Ghana Girl

Bussels Airport

From 12,000 meters in the sky I write en-route from Brussels to Accra, Ghana. Last night we passed over Greenland and I saw the northern lights for the first time ever. I think staring at the shimmering green lights I had a moment of realization, it had finally sunk in that I was moving to Africa for a year. It wasn’t when I had the 7 vaccines, or the 6-week wait on my visa or even trying to fit my life into one backpack. This was really the point of no return, and my whole world was about to change.

After my last contract I decided that I wanted to do something a little different, I wanted a challenge, something to shake me up and something outside of my comfort zone.  I am young, single, and able bodied and now with a degree I literally have all the privileges and opportunities in the world. I wanted to offer what I am and what I have to the rest of the world and I wanted to do it as a volunteer while I could still afford to.  Using my experience in agriculture and business I will be working with women farmers in a rural area to improve their processing and distribution while increasing their individual and community food security.

For some reason I always had a quiet dream to live and work in Africa one day. I usually shrugged it aside as a childish pipe dream, never really thinking it would happen but secretly always wishing for it. I don’t know what it was that attracted me to Africa other than the total unknown. It never really occurred to me that my degree in environmental studies would take me where I had always wanted to go.

Women's March-Ottawa

To tie everything in together was the motivation I gained from the recent women’s marches on Washington and around the world. This highlighted for me the need for us women to work with and for each other. It is only through improving women’s lives around the world that we will gain equality. After the march I attended in Ottawa there were presentations and speeches, one in particular by the managing director of Crossroads International (coincidentally or not the organization sending me to Ghana) stood out to me. She spoke about the work they were doing across the developing world to further women’s rights and empowering women and how many places still had a lot of work to do to rise to the level of our western ideals. Tears streaming down my face it was as if I was in the right place at the right time to hear her message, and I was going to do the work that was needed, the work that was driving the women’s rights movement.

In Flight Ice Cream!

Lunch is being served now, the plastic cutlery and disposability of air travel reminds me how many emissions I am producing by my journey, but the lifestyle I will be leading will be very different from the wasteful North Americans I think. Time to travel to a place where the 100-mile diet is less of a new age fad and more of a way of life. Where you shop at farmers markets for everything not just luxuries and where a slower pace of life will quiet my mind and allow me to take it all in.

Much love,

Melanie 

"To travel is to live"- Hans Christian Anderson

If you would like to support my work or learn more see my funding page here: https://cci.akaraisin.com/pledge/Participant/Home.aspx?seid=2478&mid=9&pid=3045663

Minimalism Mel?

Capilano Suspension Bridge- Vancouver, BC

My contract was up, my lease was up, I looked around and realised I was totally free! How lucky I felt. So I decided to pack up and move on. I am currently road tripping through the US on route to Ottawa to see some folks. From there I am going abroad, to where is still undecided. What was decided was that I needed less stuff. Thus the struggle, challenge and liberating experience began to eliminate all the things from my life and to fit into my little coupe.  As therapeutic as it may seem to sell off my worldly possessions to travel again, it is also a very difficult and humbling experience for me. Though this is not the first time I have moved away, or started over, this time I am approaching it from a different angle.

The first time I left home I was 21 and heading to Europe. I sold all the IKEA furniture I had accumulated in my Toronto apartment, stored many boxes at my parents and took 4 suitcases with me. I got rid of the cheap things that I collected to fit into the world I didn't. I moved to BC with 3 suitcases, but would have needed a moving van to leave it. This time around I took care and time in accumulating the things I now wish to rid myself of, which is maybe why its hurting more. They may be worth less in gold but I carefully thrifted, swapped, received and made everything I have now. When I sell my car it is something that I took time in searching for, painstakingly maintained and made memories. It makes it harder to part with.

Mt Walker- Olympic National Forest, WA

Last week was hard, I sold my chickens who were a source of food from their eggs and beloved pets. Then I sold my bicycle, Bernadette, a bike I loved so much I named. With the weight of their worth in my pocket in the form of funny coloured bills I replaced my things with a value that doesn't translate to how I valued them. To me its not as simple as buying something new. Its a choice every time I make a purchase, towards the type of economy and world I support and want to live in.

Donating old clothes, selling off furniture and pieces I could have kept a lifetime. That's just it, I don't need any of it. I remind myself every time. When I teared up a bit when my last chicken left I told myself "I will survive." The ability to willingly let go of these things, even if I love them is in itself a privilege. I acknowledge this and vow to use their "worth" towards the idea that I will find happiness through the experiences I am about to have, and not through the things I am letting go of.

By shedding what ties me down to this place it also makes me free from it.

