataspots.com / 607-227-4272

Event: SEEN Holiday Celebration

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Event announcement from the Sustainable Enterprise and Entrepreneur Network (SEEN):

A Tasty SEEN Holiday Celebration
Thursday, December 13, 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. at LaTourelle
Please RSVP to events@greenresourcehub.org

Join us in celebrating another year of uniting to build a just and sustainable economy!! We will be celebrating with delicious foods, live music, and more...!

Become a connoisseur of chocolate, wine and cheese with guided tasting and pairing!

CHOCOLATE
by expert chocolatier
Darlynne Overbaugh,
owner of Life's So Sweet

WINE
by wines tour guide Laura Falk, co-owner of Experience! The Finger Lakes

CHEESE
by expert cheesemakerNancy Richards, owner of Finger Lakes Farmstead Cheese and founding SEEN member

MORE EVENT TREATS:
A gourmet buffet of foods and a holiday toast graciously provided by founding SEEN memberScott Wiggins and La Tourelle.
Holiday sweets from Bruce and Heather Lane, SEEN members and owners of Purity Ice Cream
A short candlelight ceremony reflecting on this year & setting intentions for the new year to come!

LIVE MUSIC!
featuring the rockin'
GoGone
Check out their music!

FOOD DRIVE - GIVE A GIFT OF HEALTHY FOOD
There will be a donation box at this event for the Friendship Donations Network (FDN) which rescues fresh nutritious food and redistributes it to neighbors in need. Please consider donating non-perishable healthy foods (e.g. grains, beans,
dried fruit, nuts).

For more information visit friendshipdonations.org or call Meaghan Sheehan Rosen (607-216-9522).

Special Event pricing: $15 for SEEN members and students, $20 for non-members. Ithaca Hours accepted! Some financial assistance is available (please contact Anna Kelles:anna@greenresourcehub.org)

Doping Scandal Engulfs Rutabaga Curl

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From the Ithaca Farmers Market:

RUTABAGA DOPING SCANDAL ENGULFS VENERABLE VEGETABLE ATHLETIC COMPETITION

ITHACA, NY -  The Official Rutabaga Curling Committee of the Ithaca Farmers Market announced today that it has identified systemic evidence of rutabaga doping at the Rutabaga Trialing Laboratory Complex at Blue Heron Farm.

An anonymous tipster sent Curl officials pictures detailing what appears to be Farmer Lou Johns preparing to inject Curl Rutabagas with some sort of substance via syringe. It has yet to be determined whether the substance is one of the 4,607 substances prohibited by Curl bylaws from being used in the competition, including caffeine, melted toffee and valerian root.

"We promise a full, independent investigation of this possible egregious violation of both the letter and the spirit of the Rutabaga Curl's rules," said High Commissioner Peter McDonald, reached via satellite phone in
Minsk, where he is on the trail of a mysterious, heirloom rutabaga strain.

Curl bylaws suggest several punishments for doping-related infringements: lifting 50 pounds of rutabagas five feet in the air 10,000 times; writing the words "I will not inject illicit substances into rutabagas" on a
blackboard 800 times; or being required to eat 25 12-ounce bowls of rutabaga stew in a single sitting.

Farmer Lou Johns was unable to be reached for comment by press time, but his wife and fellow farmer Robin Ostfeld vigorously defended her husband, telling the Curl committee members that the syringe was merely used to inject a calming herbal supplement into the often-anxious rutabagas.

"We are sincere organic farmers who would never dope our rutabagas," she said, noting that they have proudly grown the Curl's rutabagas since the sporting competition began 15 years ago. "There must be some mistake."

ABOUT THE CURL:

The Ithaca Farmers Market has proudly sponsored the International Rutabaga Curling World Competition since it began 15 years ago with the initial descent of the flaming rutabaga torch carried by the Rutabaga Goddess
down from Mt. Cruciferous.

What was once a small event has blossomed into a world famous sporting competition, attended by celebrities and elite athletes. It is held on the last selling day of market; this year it falls on December 22nd. Everyone
is welcome to participate; the games start at high noon and there is a category of competition for youngsters called the Turnip Toss as well.

Youth Farm Project Holiday sale: Affordable organic produce, jams, pesto

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Announcement from the Youth Farm Project:

The Youth Farm Project & LACS Localvores Holiday Produce Sale will be this Thursday (12/20/12) at LACS from 3:25 until 5:00.

We will have lots of fresh produce from the Youth Farm, as well as TONS of frozen pesto and jam that the Localvores have been working on throughout the fall....

Proceeds benefit the Youth Farm Project & LACS Localvores

The Youth Farm Project includes local youth from diverse social and economic backgrounds as integral participants in building an equitable local food community.

Accordingly we :
-Involve local youth in growing, harvesting, donating, selling, eating and preserving healthy food.
-Connect youth to local and global issues concerning food justice and the environmental impact of our current food systems.
-Share inspiring responses to these issues which involve youth from around the world.
-Teach organic growing methods and their role in sustainable farming.
-Provide a place where youth from diverse backgrounds have the opportunity to come together and learn about each other and learn to work as a group toward a common goal.
-Help youth understand the relationship between the foods that we choose to eat and our personal health.
-Offer youth an opportunity to create something of real worth for themselves, their families, and community.

Event: Rutabaga Curl Saturday 12/22/12

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Announcement from the Ithaca Farmers Market:

Rutabaga Curl

The 2012 International Rutabaga Curling Championship will beSaturday December 22 at the Steamboat LandingRegistration: 10:30-11:45Festivities: NOONThe sport of Rutabaga Curling was born on a cold December 1996 Market day, the last market day of the season. The few vendors present (perhaps 25 or so this time of year and point in our history) huddled together for warmth and camraderie waiting for an occasional customer. Talk at some point in the day turned to unusual winter sports. Curling of course came up in conversation. None of us knew the rules; but before we knew it vendors’ wares were being “hurled” or “curled” down the market’s wooden floor. Potatoes, cinnamon rolls, cabbages, loaves of bread, and even frozen chickens were fair game in this impromptu outburst. There were no particular rules this day; we were going for style, distance, and laughs.