Chico, Sustainable

My wife and I rented King Corn last week, a well-done, 90-minute documentary about two recent college grads who decide to learn about the corn industry in the U.S. by growing an acre of it.

I was very impressed by the documentary. The filmmakers didn’t employ “in your face” factoids to drive home their point, nor did they make the people they interviewed come across as fools a la Michael Moore.

Rather, they told the story like it is, respectfully interviewing all of the players and allowing the audience to come to their own conclusions.

My conclusions were that high fructose corn syrup, corn oil, and corn-based malodextrin do not need to be a part of my diet, and that corn should be grown as food for people rather than feed for cattle or fuel for my car.

Continue reading "King Corn" »

Posted by jmiller at 08:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

G.R.U.B. benefit concerts have outgrown the Chico Peace and Justice Center, and will instead be holding an 11-band extravaganza at the Chico Women's Club on Thursday, May 15 at 6:30 p.m.

These guys continue to rock. While the money made from the benefit will go towards the purchase of farming tools, seeds, and help fund internship programs and school garden efforts, it won't go towards fuel costs.

This is because G.R.U.B. (Growing Resourcefully, Uniting Bellies) is almost entirely a bike-dependent operation, ranging from the delivery of CSA produce boxes to the collection of food waste from 6 local restaurants for use in composting operations.

The cost is $9, and that includes a veggie-curry dinner.

Please walk or bike if you are able.

Posted by jmiller at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Once more with the gasoline math.

This time its not hypothetical, its personal.

I took a sub job at Pleasant Valley High School yesterday, which, according to Google Maps, is 3.4 miles from my house, a 10 minute drive mostly on Cohasset and East Avenue at less than 35 mph.

Round-trip is 6.8 miles.

At 24 mpg, I would burn 0.28 gallons of gas getting there and back.

At $3.80/gallon, it would cost me $1.07 to travel just under 7 miles.

Did I mention that it is a pleasant 20 minute bike ride along Lindo Channel to get from my house to PV?

Posted by jmiller at 04:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tuesday, May 13 will be the third in a series of "Key Issues" workshops hosted by the the City of Chico to gain public input for the new Chico General Plan. The focus of this workshop will be "Circulation/Mobility and Public Services." The workshops are taking place at the California Park Lakeside Pavilion from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The city describes the General Plan "as the blueprint for the future. It represents the community's vision, a constitution made up of goals and policies to direct decision making." It covers everything from land use to historic building preservation to city recreation facilities.

I am very wary of this plan. I have doubts about both its strength as a document, and I have concerns about the ability of our city officials to see it implemented.

Continue reading "Wary of the General Plan" »

Posted by jmiller at 05:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I hate buying clothes. It is part of the genetic coding of many guys.

But sadly, even the hardiest pair of jeans can only be worn and washed so many times.

I had two pair that had so many holes that I was risking being arrested for indecent exposure. My wife was pleading with me to buy some replacements.

With the "3-R" mantra in my head, I went not to the Chico Mall but instead to the Salvation Army, where I knew that plenty of options would be available to me.

I have purchased many thrift store Hawaiian t-shirts, but this was my first foray into clothes for the waist down.

For those that wish to follow in my pant legs, here is a word of advice: You will not be able to try on any of the pants in the story, so know your size ahead of time, and don't risk purchasing anything smaller than your size or anything bigger than 1" on the waist.

Though I know for many not being able to try on items to see if they fit right would be annoying, for me it was actually quite liberating as it meant spending less time in the store.

I made three purchases, all were the same waist size. When I got home, I found one was snug, one fit well, and the third fit with about 1/2" of breathing room.

At $6.50/pair, I think I did pretty well.

And I also purchased a Hawaiian t-shirt for less than the cost of a Starbuck's frappucino

I am searching for a location that will be able to recycle the material from my old pants. I have heard of some companies that take used blue jeans and use them as home insulation material. Does anyone have any information on where I might drop off my old jeans?

Posted by jmiller at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Back in November I wrote that a person who normally averages 24 miles per gallon could potentially improve that to 27 mpg by lowering one's speed 5 mph on the highway and by accelerating gradually from stops, This increase in fuel efficiency would be worth about $5.00 over 300 miles of driving.

For SUV drivers, an increase from 18 mpg to 21 mpg would result in more than $8.00 saved over 300 miles.

That was at $3.40/gallon. Now that gas is just reaching $4.00/gallon, I just wanted to update you.

At $4.00/gallon, an improvement in fuel efficiency from 24 mpg to 27 mpg is now worth $5.60 for every 300 miles of driving.