Bob Red Mill- Milwaukee, Or

Minimalism Mel? When it all adds up; having things translates to consuming. We should all consume less to preserve the environment and its resources, therefore minimalism should be embraced. This time I plan to go abroad with 1 bag, and leave behind 1 box. Every time I buy something I need to ensure I have to space and willingness to carry it with me, it makes me buy less. Every day on my road trip I eliminate something from the car, its like a little game I play. Yesterday the cooler got cut "you have been eliminated" I told it, as I dropped it off at goodwill in downtown Portland, Oregon.

Things can be replaced,  you can learn to live with less, the adventures and memories I'm making cannot.

Have a lovely day,

Melanie

Follow me on my travels on Instagram @melaniejadea

"The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak." -Hans Hoffman

10 Reasons I am getting my tubes tied, Today!

At 26, I am sure I do not want children. I am so sure that today, I am getting my tubes tied! In a simple, 45 minute procedure I will do away with a future of worrying about reproductive health and my clock ticking. It is so routine that  I will be back in my bed this evening with the assistance of a friend and back on my feet tomorrow afternoon. Easy peasy.  Let's all get one!

I have been considering having my tubes tied as a more permanent form of contraception for many years. However, if you are under the age of thirty and have not had children, it is highly unlikely a doctor will agree to such a procedure. It is just too common for us women to change our minds apparently. As my doctor explained to me, up to 30% of women who have their tubes tied will have it reversed and only 30% of those women will be able to conceive afterwards. He told me he didn't want to live with the guilt of taking away a woman's ability to give birth, especially a young, unmarried and childless woman.

I had an IUD put in at 21 the first time I asked a doctor about more permanent contraceptive methods. She said I was too young to make those kinds of decisions. I agreed that I could think on it more. Five years later I was at the end of a 13 month waiting list and sitting in a room filled with expecting mothers and young children plotting out my arguments. In an effort to convince this strange man of my assuredness, I built my case with these points:

1. Human Overpopulation- Number one reason for me not to have children is because the world just has to many bodies on it right now. We have surpassed the carrying capacity of our planet by not being responsible breeders. Too many people use up too many resources and take up too much space from other species. The easiest solution is, have less children immediately. Fortunately, the birth rate has been declining as the developing world is beginning to have smaller families but the rise in population is forecast to increase for the next 35 years or so. Right now what you can do it decide not to have any more mouths to feed.
2. I have never seen myself as a mother. I know the urge to be a mother usually develops over time. It is just something I do not see for me. 
3. My body, my choice.
4. No more pill! I started on the pill at 12!!! I will not longer need to rely on hormones and pharmaceutical companies foe my reproductive health and responsibilities. 
5. Insurance- Literally the main reason I (and many young women) ever worry about insurance was to pay for the pill. 
6. Chemical Free, I can live a life less chemically altered than taking hormonal contraceptives for the majority of it. 
7. Environment, so not only will I be using less chemicals, I will also be reducing the amount of run-off or sewage of contraceptives that get into our water stream and have effected hormone levels in men and children- See article 
8. Adoption- There are so many children in the world who need a home that it just seems selfish of me to have my own children. My doctor asked me what would happen if I met someone who
   
   wanted children and I explained that my ideal person would also be thrilled with adoption if we decided to take on children together. Until then I am free to wander, me by my unattached self.
9. I have more interest in my chicken babies than real ones. 
10. No more explaining. I will be able to shut down anyone who asks me if or when I'm having kids, again. "I just can't". I really am just saving myself from a lifetime of reproductive questioning and bullying by the mainstream who attempt to devalue me as a woman for my choices. 

I love babies, they are beautiful and necessary to perpetuate our existence. We just have so many, too many and my little drop in the bucket is to not contributing to that. I worry my friends and family with children will judge me as rejecting them and their lifestyles. Please do not. I think your little dears are just precious. My choice does not mean I do not respect yours, but it it my choice. The message for me is, you have one!


Have a lovely day,

Melanie

Murder and Meat Mondays

Over the past couple of years I have been on a journey of self discovery and learning about a how to make the food system more sustainable and just for everyone. One of the pieces that I have struggled with is to eat meat or not to. I have been a vegetarian for the better part of 14 years (as described in this post), and have always toted "if I can kill it, I can eat it" as my reasoning behind abstaining. Living in my little corner of heaven on Vancouver Island I am on an organic farm, next door to an organic farm, free range- grass-fed beef farm and an artisan cheese making dairy with SPCA certification. What a place to be for a local food lover.

The Neighbours have been raising 150 unsexed chicks which meant a bunch of unintentional roosters were produced. Working there I saw them butcher a couple a week to eat, they had to be disposed of because too many roosters is a very violent place for chickens. I understood that this was humane, the meat was organic, the animals free run and happily clucked about their days. So why shouldn't I eat this meat?

