Cold Weather-Can the plants survive??

        I believe today was my last day of composting with the 4th grade and in the senior commons. I would like to continue, but the bin that I dump it in might overload soon- it's getting pretty full. I am debating whether to continue for a little longer after Christmas. Hmmm... also, it has been so bitterly cold outside, I'm not sure whether my plants will survive... I have been putting on the tarps at nightime so as to keep them warm... or warmer, but there's only so much I can do. I have a bad feeling that they're going to die- they are a little wilty. Maybe I should just let them die and then replant once it gets a little warmer, because I honesty don't see much hope. Hmmm... at least there will be the planting of the potatoes in February. And at least I got to harvest raddishes with the 4th graders last Friday. They were really excited about the whole ordeal and I think they are going to donate them to the Soup Kitchen. Though it's not much produce, it's the experience of growing and harvesting that's really important.
Anyways, now that my research paper is done, next semester I'll have more time to read more about organic food and buying seasonably. I really want to read the Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. He is supposedly the food guru. The good thing about this project is that there are always things I can add to it if something unfortunate, such as the dying of my plants, happens. I can always plant more, continue to compost, read a book about it, etc. Well, that's all for now! Peace out until after Christmas Break! WOOOO!!!

The First Raddish

       Last Sunday, my dad and I covered up the plants because it was going to be really cold that night. We used 2 of our own tarps to cover 2 beds and the last tarp we had to purchase from Lowes. I was rather worried about the well-being of my plants because it was supposed to get below freezing that night. I left my plants covered the next day as well because it was bitterly cold outside. Tuesday, I uncovered them to discover them a little shriveled. But, they perked up again when I checked on them the next day. Yesterday, I went to uncover them only to discover my first raddish! It was actually growing outside of the beds on the actual ground, which I thought was funny. Anyways, so I was curious to see how far along the row of raddishes were inside of the beds and discovered that they are all ready to be harvested! They are all popping above the dirt in anticipation of being picked. So, I brought back that first raddish and showed everyone in my excitement. Mrs. Lummus and Mrs. Zion were especially excited for me. In celebration of my success, I taped the first raddish above the doorway of the Senior Commons. Everyone treated it as mistle toe, except instead of kissing, everyone was hip-bumping. It was a good day.
      Anyways, so on Friday, I am going to take the 4th grade class out to see the garden and help me pick the raddishes. Mrs. Lummus wants to give the produce to the Soup Kitchen as a gift from their class because they are going to volunteer at the Soup Kitchen in January. Even though there are not that many raddishes so as to make a significant difference at the Soup Kitchen, it's the thought that counts. Or I suggested that some of the students may want to take home some of the raddishes. I would like to have a day where we enjoy the vegetables we grow by eating them as a class, but unfortunately, raddishes aren't especially popular with kids. Anyways, the research paper is due tomorrow and I'm excited to get if off my chest. Because I did most of the work in the rough draft, I didn't have to stress over it much this week. I edited it last Saturday and was, for the most part, done with it then. That's about it for now. Until next week!

Artificial Sweetener vs. Sugar

As part of my Senior Project, I decided to write a health article for The Silver Scroll on sugar . Here it is:

Myth: diet soda is better for you than regular soda. Fact: It’s worse.

Think Diet Soda is healthier than regular soda? Think again. I’m sure most of you are wary of all the warnings and risks that everything seems to have these days. If you stand in front of the microwave, such and such might possibly happen to you, which can result in death. If you use electronics, which most everyone does, you have the risk of getting a brain tumor transmitted through the radio-frequency. You are probably thinking, “anything might give me cancer, so why bother trying to avoid the bad stuff?” Well, if you don’t at least attempt to avoid the bad stuff (like artificial sweetener), then, in the long run, something serious might really happen. It obviously has happened to people before- I mean, where do you think they get these “warnings” from? Real life! So, here is the cliché list of potential side-effects from using artificial sweetener that you probably won’t take seriously: loss of vision, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, memory loss, visual impairment, weight gain, increased cancer risk (I know you saw that one coming), and even death.  Sound worth it? I think I’ll take stevia with my coffee please (I’ll get to stevia later).

