Pumkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

These are one of my family's favorites. I made some last night and this is hands-down a top 10 recipe, especially during the fall season, so I think I should share. Don't you? Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins:

4 eggs
3 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
15 ounces of punpkin (make sure it's straight pumpkin, not the pie filling)
12 ounces of chocolate chips

Mix the eggs, sugar, and oil together in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining dry ingredients. Combine the mixtures and add pumpkin and chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Bio-fuels

Bio-fuels seem to be a hot topic lately. People say we need an alternative to gasoline, and I would agree. But some major figures promote bio-fuels as a viable alternative - something to bridge the gap between the gasoline dependent lifestyle of today to the clean fuels of tomorrow. I have heard many people, from President Obama to the commercials on televsion, promote the use of biofuels to bridge this "gap."

Ever since I started learning about the environment, energy conservation, climate change, water consumption, and all of the other scary things out in the world, I have always been against the use and development of biofuels. The biggest reason for this is that all of the biofuels that I have heard of (up until today) are generally foods that people eat (mostly corn and soy - both products heavily grown in the U.S. and subsidized by the U.S. government). My first thought about this is, "How can we justify using food crops for transportation when other people around the world don't have enough food to eat?" Or, "Where will all of the land, nitrogen, and, most importantly, water come from to grow enough to run any society on biofuels?"

Cornfields Near Arles
Vincent Van Gogh

As far as I'm concerned, there are no positive answers to these questions. I think that if the U.S. government suddenly made the switch to subsidize the development of alternative, renewable, and clean energy sources (in my book that means wind and solar) the way the government subsidizes the corn, oil, and coal industries, then we would definitely be having a different conversation. But for now, since the U.S. has the infrastructure for a bio-fuel intensive alternative to gasoline and the people with the money are the people pushing the legislation which are also the people with "if it's not oil then it will be bio-fuel" agendas, I've been wondering what might be a possible alternative.

This morning when I was driving to work, a segment called Isle Earth Radio Series came on the radio, just like it does every morning. Every day they send out a quick segment about environmental things from energy issues to wildlife conservation. Today's was about bio-fuels. But this segment was about research involving coffee grounds as the bio-fuel, instead of the traditional ethanol (corn).

This research has to do with developing a bio-fuel based on coffee grounds. The benefits to this approach is that it is based on a medium that would otherwise be simply thrown away. There is already land, water, and soil devoted to the growing of coffee beans; the beans are already being transported from their growing places around the world, and they will be grown regardless of whether or not the grounds are used for bio-fuels.

I think this is a very interesting research development. According to the radio segment, coffee ground biodiesel could add about 340 million grounds of biodiesel. And this is a biodiesel market that is expected to hit about 300 billion gallons annually by 2010.

I would be interested to see what the effects of this approach would be, however. For instance, would this development cause a growing of coffee beans for bio-fuel exceeding the demand of global coffee drinkers? One great thing about this approach, regardless of other consequences, is that the end product apparently smells just like coffee. Yum!


Photo Credits:

Cornfields Near Arles
Wind Turbine
Coffee Beans

Take a Break - It's Friday

I originally posted this on my blog for work, but I decided it was applicable here, too. Especially since this blog serves mainly a different audience - an audience I've been neglecting!

I don't know about you, but this week has been a very busy one. We are in the full throes of our Annual Conference preparation, recovering from being gone all last week in Portland, and of course all of the other "life-as-usual" things here at USEE. Needless to say, I am very happy that it is Friday!

I thought it might be nice to write about something other than the usual this afternoon. Something easy, that doesn't require a lot of research, but still might be at least somewhat interesting to read. So how about weekend plans?


This weekend I have a mix of fun, productivity, and relaxation on my list. Tonight I am going to dinner with my family at my uncle's to see his new house. After that, my sister is coming home with me and she will be staying with me for the weekend as she takes a break from her regular life. She owns a photography business, so we are going to visit Andree' to take pictures of Little Olive and the family. Saturday night my sister and I are getting together with an old friend - maybe we will all watch the University of Utah football game together, or maybe we will just laugh the night away after going to dinner. Those plans haven't been completely solidified yet.

Other than that, the rest of my weekend is free to do as I please, other than the regular things like cleaning out my garden area, cleaning the house, and early-morning runs. I hope to get in a good bike ride, or maybe even a hike somewhere below the snowline on Sunday. I feel some studying at the local coffee shop is also on the horizon.

I am definitely feeling the seasons change. Many of my friends have gotten really sick with the flu in the recent weather changes, I feel like I've missed fall completely since the snow fell in the mountains before the leaves had a chance to change, my house is very chilly, and I've pulled out the pumpkin candle, long-sleeved shirts, blankets, and hot tea. Part of me embraces the change. I look forward to the holidays and all of the festivities they entail, getting warm with hot cider under a blanket after cross-country skiing, and wearing slippers again. The other part of me is already nostalgic for late summer vegetables, long evenings on the porch, and flip-flops.

The transition from summer to fall is always a happy one for me, as fall is most definitely my favorite season. But when summer heads straight into winter, I find myself wishing it wouldn't all happen so fast. But don't get me wrong, I am excited to go skiing! And I plan on visiting the Black Diamond Gear swap tomorrow to see if I can get a good deal on some decent skis to justify buying a pre-season ski pass from Solitude. We'll see how that goes. For now, I'm going to try and enjoy the weather as best I can and hopefully I'll be able to get one more rock-climbing day in before the snow really starts to fly.

Jason (my boss) has informed me that he plans to do an 18 mile run tomorrow in preparation for the marathon he is running in a few months, followed by a short bare-foot relaxation run around the park on Sunday.

So what are you doing this weekend? Getting outside? Going for a run? Spending time with your family and friends? Enjoying life? I hope so!

