Stories from the DVD

Glen Eco Farm

When Marlin Burkholder got an environmental illness, he and his wife Christine had to find a new way to relate to the land if they were going to continue farming. He now stresses sustainability as the goal of his agricultural practices. (See video clip.) - add video clip of host segment on sustainability? The Burkholders also developed a CSA - Community Supported Agriculture. People in the local community can contract with Glen Eco Farm for their produce. This gives Glen Eco Farm the money it needs to operate and in exchange the people receive locally grown, fresh producer.

You can do this:

Does anyone in your community operate a CSA? Check it out.

Food Choices for Peace

Valerie knew that it was a horrible waste of energy to be putting grain into feeding livestock instead of into feeding people. So she decided to become a vegetarian. She later decided that the same grain is going to animals who are giving us dairy products and eggs, and so decided that maybe vegan is a better option. Valerie sees changing her diet as a more holistic way to address the peace issue. Choosing to not eat meat and dairy products means less grains are being fed to the animals, which means that there is a greater amount of grain that can be fed to people who are hungry. Valerie says, “One person CAN make a difference, and if we continue to increase that base of people who are willing to work at a holistic peace, then maybe we can make a greater change in the world when it comes to world hunger.

You can do this:

Talk to someone who’s a vegetarian and find out their reasons. What are other choices you could make that could affect others around the world?

This Little Tomato Went to Market

Watch the video clip – Where does your food come from?

You can do this:

Choose one vegetable you ate yesterday (or the last time you ate a vegetable). Look it up on http://www.cias.wisc.edu/foodshed/

• 1. What is the nutritional difference between that produce raised in an agribusiness model and the same raised organically?
• 2. Is our relationship between our food and our body an issue of peace?
• 3. How does the definition for peace as “everything being the best it can be” fit in this context?

Links:

• The Meatrix - animated spoof of the Matrix dealing with where our food comes from.
• 4-H Horse Farm - learn all about horses through some interactive games.
• Food Routes - Why should you care where your food comes from?
• Ecological footprint - see how many of the Earth's resources you use in this interactive survey.
• Vegetarian tips - 15 tips for vegetarians ranging from ideas of what to eat to how to explain your choice to others.