This is the End, my friends. And a New Beginning.

I loved this project. I hated this project. It was such a developmental, uplifting and rough time for me. I had to learn not only about sustainbility in eating but also sustainability in keeping myself accountable for the things I do in my life.

For instance, I told alot of people at my presentation today that I re-conceptualized my body as a battle ground, as a cite of protest and a starting point for sustainability. Before this project, when I thought about people hurting the environment with their actions I thought about people littering, not recycling. Now I know that eating, the very act of consuming is in itself a choice to be environmentally stable-or not.  Reducing your carbon footprint is as easy as reducing the amount of meat you eat. This doesn’t mean you have to be a hardcore (hXc) vegan or even a vegetarian 100% of the time (although I think it’s completely awesome when people choose those paths.)  It means you choose a meat-free dish once a day. Or you only eat meat three out of the four days a week.  These efforts alone can cut your carbon footprint by 25%, reducing several tons of C02 the average American would usually eat.

Vegetarianism was easy, veganism was more difficult, and local produce was nigh impossible for me, mostly because of travel and scheduling that week before spring produce was available. And although nature.org thinks that vegans produce 72% less carbon that meat eaters, I learned that the statistic might be flawed. For instance, vegans might rely on tofu, or tempeh, or veggie burgers for their main sources of protein. These have nearly as high a carbon footprint than does anything else–they require process, packaging, shipping, refrigeration, and are sent from a location to a central warehouse and then to your local supermarket.  The simple fact might be that if you’re only concerned about meat eating and C02 emissions, eating locally grown meat is the better and more sustainable choice. But as we pointed out–there are a multitude of reasons for eating or not eating meat. Some people cannot stand the cruelty done to animals. some people are worried about health. it’s all about balancing and making choice.

Those choices, however are important. To restate some statistics from an early blog post–there’s a lot at stake. 1/3 of C02 emissions comes from the food industry.  91 percent comes from methane and carbon production in farm management–this is largely factory farms and CAFOs. So yes, even eating vegetarian food cannot escape this statistic. However I am more aware of my body and my environment and how they interact with each other. I have gained a new sort of spirituality that helps me realize just how much control I have over myself and how I treat the world around me. I eat less meat, and sort of just see the world differently. It’s like a new lens in life. And I’m supremely grateful for this project and the new beginnings it’s provided me.

Why is the shortest path the most difficult journey?

…and by that I mean why is there a much higher level of convenience in finding processed foods that have traveled hundred and hundreds of miles instead of locating the local produce, grown within 50 miles?

and why do my tastebuds reject that which it knows is best for them?

I wondered these things as I drove the 10 hours down to see my boyfriend in Waco, TX. Traveling and eating fresh produce is difficult enough, traveling and eating fresh local produce is ridiculously difficult.  My local food diet was in shambles eating m&ms, pretzels and whatever food I could find on the road. When I ate a burger it wasn’t native buffalo, the cheese wasn’t fresh made in a creamery down the road. It was produced somewhere foreign, shipped to a distribution center, shipped around the country, and somehow it made itself into my hand, driving 70 miles an hour down I-70. It’s also difficult to find out what plants grow natively and how to find them in different states.

Originally, the game plan was to eat organic only for my final week.  However, further research showed that organic certification didn’t mean that the plants were local, and organic plants (while not processed) may still have the same economic footprint as non-processed foods. Next came eating local produce. I figured that local produce would have a lower carbon footprint, for the transportation section alone. Readers, I did not fair very well.  Call Hall provided some on-campus locality, but coldness, Kansas, and a picky eater do not bode well together when trying to only eat locally. And, I love me some Panda orange chicken from the Union.

However, I have learned from this project that there is local produce available to me. There are even local diary and meat products. I feel fortunate to live in the breadbasket of America, I am still to this day working on appreciating the delicous splendor of my local land.

The Vegan Diaries

Hello Folks. It’s been a crazy ride since I’ve posted last and I have a feeling that my Carbon Footprint has been varying in size.  The first week on my journey asked me to give up meat. That was no problem whatsoever. I absolutely love my vegetarian years; i’ve grown as a human and also a little more away from the picky eater I once was.

