On Thursday April 22^nd we will celebrate forty years of Earth Day.  This significant anniversary seems like a good time to reflect on any progress that has been made since 1970. Though we have a long way to go...some things have been accomplished:

•·         Recycling - In 1970 Atlanta's recycling program consisted of the Boy Scouts collecting newspapers periodically...remember those days?  We would tie up the papers with string and drop them off for a "paper drive". Glass, aluminum and plastic recycling was practically nonexistent, although dedicated environmentalists could collect these items and drive to South Atlanta to drop them at three different locations.   Today we have curbside recycling...definitely a big improvement.

•·         Transportation - The 1970s were the era of the car...the big car. The term gas guzzler had not become a common expression yet and Atlantans loved to drive.  While the term "Sunday drive" predates this era, driving everywhere was the norm.  Forty years later we are at least aware of the environmental costs of oil production and the air pollution caused by our love affair with cars.  And the vehicles we do drive are continuing to evolve as technology is applied to environmentally friendly improvements to our cars.  Another big improvement.

•·         Food production - On April 22, 1970 I doubt anyone asked how or where their food was produced. If ignorance is bliss, then we were all pretty happy, because organics, the slow food movement, and localism were not factors in our food choices. The only farmers market was in South Atlanta and it was quite a special event to venture there.  Today we have weekly farmers' markets, organic food in the traditional grocery store and a growing awareness that we need to preserve the family farm.  Schools are planting gardens and teaching our children about how their food is grown...and that French fries are not really the most nutritious vegetable.  We still have much to do in this area, but the fact that the issue has reached primetime television via Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, shows that a large number of people are concerned.

Earth Day reminds us that we are making progress, but there is still much to do to keep our Planet a safe and life-supporting place for future generations. After forty years we can say that awareness is growing and we are all becoming better stewards of the Earth.

If you want to mark this Fortieth Anniversary in a special way, you can make a small donation and have it do double duty.  WABE 90.1FM is offering to plant a tree for every pledge of ANY amount made on Earth Day!  In partnership with Trees Atlanta, this one day offer can give you the satisfaction of supporting public radio and improving the environment.  Listen to 90.1 FM on Thursday for details.

And Enjoy Earth Day!  It is a celebration after all!!

We hear a lot about eating organic these days.  Some question the value of higher priced organic foods and may wonder, why bother?  Others cite news reports stating that organic isn't really any more nutritious.  While we wait for the food scientists and nutritionists to make up their minds we can make some informed choices.

Georgia Organics recently provided a link to a list of items that we should always buy organic.  Produced by www.foodnews.org this is a great resource for all of us to keep in our purses or wallets.  Print it, cut out the list so you can take it to the store on your next shopping trip and buy organic for the most harmful items.  Your body will thank you. 

So next time you think organic is too expensive...just remember you don't have to spend more on everything...just on the fruits and vegetables that have the most pesticides even after washing. Hopefully, your peace of mind and your long term health are worth it.


 Next week:  The school lunch program hits Prime Time.

Donald Trump wants Al Gore to give back his Nobel Peace Prize because of all the snow in the past two weeks.  Mr. Trump has declared that the snow is an indication that global warming was not a real threat.  I am not aware of Mr. Trump's credentials as a scientist or an environmentalist, but I suspect owning casinos, office buildings, and luxury condos do not qualify him as an expert on the meaning of the recent snowfalls throughout the United States. 

Mr. Trump is not the only one asking the question, though.  Logic tells us that Global Warming should mean higher temperatures overall. A lot of folks have been in the media declaring these record snowfalls as a sign that our planet is safe.  Quite of few have used this clear sign of Climate Change to further the agenda of the environmentally complacent, aka those who don't believe in Global Warming.

Which is one reason why the term Climate Change is more appropriate.  While some parts of the planet get increasingly higher average temperatures, other parts experience unprecedented levels of snow and rain.  Ken Edelstein gives an excellent summary of the science behind this in his recent blog on the subject at MyGreenAtl.com. He also has some great video from MSNBC and Stephen Colbert featuring some excellent (and entertaining) commentary on the meaning of all the snow.