Photos by Mallory Platt

Lake Blanche

Over Labor Day weekend I finally hiked to Lake Blanche. Lake Blanche is 3 miles up a side canyon up Big Cottonwood Canyon, just below the big S-curves. I regret to say that I have lived in Salt Lake City my entire life and this is the first time I have ventured here. I have been missing out! The trail is incredibly steep, which is part of the reason why I have shied away from it for so long, but it actually wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

The trail is absolutely beautiful and winds mostly through mixed pine and aspen trees. At the top there is steep red rock ridge that runs across the canyon. Lake Blanche is perched just over the ridge and Sundial peak (about another hour and a half to the top) looms above the lake. If you keep hiking west along the ridgeline, there are two smaller lakes beyond Lake Blanche. A small waterfall cascades from Lake Blanche into the first lake, and a slightly larger waterfall comes out of the last, and smallest, lake into the river that runs down the canyon.

As I was hiking up the trail, a few hundred yards from the top of the ridge, a friendly hiker informed me that there were some mountain goats on the cliffs past the smaller lakes. After resting up and eating my lunch, I set off to find them. After exploring for about an hour, I finally found them high on the cliffs above the lakes. Unfortunately, they were too small to see with my camera - so no pictures of them, but I enjoyed watching them bound up and down the cliffs with the greatest of ease - definitely a treat to see.

The trail switches back through many aspen groves.

First view of Lake Blanche

Lake Blanche with Sundial Peak high above.

The two smaller lakes west of Lake Blanche.

View down the canyon from the ridge line - the trail goes up this canyon.

Even though it took me way too long to get up there, I'm glad I finally did now rather than later. If you live in the Salt Lake Valley, or close by, I highly recommend this gorgeous excursion.

Washington State Prisons: Green Job Training and Sustainability

I came across this article in The Grist the today. (Washington State Prisons Pursue Sustainable Practices, Green Collar Job Training by Sarah van Schagen) Though they have a lot of interesting articles circulating about, this one I thought was particularly interesting. It's about a partnership between The Nature Conservancy, Evergreen State University in Washington, and the Washington state prison system. It's called the Sustainable Prisons Project and it's changing the way Washington state prisons are training offenders for the workforce.

Jason Chandler plants Walla Walla Sweet Onions in the
organic garden at Stafford Creak Corrections Center
Photo: Sarah van Schagen

The Sustainable Prisons Project's website states their mission is "to reduce the environmental, economic and human costs of prisons by training offenders and correctional staff in sustainable practices. Equally important, we bring science into prisons by helping scientists conduct ecological research and conserve biodiversity through projects with offenders, college students and community partners." They achieve this by providing offenders with green job training. It is so far a win-win situation as "the scientists get cheap (and eager) labor, while the offenders get the opportunity to participate in meaningful work."

Offenders' task vary from tending the prison's organic garden (the produce is used in the prison's kitchen), separating recyclables from the prison's waste stream, beekeeping, and attending to composting worms. The offenders can also participate in a variety of conservation efforts as well. One project led by The Nature Conservancy involves planting native grass seeds as part of a federally funded prairie restoration project. Other offenders "are also helping breed endangered spotted Oregon frogs and “farm” mosses for the horticultural trade (which aids in preventing unsustainable harvesting from old-growth forests)."

This training allows the offenders to have the opportunity to get involved in science, develop their critical thinking skills, and develop needed skills that could help them in the job market after serving their time in prison. The program is also helping the state prison system money. At the Cedar Creek facility, "efficiency upgrades like low-flow toilets and showers and a rainwater catchment system helped save 250,000 gallons of water in the summer alone. And the gardening, composting, and recycling efforts are saving the facilities thousands of dollars every year."

The Sustainable Prisons Project is currently in practice at 3 state prisons in Washington. The project hopes to expand the program to all prisons in the state. Since correctional facilities as basically like small cities, they hope their example can be followed by other state prisons, summer camps, military bases, hospitals, and schools.

To find out more information about this project, I recommend reading the entire article.

Photo by Sarah van Schagen

"Sustainability Index"

Walmart announced last week that they will be launching a new "sustainability index," or in other words a database designed to "put information about how environmentally friendly suppliers, manufacturers, and their products are."

The index will be implemented in three phases: the first is to survey all of Walmart's suppliers about how the supplier opperates, where their products are made, and how. The second step would be to actually develop the database, and the third and final step would be to launch the index and have consumers using it.

I know that Walmart represents a lot of different feelings for many different people and I personally have difficulty shopping and supporting the mega-retailer. However, you have to give them credit here. I am not sure what this database will look like, how much it will really represent sustainable products, or if Walmart shoppers will use the database, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. Will the index be something that shoppers use and access at the stores, or is it something that shoppers will research before coming in? How will different products be represented in the index? Does that mean Walmart will be selling locally grown or locally made products? Will there be a type of rating system or regulation/policy for the products and suppliers, or how will Walmart address the issues of greenwashing?

There are definitely some hard questions that need to be answered before something like this could be as successful as I think Walmart hopes it to be. In the mean time, I hope someone on the index development team raises these points.

I originally heard of this issue on The Grist and you can read the entire article here.

Independence Day

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

Independence Day is a day of fun, families, friends, and food! Ever since I was young we had hamburgers and hot dogs, watermelon, potato salad, corn on the cob, and usually some type of fruit pie with homemade vanilla ice cream on the side. I find this to be traditional fare among many American families. But the 4th of July is special in my family for a different reason...


It's my birthday!

Having a birthday on the 4th is an interesting affair. When I was younger I couldn't imagine having it on any other day and when I would ask my mother if the fireworks were for me she would always reply, "Why yes of course!" I felt special...And I made sure my little sister heard this and was prompt to note that she never got fireworks on her birthday. Children can be so vindictive.

But being a Yankee-Doodle-Dandy isn't all it's fire-crackered up to be either. As I got older I wanted to have parties with my friends. But since they were all doing stuff with their families, I stuck close to home. When I was in college I spent most of my birthdays alone as my family started making their own Independence Day plans by going to the local minor league baseball game to eat hot dogs and watch the fireworks on the baseball diamond lawn. I didn't want to spend my birthday that way and they naturally assumed I'd be with my friends or roommates anyway.