Perhaps a little bit of background will be helpful.  My family is an average, working, middle class family. My mother is a single parent and my grandmother was the other half of the two-person parenting duo.  Dinner was not really an event. It was a large portion of meat (somtimes grilled, sometimes baked, sometimes fried) veggies (my favorites were corn and green beans) and a starch (pasta, bread, potatoes, etc.) It was pretty basic.  But I can still remember my family making one of my its favorites: chicken fried steak. Hand-battered, double dipped in flour and egg. My mom and my grandmother LOVED it.  I hated it. Vehemently. With a passion.  But, since a parent’s job is to ensure that their child eats, my grandmother (acting as parent in charge) gave me a plate with the CFSteak, mashed potatoes and corn and suggested (very persuasively) that either I ate it or I wouldn’t be able to play outside for the rest of the day.  I devoured the mashed potatoes and corn, but could NOT deal with the meat.  I remember taking it outside and throwing it into the neighbor’s yard. I was maybe 11. After getting rid of the evidence, I went to play on my swingset.

Fast forward a few more years.  We are driving to Walt Disney World for a family vacay. We were about to stop for lunch at a fast food place, when I saw a semi drive by. The truck was carrying not a large square box filled with who-knows-what, but was carrying hundreds of chickens. HUNDREDS. packed maybe 15 layers high and 30 layers lengthwise.  several to a cage. All except the lucky few on top were covered in feces. It looked like a miserable existence. I asked my mother why they were held, transported that way. She shrugged, and we stopped to eat. I couldn’t. I vowed to be vegetarian.

That, of course, did not last. When your family loves meat and dictates how, where, and when you eat (to a large extent,) vegetarianism is difficult. Not to mention the fact that the only vegetarian options at my high school were on Fridays during Lent, when the kitchen catered to the large amounts of Catholic school children. Not to mention that eating meat was natural, dammit, and American; my house in the country was surrounded by cattle farmers. If you didn’t have cattle, your land was either a) wheat or barley or b) cattle-feed. Vegetarianism was NOT an option.

College came. The dorms fed me. There were a few more vegetarian options, but I didn’t know how to pair the different veggie options to make a healthful meal. It wasn’t until I joined the K-State Debate Team that I felt comfortable really making the jump. There were atleast 6 vegetarians and two vegans (!!!!) on the team. When we went on debate trips, we would eat at healthy places where vegetarian and vegan options were abundant. I tried my first veggieburger. Hated it. So for a while I tried to eat the same meals that my mother would cook for me, but minus the meat. Mashed potatoes and corn, beans, green beans. My friends (from the debate team) slowly taught me how to eat MEALS not just sides.

One more fast forward. I LOVE veggie burgers. I love morning-star’s maple-flavored faux-sausages. I learned to love bell peppers, broccoli, celery, carrots, tofu.  To this day, I still stir-fry tofu with veggies over noodles. Eating chicken pad-thai seems odd.

Here is why all of this is relevant to my project.  Originally, I had two weeks that were dedicated t a) removing dairy and then b) eating completely vegan. I did both of them together. Two weeks of veganism.

One week was at my parent’s house. I love my family. When they learned I was vegetarian, they tried to accommodate me as much as possible (after poking a bit of fun, of course.) But veganism? I just didn’t want to be a burden on my parents; they shouldn’t have to do any extra work for me. And since my parents cooked me food for that week, I ate it. I tried to be as vegan as possible; it just didn’t work.

I was vegan successfully for about a week.  I was hungry. Vegetarianism is awesome because you have vegetarian products that replace that protein, right next to that veggie and starch. I am not as good with the vegan options. This is because of all the skills I have attempted to hone in college, cooking is not one of them.  I can write a bibliography in less than five minutes. I know how to change a tire.  I know how to dress and act for an interview.  But do I know how to shop for and prepare a dish from scratch?  Probably not. I can boil water like a boss. I can heat up re-fried beans and Morning-Star soy crumbles to make vegetarian tacos/tostadas. But cooking? Nope. Not really. And why would I have to? My parents fed me, the dorms fed me, then the Union and/or pre-prepared/processed fed me. I know it’s not as healthy as preparing local, organic vegetables into a pasta primavera, but you win some and you lose some. I had other priorities, ones that forced me to either eat on campus or not really eat at all. So eat on campus I did.

So I was hungry for veganism. And when I was vegan, I was hungry.  I also got sick during my vegan weeks. So did my debate coach, the only other vegan in my life.  He, after over 10 years of being vegan, was told by his doctor that his illness was caused, in part, by poor nutrition as a vegan.  I reasoned that if the vegan who has had over 10 years practice couldn’t pull this off, perhaps I couldn’t. Then I sneezed, coughed and warmed up some chicken noodle soup.