While you are visiting MyGreenAtl.com, check out some other great information from Ken, especially the section on what you as an individual can do to help the environment.  Because the scientists all seem to agree...Climate Change is a real concern, despite the attempts of the uninformed to make us think otherwise.  The snow is a sign that it is time for everyone to stop debating about this issue and start working to make changes that will preserve the Earth for our children. 

When I entered the Twitterverse, I decided to focus on just a few areas: healthy eating, environmental issues, nonprofit philanthropy, and classical music.  And I am finding that keeping up with the green side of Twitter is an overwhelming task.  There are just so many different and interesting tweeters with news and facts to share about the environment.  The green tweets really heated up during the Copenhagen summit on the environment recently, and there doesn't seem to be any slowdown in sight. (A good introduction to the green side of Twitter is to query #ecomonday each week. Some of the better information will come from that hashtag.)

If this activity is any indication of the possibility of real change in our stewardship of Planet Earth, then I say thanks to Twitter and to all the committed users who tweet daily (and some hourly!) about environmental issues.  Many believe that we are on the brink of a crisis if something isn't done soon, so the interest level via Twitter is a hopeful sign of potential change in both our personal behavior and in our communities.

Recently Twitter added a list feature, allowing users to compile smaller groups around topics.  My own Green list contains 38 of the best tweeters on the environment including @huffpostgreen, @MyGreenATL, and @GreenGeorgia. (There are actually hundreds in the United States alone, not to mention the unknown quantity world-wide.)  Check it out if you want to start keeping up with current green news.  Word of warning:  you could spend hours reading all the tweets and following all the links to all the news stories and blogs.  And let us know if you find any others to recommend. 

Note: You can go directly to the list via this link www.twitter.com/cellojayne/green

Many CSAs operate during the prime growing season which is April to October, however, some offer a year-round option.  You can learn more about the CSAs in your area by visiting Local Harvest or Georgia Organics.  The Local Harvest site also has some additional information about how CSAs work to help you choose the one that is right for you.

So, tired of the same old food at the grocery store?  Can't get up early on Saturday to visit one of Atlanta's weekly farmer's markets?  Check out the CSA approach.  And please share your experience here on Lens.  We will be waiting to hear about your new culinary finds!!

Just as I was getting somewhat comfortable with Twitter, I was given a new work assignment.  Create a weekly blog!  What was I going to write about?  Who would be interested?  Could I find something to say every week??  As all of these doubts and questions were swimming in my brain the weekend after my new assignment, I decided to go to the movies.  I saw Food, Inc., the documentary about our food supply and factory farming. 

I left the theatre that day with a lot of questions about what I had seen.  Like where to buy locally grown food, how to be sure products did not contain genetically modified ingredients, and if I was going to eat animal protein, what constituted ethical treatment. 

As I began to do some research, I learned that there is a lot of information and opinions on these topics.  Then the light bulb went on...why not blog about what I discovered?  So, I named my blog...Atlanta S.O.L.E.  Eager to share my new idea with my co-workers I soon found that S.O.L.E. needed some explaining.  So in case you are wondering...

S is for Sustainable

O is for Organic

L is for Local

E is for Ethical

After a few months as a novice blogger, I can report that once you start to focus on a topic, the ideas will just appear.  I have found inspiration from Twitter, friends, family, the media, and even Top Chef! 

Thinking about starting your own blog, maybe right here on Lens?  I encourage you to give it a try.  Just find something you care about, follow some other bloggers who write on the subject, and soon, you will find the ideas flowing.  And if you follow users on Twitter with the same interests, you will get even more great input. 

I hope to see some great new blogs on Lens soon!!

At the same time, I had to choose some people or organizations to follow.  Twitter has a great search feature and you can find almost any topic being discussed.  Do you like cats?  Interested in the environment?  Politics?  Enjoy sports?  Have a passion for classical music?  I learned that anything and everything is out there.  I started following folks who were commenting on my interests, like classical music, organic food,  philanthropy, and the environment.   And soon, people were following me!!  Really?  I have to admit that at first, I had a little thrill every time I got a new follower.  And I learned most major institutions are tweeting, so if you want to keep up with the Falcons, or the Atlanta Opera, or the Atlanta Zoo, all you have to do is follow them.  (TIP: many of them offer special discounts/promotions via twitter only, so you can get some bargains just by being a follower.) 