Not so. My closest friends have amazing 4th of July traditions that are unwavering and every year it baffles me. Even though it's an important holiday for my family too, especially with it being my birthday, we never have that many plans or traditions. Maybe it's because of my birthday that we don't.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you. It's just an interesting predicament that surprises me to this day. This year I've tried to get rid of my expectations and embrace the day for what it really is. It's about remembering hundreds of years of history, but I think more importantly, however, that it's about setting aside time for family, whatever that means for you. This year I am going to the baseball game with my family and on Sunday we are having a family/holiday/birthday dinner.

Now that I'm a vegetarian, the traditional 4th of July feast is altered a bit. Instead of burgers and hot dogs (much to some members of my family's chagrin) we will be having shrimp and veggie kabobs. We still have pie - I've never been a lover of cakes. This year my mom is making a wonderful cherry pie. We used to have peach, but the peaches around here aren't ripe yet, which means they come from California or somewhere farther. My mother has discovered a lovely farm about 45 minutes up the highway that grows cherries and freezes them over the winter to sell in the early spring at the farmer's market. These are what will be our pie.

In the mean time, I hope your holiday is full of sunny skies, parks, parades, fun runs, festivals, family, friends, fireworks, hot dogs/hamburgers/kabobs, and of course, cherry pie.


Photo Credits: Fireworks, Cherry Pie

7 Random Things

I originally was tagged back in December. I started the post but never finished. I came across it today when going through all of the drafts I have of unpublished blog posts. I decided to finish it today:

Well, I got tagged about a week ago (thanks Mom) so I guess I should probably follow through on that, even if it's belated. The rules are pretty straight forward: list 7 random facts about yourself and then tag 7 other people to do the same. Most of the people I know to tag my mom already got, so I'll see what I can do about that one later.

But for now, here's to seven.

1. I grew up in a musical family. And when I say musical family, I mean musical family. You know, the kind where we are all judged on what instrument we play, how well, and for how long. The kind of musical family that contains generations of band directors (from junior high on up to college), professional performers, singers, private lesson teachers, and well, really anything you can think of, on almost every instrument. So naturally, I spent most of my youth learning to play the piano, and then later the French Horn. When I got to college, I didn't pursue music as a major, but I was in the marching band for all four years which was a lot of fun and provided an instant group of friends. Now that I no longer choose to dedicate my time to honing my skills at the piano or horn, I am learning to play the guitar. So far it is filling that musical void nicely.

Photo Credit

2. I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with my life. Whomever decided that by the age of 18 you need to go to college, pick a major, and soon thereafter begin a career obviously knew what they wanted to do when they were 5. There are so many options! I'm five years past the point when I was supposed to "pick something to do with my life" and I still haven't figured it out. I do know one thing, however: no matter what I choose, no matter where I end up, I will always be in a place where I'm doing my best to have a positive influence in this world. I want to be a giver, not a receiver.

3. Even though I don't know where I want my life to go, who I'll meet along the way, or how I will get there, I would say that I'm pretty satisfied right now. Sure, there are ups and downs, stress over how long I will get to keep my job, what goals am I working toward now? and when, where, and what grad school will be about. I've got a lot to think about, no doubt. However, I am enjoying my little apartment, the shops that are near by, still living fairly close to my family and friends, being able to ride my bike to work, taking guitar lessons, reading all kinds of books, and otherwise being happy. And that is what this is all about.

4. I love to cook, however I wont claim to be good at it. I just took a bread baking class through the community education program, which was great! I like perusing recipes and trying out new flavors. Many people ask me if being a vegetarian (which I've been now for about 2.5 years) is difficult, but I don't think so. Though it was challenging at first, it's actually been quite the positive experience. I feel I am more healthy, I don't have to worry about the environmental impacts the meat industry is making since I don't support ANY of it or what humane practices are or are not being used, and I have discovered so many new wonderful cuisines because of it.

5. I have one of the rarest personality types in the world (INFJ). This personality type is widely misunderstood, which explains why people have a tough time understanding where I'm coming from. I've never met anyone else who thinks the same way I do, aspires to the same things, and is also afraid of the same things. One way INFJ's are described is: "They are, in fact, sometimes mistaken for extroverts because they appear so outgoing and are so genuinely interested in people...on the contrary, INFJs are true introverts." This can sum up my life pretty well. I hate making phone calls, I dislike giving presentations, and I get extremely anxious when being put on the spot. (Though this has gotten better in the past year with some of things I have to do at work.) But when I tell people I hate these things, they generally don't believe me. I don't give too much stock to my personality type dictating my life, however it does provide some interesting insight.

6. When I'm brushing my teeth at night and swishing around my mouth wash I think about what I would do if I were ever on one of the Listerine commercials? How would I swish this stuff around? What kind of face would I make? This one? Or what about this? Oh, that one was good. THAT would be funny on a commercial.

7. Everything in life seems better after a good thunderstorm. It doesn't rain here much (though after this week, it might be hard to tell). It's a desert. It's hot. Especially at this time of year. The cool days of spring are fading and the crisp burn of summer will soon be upon us. But when the weight of the world is on your shoulders, there is nothing better than spending the evening sitting on the porch, watching the lighting in the distance, hearing the consequent rumble, counting the passing seconds to discern how far away the center of the storm is, thinking of all the other times I've sat on porches doing these same things, and smelling the plants breathe again as the humidity rises...Then comes the rain. It washes the world clean, carrying the stresses of today away until another tomorrow. The neighborhood is refreshed as steam rises from the hot, black streets after the passing storm. I am rejuvenated and can take on anything. Drink it in.

Photo Credit

Saturday Adventure on Antelope Island

Over the weekend my friend, Deborah, and I went for a hike out on Antelope Island. We decided that it was a perfect day to try the highest point on the island, Frary Peak. The hike is about 8 miles round trip and provides many beautiful views of all sides of the lake. We were pretty tired after the trek up to the 6,600 ft peak (a climb of over 2,000 vertical feet from the trail head) and back, so as we were driving home we decided to head over to the other side of the island for a quick wade in the lake.

