Eco Community Seeds, Spring Issue 2010 by Eco Community Seeds Magazine

Community Seeds Eco-Magazine

Helping Haiti

Is Disney Green?

Ways the Happiest Place Can Do Better How Toxic is Your Produce? The Clean Fifteen VS The Dirty Dozen

Out and About

Beautiful Table Mountain

Feeding the Grid

Part Part 55 of of Our Our Solar Solar Series Series

Take Control of Your Health Fighting the Fitness Fads

FREE

www.communityseeds.com

SPRING 2010

Thinking Globally, Living Locally

The Gift of Solar Lighting and Cooking

Welcome

Vol. 2, No. 4 Spring 2010 Issue 8

Community Seeds Eco Magazine is published quarterly, exclusively online; at no cost to readers.

Community Seeds Eco Publishing,

Please send comments, articles, artwork, testimonials, questions and photos to: info@communityseeds.com. For advertising and general information, e-mail us at info@communityseeds.com Or sales@communityseeds.com

Also, visit: www.communityseeds.com Send all mail to: Community Seeds Eco Magazine 1376 Longfellow Ave. Chico, CA 95938 Call to make an appointment and/or leave a message: (530) 570-5581

Community Seeds

ECO Magazine

www.communityseeds.com Editor-In-Chief DeAnna Holman Associate Editor Amy Behlke Environmental Advisor/Contributing Editor Greg Holman Staff Writers Amy Behlke DeAnna Holman Greg Holman Staff Photographers Tracy Lynn Cahn of Tracy Lynn Photography DeAnna Holman Greg Holman Proof Editor CarrollAnn Davis Advertising/Marketing Deborah Watt Art/Layout Design DeAnna Holman Amy Behlke Spring Cover Taken at Table Mountain, Oroville, CA By Tracy Cahn

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, DeAnna Holman (right) Amy Behlke, Associate Editor (left)

Community Seeds . Spring 2010

All articles, photos, advertising, words, design and images are the property of Community Seeds Publishing as published and may not be reproduced without permission. Community Seeds Publishing reserves the right to edit all content submitted. Although property of Community Seeds, no division of the company may be held liable for its specific content.

From the Editor

A Note From the Editor Going Non-Profit! So many times, I have written about the community support that we have received, and I continue to be appreciative of the number of dedicated readers that follow Community Seeds Eco Magazine (AKA CS Eco Magazine). As we have grown and developed, we have maintained our commitment to sustainability and to the community. These commitments have taken us down a path of assessment and speculation about the current status and future of the magazine. We want to continue to offer the magazine as a free resource, educational publication, and forum for sustainability articles; however, with our donations of 25% to non-profit organizations, the free help that we offer sustainability and community groups with fund-raising, the overhead of running a business, and the costs of independent contractors, we are not able to continue the magazine as it stands. I have proudly dedicated two years to this cause and this publication with no salary or any money from proceeds, ever. In fact, my family has continued to donate funds to keep the magazine going. In addition, we have been able to get a few wonderful sponsors. Most people do not realize how much money it takes to run a business and have a publication (even on-line). We would like to continue to publish Community Seeds Eco Magazine and give to the community, so we have come to the conclusion that we need to go non-profit. In fact, have already started the process! We hope that by going non-profit, we can get more financial support and continue our dedication to the environment, the community, and to this publication. We encourage readers to become a part of this process by continuing to send in articles, purchase advertising, and becoming sponsors. You may also donate services or eco friendly prize items for our raffles. All donations will be tax deductible and at least 25% will be given back to the community. We have a few loose ends to tie up and we hope to have the 501(c)(3) process completed soon. We thank our readers, writers, advertisers and sponsors for helping us continue on our mission: to help make us be a little more socially, environmentally, and community aware. I am very excited to head up this new non profit venture and continue to be proud of the work we do. Have a happy, healthy, green spring!

DeAnna Holman

Editor-in-Chief

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Contents

Summer 2010

Features 2 Welcome! 3 Note From the Editor 6 Issue Contributors 26 Community Photos 48 Crafts 34 Calendar Links 54 Spring Fun Photos 66 Advertisers Index 67 Be in the Summer

Issue!

Tomorrowland?

Pesticides and Produce

Take Control Of Your Health

Out and About

Community Seeds . Spring 2010

The Dirty Dozen VS Clean Fifteen Live a Fad-Free, Healthy Life

The Beautiful Table Mountain

True Life 24

Making a Difference

Featured Artist

Should be Disney’s “Yesterdayland”

Helping Haiti With Sun Power Paradise Painter, Esther McIsaac Hansen

32 Departments Easy Being Greener

Green Attitudes: The Least We Can Do

11 Does Disney Choose to Reuse?

Book Reviews

28 Greg Mortenson’s

Three Cups of Tea

31 For Teens:

Three Cups of Tea Young Reader’s Edition

18 Going Solar:

Part 5 Of Our Series

Plastic Field Trip: A Re-Education

Green Crafts

48 Green Crafts Intro 51 Tin Mini Album 51 Button Magnets 52 Earthy Easter:

Eco Friendly Easter Egg Dyes

Healthy Living

57 A Dietitian’s Tips: Living Thin

Stay Healthy: Have Fun

Food

Cook’s Corner: Tastes of Spring

Parmesan Crusted Chicken or Fish, Stuffed Bell Peppers

65 Rosemary Potatoes, Profiterole Puffs, Cream Cheese Cookies

Community

32 Discover Pi:

A Celebration

40 Table Mnt.Through

the Eyes of a Local

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Contributors

Contributors: SPRING 2010 DeAnna Holman Editor-in-Chief, Owner, Publisher, Web Designer, Mother of Three & Wife. DeAnna holds a BS Degree in Gerontology from USC, a California Teaching Credential and Science Supplement From CSU, Chico, and an AA Degree in Liberal Studies/Photo Journalism from Grossmont College in San Diego. Amy Behlke Associate Editor, Writer, Links Coordinator, Mother of Two, and Wife. Amy holds a BA Degree in Liberal Studies from CSU, Chico, a California Teaching Credential From CSU, Chico, works full time teaching 6th grade and writes grants. Greg Holman Writer, Environmental Advisor, Father of Three, Husband. Greg is a Science Teacher, Writer for EnergySeeds.com, Grant Writer, Workshop Facilitator for the National Energy Education Development Project, who holds a BA and CA Teaching Credential from CSU, Chico. Allison Randall Allison Randallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career stints include: Artist, Cook, Baker, Barista, Belly Dancer, Bookseller, and Mom. She has lived in Boulder, Colorado and Auckland, New Zealand. Currently, she and her family call the San Francisco Bay Area home. Tracy Cahn Tracy is a professional photographer who enjoys photographing families, wedding, pets, and events. She has joined the staff of Community Seeds Eco Magazine as a photographer. A Paradise, CA resident, Tracy is a Mom, a Wife and the Owner of Tracy Lynn Photography. Esther McIsaac Hansen Artist, Gardener, Wife, Mother and soon to be Grandmother, Esther found her way from Scotland via England, Spain, and Canada and finally put down roots in Paradise, CA. She formerly worked in the hi-tech industry, primarily focusing on Strategic Marketing and PR. Alex Eaves Alex is the Founder of STAY VOCAL (www.stayvocal.com), a reuse products and information company based near Boston, MA, with a second base of operations in Chico. As a former touring merchandiser for rock bands, traveling around the country is a normal part of Alexâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life. Susan Burke March Registered and Licensed Dietitian Susan Burke March, MS, CDE, is a dynamic speaker, accomplished author, enthusiastic media representative, and committed professional counselor dedicated to helping people learn strategies to improve their health and accomplish their weight goals. Lia Harty Native of Hawaii , Lia is a Mom, Wife and Editor of GoLocalChico.com. She holds a Fine Arts degree in ceramics from the University of Hawaii and has enjoyed working as a teacher, drama coach, missionary, sous-chef, restaurant manager, and artisan. Community Seeds eco Magazine

Community Seeds . Spring 2010

Contributors

Kelly Levin Kelly graduated from CSU, Chico with a degree in Business Administration and a Multiple Subjects Credential. She is a mother of three adorable boys and teaches kindergarten in Paradise, CA. Kelly loves creating crafty projects with her sons and her students. Taylor Allison Taylor is 11 years old and attends Evergreen 6th Grade Academy in Paradise, CA. She is a 6th grader who likes to play basketball and go skiing. She also loves to learn about the human body, “It’s so much fun!” Jayne Locas Garden Writer, Speaker, Published Artist, and Budding Photographer, Jayne is a former gardening columnist for the Paradise Post, writing a column called “Trowel and Error.” As a Paradise Garden Club member, she spearheaded the Daffodils Across the Ridge beautification project. Currently, she does a gardening segment for “Go Green,” a feature of the Wake-Up show on KHSL TV. Deanna Zachrich Mother, Wife, Volunteer, Artist, Gardener, and Writer, Deanna lives in northwest Ohio with her husband and daughter. Whether spilling over papers, canvas, or plants, her creativity is her passion.

