‘Soaking Up’ My New Found Water Knowledge

 

Earlier this week I attended the Get Water Smart Workshop hosted by Seattle Tilth and Jessi Bloom (yes, the irony of her last name was not lost on me) of N.W. Bloom. When I walked into the room, Maren Neldam from Seattle Tilth was walking the group through a pollutant runoff watershed model to demonstrate how different chemicals and rain water follow gravity into the Puget Sound Watershed. She then added ‘sponge shaped’ habitat to demonstrate how soil that collects runoff literally soaks up the water and chemical liquid mixture buffering it from running directly into the water system.

Once we were all back in our seats, Jessi Bloom presented on Water Smart Gardening practices. The key takeaways for me were as follows:

• Goal is to slow down the water runoff process by using it as many different times as possible before it flows into the Puget Sound. She used an example of runoff from her barn gathering in a cistern, then flowing into a duck/chicken water trough, then into a rain garden. I also discovered a new program being tested by the Port of Seattle called Splash Boxx, an experimental garden in a boxcar.
• We walked outside to see what appeared to be a perfect rain garden set up, but was not being used for that purpose, at the Washington Park Arboretum. She talked about ‘following the rules that nature has set’ by allowing the earth to act as a filter for water and different plants that could be used in a rain garden. Programs, such as 12,000 Rain Gardens, allow people to help build this type of landscaping providing hands on experience while helping others before implementing one yourself. She recommended doing it yourself because of the glut of unprofessional service providers currently ‘saturating’ the market. She also shared the importance of conducting a perc test along with some landscaping worst case scenarios if one is not conducted.
• Her insight on perennial edibles and the benefits of using native plants for vegetable gardening inspired me to slightly shift my focus on my gardening final project. These plants do not require as much work, require less fertilizers and pesticides, are mostly drought tolerant, and do not need as much water. Although we’ve addressed these topics in class, I had not yet incorporated these practices into my project.
• Bioremediation was a ‘new word to me’ which was brought up during the Q&A portion of her presentation. It’s a waste management technique used to clean up toxic environmental waste. Apparently mushrooms can be used through this process to break down toxins eventually turning them into carbon dioxide and water.
• Pervious pavers and porous concrete were referenced several times as a tool to aid in limiting water runoff.

As the presentation wrapped up, Maren from Seattle Tilth offered up a box of water saving tools as take away schwag from the event. I personally have used the shower timer every day since the presentation. The water bottle for the toilet tank has been replaced with bricks from my garden in all toilets within our household, and the floating row cover is currently in place over one of my garden beds to keep the critters from eating my seeds. All perfect takeaways to aid me in reducing my own water footprint at home.

Taking the ‘Waste’ Out of Food Waste

Any food waste statistic makes my toes curl. Literally. Because the United States of America is a land of excess we unabashedly discard food without a second thought. Or so it seems. But that might be my overly sensitive side talking.

If food waste is being measured it means it matters. Yet global companies like Monsanto feel we need to produce more food generated to feed the future population of the planet. The global food crisis feels a little beyond my/our reach so I’ll leave that up to the likes of Bill and Melinda Gates and their foundation for now.

What I can do is ‘vote with my fork.’ That meaning I can choose the food that goes into my body by buying organic foods from local farmers. Since we are talking about food waste here check out what some grassroots organizations are doing to make an impact in there little part of the world:

• Food Lifeline – They stop people from going hungry by applying ingenuity to this largely logistical problem.
• Former Trader Joe’s Executive, Doug Rauch, is opening a grocery store for food items past their ‘sell by date.’
• Grocery Auctions – A popular clearing house for food that is past its prime.
• Gleaning Network – Group that harvests food for farmers that might not be able to sell their product otherwise.
• Freeganism – The practice of eating and reclaiming food that has been discarded.

My personal best practice for not wasting food is turning food that is about to go bad in to delicious dishes that can be frozen to consume at a later date. So if you’re looking for a personal chef to help you do the same, I’m your gal.

