June 2nd - Fast Food

Sweet Pea Home Catering (locally made frozen meals)

Artist Links:
Sybris
White Hinterland
Away Ri'o!
Yael Wand
The Gertrudes
KoRn
Maurice Jarre
Peter Nevland

Some more thoughts on growing your own food...and fast!
It takes a lot of work. Its very true that most people don't even have the time to cook for themselves nevermind tend their own garden . I have taken that into account in listing my alternatives. The great thing about the Farmers markets is that about half of it is full of pre-made dishes. For example, I regularly buy these monster cookies full of oats, flax and other healthy grains for breakfast. For lunch, I can pre-buy for the week, all the quesadillas, spring rolls, thai noodles, mini meat pies, and soups that I feel like eating for lunch throughout the week. Depending on what I get, the meals work out to $1.50-3.00 each. Not everyone can afford to even spend that per meal, so on nights that I take the time to make a good dinner I make at least twice what what we're going to eat that night and pre-pack the lunches for later that week. Its not a perfect system. Sometimes you forget to bring food, sleep in and miss the market, or what you want to buy from the market is sold out that week. What does that have to do with sustainable living? Thats the way life goes no matter what you're buying. Long story short; don't have time for good food? Pay someone at the market to do it for you!
The advantage of having the odd house plant that grows your own ingredients, is how little effort goes into them. Of course, you need the initial afternoon mucking around with pots and soil, but after that, its simply a matter of watering, and maybe adding the occasional fertilizer every now and then. Once certain plants are established (like the chili pepper) they just keep on putting out edible goodness as long as you don't take too much. Note the emphasis on not taking too much. The wee little basil plant in a house of bruscetta fanatics could be a good metaphor for resources and luxury-ridden developed nations. We all want bruscetta tonight, and our basil is down to the last 3 leaves. It will take at least four to sate our hunger. uh oh.

So here we are figuring who is going to get bruschetta and who isn't. Suddenly the cost of basil sky rockets and no one in the household can figure out why. So lets all learn how to only take our share using this simple little exercise of growing our favourite herbs in our window sill and seeing if we can keep it alive while still eating it at the same time.

May 27th - Truth on Vacation

Meat-Free Protein:
Nutrient Value of Common Foods - THE Guide

Edible Houseplants:

The Amazing Indoor Eco-Chili
Some quick Tips on growing common herbs
Some more tips on indoor veggies to grow(What arugula is supposed to look like)

Artist Links:
Robert Minden and Carla Hallet
Jonas Bonnetta
The Decemberists
Chad VanGaalen
Wide Mouth Mason
Nathan Caswell
Frank Popp Ensemble
Lauryn Hill

Bad media! *slap on wrist*

So we all know I was totally off on the meat-free protein sources.
Now THATS an embarrassing reminder to check your sources.
Luckily I'm still green here in radio land and hope to be forgiven.

I will go over all the real facts on protein this week, and move onto Travel and vacationing.

Also an update on those soap nuts I was talking about.

May 20th: STEAK

The second tentatively confident week of your sustainable life...

You can't walk two steps in this town without coming across someone who swears by their beef, worships their beef, or even swears that they need it to survive, and therefore assumes every vegetarian is some crazed member of PETA out to take their precious steak away forever.

Grocery List Math:
What's at our Farmer's Market anyway?
Don't forget the one at Victoriaville Fridays and Tuesdays.
And the one at Wilson Park Wednesdays and Saturdays!

Why steak is not so good:

• The meat industry is the worst polluter that is easiest to ignore, because we eat it!

• Cattle production puts out more Green House Gas Emissions than all forms of transportation combined! (LINK) This means, eating less meat is better for the environment than giving up the car.

• Growing demand for red meat directly affects the cost of grain. (LINK)

• Commercial cattle are not healthy animals when slaughtered. see: The Omnivore's Dilemma. Even if it's grain finished, and that grain is usually corn which is fine for poultry but wreaks havoc on a cow's digestive tract. A lot of the greenhouse gases released from cattle farming, are because corn makes them gassy and sick.

• We all hear about cattle being pumped full of antibiotics, which lowers the effectiveness of antibiotics for us. The only reason they need it is because they are so bloated and sick from eating corn.

• "Livestock's Long Shadow" = A LOT of info on the total environmental impact of the meat industry. Easy to read, low on jargon.
  

Moose Steak

• It doesn't get much more natural than wild game.
  
• The meat is leaner, and better for you. The animal is healthy when killed.
  
• The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources on how and why they manage the moose population.
• Eating moose supports local butchers. See: Bogdala's
  
• There is not enough moose for everyone. It will never be a total substitute.
• This only works if you like to hunt or know someone who does and ask really nicely.
• Not an option if you don't live near any moose.
  

Elk Steak

• Also locally available. See: Rainy River Elk
  
• Happy, healthy animals make for healthier meat (if you must go red).
• About as organic as it gets. No antibiotics or growth hormones.
• This is only a money saving alternative if you reduce your meat intake.
• Also not an option if you don't live around any elk farms.
  

No Steak/Less Steak

• Less Steak is often the easiest choice for most people. If steak was our only intake of protein, we only need 3-4oz of it.
  
• Saves you money!
• Want to go to sleep after a big meal? Our bodies are working hard to digest our meals. Eating more fruits and veggies makes digestion easier, and that means we will have more energy for other things!
• Eating less steak or beef, by even a small amount (like 150g. or 5oz.) per week saves enough energy to power the average house for a short month. (Link)

Other Sources of Protein

• You have to get protein from somewhere. Most North Americans get more protein than they need. The average person needs around 90-100grams, except for athletes which still only need 105g.
  
• Protein is everywhere! Here are some of my favourites...
• One Cup of these meets your daily protein requirement:
  
• Avocado
  
• Peanuts
  
• Almonds
  
• Cashews
  
• Tofu (all tofu is different but the average is 100g per cup)
• Roasted soybeans (snackable! 172g per cup)
• Sunflower seeds (raw, shelled)
• Egg (cooked)
• Milk (yes milk! one cup will do it)
• ANY kind of bean
• One large baked potato
  
• Tofu is not comparable to steak and it never will be, but GOOD TOFU DOES EXIST. If you haven't liked it before, try it at new restaurants until you do. Try Waterfront Restaurant or Fort William Curling Club for the thai tofu sizzler. You may never see tofu in the same way again.
• made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks.
• can be made into your favourite dessert!

Artist Links

• Peter Katz' Thunder Bay VLOG
• Peter Katz
• Layah Jane
• Hayden
• Rev. Bob & the Darkness
• Luther Wright
• Hawksley Workman
• The Liptonians
  
• Billy Collins' Website

May 13th: SOAP

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) Links
One Safety Data Sheet (short)
Another Safety Data Sheet (Extensive)
An article in favour of SLS. *note that they only contest the carcinogenic effects

A list of bad stuff in soap and cosmetics*don't be dismayed!

Loofah Links! "Don't those come from the sea?!"
A Florida-based Gardening Website
How to Grow and Make your Loofah!
Growing your own luffa continued...

Soap Nut Links:
Some Great Tips for using soapnuts.
A Wholesale distributor of soapnuts (Also has Great tips for use)
Retail Soapnuts (cheap sample packs!)

Anti-Soap Links:
"Getting the Dirt on Germs"
Early Exposure to germs (the easy read)
An article on germs and disease I found on CBC's website

Artist Links:

Rev. Bob and the Darkness
The Acousticolics
Ghost Bees
Black Mountain
Laura Veirs