Reflecting on the Past Eight Weeks

Well, I have to say I honestly cannot believe how quickly this summer has flown by - and I also must say that I have loved every second of it. Through this experience, I have been challenged to grow in ways that I cannot even explain, to push myself to become innovative, and to take initiative to change things for the better. In retrospect, this was not simply an opportunity to better this community; it was an opportunity to grow up.

My service itself was both challenging and fascinating, but always enjoyable. I feel relieved to say that I achieved everything I set out to do, and I even had time to push myself a little further. Sure, I had some hopes and ideas that fell through over the course of my service, but I can honestly say that they didn't fail for lack of effort, and that's at least a somewhat satisfying fact.

Here's a little overview of the work that Heather and I did this summer, from an article on the Marietta College website:

http://news2.marietta.edu/node/1366

However, I am not walking away from this summer with just my experiences at Ely Chapman. I am also leaving with beautiful experiences in this community. I will never forget the people that I've come to know and work with and live with this summer. They've taught me more than they'll ever know, and helped me to better understand myself, even. I am so grateful that I have another three years ahead of me in this town - I'm not ready to say goodbye just yet.

To all of you - thanks for journeying with me this summer. Thank you for your guidance and advice and support, and for keeping us updated on your work and experiences. I wish you all the best, and hope that your work has opened doors both for your community and for you personally.

-Sydney

Lackadaisical-ity shall always prevail

For my (and Kelley's) blog post this week, read this article: http://healthnews.uc.edu/news/?/14216/

It has some useful info that you may not have known before. Plus I've done enough paperwork over the past few days to get Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. So.... enjoy!

Final Reflections

As I am updating my VAD, I am surprised by how much we accomplished in the past 8 weeks! Reading articles over the weeks about the gap between wealth has been both sombering and encouraging. Many changes need to be made to our country's methods of bringing foods from the field to fork, and the state of our nation's health reflects urgency in this matter.
Working with the Green Corps program through the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, however, I am encouraged by the impact a small, innovative program and dedicated team of people can have. The program employs city youth ages 14-18 to assist with all aspects of garden maintenance in an educational program that can actually allow them to gain college credit. As the youth move through the program, their responsibilities increase and they assume more leadership roles. The produce from the farms they maintain is made available to the community through on-site markets, which the students also coordinate.
One of my favorite parts about the VISTA experience was the opportunity to meet other people who care about the local food movement. Previously, the only tangible connection I had with the movement was other Case students who were dedicated to purchasing locally. Meeting the farmers at Cleveland Crops and Green Corps was great; I learned their unique reasons for becoming involved.
A trend I noticed throughout the sites was the incredible importance of continuity and connections. Whether you are planning farm plots or serving as a VISTA, it is helpful to understand the previous worker's accomplishments, vision, challenges, helpful tips, and useful contacts. Much of this information is in some way explained in the VAD, yet the VAD is more technical and less personal. If you have any helpful tips for future VISTAs on your campus, I encourage you to do the same! I have enjoyed reading everyone's posts--thanks for such thoughtful comments! :)

Minding the Gap

The fact sheet brought up some really staggering and fascinating statistics, but again, did not cite its definition of a "food desert." I wish they would have described this a bit more, rather than simply citing how many people live in food deserts. Like that article we read a few weeks ago stated, it's hard to tell whether people genuinely don't have access to healthy food, or if they simply are not choosing it.

The U.S. loses 330 farms a week... that's unbelieveable, and unacceptable. Think about the jobs that go along with those farms. It's so difficult to think about reversing this trend, though. How do we make these giant, powerful industrials farms shrink again to give the small farms room to survive?

This fact sheet scratches the surface of the manure issue in this country, which I have heard quite a bit about recently. Not only are we paying copious amounts of money to manage it, we really are not managing it well at all - pig waste still poisons rivers and water supplies, causing all sorts of environmental and water processing issues, which is quite scary.

I've heard Eric Schlosser speak before, and he was awesome. I'd like to watch Food, Inc. at some point this week and maybe comment on that again - it's in the list of Mind the Gap's recommendations for further reading/watching.

Sydney

Empower

Improving health and wellness through nutrition education is needed in addition to creating greater access to nutritious, affordable foods. Accessibility alone does not empower healthy decisions.

"New Study"

I'm equally as perplexed as Meghan about the source of this new study. Why does it matter that the participants were black, when we don't even know their income level? For all we know, these people are middle-income, which doesn't really show us how food deserts affect those in the low-income bracket (unless they mentioned the income bracket of the participants in the article somewhere and I missed it, which is likely).

I still hold that education is crucially important in shifting this nation (especially those of lower-income levels) to healthier diets. So many of the people I encounter at my site do not understand the health differences between processed and whole foods. They understand that fast food is unhealthy, but they don't understand that homemade desserts can be equally unhealthy, or pasta with bleached-white flour, or fried foods. Just because something is prepared in a kitchen does not mean that it's natural or healthy - and that's a fact that millions of Americans, especially those middle-aged and older, are missing out on. In recent years, health education has certainly improved and become slightly more accurate, with the implementation of visuals such as My Pyramid and My Plate (not that I'm totally in love with either of these nutrition programs, but they're a start). However these curricula (sp?), while they do reach younger people, miss a huge demographic of adults, whose nutritional understanding has not evolved with the evolution of processed foods in this nation. For this reason, I think one of the best places we can start in tackling this issue is getting educational information out there for low-income families on nutrition. I know that some educational programs exist that reach out to poorer demographics, but there's still plenty of room to grow.

Sydney

response to this week's article

I did not find this article, "New Study Says, "Food Deserts" Only Part of the Problem" to be particularly well written or insightful. I was puzzled by the fact that the author, Cathryn Wellner, neglects to state the name of the study or give any bibliographic information about the source she heavily relies on. I did not appreciate the generalizations she used like, “Those of us who have worked in food policy..” There are many people who work in food policy and they have many different perspectives on the issues involved. Similarly, people who choose not to eat processed food or do so for other reasons may take issue with being lumped into the simplistic statement, “However, we eat them anyways because they are convenient and taste good and because they have been so effectively marketed they are part of our social fabric.” Later, she offers making healthy food cheaper as a solution, even though she only sited convenience, taste, and marketing as reasons for food choices.

