Sustainable Alpharetta

A Little Overwhelmed

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:30:00 +0000

As you may have noticed, there haven't been any posts on Sustainable Alpharetta in some time. I have been completely overwhelmed lately and unfortunately this blog has languished as a result.

In an effort to keep this thing going I would love to bring on a few people to help out if possible. A commitment as small as one article per month is all that is needed if we could get just a handful of people to write.

If you are interested or know anyone that may be please contact me on Twitter @mdlorey or send me an email at mdlorey (at) sustainablealpharetta (dot) com

Alpharetta is now a Green Community

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:40:00 +0000

Information provided by the Atlanta Regional Commission.

The cities of Alpharetta and Decatur, along with Cobb County, were the first three communities to qualify for Green Communities Certification from the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC). The local governments earned their certifications by implementing sustainability practices and policies in 10 categories, ranging from energy efficiency and green building to transportation and water efficiency.

Cobb County earned certification at the Silver level, and the cities of Alpharetta and Decatur each earned Bronze level certification. ARC presented the certifications to Commission Chairman Sam Olens of Cobb County, Mayor Arthur Letchas of Alpharetta and Mayor Bill Floyd of Decatur.

ARC launched the Green Communities program to foster greater environmental stewardship by recognizing local governments that invest in programs leading to a more sustainable Atlanta region. ARC’s Green Communities program is the only program in the country that seeks to transform a region by promoting sustainability through a “green” certification program for local governments.

“We congratulate the elected officials and staff of Alpharetta, Decatur and Cobb for earning Green Communities certification and for their commitment to sustainability,” said Chick Krautler, ARC director. “Their leadership in reducing local government’s environmental impact is helping to create a greener region.”

Alpharetta
The Alpharetta City Council adopted the Alpharetta Green City Program in early 2009 as a comprehensive document for all the city’s sustainable policies and practices. A variety of measures are incorporated in the Green City Program, including LEED or EnergyStar® certification for all new local government buildings, a green fleet policy, “green” purchasing policies and more. One notable achievement is the city’s Rock Mill Park which incorporates stormwater best management practices and environmental education materials throughout the park. The park includes enhanced swales, marsh areas, rain gardens and a green roof pavilion. The city’s water conservation requirement for new construction, which mandates that any project within the city limits demonstrate how it will reduce water consumption by at least 10 percent to receive a permit, is another noteworthy achievement. Other measures implemented by the City of Alpharetta are community incentives for green building and WaterSense® homes, a commercial recycling requirement, installation of LED bulbs in all traffic signals and a no-idling policy for government vehicles.

Alpharetta, Decatur earn Green Communities Certification

This Week at Cane Creek

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:08:00 +0000

This week brings a lot more tomatoes...Lynn and her crew harvested over 400 pounds worth on Tuesday. Luckily I found a great way to use a bunch of yellow tomatoes (recipe below) and actually bought 4 1/2 pounds of extra yellow tomatoes this week, bringing my total haul to almost 10 pounds. Summer squash, a few peppers, green onions, cucumbers, and garlic rounded out the share.

Now on to the recipes:
Yellow Tomato Soup
Potato, Squash, and Goat Cheese Gratin
Chicken-and-Brie Sandwich with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

(Image: Elizabeth Passarella)

Slow Food, Pro Food, Mo Food

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:45:00 +0000

Over the past month or so there has been a discussion brewing online around the topic of "Pro Food". This phrase was coined by Rob Smart in a blog post titled "Pro Food is..." on his Every Kitchen Table blog. The story way re-posted over on the Huffington Post and online discussions have ensued on blogs and on twitter (#profood).

The latest notable blog post (Slow Food, Pro Food, Mo Food) is from Nature's Harmony Farm in Elberton, GA. Tim from Nature's Harmony does a wonderful job responding to Smart's Pro Food idea and further expanding it.

Read the blog posts, follow the discussions, and participate in a discussion that could grow into something much larger.

Slow Food, Pro Food, Mo Food
Nature's Harmony Farm

This Week at Cane Creek

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:24:00 +0000

The rains have returned to Cane Creek and the plants are looking great. This week I will be getting a LOT of heirloom tomatoes (just like last week) in all shapes, sizes and colors.