Because I was given the opportunity and was able to watch a few being processed I worked my way up to be the actual executioner. The knife was placed in my hands and I sawed off its head after a few minutes of squirming. It wasn't pretty, but I got through it. I helped pluck the feathers and the farm roasted and spiced it up. Later I was presented with a piece of chicken,  it could have been any old piece of meat but this time I was responsible for its life. It tasted, a little tough to be honest. I had never tried rooster before but kept seeing the head while I chewed him up. As a recovering vegetarian it was a very odd experience for me and I didn't 100% enjoy it. In the next few days I would work on the leg piece I was given but my body rejected those foreign enzymes I wasn't used to and I was a little sick. 

I tried again soon after, I went for back-bacon from the neighbours freshly butchered hogs, the ones I had personally delivered from the butchers. This time it tasted rather delicious but again my body unaccustomed to any meat was being over loaded and let's just say, that week was a bit icky. Having access to good, local food has definitely been a game changer for my diet and stomach.

Now, I am not about to hit a drive-through and order an unidentifiable cheeseburger any time soon, far from it. But instead, I am incorporating meat into my diet that is local and sustainable from trusted and known sources. I was recently given a meat bonus from work (I know right) that is ground beef from one of the older dairy cows. Other than being the coolest job ever it also means I am using an animal who's meat is not highly valued in the market and using it to its full extent.

I would rather support the industry of small, organic farmers, treating animals fairly and butchering good, sustainable meat sources than revolt an entire system that is other wise a natural part of the human diet. Being a vegetarian ignored so many parts of life that involve animals. Most shoes have leather pieces, cheese has rennet from cows, agriculture is responsible for eco-system destruction and deforestation. At the end of the day all the food we eat negatively impacts the lives of animals and the world around us and none of us from vegan to carnivore are innocent of this. So a balance must be struck. I have a problem with the industrial food system and not small farmers and it is important to remember that.

In the end, support what kind of food you hope everyone can eat one day. For me that is farm fresh and local that includes organic produce, meats & grains. And everything in moderation, Meat Mondays!

In good food,

Melanie

Post-Summer Update

Goldstream Provincial Park

After a few months off I am back and eager to catch everyone up on my summer and new post grad life! I have left my personal bubble of the university that was a safe space filled with like minded individuals. I have found that the rest of the world has a lot of things to catch up to in their ways of thinking about the environment and sustainability, sometimes frustratingly so. Never the less my new home on Vancouver Island has proven to be a bit of a hub of local food loving and conscientious  people. Be it the burgeoning young farmer and agrarians groups or the musicians and yuppies, people seem to generally agree on one thing- Local food is the bomb diggity! While some of us preach the word others are in the trenches building the foundations of our future food system. I salute you fellow foodies and I beg you spread like wildfire across the landscape.

Chickens!

So many exciting things happened this summer, here is a quick run down:

• I eat meat! (post coming soon!)
• Vancouver Island
• Organic Farming
• Chickens! 
• 2 jobs
• Farmers Markets 6 days a week
• Moving (again!)

Hard at Work 

This summer has been the most local loving yet and I had a blast doing it. Though my summer contracts are finishing up and I am looking forward to moving on to new projects in the winter months and a bit of a break in between. 

Stay tuned for the next exciting chapters!

XX Melanie

"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." -George Bernard Shaw

Graduated!

After what felt like 3 very long years, I am finished my undergraduate degree! My time at school has been filled with volunteering, activism, work and a whole lot of learning...most of which I could attribute to outside of the classroom. I learned the most from the activities and work I did with the University Farmers Market, PGPIRG and working with Meal Exchange that will apply to my life outside of school. The fancy piece of paper that I will be paying off for the foreseeable future may not be what I anticipated going into University but the experiences I gained are invaluable and I don't regret for a minute returning to school. For me it was a time of self-discovery that allowed me to explore my interests and build skills. Everyone has a different experience at the end of the day but for me it was the right time and place to continue on this life long learning adventure. Go to school, don't go to school and you can still learn to be a better person, citizen and neighbour to those around you.

Having fast-tracked through a 4-year degree in 3 years time while working multiple jobs and being really involved, I am exhausted. What are you going to do with an Environmental studies degree was the biggest question I asked myself this year. But without missing a beat I packed up my worldly processions, (having given away most of them) and moved down to Vancouver Island. I am relocating to the Nanaimo/Parksville area to work on an organic farm for the summer. After going from a fast pace environment in Toronto, to a busy bee in Prince George I will now be moving at a slower pace in the country side. This presents both challenges and opportunities for me to explore the kind of lifestyle I want to lead and ultimately discover what will allow me to live simply. This area boasts lots of fresh, organic produce, tons of farmers markets, ocean access and a more southern climate. All of these things make me feel like this is the place for me, for the next little while at least.

This transitional time has also been very disruptive to routine and when you travel you are forced to explore communities to find local, sustainable options again. Leaving my comfort zone in Prince George was at first a welcome idea but I already miss knowing where the fair trade coffee is everyday. I also bought my first car, begrudgingly, to move with and drove more in a week than I have in my entire life. I am on a month long vacation and off to Europe to celebrate in the least environmentally way possible by taking a cruise. I will spend the rest of the summer working off my carbon emissions and negating the impact of this month's movement.