I would like to read more about this study. It seems like a huge undertaking to track the diets of people for 15 whole years and I am interested in the logistics of how the data was collected. Did any of the participants live in food desserts that showed an increase in fresh whole foods during the span of the study? Who were the controls? Were they eating unhealthy food near their homes or near the places that they worked? What was their income level?

Increasing the access that people have to locally grown, organic food could be a huge movement. After all, when you read about the health benefits it has, the job opportunities it could create, and the energy it saves, the whole idea seems like a no brainer! If this is the case, however, then what is it that is keeping us back from investing in such a system? Perhaps it is just the fact that we –as Americans- are used to foods that taste good rather than foods that actually are good. Perhaps it is that we are unaware of the different ways that the foods we buy from grocery stores are processed and preserved. Perhaps there are in fact too many food deserts. Whatever the case may be, I do think that it is important to ensure that a variety of healthy foods are made both accessible and affordable because without these two components, the opportunity to live a healthy life is not something that everyone can pursue. In other words, the goal of eating both locally and healthily is one that must be reached through multiple avenues not only because people have different reasons as to why such a movement should occur, but also because individuals have different levels of ability to partake in such a movement.

You are what you eat

During my first week as a summer associate, I was asked to go out and check the sprinkler for our campus garden because it had been malfunctioning the week before. When I turned it on it worked perfectly, but we decided that the next day we would let it run for an hour and check to see if it worked after a more extensive amount of time. The next morning we did just that and sure enough, the sprinkler ceased oscillating after a while. Before rapidly declaring it broken, I decided to try fixing the sprinkler by changing the setting. During my attempt to do so, I pushed a button that caused the sprinkler to quickly spiral out of its current position and into the air right where I was standing. I was soaked, and embarrassed.

Presentation is everything.

The way we look is very important culturally. It gives the rest of the world a glimpse of who we are, and makes a statement without using any words. This explains why I was so embarrassed the day that I was soaked by the untamed sprinkler, as I felt that my returning to a professional office soaked in water would look a little out of place.

That day, my appearance was something that I was acutely aware of because I felt as if people were drawing conclusions about me based on the result of my sprinkler malfunction. Why did I feel this way? Well, I was comparing myself to what is seen as the norm- working in a professional office in dry clothes. Though this particular experience with image was standard and a bit humorous, many experiences regarding image aren’t as harmless. In fact, body image is one thing that can cause some individuals to draw hurtful conclusions about others that affect the way groups are viewed and treated on a daily basis.

This is something discussed in the article that we read in terms of poverty and obesity. The article touched on the idea that lower-income individuals eat unhealthy foods that end up expanding their waistlines and extending their budgets. There are many problems with this phenomenon, one of which is the creation of stereotypes that the poor are unhealthy and uneducated when they are actually underpaid and misunderstood.

The truth is that it costs to be healthy; trips to the grocery store, more nutritious options, doctors’ appointments. They are all resources that can be accessed using capital.

When you take a moment to consider this, it makes you wonder what it was that made nutrition something that is reserved for the privileged. It is something that just doesn’t seem fair..especially when those privileged are the same ones who complain when marginalized individuals are the ones in need of support and health care.

Just like Pollan says in the article, the system has become so skewed to a point where “wealthy farmers feed the poor crap and poor farmers feed the wealthy high-quality food.” It simply does not make sense.

If we were to see a shift in the way Americans thought about food, however, a shift in the way the food market is utilized would occur as well. In such a case, what is sold in grocery stores and the availability of food overall would be much more acceptable. America would grow healthier as a nation, and a strong standard would be enforced because healthy options would be available for all classes. It would change so many ways that our system runs today, and it would change them for the better by promoting genuine healthy lifestyle for everyone; not just individuals who are well-off. After all, we don’t have to be choosy about the kinds of people eating food, but do have to become more aware of what the kinds of food we eat are, so that it can affect the lifestyle of our nation accordingly.  

Divided We Eat

"Divided We Eat" brought up many debatable and interesting topics, from the government regulating what food stamps can purchase to the way we view food. Problems related to food distribution are disturbingly prevalent, and it seems necessary that the public and government acknowledges a good point made in the article: "A healthy community produces healthy people." The fact that the amount of Americans on food stamps has increased by 58.5% is disturbing, but I find it even more bothersome that those on food stamps are more likely to be obese and suffer from food-related health issues.
Reading these blogs and articles each week is definitely changing the way I look at food; I pay attention to what foods are corn-based, and now I am trying to view foods like the French- as a "shared resource."

Food and the Classes

After reading some of these previous posts, it seems to me that an obvious answer would be for the goverment to re-route farm subsidies and the money they would use to regulate what people on foodstamps can buy, and use those funds to invest in small, organic farms, who proceeds would go directly to food banks and pantries around the country. If the farms were located all over the country, all different types of produce could be available year-round. This would create and sustain agricultural jobs in our country, and allow low income families access to healthier produce.

However, answers like this are never as simple as they seem. Think of the million little details I fail to mention. What about the cost of shipping the produce around the country? How could small farm provide enough food for food banks all over the nation? Who will teach the newly-employed farmers how to grow and harvest the crops? How do we ensure that the produce stays fresh before it reaches consumers? Even if futile funding was re-directed, would it prove enough to start these farms?


On a completely unrelated note, I found it really interesting that this article mentions that only 6 percent of households in this country qualify as "very low food security," or "hungry," according to the USDA. Since I serve at a Summer Food Service Program, it makes me wonder just how "hungry" the kids I'm feeding are - what are the odds that I'm actually reaching that 6%? Is "hunger" the issue we really need to be focusing on in this nation? Or is malnutrition the real monster?

Sydney

yikes!

Our food system has become so over-processed and pumped full of synthetic chemicals that we actually have to promote eating real foods instead of an onject we chew, digest, and absorb that resembles nothing found in nature. The controversy lies in government subsidized farming and food manufacturers. But as many are realizing the severe harm our current mass-producted foods are having on our health, the public's attitudes is changing and corporations are beginning to respond in big ways.