Here is a list of what we are getting this week:

Summer Squash
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Green Onions
Lettuce
Blueberries
Potatoes
Peppers
Italian Flat Beans

And here are a few things I plan on making:

Pro Food is...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:36:00 +0000

Rob Smart, a food entrepreneur, defines a new term for eaters

Pro Food is:

Pro Farm
Pro Consumer
Pro Cooking
Pro Eating
Community-Oriented
Entrepreneurial

Read the complete definition over at Every Kitchen Table

This Week at Cane Creek

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:30:00 +0000

The first blueberries of the season are arriving as well as the first tomatoes grown outside the hoop house. The farm is drying up (if you have ever been there you will know that the opposite is usually the problem) and seems to keep missing the isolated storms that soak nearby areas.

Here is a list of what we are getting this week:

Summer Squash
Green Onions
Kale or Chard
Green, Yellow, and Purple Beans
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Napa Cabbage
Blueberries
Potatoes

And here are a few things I plan on making:

Sharing the Fruit Harvest

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:11:00 +0000

Ways to share a communities fruit harvest:

Portland Fruit Tree Project is an all-volunteer, grassroots organization based in Portland, Oregon. Their mission is to increase equal access to fresh, healthy food and foster stronger communities by empowering neighbors to share in the bounty and care of urban fruit and nut trees. They strive to increase community knowledge-sharing and self-sufficiency through education in food preservation and fruit tree cultivation. The organization maintains a fruit tree registry and holds harvesting parties, group harvests, tree care workshops, and fruit preservation workshops.

Neighborhood Fruit is a Google map mashup that shows citizens of San Francisco, Seattle, and Los Angeles (as well as a growing list of other cities) where to find fruit growing on public land. In other words, fruit you can forage for yourself at no cost!

Fruitful Alpharetta is an idea that I started turning in my head last year but just didn't get going. Now that my schedule has cleared up a bit I would like to try again to get this project off the ground. Fruitful Alpharetta would model itself after the Portland Fruit Tree Project with a few possible adaptations to meet the needs of the Alpharetta community. What I need to get this going are a few proactive people willing to sit down and brainstorm with me...then determine the required first steps.

This Week at Cane Creek

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:04:00 +0000

The summer CSA is off to a good start at Cane Creek Farm in Cumming and it is time for me to plan our meals for the week based off what we get in the share.

Here is the list of what we are getting this week:

Cabbage
Hakurei turnips
Strawberries
Summer squash
Fresh garlic
Spring onions

And here are a few things I plan on making:

Video Tour of the Alpharetta Community Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:50:00 +0000

My good friend Pattie Baker created a fantastic short video tour of the new Alpharetta Community Garden at Wills Park and I wanted to share it with you:

Alpharetta Community Garden from Pattie Baker on Vimeo.

You can find Pattie at these sites: FoodShed Planet and Sustainable Dunwoody

This Week at Cane Creek

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:59:00 +0000

Butter crunch lettuce
Hakurei turnips
Strawberries
Green garlic
Swiss chard
Spring onions
Pac choi

And here are a few things I plan on making:

Roast Chicken, mashed potatoes and turnips, and a green salad with dijon-lemon vinaigrette
Baked quinoa with Swiss chard and cheese
Cajun catfish wraps with cabbage and pac choi slaw
The bones from the roast chicken will go into a pot of water with the spring onions, green garlic, some celery and carrot to make a stock for tortilla soup.

Variety is the Spice of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:22:00 +0000

Growing up in a family full of picky eaters, I was never exposed to a variety of vegetables. My vegetable intake consisted mainly of potatoes and corn with the occasional carrot. Over the last several years of living away from my parents I had slowly added a few more vegetables to my diet.

It wasn’t until signing up for a CSA at Cane Creek Farm last year that the variety of vegetables I consumed on a regular basis (and enjoyed) took off. Faced with a weekly box of farm-fresh veggies, determination to eat healthy, and creativity; I was able to make it through the first year with ease and couldn’t wait to sign up for this year.

Here is a list of the vegetables that I now eat regularly (and enjoy) that I didn’t eat at all just 12 months ago:

Bok choy
Cabbage
Kale
Lettuce (all kinds)
Mustards
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Eggplant
Squash (all kinds)
Asparagus
Celery
Fennel
Leek
Beet
Parsnip
Radish
Turnip

Going Beyond Organic

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:37:00 +0000

In the post Does Organic Equal Sustainable, I discussed how most organic agriculture systems are not sustainable. Now it is time to talk more about what constitutes sustainable agriculture.

From my experience, sustainable food production systems are divided into at least 3 different camps: Sustainable Agriculture, Biodynamic Agriculture, and Permaculture. My personal preference is Permaculture, mainly because it aims to construct systems that mimic nature and reduce the amount of labor input required (once established). OK great, I picked the system that I feel is the best, now what? Time to go to class!

