Food, Inc. Movie Review

This movie did not play in my area, so I was glad to get it on DVD this week.

The movie explored the business behind the food we eat, and how the veil over how our food is processed is slowly (and luckily) being uncovered.

My biggest concern going into the movie was that it would be a shock movie, that would show you grotesque video of animals being killed inhumanely, and try and scare you into not eating meat again. They did a good job of showing some of the realities of the industry, without making you sick or grossed out. It is an ugly business, and most people don't want to know where their food comes from. However, unless we understand that companies are not looking out for your best interest, we will always be in the dark. The movie clearly explains that we need to start to question where your food is coming from, and start putting your money into food that is healthy and grown correctly, even if it costs more.

There were two main things I learned:

1) Wal-Mart started to carry organic food products because their customers asked for it. If enough people ask for these products, you can change ANY company, even one as large as Wal-Mart.

2) The government subsidies (gives money to) farmers to grow corn. That makes corn much cheaper than other food, which is why potato chips (for example) are so much cheaper than vegetables. So when you look at prices, you will always be choosing a food that is probably worse for you than what you should be eating. As you can see, this has serious consequences (obesity, diabetes, etc). I was shocked at the amount of food made from corn. It is also why corn is used to feed cattle (instead of grass, which is what they should be eating). You can add antibiotic, chemicals and other garbage into the feed, which is easier to do than with grass. Corn-fed cattle can be raised in smaller areas, since they don't need to roam, which means more profit for the meat industry. It's amazing what you find when you "follow the money"!

I highly recommend you watch this movie, if you haven't seen it yet!

Use post-it notes to change other people's wasteful behavior!

Where I work, I see a lot of people leaving their computers on, leaving lights on in their office. Those that work in the factory leave the test equipment and other electronic devices on as well.

Instead of complaining, I decided to make up some bright green post-it notes, and place them on the device, so the person sees the "reminder" when they come back. This way, you don't need to confront the "accuser" and make them feel bad. Often times, people just forget, or don't realize that it should be turned off.



Each pad comes with 50 notes, and they can be re-used (like a normal post-it note). Simply scan your work area, or your house, and place the note on anything that should be turned off. Certain items (like refrigerators) need to stay on all the time. Focus on the items that definitely need to be shut off. If you can follow up with this approach and feedback for one month (20-30 days), that should be enough time that behavior starts to change, and people will become more cognizant of what they're leaving on.

To order some of these post-its:

Green "Turn Off When Done" Post-It Note Reminders

Debbie Meyer Green Bags actually work!

We saw these bags on the TV infomercials, and it looked too good to be true, so we decided to order some. We typically have problems with spinach and raspberries. They usually go bad after about 2 days, and we have throw them away. When using the green bags, they were still good after a week and a half (about 10 days). We ate them before 30 days, so we don't know if it will last out to 30 days, but we were very happy that it gave us that much time to eat them.

This will definitely save us money, and will stop us from wasting good fruits and vegetables. They're only about $10, so it will pay for itself the first or second time you use them.

You can order them on Amazon.com

Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute (VISFI) leading the way

On our recent trip to St. Croix, we discovered a very cool farm up in the rainforests. The VISFI provides "a working educational farm enterprise that integrates sustainability in education, environment, and community through quality instruction in Agroecology and related fields." We wanted to get a first-hand look at what they did, and so we made the trek up the mountain for a visit.

They offer many workshops and educational programs to study-abroad students, along with the locals. The have recently setup the VI Locally Grown program, where buyers can purchase local produce and hand-made crafts online.



The first thing you notice is the solar panels on the roof of the community center. Inside is a library of sustainable books, along with tables where the staff work wirelessly from their laptops. There is also a kitchen, where the food from the land is prepared each day.

Everyone was very friendly and helpful. We decided to take the self-guided tour. We were given a map of the area, along with descriptions about each area.



One of the coolest features was the treehouse, which had a bed and living room area. It was buried high up into the trees, and could fold up during inclimate weather. There was a lot of craftmanship that went into building it.



Another helper lived in the yurt pictured above, which was buried into the forest, and was difficult to find.



They also have a program called Farm Stays where you can stay in one of the solar-powered cabanas for about $35/night and help out around the farm during the day. A great option for those trying to save money. The farm is only a couple miles drive from the beach, or you can also opt to hike down from the mountain.

There is a lot more that they offer, so visit the VISFI website for more information, or stop by if you're ever in St. Croix.

Battery Tester works great, saves batteries!