Yet as consumers, substandard food is everywhere. Cafeterias and restaurants are at the merrcy of a lowest-bidder system. The priority is not serving the freshest, most nutritions, healthiest food. It's what will sell.


Quality product is not only impossible to find but impossible for anyone with an income near poverty level to afford. We are feeding ourselves and our familes' meals shockingly high in fat, sodium, protein, and sugar. Then they expect our generatipn to go out into the world, make healthy choices, exercise, and thereby solve America's issue... Let's get busy generation Y! we have a lot of work to do....

food desert, what food says about class in america

Food Deserts
I think mapping can provide useful information when looking at food systems and food access, but it doesn't necessarily tell the whole story. I took issue with the shockingly simplistic explanation of the very complex issue of what people eat and why. "The unpalatable truth seems to be that some Americans simply do not care to eat a balanced diet, while others, increasingly, cannot afford to." I feel like the article completely avoids the impact that education and empowerment can have on creating behavioral changes. Someone trying to help diabetic people get healthy wouldn't just put a box of insulin injections on a street corner in a neighborhood that has little access to health care and expect huge changes. Simply looking at available resources is not enough. People need to have buy in and motivation to make a change, they also need to have education and support.

What food says about class in America
I found the part of the article about regulating what food stamp recipients buy, very interesting. There is a lot of controversy about this, but if we take a step back, the government has a huge influence over what all of us eat. Corn subsidies make junk food cheap and have a huge impact the diets of Americans, as do laws regulating pesticides, trade policies, food safety standards, and rules about labeling genetically modified food. On the other hand, a government sponsored junk food tax could completely reshape the diets of Americans for the better. It is naive to think that the government isn't influencing food choices already. It is essentially a "nanny state" situation, unfortunately, one that is not in the best interest of every one's health and wellness.

All Around the Grocery Store, the Hungry Chase the Food Stamps. The Rich Folk Thought 'Twas All in Good Sport. POP! Goes the Economy.

After reading the article "What Food Says About Class in America," by Lisa Miller, I'm torn about what to write about. I feel as if over the course of six pages, I came up with six or more different directions to go with this essay, each of which could expand into a comprehensive paper on its own, yet, as each stands, are simply thoughts and conjectures about the current food crisis. So if this post seems like a veritable cacophony of incomplete thoughts and underdeveloped points, I apologize in advance; it's simply a reflection of the article itself, where there is both too much and not enough to write about.

From the opening, I realized everything in this article has to be taken with a grain of salt (if you can afford it). Written from the stand point of what appeared to be a pampered, upper middle class woman living in Suburbia, USA, I felt that the article did a less-than-decent job of framing the plight of most Americans. Sure, there were some researched facts, but most required nominal searching. The others were simply compiled quotes from various authorities which typically made me discredit the research even further. When Miller utilized such heavily-biased terms such as "locavore hero" and a "movement that became a worldwide phenomenon," the preconceived notion of the snobbish, marginally-informed suburban wife, jumping on whatever passing fad her friend recently got into because it was recommended by Oprah was underscored, highlighted, and emboldened in my mind.

Hell, half the article is just anecdotes and accounts of the author talking with her close friends about making breakfast. Now, I'm sorry, but I really couldn't care less about what Jane Doe in White Bread, USA puts on her toast in the morning, and I highly doubt the 50.2 million food insecure Americans do either. Give me substance; give me a starting point; give me something I can look at and say, "Wow, that explains a lot. I can definitely use this at some point in my life." Telling me what time a typical person in France eats lunch is not one of those things.

Now, before this turns into a complete smearing of this article, I'll attempt to shift gears a bit. One thing I found noteworthy was the description of the relationship between obesity rates and the income disparities of developed countries. This really struck a chord with me. I mean, it's basically common knowledge that money makes the world go 'round, and this little tidbit of pertinent information exemplifies this statement. When we're stuck in a Capitalist Carousel where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, it's a small wonder that our health as a national community is going to be very negatively affected. It's not a new result by any means (happened in the Great Depression as well), but it's still something that needs to be addressed, now, in one of the greatest economic slumps in our history, more than ever.

I think that's the most positive piece of information garnered from this article. It falls on our generation to bridge this gap. I don't know how much we can do in our current political and economical situation (close-mindedness will be the death of us), but in our lifetimes, we need to change this. Whether it's employing measures in order to raise the less well-off to a better financial situation or, if necessary, knocking the wealthy down a few fiscal pegs, there has to be some sort of shock to get this country's heartbeat going again. Like I've said before, we've become complacent. We're that ball at the bottom of the hill that's starting to slow down, yet the powers that be are too content with the fact that we're still rolling to realize that we need to change direction, to exert such a force to get our ball back to the summit of the hill. It'll be slow. It'll be hard. But if we don't all push together, we'll never see ourselves on top again.

Requiring Resources

For the first time in my entire life, I will be one of three girls renting a house that is not but ten minutes walking distance away from my school. This means that for the first time ever, I will have responsibilities that I have never had before, like paying bills, caring for the home, and helping to create rules by which members of the house will abide. The responsibilities that come along with this situation will significantly affect my life and the way I live on a day-to-day basis. With that being said, it is easy to be intimidated by the changes that lie ahead of me. Out of all changes, however, there is one that intimidates me a little more than most: groceries.

It might seem silly that with all of the new responsibilities and excitements that are heading my way, groceries are something that are making me nervous. Nevertheless, groceries, and all of the things that come with them, are a significant source of concern that I have for this upcoming year.

Think about it.

For the first time in my life I will be shopping on my own, which makes me wonder what I am going to buy. Am I going to continue eating and buying the way that I was raised? I wonder if the changes will occur in my diet will be positive, or negative, and how much that will correspond with my budget. I also worry about preparing meals for myself, as that too is something that I have only done on rare occasions.

When I think about these things, and how much they are causing me concern, I can barely fathom the thoughts of individuals who are being introduced to healthier foods and grocery food shopping for the first time in their lives. After all, I am a young, middle class individual who has had the privilege of growing up with the luxury of a nearby grocery store that supplies my family and I with the foods we depend on every day. When it comes to food deserts, however, the populations that are being exposed to new resources are much different. They are lower-class individuals, who have maybe lived in the same area their whole lives, relying on the same fast food and low priced stores that are available to them.