Georgia Permaculture is offering its 2nd annual Permaculture Design Course at Koinonia Farm in Americus, GA, February 8-19, 2010. See course description here. The idea is that after completing this course I will be able to design and implement permaculture systems that are appropriate for our geography. Once I acquire some land, I will install a permaculture system and use it to produce food for my family and sell the excess. I would also offer my design services to anyone that is interested.

How Much Are You Willing To Pay For Food?

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:10:00 +0000

Our food choices don’t just affect us financially; they also affect our planet, health, and quality of life. The Sierra Club has started the True Cost of Food campaign to spread the word about hidden costs in mass-produced (“cheap”) food and about alternatives that are kinder to the planet and better for us.

The True Cost Of Food
by ivanwave

What we choose to eat is one area where individual decisions can make a difference. If we continue to demand better food, the supply will follow. To better understand the current state of our food system, here is a quick overview:

The way food is produced and the way we eat create huge costs that are not reflected in our food bills. Some are actual dollar amounts (subsidies and cleanup costs that we pay for in taxes); some are damage to the environment (pollution and loss of wildlife habitat); some are loss of quality of life (tasteless food, loss of the pleasure of preparing food and eating together); and some are health issues (obesity, diseases, poor nutrition, contaminated food).
Agribusiness farms employ chemical-intensive systems that pollute land, air, and water.
We transport much of our food from centralized factory farms - instead of buying it from local sources - which is a poor use of resources and a contributor to air and water pollution.
We’re losing our wild places because of wasteful agricultural practices such as uncontrolled grazing and fattening up animals with diets of factory-farm corn.
Americans get much of their meat from pollution-causing factory farms and feedlots.
More and more of our food production is controlled by a few large producers. Buying from small, independent producers allows us some input into how our food is grown.

This system has come about through the emphasis on short-term gains with little to no thought about long-term impacts. We can’t completely blame the food producers, processors, and retailers or our government; we consumers have also demanded this "cheap" food.

Here are a few simple things that you can do to vote for an improved food system:

Eat more vegetables, fruit, and grains and less meat. Look for meat that is produced in the least harmful way - grass fed, organic, antibiotic- and hormone-free
Buy organic whenever you can
Buy from small, local sources whenever you can

Where do I get my food from?
Personally, I am willing to pay extra upfront for healthy, sustainable, local food. I try and grow as much food as possible but also am a CSA member at Cane Creek Farm and just joined the meat CSA offered by Riverview Farms that drops off at 5 Seasons Brewing on Old Milton. To help reduce costs, I cook simple meals that use a lot of vegetables, beans, and whole grains; and use meat in moderation.

Here are a few additional few resources to help:
Alpharetta Farmers Market
Georgia Organics Local Food Guide Map
Localharvest
The Grassfed Gourmet: Healthy Cooking and Good Living with Pasture-Raised Foods

A Community’s Collective Knowledge

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:17:00 +0000

For the past few years, I have slowly been re-learning skills that were pervasive just a generation or two ago, but had almost entirely disappeared with the arrival of cheap oil. These skills are generally related to homesteading, a lifestyle of simple self-sufficiency. They include anything from growing your own food to making hard cider to raising chickens. The latest ones I am looking into are brewing kombucha, designing permaculture systems, and organic farming/gardening.

I am not the only one learning these homesteading skills...the general public seems to be showing a renewed interest as well. This has been credited to the unstable gas prices/peak oil, the economic recession, the “green” movement, a rejection of the industrial food system, etc. Information resources are exploding. Most of this information is available in books and on websites, but until recently, there have been few local resources available to teach these valuable skills.

As the idea of a Sustainable Alpharetta continues to grow, we should start gathering, nurturing, and sharing this knowledge. Personally, I have an overwhelming desire to learn new things (know a little bit about everything and a lot about many) and can be an effective teacher to an eager audience. One area I need help is getting the word out in the community…I can only do so much standing on my e-soapbox. Please share this website with your family, friends, church, organization, etc. and provide me with feedback on what else I can do for you and Alpharetta.

Here is an excellent resource that I have just started reading: The Backyard Homestead

Using Ollas (Old-Fashioned Drip Irrigation)

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:33:00 +0000

Not all of us can/want to water our gardens every day or every other day. In an attempt to find a watering solution I explored a few alternatives.