Asking yourself which is the best sweetener to use is like asking, as Dr. Joseph Mercola, author of Sweet Deception puts it, “which would you rather be hit in the head with, a baseball bat or a golf club?” They are both detrimental to one’s health. Girls, you may think you’re doing yourself a favor by buying the diet soda, but the fact is that diet soda does not help shed the pounds.  Studies have shown that it does exactly the opposite. How? Artificial sweetener stimulates your appetite, making you want to eat more than your metabolism can handle. This has been proven with rats. In an experiment, one group of rats was fed yogurt sweetened with artificial sweetener while another group was fed regular yogurt for 14 days. During this time, the first group’s intake of food drastically increased compared to the second group’s food intake. Yes, this applies to the human body as well. Scientists also discovered that the first group of rats’ body temperatures dramatically decreased, meaning their metabolism slowed down. Artificial sweetener not only causes you to eat more, but it causes your metabolism to slow down, which is a double whammy! 

So, what is the solution? Certainly not to resort back to sugar! Sugar, though not as bad for you as artificial sweeteners, still has its definite downfall. First off, it is addictive. Research studies indicate that “sugar may be similar to morphine and heroin in its ability to increase opioids in your brain that produce pleasure” (Sweet Deception). This explains the diabetes explosion in America over the past ten years- we can’t control our own insatiable cravings! Did you know that Americans, on average, eat an estimated 158 pounds of sugar per year? And sugar consumption rates are climbing higher all the time in the U.S. Obviously, sugar is not the answer to our dilemma. Is there a healthy substitute for sugar? Yes: Stevia. Stevia has no calories, and has been tested and deemed safe for consumption (though, haven’t all sweeteners?). It has no effects on blood sugar levels (in fact, it has been proven to help stabilize blood sugar levels) and is the least processed sweetener out there. Instead of causing diabetes like real sugar does, the stevia plant has been often used as a remedy. The good news is there are no reported side-effects of stevia- it’s 100% safe! It is exceptionally sweeter than sugar, so usage of it should be in very small amounts; a pinch will go a long way. Using stevia does take some practice, but the long-term benefits of leaving sugar and other artificial sweeteners behind make the adjustment worth it. Where to find it? A local health store. Trust me, it’s worth the investment.

Garden, Compost, Research Paper

So, I have some bad news... apparently I didn't qualify for the grant I spent 3 hours applying for, which is a huge dissapointment! Mrs. Price and I checked to make sure I was eligible for this grant, but I guess we missed something. Supposedly I'm supposed to be affiliated with a public school somehow, but I thought I could be affiliated with a private oganization (which would be Oakbrook). Hopefully I'll be able to apply for another grant before the year is over. I will be looking at other grant options during the 2nd semester, but until then, I've got too much on my plate. I still have some major corrections to make on my research paper. I need to add at least 4 or 5 more sources to my paper, which is already 16 pages long. This is a problem. I really want to stick to my original thesis, focusing on the how buying local organic food is better for the environment, one's health, and the economy, but that topic turned out to be a much larger area to cover than I anticipated. I'm finding that I could go on and on about those three things and probably write a 25 page paper easily. I wish there wasn't a page limit- and I'm not trying to sound like a nerd. We shall see.

As for the garden, the plants continue to grow, though some are suffering. I think it's because they require more water than I'm able to give. I try to water them every day and on the weekends, but sometimes I can't water them on one day of the weekend because I'm out of town or something. I water them every school day, though. As for the composting, it's still going. I'm debating whether or not I should end the compost once Christmas break arrives. Or else, it will become massive and overwhelming. I still go by the 4th grade, now about only 2 times a week, to empty the compost with them. They also take turns watering the plants. Every time I come by the get my three volunteers, they are all so excited to go, they fight over whose turn it is to be "the volunteer". I'm not sure if they're just excited to get out of class or if they're truly excited about the garden. Hopefully the latter.

$1000 or $0

So, this week I applied for my grant! I didn't think I could get it done, but after a few hours and a few meetings with Mrs. Price, everything was in order. Now all there is left to do is wait. I will be notified at the end of November on whether or not I was successful.

So, here's a little overview of what I plan to do this year. I'm not sure if I had mentioned before my idea to plant potatoes with the 4th graders or do a healthy food week at school. I requested $1000, so now I'm just crossing my fingers in anticipation. Here is a poor-quality phone picture of my plants' progress! This was taken a few weeks ago, so they have grown a bit more than this. But, this is when they are just poking their heads up out of the ground!