Therefore, I understand why it would be such a problem for them to utilize newer and healthier more materials into their diets. For one, it is something that they are not accustomed to, which means that they would have to go out of their way to learn how and why to use such food items. Also, the items that are healthier are more costly, which presents a problem within itself as these individuals live in poverty stricken areas.  Moreover, I think that education should be accompanying efforts to better food desert campaigns, as I think such campaigns are a necessity for American society, but that the resources of the campaign need to be better utilized.

Resistance to Change

As a nursing student, I am always interested in evidence-based guidelines and research that can affect patient care. Consistently, however, I am discouraged by the slow uptake and recognition of life-changing research by society. Effective prophylaxis for scurvy was discovered decades before most ships to begin carrying citrus. Similarly, we have evidence-based guidelines for diabetes management, but many lack the education, financial resources, or motivation to follow through with a care plan that can save their lives. The devastating consequences of an unhealthy diet reliant on processed foods are known, yet these foods are still highly marketed and available. Making whole foods and a plant-based diet more accessible is one step towards change, yet this article recognizes the fact that often, this is not enough. Though higher prices are one factor, plain unwillingness to change seems to be another. I have been hearing about efforts to initiate emotion-based marketing tools (similar to the graphic images used on cigarette packages), and I wonder if this may end up helping the issue.

Fast Food is Simple, Easier, and Quicker to Get

After reading the article, Food Desserts; If you build it, they may not come, I did agree with the second part of the article as well. There is much more than what the US Census focuses on such as farmer's markets, roadside farmer's markets, people's personal gardens, etc. than what they actually look into. Fast food restaurants go where the money is, and where the money is within a suburban area is where there are lots of workers. Most low income families' heads have more than one job and because of multiple jobs, usually they do not have time to go home and fix a healthy lunch/dinner. Since the 1980s, when restaurants started to use new technology to cook faster, it has been much easier and quicker to grab a meal and then go.

There are a lot of factors going into it than just that or even what the article suggested may be at fault. We should look into as many as we can and then come up with better ideas to improve on them all.

Unhealthy Food is Just Easier

I also agree with the second part of the article which argues that food deserts are a fabrication. I don't thin people eat unhealthily because of a lack of access to healthy food, but rather the ease of access to unhealthy food. Let's look at it this way: It is not uncommon for fast food restaurants to share a parking lot with supermarkets. If you are a single mother with a limited income working two jobs; are you going to walk around the supermarket, buy food, take it home and cook it? Or are you going to buy a couple happy meals without having to leave your car so that you can go home to rest before you have to do it all over again tomorrow? In our current culture, the more common response would be the latter.

I think we, as a culture, have been conditioned into making decisions such as these. We're now the second generation of Americans who have grown up in a fast food culture, and its what we're used to. In school I knew people who only ate fast food. I would make them food, but they would choose to go to Wendy's instead because that is what they are used to (or I'm that bad at cooking, I never figured it out). These weren't impoverished people either, rather, they were usually the more well-off of the roommates.

We have also been conditioned into thinking we should be able to get an entire meal for $3 off the dollar menu. As the article points out, healthy food costs more... but only because the fast food costs so little. The United States has relatively low food costs, but we've grown up in a culture that places the the largest portion for the lowest price on a grease covered pedestal so paying an extra $0.50 for a healthier option that you then have to cook seems absurd. And that is why we are fat.

Deserts of the Mind

Well, I personally agree with the latter half of the article, which speculates that food deserts really don't exist at all. Based on what I'm learning this summer, I think that people will continue to choose the same unhealthy foods no matter what the options are, simply because most people do not understand which foods are healthy and nutritious. Some of the women that I work with were raised to believe that a hot meal, or one that was cooked, is healthier than a raw meal. So, by this logic, fried chicken makes a more wholesome meal than a sandwich on whole wheat simply because the chicken has been cooked. Some people don't understand that canned fruit, with additives and sweeteners, has nowhere near the nutritional value of fresh fruit. And when they see on the "food pyramid" that they are required to have a serving of grains, they reach for sugary cereal, bleached white pasta, or white bread, prefering those options over whole wheat any day.

I know that the Food Pyramid is in the process of being changed to "My Plate"... but I think we need to eliminate both of these images and simply teach people the value of whole, fresh, unprocessed food.

Like the article says, though, the problem is also the price of this food. Healthy food tends to be more expensive than unhealthy food - and that's a problem that I think we've all run into so far these past four weeks.


Sydney

Four Weeks and Flying

It is week 4 into my summer associate VISTA experience and as of right now I’d say that the projects that Catherine and I are working on are going well. Though I am new in terms of this whole experience, I feel that I have learned a lot about the role that community gardens play in our area and the difference they make for communities. In some of my own research, I learned that by shifting 25% of food spending from imported businesses to local providers, 1 in 8 people who are unemployed could find work. This is something I would have been clueless about before, something that makes my experience this summer exciting because it harnesses the idea that I will always be learning something new. In terms of my own projects, my progress has been slow but steady and successful.

I am currently trying to do research on farms that have been created by a man named Rich Hoban, who works for the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities creating work opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities. Mr. Hoban is on a quest to provide 100 job opportunities to those who experience developmental disabilities (dd) by opening farms that can be the host of such job opportunities. I think that what Mr. Hoban has done is amazing, and would really like to see something similar happen within the mental health community. Therefore, my goal is to communicate with groups and individuals in the community to get a similar project started. I think right now the thing I need to work on most is organizing the information that I have gathered from my conversations with Rich, while balancing the other duties that Catherine and I are trying to fulfill. I feel I need to get the ball rolling as far as communication with other agencies this summer, so that I can at least make a small difference in this kind of work.