View from the top of Frary Peak (looking South)
We didn't have a camera, but this is similar to what we saw.
Photo Credit

I had never swam in the Great Salt Lake before, which seems kind of strange since I've lived here all my life. It was good to get that checked off the list. As we were there wading in the water, Deborah (who was excited to finally teach me something about the outdoors) was telling me about the sand on the beach.

It's called oolitic sand, and it's apparently fairly unique. It's only found in a few other places around the planet and is different from regular sand in the fact that it is smooth and rounded, while regular sand is very angular. Oolitic sand at the Great Salt Lake is unique because it is not mineral fragments that were washed down from higher ground like sand in most places, but was formed within the Great Salt Lake:

"An oolite has a shell of concentric layers of calcium carbonate that precipitated around a nucleus or central core. The nucleus is usually a tiny brine shrimp fecal pellet or a mineral fragment. Oolites form in shallow, wave-agitated water, rolling along the lake bottom and gradually accumulating more and more layers." - Utah Geological Survey

Photo Credit

A New Friend

I signed up to be a "big sister" with Big Brothers Big Sisters a couple of months ago. It takes several weeks to process the paperwork, but background checks were passed and now I have a new "Little."

Her name is Melissa and she is one cute little girl! She just finished up forth grade. So far we've done two activities. The first time we met up was last week where we went out for ice cream and wrote down all of the fun things we wanted to do together in the next year. (BBBS requires a year commitment once you are matched with your Little. This way it teaches the kids that they can count on someone, trust is earned by both parties, and relationships are built. Studies have apparently found that anything less than 6-8 months can do serious damage to a child.) After finishing up our ice cream we headed over to the park where we played on the monkey bars and the swings. Then we waded around in the stream and threw rocks at stuff. Then I taught her how to successfully throw a frisbee and she taught me how to do a decent cartwheel. A good day in all!!

The next time we got together was a few days ago. This time we went up to my house so she could see where I live. We wanted to play soccer, but her soccer ball was very flat so we walked down to the store to buy a needle to pump up the ball. We stopped in some of the shops in Sugarhouse along the way. We kicked around the soccer ball for a while and then we made some dinner (Macaroni and cheese with strawberries on the side...I don't think she gets the whole vegetarian thing, but we can compromise!). After dinner we sat out on the balcony and watched the birds while she told me about her friends and family. Fortunately it didn't rain that day.

Next week we are going to go get some dinner together and work on our list again. We both had some more ideas of things to put on there, so we will have to write them all down. So far things are going well, even if we are both a bit quiet sometimes. This will definitely be an adventure!

Obama Declares Great Outdoors Month, June 2009

President Obama declared June 2009 to be the Great Outdoors Month. While talking about the many outdoor opportunities the United States offers from rural and urban settings to state and national parks in his press release, the President spoke of the health benefits these settings offer. He also stated:

"My Administration is working to connect America's youth with our treasured landscapes, which should be viewed as classrooms for environmental education and gateways to careers in natural resources. These efforts will include outreach to those who typically lack representation in, and exposure to, these fields."

To achieve this goal, the President also announced:

"The Department of the Interior is launching a summer mentoring initiative as part of this effort. This program invites families and friends to teach children about the joys and wonders of the outdoors. My Administration is also increasing the number of youth involved in national service on public lands. Through AmeriCorps and other programs and partnerships, we can continue our Nation's proud tradition of service and respect for the environment."

It's an exciting time for Environmental Education indeed! According to the American Recreation Coalition, "Presidential recognition of Great Outdoors Week was begun in 1997 by then-President Clinton and has continued ever since. Since 2004, Presidential proclamation of Great Outdoors Month has come annually, celebrating a variety of important events and actions that occur during the month. Great Outdoors Month highlights the benefits of active fun outdoors and our magnificent shared resources of forests, parks, refuges, and other public lands and waters. Media attention to the proclamation triggers actions by millions of households and prompts public discussion of important issues linked to outdoor recreation, including volunteerism, health, and outdoor ethics."

In addition to the Presidential declarations, many state governors have also issued declarations for Great Outdoors Month. Governor Huntsman was one of these state governors and deemed June 2009 to be the Utah Great Outdoors Month.

Photo Credit

Earth 2100: Climate Change TV Special

Earth 2100 is a television special airing tonight (June 2) at 9:00 pm Eastern time on ABC that uses real news clips and information combined with a fictional graphic novel that narrates the next 90 years on Earth through the eyes of a fictional woman named Lucy as the world experiences climate change.

The story follows the story of Lucy, who was born on June 2, 2009, and explores some of the things that could happen in the coming century concerning climate change. To find out more about this special, watch the video on YouTube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLbI83uqL4k

Local News Feature

The Utah Society for Environmental Education (USEE - where I work) was featured on the news last night. They were highlighting a story about one of the programs that we run, the Voluntary Simplicity Community Discussion Group. This feature is a two part segment. The first part is about my work and features friend and co-worker Andree' and the second part is about my mom and step-dad who took the Voluntary Simplicity class at work with me. They have all made some big changes and it's very exciting. Check it out:



If this movie doesn't work right, you can find the first segment here. Don't forget to check out my mom's segment too!

When to Plant those Tomatoes

I am just starting my first garden, but I already know that when to plant your tomatoes (and other similar plants) is always a big topic of discussion among Utah gardeners. Planting them too soon will probably lead to dead, frost-bitten plants. Waiting too long can lead to a shorter growing time, which means less delicious, juicy red fruits for salads, sandwiches, and sauces.

I have often heard that after Mother's Day is the general guideline for planting tomatoes, but it seems like Mom's day is coming a little early this year. This spring has also been so wet and cold, I'm a little nervous to put those plants out there just yet. We came across some info that we wanted to share. According to the locals, the time to plant tomatoes is:

"When the snow is off the Oquirrh Mountains."

