The Grazing Mind

According to this, one-third of the world’s food is lost or wasted each year. That’s food actually produced for people, not wasted bananas that fall off the tree… stats like that really put the work we do with Community Food Share (CFS) into perspective.

As Adam mentioned a few weeks back, our annual fundraising event for CFS has been going strong through most of May. It’s one of WhiteWave’s biggest community service projects, and one that makes a real difference to hundreds of families in our area that count on the food bank every day. The drive ended yesterday, and the people here did not disappoint.

Through online donations, individually organized events (33 in total) which ranged from bake sales; raffles; kickball; even a poker tournament (raised $3,000 dollars by itself); we donated more than $55,000. And with the company match, we’ll be delivering more than $110,000 to CFS. That’s equal to more than 465,700 meals.

Granted, we haven’t fixed anything. But it is a small contribution to the problems associated with that story we referenced earlier in the post. And these small contributions help ensure that we keep drawing a connection between what we value, and what we do.

To see how you can help out with food banks in your area, click here.

Building off Luana’s post from earlier in the week, I thought it would be cool to recognize some other amazing givers outside our offices that are truly inspiring.

I’m a firm believer in embracing the inspiration to give whenever it moves you, But I think it’s also important to recognize the many who are dedicated to giving year round. One example - Homegirl Café in Los Angeles where founder Patricia Zarate hires and trains women who might otherwise be pulled into gangs. Not only do the new hires get cooking and barista experience, the restaurant’s new vertical garden offers a lesson in sustainability and local agriculture.

Of course it’s not the only one of its kind – Check out FareStart Restaurant in Seattle, Plates Café and Catering in Sacramento and Crossroads Café in San Francisco.

And in our neck of the woods, Same Café in Denver doesn’t offer a set menu or prices – patrons offer what they think their meal was worth, or even more to help out those who are less fortunate in the community. If someone cannot offer a dollar amount, the restaurant encourages donating an hour of service.

Definitely looking to make a field trip to see that kind of heart in person, and give a little bit back myself.

In honor of Non-GMO day today, here are a few links to help you:

1. Find retailers who are participating near you

2. Hear what our Silk brand’s vice president thinks about the issues around GMOs

3. Hear what scientists recently found out about genetically modified corn (not good news)

Wait for it, there’s a message at the end…

Recently I stumbled across a very interesting, 20 minute online film called The Story of Stuff, which uses simple and easy-to-understand narration and stick figure cartoons to expose the cycle of wastefulness in current society.  The movie was the brainchild of environmental activist Annie Leonard who spent 10 years researching the topic and wanted to share her findings in a witty and engaging way that would inspire, not scold.

The Story of Stuff peels back the layers of a complicated process to show us where all our stuff comes from and, more importantly, where it all goes once we throw it away. Highlighting what’s wrong with the current model of extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal, Leonard shines a light on why it’s so critical to chuck the old-school throwaway mind-set and move towards a less linear and more renewable system, one that’s focused on closed loop production sustainability, zero waste, equity, green chemistry, renewable energy and local living economies.

Since its release in 2007, The Story of Stuff has garnered over 12 million on-line views, making it one of the most widely viewed environmental-themed short films of all time.

Leonard was recently featured in the Los Angeles Times where she was quoted, saying “I’ve been reading about the emerging science of happiness. It turns out that after our basic needs are met, more stuff doesn’t make us happy. It’s the quality of our relationships. It’s coming together around shared goals.”

Cheers to that.

To view the film and learn more about what you can do to reduce the amount of stuff in the world, visit www.storyofstuff.com.

The three rules of dumpster diving:

1. Never take more than you need… unless you find it a good home

2. First ones to the dumpster have first dibs… but you always gotta share

3. Leave it cleaner than you found it

These rules were developed by the makers of Dive!; a documentary that follows filmmaker Jeremy Seifert and friends as they dumpster dive in the back alleys and gated garbage receptacles of Los Angeles’ supermarkets. In the process, they salvage thousands of dollars worth of good, edible food. But after a while of feeding his own family, Jeremy begins to question why this food isn’t finding room on the plates of more people that need it. He underscores this important question with an overwhelming statistic:  “Every year in America we throw away 96 billion pounds of food. Which means we’re feeding our landfills as much we’re feeding our country”.

Since releasing the film, Jeremy and crew have been on a grassroots crusade to fix the problem. Their message is simple: Take the food we throw out – give it to people who can’t afford it. Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy way to do that.