 Here are a few of the questions I answered:

Service-Learning Project Summary: (required)
Please provide a brief summary of your service-learning project (10 sentences or less). Please be informative and thorough addressing "who, what, when, where, and how" questions as they apply to this project. YSA reviewers will use these summaries to determine whether your project meets our criteria and is eligible for funding. YSA also uses these summaries to promote projects to the media. (Suggestion: you may want to revisit, revise and review your summary after you have completed your application.)

My goal is to teach the 4th graders of Oakbrook Preparatory School how to grow their own food, compost, and buy foods locally as much as possible. We have built three raised beds behind my school and are now currently growing all of the following: broccoli, squash, beets, onions, garlic, and kale. We built the raised beds near a water outlet and bought a hose so as to water the plants every day. I also bought a compost bin that is located next to the raised beds. After having introduced the concept of composting to the 4th graders, I made them a mini compost bin that I empty with three of them every other day. The students have planted the seeds themselves and empty the compost themselves as well, while I supervise. I want the students to be more aware of their environmental impact through their food choices and to do that, I have decided to grow a school garden. I also want them to be aware of the natural cycle that organic gardening promotes and the type of self-sustainable lifestyle it generates.

Community Need (required)
How will you engage students in identifying a community need? What data suggests that this project is needed?

There is a community need for supporting local farming and organic growing. I will engage students in identifying this community need by getting them physically involved in the planting of seeds, composting, harvesting, and preparing a meal with the vegetables grown. There is unlimited evidence that conventional farming is detrimental to the environment and society's health as a whole. By returning to traditional farming practices that we, as a society, used to cherish, the kids will begin to fully understand the significance in being self-sufficient and self- sustainable. They will attain appreciation for the seasonal foods that are grown locally because of their significant superiority of taste and health benefits. Overall, my project will reintroduce a lifestyle that has gone out of fashion, but is nonetheless valuable because of its environmental friendliness, health benefits, and community strengthening factors.

MLK Day (required)
YSA endorses the teachings and leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. who encouraged all to give through service. What element of this project could be done or around MLK Day (Monday, January 17, 2011)?

On January 17, 2011, we will plant potatoes together as a group, with the idea that these potatoes will be donated to the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen; thus, increasing our outreach to the community. I will also have a local, organic farmer come in to talk the students about organic farming and what its benefits are to the community, the earth, and to our health.  During this week, we will eliminate junk food options on campus, replacing them with varieties of healthier snacks, to educate and create awareness of the benefits of healthy eating. We will also create signs, describing the nutritional information and comparing unhealthy snacks with their healthy counterparts. We will measure the impact of this week of selling healthy snacks to determine student response.

Global Youth Service Day (required)
A significant component of the project must take place on Global Youth Service Day (GYSD).

What significant element of this project will take place on GYSD (April 15-17, 2011)?

On this day, we will harvest the vegetables and create a meal together consisting of them. It will be a significant experience for the students to experience the taste of something they themselves grew in their very own school-backyard. It will be a celebration of the entire year’s hard work of caring for the plants and an eye-opener regarding the care and attention it takes to grow food. This day will result with a fuller appreciation for food and an understanding of its significance and limited amount. On this day, we will also show a viewing of the documentary Food Inc., which demonstrates the value of organic local buying and educates the student body on how to live self sustainably and why this sort of lifestyle is more valuable. This increases our outreach to over 400 students and faculty.

Well, that is all for now. When I hear about the grant, I shall let everyone know!

Just Keeping On.

This week has been pretty uneventful regarding my senior project. My plants are continuing to grow, though I am a bit nervous about the oncoming cold weather. I hope the little guys can make it through the winter! Composting is still continuing. The 4^th graders are enthralled with the oncoming plants every time I take them out to compost. I water the plants every day that it doesn’t rain. I even travel the whole 15 minutes to Oakbrook on weekends to water them. That shows my dedication! I need to start thinking about a possible fence. Now that the research paper rough draft is in, I am waiting for its return so that I can make my corrections. The next big thing on my list is to apply for the grant for $1000. The application is due on the 9^th, and I have yet to start it. I am confident I will be fine and I think I definitely have a chance at getting it. We shall see. Unfortunately that is all I have for now on my project update. Til next Friday when I have something more to say- probably regarding the grant!

Here is a picture of the compost bin I made for the 4th grade a few months ago.

Sprouting Seeds!