Contributors -Not Pictured CarrollAnn Davis CarrollAnn works with Community Seeds Eco Magazine as a Proof Editor and Writer. She is the Editor’s mom, a math tutor, Stampin” Up! Demonstrator, Vice President of her local PTA, mother of six and grandmother of ten. Danae Dominichi Writer and Chef Extraordinare, Danae works for Paradise Unified School District at Evergreen 6. She has a son and is involved in 4-H in Paradise, CA. Kayla Cook Kayla is the Media Coordinator/Power Play! Campaign Assistant Coordinator for Network for a Healthy California—Sierra Cascade Region, a freelance writer and a Chico resident. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English and has a certificate in editing and publishing. Jennifer Arbuckle Jennifer is the Recycling and Public Outreach Coordinator Northern Recycling and Waste Services. She has worked with many schools to start recycling programs and as a result has helped reduced the amount of waste put in our landfills.

All contributors are named on their corresponding article If you would like to send an article for the next issue of Community Seeds, please include a short bio, along with your photo and photos to go with your article. Send articles (doc) and photos (jpg) to info@ communityseeds.com. For additional guidelines, please go to www.communityseeds.com or send us an email. Community Seeds eco Magazine

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It’s Easy Being Greener

Everyone can do a little something....

er It’s not Easy Being Green

Green Attitudes By DeAnna Holman

n spite of the latest “green revolution,” I have come across many who say they “don’t do green anything.” Some say it is a fad. Some say it is inconvenient. Some say they do not believe in global warming and others say it is “green washing.” In this day and age, with so much information out there, I cannot believe there is so much controversy over being green. I try to understand how some people feel the way they do; but as a parent, I can not imagine not doing what I can to secure clean air, clean water and adequate resources for future generations.

and climate change, a theory of one of the many things that is happening due to increased carbon emissions (I have a theory on climate extremes, but that is another article). The global warming theory has caused so much controversy, discussion and division, that it may have distracted or taken us away from the fact that we want a healthy environment for our children. It is interesting to look at all of the scientific theories out there. The fact is: pollution is toxic. Pesticides are toxic. Depleting Earth’s resources is toxic. There is no theory needed to explain that.

n past articles, Community Seeds has tackled the fact that being green is not new, but being incredibly wasteful just may be. People who grew up during the Great Depression were “green.” They thought it was irresponsible to be wasteful and no matter what they gained in life, their attitudes toward wastefulness remains/remained throughout their lives. Perhaps we should all revisit that “old green” for valuable lessons.

eally, have we become such a throwaway society that cares more about convenience than the fact that landfills are filling up at an alarming rate? Do we care that pesticides and other chemicals in our foods are causing us hormonal distress and increased rates of cancer and autoimmune diseases? We must care that carbon emissions are polluting the air and harming the lungs of our developing children?

e have also approached the subject of global warming

Community Seeds . Spring 2010

could not, in good conscience, stop caring about the environment,

regardless of the argument. I feel the need to try to live a more sustainable lifestyle. I think it is my responsibility as a resident of this planet, to at least try to think about my actions and make changes (even small ones). Don’t get me wrong, I want to live a modern life as much as the next gal, and I have flaws when it comes to living a sustainable lifestyle; but I hope to never lose sight of what is important, in the long run, in all of my efforts.

eing greener is the least we can do.

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It’s Easy Being Greener

Does Disney Choose To ReUse? By Alex Eaves

ast week, my friend Amirah and I decided to go somewhere neither of us had been in a very long time: Disneyland. As people who enjoy many Disney movies and amusement parks in general, we figured it would be a fun excursion. I was also very curious to see if, and how, Disney reused at the parks and how eco-conscious they were in general.

card points for the admission and didn’t have to use “real” money. Fortunately for Amirah, she was able to buy someone’s extra ticket outside for only $30. But really, charging that much?

hat wasn’t the end of the big money. When we got there, we played the guessing game on

fter entering the park, the first thing that I had to do was, of course, get some coffee to start the day. With a lot of traveling the day before and the possibility of screaming children everywhere, I definitely needed to perk up.

hen I went to the Disneyland website to find out about their hours and ticket costs, I was expecting the cost of the ticket to be around $50. I know it is a high profile park, but with the economic downturn, I figured they would have discounted pricing or something. I was definitely wrong. A 1-day 1-park adult ticket is $72.00! Fortunately for me, I was able to use credit

since I had to pay for the parking. Luckily, I was able to use my credit card points again.

the parking rates. I guessed $8 and Amirah guessed $20. It ended up being $14, so if we had been playing the Showcase Showdown on The Price is Right, I would have won. But I actually lost,

ike I do at every coffee shop, I put my travel mug on the counter and asked for a coffee. The woman working said she was not allowed to take my mug behind the counter. I was thoroughly confused, as I had never heard that before. I explained that I had just cleaned the mug and just wanted her to put the coffee that was about 2 feet from the counter into the mug. She said it was a rule that they could not do that and then offered to put the coffee in a disposable foam cup and then pour it into mine. But obviously, w w w.communityseeds.com

It’s Easy Being Greener

that completely defeated the purpose. Finally, she poured the coffee into something she could reuse and then rang me up for $2.95 (not even close to getting a discount for bringing my own mug). That of course got me thinking again about how many places offer discounts if you bring your own cup. Again, I was lucky that I had my credit card points.

little while later, as we walked around the park, I noticed one of the vendors selling Disney travel mugs which could be refilled during the day. How convenient. I guess they just can’t take non-Disney travel mugs over the counter. I should have drawn some quick Mickey Mouse ears on my mug to see if that would change their eco tune.

s someone who doesn’t enjoy taking unnecessary paper, it was a bummer to get one of the fold-out maps included with our tickets. It would be awesome if these had been more optional or if they had offered reusable maps, like menus in a restaurant or even just more stand up maps in the park. I mean, the park is not that big. I was glad to see a plethora of recycle bins around the park, though. Hopefully, Jiminy Cricket is amusing enough to encourage people to recycle.

12 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

If not, they just might be the stars of part 2.

don’t mean to sit here and completely bash Disney, as they do make some strides like the recycle bins, which many

eyond Disney not being the friendliest park to Mother Earth, another thing that we noticed was that many areas were not even accessible to the handicapped. As both of us have people in our lives confined to a wheelchair, it was obvious that they would not find Disney to be the best place on earth.

isneyland is not entirely antireuse. As we rode around The Pirates of The Caribbean, I noticed that a lot of the props were surely used or vintage items. But as soon as we came off the ride, any concept of reuse was quickly washed away, as there was a gift shop specific to The Pirates ride. Anything new you could think of: toys, shirts, movies, etc. This was the same thing for EVERY SINGLE RIDE. There was a Finding Nemo shop, Toy Story shop, Winnie the Pooh shop, etc. I think people at Disney need to watch The Story of Stuff.

places don’t have. But like so many huge companies in the world, they do really need to take bigger steps to soften their eco footprint. While their recycled napkins are good, having reusable cloth napkins in their restaurants might be a better choice.

ere are some other quick suggestions for Disney that I thought of: • Reusable maps • Discounted beverages for reusable cups • Reuse vintage Disney t-shirts for sale • Vintage Disney props for sale

verall, it was a fun day, but not something either of us need to do again. And I am SO glad that my credit card points paid for everything, especially that coffee for $2.95!

The recent earthquake has intensified the need for solar cooking and water purification in Haiti. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians are homeless and camps will need to be opened to provide food and shelter for Haitiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Plans are under way to provide Sun Ovens to the IDPs in Haiti. We are partnering with the Friends of Haiti Organization (FOHO) to send as many Sun Ovens as we can to Haiti. Donations will be forwarded to FOHO. FOHO will issue a receipt by mail. FOHO is a 501c3 nonprofit organization so all donations will be tax deductible. 100% of all donations will go directly to sending Sun Ovens to Haiti. No administrative expenses will be deducted. FOHO has been working in Haiti for 45 years and has sent over 1,400 Global Sun Ovens and 12 Villager Sun Ovens to Haiti.

Click Here To Donate SUN OVENS International, Inc.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Easy Being Greener

14 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

It’s Easy Being Greener

Disney’s “Tomorrowland” should be renamed

“Yesterdayland” By Greg Holman

Each week, as a family, we strive to add some spare change to the “Disneyland Jar,” so when we were able to fill it, you can imagine the celebration from our entire family of five. On so many levels, it really is the happiest place on earth. Unfortunately, when we arrived at Tomorrowland, we found quite a contradiction. In 1955, Disneyland’s Tomorrowland opened Autopia. This ride was to represent the interstate highway system expanding across the country. Originally sponsored by w w w.communityseeds.com

Disney Tomorrowland, Continued

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Disneyland, if you really want a Tomorrowland,

It’s Easy Being Greener

Richfield Oil, then by Chevron in 2000, Autopia cars are run by the futuristic fuel...gasoline?

