February 27th, 2012 7:00-9:00pm: Discussion on Local Food with Dr. Joseph Heckman

"Anonymous Commodity Producer or Artisan Farmer with a Face, Who is Your Farmer and Why?

Dr. Joseph Heckman, Ph.D. is a Professor of Soil Science at Rutgers University. Working with Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Dr. Heckman’s programs support healthy plant and animal ecosystems with the goal of establishing nutritious food systems for human health and sustainable communities.

Recommended reading: The Dirty Life:

On Farming, Food and Love, by Kristin Kimball

Location:
East Brunswick Public Library
Meeting Room 1
2 Jean Walling Civic Center  East Brunswick, NJ 08816-3529

Please RSVP: Therlam@yahoo.com

Jan. 23, 7-9 pm at the East Brunswick Public Library

The topic will be Energy Efficiency: “The Whole House Approach”. Dave Mayer from General Heating and Cooling will discuss why energy conservation is an especially important issue today, how to reduce the carbon footprint in the home, available rebates, tax credits and loans, and do-it-yourself measures to reduce utility bills. Optional: Bring a copy of your recent energy bill. Refreshments will be served—bring your own mug.

Suggested reading: Hot, flat, and crowded : why we need a green revolution--and how it can renew America / Thomas L. Friedman


The following are selected slides from David Mayer's PowerPoint presentation:

How a Home Uses Energy
Where a typical home can waste energy?
Getting an energy audit
Available state rebates 

"On Food" PowerPoint

Click here for the PowerPoint for the November 29th meeting, "On Food"
This PowerPoint contains links that will provide additional resources that complement the presentation.

"On Food" is Tuesday, November 29th 7:00-9:00pm

Come join our discussion “On Food”. We will discuss how and where to buy locally produced groceries, taste local purchased and prepared foods, and talk about key ideas of the book “The Town That Food Saved” by Ben Hewitt. Reading the book is optional.

Over the past few years, Hardwick, Vermont, a typical hardscrabble farming community of 3,000 residents, has jump-started its economy and redefined its self-image through a local, self-sustaining food system unlike anything else in America. Even as the recent financial downturn threatens to cripple small businesses and privately owned farms, a stunning number of food-based businesses have grown in the region. The Town That Food Saved is rich with appealing, colorful characters, from the optimistic upstarts creating a new agricultural model to the long-established farmers wary of the rapid change in the region.

Hewitt, a journalist and Vermonter, delves deeply into the repercussions of this groundbreaking approach to growing food, both its astounding successes and potential limitations. The captivating story of an unassuming community and its extraordinary determination to build a vibrant local food system, The Town That Food Saved is grounded in ideas that will revolutionize the way we eat and, quite possibly, the way we live. ~Amazon.com

Click here for a review from Slow Food USA. 

Click here for the East Brunswick Jersey Cat Inter-library loan request page for regular and audio books 

Click here for reviews & discussion of central concepts from Coup d' Etat Films

November 1st Meeting, 7:00-9:00: A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold

Our next Green Book Club meeting is just one week away. If you would like to attend but have not yet picked up a copy of Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac, send an email to Therlam@yahoo.com. I have an extra copy to lend. Skim the book if time is short, or just take a glance at the Sand County Almanac discussion guide (click here).  This guide summarizes key concepts of conservation and poses some thoughtful questions on our community, our connections with the world, our actions based on the decisions we make, and the resulting impacts. Leopold is considered the father of wildlife management and regarded the most influential conservationist of the twentieth century. Even if you did not have the chance to read, come join us for some an engaging discussion, and enjoy a taste of some local food.

A second, more detailed, chapter by chapter discussion guide can be found here: Discussion Guide for a Sand County Almanac. We may also use this guide if time permits.  

An excerpt from A Sand County Almanac:

When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. There is no other way for land to survive the impact of mechanized man, nor for us to reap from it the esthetic harvest it is capable, under science, of contributing to culture. That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics. That land yields a cultural harvest is a fact long known, but latterly often forgotten. (p. viii)

For more on Aldo Leopold:

http://www.aldoleopold.org/

I have 2 extra Copies of "A Sand County Almanac" for our next meeting.

Next meeting date: November 1st, 7:00-9:00 pm. I just picked up 2 copies of A Sand County Almanac from Raconteur Books, Metuchen. If anyone would like a copy to read for the meeting, please send me an email: Therlam@yahoo.com

Discussion Guide for A Sand County Almanac

Liti found the discussion guide for our next book discussion on A Sand County Almanac. Thank you Liti!

We will use the questions contained in this guide as a part of our discussion: A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold  It may also be helpful to read this guide along with the book prior to the meeting so we can develop our answers and ideas that we wish to share. 

Please keep in mind that the book is not available at the library. You can request it through an inter-library loan through the library and JerseyCat. You are also welcomed to use this blog to put up a request to borrow the book from other members who have already read the book.

We are looking forward to seeing you all at 7:00 on November 1st at the library!