That makes sense. Regardless of the snowfall, rainy season, or dryness of the year, the snow on the mountains will reflect what is going on in the rest of the valley. I'm going to take this bit of advice and plant my 'maters when I can't see any more snow on those western mountains.

What advice do you live by in your own gardens? Any tips for a beginning gardener like myself?

Photo Credit

A Little Flash of Happy

There is a noisy bunch of birds that live, or at least seem to "hang out," in the Cottonwood tree across the street from my apartment. The tree is massive, easily dwarfing everything else around it, except for a few other Cottonwood trees in the area. These birds habitually inhabit that tree and make a racket in the process. Not that I mind, except nearly every single one of those birds are European Starlings...an invasive species that wreaks havoc on local bird populations. But today, as I was checking the mail I heard a call rising above the usual chatter. There in the flowering plum tree in my neighbors yard was a brilliant bird I'd never seen before.

I stared at it for a while, watching and listening, trying to remember all of it's features so I could get online and figure out what it was. Turns out it is a Lesser Goldfinch, and it sure has a pretty call. I wonder if this guy lives around here, or if he's just passing?


"The lesser goldfinch, Carduelis psaltria, occurs throughout the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America, as well as in portions of northern South America. In Utah, this bird can be found statewide at mid to low elevations, but most predictably in the southern half of the state. Utah breeding populations generally withdraw south in winter, with the exception of birds in the southwestern corner of the state, which are year-round residents of the same area. This bird prefers scrub woodlands, such as scrub oak and pinyon-juniper habitats."

Credits: Text and Photo from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Have Fun and Be Safe: The Importance of Being Prepared

Being prepared in the wilderness is something that comes up frequently, whether it's posted on a trail head sign, being touted by forest rangers, or on the news when Search and Rescue had to pull someone off the mountain. Being prepared when hiking, camping, or doing other activities in the back country is not only a safety issue, but it also determines how the experience unfolds.

A few weeks ago I went down to Cedar City for work. (Have I ever told you how much I love my job?) I went with my boss, Jason, and Mark who is the Chair of USEE's Program Advisory Council and was helping us out. We were there to do some outreach and for a Focus Group meeting we had in the area. Our meeting got out early and we had some extra time, so we decided that it would be great to do a little exploration in Color Country. Little did we know, we were (or at least especially I was) extremely unprepared. We had plenty of water and warm clothes, but in Cedar City it was a beautifully sunny day. There sky was free of clouds and the weather was the warmest I've felt since September.

We decided to try Kolob Canyons. The scenery is picturesque and classically Southern Utah. What we didn't anticipate, however, was the amount of snow there would be on the trails. Cedar City was so gorgeously warm, with no snow to be found, but as we ascended the road to the trail head, the snow kept getting deeper. Mark was smart enough to bring along some gaiters to cover his shoes and pants and had a fine time. Jason had some boots that went up pretty high on his ankles, and seemed to do okay in the deep snow. I, on the other hand, had my hiking boots (which are really more like shoes rather than boots) and not-warm-enough socks. I am also considerably shorter than Mark and Jason.

Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park
Photo Courtesy of Mark Larese-Casanova

The snow was 3 feet or more deep. There had been a snowshoer on the trail recently before us, so we opted to follow in his tracks. The scenery was beautiful. There's nothing quite like snow gracing the steep walls of the red rock canyons. I had a hard time following the guys as the snow was from my knees to almost my hips every step of the way. We trudged along, laughing at our unpreparedness, telling stories of similar times when we'd been unprepared, and listening to Mark tell us of his encounters with mountain lions. Inevitably, my shoe got stuck deep in the snow. I stood there on one foot bending, flailing, and reaching into the hole where my shoe was lodged, my face mashed against the melting snow as I stretched down, all the while the snow packing into my empty boot. My socks, shoes, and pants were soaked and we were all tired from wading through the crunchy, sinking snow. We decided to head back. I gather that the whole excursion was barely longer than a mile, if even that.

Canyon Overlook
Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park
Photo Courtesy of Mark Larese-Casanova

The canyon was breathtaking, and the event itself was even fun, but mostly the whole situation was quite comical. What's the lesson I learned that day? Just because it's warm in the valley and Zions National Park is in the "desert" doesn't mean that it will be snow-free and dry. A little preparation and planning would have changed the whole experience. Snowshoes, anyone?

Mark, doing fine with his gaiters, and Nicole struggling to keep her balance in the snow.
Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park
Photo Courtesy of Jason Taylor

1st Photo: Pinyon Pines and Snowshoe Hare Tracks, Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park. Photo Courtesy of Jason Taylor.

Nutrition and Community

My favorite day of every month is known quite affectionately as Distribution Day. I am a member of the Community Food Co-Op of Utah and on the last Saturday of the month I walk to my local distribution center (about 2 or 3 blocks from my home) and pick up a wonderful array of food. On these special Saturdays I can expect to pick up a healthy assortment of fresh fruits and veggies along with some grains, too. This month I was happy to bring home:

• 1 loaf of locally made whole wheat bread
• 1 5 lb. bag of red potatoes
• 1 lb. of brown rice
• 1 package of Utah's Own mushrooms
• 8 kiwis
• 6 apples
• 6 oranges
• 2 bunches of green onions
• 1 bunch of red leaf lettuce
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• and, my favorite treat this month, 4 artichokes!

And what did I pay for this beautiful bounty of healthy foods? $14. Can you believe it? I have been ordering food from the Co-Op for almost 3 years now, and I still can't believe it sometimes.

The mission of the Community Food Co-Op of Utah is to "provide quality, healthy food at a substantial savings through cooperative purchasing; and to build a sense of community and to promote volunteer service." The Co-op is for anybody and everybody. The catch? There is a one-time membership fee, of which value you may choose, and then each month you must volunteer 2 hours of your time. The Co-op provides many opportunities to do so and through their needs the Co-op community is built. But, if you can't volunteer with Co-op and already volunteer with another organization, then that counts too. It just has to be 2 hours of your time volunteered for a cause other than for members of your family.

