North Country Sustainable Energy Fair

On Saturday, my husband and I trekked up to Canton, NY (in our Prius) for our third annual trip to the North Country Sustainable Energy Fair. This conference, hosted at SUNY Canton, has been going on for 14 years. It offers great exhibits and wonderful workshops and presentations in lots of topics including renewable energy, alternative transportation, homesteading, peak oil, bio-diesel, transition towns, alternative housing, climate change, etc.

Last year we were pleased to be able to meet keynote speaker Richard Heinberg. Heinberg is the author of 8 books including Powerdown and Peak Everything and is senior fellow of the Post Carbon Institute.

This year the conference included a presentation by noted peak oil blogger and author Sharon Astyk. Sharon conducted a presentation about the need for 100 million farmers based on her recent book with Aaron Newton called A Nation of Farmers: Defeating the Food Crisis on American Soil. I’m in the process of reading her book now. I find it informational and I enjoy the somewhat sarcastic tone. Sharon and her family live in the northern Catskills and are homesteading as much as possible.

Interestingly, at all sessions I attended this year, each presenter early in their presentation had a graphic or slide about Peak Oil. And each time they arrived at the slide asked if anyone in the audience didn’t understand Peak Oil. Each time, everyone – yes EVERYONE indicated they had a pretty good understanding. This is a significant change from even 2 years ago. Word does seem to be getting out, and many people are at different stages of working toward solutions to a post carbon world.

Excuses for Eating Meat?

OK - I admit it. I eat meat. I know for some, eating a vegetarian diet is a means to improve their health, reduce their environmental impact, and show their concern over the treatment of animals. However for me, going vegetarian is not really what works best for my health and overall well being. Apparently, I’m not the only one who feels this way. This article discusses how some former vegetarians are again eating meat and some reasons why.

Even to me though, it makes sense that eating lower on the food chain is more ecologically sustainable than those diets that include meat. In fact, studies have found that a person who eats a lot of meat will need 3-7 times the amount of land to support their diet than a low-fat vegetarian. Meat production, especially that from grain fed cows and pigs in large confined animal feeding operations (CAFO), uses lots of fossil fuels in the process and emits lots of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Knowing this, I have reduced the amount of meat I eat and have minimized eating grain fed meat from CAFOs. Instead, we purchase locally grown, pasture raised meat as much as possible from farmers we know and trust to treat the animals (and the environment) with respect and care.

Although eating lower on the food chain seems to make sense, some recent research indicates that vegetarian diets may not be the best for central New York. A study by Cornell University found that eating a diet that includes dairy and meat may be more ecologically sustainable in this part of the country. How is this possible? The issue comes down to what type of land (and climate) is needed to grow vegetables versus meat and dairy. In central New York, it would take a lot of energy to produce and store enough vegetables year round to support our population and it would be hard on the land. The study indicated that a mixed farming approach with animals providing the needed compost and grazing on land that would be unsuitable for vegetable growing would provide a more sustainable local food supply. Keep in mind that the amounts of meat/eggs per day recommended in the study are small, only 2.2 oz. versus the 5.8 oz. that most Americans eat each day. Luckily for me, I have a few friends in the area who are vegetarians, so I have offered to eat their 2.2 oz. portions every now and then to help make them part of a more sustainable central New York☺

Getting our Locally Grown Pork, Part 2

Friday afternoon, we received word from Maureen Knapp of Cobblestone Valley Farm that our 1/2 pig processing was complete and that we could stop by at our convenience to pick it up. So we set up a time to head up over to Preble, NY for the pick up this past Saturday. Our pork had been processed to our preferences by Purdy and Sons. In a previous post, I shared how the process worked. Below I shared what we received in our order:

23 pork chops (of which half were smoked)
3 smoked ham steaks
4 varying sized smoked hams
7 - 1lb packs of smoked bacon
8 - 1lb. packs of breakfast sausage
2 - 3 lb pork butt roasts
1 – 2.5 lb. pack St. Louis Style ribs
2 – 2 lb. packs of country style ribs
1 - 4 lb. sirloin pork roast

From the Knapp family, we also purchase our Thanksgiving and summer turkeys and chickens when they are processed. We have found all the meat to be tasty and of high quality. The chicken, and turkey are certified organic. The Knapps do not certify their pork or beef, but they follow organic and humane principles to raise animals. For more information about their products and how to purchase, please go to their website.

East End Farmers Market - Go Local!

In earlier posts (post 1 and post 2), I mentioned information about community members working together to bring a new “local only” farmers market to Cortland. The earlier postings indicated that, at that time, they were thinking of having the market at the former Cortland Corset Factory parking lot. Things have firmed up a bit more and the location has settled on Dexter Park in the East side of Cortland. The aptly named “East End Farmers Market” will run 19 Saturdays beginning June 13. They already have vendors signed on that will provide local meats, organic vegetables, flowers, and other local products. All vendors have to be within 30 miles of Cortland and are encouraged to use sustainable practices. In addition, Coffee Mania will run a kiosk to provide coffee and prepared foods for market patrons. Tammie Whitson, co-owner of Cold Brook Farm in Marathon, will also offer fiber workshops at the market for those who would like to learn the processes of taking wool from sheep to finished garment.

I encourage individuals who might be thinking about being a vendor to contact Tammie Whitson or Lisa Lickona (contact info on the East End Famers Market website). In addition, both Tammie and Lisa have contact info on the other Cortland County Farmers markets, Downtown Cortland Farmers Market, Virgil Farmers Market, and the Cincinnatus Famers Market.

I’m sure Tammie and Lisa would also like to hear from those of you who, like me, are waiting anxiously for June 13th to be a patron of this new weekly Cortland event. This expanding support can provide them with contacts and additional vendor possibilities. As Cortland continues to "grow" in providing a more local food supply, it will improve not only our health and the health of the Earth, but also improve our ecomomy. Take a look at this report from Illinois that found how increasing local foods increases local jobs and revitalizes rural economies.