Greening the Census

Dana here.  This past summer, I worked part-time as an Enumerator with the US Census Bureau.  I was excited about it, because, as you all know, I'm a history nerd.  In my role as a genealogist, I have used old census records innumerable times, and they are a very important tool.  I wanted to take my place in history as the person who carefully documented the population and people of Buffalo in the year 2010. 

The actual experience of working as an Enumerator was a bit different than I expected...dealing with an organization as large as the Census Bureau comes with its headaches and red tape.  Lots of things need to be improved for the next go-round: complete computerization, prevention of waste, streamlining of training and operations, etc. etc.  For anyone else out there who worked for, or interacted with, the Census Bureau in 2010, I'm sure you agree.  It was not, in any way, a "green" operation.  In fact, sometimes I was rather embarrassed because of my eco-friendly views, to be representing an organization that just didn't have its eco-act together.

So, I decided when I was completely finished with all assignments, to write a report on my experiences, and those of my colleagues and the public with whom I interacted.  The result is my "Green the Census" report and proposal, found in its entirety here.  It calls for a Presidential Commission to investigate ways to improve the census experience, cut waste, save money and time, and improve the public perception.  Feel free to read through it, and come back here to the blog to leave me YOUR comments, experiences, and stories.  All of these will help strengthen the case and the urgency to make serious changes for 2020.  Thanks!

Food Fight- save money, waste less AND eat fresh!

Happy New Year!  So many of us look to the new year as a time to re-evaluate.  Our diets are a major component of this inward reflection...which greatly affects our outward reflections!  We thought it was appropriate to offer our thoughts and experiences with food- and how our perspective has changed over time.

When we first moved to Buffalo, we were restricted by a self-employed budget, so food buying became a bit of a war between Jon and I.  My focus was cost, and Jon's was quality.  I was always worried about spending too much, throwing away food we didn't use, and how to put it all together.  Since Jon is the chef in the house, he was concerned with the type of food (always pushing for organic) and how it would taste. This is not to say that he was carefree about spending on groceries, but I was definitely the one vocalizing about it.  So we decided to come to something of a compromise, which came in stages, but we'll summarize here for you.
 
1.) Make a weekly menu. 
2.) Work with what you have. 
3.) Control portion sizes. 
4.) Buy higher quality local and/or organic food. 

1.) Make A Weekly Menu
 When people come to our house, they giggle a bit at our nerdy "Weekly Menu" posted on the side of the refrigerator.  True, we have planned out what we will eat for the next 5-7 days, down to the ingredients in Jon's chili.  But you know what?  That simple little menu has saved us THOUSANDS of dollars, and lots of wasted food, and time.  Saving all that unused food from the landfill is an additional way we try to be green. By sitting down for half an hour once a week and planning out what we will eat (working around our schedules and plans), we no longer have to ask the question "What's for dinner tonight?", to be followed by ordering a pizza because we just can't decide, or ran out of time.  If you're intimidated by the idea- just try it once, with some tools at your disposal...a few great cookbooks, Vegetarian Times or Epicurious, or the recommendations of friends who cook well.  (Some of Jon's favorite recipes will follow in another post, soon!)  Be sure to include at least one fresh green vegetable in each meal, to give you the nutrients and energy you need.


2.) Work with What You Have
  This concept goes hand-in-hand with making a weekly menu.  As you prepare to make food choices for the week, take a look through your cupboard and refrigerator.  Take stock of the basics you already have on hand, such as grains, spices, vegetables, etc.  Use these, and build menu items out of them.  This is exactly what restaurants do to save money and get creative with extra ingredients.  Perform an online recipe search using the items in question, and try something different (but simple).  You may be pleasantly surprised.

3.) Control Portion Sizes
   This sounds so simple, but can make a huge difference.  Did you know that one serving of cheese should only be about the size of your thumb, and a serving of fruits or veggies should be the size of your fist? If you choose to eat meat/poultry, it should be no larger than your palm, or a deck of cards!!!  This doesn't mean starving yourself or not being satisfied- but we all know the feeling of being stuffed, and it's not pleasant.  You can enjoy the food you do eat more by taking your time when eating, savoring every bite, and eating at a table, without the distraction of television, using your favorite dishes.  If you limit the quantity of food that you eat at every meal, not only will you save money, but you'll lose weight!  You will be able to enjoy tasty leftovers for lunch the next day, allowing you to save time and money on lunches out as well.  It's a win-win.   

