by jboullion | Dec 30, 2009 | Uncategorized
From The GreenLaCrosse.com Promise:
Every little bit together – can make a big difference. We encourage everyone to do whatever they can to make their own green choices.
My GreenLaCrosse.com Promise:
1. I will reduce my fuel consumption by carpooling, riding a bike, using public transportation, walking etc.
2. I will use more green cleaning products.
3. I will eat more local and organic foods.
4. I will write a letter to my Representatives and Senators to express my green ideas
5. I will buy more local products within a 150-mile radius from my home to support the local economy and reduce transportation overhead.
6. I will dispose of my yard waste in accordance with the law. I promise to never burn my yard waste and to compost or re-use it whenever possible.
7. I will purchase and install a programmable thermostat to save money and energy on heating and cooling.
8. I will pick up litter when I see it and dispose of it properly.
9. I will recycle as many types of materials as possible including paper, aluminum, plastic and cardboard.
10. I will dispose of hazardous wastes in accordance with the law. This includes paints, household chemicals, electronics, fluorescent light bulbs and NiCd and Li-Ion batteries.
by jboullion | Sep 24, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by K.J. Lang in the La Crosse Tribune:
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse students are showing support for local family farms – with their stomachs.
Students at lunch Wednesday bit into Honey-crisp apples from La Crescent, Minn. They sipped creamy soup made with buttercup squash from Elk River, Minn., and topped their salad with grape tomatoes from Hillview Greenhouse Life Center, just a few blocks from campus.
Chartwells, the campus food service, served up the locally grown produce this week as part of a promotion, “It Takes You – Eat Local.” The program was developed to support farmers who grow produce within a 150-mile radius of the campus, said Tom Dockham, resident district manager for Chartwells.
The program allows students to sample produce that can be sun ripened for more nutritional value and better taste, said Randy Hanson, Chartwells executive chef.
UW-L senior Craig Wagner said he usually isn’t much of an apple cider drinker, but after tasting some from Lake City, Minn., his response was, “I wouldn’t turn it down if they offered it again.”
He was enthusiastic about the program behind the cider as well, saying, “I think it is important to support the local economy.”
by jboullion | Aug 25, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Heidi Clausen in the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram:
TURTLE LAKE – Mike Brenna wants to bring people back to farms.
That’s the main reason he has agreed to host Soupstock III on Saturday, Sept. 19, at his 50-acre Little Footprint Farm.
Brenna hopes at least 500 people will turn out to learn more about sustainable agriculture and ways they can support local growers and artisans.
“We want to get the public coming to farms and getting connected to farmers and making us part of the community again,” he said.
Brenna’s Polk County farm has been a hub of activity in recent weeks. In-between weeding and harvesting, he and his crew rush to finish a new building that will be the heart of the farm’s outreach activities.
Soupstock III will be the first event there, said Brenna, a founding member of the Northwest Wisconsin Food Network.
The first two Soupstocks, hosted by Hunt Hill Audubon Sanctuary and Nature Center near Sarona, each drew 250 to 300 people.
“We really wanted to get it back on a farm,” Brenna said.
Soupstock is a collaboration of the Northwest Wisconsin Regional Food Network, the Farm to Community Alliance and Hunt Hill.
The fall festival’s purpose is to educate people about local food, art and music and foster an interest in sustainability.
by jboullion | Aug 12, 2009 | Uncategorized
An article in the West Coulee News:
Get Sustainable of Trempealeau County has released the 2009 edition of its local food brochure for Trempealeau County and outlying regions.
Get Sustainable, which was founded in 2007, is a diverse group of concerned western Wisconsin citizens who meet to discuss what to do in their communities to highlight the need for sustainable living. This food guide is one project which came out of this collaboration.
Eating local means seeking out food grown and raised as close as possible to where one lives. Buying local food also means eating foods that are seasonally available and unique to the region.
The Get Sustainable booklet contains tips on eating wisely, Web sites to explore, and includes Wisconsin and Minnesota community-supported agriculture sites, area farms, orchards and farmers’ markets.
For more information about the food guide or Get Sustainable, contact Mary Graziano at (608) 582-2975 or getsustainablewi @gmail.com.
by jboullion | Jul 20, 2009 | Uncategorized
From the Web site of a new organization:
A farmshed is the network of people, businesses, organizations, and productive lands that create a local food economy.
Central Rivers Farmshed is a growing movement in Central Wisconsin to build and strengthen relationships between local farms, restaurants, retailers, and consumers.
To get involved, visit our wiki page at www.farmshed.pbwiki.com.
The site lists farmers’ markets and other food related events.