R D

eally? They have recycling bins everywhere, a great “Environmentality” educational program, and their bags are made of postconsumer recycled material. However, the cars in Tomorrowland are run on the same fossil fuel that we have used for over 100 years. Not only do the cars burn gasoline, but they sound as if they are using the same motors that are now banned from use, even in lawn mowers because of poor emissions.

isneyland, if you really want a Tomorrowland, consider using fully electric vehicles. Electric vehicles are great because of the fact that they have no harmful emissions and can be charged by the latest and greatest alternative fuel sources (Solar, Wind, Wave, Biomass, Algae). Also, show some forethought: add some of these alternative power generators to the park. Likely they would not be a significant source of energy, but an education tool and preview of where this world needs to be heading. It’s a small world after all…

consider using

fully electric vehicles.”

Going Solar

Solar Power Part Part 5 5 Of Of Our Our (3 (3 part) part) Going Going Solar Solar Series. Series.

By Greg Holman

18 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

fter years of planning, hoping, and crunching numbers, our solar system is finally plugged into the grid! As long as it took, we are very glad that we waited. My wife and I choose SPG Solar out of Oroville, CA. They were extremely patient with us in our requests for several estimates over the period of almost a year. Both sales representatives who worked with us were very informed regarding the entire process, as well as thorough in addressing our many questions and concerns.

It’s Easy Being Greener

rom the day we signed the contract, to the finished installation, it took just under three months. Over a period of 3 days, the entire system was installed. The installers were extremely nice, fast, and always left the worksite spotless. Unless you saw the truck at our house, you would have had no idea that this was a construction site. They took all waste and packaging

with them each day. Looking into the attic space, conduit was run cleanly and out of the way of the crawlspace. Little details, like how carefully they ran the conduit in the garage, separate SPG from some of the other installers’ work that we had looked at. At one point, we had one concern about a panel, and they were out the next day to remedy the problem.

Continued on Page 20

e went with a 3.5 kW system. This included twenty-four, 175 watt Sharp solar panels made in the USA. We have a 4,000 watt AC SMA inverter, connected to a Sunny Webbox online monitoring system. Actually, SPG’s willingness to install the online monitoring hardware was one of the reasons we went with them. This box uploads data from your system to SMA’s website eight times a day. From our computer, we can see real-time data for watts being produced, as well as production over days weeks and months. Although this data is available on the face of the inverter, we wanted to be able to monitor the system remotely, and to have more specific data available about our monthly production. w w w.communityseeds.com

Going Solar, Continued

any people (including my wife and I) contemplate the do-it-yourself installation. After watching the seamless handling of all rebate paperwork and paperwork for being a self-generator, I am so glad that we went with professionals.

verything did not go off without a hitch. Part way through the process, our sales representative moved to another part of the state. After a couple of unreturned emails, and a call to the office, everything was back on track. We were very appreciative of SPG and their installation of the online monitoring system. They connected the hardware and cables; however it was our responsibility to connect the system to SMAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website. After reading through the instruction manual several times, we hired a professional. Wayne Harry from iTech Chico made it happen. He was fast, professional and did several things the average computer user would not be able to do.

ince installation (72 days prior to writing this article), our system has generated more than 587 kWh (Kilowatthours, the same units you will find on your PG&E bill). This is an average of over 8 kWh a day. Remembering that we are in the part of the year with the least available sunlight, we have been happy with the results. Because we were able to refinance our home 20 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Easy Being Greener

loan with a rate more than 1% better than our previous loan, the entire system, installed, added only $42.51 to our monthly payment.

n January, the solar energy generated was energy we would have paid Tier 3 (131200% of baseline) prices for ($0.26098 per kWh). This means we saved $62.59 on our January bill! We made money going solar! This does not even take into account the money we will save on our federal taxes in April. We are very excited to find out what sort of savings we will have going into spring and summer.

inally, through years of research, we were able to realize our dream. Hopefully, you can learn from some our questions and apprehensions covered in this series. We are extremely pleased with our experience with SPG Solar and iTech Chico. If you use these two businesses, be sure to let them know you heard about them from Community Seeds Eco Magazine (or from Greg Holman)!

e look forward to giving you periodic updates on how the system is working and a more in depth explanation of the online monitoring system. If you have any questions about our system, feel free to contact me at: greg@communityseeds.com. Best of luck to you and your quest for solar energy! w w w.communityseeds.com

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Easy Being Greener

Plastic Field Trip My Plastic Re-Education By Jennifer Arbuckle

t is the time of the plastic ban and knowledge that drips with plastic disdain. It is wasteful to use a disposal plastic cup when you can just bring your own. Do not buy disposal water bottles, do not take plastic bags, and do not support the use of Styrofoam.

aws now reflect the desire to change from a disposal society to one that mirrors sustainability. Not a meritless goal by any means, but are we fighting fairly? It occurred to me that all the information I had on plastic was based on literature review and subjective opinions. So I started a plastic reeducation to better understand the industry. I found that information presented as fact tends to be either misguided or hypocritical.

s an example, I would like to share my field trip to two plastic remanufacturing plants, one in Sacramento and one in Santa Rosa. The first plant makes disposable trays,

22 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

like those for a candy box, or for crackers. They make disposal items and some of them are embedded with a shining piece of aluminum, rendering them pretty, but unrecyclable. They make what companies commission them to. Yet they receive the brunt of the lobbyistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fire, not those propagating the need for the product (i.e. the millions of us that continue to buy candy).

wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t commission plastic trays. he second field trip was to a manufacturer that makes plastic medical equipment, like the little plastic connectors that attach from the IV bag to the tube, or a catheter. Not one thing they make is recyclable because it goes to the medical industry and, by law, they have to burn all biohazard materials. However, this company gets no negative press or pressure from lobbyists because they are making products that keep people alive, possibly you. If you get in a car accident and need a blood transfusion, are you going to say no because the materials being used is plastic and cannot be recycled?

If those commissioning the product asked for a reusable product or a recyclable one, the manufacturer would make it. Or, if we the people decided only to by candy wrapped in paper, they

think society has sold out the environment for the ease of disposables, and a change is unavoidable and needed. That being said, dismissing those in the plastic business as the enemy is not the answer, the answer is product stewardship and self awareness.

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It’s Easy Being Greener

Helping Haiti Using The Power of the Sun

By: Greg and DeAnna Holman

In light

of the recent events in Haiti, there are a number of ways to support in the relief efforts. Here are two ways you, or your school, can donate with a renewable/solar twist! Both of these ways will not only help with the dire situation right now, but will help the people of Haiti with cooking and lighting for years to come. It is good to know that both of these organizations take donations of any amounts, and have been on the ground in Haiti long before the earthquake. Sometimes, when everyone helps a little, it adds up to a lot!

The Light Haiti Project

ight Haiti is a world wide community partnership of organizations and who those

24 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

want to make a permanent difference in the lives of the people of Haiti by providing them with light- something we take for granted in our lives.

unNight solar is the Commitment Maker for this project. “SunNight Solar is the world leader in the design and manufacture of high performance solar powered portable lighting devices, safely and economically meeting the illumination needs of the two billion people on the planet without access to an electrical grid.” www.lighthaiti.org

t the donation site at www. lighthaiti.org, you can purchase a Bogo light to send to Haiti (The BoGo Light is an innovative, highly-durable solar-powered LED solar flashlight. If left in the sunlight

It’s Easy Being Greener

in the day, it can produce clear bright light for 6-8 hours).

Sun Ovens International

Sun

Ovens International has been working in Haiti for the past 11 years. In Haiti and other underprivileged nations, deforestation has increased the need for an alternative to cooking (and water purification) with wood and charcoal. Sun Ovens has been working with several organizations to get solar ovens to people who desperately need them.

he recent earthquake in Haiti has intensified the need for solar cooking and water purification. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians are homeless.

ccording to Sun Oven’s Paul Munsen, “Plans are underway to provide Sun Ovens to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Haiti. We are partnering with the Friends of Haiti Organization (FOHO) to send as many Sun Ovens as we can to Haiti. On January 28, 2010, FOHO in partnership with Feed My Starving Children, sent a shipping container with 270,000 meals and Sun Ovens to Port au Prince, Haiti. Additional shipments are being planned. Donations of any amount will be greatly appreciated. 100% of the donations will go directly to sending Sun Ovens to Haiti.

No administrative expenses will be deducted. FOHO has been working in Haiti for 45 years and has sent over 1,400 Global Sun Ovens and 12 Villager Sun Ovens to Haiti.” For more information, visit: www.sunoven.com

tudents at Paradise Intermediate School in Paradise, CA, have purchased and used both the Sun Oven and the BOGO Solar Light. These are durable products that will be an excellent source

of baking and light in areas with no electricity. Giving to these two causes are just two ways to help Haiti and other underprivileged areas of the world. There are many organizations out there to which you can donate. Every little bit helps.