4.) Buy Higher Quality Local and/or Organic Food
   When you begin to save money by following the first three steps, you will find that a great deal of funds have been freed up.  Use some of this to invest- in your health, well-being, and your local economy.  While buying organic is often good, I would be more concerned with buying local.  Many small-scale farms can't afford to become certified organic, yet they follow many of the same rules that larger organic producers do.  Ask some questions, and patronize small stores such as Guercio's or the Lexington Co-op- they can tell you where the food is coming from- and the distance those eggs were shipped is just as important as whether they're free-range and vegetarian-fed.

Here are a few great articles by Mark Bittman about organic food and the simplicity of cooking a good meal for your reference.  Have fun, and feel free to leave your comments below.

Green Your Holidays

The holidays are (mostly) behind us now, but we wanted to share some ideas about greening such annual occasions...you could apply this to birthdays and other times of year when you're celebrating.  We put the word out on our Facebook page, asking friends what they've done to green their holidays, and got the following responses:

"Carpooling, and using recycled wrapping paper." - Mary M., employee at Mirbeau Inn & Spa
"Bike ride to my local watering hole...nothing out of the ordinary!" - Sean B.
"Reusing gift bags, and hoping those who receive them do the same." - Kyle K.
"[Making gifts] from upcycled or repurposed materials/remnants from...vintage pieces or sewing projects i worked on in the past..." - Dana C.
"I bought some used bows and wrapping materials at Dave's." - Beth O.
"Newspaper for gift wrapping and a cut up old red t shirt for bows. :) " - Kari S.

Thanks, everyone for sharing your ideas!  We believe it's also really important to support your local artists, shops and restaurants.  Take a few extra minutes to find something locally made and special, and your giftees will truly appreciate it!  Buffalo is full of unique places and people, so take advantage of what our local culture is offering.  For a list of local artists, artisans, and off-the-beaten path galleries/art spaces, check out the list I made (which is still in progress) or visit Buffalo First.

You could also consider donating money to local charities for the holidays, like Jon and I started to do about four years ago.  The first year, we gave to Thea Bowman House in Utica (where we lived at the time).  They offer preschool, after-school programs, a food pantry, domestic violence prevention services and a home for long-term foster children.   In the years that we've lived in Buffalo, we've given our time, auction items, or financial contributions to the City Mission, Paws and Claws Animal Rescue, Art for H.E.A.R.T. Charity Auction, and the Boys and Girls Club of Buffalo , to name a few.

No matter what you choose to give, keep it green and local!  Happy Holidays, and wishing you the best for your new year.

Convenience with CarShare

Hello- it's Dana posting. While we've been members of Buffalo CarShare for over a month, we hadn't had a chance to use one of the cars until this week.  Since we sold our car, we've been biking or carpooling with others.  Two days ago, however, we needed to pick up an abundance of printing screens for Jon's business, Derailleur and our roommate Alicia's business, My Creative Noggin.  We reserved a CarShare vehicle (a two-door Yaris) only two hours in advance, via the online reservation system.  It was simple.  Jon biked up 6 blocks to grab the car, locked his bike in front of Quaker Bonnet, picked Alicia and I up, and off we went to Parkside! 

Penny Wyatt at Wyatt Design framing (corner of Parkside and Russell) had found herself with a number of screens a while back, and wanted someone to put them to use. We were more than happy to oblige! We loaded them into the Yaris, which was surprisingly roomy, and then grabbed a coffee from Sweet_ness 7 Parkside...yay!  After that, we got some groceries at Guercio's on Grant Street, stopped at Urban Roots on Rhode Island, and headed back.  Jon dropped us off, brought the car back to Quaker Bonnet, and rode home.  Done!

It was simple and fun.  We loved it, and strongly recommend CarShare to anyone who needs access to a vehicle sometimes.  Get rid of your second car, or even your first!  It's a freeing feeling to have the car when you need it, without being bogged down by big payments, DMV fees, and repair costs.  Happy CarSharing!

It's A Wonderful Bike!

Dana here!  The question I get asked the most when I tell people we sold our car is "What are you going to do when it snows?".  Well, first I will build an igloo.  Then I'll climb into it and hibernate for 5 months.  Just kidding.  If you guessed "suck it up and bike anyway", you were right!  Jon and I have been preparing for our winter bike adventure by acquiring gear bit by bit along the way...such as gloves for him, a new taillight for me, etc.  It is a bit daunting when you look out the window and those fat lake effect snowflakes are falling...but with preparation and caution, it's totally do-able.