The Corn Con

Although I realize this article was posted in the opinion section, I found myself wanting to read the other side of the story throughout the entire piece. The points were valid but if politicians are changing their opinions on ethanol I want to know why, not just that it is happening. I felt like this piece gave great facts but lacked a lot of the 'why' information that could have made it much stronger. Despite this, I think this is a good gathering of many separate points which all lead to the same argument and remember and even recently remember having a discussion about how the worlds hungry problems could be solved if only the food produced would go directly towards feeding people and not other avenues. Steven Rattner is right to call for change and on the news yesterday I heard talk that Obama may bring (or already has brought) ethanol to the floor in his new plan to decrease the national deficit. I don't know what his plans involve but it will be interesting to see over the next few weeks how the white house treats this rising issue.

King Corn

King Corn was something I decided to watch after our conversations at the orientation and it was quite an eye opener as everyone has already pointed out. Growing up in rural area where I was surrounded by farming I was familiar with the process of growing and selling corn and soy beans and the subsidies that exist but I didn't know to what extent the film uncovers. I have also had somewhat of an idea that a majority of processed food contains fructose corn syrup or some product of corn but it is often easy to ignore the truth when you don't have all the facts but movies like King Corn are becoming more prominent and harder to plead ignorance. Today we are faced with ever growing food dessert locations like the site that I am currently working at. I am working on developing a community sustained garden that provides fresh produce that isn't available to the neighborhood otherwise.

corn challenge

I challenge you to not eat corn or any corn products for an entire week.

Destroying my Corny Dreams

I’ve always joked around with my parents that my goal is to live to be 109 because it is my favorite number. Each time it comes up, they laugh at me, and everyone around me makes a claim about how they would never want to live that long. I persist and tell them that I do, that I want to be the old lady hosting wheel chair races down the halls of my old folk’s home. Nonetheless, the information that is provided in the film Corn King tells me that my dreams of old folk’s wheelchair racing are more limited than I ever expected. In fact, it states that for the first time in American history, my life expectancy is shorter than that of my parents. That is pretty scary.

What’s even scarier is that the reasoning for the shortened life expectancy, corn, is mass produced both by and for our nation every day. What’s scary is the fact that the very product that is putting the health of my generation in jeopardy is something that we can control. This means that we have become the cause of our own demise by becoming and remaining a nation that is based on commerce, where quantity has become more important than quality.

One thing the documentary mentioned that I found interesting was the way that corn is a part of our everyday lives when we don’t even realize it. When thinking about the ingredients that would go into an oreo, for example, corn and corn products would not be the first components that would enter my mind.  Yet, corn and corn products are an ingredient in oreos, and in most of the other foods that we eat. I find this to be pretty disturbing because no food, not even a vegetable, should be that predominate in a healthy diet.

The next question is how we stop all this corniness and start getting serious about the fuel that we put into our bodies. After all, corn has become a dominant industry in our society, and changing the nature of the business even in small ways would affect our economy as well as the lives we lead everyday.  In my opinion, a shift in the market would be beneficial in numerous ways. I think that shifting to a food system that was not based on corn but on locally grown markets would not only make us eat healthier as a nation, but also serve as a medium for more jobs, tie communities together, and remind us as a country that quantity and speed are not always the best influences on the way we live our lives. I feel that this has to start first, by raising levels of education and awareness, and that from there necessary campaigning and movements should lead the way in to a happier, healthier, and not so corny America.  

Corn Choice

The choices you make, dictate the life you lead....

Consumers create change. Change in production. Change in policy.
If I make the choice to not consume high fructose corn syrup and corn fed beef, I am beginning the ripple effect of change.

"King Corn" Scared Me Too Much To Think of a Clever Title

There were a few things in "King Corn" that I found particularly striking. The first of which goes along with Clare's point that pretty much everything has high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in it, even those foods that aren't considered "sweet". In the back of my mind I always kind of knew this was true, but I guess I always thought that it was a necessary component of these foods that served some purpose. But after watching the film its clear to me that the prevalence of HFCS is due to the overabundance of corn. They did not start growing more corn because they needed to produce an important sweetener that would go in everything, rather, the HFCS industry was created to utilize the corn being produced and uses for it were found after the fact.

The fact that corn has made its way into our diet through beef wasn't incredibly surprising, but what it actually does to the cattle was. An old roommate of mine grew up on a small-scale cattle farm and always refused to eat corn-fed beef. When I asked him why he responded, "because it tastes like [expletive] and it kills the cow." He also always claimed that he could cook ground beef from his parents farm without pouring off the grease and it would be healthier than the leanest ground beef that you could buy from the supermarket. "King Corn" confirmed all of these statements that I disregarded as crazy in the past. It also blew my mind when the documentary stated that cattle consume 70% of the antibiotics in the United States. 70%! I'm suddenly less concerned about the corn and more concerned about the amount of prescription strength drugs I'm taking in through my Whopper with cheese.

The last thing that I took away from the film was the lack of actual farming that goes into corn farming. I've worked on a couple different small scale farming operations that grew multiple types of crops each, and there was always work to be done. Aside from spraying a few times, it seems like the majority of the work in large-scale corn farming is clerical. I think that this corresponds to Rick's point that we, as the millennial generation, have never had to go through any large-scale hardship. Throughout time human nature and instinct has evolved into what it is now. At first humans sought to maximize survival, once we mastered that we moved on to maximizing comfort, and once we got that under control we sought to minimize work and any type of discomfort. The unintended consequence of this evolution seems to be looming on the horizon. All of this effort that has been put into making life easier has had negative cumulative effects on our health and the environment, and soon our generation will be the ones that are tasked with taking these problems on. But as previously stated in Rick's post, we have no idea what hardship looks like and we've forgotten what hard work is.

King Corn

The most poignant part of this movie for me featured a tour through the grocery store. I have been out West and seen plenty of farms, but the familiar site of a small grocery store hit close to home. I always thought of high fructose corn syrup with a negative connotation, but I also associated it strictly with "sweet" tasting foods like Gushers and pop. After watching this movie, I went through my kitchen and found that my ketchup, yogurt, and ice cream contained the substance. Stopping the cycle will be difficult, but I agree with a previous post that states that documentaries such as these are a place to start. The question is, where do we go from here? I would like to benefit future generations by developing a solution, but developing such solutions often requires a large amount of financial resources, cooperation, time, and the ability to actively consider the impact of new plans on future generations.
Sorry for the tangent, but in reference to the ethanol production article...I don't quite understand the concept behind subsidies or their impact in the social arena. If someone wouldn't mind explaining this (I Google searched this but didn't understand the lingo), it would be appreciated!