Until next time, my friends, peace.

eat rice have faith in women

eat rice have faith in women
what i don’t know now
i can still learn
if i am alone now
i will be with them later
if i am weak now
i can become strong
slowly slowly
if i learn i can teach others
if others learn first
i must believe
they will come back and teach me
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
slowly we being
giving back what was taken away
our right to the control of our bodies
knowledge of how to fight and built
food that nourishes
medicine that heals
. . . . . . . . . . .
eat rice have faith in women
what i don’t know now
i can still learn.

-fran winart

Week 1: Vegetarianism Summary

So, my original online calculator eatlowcarbon.com has been replaced by http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/. Several reasons for this, but it’s mostly because this calculator lets me calculate my carbon footprint based on the amount of meat and animal products I consume whereas eatlowcarbon.com only had ‘sample meals’ that I could choose from—and none of them were really close to what I ate that day.

Here are some facts from www.nature.org:

Diets heavy in meat produce 24% more carbon emissions than the average American eater.

7% of greenhouse gasses are tied to food, specifically to agricultural production within the U.S.

91% of this carbon comes from methane and nitrous oxide that is produced by land, animal, and farm-vehicle management/use

And here are some super-relevant-to-my-project-facts from www.nature.org:

Veggies emit less than 42% of the average American meat-eater’s carbon footprint

Vegans produce less than 72% of the average!

Here’s a graph I’ve made charting my process, specifically tracking the carbon footprint. As you can tell, I have already divided my Carbon footprint in half–from 4.2 tons per year to 1.5.

Constraints against my potential Vegetarianism/Veganism success:

• I am a picky eater and my constantly-moving lifestyle requires me to dig fast, processed food–which I do.
• I also dislike some ‘staple’ vegetarian/vegan items like tomatoes and onions. Shocking, I know. Peppers are growing on me. I love broccoli, which is only because I serve at Applebee’s and the last time I was vegan I could only eat baked potatoes with salsa (delish!) and garlic broccoli while I worked there.
• The only tofu I like is extra-firm because I can’t handle gelatinous textures for salty, flavorful foods (I love the heck outta jello, chocolate mousse, and puddin’, however.)
• I also can’t cook beyond processed, ready-made foods. I think that my inability to cook is predicated on the fact that I haven’t really tried. Because of my lack of experience I depend on Morningstar and Boca products as substitutes for meat eating—these will likely not have a low carbon footprint for the same reasons Oreos probably don’t: processing plant matter (or chemicals), manufacturing, packaging, shipping to one central location (HyVee headquarters, etc) and then to our local business.
• I am on campus for large portions of the day, sometimes encompassing 2 out of the 3 meals. Just today, I looked up at the little analog clock and realized that I hadn’t eaten in nearly 24 hours (which probably explains my headache.)

As requested-where I’ve been buying my food

I’ve noticed that I fall in and out of patterns of vegetarian/veganism.  I mean that I have certain ‘go-tos’ depending upon my dietary choices.  I buy different sets of food.  And, because I am constantly on campus or coming from campus, that includes fast food.

So here’s the Union’s rankings for vegetarian diets:

Panda Express—although technically they use animal based products to prepare their food (because EVERYONE does), they do have some vegetarian options.  Their fried rice with mixed veggies is delicious, flavorful and filling. Or, a veggie spring rolls and steamed rice Panda Bowl is also good (and, arguably, vegan.) However, it’s not cheap—over $5 a meal kinda sucks, but that’s probably the norm for the Union.

Salsarita’s—Beans. They’re good for vegetarians. They have lotsa protein, are versatile, and are pretty delicious. Veggies can get beans, cheese, and a whole host of other delicious toppings on some nachos, in a burrito, or stuffed into tacos.  Also pricey. But pretty big portions—if you go from eating meat to vegetarianism you might notice that you’re hungry. Turns out that’s because protein, specifically animal protein is ‘heavier’ and fills you up.  Salsarita’s fills you up, too. Delish.

Taco Bell—Also beans. Beans and rice. Cheaper. Still pretty alright in terms of quality.