These changes will hopefully turn out for the better but only time will tell what is next on this journey for me, work, grad school, life? For now I will continue eating locally, reducing my impact and enjoying life.

Lots of Love,

Melanie XX

"You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your tickets to change the world."  -Tom Brokaw

25 Things I've Learned by my 26th Birthday

As I no longer fit into the early 20's category, I find myself qualified to share the wisdom of my youth. Here are the musings of a mid-to- late 20 something:

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1. Check your privilege before you wreck your privilege
2. Laughter is the best medicine, make others laugh and become a healer. 
3. Money is for giving away and saving for vacations. 
4. "You don't need a silver fork to eat good food" Paul Prudhomme 
5. It's ok to be messy, I've spent too much time stressing about messes that I now embrace as exemplifying a life well lived. 
6. It's pretty hard to look sexy while eating a salad...
7. If you don't like you situation in life, change it! Complaining does good for no one.
8. Embrace change, it's the only way to move forward.
9. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results"- Albert Einstein 
10. Waste is just unacceptable in todays world, value every resources as precious. 
11. Go at your own pace, you define what is right for you. Take a month to read a book, take a two hour lunch, take a year or two off!
12.  Live within your means, don't spend money you don't have, debt is the worst. 
13. Always wear clean underwear...if your going to wear any at all
14. I am perfectly happy being perfectly average, my new standard for sustainability. 
15. "Do not speak unless you can improve the silence" Baroness Rodmilla De Ghent, Ever After 
16. Do what makes you happy and what will make others happy in the future.
17. Respect yours elders, and spend a much time learning from them as you can.
18. Stop trying to fit in when you were born to stand out. There is no normal. 
19. "To all the girls who think you're fat because you're not a size zero. You are beautiful, it is society that is ugly." Marilyn Monroe
20. Food is essential to life, therefore make it good. 
21. Do not measure your self worth in Facebook likes. 
22. “My weaknesses have always been food and men — in that order.” - Dolly Parton
23. If you can't kill it yourself, don't eat it. 
24. You can do and achieve anything you put your mind to, I'm graduating University after all!
25. 'Live simply so that others may simply live.'- Mahatma Gandhi

Have a lovely day,

XX Melanie 

Freeganism or Veganism?

Since eating locally has no longer been compulsory in my life after completing my year long challenge, I have been experimenting with how I eat. At times I could be considered vegan. I don't eat meat, cut out eggs and dairy and eat way too many carbs. At times I think I am more vegetarian, opting to buy eggs from a local farmer or cheese when I've met the cow (or goat). Always I am a locavore, choosing to buy local whenever possible and choosing not to buy at all when it is not.

Leftover Ice Cream at the UFM

I do, however, have a confession to make. I've been a vegetarian for 14 years, but last month I ate bacon... and I'm kind of ok with it (after I stopped being violently ill). I know, crazy right! I'm not slipping off the veggie wagon or anything but I am evolving my diet slightly to include meat and dairy. Instead of centering my diet around what I won't eat or where I won't eat I've decided to include food waste reduction as a priority.
Think about all that extra energy that goes into the production of meat. Even though it is the smallest representation of food waste, it is also responsible for the highest emissions (read more here). And after all that goes into its production, from calf to cattle to butcher to processing, can you still justify throwing it out? I am having a battle with my morals on this one, seriously. But I have tried to look at it as an overall goal of reducing harm to the world. I am not creating demand for meat, I am not participating in the production of meat or advocating on its behalf. I am rescuing food that is destined for the garbage bin. Ensuring that at the end of its life cycle the final product was being used for its intended purpose and not contributing to more harm by rotting away in a landfill.

When I chance upon food waste I can be freegan, eating whatever is bound for the bin, be it animal, vegetable or mineral. Just to be clear, I am not going to go on record as a meat eater because, gross. But I am admitting to dumpster diving and leftovers-taking and I am feeling pretty good about it. Every little thing helps in the food waste fight right?

What I am realizing now is that my battle is not with the label I choose to define my eating habit but with ethical consumption. I want to feel good about the choices I make and the food going into my body. What I know is that labels suck, and they don't work for everyone. Am I a vegan? Sometimes, mostly. Am I a freegan? Free-food-eater, yes. I hate food waste. Am I a locavore, yes. Ultimately I prioritize local with all my purchases. Is there a label that applies to me? No, not really, but can we not all just become ethical consumers and make good choices everyday?


In good food,

Melanie XX

Why You Should STOP Catering Your Events

With the holidays behind us it is time to reflect on the absurdities of excess we experienced over the holiday season. The biggest one of all being all that leftover food that gets thrown out from parties and events when there is just sooo much leftover.