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve planted my seeds and they’re growing marvelously! It might be due to the unusually warm weather and the amount of rain we’ve had lately, but the little guys are sprouting! I go to water them on the days it doesn’t rain and see their little heads peak out, and oh, do I feel proud. I have a warm sort of affection towards them. The strange unseasonal humidity is doing them good. As usual, I’ve been continuing the composting with the 4^th graders. They are just enthralled with the growing plants- I point out to them the barely visible buds sprouting out of the dirt. Today, I turned in my rough draft for my research paper, which was supposed to be a minimum of eight pages and maximum of twelve, but turned out to be a whopping 16 pages- and I used mainly two resources. I know, I’m a little crazy. But, I’ve been learning a lot as the result of all my research and it fascinates me! I had a lot to say and so I couldn’t bring myself to limit my typing. Now, I must focus on applying for a grant in order to pay for everything involved in my project. It’s due November 9^th and I’m pretty confident that I will get it. I shall keep everyone updated! Recently I was doing some reading and came across the idea of perhaps organizing some sort of 4^th grade field trip where they all go to visit one of our local farms. Then, they can really see how a local, organic farm really operates, which I think would be beneficial to their understanding of local, organic, and seasonal food.  I suppose if I wanted to do that, it would have to be within the next few weeks, so I need to have a meeting with the 4^th grade teachers to see what they think of the idea. ‘til next Friday!

Starting to plant!

Another week, and much more progress under my belt! At least, as far as my actual project goes. Like I said last week, this past Saturday and Sunday, my dad and I worked on the raised beds. Lisa helped out a little too. My dad especially has been extremely supportive of my project, having dedicated multiple hours and much sweat to help building the raised beds. In fact, this past Saturday after I took the SAT, I came to meet my dad at Oakbrook to find out he had been working all morning on getting my raised beds ready to start planting ASAP! He built posts along each corner of each bed for more support as well as for the purpose of putting plastic tarps over the plants once the winter comes. He basically made mini green houses, with as much help and support as I was able to give. I didn't realize how much he'd been working on it that day. It was one of those times I realized what a great support system and family I have. The dump truck of dirt was delivered earlier that morning, costing about $210. Thankfully, the man was nice enough to dump the load in three separate piles, each on one of the raised beds to save our backs a lot of ache and sweat. Today I met with the 4th grade teachers to converse over how to get the 4th grade involved with the planting. Since there are so many of them, I didn't want the process to be chaotic. I have decided to dedicate one raised bed to each 4th grade class (there are 3 in all). Tomorrow during my 3rd period, I believe Mrs. West's class will come and help me plant the 1st bed, which involves only dropping the seeds in the rows and covering them up again with dirt, so it shouldn't take too long. Then again during my 7th period, Mrs. Lummus and Mrs. Nethery's classes together will come out and help me with the remaining 2 beds. We'll see how this goes- hopefully nothing will go wrong. Also, I want to get the 5th grade involved with the composting. The garden and compost bin are right outside their window, and it seems unfair for them to have to see it all day and not be able to be a part of it! It would be really easy for them to compost. Every day, just stick the bucket outside the window and it's done.

As for my research paper, I have continued reading my book, which is one of my sources, but I have done little else. The hardest part for me right now is making time to do research and planning out how I’m going to start my paper. With this deadline so far away, I have been pushing it to the back of my priorities, but now that it is approaching, I must get started quickly! This weekend, I will set aside time to work on this for at least a few hours. The other hard part about this is, I’m supposed to have finished reading my book for my research and finding time to do that as well as do other research is challenging because I am already so busy as it is. For those of you who don’t know, my thesis is this: Buying foods locally that are grown in the area is more energy efficient, environmentally friendly, and economically efficient. I have discovered through my book that “buying your goods from local businesses rather than national chains generates about three times as much money for your local economy” and that “cultivation of land meets the needs of the farmer, the neighbors, and the community, and keeps people independent from domineering centralized powers”. Well, that’s all I have for now- hopefully by next week, I will have accomplished much more. Thanks for reading!

Lagging behind...

