October 3, 2012 lecture Kellogg Institute/Dev Ed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ffrqr_dYfc&feature=edu&list=PLE7615019A4F25BA5

Food Security, I want it

This summer I spent some time at the fantastic restaurant F.A.R.M. Cafe eating well-prepared local food and occasionally serving/cleaning up.  F.A.R.M. stands for "Feed All, Regardless of Means," and the model of the cafe is that people may pay a suggested sliding scale donation or volunteer for an hour to receive a meal.

One of the things I learned talking with the chef/director was that a number of the students at the local university participated in the volunteer/eat program.  Some of our students experience "food insecurity"--hunger and the inability to access food.

The USDA defines food security as "access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life."

There are a few things that distress me about students and food insecurity.  1) Their hunger is largely invisible.  People who are hungry generally don't want to look like it, and will go out of their way to hide any sign of vulnerability or need.  I am grateful for programs like F.A.R.M. cafe and the student-run food bank at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO, for making food accessible in a way that preserves the dignity of the person. 2) I want to expand the definition of food security.  We are not certain that GMOs, for example, are a safe "edible foodlike substance" to ingest, and in fact there is some evidence that GM wheat is toxic because it contains a protein that humans haven't evolved to digest.  Have you tried eliminating wheat from your diet for a week?  I've been off wheat for a few months and my gut feels much better. In addition to GMOs, what is the risk of the prophylactic antibiotics used in Concentrated Animal Feed Operations (CAFOs) to human health?  What is the risk of pesticide residue on human health directly and through its environmental impact?

In fact, maybe more of us are less food secure than we think.  Do you think organic food is too expensive for most people to buy?  Isn't there something wrong if I can buy 2 toxic taquitos with whoknowswhat kind of meat in them for 99 cents? 

Fort Lewis College's student-run Food Bank

Enjoying the Benefits of Good Clean Living

Perhaps you can file this post under 'common sense,' but I admit I haven't always followed these bits of advice.

I have noticed that making healthy choices, what I'm calling "good clean living," has led to positive health outcomes. (See related post about how academic success is a result of specific actions that students take.)

For example, choosing daily exercise, a good run or bike ride or dogwalk or yoga, or whatever way you like to move your body outdoors, can lead you to good energy and focus during the day and good sleep at night. 

Making choices that lead to a good night's sleep can lead to a fresh morning.  Have your materials ready for the next day.  Go to bed early.  Getting plenty of quality sleep can lead to feeling energized, alert, engaged. Don't make me start quoting Ben Franklin.

Eating nutritious food leads to feeling fueled/energized/healthy and to a happy gastro-intestinal system.

Getting good nutrition and good vascular health also leads to good sexual health.  That's nice too.  Making good choices about planning ahead for protection feels empowering and frees the mind to enjoy.

Practicing good mental hygeine, including avoiding synthetic drama, leads to clearer thinking, more balance, integrity and stability.

Exercising moderation with alcohol and other substances (including sugar!) leads to less drama for the liver, pancreas and gall bladder.

Flossing.  My dentist has a sign in his office that reads "Floss only the teeth you want to keep." I like taking care of my teeth, and I positively beam with pride when my hygenist praises me at each cleaning.  "I wish more of my patients were like you, Karen."

Letter to the Editor 10/9

Dear Editor,

The Alamosa Mosquito Control District is meeting Tuesday, October 9^th, at 6pm in the district office 511 4^th Street in Alamosa to discuss the 2013 budget.

In this meeting, the board will discuss how much to tax the district and on what those tax revenues should be spent: targeted larvacide vs diffused aerial spray, for example.  Larvacide may be upwards of 90% effective for killing baby mosquitoes, while the aerial spraying is moderately effective at best and is shown to be too broad of a killer, threatening the health of non-target species such as honeybees and humans.

I personally do not wish to have tax dollars spent on aerial spraying operations and urge the district to allocate the majority of their mosquito controls dollars to larvacide which is specifically applied to areas where mosquito larvae are present and which targets just the mosquito larvae.  Other districts in Colorado have moved their mosquito control efforts in this direction as well, abandoning aerial spraying because of its unproven effectiveness and prohibitive cost.

This summer, the district purchased an airplane which sits unused.  Purchasing decisions like this one show that the district is collecting much more revenue than it needs, and perhaps it is time to reduce the tax rate to 3%. If you are interested in how your property taxes are spent, I urge you to learn more about the proposed budget for 2013 and express your opinions in person, by phone or by email to 719-589-5409 or moscasa@mosquitobytes.org.

Thank you,

Karen Lemke

College Readiness Faculty to Faculty meeting at Alamosa High School

Here is a word cloud (thank you wordle.net) from a meeting I had this week which included faculty from Adams State College, Trinidad State Junior College, Alamosa High School and Ortega Middle School to discuss the challenges our students face to be "College Ready."

I don't have all the answers, but I'm grateful to be in the conversation.  I'll be attending the monthly Colorado Remedial Education Policy Review task force meeting May 25th and will bring the comments with me.  I'll also bring these ideas with me to the Kellogg Institute (a month-long fellowship to work on our near-peer mentoring project and/or other interventions to support students).