Food Waste in Canada

I'm sure you've heard by now that food waste is a major issue, with up to 40% of all food that is produced being wasted. A lot of waste that we see, especially in an institution, is from catered events and conferences. Catering has systemic issues of processing. The age old custom of ensuring you have enough food to feed everyone has turned into an industry practice. Kitchens will now prepare 10-20%  more food than was ordered to ensure they're is enough if everyone on the guest list shows up and in case there are extra people. Combine this with the often tendency of the organizer to order enough food for how many people you invited instead of realistically how many will pull through in the end. This can be as much as 20-30% higher than the actual attendance of the event. This means you can be left with up to 50% extra food being made than needed...time a million events is a lot of food! What happens to that food? Well if it is served food that is left out, it has to be thrown in the garbage!!!! Because it is no longer food safe or allowed to be donated.

Food Rescued from the garbage

Ok I'll admit that the portion of waste associated with conference and events is less than consumers waste at home (47% of food was is from the consumer). But it's still a big enough number that we should do something about it.

So what can you do?

• Order less, order 20% less than you think you will need to ensure no food is left over 
• Consider lighter fair, smaller amounts of food that can be more easily eaten 
• Ask for half, the kitchen can hold back a portion of the food, food that is prepared but not served can still be donated or reused in the kitchen. 
• Bring containers, or ask for take out containers so guests can take leftovers home. Otherwise, they will be thrown out.
•  Don't order! Have drinks instead or try potluck style for less formal events. 

Or maybe you could be like me and run around trying to salvage leftovers before caterers return to dispose of them ;) Yum!

Enjoy,

Melanie XX

"Waste not, Want not" -Proverb

8 Ways Your Diet Can Reduce Climate Change

Global Climate March- Prince George, Nov 29

With the world's attention on climate change at the recent COP21 conference in Paris, I thought it may be interesting to look at how climate change and food are related issues. A lot of attention has been spent on the big, bad fossil fuel industry but did you know meat production burns more fossil fuels than all the cars on the road combined? Agriculture itself is responsible for up to 30% of all emissions, so changing the way we eat and think about food can help fight global warming!

But what can you do? Making simple changes as a consumer and eater (which we all are) can go a long way if we act together!

1. The first thing you can do to reduce greenhouse gases and slow climate change? Lose the meat! I am not saying everyone needs to become a vegetarian or vegan, (but that would be great) but even cutting back to one meal a day with meat can make a big difference! Why not try Meatless Mondays?
2. Go Local!!! As this blog title advertises, shopping local is the best! Buying local products will reduce transportation and processing associated with imported foods. Check the local section in your grocery store, read labels, or shop at the Farmers' Market! 
3. Buy Whole foods. They will be less packaged, have fewer additives, be less processed...less can be more and it is overall healthier for you! 
4. Grow your own food! Why not cut out all those middle people, transportation, and waste and go straight to the source by growing your own veggies? Just $1 in green bean seeds can yield $75 worth of produce! How's that for a money saver and planet saver?!
5. Eat in Season! Eating in season goes hand-in-hand with shopping locally and growing your own food, and will reduce energy and transportation normally expended on your meals. 



Food Waste is not sexy!

6. Choose Organic. Organic food is produced with fewer chemicals, no artificial hormones, healthier soils and supports a better agriculture system that can feed the world.
7. Don't waste it! Throwing out food that has already gone through so much to get to your plate is a travesty.  If after all that production, transportation and manufacturing occurs, food is wasted, we might as well leave our cars running all night long for the rest of our lives, too! Don't throw out the energy, time and resources by buying only what you need and taking leftovers home.
8. Compost veggie scraps and leftovers. Instead of scraps going to the landfill, they will break down in your home composter and make organic fertilizer to grow your own food! Win-win! 

Vote with your dollars and show how we, the consumers, are the ones in control of the demand and will ultimately fix the broken food system we have created!

In good food,

Melanie

"Getting the whole food system to change is a seriously big challenge. But one thing is clear: no change in food means no gain in climate change prevention."- Rebecca Wells & Tim Lang

Guest Blog: Meal Exchange

You can find my guest blog at: MealExchange.com

 
I was born and raised in Ontario in Ottawa and Toronto where concrete jungles were my playgrounds and food came from packages at the grocery store and we hung out at the mall on the weekend. I loved shopping at the farmers market, biking to work and thrift shopping, but these things were money savers and I never considered my greater impact on the world I inhabited. When I was planning on returning to school I knew I was interested in the environment but I never realized that in a few years my entire life would be changed by studying it. I chose UNBC for its small class sizes, geographic location AWAY from home and because it had a Farmers Market that I thought would be fun to be involved with.

I began volunteering with the University Farmers Market and applied for a position as the Development Assistant. I didn't get the job but soon took on the role of Volunteer Coordinator that I was able to apply as an internship towards my degree. In my second year I was voted in as chair of the Market Committee. Now I am the Market Manager, in charge of the market that inspired my interest in food studies. Working at the farmers market provided me with connections to other things happening in the food system and allowed me to understand the bigger picture issues like food insecurity & food justice. 