Being a Sustainable Restaurant

I grew up working in the hospitality/restaurant industry. While I burned out on working the day to day restaurant grind 20+ years ago, the industry and my love of food has carried over into my current passion for the political food system as a whole. So when I decided to research one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago, IL to see how they were doing with their sustainability efforts I was thrilled with what I found.

Uncommon Ground was the first restaurant in the nation to have a certified organic rooftop garden. Because the neighbors in their community literally helped them to carry four tons of soil up the stairs to create the rooftop garden, they keep the area accessible to the neighborhood for viewing and educational purposes. The restaurant is continually recognized for their sustainable efforts which in turn is providing them with the designation of being the leaders in their chosen field. They also offer an internship program for aspiring restauranteurs that dream of one day opening their own sustainable operation.

The Green Restaurant Association(GRA) has been the third party organization to set the ‘sustainable standard’ for the restaurant industry. According to their company website their vision is to, ‘Create an environmentally sustainable restaurant industry.’ The GRA recognized Uncommon Ground as the World’s Greenest Restaurant just last year. This designation did not come easy. It took over four years for them to reach this achievement. Most restaurants become certified by achieving 100 points through their systemized process. Uncommon Ground first received 228 points when they applied and worked their way up to earning 447 green points to achieve the highest standard to date.

The bar has been set high by this two restaurant operation based out of Chicago. And the recognition they are receiving is showing others it can be done. If I were to ever have a change of heart and decide to open my own restaurant, Uncommon Grounds is the type of restaurant I would emulate. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?

Exotic Garden Compost

I just received a phone message from Dr. Doo, the Prince of Poo, from Woodland Park Zoo letting me know that I am able to pick up some of the famous zoo doo as part of their spring Fecal Fest. I’ve been waiting for this moment for three years now. Can you tell I’m excited?

Mostly because this is a win/win situation, and I love win/win scenarios. The Woodland Park Zoo saves $60,000 a year by not schlepping animal poop waste to landfill, and makes $15,000 to $20,000 each year from people purchasing it once it has been turned into compost. They create roughly one million pounds of the most exotic compost available in the Pacific Northwest every year. They created a process of creating ‘green gold’ by working with nature to turn poop from non-primate herbivores into a useful product and making a profit (for a nonprofit). Plus you receive a voicemail message from Dr. Poo himself informing you that you are the lucky recipient. That’s almost as good as having Carl Kassel’s voice on your home answering machine.

Zoo Doo Video

 

Plans for my bday inspired by this video

Plans for my bday inspired by this video. http://ow.ly/4mtN4

How NOT to Shuck an Oyster

All pictures used in this blog were taken by myself (Lisa Beuning).

Because I am literally starting from scratch at my new apartment in Seattle I have had to improvise on more than one occasion. For example when I needed to pound a nail into the wall I used a full can of soup in lieu of a hammer. And when I needed to crack open a Dungeness crab I used the handle of a butter knife instead of a seafood cracker or mallet. Seasoning for my cooking? Just head outside to find a rosemary bush and snap a couple of branches off. No scissors? A serrated knife will do just fine. I will admit I have become quite resourceful!

But some things are just not meant to be improvised. And you may not realize it until it is too late. Another way of saying this; learning things the hard way.

I (or we) were reminded of the oh so important lesson last Friday evening. What started out as a romantic early Valentine’s Day dinner hosted by yours truly almost turned into a trip to the emergency room at the local hospital. Not the ending I had envisioned for this evening in particular.

Here is how the day/events unfolded:

Friday, February 11th

12:22 pm
Stop at Pike Place Market to pick up fresh fish and oysters for dinner. Knowing that I did not have an oyster knife at home I asked if they could shuck the oysters for me. I was informed they could not. But not to worry because it is easy to do! They even provided a quick demo stating that a butter knife would work just as well.

2:46 pm
Dinner guest sent a text message saying he would be by at 5:30 pm ready and willing to help prep for dinner. So I saved the oyster shucking and green bean snapping just for him.

5:37 pm
Dinner guest arrived. After providing him instructions I put him to work shucking oysters while I continued to prepare French Onion Soup.