Soon I had a budding social media strategy in full force. I was doing a lot of re-tweeting and employing another trick I quickly learned... to provide a link to online articles or blogs relevant to the topic.  And I was actually getting overwhelmed trying to read all the tweets...not to mention that sometimes I would hear about an important tweet I had missed.

 Time to take the next step...find a way to organize all this information.  I decided to use a third party application which allowed me to put all the tweeters into categories. (I use TweetDeck). And quite frankly, to ignore some who I had found to be very noisy and no longer that relevant. Now I can check in each day and see what has happened.  I also decided to start accepting a text on my cell for certain tweeters.  That way I know immediately when there is news (@charlesedwards1) or a special from the symphony (@atlantasymphony).

My journey into social media will continue via twitter and this blog.  What is next? I don't know, but I am pretty confident that we will all be learning another new thing in a few years...in the meantime, I can report it is fun to be a part of the current wave.  Try it...I think you will like it. 

And just as I conquered my fear of tweeting...a new assignment.  Write a weekly blog. It was one thing to find 140 characters a few times a day for a tweet...but a blog??  The final chapter of this odyssey will cover the birth of a blogger (that's me) and share a few things I have learned along the way.

My second week on the job, my new boss asked me to get involved in social media.  At the time, I honestly did not know what she meant.  Something told me it had to be more than my Facebook page which I had started just last year, like a lot of the baby boomers I know. (Full disclosure, I am 55 and just ordered a texting package on my phone this year.) And while I thought I had some level of internet savvy, I knew that I was not up on the latest in the world of social media. 

What to do??  I was so happy to be at the station...I love NPR and I love the music.  I had to quickly learn more.  So, I called my 22 year old son.  As many of you may know it was his age group that made Facebook popular, as a way to get to know other college kids. And as you may also know, many have abandoned it now, as their parents (like me) have taken over.  He told me to get a twitter account and to upgrade my cell to include texting. So I did.  BUT, who wanted to hear what I had to say?  What to tweet about??  Who should I follow?  Why would anyone follow me??   Once I got over the initial internet shyness, I found it all to be surprisingly easy.  In fact, it is fun!!  In Part Two of this journey, I will share how I actually began and where I am in my quest to be not only involved in social media, but truly a contributor. And I will share how I started my weekly blog. 

Chef Linton Hopkins is one of Atlanta’s treasures. Owner and chef at two local restaurants here in town, he has been recognized in the culinary world as one of the best new chef’s of 2009 by Food & Wine magazine.  I haven’t had the opportunity to try Restaurant Eugene or Holeman and Finch Public House, but they are both on my list of places to visit.

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by the Chef.  He spoke about one of his passions, Southern food made with local ingredients.  At his restaurants, he only serves seasonal food from nearby farms.  And yet, he is a fan of The Varsity, another local treasure!  As I teenager, I spent many Sundays at The Varsity after church at All Saints’ eating onion rings with a frosted orange, so I immediately felt I had found a soul mate, at least in the culinary world.

Chef Hopkins really focused on what he calls the poetry of the culinary year. That is the true joy of eating a fresh picked tomato or the first peas of the season.  And he inspired me to give it a try…to go shopping and only buy seasonal ingredients.  As I wondered through the grocery store that afternoon, I also pledged to only buy local or regional. I have to admit, it was difficult.  But here is what I found:

-          A purple (yes, purple) sweet potato from South Carolina

-          An organic butternut squash from South Carolina

-          Pork chops from Georgia

-          Grass fed beef from Georgia

-          Mountaineer apples from North Carolina

-          Milk & cream from Sparkman’s Cream Valley in Moultrie, Ga

-          Tangerines from Florida

Not bad for a first attempt, but missing some key items, like greens and other fruits.  So I wondered, what is seasonal in December??  And local?  I found the answer in a great chart from Georgia Organics, listing the harvest for every month of the year…and for our region!  Now, I just have to take the time to shop at places like the DeKalb Farmers Market and find these things. I think it will be worth it.