Since I'm a vegetarian, I always order the Harvest Share. But, for the meat-eaters the Standard share comes with plenty of good meat from local butchers. There are all kinds of add-ons that you can get with your order, too. For instance, this month I purchased some local fresh apple cider for $2. They have team sites all over the Wasatch Front, from Park City to Tooele from Ogden to Nephi, where you can pick up your orders. (And if you don't live along the Wasatch Front, I'm sure there is a similar service in your area. I encourage you to find out.) I think this is a fantastic system for tackling some of the issues that concern me such as healthy eating and getting to know your neighbors.

One of my favorite things about the Co-Op is that we don't just get apples, oranges, and bananas every month. We get different things, depending on the season. Tomatoes, corn, squash, and peaches come in the late summer and fall from local growers. This month we received artichokes, which proved to be an exciting adventure as I have never even thought of buying and cooking an entire artichoke. (Which is DELICIOUS, by the way.) Sometimes we even get eggplant. Participating in the Co-Op has definitely inadvertently expanded my taste buds' appetite and my cooking abilities over the years.

So, if you want to purchase a healthy balance of foods for the next month (and embark upon a peregrination of the palate), I suggest you print out an order form, find a pick-up near you, and enjoy!

Note: If you are thinking about trying this out, order forms are due by March 13th!


Credits:

• Peppers
  
• Leafy Greens
  

Books I've Read Since Starting this Blog

In addition to my Environmental Literature list, I'm starting this list: Books I've Read Since Starting this Blog. (Note: Books are listed from most current at the top to my earliest reads at the bottom.)

• When You Are Engulfed in Flames, by David Sedaris
• Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time, by Greg Mortensen and Oliver Relin
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by J.K. Rowling
• Chi Running: A Revolutionary Approach for Effortless, Injury-Free Running, by Danny Dreyer
  
• Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
  
• The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
  
• Into Thin Air, by John Krakauer
  
• Touching the Void, by Joe Simpson
• A Thousand Acres, by Jane Smiley
• Not Buying It, by Judith Levine
• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity, by David Allen
• Into the Wild, by John Krakauer
• Jesus Land, by Julia Scheeres
• The Tortilla Curtain, by T.C. Boyle
• Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides
• Bargaining for Eden, by Stephen Trimble
• North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell
  

Good stuff, huh? I know I've been enjoying them. Some more than others, of course, but for the most part all of these books have been excellent reads. I think in addition to these two lists I will also add something down the road that constitutes my top 25 favorite books or something, but that will be at a later date. What are some of your favorite books that you have been reading lately? Any recommendations?

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Idealism as the new Realism

A friend of mine sent me a link to an article about re-thinking the current free-market economic system called A Revolution in Spirit, by Benjamin R. Barber. This article is particularly poignant for both the times America is facing and also for me personally as I am in the middle of my Voluntary Simplicity Course and rethinking my own identity as a consumer. The main theme of the article is stated nicely here: "The issue is not the death of capitalism but what kind of capitalism--standing in which relationship to culture, to democracy and to life?" and it goes on to say:

"Refashion the cultural ethos by taking culture seriously. The arts play a large role in fostering the noncommercial aspects of society. It's time, finally, for a cabinet-level arts and humanities post to foster creative thinking within government as well as throughout the country. Time for serious federal arts education money to teach the young the joys and powers of imagination, creativity and culture, as doers and spectators rather than consumers."

I'm all for that. There has never been a better time than now to rethink the mindset that America has been propelling for upwards of thirty years. I'm also a fan of these suggestions:

"Recreation and physical activity are also public goods not dependent on private purchase. They call for parks and biking paths rather than multiplexes and malls. Speaking of the multiplex, why has the new communications technology been left almost entirely to commerce? Its architecture is democratic, and its networking potential is deeply social. Yet for the most part, it has been put to private and commercial rather than educational and cultural uses. Its democratic and artistic possibilities need to be elaborated, even subsidized...For far too long our primary institutions--from education and advertising to politics and entertainment--have prized consumerism above everything else, even at the price of infantilizing society. If spirit is to have a chance, they must join the revolution."

It wont be easy to make these changes, that's for sure. But in a society where identities are shaped by what you purchase and consume and the divide between the rich and poor continues to separate itself, why not seriously consider some alternatives? I want to make something of my time here on Earth that is worth more than the demarcations of trash that I can produce as a consumer. "We elected a president committed in principle to deep change. Rather than try to back out of the mess we are in, why not find a way forward?"

This article addresses some great issues; more than I can portray here. I challenge you to read it and really think about it. What does capitalism mean and how can looking at it a little differently change the ways in which our society, economy, and culture are fueled?

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A Not-so-amazing Amazing Idea

Do you ever have those days when you have an amazing idea? Then you realize that the idea wasn't that great, but you're still really proud of it?

I have been trying to reduce my plastic consumption. It's nothing drastic, but I am trying to pay attention to what kinds of products I'm purchasing. Packaging is an issue, but so is buying so many of the products that are out there from toothbrushes to toasters. One thing that's easy to do is stop using plastic grocery bags, which I have done. The next logical step in that process is also to stop using the plastic bags that stores provide for putting produce in.

Deciding that it's okay for your tomatoes, apples, and oranges to roll around in your cart takes a little bit of getting used to. And what about things like broccoli? I got some little mesh bags that have a drawstring at the top for putting in produce. I find that I only need a couple and when they're full, I can let my apples roll around a little bit. So far this plan is working nicely. The only "problem" I've run into is what to do with the lettuce. That flimsy plastic bag seems to keep it so clean and fresh and keeps the rest of my groceries dry. (The misters always seem to go off right before or during my lettuce picking experience.)