Unfortunately I have not had much progress this past week with my Senior Project. I've only been continuing to compost roughly every other day and reading my book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. This Saturday, I am going to shovel topsoil into my raised beds with my dad and sister. I plan to actually start planting seeds in the classroom next week- tomorrow I will talk to the 4th grade teachers and discuss whether they want the 4th graders involved in the actual planting. Also, the deadline for the grant is coming up fast, so I need to start on that! Pronto! As for the research paper, the rough draft is due by the end of this month, and I haven't really started preparing for that, other than reading my book, which is only one source of my supposed five. Deadlines approach soon! I don't know how I will apply for the grant and begin my research paper at the same time- that will be interesting. I have decided to focus my thesis on this: that buying locally and/or growing ones own food is much more economically friendly and energy efficient. Buying food at your local Ingles is not living on foods grown locally, just to clear that up! Though buying foods grown locally might be a little more expensive, it is worth the money- which is what I want to argue. It is overall better for the environment and people's welfares to buy local foods. Also, reading Animal , Vegetable, Miracle has made me realize that I want to grow my own food someday and live, for the most part, on foods that I can tangibly harvest. As well as buy foods locally that I am unable to grow or get by myself (like regional honey). Yes, how very 19th century of me, but I plan to do it. My sisters have agreed to join me. We all want to live on a communal farm together! This is of course, one of our idealistic dreams, but someday it may become a reality! Well, hopefully I will have more to say next week!

Raised Bed Building

This past Saturday, my dad and 2 sisters and I built 3 raised beds behind Oakbrook for the garden! When I say we built the raised beds, I mean mainly my dad did for safety reasons, but I still helped out of course. I mean, I tried to handle the machine that could potentially cut my whole hand off, but it wasn't going so smoothly, so I let the man with experience handle it. Around 12 noon, we all headed to Lowe's to get the supplies: 9 pieces of 6 by 8 feet of wood, nails, potting soil for when I start planting seeds in the classroom, the seeds themselves, and something organic that helps prevent weeds. Then, we headed to Oakbrook to begin our work. We finished our work around 3 pm after some frustration in the hot sun. I plan to start planting the seeds in the 4th grade classroom sometime next week. I asked the 4th graders to start bringing in emtpy gallon milk jugs to start the process. Every day or so I've been taking a volunteer from each 4th grade class to show them how to emtpy the compost so as to get them more involved as well as lessen my work load. Empyting it and cleaning it out/refilling it with water as well as doing the same process with the senior commons compost bin takes longer than one would think- about 25-30 minutes! Good thing I have 7th period free now or else I don't know what I would do. Anyways, of course I documented the raised bed-building process with my camera- I got some nice shots taken of myself pretending to be doing all the work- posing with the lethal nail-gun or whatever that thing is called. Driller? I don't know. Anyways, so that's it for now. Til next Friday!

Eat your Apple first, THEN put it in the compost

This coming weekend, I’m going to build the raised beds with the assistance of my father. I still have to go get seeds and plan how many I need. The 4^th grade has started to bring in empty milk cartons- for when we start planting in the classroom so we can transplant later. Composting is going well! The 4^th grade is really eager and excited to help. It’s funny because every day during 7^th period when I empty their compost bin in the larger one behind the school, whole, completely uneaten oranges and apples will fall in. There seems to be the problem of the kids not eating their food, but bringing it solely to feed the compost. I told the 4^th grade teachers about the problem so that they can tell their students to eat their food first and then dump the left-overs in the bin. When I was dumping the 4^th grade compost in the larger bin yesterday, the 5^th grade teacher, Mrs. Rivers, popped her head out the window, asked me what I was doing, and after my explanation, requested for me to come speak to her class sometime this week about my project. A few days ago, Mrs. West and Mrs. Lummus told me that they had made copies of an article about composting for their class and given them a writing assignment. They are adjusting and adding on to their science curriculum because of my project! So, things are going quite nicely in that regard- naturally coming together, which is what I want. On the other hand, my research paper is not going so well. I got off to a bad start on my thesis. But, I think I’ve come up with a more specific focus: Surviving on foods grown locally that are in season- living a self-sustainable lifestyle- is attainable and valuable to the average American because it is healthier and more energy efficient. That’s all I have for now.

Moving Forward

Yesterday I presented my proposal, which I thought went quite well. I got some great ideas on how to promote health and really move forward in my project. I realized that I need to take pictures of my project as it progresses as a sort of accountability method. Also, I want to try to get the students at Oakbrook to eat healthier ad one way of promoting health is by offering healthier snacks during snack-time. For a one week period, I want to completely eliminate all the junk-food options and just have healthier snacks available to see if the students respond positively. It will be an experiment. I want to make students understand that eating healthier results in more energy and, in the long-run, feeling better and even performing better academically as well as in athletics. I want to have a viewing of the documentary FoodInc at the beginning of this “Energy” week, so that students are more aware of what they are eating and how it affects their bodies and minds.