Just about every grocery store in America is required by law to take food off the shelf after a certain amount of time. That doesn’t mean the food is rotten, though, or that grocery stores have to toss good food in the garbage bin.  Many retailers, in fact, have developed great programs to get this food to nearby food banks. But they can’t do it every day. To do so would be a massive undertaking requiring the support of all stakeholders: food companies, retailers, non-profits, consumers and government.

As a food company, we know we play an important role in creating a solution, which is why last week we invited the makers of Dive! and Congressman Jared Polis (who’s doing some great things in the realm of ending childhood hunger) to screen the film and discuss ideas around finding a solution. Some great ideas were presented, a healthy discussion ensued, and moving forward we’ve all committed to keep the dialogue going not just among the Dive! folks, WhiteWave and Congressman Polis, but with all our contacts across government, the retailers we work with and consumers who buy our products.

Stay tuned to TGM for more updates on how this project progresses, and in the meantime you should definitely check out Dive!. You should probably “Like” their Facebook page too…

We’ve touched on urban farming before, mostly discussing success stories. Great stories, no doubt. But great stories don’t always have to be about success, as this recent article from GOOD about a failed urban garden points out.

A guy named Manny takes to his backyard and attempts to grow enough food to sustain himself for a month. He starts with a promising plan, but issues with aquaponics, low-libidoed rabbits, and the first tornado to hit his town in 118 years (high winds = low crop yield) unfortunately lead to Manny failing.

But as premised earlier the story here isn’t about the garden’s failure as much as it is about Manny rekindling his relationship with food. After seeing first hand how hard it is to bring food from seed to table, I bet he has a much deeper respect for the food he eats and where he gets it.

It’s an idea that echos the current state of urban farming – it isn’t about feeding the world (yet). The current state is about people connecting with what they eat, with where it comes from, and not just what they grow in the backyard. Urban farming, famer’s markets, home gardens – they bring us closer to all food, from the grocery store to the deli. That’s a big first step in how society is beginning to shape the future of food. More and more people are starting to pay attention and ask questions. As a food company we’re paying close attention to that, and thinking about the bigger question of how to best feed the world.

If you’re hanging in or around Boulder this week, before the LOHAS conference next week, swing by Bombay Bistro this Thursday night where we’ll be hanging out with friends from Gaiam, Elephant Journal and W1SDØM. Great libations, great conversations. Also, Door prizes and a chance to win a free one day pass to the LOHAS conference.

For more details, and to RVSP…

This might surprise some of you that know me, but I once sold grilled cheese sandwiches at Phish shows. It was a short lived little venture in my twenties, but I tell you this because I know firsthand about spreading joy via grilled cheese.

Reading Triple Pundit the other day, I realized I had missed an opportunity to be more altruistic with my grilled cheese sales. I stumbled upon this article about other people harnessing the universal power of a grilled cheese made with local and organic ingredients.  Feel Good World is founded on faith in the innate goodness of people, coupled with the belief that given the right tools we can all be agents of change. They believe they can end world hunger one grilled cheese at a time.

Just like the same Cafe here in Denver, the Feel Good student-run Delis work on the “pay what you can” principle with a donation jar instead of a cash register. The Delis, which are located on college campuses,  donate 100% of proceeds to “organizations with a proven track record of sustainably eradicating extreme global poverty and empowering self-reliance.”  Since its inception, FeelGood has donated almost $1 million to help end world hunger.

There are currently 23 chapters on college campuses across the country, including Penn State, Clemson and Berkeley with plans to add 10 more in the upcoming school year. It’s just such a cool idea, I wish I was in college so I could start a chapter. I already have the mad grilled cheese skills.

Last Friday, a couple hundred WhiteWavers partnered with more than 15 Denver/Boulder organizations for our first annual Impact Day – a volunteer event designed to get out of the office and help out in the community. We’re hearing so many great stories from the day, which we’ll soon share here on The Grazing Mind… but in the meantime, check out a few snapshots of what went down:

Kris LaFirenza helping clear a community garden plot at Boulder's Growing Gardens. The organization's mission is to enrich the lives of Boulder County residents through environmentally sustainable gardening programs that empower people to experience a direct and deep connection with plants, the land and each other. www.growinggardens.org

Tyler Holm pulling weeds at the Shoenberg Farm in Westminster, Colo. The Farm creates a community performance venue for music, theatre and film, and provides an ideal location for a year-round Farmers’ Market

Deanna Bratter and Sarah VanHouten plant trees and shrubs in a wetlands preserve near Boulder, Colo.

One of the larger WWFC groups at Feed Denver, helping build an urban farm plot in a parking lot downtown. Feed Denver’s mission is to foster local food security and sustainability through the development of urban farming by providing innovative tools, techniques and training for individuals, organizations and disadvantaged communities. www.feeddenver.com