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When I get home, I like to wash and chop up the lettuce first thing and mix it all back in the plastic bag so when it comes time to making salads to take the work the next day, I just have to reach in and pull out a handful. But I'm trying to use less plastic, so this plan is no longer viable. Solution? I had two half-full bags of tortilla chips. I dumped one into the other, rinsed out the bag and let it air dry. By the time I got back from the store and prepared all of the lettuce, the bag was clean, dry, and ready to go. It still smelled a bit salty, but what can you do?

Now I have a tortilla-chip bag full of chopped lettuce. When my friends open the fridge they laugh and think it's a little silly, but I'll tell you what, my lettuce has never stayed crispier!

Tip: Throw in a paper towel with the lettuce before wrapping it all up in the bag. This keeps the lettuce crispy and rust free by soaking up extra moisture in the bag. Then, clean something up with it when you're done with the lettuce, or save it for the next batch.

Tortilla Chip Photo

A Little Ute Pride

Many of you readers know that I was in the University of Utah marching band. I was in it for 4 years and went on some amazing trips. I got to go to the Fiesta Bowl when the Utes were the first "BCS Busters," went to three more bowl games after that, and went on countless trips in between for both the football team and the men's and women's basketball teams. I also met a lot of amazing people and made some of the best friends I will ever have...It also paid for a lot of school. :)

This year proved to be another great year for the Utes with the Sugar Bowl and then soon after that the Ute Marching Band was invited to play in President Obama's Inauguration parade. The Marching Utes were the last band on the route, and though it would have been a wonderful opportunity to be there, I really enjoyed watching my friends be part of the pomp and circumstance of that day.




Oh, and lest we forget, way to go UTES in beating "the school down south" in overtime last night. GO UTES!

Winter Inversion Blues

Here in good ol' Salt Lake City, as well as other surrounding valleys in Northern Utah, we have been suffering from an inversion for a while now. I have received Red Air Quality alerts from the Department of Environmental Quality for the past seven days in a row. The air is soupy, and you can smell the muck and pollution in the air.

Photo Courtesy of Tom Smart, Deseret Morning News

The air quality system is based on red, yellow, and green burn days. Green means wood burning is allowed, yellow means a voluntary no burn, and a red light means no burning at all. You are also asked to drive as little as possible during yellow and red air quality days because cars contribute significantly to the area's air pollution. The health implications of Red Air Quality days are also significant. Health advisories go out saying that "sensitive people with respiratory disease or heart disease, the elderly, and children should avoid heavy or prolonged exertion. Everyone else should reduce heavy or prolonged exertion."

Does this sound really bad to anyone else? There are several areas in the state of Utah (Utah, Salt Lake, Davis, and Cache counties being some of them) that do not meet the current federal health standards for fine particulate (PM2.5) pollution, but it doesn't take a scientist with fancy recording tools to know that the air outside is unhealthy. Just take a look out your window, or go outside: it's pretty difficult to not notice the smell of the smoggy air. So what exactly is an inversion?

Several factors contribute to what are known as "surface inversions." Lower angles of sunlight that are present in the winter time do not heat up the earth's surface as well as they do in the summer. When the sun goes down, the air that is closest to the ground gets cooler than the air that is higher above the ground (which is opposite of normal air flows and weather conditions because generally the higher into the atmosphere air goes the colder it becomes, hence the name "inversion"). Since air is a poor conductor of heat, the air that is closer to the ground stays colder during the day time as the air that is further away warms with the rising of the sun. Also, since cold air is heavier than warm air, it stays down in the valley and the warm air floats on top, acting as a lid to the cold air. Then, in a valley that is surrounded my mountains like many of the valleys in Utah, air flow is prevented by the mountains and the hot air "lid" which traps not only cold air but also the pollutants that we emit.

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Right now, an atmospheric high pressure is parked right over many of the Western states, including Utah. As long as this atmospheric high pressure is around, storms are thrust around the high pressure. Storms are useful for pushing out inversions as the air flow and wind that they bring with them disrupt the inversion and clean out the valley of the cold/warm air dichotomy as well as the trapped pollutants.

Surface inversions cannot be prevented, however the pollution that is trapped in them can be, or at least greatly reduced. Carpooling with coworkers, combining trips, avoiding unnecessary driving, and maintaining you vehicle are easy ways in which to reduce the pollution that is caused by cars, a major contributor to inversion pollution. For other ideas on how to improve air quality in both your car and other ways, check out the Utah DAQ webpage.

A Small, Unrelated Rant for this Amazing Day

In the midst of this historic day I find myself in the midst of overwhelming frustration. I took the day off from work for two reasons. (Originally, I was going to be working from home, but as events have unfolded the work has just not been done.) The first was that my car's check engine light is on so I am at my parents house where the trusted family mechanic is just down the street to fix my car today. My registration is due this month so it's important to get this fixed. His shop is a busy one and though I called a week ago about my car, today was the first day he could fit it in.

The second reason I am home from work today is that it is Inauguration Day. I do not own a television, nor do I have internet at my house, so I am spending the day at the 'rents watching the inauguration festivities and waiting for my car to get better. What an amazing day! Besides President Obama's inauguration speech, I think my favorite part was John Williams' Air and Simple Gifts performed by musical giants Yo-Yo Ma, cello, Itzak Pearlman, violin, Gabriela Montello, piano, and Anthony McGill on clarinet. I hope you all caught it.

Now, I am awaiting the start of the inauguration parade. I am a proud former member of the University of Utah Marching Band which was invited to march in parade. I hear they are third from the last and the parade is an hour or so behind. That's what CNN says anyway. So while I am sometimes patiently and sometimes very impatiently waiting to see if I can find my friends in the band for the parade (complete with herald trumpets, which only brought out for these special occasions and I myself have only seen them once during the Fiesta Bowl parade in 2004), I get a call from my mechanic.

It's the O2 sensor. Okay, no big deal. The part costs about $85, plus labor. It's a little lower than I was expecting, so I'm happy.