Corn Star

Fittingly, King Corn hit one of the largest issues that I face at my site every day right on the head - the fact that cheap food is unhealthy food. Unfortunately, there are days when I serve the kids who come to lunch a burger, previously frozen and pre-packaged, and just as the documentary said, it's really nothing more than "fat disguised as meat." However, there's no way for me to even suggest a healthier alternative such as grass fed or organic beef. The cost would throw our program under. I felt at least a little consoled when the film began talking about corn syrup in soda, because soda isn't served to our kids at all during the day. They drink milk with their meals. But then I know that I don't control what they drink at home, or on the weekends. And I thought about how there's really no guarantee that the milk they drink isn't from cows in just as terrible a situation as the beef in the film. It's not just the corn and the beef industries. We've got to worry about dairy, about other produce, about other packaged foods as well. Food shouldn't be this scary.

The film also points out that this generation spends a smaller percentage of its income on food than any generation prior. If we're spending so little on food, then why do so many continue to grow hungry? Obviously there are thousands of responses that one could put forth to this question. But it's one of the great paradoxes that we are all up against this summer. Another great and terrible paradox pointed out by this documentary is the fact that 70% of the antibiotics in this country go to animals. Skirting around the issue of animal cruelty (a monster in itself), that's tons of medicine that could be going to people who can't afford it all around the world. What can we do, as participants in this twisted system, to re-route those antibiotics to the people that really need it? Is it even possible?

And then, there's the issue of corn itself. Recent corn crops are the largest in U.S. history. Will they just keep getting bigger? CAN they? Or is there a breaking point - a point where the entire system grows too large to support itself and collapses into inevitable demise. Think of the devastation that would cause, in the entire line of corn production and consumption. Furthermore, one can sort of go out on a limb and wonder what will happen to corn farms as our nation's population continues to expand. Look at the way that small towns in Ohio have expanded just over the last century. The rural Midwest can't stay rural forever, at the rate our population's expanding. Eventually, even if it's decades and decades from now, we're going to need that space. And who's going to come first: people, or corn?

It's a scary question, but if we don't use corn products in our processed foods... what will we use? People demand those unhealthy products just the way they are. How can we change both the producers' and the consumers' perspectives, when the producers only care about a high demand and the consumers and processors only care about a low price? How do we get back to the natural food we once less than a century ago with this large of a population to feed? How can we find a way to bring natural, healthy food to such large masses? Chemicals that cannot be touched by unprotected hands go into corn syrup. And that's not something we want in our bodies, nor in anyone else's. However, I do believe that documentaries like this one are the first step in correcting these multitudes of issues. By getting the word out there, we at least make the public aware of the problem.

Sydney

The Great Corn Con

The issue with corn in the United States is a tricky one. I agree with the post stating that the United States should focus on more than one resource. This would allow us to do healthier things with our food instead of just buffering everything with corn. However, corn is, in general, an incredibly simple, inexpensive crop to grow. Therefore, it is a good resource for farmers to have because they can, in theory, make more money off of it and rely on it more heavily than most other crops.

In addition, the politics of this type of issue never ceases to amaze me. As the article points out, presidential candidates are silly not to voice support for ethanol. If they didn't, they would lose huge political support in Iowa (one of the most important political states), where many farmers reside.

[Insert Clever Corn Pun Here]

Watching King Corn was a massively eye-opening experience for me. As an "Animal" major, I never really gave any thought to where everything I ate and drank came from. So, in learning that corn has its fingers in virtually every aspect of the edible industry, I think I'll be much more conscious in my Caloric decision making.

The most surprising thing I noticed throughout this whole documentary was that despite how bad the system may seem now, all it is is the result of a generational butterfly effect. If you look at various generations throughout history and how they were raised, you'll often see direct results from the ideas that they formed as a collective society as they grow older and more influential in political and entertainment-related fields. This corn crisis is no different. Being raised in the Great Depression, in the time of hard labor, it's no wonder that that generation focused its efforts on creating cheap, easily obtainable food. Who knew what a slippery slope it would be decades later?

In all honesty, however, I don't think our prognosis as a whole is very favorable. Sure, we're the youth, and we'll change the world, and all that jazz we've been fed since we were little. But think about it: The ideas and beliefs that were formed to help the problem at that time were formed in a generation that knew nothing else. They lived in such a hard time that their beliefs were hardwired into their systems, and when they started to gain power, they did what they could to alleviate it. They believed in their solution, but, more importantly, they believed in their problem.

Now, if you classify us VISTA's as one generation, let's say mid-80's to early-90's, and include everyone else born in that period with us, what problems have we faced? What have we seen in our time that has inflicted us with so much pain that we've devoted our lives to correcting it? What, if any, hardships as a generation have we seen? We were raised in a very prosperous time. I personally struggle to think of anything that directly affected our generation at such a universal level that any kind of idea or belief has been hardwired into us all. Most of us only believe what our parents tell us or what's on the TV or internet anymore. How many of us are educated enough to see the problems our world is facing now? Too few.

If anything, I think what really unites and defines us is complacency. I don't see us fixing that anytime soon. Maybe one day, once we add to the problems of the generations before us, the generations after us will start cleaning up our mess. But honestly, don't you think that at one point, someone was saying that about ours? It's a vicious cycle. It's a slippery slope. Whatever corny cliche you decide to use, the problems need to be brought to light. They say change starts with a few, but I refuse to believe that until the many align themselves with the few. Only then will we actually be able to see change. Will it be our lifetime? That's the million-dollar question.

Corn Fiasco

Aside from corn hitting a record $7.87 per bushel, the most shocking factor is that the United States continues to import costly foreign oil and subsidize the export of its equivalent. It is beyond my understanding why during a deficit, we continue to produce a product in which the financial negatives outweigh the positives. Then again, what exactly are the positives? Rattner suggests that not only does ethanol not live up to its environmental promises, ethanol consumes more energy than it produces. However, we should not just consider Rattner’s arguments, but research for ourselves! Perhaps if everyone informed themselves, we could prevent slip-ups similar to that of politician Al Gore who initially was swept into supporting ethanol subsidies, only to change his mind at a later date. We have to understand that just because the media portrays ethanol or any other product as energy efficient, cost effective or innovative does not necessarily mean that it is.