This past weekend after church on Sunday, I got a compost barrel for the school, as well as two smaller compost bins- one for the Senior Commons and the other for the 4^th grade class. Once I actually bring the large compost bin to school, I plan to get my cohorts and the 4^th grade started on composting and at the end of every day, I will empty the two smaller compost bins in the larger one outside. I have already introduced the idea of composting and organic gardening to the 4^th grade class this past Tuesday, so now, they are just waiting for me to tell them when they can start. The next step in my project is for the 4^th grade to bring in large, empty, milk cartons so that we can start planting broccoli and lettuce in them in the classroom and let those plants be growing while I am in the process of building the raised beds. One of the next few weekends, I plan to get the wood and build the raised beds. The challenge is finding the time to do it. Also, last week, I took some of the soil from where the garden will be to the Clemson Extension Service so that they could tell me what the soil needs, but they said I didn’t have enough soil, so I have to go back one of these days and try again. That’s about it for now!

The first step

Yesterday, I met with my mentor, Mrs. Holbein at the school to go over my plan for the garden. We covered a lot! I plan to start composting at the school on Monday- in the 4th grade classes and in the Senior Commons. I will introduce the idea of composting and give instructions to everyone as well. This weekend, I will purchase what I will be needing to start composting immediately! No meats, cheeses, or things like twinkies (which, if it has no nutritional value for a human, how can it be beneficial to soil to help sustain a plant?) are allowed in the compost- only left-over foods (bread crusts, banana peels, egg shells, etc) or coffee grounds (as well as the filter). I will be emptying the composts in the senior commons and 4th grade classrooms every day to the larger compost outside near my garden. Today, I got the number for the man who maintains Oakbrook's grounds because I need to collect the grass clippings that accumulate whenever he mows the fields to add to my compost! I also need to start raking and collecting leaves for it. So, I will contact Mr. Clark, hopefully tomorrow, and ask him if he can pile the grass somewhere where I can access it. Tomorrow (Friday), I am going to take a soil sample from the area I plan to have the garden and take it to the Clemson Extension Service so that they can tell me what the soil is lacking. Mrs. Holbein told me it's very important for the soil to have a balance of nitrogen (for the leaves), phosphorous (for the roots), and potassium (energy) for my garden to be successful.

I want to start planting lettuce and broccoli as soon as possible (hopefully sometime next week) with the 4th grade class in small trays and let those plants start to grow. Once I get everything situated with my garden (tilling the ground, adding what needs to be added, and getting my raised beds built), I can trans-plant (is that the right word?) those vegetables into the raised beds. The reason I still need to get the soil tested and the earth tilled is because I want to plant potatoes directly into the ground in February, as well as perhaps some other vegetables. I want to have the experience of having both raised beds and a regular garden straight out of the ground. So, as well as getting the materials for starting the compost, I need to get the seeds this weekend (at the Piedmont Farming Supply) to start growing next week. I was a little worried about growing plants in the winter because I thought that a frost might ruin everything, but Mrs. Holbein assured me that there are ways to protect my "crops"! I feel much more confident about my project and am eager to get started!

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

The reason I chose my title to be what it is, is because it is the book that I am currently endorsed in. The more I read, the more excited I get about my project! It is really enlightening and inspirational. It's about how the author (Barbara Kingsolver) and her family moved away from their urban lifestyle to a farm for an entire year to be sustained solely on food bought locally or grown on their farm, and the food unavailable because it was out of season, they lived without. Barbara and her family "tried to wring most of the petroleum out of their food chain, even if that meant giving up some things" (10), which I think everyone can benefit from. She really emphasizes the idea that "knowing how foods grow is to know how and when to look for them" and that "such expertise is useful for certain kinds of people, namely, the ones who eat, no atter where they live or grocery shop" (10). I've been slowly digesting this book, page by page, and writing down everything that is both fascinating and helpful. This book emphasizes the fact that "we're a nation with an eating disorder, and we know it" (18) and discusses ways for the American culture to change. For the most part, we're all "agricultural agnostics" (11), which is something we need to remedy, and remedy fast. I've learned appalling facts such as that 3,900 calories per U.S. citizen per day is produced, which is twice what we need. There is a very discreet crime going on in the U.S: because humans have this built-in weakness for fats and sugars, we're being targeted purposely by the fast food industry, especially kids!. Because of this, my generation is predicted to have a shorter life expenctancy than our parents. That is seriously frightening and something needs to be done about it. Food, like cigarettes, can be an addiction, especially with all the chemicals in the unidentifiable, "unpronounceable ingrediant lists" (19). If you think about it, it's sickening! The fact of the matter is that what the land can give us is what the body needs and it is a foreign concept to the average American. Agricultural knowledge really needs to become a main part of the school system's curriculum.