Doug shucking before incident. He looks happy to help don't you think?

6:14 pm
After requests for a towel, a bowl for shells, another short knife, and a regular butter knife, we finally had our first shelled oyster. Next thing I heard was a little cursing, something about a pocket knife, a little more cursing, a question about why I didn’t ask him to bring an oyster knife instead of the wire whisk I requested, a little more mumbling, then a big, loud curse word (which I won’t mention here to keep this PG rated).

6:15 pm
We now had two shucked oysters and a bloodied, cut hand. We honestly thought the cut was deep enough that it might require stitches. I was immediately grateful for living amidst three hospitals. As I was sorting through in my mind which one we should walk to to get the care required for my oyster shucking friend, we tended to the cut as much as we could with home remedies.

Two delicious oysters

Bandaged cut after 'the incident.'

6:42 pm
By this time we had determined the cut did not need surgical care so continued  the preparation of dinner.

The following morning I received a photo via my phone of an oyster knife with an attached message stating ‘I’m just saying.’ Which spurred me to go out and find myself a real oyster knife so I could enjoy the rest of the fresh, delicious oysters safely.  After a trip to Value Village, Trader Joe’s, and Madison Market Co-op, I found and purchased one on sale at QFC. Time it took to shuck and eat the remaining mollusks? Ten minutes tops.

Biggest lesson learned? Use the right tool for the right job. Even if the solution seems like a ‘quick fix’ or an easy substitute, people have done what you’ve done and learned the hard way already. That is how the greatest inventions are made. And why some blogs are posted. So don’t try to reinvent the wheel or take a short cut. Or if you do, share your success with others and try to patent it!

Taking the Food Stamp Challenge

Share Our Strength recently posed a challenge to its audience to live off $30 a week in food groceries, the average amount provided in the state of Maryland. Since I live in Seattle where the cost of living is higher I chose to take on the challenge utilizing the Washington state guideline ($200 per month / $50 per week / $7 per day).

The goal? To raise awareness in people who do not have to utilize Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Note the program went through a ‘rebranding’ effort in 2008. Key word is ‘supplemental’ – this is not a stand alone initiative. So you are not expected to live solely off this dollar amount yet so many people do.

I took the challenge. And continue to to this day. Though I could easily go on a tangent about the latest statistics and politics surrounding this program my goal here is to share my first hand experience with you.

Eye Opening Moments

Starting the Challenge From Scratch – I had a fridge full of food when I started the challenge. Luckily I had not taken out the recycling for the week so still had access to receipts from my food shopping trips to refer to. That and the fact that I am pretty anal about the amount of dollars I spend on food so the computing of costs for dishes came quite readily to me. Which I needed in order to cost out meals as I consumed them (see food cost breakdown example below). It’s just not feasible to start the challenge without using what you have on hand. Flour, milk and eggs included. That is the only way to calculate true dollars spent.

Changing Habits – Another area I’m already good with is packing snacks to take with me so I do not ‘impulse eat.’ However one day I did not prepare properly. The urge to stop and grab a sandwich at one of my favorite neighborhood joints to satisfy my hunger just wasn’t an option. Typically I could justify supporting a local business for a $10 or less lunch but during the challenge I couldn’t. So my tummy grumbled and I became very cranky until I was able to get home to some already prepared food in the fridge.

Eating for One – One word – leftovers. You have to be okay with eating the same dish throughout the week. I had a big pot of beef stew that lasted me all week. So the cost was manageable. Here is a cost breakdown of the stew:

Beef – $9
Bottle of Wine (yes, the wine went in the dish) – $8
Bag of Carrots – $1
Bag of Potatoes – $2.50
Bag of Frozen Peas – $2
Whole Onion – $1
Mushrooms – $2
Beef Stock – $3
Chocolate and Spices – $2
Total – $30.50
Divided by 9 meals = $3.60 per meal

Though I may never eat stew again this was a pretty balanced meal considering alternatives that many people eat while on the SNAP program.