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Commun

nity Faces

Community Seeds’ Suggested Readings

Off the Shelf Book Reviews

Three Cups of Tea By Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin REVIEWED BY ALLISON RANDALL

ost of us want to be able to change the world, and many of us try our best to do a little bit here and there. We recycle for a better environmental future, or during the holiday season, we donate toys and money to charitable causes. If you are Greg Mortenson, however, you have taken a promise with integrity, ironclad perseverance and a generous heart a thousand times further. In Three Cups of Tea, Mortenson and co-author David Oliver Relin, chronicle Mortenson’s quest to first, build one school, and then many more in the Karakoram mountain region of Pakistan. Mortenson and his four younger sisters grew up in Tanzania, under the towering presence of Mount Kilimanjaro, where his parents served as missionaries. His father, Dempsey, had a great passion to establish a teaching hospital in Tanzania, where he believed it was vital for many of the doctors and all the department heads to be African Tanzanians. This idea of creating an institution with the people, rather than just offering a charity handout, became a shining example to young Greg. When Greg was fifteen, the family left Tanzania and moved to a Minnesota suburb where, despite the culture shock, Greg soon found his place in high school (as much as any adolescent ever does) and excelled on the football team, as well as in academics, especially science classes. College tuition was out of reach for the Mortensons, so Greg took a step in his father’s footsteps, enlisting in the Army and paying for college later through the GI bill. The Army took him to the East German border, while college was in Moorehead, Minnesota, and then Vermillion, South Dakota. After college, Mortenson rekindled a passion

28 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

for mountain climbing. Heeding the call to go west, he packed up all his belongings in the old family station wagon and set out for Berkeley, California. There, he shifted from couch to couch, working as a hospital nurse and scraping together enough money for the next big climb. Mortenson stumbled upon what would become his life’s mission during the trek back down from a disappointing, failed ascent of K2, a mountain in the Baltistan region, on the border of Pakistan and China. During his descent, he lost his guide and porter, spending a hungry and frigid night on a glacier before stumbling into the tiny village of Korphe, an unintended but providential detour on his way back to civilization. The poor but generous people of Korphe fed Mortenson and gave him a warm place to sleep that night. The next morning, he observed a group of village children squatting in the dirt and scratching out their lessons in the shifting soil with sticks. Mortenson, inspired to make a change in these children’s lives, promised to come back and build them a school. I get exhausted just trying to pack my luggage correctly and get through customs and security

to go on vacation. Mortenson, in order to fulfill his promise, traveled half-way across the world, taking many days and all manners of transportation to purchase materials in a foreign currency. He conducted business in a language he barely knew, and then hauled materials to the most remote locations to build a school. Only first, he had to build a bridge. Three Cups of Tea is not just the story of Greg Mortenson and his vision of creating schools for the Balti people. It is a story about a community of people whom he met along the way and their contributions. The story shows that it takes a world village to build a school in a tiny village half way around the world. In the beginning, there was the Pakistani owner of the copy center in Berkeley who taught Mortenson how to use a computer (instead of an antiquated typewriter) for composing the 500 letters requesting funds. The shop owner was from a small village that also had no school, and the cause was so close to his heart that he tutored Mortenson for free and even brainstormed with him for an additional eighty names of other potential donors. Then, there was Jean Hoerni, a Swissborn inventor, multi-millionaire and a mountain climber, who

plunked down the entire sum for the first school in Korphe, with the terse disclaimer, ‘Don’t screw up.’ In time, Hoerni would set up Mortenson’s Central Asia Institute with a million dollar endowment. As funding grew, and Mortenson’s adventure became more involved, so grew his understanding of the Pakistani culture, shaped so deeply and profoundly by the Muslim faith of the people he met. In Rawalpindi, a tailor named Manzoor taught him how to pray to Allah, with the proper ritual cleansing, on the ground, facing Mecca, five times a day. Then there was Korphe’s village chief, Haji Ali, who believed in Mortenson, taught him the ways of a rugged, ancient people, and made a towering American mountain climber a member of the village family. “If you want to thrive in Baltistan,” Ali told Mortenson, “you must respect our ways. The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family, and for our family, we are prepared to do anything, even die…You must make time to share three cups of tea.” Ultimately, this book is the story of girls like Jahan, the first

“If we truly want a legacy of peace for our children, we need to understand that this is a war that will ultimately be won with books, not with bombs.”

Buy the Book Used Book Store

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Please visit our amazon store: www.amazon.com/ shop/buythebookca buythebookca@yahoo.com 29

Book Review Continued

What you can do to help, when you are unable to travel to Central Asia and build a school: • Buy the book(s), read them, pass them on and discuss them with others. • Help raise money at your local school, or right at home with your kids, through the Pennies for Peace program. A penny doesn’t mean much here, but in Pakistan and Afghanistan, it will buy a child a pencil. www.penniesforpeace.org • Greg Mortenson and Jean Hoerni established the Central Asia Institute to build and fund schools to educate children, primarily girls, in Pakistan and Afghanistan. To learn more, and make a contribution, visit www.ikat.org. girl to graduate from the Korphe School’s first group of students who went on to study medicine. Since that first school went up in Korphe in 1996, Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute have built 131 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, educating 58,000 kids, 44,000 of whom are girls. Traditionally, when just boys are educated in many of these small remote villages, they go away to school and usually continue to live in the big cities. When the girls are educated, they come back to their villages, trained often as teachers and, as in Jahan’s case, doctors. Educating girls and young women results in a more well-rounded and self-sufficient community, and raises the standard of living as well as general morale for the entire village. In Mortenson’s latest book Stones Into Schools, he chronicles his mission to continue building schools in the remote mountains of Central Asia, now moving into northeast Afghanistan. As Three Cups of Tea comes to a close, we begin to see a militaristic and fundamentalist sect of Islam begin to sprout its own schools, or training centers. His first encounter with the Taliban is chronicled in Three Cups of Tea, when he is kidnapped and held captive for eight days. One of the promises made during this ordeal leads to the building of several schools, as told in Stones Into Schools. Since the Taliban gathers its strength and recruits in this same region, Mortenson decides to continue to pursue this fertile ground, where people so obviously are hungry to 30 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

replace ignorance with learning. Greg Mortenson’s work has become lifechanging for so many people, not just for himself and the thousands of kids who attend the schools he has helped to build. Anyone who reads these inspiring stories is bound to be touched by how a promise becomes a miracle when someone has the integrity, the determination and the generosity to see it through. Three Cups of Tea now is required reading for all US senior military commanders, US Special Forces being deployed in Afghanistan, and for many other international military personnel. It has been adapted into a young readers’ edition and a children’s picture book. It has been on the New York Times Bestseller list, been championed by booksellers nationwide and is a favorite read of schools and book groups alike. If you haven’t read Three Cups of Tea, then it’s time that you picked up a copy and felt inspired: to keep recycling, to keep up those charitable donations and to keep believing that you and others like Greg Mortenson passionately want to make this a better, and more peaceful world. “If we try to resolve terrorism with military might and nothing else,” Mortenson said in one interview, “then we will be no safer than we were before 9/11. If we truly want a legacy of peace for our children, we need to understand that this is a war that will ultimately be won with books, not with bombs.”

Book Reviews

Off the Shelf Book Reviews

Three Cups of Tea Young Reader’s Edition By Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin Reviewed By 6th Grader,

Taylor Allison

i my name is Taylor Allison, and I am 11 years old and in 6th grade. I read the book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I give this book five stars because it had a great story of what Greg Mortenson did for some of the children in Pakistan. This story is a true story and usually I don’t read true stories, but my teacher told me to read it because it is a great book.

liked Three Cups of Tea so much! I want to read the second book that just came out not too long ago. I hope everyone can read Three Cups of Tea. It’s very inspiring.

hree Cups of Tea is about Greg Mortenson getting lost in Pakistan. He ends up running into a little village named Korphe, while he was climbing up and down the big mountain, K2! He ends up staying there for a couple nights and gets to meet all the people there. He learns that in their culture, if you have one cup of tea you are a stranger. If you have two cups of tea, you are a friend and with the third cup of tea, you are family.

fter he was done helping a lot of people, he goes back to his home back in California. He lives a happy life with his two kids and his wife, knowing that what he did was a good thing.

really liked Three Cups of Tea because it made me think about what life must be like for the people in Pakistan and what they have to go through. I also thought this book was really good because it was well written with a lot of details.

fter a couple days, Greg soon realizes that the people of Korphe do not have a school, so he makes a promise to build one. After that, he goes to different villages and places in Pakistan and helps people in the villages. On his way through Pakistan, there are lots of obstacles, sad things, and happy things. w w w.communityseeds.com