To Be Corny or Not To Be Corny?

Basically, the writer of the article The Great Corn Con wants to look at the entire thing with a general view. Which there is nothing wrong with it, but should be considered. The government has done a good thing, which has not really been seen since Great Depression- it gave farmers a voice in government plans. The problem however, as the article explains, is that it is focused on ONE crop and it just so happens to be one of the unhealthiest ones out there.

A good solution would be to invest money into more than just one crop as it would influence the industry to look into more options, compared to attempting to overuse corn in as many products as possible. For example, the diesel engine was originally invented to use with vegetable oil back in the early 1900s. Why not pursue the idea instead of enthanol? Research is new and it is understandable that mistakes will be made, thinking that the idea could literally be the next big thing. That's just how businesses and politics work.

Bio for Bess Proper

My name is Bess Proper, and I hail from a little town in the middle of nowhere called Millersburg. I am graduating from Otterbein University with a BA in Creative Writing in September. After that, I plan to work a housekeeping job at Yellowstone National Park until November and begin coursework for my Master's in Library Science at the local branch of Kent State, which should keep me occupied for at least another year and a half. Outside of school and work, I pretty much love anything that keeps me busy. Nothing bugs me more than having nothing to do. My passions in life are good music and good books, both of which I would like to create someday. My ideal day off would involve laying on a hammock in the sun, sipping on an Arnold Palmer, a good book in hand and some of my favorite tunes in the background. I am incredibly excited about my service as a VISTA at Otterbein this summer and the opportunity to give back some of what I have received in my life.

"What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do." - John Ruskin

Bio for Laurakate Bayman

My name is Laurakate Bayman. I’m a POWER senior here at Otterbein University where I am studying Public Relations and Computer Art. As an Ohio Campus Compact Summer Associate VISTA, I want to use this opportunity to begin my professional service career. After graduating from college, I’m hoping to go into the Air Force as an Officer and continue my career there. Outside of work and school, I enjoy biking, working out, being outside, watching movies, and so much more. An interesting fact about me is that I am a comic book nerd.

Dot Flanagan and Danielle Boyle bios

We are two students at Shawnee State University who both have previously participated in the Midwest Campus Compact Citizen Fellowship program (M3C). Dot Flanagan is a senior studying fine arts with a concentration in visualist design and interactive media, and is an active member of the SSU Habitat Club and Catholic Student Association. Danielle Boyles is a senior studying natural sciences with a concentration in chemistry, and is active in the SSU Habitat Club and Premed Club. Both of us are 25 years old and grew up in Scioto County our whole lives. We enjoy working with the community as much as possible.

This summer we are working with the Portsmouth Pantry Garden, where we will grow and harvest fresh organic fruits and vegetables which will be given to local food pantries. The garden is being completely ran by donations and volunteers from the community. One of our main goals is to expand the program to be able to help more food pantries in the area as we are only able to help a few where there are over two dozen in the county. We are very concerned about food programs in the area and would like to try to bring awareness to such programs as Scioto County is one of ten Ohio counties that has 40-45% of it's population that is eligible for emergency food (resource link). Through our service this summer, we hope to create enough awareness to the county that other groups and organizations would be influenced to create similar programs.

Danielle Boyles, http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/267883_10100199252573299_25815541_48672866_5033126_n.jpg

Senior at Shawnee State University

Natural Science major with a concentration in Chemistry

Former M3C member, 1 year

Dot Flanagan, http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/190071_956946808884_12317388_49065450_5572369_n.jpg
Senior at Shawnee State State University

Fine Arts major with a concentration of Visualist Digital Design & Interactive Media 

Former M3C member, 1 year

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Corn Con Article

This article directs blame toward the government, but completely ignores the role of the consumer. If Americans chose not to rely on the corn industry so heavily, drastic changes would have to be made.

Corn-fed Politicians

The reason for the situation outlined in Steven Rattner's article, "The Great Corn Con" can be narrowed down to the same two (often related) influences that tend to guide most things in this country: politics and money.

Corn/ethanol production is a huge dollar industry which incorporates everyone from the ethanol refineries, to the gasoline blenders, chemical fertilizer companies, machinery producers, seed distributors, lobbyists, and countless others; but it all starts with the farmers. In his article, "The Ethanol Lobby: Profits vs. Food," Ed Wallace posits the question: "If you had two customers for the same product and one paid more than the other, which customer would you choose?" Corn farmers are essentially faced with this same dilemma, especially those practicing large-scale mono-culture. On one hand they could produce relatively labor intensive, yet nutritious, food for one price. Or they could produce stress free corn which will earn them a greater price as well as some major tax breaks to boot. (http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/may2009/bw20090526_169812.htm) Most farmers are going to choose the latter any day of the week. The cumulative effect of all the individual farmers making this very basic, personal economic decision is a multi-billion dollar industry which has firmly rooted itself in the U.S. economic and political system.