One really important element is making sure one's neck and face are covered.  I have a good winter jacket that I've been wearing, but even zipped up all the way, air gets in.  Solution?  A neck gaiter!  Jon decided to make them for us, using felted wool sweaters and our sewing machine (that we got for free via Craigslist last year!).  So, he laid out the fabric, measured my face and neck, and got to sewing.  With some iron-on velcro, it's a simple matter of wrapping the gaiter around your face and fastening.

That wasn't all, though.  My little fingers have been getting cold as I bike, wearing thin velvet gloves.  Jon decided to keep his crafty pants on, and make me some mittens, too!  Now I'm all rainbows with my handmade winter wear.  Toasty!

As far as the actual bike RIDING in this weather, I have to say- it's not as scary as I expected. It will take a little getting used to, but I feel better on a bike than I do in a car when it's snowy.  I allow for extra braking time, as the brakes can get wet.  Also, I'm careful when riding over a slushy median/tire track...I've learned to take it slow to keep my wheels under me.  Finally, I'm using my lights!  The low visibility of a winter day means drivers may not be able to see me as well.  I keep them on the flash setting, and added a little reflective tape to my bike and helmet for extra safety.

With some preparation, you'll see that in Buffalo, "It's a Wonderful Bike!"  :)  Happy holidays.

Get off my back!

Hey all; it's Jonathon with another entry. We didn't post too much last week because of the busy holiday, but we hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving!

 Can you imagine transporting all of your groceries in a backpack? That's been our situation for a while, for many reasons, including being more green, but mostly because we enjoyed the summer weather and wanted to be biking. Sometimes we would take the car, especially when the weather wasn't so sunny. Now that we don't have a vehicle in our driveway, we realized that we needed another way of transporting heavy or bulky items (and get them off my back!).  We started the search for a used bike trailer, and a friend had one that her children outgrew, plus she was willing to barter. (Thanks Monika!)  Today was the first day we got it out on the road to see how it felt connected to my bike. It's surprisingly light and easy to maneuver. I put it through the motions; starts, stops, turns, and driveways, and I think I'm ready for my first trip to the grocery store. If you see me out there on the roads, give me a thumbs-up and a little extra room.


Dana plans to use it for her upcoming jewelry trunk shows.  She says she looks forward to having a simple way to transport her work, right to the door of an event.

We're excited to use our "new" trailer- you might even catch us giving our cats, Churchill and Mabel, a ride around the block.

(ps. Here's our talented friend Monika's Etsy store - check it out! http://Momika.etsy.com )

Local Love

Dana here.  As we head into "The Holidays" (insert horror film scream here), I wanted to take a moment to talk about the concept of being local.  There are lots of catchphrases and fun words like "locavore" being thrown around these days.  Nearly all of us patronize local restaurants, shop on Elmwood sometimes, or come into town weekly to buy what we need.  So, we're being local, right?

I would challenge everyone (including myself) to take that mindset a little further.  If you begin asking more probing questions, like "Where is my food grown?", or "What is this item made of, and where was it assembled?", and even "How far must I travel to get the things I buy?", you will see that there's so much more we can all do!  If you eat at a downtown restaurant whose ingredients were shipped from Florida, you could be more local.  If you shop at an urban store and buy a plastic item made in China, you could be more local.  If you have to drive 20 miles to purchase something, you could be more local.

We must begin to look in our own immediate neighborhood to see what's available.  There are urban (and rural) farms all around us, and with just a little extra effort, we can eat food that was grown only blocks, not miles, away.  Examples include Growing Green by MAP and the Wilson Street Urban Farm.  There are hundreds of local artisans in the Buffalo region who make their living by selling their work (Jon and I included).  If you want to find them, you can check out Etsy's "Shop Local" function, browse through Mind Web, or Artists In Buffalo.  Stroll the Elmwood Village, Hertel Ave, Allen Street, or South Buffalo's Old First Ward.  Finally, there are great little stores near you, whether you're in downtown Buffalo (Old Editions Book Shop), the suburbs (Peddlers Consignment Shoppe), or outlying towns (Nature's Network).

Jon and I do our best to keep it local, and with the resources at our disposal, it's getting easier every day.  Buffalo First keeps us aware of what's new in the locavore world, promoting independent businesses in our area.  We use their coupon book (available in every Buffalo CarShare car!) to save while supporting small companies and organizations.  We love to shop at Guercio's on Grant Street, and the Lexington Co-op.  Elmwood Pet is our go-to place for natural cat food, and we buy much of our hardware at Dibble's on West Ferry, or Mangione's on Niagara!  Bike, walk, or take public transportation to get a different perspective on the neighborhoods you think you know...you'll be surprised at all the fantastic small businesses you encounter. 

Until next time- cheers!!!