Where did you collect your most recent grocery haul? Try to remember the items you hastily organized on the conveyor belt at check-out. Now, where did all those come from?
1,500 is an important, if rarely recognized, number; it’s the average number of miles that produce travels on its way from an industrial farm to your dining room table. That is, unless you tend to shop for your produce locally.
Argus Farm Stop (or, “Argus,” if you’re familiar) is a business amalgam that can best be described as half “indoor farmers market” and half “hipster coffee shop/bakery.” The store features a cornucopia of produce, meat, and dairy grown by over 200 local farmers, 90% of whom are located within a 10 miles radius. Continue reading Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food→
On this week’s show, our hostsRebecca Hardin, Whitney Smith and Nicholas Bruscato discussed Growing Authentic Leaders from Communities Most Impacted by Environmental Injustice and Climate Changewith the distinguished Dr. Robert Bullard– “The Father of Environmental Justice” and current Dean of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University.
What is Environmental Justice?
Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies (Environmental Protection Agency, 2015). The Principles of Environmental Justice can be viewed here
On this week’s show, we discussed current environmental news, climate change with Alexandra (Lexi) Brewer(MS ’15), Tu B’shevat (Birthday of Trees) with Nick Bruscatto (MS ’16), and the SNRE Food Olympics with Rebecca Baylor. We also discussed the upcoming and exciting events happening around SNRE and the University of Michigan!
In September of 2013 (just as the ’13-’14 season of It’s Hot In Here was kicking off) Traverse City-based oil and gas company West Bay Exploration performed seismic tests west of Ann Arbor to map out potential sites for oil extraction. Eight months later, 300 people stood side by side to partake in an informational forum on oil exploration in Scio Township. As West Bay actively seeks out the necessary mineral leases from Scio homeowners in order to drill, concerned residents are uniting to learn about oil leasing and empower fellow homeowners to fully explore their options before turning over drilling rights to the company. Continue reading Michigan Black Gold (Season Finale)→
“bitters are to cocktails, like seasonings are to food.”
This week Frank Fejeran (Chef) and Zack Zavisa (Bartender) of The Ravens Club take us on a savory trip through culinary and liquid media. Join us!
The journey begins with the delights and (occasional) challenges of sourcing the most local (and happily produced) produce, beef, and cheese, and continues on to the pleasures of creating (and drinking) classic and creative cocktails with small-batch spirits and house-made mixes – think fresh tonic, complex bitters, fermented fruits. Continue reading The Ravens Club: “Flavor is a Serious Matter”→
For over 25 years, Food Gatherers has worked to alleviate hunger and eliminate its causes in the Ann Arbor community. Priya Khangura talks to us about Food Gatherer’s innovative programs, including its food rescue operation, local food bank, school produce pantry, and farm. Listen in for some inspiration to join Food Gatherers in their fight against hunger and food waste, and visit their volunteer page for more info.
In the second half of the show, the most excellent Tedx University of Michigan team joins us to offer a preview of the 5th Tedx U of M event: Against the Grain, where this year IHIH’s own Jennifer Lee Johnson presents on the importance of retheorizing gender and sustainability in relation to the fishing industry on Lake Victoria.
On this show we talk about the community building power of crowd-sourcing, as well as the awesome work that students at the University of Michigan are doing to fight food waste.
Miranda Kahn and Izzy Morrison of Ann Arbor SOUP organize micro-granting dinners that bring people from around Ann Arbor together to celebrate and support positive projects in the area. For $5, attendees receive soup, salad, and a vote. The night features presentations by 4 organizations as well as live music. After presenters share their ideas and answer questions, everyone votes on who they believe should win the money gathered from the night. Ann Arbor SOUP was inspired by Detroit SOUP.
One of the organizations that Ann Arbor SOUP supported in 2013 is the University of Michigan chapter of the Food Recovery Network, which recovers surplus perishable food from campus dining halls and donates to Food Gatherers. Taylor Flowers and Hannah Gingerich of FRN talk to us about the impact of food waste, FRN’s accomplishments, and how they hope to grow in the future.
Join us for this in-depth preview of the recently released book: “The Localization Reader: Adapting to the Coming Downshift.” Dr. Raymond De Young, co-editor of and contributor to the book, joined us in the studio to chat about the book’s content and process.
Raymond De Young is an Associate Professor in the School Natural Resources + Environment. His work in the Environmental Psychology lab centers around questions of motivating environmental stewardship, maintaining human well-being, and promoting positive localization in the face of daunting environmental challenges.
We kick off the show looking at what the most sustainable Christmas tree options are (with one of our hosts even citing some insight she gained from a life cycle assessment she ran!). Then we set our sights on Delray, one of Detroit’s most impoverished neighborhoods. It is a long-time victim to city planning efforts, sits in the most polluted zip code in the state of Michigan, and is the future home of the bridge plaza for the proposed International Trade Crossing to Canada – that is all to say, it is a HOT-BED for environmental injustice. Listen in asUrban Planning Professor Larissa Larsen joins us in the studio to discuss the muddy terrain of urban sustainability in Delray. We will also have recent UM gradChris Detjen in the studio to share his experiences living in Detroit and working on sustainability issues. The whole radio hour is punctuated by some catchy Detroit tunes. Do tune in!
The righteous Laura Miesler joined us in the studio to chat about the upcoming, also righteous, Homegrown Festival(!) Listen to that conversation here…along with some great tunes by bands that will be at the festival. How can you listen and not get pumped about this event? Additionally in this episode: learn what to do when vehicles vacate city streets, and why Brazil nuts are so dang good for you.