If you haven't switched over to recycled batteries yet, you can make sure that you don't accidently throw away good batteries. This simple battery tester is very inexpensive, easy to use, and it allowed me to avoid throwing away quite a few batteries, since I wasn't sure which ones were dead, and which ones had "juice" left in them. Highly recommended for everyone!

Enchanted Honeycomb in Canada moving "off the grid"

We had to go to a wedding in Gray Creek, British Columbia. It is about 4 hours from the nearest airport (Spokane), so it is a bit isolated (even for Canada). What we found was a great oasis of nature.

We needed a place to stay, and the local bed and breakfast places were pretty expensive. We wanted to find something more affordable, so we searched Craigslist for an alternative. What we found seemed to fit our needs. It was near the lake, close to the wedding, and much more affordable. The house was owned by Charles, and we communicated via email for a couple weeks about the details and directions to get there.

When we arrived, we were happy to find a secluded home. To our pleasant surprise, the home was hand built, and the homesite was being setup to be self-sufficient in the future (more on that below).

Charles has been living in the area for a while, so he was very helpful with directions, places to eat and get snacks, and advice on things to do. If you've never been to the area, it's nice to have someone local to talk to and ask questions.

They even spent a couple hours with us on Saturday before the wedding ceremony, showing us around the vast amounts of land that he owned, and explaining the future plans he had in mind.



We first walked down to the lakefront, and hopped into the canoes for a short trip around the area. The mountains on the other side of the lake are well within reach, if you want to canoe to the other side. We didn't have much time, so we stayed pretty close, and just enjoyed the views and calmness of the lake. The water is a little cold, so we decided to forgo swimming, but it is so clear and clean that you could drink from it. Not often can you see the bottom of a lake. They have also set the foundations for a couple cabins or yurts to be built next to the lake in the near future, so we are excited about coming back to check those out when they are complete.

We walked back up the mountain, and headed through the trails for a short hike. We didn't climb up too high, but we did get some incredible views of the lake and mountains. It would be easy to get lost, so we were glad we had tour guides.



When we arrived back at the house, we were shown the horses, ducks and chickens. They will serve multiple purposes in the future. The three horses will be used for transportation, and will help with plowing and other chores. The chickens and ducks provide eggs. All the animal manure will be used in the future to produce methane, which will be used to generate electricity, and move them further "off the grid". In addition, there was a compost pile and organic garden, which provides the soil and vegetables throughout the summer months. They also showed us the plans for a gazebo, greenhouse (for year round gardening) and a horse stable. This will provide many different housing options for guests. Their future plans for the area not only include housing, but workshops, activites and other educational opportunities for those wanting to live a more sustainable lifestyle.



The room was very affordable, especially compared to other nearby hotels or Bed and Breakfast rooms that run over $100 per night. For one week, you can stay there for about $300 (about $40 per day). The price can fluctuate due to the number of days you stay, and whether a weekend is included. Obviously you won't get the same amenities as those other places, but most guests are looking for something more unique, and aren't concerned with the same things most hotel guests would expect. That being said, you do not need to compromise a great night sleep by choosing to stay here. The beds were very comfortable and we had everything we needed. We also had a great view of the lake and mountain background.



As a bonus on our last day, Ellie made us a Spanish omelette to go, which really hit the spot. We were pressed for time, as we needed to get to the ferry early enough to get a spot, so we didn't have time to stop and eat.

We would DEFINITELY stay there again. If you haven't been to Kootenay Lake, it is something wonderful to see, and we highly recommend setting up a vacation to check it out. For more information on the Enchanted Honeycomb, contact Charles Hughes or call 250-227-6944.

Black and Decker Power Consumption Monitor

I have been using it for about two months now, and I think it is great! I can turn items on and off and see what they cost to run. This also gives me an estimate of what my monthly bill is actually going to be, instead of waiting for a surprise when the bill comes. Most people are not able to get this kind of detail on their bills without having a device like this.

Here are some examples of what I've discovered with this device:

Normal Electric use = $0.03-$0.04 per hour
Air conditioner on = $0.29-$0.38 per hour addtl
Water Heater on = $0.04-$0.12 per hour addtl



Some of these costs aren't maintained the entire time. For example, the air conditioner doesn't run 100% when its on, only while it's trying to ramp up to the correct temperature, then it backs off and is in a maintain mode. The bottom line is that you can observe how these changes affect your costs.



Installation was pretty simple. All I had to do was make a simple hookup on the outside of my gas meter using a screwdriver. You do have to program the device (instructions inside pretty straight forward) and lookup your billing rates from your electric company, but it's information you should be knowledgeable of anyways.

Cost is about $100. Check out the details at the link below.

Black and Decker Power Consumption Monitor