Social Life – I had a few offers to go out to eat with friends/family throughout the week and had to politely refuse. By accepting food from others you are ‘living outside the means’ provided. But it did offer some creative solutions. Example – Instead of going out for happy hour with a friend I offered to host one at my apartment. Even though alcohol is not covered under the program, the potential to have snacks/food with the drinks was there. To minimize temptation we stayed in; ambience included.

Most people have a budget for their food expenditures utilizing coupons, buying in bulk, even visiting food pantries to supplement the program. I tend to purchase items on sale at the one of four grocery stores I visit balancing my purchases between them. I realize this is not the most organized approach and I plan to challenge myself in this area. The first step – read ‘Tips for Healthy, Thrifty Meals’ provided by the USDA.

Yes, I did go over my budget. Mostly because I got cocky with how well I was doing five days into the challenge. So decided to do a little shopping without a list. Lesson learned. With a little practice I know I can do it. And will continue to using more resources than I started with.

Time to head home for some lunch since my tummy is beginning to grumble.

I signed up for Heart Walk as part of Te

I signed up for Heart Walk as part of Team Deltek. Help us raise $$ for the Amer. Heart Assoc. http://ow.ly/2QESz

New Job, New Routine

Someone asked me earlier this week if I was going to blog about my first couple days at work. My response at the time was a resounding ‘no’ since I wanted time to think about anything but the job. And because I have had trouble separating my work time from my free time in the past. So a personal goal of mine so to try to turn off work when I am not physically at work.

The first week at a new job can be overwhelming since you are acclimating to so many new ways of doing things. Such as the commute to and from work, new eating habits, new scheduled routine, meeting new people, setting up your work area, learning office politics, timing when to put on the work clothes in the morning so the dogs do not cover you with dog hair before you head out the door.

I have had almost a full day away from the new job so I now feel prepared to reflect on the week. It is a very exciting time for the company as they are in a growth stage. I will admit that I had not heard of this company prior to applying for the job I now hold. Any trepidations I may have had about the company were immediately dismissed the day I interviewed. The energy was very positive. Everyone walking in the front door was greeting each other with a cheerful ‘good morning’, the organization is very green/ good to the planet, and health & fitness is a top priority. These intangibles may be toted on the company website but you never know the true ‘vibe’ until you have spent a day in the life. And the life is good.

As far as adjusting to a new lifestyle? The commute is long but my car pool buddy is fun to chat with even when the traffic/lack of infrastructure is driving him batty, I had three good days of eating lite & healthy and two days when I couldn’t seem to eat enough junk food, the routine has been a welcome change to my day, every person has their own amazing personality, the work area is a work in progress due to some technical glitches which will soon be overcome, and the office politics? Well, they are going to be there with any job. And for the dog hair? I picked up some tape brushes at Target.

Spies Like Us – Social Recruiting

The Dilbert Cartoon (courtesy of Scott Adams at http://www.dilbert.com) above refers to social media in the marketing realm and the lack of embracing it in the corporate world. Every day I read articles about organizations waking up to the reality of this media being utilized as a form of communication. In case you were wondering, no, it is not a fad. It is a way of the future so hop on board (I feel so dated just by typing this last statement). Even government agencies are opening their closely regulated communications to social media.

In addition to marketing departments using social media as a form of communication, human resource departments overlap with the use of the tools for branding the company. And most importantly (at least in my world and my new job)as a way to engage people with the company so they turn from customers that are aware of your organization into people that become raving fans that can’t wait to work for you.

One area that does not cross over into the marketing world is sourcing or finding talent through social media. This is where the rubber hits the road in the social recruiting world. Thank goodness they have an upcoming conference devoted just to this art – SourceCon which will be occuring in Washington DC next week. They even host a sourcing contest which entails a lot of, well, sourcing. Check out Suzi Tonini’s post on how she won a few years back. I love how her mind works. Just last week I participated in Social Recruiting Summit in Seattle via live stream. And several webinars in between. I am either extremely passionate about this topic or it is becoming much more prevelant in the HR world.

Yes, it is an exciting time that we live in. I always say the most beautiful thing about social media is that you can make it to whatever you want it to be. For you specifically.