Gift Guide

32 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

Let Them Eat Pi

“Pi Day” Celebration March 14 By Amy Behlke

n March 14, 2010 at 1:59 p.m., self proclaimed geeks and math nerds around the globe celebrate the 22nd Annual “Pi Day.” The celebration of the mathematical constant Pi is observed on March 14, at 1:59 p.m. and 26 seconds since the first eight digits of the decimal Pi (3.1415926) can be read to represent this specific date and time. A particularly special and specific Pi Day is approaching in the year 2015 on 3/14/15, when the clock strikes at 9:26:53:589… a.m., a time and date which could technically be read to represent the first digits of Pi.

ome may need a bit of review on the number Pi or why it should be celebrated at

all. Pi, or the ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter, is a mathematical constant represented by the symbol π. Since all circles are similar, the ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter is constant, regardless of the circle’s size. The decimal 3.14159 is the most common approximation of Pi. This can sometimes be misleading though, because Pi is unique decimal that does not repeat and never terminates. Although Pi is an irrational number and cannot be expressed as an exact fraction, 22/7 is another popular approximation of Pi.

n classrooms and museums around the world, Pi Day is a celebration of this fascinating number. The original Pi Day was w w w.communityseeds.com

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Pi Day, Continued

founded in 1988 by Larry Shaw, a physicist at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Pi Day celebrations vary greatly with a wide variety of possible pi-related activities. Measuring various circular objects, comparing circumference to diameter and compiling data on a displayed chart are common activities. It is fun to make a paper chain to represent Pi with each digit, 0-9, represented by a different color of construction paper. The Exploratorium in San Francisco has a Pi string of beads with different colored beads for each digit 0-9 for the first 1600 digits of Pi. The most common and often most popular Pi Day activity is, of course, the consumption of pie! Both dessert pies and pizza pies are served at most Pi celebrations.

ome may wonder why Pi should be celebrated; it is just a number after all, right?

Wrong! This number is fascinating for many reasons. Ancient Egyptian and Babylonian cultures were the first to discover Pi over 4,000 years ago. The decimal representation of Pi has been computed to more than a trillion digits and no repeating pattern has ever been found. Memorizing a record number of digits of Pi is an obsession for many mathematicians. The Guinness Book of World Records recognizes Lu Chao, a graduate student from China, for remembering 67,890 digits of Pi without an error. It took him 24 hours and 4 minutes to recite this many digits. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still not convinced that Pi is an amazing and fascinating number, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll give you one last reason to celebrate: Pi Day, March 14, is also Albert Einsteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthday. For some Pi fun, visit: www.exploratorium.edu/pi/ or www.nctm.org/resources/content.aspx?id=2147483830

w w w.communityseeds.com

Out and About

Adventures for those of any age, for fun and an education

Out and About

Soak Up the Spring

With a Day Trip to Beautiful Table Mountain By Amy Behlke

ust a few miles north of Oroville, CA, a beautiful and unique mesa, offering a stunning picnic location and numerous hiking areas can be found. Created from the remains of an ancient lava flow, Table Mountain is one of the most dramatic and beautiful wildflower gardens in all of Northern California. The top of the plateau is a covered by a sprawling grassland covered in a wide variety of wildflowers. Vast beds of small white shooting stars and yellow

36 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

Douglasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; violets appear first, usually starting in late February or early March. By the middle of March through the middle of April, visitors are rewarded with endless fields of color and beauty. Where the drier grasslands give way to more moist soils around the rim of the plateau plenty of white meadowfoam, buttercups, blue lupines, pale yellow daisies and tiny orange poppies sprout among fallen logs and blue oak woodland areas. The fragrant scent of wildflowers fills the air in

Out and About

w w w.communityseeds.com

Table Mountain, Continued

Adventures for those of any age, for fun and an education

the springtime on Table Mountain.

edges can be tricky and cumbersome due to the crumbling volcanic rock in the area, The woodland areas that lie near the so hikers should always use caution. Hiking babbling streams left behind by winter opportunities in the area are plentiful, as rainfalls are dense in places, offering shade there seems to be an endless supply of and isolation in contrast to the open magical little places on top of the mountain. grasslands of the plateau top. Blue oaks, Aside from hiking, the flat grasslands on top foothill pines, California bay, interior live of Table Mountain serve as a breathtaking oaks, California buckeye, madrone and location for family picnics and kite flying. foothill pine grow together creating small Make sure you have the whole day available forests around the perimeter of the mountain when you visit because, once you have and canyon rims. arrived at Table Mountain, you may find that it is a place you will not want to leave soon. Walking along the streams and canyon 38 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

Out and About

The best time to visit Table Mountain is mid-March through late April. If it seems to be a hot spring, visit sooner than later, as temperatures above 90-degrees cause the wildflowers to fade quickly. California Department of Fish and Gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (DFG) lands on North Table Mountain can be accessed by taking State Route 70 to Oroville. Take the Nelson/ Grand Avenue exit and head east on Grand Avenue. Turn North on Table Mountain Boulevard and then east onto Cherokee Road. Drive on Cherokee Road for six miles where you will arrive at the public parking area with toilet facilities. Boundaries of State Wildlife Areas are marked by signs noting boundaries of DFGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lands. All lands east of Cherokee Road are private property. Please respect the rights of these private landowners and always pack out whatever litter and waste that you packed in. Table Mountain Pictorial On Page 40 w w w.communityseeds.com

Table Mountain, Continued

Table Mountain Through the Eyes of Jayne Locas

Out and About

Jayneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photography can be seen at : http://jaynelocasartanddesign.shutterfly.com/ and at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/jayne-locas.html

Featured Artist

Local Artist, Esther McIsaac Hansen, shares her passion for art and how she found Paradise.

The Sistersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Studio By Esther McIsaac Hansen

orn in the culturally rich and beautiful country of Scotland, I was first introduced to art by my grandfather, Robert Samuel McIsaac. We would travel by tram to the world famous Kelvingrove Art Museum in Glasgow and spend many wondrous hours wandering the gallery halls.

y journey through life has allowed me to live in several different countries where I have been profoundly influenced by the different landscapes, cultures and histories.

or many years, I yearned to paint, but instead followed a business career that

42 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

Artist, Esther McIsaac Hansen

â&#x20AC;&#x153;...in the

culturally rich and beautiful country of Scotland, I was first introduced to art by my grandfather...â&#x20AC;? w w w.communityseeds.com

Featured Artist, Continued

“...my concentration has been on larger canvasses, using my imagination to communicate what I see, feel and remember from personal experiences and journeys.” evolved from beta testing Mosaic (Netscape) and implementing one of the first corporate inter/ intranet sites in 1993, to public relations, marketing and communications for the hi-tech industry in Silicon Valley.

hen we decided to leave the bustling madness of the Bay Area, the goal was to find the old California life style, and we certainly found it in Paradise. My husband is a Native Californian, and I am of course a transplant that arrived in the 60’s. I missed the two lane roads with the vegetable stands dotted along the highways, the vast orchards that used to cover the Walnut Creek area and the South Bay. This surrounding area harkens back to those times, respect for the land and a simpler, kinder way of living. Living in a location within walking distance to a wild open space, a small market, and an organic farm is priceless.

aradise is where I lay my hat. We have family in San Francisco, Monkton, Scotland, Pease Pottage, and England, but those are only temporary homes away from home. We visit, and we rush back to sanity. Paradise reminds me of where I grew up, a small, very small village on the Western coast of Scotland. Here you can ‘hear’ the sound of silence, just like when I was a child.

remember one morning waking up and saying to my husband, “Listen.” And he said, “I don’t hear anything:” Exactly, peace and quiet.

44 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

Artist, Esther McIsaac Hansen

oday, since retiring, my concentration has been on larger canvasses, using my imagination to communicate what I see, feel and remember from personal experiences and journeys. My daughter calls my work, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;controlledâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; madness. I use brilliant colors because they make me feel the most happy and I freely use yellow, orange and red, even as undercoats, so that they shine though. Recently, I got inspired to try a more surreal style of painting and so far the creative experiment has been enjoyable; they are mellow.

I I T

read somewhere that California is a dreamland of wild mountainous ranges, surrounded by hilly kingdoms of grassland and woodland. Reminiscent of a savanna flavored Shangri-la, a very sensuous place, all the hills and hummocks are immediately suggestive of body shapes and forms. This is so true. attempt to capture the excruciatingly beautiful landscape and life that surrounds us: The creeping mists, the purest spreads of morning blue to the painful yellow glare of the midday sun; the hot aroma of the earth. he other hidden benefit of living in this area has been that I have learned so much about gardening and caring for the environment, a developing passion that needs w w w.communityseeds.com

Featured Artist, Continued

improving every day. Last year, I purchased only organic seeds and plants and I attended classes in Chico for organic gardening. My local find is Sawmill Creek Farm, just up the street and around the corner.

had the best heirloom vegetables ever, growing in my garden. The abundance of fruit was overwhelming. Along with a couple of other neighbors, we ended up putting baskets, filled with goodies, out by our mailboxes to share with passers-by who were either walking or driving, stopping and taking home our excess. I am committed to adopting the Locavore lifestyle. This year I will invite neighbors to come in and pick their own, a garden where everything can be picked, plucked, squeezed, or smelt; now, how fresh is that? I can hardly wait for summer and knocks on the front door.

ll I can say is we are very happy where we now live, due in no small part to our extraordinary neighbors, friends and Paradise found.