I am not a big fan of drip irrigation and soaker hoses because they require hours of operation to thoroughly soak the soil (plus it is difficult to use my captured rain water). Hand watering either with a watering can or hose is OK but can waste water and contribute to disease in our humid climate. Then I decided to further investigate a technique that I had heard about a few years ago...ollas.

Ollas, pronounced O-yah, are direct and efficient watering devices for the garden. The original ollas, thought to be brought from Spain to South America were unglazed clay earthenware urns which are still used today in the Southwest.

They are basically unglazed terracotta jars that are buried in the ground and filled with water. The water slowly seeps through the jar and waters the plant it is placed next to. Ollas can be rather expensive ($10-50/ea) and hard to find, so I started looking for local alternatives. I found some unglazed terracotta pots at Hobby Lobby that look like wine chillers (representative pic below):

I bought the 8 pots that they had on the floor and 8 terracotta saucers to cover them. The pots were $2.50/ea and the saucers were $0.50/each. I have already installed them in my plot and am waiting to see how they work...and if I am going to need more. Picture at the top is of my garden plot at the Alpharetta Community Garden with the ollas installed.

You could also install the ollas and setup a gravity-fed hybrid olla/drip irrigation system using captured rain water (planning on doing this eventually):

Here is a little more info on making ollas: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1434/

2009 Georgia Organics Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:31:00 +0000

Held March 20-21, 2009 at Agnes Scott College, the 2009 12th annual conference saw two days of sustainable local farm tours, panel discussions, and in-depth workshops on subjects ranging from the science of composting with worms to food security, and culminated with the keynote speech of best-selling author Michael Pollan.

Here is that keynote:

Follow Georgia Organics:
Facebook
Twitter

Alpharetta Community Garden in Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:01:00 +0000

Here are a few pictures of the newly created Alpharetta Community Garden:

Alpharetta Farmers Market

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:21:00 +0000

The Alpharetta Farmers Market opens this Saturday in conjunction with the city’s springtime celebration, Alpharetta Arts Streetfest. This year the Alpharetta Farmers Market - in its third season - is putting new emphasis on two words: “Georgia” and “organic.”

“We’re trying to go more green and more local,” said market manager Carol Anderson-Wood. “It’s going to take a little transition, but we’re working on it.”

Although a couple of returning vendors use conventional growing methods, new applicants must use natural farming techniques. “We’re also asking everybody to label things that are not from Georgia,” Anderson-Wood said. “We’re just moving in that direction.”

So is the nation. There are many sensible reasons to buy naturally grown, local produce - health and environment chief among them - but fans of farmers markets know the true reasons. Once you taste a radish or beet that has come out of the ground that morning, once you experience the joy of selecting carrots with the greens (and dirt) still attached and shake the hand that harvested them, once you reawaken in yourself the urge to connect, in a tangible way, with food we eat and the land we live on … once you do these things, you’ll never look back.

Alpharetta Farmers Market: 8 a.m. till noon Saturdays, Old Roswell Street, downtown Alpharetta.

AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS
Arugula, asparagus, beets, bok choy, cabbage, carrots, chard, dandelion, escarole, green garlic, green onions, greens, herbs, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, microgreens, radicchio, radishes, spinach, strawberries, tatsoi, turnips, brussels sprouts

AJC

Does Organic Equal Sustainable?

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:47:00 +0000

The short answer is no, organic products are not inherently sustainable.

Organic agriculture (especially industrial organic production) still involves massive amounts of oil and water to turn a vegetable seed into your dinner. Don’t get me wrong, buying organic products is still very important and does benefit the Earth versus conventional products; but organic needs to be viewed as a stepping stone toward a sustainable food system…not as the destination.

Modern agriculture (conventional and organic) has traded human and animal labor for oil. A sustainable food system will require a lot more labor, will produce food locally, will be more expensive, and will be healthier for you and the planet.

One way to help reduce the cost and labor involved with a sustainable food system is to start planting food forests now and working with nature through the use of biodynamic agriculture.

Food Forests Across America
Biodynamics

Alpharetta Farmers Market

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:56:00 +0000

Saturdays from April 18 to mid-October

8am - 12:30pm

The Alpharetta Farmers Market has taken root downtown in the Alpharetta Historic District. Bring the whole family to shop for local produce, herbs, honey and more. Have a relaxing morning by eating at local restaurants and shopping downtown.

Mission:

Provide fresh, local items directly from farmers and producers.

Dates and Hours:

Every Saturday from April 18 through October from 8am to 12:30pm.

Note: The market may be temporarily displaced Saturday, August 1 due to the 57^thAnnual Old Soldiers Day Parade.

