Chef Ryan

Cajun Chef Ryan

Feeling & sharing a world of cooking ~ more than your average Cajun



 



Happy Earth Day – Can You Sustain It?

April 22nd, 2009 · 11 Comments

Fresh MintNo doubt for those who reside in North America you know it is Earth Day, celebrated April 22, it is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment. It is held annually during both spring in the northern hemisphere and  autumn in the southern hemisphere. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries every year.

What follows are a few noteworthy items of interest that I came across today. And then I’ll wrap up with a few new things on the Cajun Chef Ryan (CCR) blog that I started today.

This year’s Earth Day will see the launch of the Green Generation(tm)  Campaign; a  two-year project that will end on the 40th anniversary of  Earth Day in 2010.

The special focus areas of the Green Generation(tm) Campaign will be:

  • A carbon-free future based on renewable energy that will end our common dependency on fossil fuels, including coal.
  • An individual’s commitment to responsible, sustainable  consumption.
  • Creation of a new green economy that lifts people out of poverty  by creating millions of quality green jobs and transforms the global education system into a green one.

On Facebook today, Donna McLoughlin of Slow Food Urban San Deigo posted a link to Fertile Ground USA a site that Celebrates the people behind the plow, a zine investigating the sustainability of sustainable agriculture cropping up. This got me to digging more and as I read a few more articles it hit me that I needed to add a new link category to the CCR blog, more on that later.

This past weekend the Wake Forest Herb Festival started in what is now a 10 day event. And after dropping $197 on plants including many culinary herbs, vegetables, heirloom tomatoes and perennial flowers,  we then trotted home Sunday afternoon and planted 1/2 of them in the ground just before the rain set in.  The tomatoes got put into 4 deck planters yesterday afternoon and now only 8 more herbs remain to be set into the ground.

Also, today I ran across the the NO GMO Challenge, a 30 day challenge to avoid all foods with GMO’s. It’s a rolling challenge — you can join in anytime. You can also participate as long as you like. You don’t have to stop at 30 days.  GMO’s – short for genetically modified organisms – are man-made organisms created in a laboratory and patented by a corporation or the USDA. GMO’s are created by a process called genetic engineering.

A weekend of planting in the garden, the Wake Forest Herb Festival, Earth Day today, a Facebook posting and the No GMO Challenge  got my wheels turning and so this has led to my new link (blogroll) category on the CCR blog:

Sustainability

And with the new sustainability category there are three new links and the No GMO widget with the hope of adding more as I grow this new focus.  Which is similar in focus to that of the “Slow food” movement, it is my hope to contribute in this idea as a way of living and as a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.

Tags: Sustainability

11 responses so far ↓

  • 1 curiousdomestic // Apr 22, 2009 at 5:25 pm

    CCR’s Born on the Bayou should be your blog’s theme song. Happy Earth Day!

  • 2 s. stockwell // Apr 22, 2009 at 10:38 pm

    Bravo! That is the big question? Can we actually put all of these good life survival techniques to work day after day and make a difference. We are working on it! Thanks for this and best from Santa Barbara, s

  • 3 Cajun Chef Ryan // Apr 23, 2009 at 8:59 am

    Hi CuriousD,
    You know I just realized last week that CCR is also the initials for Credence Clearwater Revival too! Yes, “Born on the Bayou” would be a perfect theme song!

    Sharon,
    Baby steps by doing just one new thing here and there adds up to a lot over the course of time.

    Regards,
    CCR =:~)

  • 4 PinkFoodie // Apr 23, 2009 at 1:46 pm

    WOW. I just gained a wealth of knowledge from reading this post. I will definitely try to be more conscious of the foods that I purchase. 🙂

  • 5 Vinny Bond // Apr 23, 2009 at 4:12 pm

    I am excited about having an herb/vegetable garden this year after three without anyplace to plant.

  • 6 The Hungry Mouse // Apr 23, 2009 at 4:38 pm

    Oh wow, thanks for all the great info and links!

    +Jessie

  • 7 Jo // Apr 23, 2009 at 4:43 pm

    What a great post Chef! Great information! Thank you so much!

  • 8 Gabi // Apr 23, 2009 at 9:47 pm

    Excellent post for Earth Day!! Love the fact that you mentioned the Slow Food movement – there are many similarities and interconnections between the two!!

    Cheers!
    Gabi.

  • 9 Tangled Noodle // Apr 24, 2009 at 2:43 pm

    Thanks for the great links!

  • 10 Robert-Gilles Martineau // May 26, 2009 at 6:53 am

    Dear Ryan!
    Greetings!
    First of all, did I ever tell you you have a French surname! I wonder which region of France it originated from. I’ll have to check that!
    Interestingly enough, I was trying to persuade some of my Japanese university students they would do well to go back to the “country” and grow more food as some young people are already doing here. Japan produces only 30% of its food, but Shizuoka Prefecture is the only Prefecture in Japan that can survive on its own food for 6 months!
    To think that France produces 130% of its own food needs,…
    Cheers,
    Robert-Gilles

  • 11 Ryan Boudreaux // May 26, 2009 at 10:41 am

    Hello Robert-Gilles,
    I cannot remember the French region of origin, however, I am a descendant of the Cajun-French Acadians who emigrated to Canada from France and then ultimately to south Louisiana.

    Regards,
    Ryan