 Every winter, I begin to slather on all kinds of creams…to my face, my hands, and my feet. The cold air makes everything so dry. And as our Atlanta weather begins to finally turn colder this week, I am getting ready for another season of dryness and lots of lotions to try to combat the itchy skin.

But it never seems to be enough.  So, when I learned about another approach recently, I was intrigued. Apparently, just like Mom told us, we are what we eat. Certain foods will not only feed our skin, they will also keep it soft and supple.

The good news is that we don’t have to head to the health food store and start to eat anything different or strange…just plain old food in the right amounts from the following:

Lean Protein:  Choose turkey or salmon for the best effect. And guess what…wrinkles are caused by a deficiency of protein in the diet. If you incorporate more lean protein into your diet you will increase the collagen and elastin in your skin, both of which combat wrinkles.

Olive Oil:  A great reason to buy those larger bottles of olive oil…it is good for your skin and it has antioxidants.  You can consume more by making your own salad dressing (olive oil, lemon, salt, crushed garlic…easy and so good) and by cooking with it instead of other oils.  It also adds more flavor!  My personal  tip…you can make a great scrub using sea salt and a little olive oil…use on your hands and feet for a remarkable result.

Citrus Fruits:  The whole fruit is best so try some winter oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, and limes.  Your skin loves Vitamin C.

Vitamin E:  This powerful vitamin is also an antioxidant and it is good for your skin and your heart. You can get more of it in your diet by eating asparagus, avocados, eggs, nuts (almonds are a great choice), and milk. Other good choices are green leafy vegetables like spinach.

Selenium:  Another antioxidant. Eat more Brazil nuts, whole grains, salmon, halibut, and shi-

take mushrooms to increase your levels.

So inside out it is…put the right things inside and your outside will benefit.

I know I am going to give it a try and make a conscious choice to eat some of these every day…I’ll let you know how it goes…and if I can reduce the amount of hand cream I use this winter.

For the past few months, I have been working towards a Vegetarian lifestyle. I did it for the environment and because I learned about the horrible treatment of animals in the factory farm world.  So far, so good.   Veggies, grains, and legumes are the main ingredients in my diet now.  And of course lots of dairy….yogurt, milk, and cheese.

Last week, I wrote about the methane effect on Climate change. I had read a lot about the benefits to the environment if we all cut back or even quit eating meat.  And then…it hit me.  What about the dairy cows?  Do I have to give up cheese too?  For a few days, I didn’t even want to know the answer.  I avoided doing any research or asking anyone….the thought of no more cheese…hard to imagine.

I do want to do my part for keeping our environment safe, but some sacrifices seem impossible…But, I finally decided to find out. Are dairy cows causing as much damage to the environment as beef cattle?

Well, not exactly…thank goodness. I found a lot of information on the topic via google and decided to read a report from Penn State by Virgnia Ishler.  There I learned that according to a 2004 report from the EPA, beef cattle are responsible for 71 percent of the emissions that contribute to harmful greenhouse gases.  Dairy cattle do account for 24 percent…but the biggest impact is clearly the beef. 

So what to do?  Give up dairy also???  I am just not ready for that next step…plus there is a lot of controversy over Soy which is often the alternative to dairy. (to be discussed in a future post).  So I wondered if there are any efforts underway to capture those pesky emissions and use them for alternative energy.  And the good news is there is a lot of research on this front. The Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at Washington State University just got recognized for their Climate Friendly Farming initiative.  They have even come up with a way to turn dairy cow manure into electricity!  It will take time for this science to make its way into the mainstream farming industry, but at least there is hope. 

So for now, I think I’ll keep the cheese.  And hope that science finds a way for us to keep the environment safe and enjoy a glass of milk.