I started eating local, ethical foods and thinking about my consumer behaviours. I spent an entire year eating only from the farmers market just to test my resolve and solidify my feelings towards food. This wet my appetite for other works surrounding food on campus. I became involved with the PIRG on campus and was hired as the Local Foods Coordinator organizing a monthly good food box  and sourcing local coffee and eggs. I started gardening at home and soon became the PIRG gardener on campus and started a market stand in the garden over the summer to sell fresh produce to the UNBC community.

I was hired as a coordinator with the Campus Food Strategy Project through Meal Exchange in 2014. I now had a network of food activists at my disposal and it was great to connect to something larger than our little campus. This has launched me into a research project on food insecurity that I am just sinking my teeth into. We were also able to start a food recovery program on campus rescuing food from the cafeteria and donating it to meal programs in the community. Since we began we have saved over 2000 lbs. of food and are looking at other strategies to build a campus food bank and expand the program to other campus's across Canada.


Who would have thought this city slicker from Toronto would morph into the die hard foodie she is today. Nearing the end of my degree I begin to worry about who will take my place here on campus. Having taken on so many roles I worry I will not be able to find interested students to continue the work that I have stewarded during my time at UNBC. But I know whoever takes over will have a wealth of information to take on from mine and my predecessors experiences and from the connections of our national network of dedicated students with Meal Exchange.

In good food,

Melanie XX

"Without food, we cannot survive, and that is why issues that affect the food industry are so important. " - Marcus Samuelsson

Life after Locavore

It is interesting to think it has been two months since my local living challenge was completed. What has changed for me since then...not a whole lot. I still do my weekly shopping at the farmers market, still thrifted my Halloween costume and still support local business. The only difference is now I choose to do so out of my own free will instead of needing to for a project.

Cabbage Catch-of-the-Day

The first time I went to order a drink I was struck with the notion I could now order anything I wanted, the power of choice was entirely my own for the first time in a year. I looked at the myriad of drinks on display, read the drink menu and even consulted the bartender for ideas. In the end I ordered the same thing I had been ordering all along, the local beer on tap. For all the choices and freedom I was now experiencing I had something else nagging me at the back of my head...a conscious. I had rather un-deliberately set myself up for a life of conscious decision making.

So what does this mean for my future and the choices I will undoubtedly need to make?

Wild Mushrooms from the Market

When I was entirely local I heard about local ice cream being sold at the 7-11. Locally sourced Ice Cream from a corporate chain was one of those little annoyances I used to abhor, now I weigh the pro's and con's carefully before making my choices. I shop expiring items at the grocery store, yet still have only ventured there twice this year. I browse the local section at Save -On and still buy from producers directly. I make choices based on my values and then feel comfortable with my decisions. and that's what i hope if anything others can learn from this experience. You don't have to bee 100% local to understand why local is important but you do need to act on the values that you preach to others.

So let's live more honestly, make better choices for ourselves and the environment and be authentically ourselves.

Love,

Melanie XX

"You are free to make whatever choice you want, but you are not free from the consequences of the choice." Ezra Taft Benson

Dear Grandpa, Please Don't Vote Conservative!

Button making at PGPIRG 

With the federal election looming I am hoping to combine my interest in food, policy and politics into an ideal candidate I can be proud of. That is to say, to vote with any party other than the Conservatives (ABC). I called my family to discuss the election, as they are in Ottawa I always feel like they have the inside scoop on things. My Grandfather is a lifelong conservative, plastic water bottle drinking, climate change denialist. Speaking to him about politics is like arguing with an arch nemesis. Our conversations go something like this:

G-pa: It's been really cold here, that's why Mr. Gore and Mr. Suzuki have been so quiet eh?
Me: Well Grandpa, cooling temperatures are also a side effect of climate change, not just warming.
G-pa: You talk about using less oil, how do you think Mr. Suzuki gets around? In a car, and you know what those need? And he flies all over the world for events, do you know what planes use to fly?
Me: He bikes to work! And buys carbon offsets and promotes change! (sigh)

G-pa: Harper has done more for this country then Trudeau or anyone, we are now in the top 5 countries because of him!
Me: Top 5 of what? He said we wouldn't recognise this country after he was done with it and boy was he right!

Me: Dad just voted Liberal, you're used to a prime minister with a full head of hair right?
G-pa: Why, does he want to start smoking the reefer on parliament hill? Bunch of criminals!