So, now that I've gone off on my speel about what I learned in the first chapter of my new book, I'll get to other aspects of my project. I've been doing some more research and I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to have to have a winter garden. Someway, somehow. It's already too late to plant to harvest in the fall and it's too late to plant in the spring to harvest in the summer, seeing as senior project will be over by then. So, a winter garden it is! And it is not impossible- it just takes some more equipment, thinking, and time. I know I will be able to grow garlic, some sort of lettuce, perhaps some beans, and something else that I can't quite remember. I'll have to find someway to keep my crops at the right temperature... there is some sort of cheap and easy greenhouse idea that I've looked at on the internet, but it will require some more research. Also, I will be applying for a grant to pay for all of my expenses. It's the same grant that my sister got for her recycling senior project, so hopefully I'll be successful like she was. But you never know- I can't exactly count on that until I've actually gotten the grant. But with Mrs. Price and Mrs. Berube on my side, I can't help but be a little confident. I've also been getting really excited with incorporating my senior project idea with the 4th grade curriculum. I'm having some great ideas on how to get the elementary students involved and excited about my project. I've been thinking that they could actually help me with the planting process and learn something while they're at it! They could perhaps each have their own little watering can that they can decorate and each day be responsible to water a certain plant. Stuff like that. I'll continue to be thinking of other ideas and if anyone has any new ideas for me, please don't hesistate to tell me! I do believe that's it for now. Until next Friday!

My Senior project choice

    As many of you might or might not know, I have decided to focus my senior project on a vegetable garden for Oakbrook. How did I come up with this idea? Well, last year I went to see the documentary FoodInc with my mom, and it really made me think about our food culture. So many of us eat without knowing the ingrediants of our food. How did we become so separated from something that sustains the very essence of our physical being? I have a passion for health, which is no surprise seeing as my mother herself is a doctor/nutritionist. Though they keep the economy afloat, I can't help but dislike fastfood corporations for their quality of food and their message of how food should be eaten. Fastfood has really become a lifestyle for so many people because it is cheap and convenient. It has largely become known as the "American culture", which I hope no one is proud of. I aim to discourage that mindset specifically at Oakbrook through my senior project this year. What better way to do so than to create Oakbrook's very own garden?
   Though the task may seem easy, it will prove to be quite a challenge for me. My family has had gardens in the past, but I am by no means an expert on the matter. Planting a garden will be a great learning experience for me that will hopefully have a lasting impact on not only myself, but the Oakbrook community. I hope that my garden idea presents numerous academic opportunities for Oakbrook's lower school science department. The elementary students will be able to actually witness the tangible wonders of science such as photosynthesis and gain insight and knowledge of science-in-the-making by observing the plants grow. I plan to have the garden located in the little nook behind the gym and dance room, where there is a sufficient water source and good sun exposure. The garden will have a small fence surrounding it to keep all the critters and rodents out and to keep the contents enclosed. To give the seeds good, nutritious soil to grow in, I aim to have several compost bins located in various areas at Oakbrook, where the students may throw their banana peels, orange peels, etc. Hopefully, students will comply with my needs and NOT use the compost bins as trash cans, which I will need to clearly communicate to the student body. Along with the garden, I would like to have a "health corner" article in the Silver Scroll that students can read throughout the course of the year to learn small health tips. I believe that it is important for youth to know basic health information now so they can start healthy habits today for tomorrow's benefit.
    You may be wondering how I am going to finance all the materials I will be needing for my garden. Well, donations are always welcome! I will be needing tools for Oakbrook's keep, and obviously the seeds themselves, along with other necessities that I won't mention here. So, these are my ideas and I hope you've enjoyed reading. Any comments or ideas or criticisms are welcome! Thank you for the future support!