For information on Esther McIsaac Hansen or The Sistersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Studio, visit: Personal Website: www.thesistersstudio. com Personal Blog: thesistersstudio. blogspot.com Portfolio: http://home.earthlink. net/~emcisaac/index. html 46 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

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Create time to relax.... Take art lessons! Painting and drawing instruction for children (7+) and adults Taught by Janet Lombardi Blixt

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Spring It’s Easy Being Greener

Crafts GREEN

Easy Eco-Friendly Crafts

Crafting is a hobby many people enjoy. One simple way to lead a more environmentally friendly lifestyle is by taking all that creative energy and spending some time on a few great “green” crafts.

s t e n g a M n o t t u B Magic Buttons

One way to use those extra buttons that come with clothes, and are now sitting in a drawer or bin, is to reuse them! Button magnets make great gifts These easy to make button magnets are useful and fun!

n i T e Reus

s m u b l A Photo Memories in a Can

If you are wondering what to do with the tin box after the mints are gone, try this. You can make an accordion memory frame/album and it is so easy! The kids can help and they can give it as a gift!

48 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

Community Seeds “I’m a Chico Seed” and “I’m a Paradise Seed”

baby onesies, youth, and adult shirts are on sale now! We are also pre ordering “I’m an Eco Seed” shirts! These soft, organic cotton shirts, are made in the U.S.A. and sell for $14 (shipping is $2).

The Seeds shirts may also be purchased at Baby’s Boutique and Apple Blossom Baby in Chico!

To order any seed shirt, please e-mail your request to info@communityseeds.com. Please specify quantity and size.

Green Crafts

Tin Mini Album This easy projects re-uses little mint tins and transforms them into adorable mini-albums to show off wallet sized photos. These mini-albums make a great gift and they are small enough to carry in your purse. This Craft idea was submitted by Kelly Levin of Chico, CA. Materials You Will Need: • 1 empty mint tin • 1 sheet of red card stock • 5 to 10 photographs than can be cropped to 3” x 2” • 1 sheet of white card stock • Glue stick • Paper scraps • Several loose decorative items such as buttons, gemstones, etc. • Hot glue gun and glue sticks or white glue • Craft paper trimmer (optional) • Photo corner rounder (optional) Instructions: 1. Trim five to ten photos to 1 ¾” x 3” using a paper trimmer to be sure the sides are straight. Round the corners of each photo, using the corner rounder or scissors. 2. Trim the sheet of white card stock into two x 3” rectangles, using the paper trimmer. Round the corners of each rectangle with the corner rounder. 3. Trim the sheet of red card stock into one 3 ¼” x 12” strip. Fold the strip accordion style, in 2” segments, using a ruler or your knuckles to crease the fold. 4. Using a glue stick, glue one white rectangle to the rectangle that is seen when the strip is all folded up. Glue the other white rectangle to the last box on the other side of the strip. These white boxes can be used as a “title page” and “closing page” for your mini-album. 5. Using a glue stick, glue each photo to a remaining blank section of the red strip of paper. 6. Fold the strip accordion style so the “title page” is showing and place it inside the empty mint tin. 7. With the lid closed, decorate the outside of the mint tin with any remaining paper and the loose decorative items you have chosen. A hot glue gun works best to adhere the paper and decorative items to the lid; however white glue will work as well. If you want your kids to decorate the tin, white glue works fine and they can have a blast being creative with you!

Easy Button Magnets Materials You Will Need: • Buttons with flat backs • Magnets (available at crafts stores individually or in rolls) • Hot glue gun and glue sticks (glue guns work best) or white glue Choose your button and the appropriate sized magnet. Apply glue to the front side of your first magnet; and affix a button to it, holding it in place until the glue takes hold. Repeat with your remaining buttons and magnets. w w w.communityseeds.com

It’s Easy Being Greener

Earthy Easter Eggs By Deanna Zachrich

f you’re interested in a greener Easter this year, dyeing your own eggs with environmentally friendly ingredients is a fun and safe way to celebrate.

I started by looking into what others had used successfully. Vegetables, spices, and juices were at the top of everyone’s lists. Some of the materials I used worked best when I boiled them with the eggs, while others worked great made ahead of time so I could soak the boiled eggs in the liquid overnight. Of course with both methods, the longer the egg soaked, the more intense the color became. To help your newly discovered color adhere to your egg, add about a teaspoon of white vinegar to it. The most success I had came with beets, turmeric, and the juice drained from organic canned blueberries. Drawing creative designs with white crayon before dyeing our eggs, or using colored crayon after dyeing our eggs was

52 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

especially fun for my daughter. We also wrapped our eggs with rubber bands to create patterns before dyeing them. Just remove the bands after you reach your desired color to reveal the contrasting stripes. Here are some suggestions to get you started with your own creative experiments: • Yellow: turmeric, cumin, celery leaves, green tea • Orange: paprika, chili powder • Red: canned cherries with juice, lots of red onion skins • Pink: beets, cranberry or pomegranate juice, raspberries • Lavender: blackberries, grape juice • Blue: canned blueberries with juice • Green: spinach, parsley • Brown: coffee (instant or strongly brewed), black tea • Black: blackcurrant

If creating your own colorants does not sound exciting enough for you this Easter, you can purchase some great natural colorings online or possibly at your local organic food store. One online company I found is Seelect. They have natural, organic, vegan-friendly, and gluten-free food colorings that can be purchased at www. SeelectTea.com. Whether you choose to make your own food colorings or buy them, keeping it earth-friendly this Easter is a good decision. Not only will the planet be healthier, your body will be as well. Artificial colors are made up of some very nasty ingredients. Coal tar and petrochemicals are only a couple of those ingredients. Medical studies have linked artificial colors to cause nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, skin rashes, hyperactivity, breathing problems such as asthma, learning disabilities and other allergic reactions. Some are even suspect of being a neuron-toxic hazard and linked to osteoporosis and cancer. My experimental egg colors did not glow with neon colors, but glistened in gorgeous muted earthy hues. My daughter and I had a fun time guessing which ingredients would give us the best results and the extra time we spent together in the holiday was wonderful. As responsible human beings on this shared planet, we need to make little changes in our daily, weekly, and even yearly routines and that includes holidays. The simpler the change

is to implement into our lives, the easier and more likely it will be to keep those changes. If experimenting in your kitchen with plants and spices isn’t your idea of a simple change in your Easter habits, then perhaps you’ll consider purchasing natural colorings that will be better for you, your loved ones, and our beautiful Earth. www.babysboutiquechico.com

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Spring

Smiles

Healthy Living

Take Control of Your Health, Fad-Free, For Life By Susan Burke March, MS, RD/LD, CDE

Photography by Tracy Cahn of Tracy Lynn Photography

Looking for ways to get healthy? Want to maintain your healthy lifestyle? Registered and Licensed Dietitian, Susan Burke March, shares her simple tips to help you achieve your goals. She is the author of Making Weight Control Second Nature: Living Thin Naturally, which offers a wealth of practical information, tips and strategies for people who are serious about taking control of their health, fadfree, for life. Look for some of her tips and advice in the next four issues of Community Seeds Eco Magazine and check out Susan’s Website at www.SusanBurkeMarch.com.

A Dietitian’s Top ‘Living Thin Naturally’ Tips Want to make weight control second nature? Consider these tips for living thin naturally: 1. Get Ready: If you are ready for action, then go for it! If you aren’t ready for a lifestyle makeover, then get your calendar and mark down one action item each week for the next four weeks. For instance, eat a salad with dinner, drink fewer sodas (or wine, coffee, etc.) daily, walk for 20 minutes (or more) three times a week, or do leg lifts while watching television. 2. Get Help: Support is what allowed me to adopt naturally thin habits. Connect with either an individual or group—keep it consistent, especially for the first six months to one year. It works. 3. All Diets Work: But the only diet that works permanently is your diet. You can go on any diet to lose weight, but keeping it off takes permanent change. 4. Get Smart: Use the American Dietetic Association’s MyPyramid.gov or other calorie-counting tool or book, and get smart about how much you’re usually eating by simply logging your usual diet for a week. The more you know, the easier it is to make good choices. 5. Neutral: Food is not bad or good. Food doesn’t have human qualities. Food is either healthy, fatty, high in fiber, or high in calories. You choose—you have the power to say yes or no, based on your goals. 56 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

Healthy Living

‘Eating Thin’ Tips:

‘Moving Thin’ Tips: 1. Move: If you’re lethargic, it could be because you’re not active. Feeling sluggish? Breathe. Your body needs oxygen; you’ll be amazed at how energetic you’ll feel by doing some deep breathing exercises. Stretch: Roll your shoulders, tense your muscles, and then relax; this will increase blood flow and energize you immediately. Increase your heart rate by fast walking, dancing, or even stepping in place—instant energy. 2. Your Buddy: Walking is more fun with someone—or something, like a dog! A buddy motivates you to go longer. If no friend is available, use your personal stereo to listen to your favorite tunes or talk show. 3. Anatomy is not Destiny: Even if your mother, father, and siblings are overweight, you can outsmart your genes with a healthy diet and exercise. Light weight training will slim your body—a toned torso displays clothes better. 4. Build muscle: Replace fat stores with lean muscle and improve your fat-burning naturally. Start gradually and work up to at least three days a week of training with resistance bands and light weights. Consult with your doctor if you’ve not worked out before. 5. Salsa: Dance the salsa, feel sexy, and be beautiful! Oh, don’t you just love those shows where celebrities dance with professional dancers? They work it!