A few months ago I gave up eating some of my favorite foods...bacon and hamburgers. Not for my own health...but for our Planet's health.  I had been ignoring all the news about global warming and greenhouse gases...until my Vegan sister educated me...The meat industry accounts  for a large percentage of Methane production, which in turn has a huge impact on climate change.  WOW...Could this be true? So I began to investigate her belief...and turns out she was right.  Some have estimated that raising, processing, and consuming meat accounts for 18 percent of greenhouse emissions worldwide. (MyGreenATL.com)

Which is why there are many groups now advocating at least a reduction in meat consumption worldwide.  One is Meatless Monday, an organization founded by the John Hopkins" Bloomberg School of Public Health.  Their motto is one day a week, give up meat.

Visit their website, which is interesting and easy to navigate, to learn more facts about meat, the environment, and your health.  Plus some amazing recipes for food so delicious, you won't notice the lack of animal protein.

One of the more famous advocates of a meat-free diet is Sir Paul McCartney. He has given his support to the UK version of the movement, Support Meat Free Monday. The site is worth a visit...Paul has recorded a special video which is a Must-see.

So, if you aren't ready to give up eating meat for the good of our planet...that's okay. Just try it one day a week.  It will make a difference.

As a high school student in the 1970s, I had a burning desire to be a part of something meaningful. So, when I entered the Westminster School for Girls and discovered there was a three person Recycling Club, I knew I had to join. Janice, Susan, Moira and I collected glass and cans in front of the school every week.  Then we sorted the glass by color before driving it to Forest Park.  (Forget the pollution we may have caused with this 40 mile roundtrip.)  We were early adopters of what has become a way of life for most people now that everyone realizes the impact of massive garbage and landfills on our environment. Not to mention that most of us now have the convenience of curbside recycling. It may have taken 39 years, but I think everyone feels the responsibility to be a good steward of the Earth and recycle. 

One of the major leaders in the quest to protect the environment is former Vice President Al Gore.  He has taught us a lot about our carbon footprint and what we can do as individuals to be good citizens. And as most of us know, it goes way beyond recycling and includes adjusting our thermostats, unplugging our phone chargers and buying the right light bulbs.  He has made a big impact with his lectures, his book, and his award winning movie An Inconvenient Truth.

And yet Mr. Gore has been silent on the most powerful change we could make to reduce our impact on climate change.  Silent until a few days ago, when he finally acknowledged that eating meat is harmful to the environment because of the global warming impact of raising cattle or pigs.  He hasn't decided to be a Vegetarian himself, but it is a big step to publicly support those who have made that choice.  So thanks Mr. Gore. And just remember, you can have an impact even if you only reduce the amount of meat you consume. So follow the twitter community who have declared Monday's to be Meatless. Check it out next Monday..#MeatlessMonday. You'll get some great recipes and tips for being a Vegetarian.  Let us know how it goes...

The recent Atlanta Floods have impacted everyone in some way. Our local farmers, who supply some fantastic restaurants and markets, are still suffering. Many of them had just planted their fall crops, and now they are lost due to flooding. (PBA’s own Odette Yousef did a recent feature on their plight.) These small business owners are passionate about their mission: to bring Atlanta residents fresh and organic produce. If you shop at any of the Farmer’s Markets you may have already seen some of the efforts to support places like Love is Love Farm. 

Fortunately, a lot of caring people are working to help out our neighbors who grow this wonderful food. Recently some local restaurants have given benefit dinners. I was sorry to miss the one at Woodfire Grill last week featuring a chef designed tasting menu with wine pairings.  Chef Kevin Gillespie is a huge supporter of the farm to table movement, and serves local produce, meats, and seafood in his fantastic restaurant. (And he appears to be on his way to winning Top Chef, so hurry in before reservations are impossible to get. I dined there with friends two weeks ago, and had one of the best meals of my life!!)

But there are still simple ways to help.  All of the Atlanta area Whole Foods, including Harry’s Markets are asking shoppers to give a dime. That is to donate back the 10 cents they refund for each reusable bag you bring in when you shop. The money will go to the Georgia Flooded Farmers Relief Fund.  Plus each month Whole Foods picks a local charity and donates 5% of all proceeds on a specified shopping day.  This month the date is October 21^st.  So go in if you can and stock up on staples or sale items at any Whole Foods.  They will take 5% of what you spend, and give it to the Relief Fund.

