Feeding The Need: Making It Visible

by The Sustainability Steward

On October 18^th, I attended the Feeding the Need: Making It Visible Luncheon sponsored by the Seven Loaves Community of St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano.  Because the Seven Loaves Community food pantry is a recipient of the produce from the Plano Community Garden, I wanted to attend to learn more about the plight of the homeless and hungry in Collin County.

The guest speaker was Texas Senator Florence Shapiro from District 8, the district that includes PCG, and she gave a very powerful speech about the growth of the homeless in our community.  What makes this even more alarming is that the zip code of St. Andrew and the Plano Community Garden, 75093, is the third wealthiest zip code in the eastern half of the DFW Metroplex. 

Senator Shapiro shared with us how the homeless population has increased over 200% in the past three years in Collin County, and that an unbelieveable 14% of the citizens now in our county are food insecure.  In fact, 60% of the homeless interviewed are employed, though under-employed, and the availability of food has become the largest need now among those in poverty in our area.  She ended her speech by sharing with us the Eight Levels of Charity as described by the great philosopher, Maimonides.  Maimonides taught that by sharing one’s talents and gifts with others in order to strengthen them so they no longer are a burden on others, one is exhibiting the greatest level of charity.  Senator Shapiro then applauded the Plano community for its charity and, more importantly, by “teaching others to fish”, providing a means to those around us to help pull themselves out of poverty and hunger.

The Plano Community Garden is one way to help alleviate hunger in our area.  By adopting and agreeing to care for a plot in the PCG, one agrees to maintain a garden plot year round and provide half of one’s grown produce to the area food pantries in Plano, including the Seven Loaves pantry operated by St. Andrew United Methodist.  All water, mulch and compost in the PCG is provided at no charge to the gardener by the city of Plano, and, more importantly, one receives the satisfaction of helping to alleviate hunger in the area.  If interested in learning more about the garden and the opportunities that it offers, please log on to the URL below and find out more:

http://www.plano.gov/DEPARTMENTS/ENVIRONMENTAL%20SERVICES/EDUCATION/FACILITIES/Pages/PlanoCommunityGarden.aspx

The Sustainability Steward

2012 DFW Solar Home Tour

by The Sustainability Steward

On Saturday, October 6, I toured some of the homes here in Plano on the annual DFW Solar Home Tour, sponsored by the American Solar Energy Society (ASES).  This is the 17^th year that ASES held a national solar tour, with 14 homes in the Metroplex listed on the self-guided tour.  The City of Plano demonstrated its leadership in sustainability with four homes on the tour, the most of any one city the area. 

The homes on the tour were the Caldwell home at 3700 Hearst Castle, the Elliot residence at 2401 Trellis Lane, the Neukranz house at 3309 Rampart in east Plano, and the home at 3325 Canoncita occupied by Bill and Libby Perry.  Although it was an overcast day, it was a perfect way to visit with the homeowners and get their perspective of having solar panels installed on their roofs and the electricity savings that they are now seeing.

The first home I visited was the residence of John Caldwell on Hearst Castle drive. John is a fascinating individual, and not only discussed his solar energy system with me, but shared his organic garden and his patented invention, the bicep bike.  He teaches a gardening class through the Plano Parks and Recreation, while his bicep bike was recently highlighted on Gear TV (as also shown on Youtube): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iAYvXPYrec

His solar array gives him approximately 25% of his electricity needs, and on days that he is actually producing more than consuming electricity, TXU credits him at $.13 kWh for the energy he is producing for the power grid.

The next stop on the tour was the Perry home on Canoncita. Not only do they have panels on the south facing side of their home, but on the west side as well, and as a result, are averaging about 50% of their annual electricity consumption with the solar cells installed on their roof. 

Their system has been installed for a year, is able to be monitored online in real time. The Perry family was very open about the techniques they have adopted in water conservation as well, and have one of the most environmentally friendly homes I’ve encountered in our community.

The last home visited was the Elliot home on Trellis drive. This, too, has optimized its ability to collect energy from the sun with a nice array of south facing panels.  Panels are best positioned at a 33 degree angle facing the south, and a solar system of 4 kWh will typically generate over 5,000 kWh of electricity a year in our area. 

If you are interested in learning more about solar energy in our community, please consider joining the Plano Solar Advocates.  The Advocates have a goal to increase the installed base in the city of Plano to 5MWp of solar capacity by 2015, or, approximately 1000 homes or business sites with installed solar panels.  More information on the advocacy program and promoting Plano to become a leader in solar energy capacity in Texas can be found at: http://planosolar.blogspot.com/.

 

Be Green by Eating Green

Have you ever thought about being green by eating green?  You can easily do so by joining a Community Supported Agriculture Program (CSA)! 
So what exactly is a community supported agriculture program (CSA), you ask?

A CSA is an alternative, locally based socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution that brings together local farmers and consumers.  Basically, a nearby farm offers their harvest to local consumers through a subscription that varies according to the duration and quantity wanted.  Once you are subscribed, you will be getting boxes of the freshest seasonal produce available!

 
CSA programs benefit our environment in so many ways from reduction in environmental waste to promoting healthier soil and land.  CSA farmers participate in eco-friendly farming by cutting out any use of pesticides on their crops, which helps to limit pollution throughout our environment.  In addition, carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by the minimal transportation needed by these farmers to get their produce from their farms to local consumers.  Their sustainable practices enhance the overall quality of our environment while also reducing their carbon footprint.

Healthy soil means a healthier you.  CSA programs benefit you because these farmers are pesticide, artificial fertilizers, and toxin free.  You have the opportunity to consume some of the freshest produce available and for a reasonable price.  Most of the time you’ll realize that you get higher quality and more produce for your money from these CSA bins than when would had you purchased your produce from a grocery store.  CSA programs also give you the freedom of choice.  You get to choose which farm you prefer to receive your produce from, which farmer you believe promotes the best sustainability methods, and whether or not the program aligns with your budget.  Depending on the farm, you’ll receive an array of produce and have the opportunity to experience fruits and vegetables according to seasons.  Sometimes you may see produce you’ve never seen or heard of, but it allows you and your family to experience something new.  And who knows, it could turn out to be your new favorite fruit or vegetable!

A farmer benefits from a CSA program as this gives him or her a secure income year round, allowing them to continually improve their farming methods and environmental practices.  They have a fair means of product sales as they sell their produce straight to consumers with no middleman required.  This also gives them the chance to be more involved in the community, meeting new people, consumers, and other farmers.

If you’re interested in participating in a CSA, these are some great places to start:

-          http://www.ecovian.com/s?perpage=10&distance=60&searchwithin=40&searchtext=&spatial=Plano%2C+TX

-          http://www.localharvest.org/search.jsp?map=1&lat=33.05765&lon=-96.73746&scale=8&ty=6&nm=&zip=75023

These sites allow you to search for CSA programs near you as well as what their practices may be.  They each have their individual websites where you can learn more about them and email/call them for more information about their programs and prices.  Each farm has their own growing seasons, pick up/drop off schedules, and agriculture practices. 

Don’t forget that you have the ability to visit these farms to see where it all begins and how it gets from farm to table.  It’s a wonderful experience for families to share with their children and a great way to get out of the house during these long summer days.

So by joining a CSA, not only are you going green and helping to make Plano greener, but you’re also saving money, improving your health and wellness, and most importantly, improving your quality of life and those around you.

Keep thinking green,

KrisC