Still waiting for the parade to start. Another call from the mechanic. Maybe my car is done already! No. The mechanic tells me I don't want to hear from him right now. I don't want to hear from him right now because my model of Honda Civic doesn't use the regular, standard Honda O2 sensor. It uses a different one that has an extra wire that costs $449.

What!?! My mechanic tells me that he's sorry. He says he can just reset the computer and try and get the check engine light to go off. If I can drive it for about 35 miles and the engine light is still off it might pass the registration tests. But he doesn't think the light will stay off. I am thinking that this is something that needs to be fixed anyway. I am thinking about how O2 sensors work and that it's not only important for my car and it's own fuel economy, but it's also important for the environment. In Japan, cars must have new O2 sensors every two years to make sure they are getting the best fuel economy and the cleanest emissions possible. My mechanic tells me over the phone, as I'm weighing my options, that it is recommended that all cars get new O2 sensors every 60,000 miles, but no one does because they're so expensive.

Well, I'm chalking this one down as an expense that is both economical and ecological right now. I could have my mechanic turn the light off, hope it stays off for my emissions test, and then wait until next year to get a new O2 sensor. In the mean time, the fuel I would be wasting without an effective oxygen-to-fuel manager and the harm that causes to the environment...well I don't know what the exact numbers are, but just getting the darn thing fixed will probably be worth it in the long run.

But at least the parade has started now. President Obama's high school band from Hawaii is marching by right now. I'm sure those kids are ecstatic to be there today. The Ute Marching Band is supposed to be third from the last. Until then, I will enjoy what the rest of the nation provides for the parade.

Jumping on the Simplicity Bandwagon

With all of the efforts that seem to be going on around me of people taking their lives back-to-basics, I'm making some changes of my own. Inspired by Andree's "buy nothing new" resolution, the start of the Voluntary Simplicity class I'm participating in, as well as the book I'm currently reading, Not Buying It by Judith Levine, I have decided to forgo getting the internet in my home.

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I moved into a new studio apartment not more than a month ago. My previous 2 residences have all had free internet available. After going for a year and half without having to pay for internet service, I am reluctant to sign up with any company that is going to make me shell out $30 to $50 for something I've been able to take for granted for so long. Now that I've been in my new apartment for several weeks without any internet access, I find myself getting back to doing the things I really love to do. I've read two books in the last two weeks, gotten caught up on my ever-long to-do list, spent some quality time with my guitar almost every day, exercised regularly, enjoyed the company of close friends spontaneously getting together, and have cooked several excellent meals while listening to my favorite music.

In light of all this merriment of enjoying the things that really make me happy, I am going to try going without the internet. I still have plenty of ways to access the things that require my online attention such as paying bills, my banking information, email accounts, and all other various online "needs" by staying a little late after work, using my lunch break wisely, or by heading down to the local coffee shop. It's easy to fall into the habit of coming home, dead-dog-tired, and logging on to email, Facebook, and the ever expanding realms of Hulu to watch all of my favorite TV shows (I don't have a television either, and haven't for a couple of years now), or even blogging after work. Then before you know it, it's practically time for bed to start the whole mundane process all over again. Well, I've had enough of that.

So this is my experiment. In this time of fast-paced technology, can I take a step back and lead a simpler life of not being plugged in to Goolge constantly to satisfy my want for impulse information? Can I realize the importance of taking the time to call my mom for cooking tips and recipes, rather than searching for them online? Can I relax and enjoy the fact that I'm not constantly available on whatever chat program of your choice? That's what my cell phone is for, isn't it? I think so. I've already begun to realize the benefits of the disconnected life and am savoring it.

I don't have a set goal; maybe I should. Three months? That sounds good. Done. We'll see how I feel in April.

Something New to Read

For Christmas, my aunt visited her local used book store and picked up my gift there. I'm just starting this new-to-me book, and so far I'm really enjoying it. It's called Not Buying It by Judith Levine.

It's all about this woman (who happens to be a writer, so it's easy on the reader) who decides she and her life-partner, Paul, have had it with the consumer driven society that we've built around ourselves. So, in 2004, she and Paul go a year without shopping. So far, it's been thought-provoking. It's written like a journal, with entries every so often about what they are missing and what they are learning about what it is like to break away from the expectations we have about ourselves and the stresses of the consumer market. I've only read the first two chapters, but so far I'm very intrigued as the rules start to unfold as to what "not buying it" means to this couple and how their journey will present itself.

My coworker, Andree', is doing her own sort of "not buying it" experiment where she can't buy anything new except for essentials and things that get used up. (Things like food, obviously, and like changing the oil in her car: something that must be done to maintain the car and is used up. You can't buy used motor oil!) And she is excited to read this one as well. It has been fun comparing the two missions of "not buying it."

Mostly, I'm excited about this book and I wanted to share. I'll let you know how it goes from here!

Urban Agriculture

It seems that sustainability and providing for yourself is catching on. The University of Utah is offering an "Urban Agriculture" series through their Life-Long Learning community education classes. I just got a flier in the mail about it over the weekend, and the classes look pretty fun and educational.

The flier states "with so many tangible benefits, Urban Agriculture is experience a huge increase in popularity. By growing and cultivating your own food, you can save money, help the environment, foster better health and nutrition, develop another source of income, ensure food security, and even boost your community social life." Urban Agriculture certainly has many benefits to enrich many facets of your life. I'm just excited that such a large institution like the U of U has embraced the Urban Agriculture mindset by highlighting these classes in their own sub-section.

Some of the classes offered include Bee Keeping, Coops de Ville: How to Raise Backyard Chickens, Fabulous Fruit Trees, Vegetable Gardening Basics, Sell Your Produce, Eating Local, and Grow Your Own Herbs. All of these sound like fun to me, but I think I'm going to check out the how to "Grow Your Own Herbs" class due my current rental condition (i.e. lack of yard space to garden) as a good place to start my next step of the sustainable, health and nutrition, life-enriching journey. So if you live in the Salt Lake area and these sound fun, check it out.

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