With Liz Biggar, Green Party Candidate- PG- Peace River  

Suffice it to say I hang up the phone feeling like my degree in Environmental studies will never mean anything to him. I would consider myself a success as an environmentalist if I could convince him that global warming was a real thing and that Stephen Harper wasn't the hero he was painting him as. So now that I have had time to think about it, take this Grampa! A list of reasons why you shouldn't vote conservative next Monday:

1. In March 2011 the Harper Administration was found to be in contempt of Canadian parliament, the first time in history of any commonwealth government. (Fact)
2. Also in 2011 the Harper Conservatives were found guilty of election fraud from 2006. (Fact) How are they still in power!
3. Let's us eat poison! Harper loosened regulations to allow more chemical residues on your food! Gross! It also allows companies to conduct their own safety inspections...saving us money but letting them get away with who knows what! (Fact)
4. Shut down international aid. Canada was the 6th largest aid donor to Malawi, now we contribute nothing. (Fact) Also drastically reduced Peacekeeping efforts around the world. (Fact)
5. Spent $29 billion on fighter jets! We're so in debt already! (Fact) Convenient we only have a surplus the year you seek reelection...
6. Refused to sign the UN declaration designation clean water as a human right! Is that because we have boil water advisories on 93 first nations reserves in Canada? (Fact)
7. Killed the long form census. Thinks we don't use any of that data for research! (Fact) 
8. Silencing Scientists on climate change. If we don't know about it then its not happening? (Fact)
9. Used xenophobic tactics- Now other countries are seeing our prime minister as the racist and elitist he is. See Bill C-51, Bill C-24, Barbaric Practises Tip line? 
10. Opposes Gay Marriage, get with the program, even the US is on board! 
11. Harper has eliminated or weakened almost every environmental protection or law since coming to power. (Fact) 

I could keep going but I will let you read further on- 

https://harperwatch.wordpress.com

http://www.cbc.ca/the-silence-of-the-labs

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/reasons-to-vote-out-harper

Let's face it Grampa, it isn't about you any more, its about the people you are leaving the world to. It is selfish to think that you can't do anything to change the world at your age because it is up to you to make those changes for us. The mess your generation made will need to be cleaned up, so if we could start sooner rather than later I'd really appreciate the help in voting anybody but conservatives! (ABC)

Love,

Melanie XX

"You cut the brakes on our environment so you could fast-track a pipeline, then forged our signatures so you could sign away our future." Shane Koyczan- The Cut 

A Day in the Life of a Market Manager

Market Twinsies!

One of my jobs, the one I could even say I love the most, is my position as the Market Manager at the University Farmers Market. When I was looking at schools for my undergraduate degree, one of the pulls to the University of Northern British Columbia was access to a farmers market on campus that I had a goal to be involved with in one way or another. In my first year I volunteered every week setting up tables and helping vendors load their goods and became the volunteer coordinator. In year two I was voted in as the chair of the committee and helped with everything from events to wearing a carrot suit when needed. Now in my 3rd and final year I have taken over as the manager and am putting my experience and passion to use every week.

Though the UFM runs Tuesdays from 11-3pm during the school year there are still lots of things happening before market day from organizing special events, to coordinating layouts and finding new vendors. The main event for me is market day. Here is a look at a day in the life of a market manager on a typical market day:

Harvesting in the PGPIRG Garden

7:00- The mad dash begins as I catch the first bus up to the University to begin my day. My first order of business is to get to Campus in time for a quick shot of coffee from Degrees Coffee Co to get me through the busy day ahead.

8:00- As I was also the gardener for the summer, harvest time is still in progress. I arrive at the PGPIRG Garden as early as possible to pick and wash the weeks ripe vegetables to bring to sell at the UFM.

9:00- Set up begins in the NUSC event space that houses our weekly market. I arrive before volunteers and prepare the space for vendors to arrive. Set up may seem similar every week but behind the scenes a complicated game of Tetris is happening with vendors preferred spaces, last minute cancellations and purposeful placement of each type of goods fighting it out with weekly special events for the ideal space.

The Market Before Vendors Arrive

10:00- As volunteers arrives to help we meet vendors at the loading docks and load their goods onto carts. Volunteers then head to the market and I assign them their table for the day.
As I learnt from our first market we need to carefully map out who is using which outlet to make sure we don't lose power, which happens more often then you'd think.

11:00- The Market opens to the public! As eager customers begin to trickle in last minute set up is still going on. There are always a few late arriver's that need a bit of help getting going and I rush around the room to ensure vendors have every thing they need to get through their day, be it small change, an extra chair or even a coffee.

Market Time 

12:00- The rush hour is on and we see a few hundred people through the market during the busy lunch hour. I make sure there is enough change for jams and kale and answer questions to people coming through. As it is my third year at the market there are a lot of familiar faces and I always try to say hello to everyone.

13:00- As the peak traffic time ends a slower paced market atmosphere emerges and more people lounge in the chairs and chat with vendors. I take this opportunity to visit each vendor to collect weekly table fees and do my personal shopping at the same time.