An improvement from 18 mpg to 21 mpg is now worth $9.60.

Slow down on the highway. Mellow on the acceleration. Burn less fuel. Save some money.

Posted by jmiller at 08:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I got up close and personal with my sprinklers the other day, but it was worth it. Call me Captain Obvious, but I found out that with a screwdriver, my hands, ten minutes of time and lack over concern about getting wet, I can both control the rotation of each sprinkler head (how far it rotates to the right and left) as well as spray of the water (a continuum from “fan” to “jet”).

Adjusting the two screws on each sprinkler head is all it takes. Though you do need to do it while it is on, which will require a willingness to get a little wet.

This, combined with the half-hour I spent last year learning how to properly program the sprinkler timer, allows me full control of the time, duration, and coverage of my sprinklers.

And by watering properly, I can water less, as now my sprinklers no longer water my driveway, the sidewalk, or the exterior walls of the house.

I think I might just keep a screwdriver in my backpack, just in case I see someone who hasn’t figured it out yet.

I’ll give them an adjustment. Well, their sprinklers, at least.

Posted by jmiller at 07:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Please join me for a four-week Sustainability Class starting May 14, it will be held on consecutive Wednesdays from 7:00 p.m. - 8: 30 p.m. The class will cover "ideas, tips, discussions and hands-on activities in support of the quest to live a healthy and meaningful life in Chico, while ensuring that future generations will be able to do the same."

I am also leading a backpacking trip this summer. That's my buddy Dan pictured at one of my favorite secret locations in the Sierras. I have some similar spots scoped out for this trip, which will take placed August 7-11 (Thursday-Monday):

"Escape the valley heat for backpacking the way it was meant to be: lots of lakes, few people, mountain wildflowers and Sierra stars. This trip is perfect for beginners! In addition to gaining an overview of basic backpacking skills, we will prepare gourmet meals, swim and fish in mountain lakes and learn the natural history of Tahoe National Forest. Food and group camping gear will be provided."

During this trip I be modeling how backpackers, too, can reduce their impact as they enjoy the backcountry. But never fear, we will be bringing toilet paper.

Both classes are being offered through the Chico Area Recreation and Park District (CARD).

Posted by jmiller at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The other day I caught a few minutes of an NPR interview with Michael Pollan, who was promoting his new book, In Defense of Food, An Eater's Manifesto. One thing discussed was where one actually finds food, as opposed to processed soy or corn-derived "food products." Farmers markets were mentioned, as were the periphery of supermarkets--Fresh meat and produce are almost always located on the store's perimeter, while nearly everything in the middle aisles is canned, boxed, or packaged in some way: 'Not' Food. (just because something is FDA approved for human consumption doesn't mean you should eat it).

I drove a short three miles out to Pyramid Farms a few days ago to pick up some roles of t-tape that was being donated to G.R.U.B. While I was there owner Matthew Martin was kind enough to give me a tour to show me the true source of my some of my favorite foods.

I am a regular purchaser of Pyramid Farms beets and carrots in the winter and eggplants and sweet peppers in the summer.

To be frank, the first thing that I noticed was the weeds. Lots of weeds--Grass, bindweed, wild radish. As this is an organic farm, these are tolerated, and when necessary kept at bay by tilling, cardboard, and mowing. Also there was the smell of growing things everywhere--No chemicals, just plants and pollen and soil. Finally, there was the notable lack of massive farm machinery--I didn't see any John Deere combines with air-conditioned cabs hovering 15 feet off the ground, nothing with wheels bigger than my car. Sure, there was some farm-related equipment, but even so, I could tell this was very much a hands-on endeavor.

Nothing highlighted this more than the two greenhouses, packed with trays of individually potted tomato, eggplant, basil, and pepper starts. The tomatoes were due to be set in the ground later in the week.

Sadly, I wasn't able to divulge from Matthew the secret of his super-sweet carrots.

Posted by jmiller at 08:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My mailbox is like a vast, empty void.
My mailbox is like a hot-air balloon hanger with no balloon.
My mailbox is like the belly of a starving whale.
My mailbox is like in the inside of a kid-free Ford Excursion.
My mailbox is like the Great Hall at Hogwarts when the students are on vacation.

My mailbox is mostly empty,
free of the Shopper News mailer;
free of the Mailbox Merchants mailer;
and free of the Market Value Place mailer.

I called them all, sometimes more than once, and asked to be removed from the mailing lists.

And I was.

My mailbox is mostly empty, and I like the open spaces.

Posted by jmiller at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)