1. Calories versus Portions: Although calories count, focus on counting portions instead. Know the approximate number of portions you need daily, and mentally tally how you eat. 2. Eat: Don’t eat too little! Poor nutrition decreases energy and can depress immunity. Too few calories can play havoc with your metabolism. Lose weight in a healthy way, with a balanced meal plan and sufficient calories to fuel your engine. 3. Break the fast: Start your day with breakfast. Studies show that those who eat breakfast have more energy for the rest of the day. People who skip breakfast are not as alert, not as productive, and tend to be more overweight compared to people who eat breakfast. 4. Start Smart: Studies point to healthy-type cereal eaters as the most successful weight-maintainers. Eat a non-sweet or just slightly sweetened cereal (maximum four to six grams of sugar per serving) every morning for breakfast. My favorites include Kashi GoLean and whole wheat mini-wheats. Just switch from your usual sweetened raisin bran cereal to bran flakes and add your own naturally sweet raisins (two tablespoons). Switch from 2% to 1% milk, or nonfat, and reduce the calories in your usual breakfast enough to lose a pound per month. 5. New Breakfast: Don’t like breakfast foods? Try a sandwich—make it a lean one, such as turkey on whole wheat bread. A fruit smoothie made with yogurt and fruit is delicious and balanced.

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Healthy Living

Stay Healthy, Have Fun By Kayla Cook

ith spring comes the perfect opportunity to bring healthy changes to your life. The sunny weather makes it an ideal time to get out and be active and the abundance of farmers’ markets makes finding fresh fruits and vegetables a breeze. After a lazy winter, it can be hard to find the motivation to make healthy living a priority, but don’t be intimidated. Stay positive and remember that being healthy and having fun can go hand in hand.

he Network for a Healthy California—Sierra Cascade Region, is one organization that encourages community members to not just make health a priority, but happiness as well. Making the road to healthy living an enjoyable one will lead to more sustainable lifestyle changes.

Eat healthy. This season, include

more fruits and vegetables in your meals and snacks. Fruits and vegetables are a great source of many vitamins and minerals that may lower your risk of serious health problems like obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain

58 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

types of cancer. Eating produce regularly will also give you more energy to do all the fun activities that come with the season. Visit www. mypyramid.gov to find out how many cups of fruits and vegetables you should be eating daily. Spring and summer mark the opening of many local farmers’ markets, making eating the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables even easier. If you live in the Chico area, you can visit these local farmers’ markets for fresh produce: • Thursday Night Market, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., starting April 1 through September • North Valley Plaza Market, Wednesdays 7:30 a.m. to noon, starting in June • Saturday Farmers’ Market, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., year-round • Chapmantown Farmers’ Market, Fridays 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., year-round For listings of other Butte County farmers’ markets, visit www.northvalley.net/ farmersmarket. To find farmers’ markets throughout California, visit: http://www. cafarmersmarkets.com/index.cfm. If you are not in California, you can find a farmers’ market in your state by visiting: http://apps.ams.usda.gov/ FarmersMarkets/.

Be active. This is a great time of year

to get outside and be active. Take your family on a bike ride through your neighborhood or on one of the many scenic trails in Butte County. After all, Chico was awarded the nation’s Most Bicycle Friendly City by Bicycling magazine. If you’d rather be on foot, enjoy a hike through the beautiful scenery of Bidwell Park or try Deer Creek Falls for a streamside view. Sports are also

fun for the whole family. Play outside or, if you’re into competition, get involved in an intramural team through the Chico Area Recreation and Park District. Planting a garden is another fun way to be active during spring. Not only is it a great way to burn calories, but it will help you eat better and inspire you to add more fresh fruits and vegetables to your meals. To learn how to start a garden or get gardening tips visit: • The National Gardening Association at www. garden.org/howtos • Butte County Cooperative Extension’s master gardeners at http://cebutte.ucdavis.edu/ Master_Gardener719.

Have fun.

Every town is full of wonderful events in the spring that will complement your healthy changes. Here are a few in Chico, CA, worth attending: • Growing Healthy Children Fun Walk/ Run: On April 24, bring your family to Growing Healthy Children. This event is entertaining and free, and it’s the perfect time to bring the family together for some physical activity. There will also be events for kids, booths, entertainment, healthy snacks and raffle prizes. To register visit Fleet Feet or contact Steve Naiman at Naimans@dnci.org. • Bike Chico! Week: Bike Week is a great opportunity to get involved with the community. May 10–15 bike to work, school, shop and play. Stop at the early morning energizer stations for free refreshments, attend bicycle workshops, and get discounts at local shops just for riding.

Healthy Living

aking small changes can lead to big improvements in your health. Have fun while making healthy choices this spring. By the time summer comes around, you’ll be looking and feeling great. For tips on healthy living or recipe ideas visit www. cachampionsforchange.net. About the Network for a Healthy California: The Network for a Healthy California is a public health effort working with hundreds of partners and organizations to empower low-income Californians to live healthier lives through good nutrition and physical activity. Funding is from the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly the Food Stamp Program). For food stamp information, call 877-847-3663. For important nutrition information, visit www. cachampionsforchange.net.

Visit The Paradise Community Website for local information, links to recreation, community calendar, lodging, shopping and more. The Paradise Connection:

Your window into Paradise! www.TheParadiseConnection.com w w w.communityseeds.com

Healthy Living

The Dirty Dozen vs. The Clean Fifteen By Lia Harty

ave you heard that the healthiest food you can eat is food that originates in your local area? It is fresher and you can most closely see how it has been raised, grown, and treated. Free range chicken eggs, grass fed beef, locally grown produce- we really have the opportunity to eat well here- and it is not as expensive as you may think. Typically, if you make it out to a Farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Market you can purchase, from a large selection, in-season vegetables at around $1 a bag. In season now, we have crazy amounts of Swiss chard, kale, cabbage, lettuce, as well as winter squash, carrots and sweet potatoes. Apples and oranges run about $1- $2 a pound. The produce is all certified organic so you can eat them, peel and all, without adding pesticide residue to your diet. You can also pick up lemon olive oil, pistachio pesto, eggs, beef, local honey (great for your immune system) and crusty whole wheat bread. Yum!

The Dirty Dozen

* (In order of highest pesticide residue): peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrots, and pears. Shop organic and avoid the pesticides.

The Clean Fifteen

* (These typically are low in pesticide residue): onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, mangoes, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwis, cabbage, eggplants, papayas, watermelon, broccoli, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes. *

Did you know?

Eggs from free-range pastured hens can contain as much as 20 times more omega-3s than typical store bought eggs? Did you know grass fed, grass finished beef has 1/2 to 1/3 the amount ating organic food is not only great for your of fat than other beef? Did you know green body and mind, it is also delicious! Here are leafy vegetables contain dietary fiber, folic acid, some things you might not know about calcium and even omega 3 fatty acids and are healthy eating choices: great for boosting your immune system?

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Continued on Page 61

Healthy Eating

Go for variety!

* By eating foods grown in the area in which you live, and eating what is fresh each season, you will naturally increase the variety of foods that you eat. You will be pleasing your taste buds as well as your immune system and eating a variety of foods will help prevent food sensitivities! Thank You to the doctors at Chico Naturopathic Medicine for source information, www.chicond.com.

To see a larger shoppers guide to pesticides, visit www.foodnews.org/ fulllist.php . They offer an iphone ap as well. If you are in the Chico, CA area, here are some local sources for healthy meat and chicken: Chaffin Family Orchards, Allston Farms, Sierra Farms, Big Bluff Ranch, and the Chico State Farm program. You can find Lia Hartyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Local Business/Wellness Website at GoLocalChico.com.

Downtown Chico 240 Broadway Street p 530.899.2847 f 530.343.2847

www.ChambersHarvest.com

Expiration date 3/31/10. Available at location only. One coupon per customer per visit. Not valid with any other offer or discount. Cash value is 1/100th of one cent. Offer valid only at time of original purchase. Fountain Drinks Only.