Other restaurants follow the same guidelines—‘ethnic foods’ are usually more feasible for vegetarians than ‘American’ cuisine like Chile’s or Applebee’s. Beans, Tofu, Delicious Veggies, etc

Also the Union has ala-carte items like fruit and roasted red pepper hummus and pita. Chickpeas (which is what hummus is made out of) are good for many of the same reasons as why beans are good: versatility and protein-content.

Grocery:

If you can afford it, People’s Grocery rocks face. They have bulk staple foods; local meats, cheeses and produce; and have the elusive Tofurkey around the holidays. They have lots of gluten free-foods, cruelty-free products, and lots and lots of soy products. Like I said, kinda pricey and on 17^th street by Dara’s which is sorta far away.

Dillon’s has (or used to have, I’m not sure since they renovated their biz) a great aisle conveniently located ‘Vegetarian’ which has organic products and even quick-cook foods like Amy’s Organic Cheese Pizza pockets. They also have Morningstar and Boca Products in the freezer section next to breakfast foods, for some reason.

HyVee has an entire section of ‘healthful foods’ including a cold-case section with lots of different veggie foods. Even non-meat/soy-free food. And Tofutti-vegan ice cream!

Other than that-the vegetarian switch hasn’t been too bad! Probably because it’s been only a week and I was veg for a year and a half. Veganism happening now.

OREOS ARE VEGAN

…which upon first thought is GREAT b/c this is vegan week, I’ve been jonesing for chocolate, and they’re delicious.

however, Oreos probably shouldn’t be vegan. They consist of chocolate and frosting/cream, both of which should have dairy in them.  should i be worried about how extremely processed my food is? not only because a) that’s freaky and b) that’s unhealthy but also because c) processed food usually = higher carbon foot print?

i’m skeptical….

(also, vegetarian week summary blog post coming soon!)

The New Low Carb Diet

Veganism + feminism, you say?

I’ve done that. It was a month or so long of reading labels and grumbling angrily when they contained animal products. It was also a hungry month; my stomach would growl ravenously whenever I saw or smelled food containing dairy products.  I was jonesin’ to tear into cheese pizza for dinner; I was left instead with cooked broccoli. While veganism is a lifestyle and not (exclusively) a dietary choice, since this project’s about food, I will limit my focus to only those areas and practices.

Anyway, I was vegan for a reason. I happened upon a book named “The Sexual Politics of Meat.” Carol Adams wrote about patriarchy sandwiched between hamburger buns. Adams thought that vegetarian theory, ecological studies and feminism could begin to answer why men are told to devour a ‘lesser being’ (woman and the non-human other, including animals) with fervor subliminally equated to sexual desire and appetite. Meat, she argued, represented virility and brute masculinity. According to Adams, this gendering of meat and non-meat leads to the collapse of the feminine body with men’s food; the masculinist hunt changed from ‘bringin’ home the bacon’, to consuming (/oppressing) the feminine to satiate one’s appetite. Dairy products were defined as uniquely feminine–humans eat the fruits of female sexual production when they eat milk and eggs.

(thanks to Lantern Books for the image)

So I quit. Cold turkey. No meat. No dairy. Peace out animal products.

Now, perhaps it’s simply an attribute of my generation or my general lack of patience, but my personal revolution didn’t last very long. There were no immediate results! I was making a great sacrifice of all things delicious, and the world didn’t bother to change the way it spun for me. I think I was expecting the impossible. Friends would tease me at lunch, sloppin an extra helping of meat on their plate and dairy to ‘counteract’ my elimination of animal products in my diet and lifestyle.  Doubt and hunger lead me to end my personal protest against violence against women and animals.  I am still troubled by my choice to eat meat and dairy, but that’s all theoretical.

Not any more. Now there’s a way to satisfy my need for immediate (and trackable) results. According to eatlowcarbon.com, the food system (in all of its forms, including growing, factory farms, transportation, packaging, retail, etc) accounts for about 1/3 of the current green house gas-emissions.  Brighterplanet.com provides the socially and ethically conscious person several tools to decrease their own ‘ecological footprint,’ including switching to energy conscious materials and products but also decreasing meat, dairy, and intake of foods from far locations or ones which are grown out of season. Project Veganism 2.0 here I come.

I will simultaneously pare down my meat eating to the point of veganism while tracking the carbon production of my diet using an online carbon emissions calculator. Each week, I will take meat, then dairy, then any animal products out of my diet and will subsequently replace them with local grown veggies.  Using the online calculator, my hopes are to consider a lifestyle change from a different point of view-one with the goal of reducing carbon emission.