Location:

The market takes place on Old Roswell Street in Downtown Alpharetta. Take Highway 9 west on Old Milton Parkway (right if heading South on Hwy 9 or left if heading North on Hwy 9), right on Roswell Street and then right on Old Roswell Street. Free downtown parking on your left.

Weather:

We’re open rain or shine!

Want to join the market, or meet our vendors:

Go to www.alpharettafarmersmarket.com.

A Farm for the Future

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Wildlife film maker Rebecca Hosking investigates how to transform her family's farm in Devon into a low energy farm for the future, and discovers that nature holds the key. With her father close to retirement, Rebecca returns to her family's wildlife-friendly farm in Devon, to become the next generation to farm the land. But last year's high fuel prices were a wake-up call for Rebecca. Realizing that all food production in the UK is completely dependent on abundant cheap fossil fuel, particularly oil, she sets out to discover just how secure this oil supply is. Alarmed by the answers, she explores ways of farming without using fossil fuel. With the help of pioneering farmers and growers, Rebecca learns that it is actually nature that holds the key to farming in a low-energy future.

Chicken Whisperer to Give Away 500 Baby Chicks in Roswell

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:31:00 +0000

Chicken Whisperer to Give Away 500 Baby Chicks in Atlanta

Andy G. Schneider, the national radio personality known as the Chicken Whisperer plans to give away 500 baby chicks on Saturday, April 11^th starting at 8:00 AM at the Greenwoods on Green Street restaurant in Roswell, Georgia, located at 1087 Green Street 30075. The Chicken Whisperer’s plan is to promote the keeping of backyard poultry and to get folks thinking about growing more of their own food with this “Chicken Stimulus Package.”

Schneider, host of the nationally broadcast radio show Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer, and his station manager at Radio Sandy Springs came up with the idea after the city of Roswell went after one of its citizens for keeping pet chickens in his backyard. According to Schneider, the big chicken give away has the support of citizens and former lawmakers alike.

All baby chicks have been donated by hatcheries across America. Only two chicks will be given away to each family and they will come with a starter bag of feed, care instructions, and a map to North Fulton Feed and Seed in Alpharetta where they can pick up additional supplies. “This is our very own small economic stimulus package for the people of Atlanta,” the Chicken Whisperer says. “In the middle of layoffs, foreclosures, and a poor economy we want to teach people how to become a little more self-sufficient, and keeping backyard pet poultry is a good start.”

The Alpharetta Community Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:13:00 +0000

Alpharetta is about to have its first Community Garden! The Alpharetta Community Garden is a project of the Alpharetta Arboretum, Inc. With the Arboretum’s oversight and by special allocation of land at Wills Park from Alpharetta’s City Council, we hope to have the Garden up and running by April.

The American Community Gardening Association has been promoting community gardens since 1979, but there is a growing interest in them today, partly because of food provenance: we want to know where our food originates. The Community Garden is a great way to learn how to grow your own food as you interact with other people of all ages and backgrounds. Community Gardens are truly about community as well as growing your own herbs, fruits and vegetables.

The plots at the Alpharetta Community Garden will be 4’ X 10’ raised beds. The Alpharetta Arboretum plans to build a few “enabling beds” for the wheelchair bound or people with disabilities. All garden plots will be provided soil as well as 3 complimentary starter plants. The gardeners may add their own purchased plants, seed or plants started from seed at home. These plots may be leased for $50.00 for the season (April - October) to city of Alpharetta residents first and on a first come - first served basis. Some pre-registrants may be placed on a waiting list as space is limited.

To pre-register, please click the link here: alpharettagarden@bellsouth.net and be sure to give your name, email address and a phone number.

What's The Deal With Dandelion Greens?

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:54:00 +0000

Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | Produce Box Report: Dandelion Greens:

"Dandelions, seen as a noxious weed by some and a source of outdoor entertainment by others (who hasn't made a wish and blown on a puff of dandelion seeds?) are a tasty and healthful salad green packed with vitamins A &C, iron, and more calcium than spinach. They are commonly used as a salad green, but can also be braised, stewed, and sauteed.

When shopping for greens, look for firm, fresh green leaves. Prepare and wash them as you would any salad green - trim the ends off the stems, and rip them up in bite-sized pieces. Dandelion greens will keep for a few days in a crisper drawer. They have a slightly bitter taste that is quite pleasant."

I actually prefer to grow my own since I like using the leaves when they are young and tender, those you find in the grocery store (at least in my experience) tend to be old, tough, and bitter.

Johnny's Seed - Dandelion