Food

Cook’s L Corner The Tastes of Spring

ately we have enjoyed “Parmesan Crusted” chicken and firm white fish. My feelings are that if the oven is on, load it up and use the energy, wisely. So, along with the meat dish cooking, add some rosemary potatoes and a roasted vegetable, By “Danny D” or maybe dessert. Since my oven has three racks and has a convection option, I really load it up. You may think the flavors will be infiltrating or infusing into the other dishes. I haven’t had a problem with that. No one I have served has mentioned that the cookie, cake, or pie has a garlic, or onion flavor.

y advice is to always think about the dishes’ color. The more colorful the dish, the healthier it is. For instance, bell peppers come in three or four colors and are good raw or cooked. Slice, dice, and add them to your meat, veggie, eggs, or salad; be creative. Speaking of peppers, we enjoy them stuffed with left over rice and meat loaf. Remember to save and reserve that little bit of dinner that is left. Or better yet, plan on having leftovers for quick easy and meals.

njoy the spring showers, flowers, the family and meals shared!

The signs of spring are around us. The Daffodils are

sprouting from the ground and showing their happiness. Slow down and take time out of your busy schedule. Pack a picnic lunch or dinner, and head off to visit one of the many places to see the wild flowers, waterfalls and of course, wildlife. This spring I will be planting my summer/fall garden. Recalling last year’s garden, I was thinking of recipes I would like to try using fresh organic vegetables. This summer, we will raising our own grass fed beef. Therefore, the plants in the garden are going to include more greens for side dishes, heirloom tomatoes for BBQ burgers, herbs for seasoning, and more- you get the idea.

62 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

Healthy Eating

Parmesan Crusted Chicken or Fish Ingredients: 2 cups bread crumbs * ½ - 1 tsp crushed red chili peppers ½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated 1 tsp Italian herb seasoning 1/4 cup butter, melted 4 Tbsp olive oil 1-2 lbs of free range chicken, or fresh fish fillets** 1-2 eggs 2 Tbsp mustard (your favorite flavor)

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients: 1 cup cooked rice (Spanish, pilaf, or plain) 1-2 cups cut up leftover meat loaf, sausage, or taco meat ½ cup diced onion 2-4 cloves of crushed garlic 4-6 ounces mushrooms (sliced or diced so the kids can’t find Directions: them) Preheat oven to 375*-425*F, Foil line a 10x15-inch baking pan, ¼ - ½ cup tomato sauce brush some of melted butter on the foil. Mix together red pepper, (seasoned or not) Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and seasoning in a pie plate. In another pie plate, add egg and mustard; blend. Prepare meat. Dip 2-3 bell peppers (cut in ½, with meat into egg mixture, remove meat. Dredge the meat into bread seeds, membrane and stem crumb mixture, gently shaking it off. Place on prepared foiled pan. removed) Pour olive oil into remaining melted butter and drizzle over meat in 1 tsp parsley pan. Bake 15 minutes, carefully turn over and continue baking for ½ - 1 tsp crushed red chili (if you like it spicy) additional 15 minutes or until done. Serve hot from oven (Freeze any remaining bread crumb mixture for next time in plastic storage Salt and pepper to taste (I like to use bullion instead of salt) bag).

OnceUponaPlate.blogspot.com

* Bread crumbs: I like to save pieces of bread. I let them dry out completely and store in plastic storage bag. When the bag is full or I need crumbs, I place them in my food processor a little at a time and make crumbs. I must confess, my food processor is the shredder grater attachment to my Kitchen aid mixer. **Please keep in mind that some fish will cook at different times. Please use your judgment or look up the times for the specific fish.

Directions: In a sauce pan, pour 1-2 Tbsp oil to sauté onion, mushrooms and garlic. When onion is translucent, add the rice and meat; continue to sauté until warmed. To mixture in pan, add enough tomato sauce so that mixture looks moist. At this point, add seasonings to taste. Fill each half of bell pepper with mixture and place on a baking pan at least a 1 inch from edge. Before placing in oven, add ½ -1 cup of water to pan. Bake at 350*F for 30-45 minutes or until pepper is tender. Check during cooking time for evaporated water and to see if stuffing looks brown. If needed, add a little more water. If stuffing looks too brown, you can pour tomato sauce over the stuffing or even cover stuffing with shredded cheese. Cover the pan with foil for remainder of time. w w w.communityseeds.com

Food

64 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes Ingredients: 2 lbs Red, Gold or Sweet potatoes cut into large chunks ¼ cup olive oil 1 Tbsp mustard 2- 4 cloves sliced garlic 1½ tsp paprika 1 tsp granulated bullion or ½ tsp salt 2 Tbsp fresh chopped Rosemary Directions: Preheat oven to 375*- 425*F Grease a 13x9 or 10x15 inch pan. In a large bowl, add the last 6 ingredients and mix well. Toss in potatoes and continue to toss until all potatoes are coated with seasoning. Pour into pan and bake in oven. Check and toss every 15 minutes until potatoes are tender when poked with a fork or pointed knife. *** Note: This is a great way to season and roast carrots, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, etc. Watch the cooking time and oven temperature when cooking different vegetables.

Profiterole Puffs With Lemon Chantilly Cream This Easter, I am going to use a recipe that I used for a party I had. I call them Profiterole Puffs with Lemon Chantilly Cream. In other words, cream puffs with lemon flavored whip cream. I thought I would shape the cream puff into an egg shape and add drizzled lemon glaze with food coloring. Hopefully they will resemble an Easter egg.

Ingredients For Puffs: ¾ cup water ¼ cup butter ¼ tsp salt ¾ cup flour 3 eggs

Ingredients For Lemon Chantilly Cream: ¼ cup lemon juice 2 Tbsp lemon zest ¼ cup powder sugar 1 cup (8 oz) whipped cream topping

Cook’s Corner, Continued

Cream Cheese Cookies Ingredients: 8 oz. cream cheese 8 oz. softened butter 1¾ cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp lemon or orange zest 2 cups flour Directions: In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and butter until creamy; add vanilla and zest. Gradually mix in flour until blended thoroughly. Drop dough by teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake in a 350*F oven for about 12 minutes or until edges are golden. Makes about 5 dozen. Store in airtight container. ***Note: Look for your favorite flavored cream cheese to try. Yum!

Directions: PUFFS: In a 2 quart sauce pan, bring water, salt and butter to a boil. Add flour all at once, stirring mixture vigorously for 1 minute or until mixture forms into a ball. Remove pan from heat, whisk or beat in eggs until smooth and thick. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, spoon the batter onto grease baking sheet. Bake in a 375*F oven for 22-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. At this point, you can store the puffs in an air tight container for one to two days. When ready to serve, carefully slice and fill. LEMON CREAM: In a bowl, add whipped topping. Gradually stir in lemon juice and zest. Spoon or pipe into cream puffs. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. **Note: Cream puffs can be filled with a variety of fillings. They can be filled with vanilla or chocolate custard, plain whipped cream, or your favorite flavored yogurt. If you would like to serve as an appetizer, you can fill with tuna, shrimp or crab salad. The possibilities are endless. w w w.communityseeds.com

Community Seeds

Advertisers Index Ace Hardware Advanced Inspection Services, Mold Inspection Apple Blossom Baby Ben & Jerry’s Buy the Book Care Free Pools Chambers Harvest Shop Champions for Change/Network For a Healthy California Chico Art School and Gallery The Chico Connection.com The Chico Connection Green Page Chico/Paradise Seed Shirts Chico Green School Coldwell Banker, Rhonda Maehl, Realtor The Durham Community Website Eco in Chico, A Baby’s Boutique Green Clean Growing Up Chico Magazine In Motion Fitness Michael C. Cooper, Attorney at Law Midway Mini Storage Mythic Low VOC Paint The Paradise Connection Community Site The Pita Pit Solar Energy & Efficiency Solutions Stay Vocal.com Sun Ovens International Tracy Lynn Photography William Watt Construction

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Special Thanks To: In Motion Fitness ------------------------------------------------------------ www.InMotionFitness.com Coldwell Banker, Rhonda Maehl, Realtor --------------------------- www.HelpMeRhondaM.com

Additional Thanks To: Susan Burke March, MS, RD/LD, CDE ---------------------------------------- www.SusanBurkeMarch.com Pure Skin --------------------------------------------------------------------- www.www.pureskinchico.com 66 Community Seeds . Spring 2010

Join Us In The Summer! The Next Issue Of Community Seeds Will Be Released June 1, 2010.

• Send us an article about being eco friendly • Send us photos of you and/or your family • Send photos of unique green products • Tell us what you like to do in the summer • Send us a green craft idea • Write a book review • Send us your child’s story and/or artwork • Send us your informational article • Tell us about local summer community projects • Purchase advertising • Become a sponsor

The deadline for the summer issue is April 25, 2010. E-mail items to info@communityseeds.com. For more information go to www.communityseeds.com. w w w.communityseeds.com

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