14:00- If it is quiet enough and everything seems to be running smoothly I indulge in a 10 minute back rub from Kathy at Relax-in-chair. A guilty pleasure, which I have never regretted.

15:00- The second the clock strikes three the mad dash for carts to leave begins. Unlike the morning as vendors trickle in over an hour the exit is much more instantaneous. Volunteers struggle to get carts fast enough to meet vendor itching to get back to the farm or pick up their kids.

Crunchette the UFM Mascot

Oh no! We find a cooler with sausages left behind by a vendor and call them straight away to let them know we have them and arranging pick up for the next morning. Sometimes if we are lucky someone leaves a sweet treat for volunteers to thank them for their much needed hard work that day. Other times I buy cookies to show them how much we love having them around!

16:00- Accounting is finished and we deposit revenues for the day at finance before they close at 16:30. Clean up finishes and we make it so it looks like the market had never happened.

17:00- At the end of a busy day I am always thankful the Thirsty Moose Pub is our neighbour (and another job of mine). Once everything is tidied and the last of the tables are taken down I grab a chair at the bar and sip a local brew to finish out the day.


As you can see it is a busy day full of challenges and there is never a dull moment. It is a happy place to work, a place full of good food, homemade crafts and lovely people. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

See you on Tuesday,

Melanie

"What makes the farmers market such a special place is that you're actually creating community around food." -Bryant Terry

The 5 More Times I Failed at Being a Locavore

I originally wrote 5 Times I Failed at Being a Locavore but have since needed to add to that list.
Here are 5 more times I slipped up and purchased outside of my BC region:

1. Sim Card
• I bought a used iPhone 5 and thought I could just cut down my sim card to fit into the new smaller model... but it turns out it is a different card all together, so I had to buy a new sim card from Telus to go with the new phone. #fail
2. Drinks



I don't think that bucket of
alcohol is local....

• Those drinks my friends bought me at the bar in return for me buying dinner was a total cheat of the system, I admit it, I failed, it was the alcohol talking. 
3. Greyhound
• If you can't find a ride you can't go...should be my new rule but on planned holidays sometimes you have to bite the bullet and pay for a bus. It is better on emissions then a flight and at least I don't drive myself however I recognise that greyhound is an international company and therefor makes this list. 
4. VIA Rail
• Trains are the most sustainable way to travel cross country. I went to a conference in Toronto and then hopping over to Ottawa for a quick family visit before the school year. Travel in itself should be off my list if I was 100% local but sometimes all the sacrifices you make during the year will hopefully help you offset the annual pilgrimage to visit your parents. (You can hear about my trip in this post- VIA: The more (in)human way to travel?)
5. Medicine



Vancouver, BC- Natures Medicine

• In general I try not to take medications whenever possible. I stopped taking Tylenol for headaches or arthritis pain (yes, I have pretty bad arthritis for my age) instead trying to live through the aches and using natural remedies. However, once this year I was so sick that I broke down and bought cold and flu medicine from the drug store. In my defence I chose a small independent pharmacy in town and bought the no name product...but I still felt like a failure for needing drugs. Full disclosure over the year i bought, one back of Fisherman's Friends, cold medicine, and a prescription inhaler... 

Cheers to making mistakes and learning from them!

Melanie 

"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new."- Albert Einstein

What I Learned from A Year of Living Locally

Can you believe it has been an entire year since I switched to local? That is a year of supporting local businesses, eating delicious local food and discovering hidden gems close to home.

Ryerson University

In one year I...

• Lost 20 lbs 
• Paid off all my credit cards (How I Paid off my Credit Cards by Going Local)
• Learned how to make cheese
• Learned about the food system
• Discovered local business's
• Became a gardener
• Went on the local radio and news
• Learned about myself
• And spread the word of local

There were times when being a Locavore felt socially isolating but what I learned from this experience far exceeded any of the personal struggles I faced. I learned that eating local is just the tip of the iceberg of things we can do to live more sustainably. My eyes were opened to the flaws in the food system that became more obvious when I took the time to learn about my food and what I was consuming. And once you have been wisened to the ills of the world, it is difficult to ever go back.

"Live simply so others can simply live."- Mahatma Gandhi

Un-Local Night

I learned that I have changed, even if the world around me has not. I recently visited Toronto for the National Student Food Summit and was disillusioned with a city that used to feel like home, instead it felt like an urban sink hole where all the problems of society seemed to flourish. I know now that I can carve out the kind of life I want by making decisions every day that will benefit me as well as others.

My first week of un-local-ness culminated with a blow out un-local night at Earl's Prince George with friends. When the cloud in my head lifted the next morning I understood that though it felt good to be bad I still had a guilty feeling left over, a feeling I could be free from as an ethical consumer.

I am a Locavore, I am a Freegan, I am a Change Maker.

Cheers to the end of a great year, and the beginning of a lifetime of local living.

XX Melanie

"Be the change you want to see in the world." -Mahatma Gandhi