Finally, you can donate directly through Slow Food Atlanta.  Local food is an important aspect of climate change, plus it just tastes better! So help if you can.  And if you know of any other efforts, please let us all know by commenting below.

Every week, I try to go to one of the Farmer's Markets to buy fresh, locally grown, and ideally organic vegetables.  And if I go to the grocery store, I try to do the same, although most of that produce is shipped in from distant locations.  Bravo to Whole Foods who is really focusing on the local farmer in many of their stores. 

But, what if you can't get to a Farmer's Market or to Whole Foods? Do you have to buy asparagus from Chile or tomatoes from Mexico?  This weekend, I learned about a growing trend here in Atlanta...the community garden.  I don't have much of a green thumb, so I have never considered "growing my own", but this idea really intrigued me.  Join together with others and share the work (and the results!).  

Thanks to the PBA program This is Atlanta with Alicia Steele,  I discovered there are lots of gardens in Atlanta. There are even people who are available to help community groups get started.  The City Garden is flourishing right here in our town. What a wonderful way to get fresh produce, and as the program noted..to teach our children about eating healthy and delicious food that doesn't come from a drive-thru or out of a box. 

Check it out and see if you can also "grow your own".  Let me know how it works out.

School is back in session for most of metro Atlanta. One of my favorite things as a child was the start of school, the new clothes, and for a period...the new lunchbox with the thermos and a little strap to hold the obligatory sandwich.  At some point, things got too hectic at our house in the mornings (I am the eldest of five) and we were allowed to buy our lunch at school.  I don't remember much about that except it wasn't very good. 

School lunches were not much of a factor for me as a parent.  We lived 3 blocks from the school and my son preferred to come home and make his own lunch.  I understood when I looked at the choices each day...fried this, cheese covered that, canned peas...thank goodness these were things he didn't want to eat.  I remember thinking often, why are they giving these kids such high fat, high sodium and low fiber food for lunch each day? 

So today I wondered what are they eating at school now?  I visited the Atlanta Public Schools site and was pleased to see that Nutrition is an important feature. In fact APS has dedicated a entire site to Nutrition, Wellness, and Fitness that seems designed to benefit the students AND parents.  I learned a few things at the site and actually plan to visit it again.

But I wondered...are the parents reading it?  the students?  And are kids taking their lunch these days or buying at school. 

What are you doing with your kids?

This weekend I found the media was focused on one of my favorite topics...cooking & eating!  First on Saturday, while listening to The Splendid Table on the radio, I learned a new term "cookprint". It turns out we can now measure the carbon footprint from our cooking.  Which makes sense, but I just hadn't thought about it. The tip given is to turn OFF the burner once you put the pasta in the boiling water..just let it sit. Now that 10 minutes of energy may not seem like much, but as with all of these things, if everyone does it everytime they cook pasta, it could make a difference.  The next guest talked about making great cold soups in the blender, using organic veggies and liquids like buttermilk and yogurt.  No cooking at all!  I am going to give it a try.

Then Sunday's NY Times magazine had a wonderful article by Michael Pollan Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch.  He covers everything from Julia Child to the Food Network. His message is we would rather watch people cook now than do it ourselves. It has become a spectator sport, with many shows focused purely on cooking as a competition.  And, I must admit I enjoy seeing Top Chef, Iron Chef, and even Chopped, all fun shows on cable.  So we are sitting on the couch, eating takeout or a frozen dinner, enjoying the spectacle of others making wonderful food. He even predicts that eventually we won't cook at all...why should we?  It is all pre-made, pre-packaged or available to order on the phone.  For anyone who knows Mr. Pollan's work, you have to guess that some bad news must be on the next page...and it was. Turns out, studies have shown that there is a direct relationship between a nation's level of obesity and the amount of home cooked food consumed.  So we are getting fat, watching people cook on TV. HMMM...Mom have you been talking to Mr. Pollan?  Isn't that what we learned growing up. To turn off that TV and get up off the couch and help Mom with dinner?  A dinner that wasn't made from a mix, or full of chemicals.

So, this Saturday, I am off to the Farmer's Market and I plan to cook something. I think I may even turn off the burner before it is done.