Unfortunately, with great wealth comes great political influence. The Ethanol industry is able to harness that wealth by hiring highly talented and influential lobbyists and paying for PR campaigns touting the "advantages" of ethanol. The resulting policies have granted about $22.5 billion in tax-payer subsidies to ethanol producers between 2005 and 2010. (http://www.ewg.org/files/EWG-corn-ethanol-energy-security.pdf) In fact, an attempt to end the 45 cent-per-gallon tax subsidy that Rattner discussed in his article was defeated in the on June 14 by a vote of 59-40 in the Senate. (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/us/politics/15senate.html?scp=6&sq=ethanol&st=cse). This should all look fairly familiar. The corn/ethanol has essentially become the domestic equivalent to oil the oil industry. The only difference is oil produces more energy than it takes to create, unlike ethanol. (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/25/opinion/25Rattner.html?scp=2&sq=ethanol&st=cse)

Corn Confusion

The amount of corn that is incorporated into the diets of Americans is a frightening thing to think about when you realize that corn has one of the worst nutritional values of all grains. Though corn does not seem to be a high demand product, Steven Rattner confirms in his article The Great Corn Con that it is produced as America’s largest crop. In fact,  just as the article mentions corn is consumed not only as a food item itself, but also through the different meats that are consumed (as animals eat mass amounts of corn), as well as through ethanol products. The reason that this can be such a problem is that grains like corn have been found to cause many chronic diseases, such as cancer, depression, obesity, allergies, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, and asthma (Slanker). In other words, the effect that corn has on our society becomes personal and serious. Nevertheless, the knowledge that people have about corn or about other foods that may be harmful to them is extremely limited. For this reason, it is important for citizens to become more educated about the effects that corn has on them and take a stand for themselves and for their health by communicating with their government as to different ways such issues could be improved. In my opinion, the most essential elements that could help with such an issue would be to provide individuals with resources that would educate them not only insofar as the reasons that foods like corn and corn products are negative to their health, but also provide them with alternatives that can improve their diets and health.

The reason I feel that providing education and alternative strategies would be effective is that often people hear or learn about the negative effects that certain foods have on them, but do not learn enough about those effects or do not learn different methods as to how they can change their eating habits. However, I feel that if individuals were provided with this information it could improve health throughout America. In addition, I feel that if more people were to become aware of such issues and to realize the importance of them, governments would respond accordingly, improving issues along the subjects of corn consumption, to spending, as far as pollution created from ethanol. When considering the effects corn can have on health, it is a no-brainer that the amount of corn consumption in the United States should decrease. After all, the US is one of the world’s most fortunate countries, and reducing corn consumption should not present a problem, especially because it so expensive to begin with. I personally do not understand why so much money is spent on corn if corn has such terrible effects on Americans. After all, so much money is spent on corn, money which ultimately only generates more costs for health and healthcare.

http://www.texasgrassfedbeef.com/corn__it_s_what_s_bad_for_you.htm

Bio for Heather Stewart

I recently graduated from Marietta College where I studied advertising and public relations while interning at a local non-profit called The Betsey Mills Club. As a Ohio Campus Compact Summer Associate VISTA I continue to gain experience working in a non-profit environment. I hope to hold another VISTA position as a campus guide at the local community college this fall before searching for a permanent job in Columbus working for either a non-profit agency or with an event planner. Outside of the workplace I enjoy reading, biking, running, fires and camping with my friends and family.

Bio for Shannon Corlett

My name is Shannon Corlett and I am a rising junior at Case Western Reserve University. I am currently studying nutrition and plan to attend med school after completing my undergraduate. This photo was taken during my first week as a VISTA while I worked on a fun project that involved mixing dirt for potting seedlings at the Case Farm. I am also working with the Cleveland crops program to improve urban gardening in the area and can't wait to see how exciting and challenging the rest of the summer will be.

Bio for Sydney Maltese

Sydney Maltese is currently a Sophomore at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, studying Organizational Communication/Public Relations and minoring in Leadership Studies.  Outside of classes, Sydney participates in choir, theater, and Greek life.  Originally hailing from Canton, Ohio, Sydney was a graduate of Canton Central Catholic High School.

Bio for Melissa Bresnahan

My name is Melissa Bresnahan. I am from Cleveland, Ohio and am going to be a third year student this upcoming year at John Carroll University. This summer, I will be working in an OCC VISTA position at John Carroll. My duties will include, but not be limited to: working in John Carroll’s Community Garden, delivering and serving food to the Heights Emergency food center, and organizing/coordinating other gardens in my community. I believe very strongly in promoting social justice for the poor, and have a very strong interest in mental disorders and the way they affect poverty. Since this is my first time dealing directly with hunger issues, I am really looking forward to all of the things I can learn from this experience.  I hope to expand the knowledge that I have on food security in the United States, and most especially within my schools community.

Some of my Goals include:

-        Learning more about community gardens and their effect on communities

-        Finding out more about food insecurity and security efforts in both my school and home neighborhoods

-        Reflecting upon what kind of things can be implemented both structurally and locally to improve food insecurity problems

-        Taking any courses of action available to me that may make a difference for this issue

Bio for Dominique Hughes

Community service, which has been an influential part of my college experience,

has contributed to my passion to serve at the Lorain County Urban League as an AmeriCorps VISTA for Ohio Campus Compact this summer.  While attending Oberlin College, I served as a Bonner Scholar.  The Bonner Scholars Program provides students who have demonstrated outstanding community service with the financial support needed to attend college and continue to be involved in the community.  In three years, I was able to work as an activities facilitator, youth summer camp counselor, and an administrative assistant all of which have contributed to my decision to attend the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University next fall. As an activities facilitator in the creative arts department at Kendal at Oberlin (a residential retirement center), it was my responsibility to encourage residents to engage in intellectually stimulating exercises.   These included news currents, Uno, trivia and crossword puzzles, which were all beneficial to residents who were undergoing mental changes.  I also helped residents cope with their transition from independent to assisted living.  My sophomore summer I coordinated and taught age appropriate curriculum to support the intellectual growth of 25 2^nd and 3^rd grade students at Save Our Children (an afterschool and summer development agency providing intellectual and social enrichment opportunities to at-risk children and youth who reside in South Elyria).  My last two years at Oberlin College I had the pleasure of assisting in organizing Zion Community Development Corporation’s (Zion CDC) Community Garden.  I helped initiate seasons by informing local gardeners and helping them complete their garden agreements.  I have also enjoyed hands on experiences through preparing garden plots and laying woodchips.  As with Zion CDC, it is my hope that through my position at the Lorain County Urban League more Lorain County residents, specifically youth can reap the benefits of fresh and healthy foods.  Over the next 8 weeks, I will be organizing over 58 hours of service learning activities for 6^th – 8^th grade and upcoming 9^th grade students in Project Ready.  Project Ready is an early college access program for middle school students.  Youth will engage in a mix of formal instruction, service activities and reflection concerning how food access, job creation and preparation for the workforce relate to each other.  I am ecstatic to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA this summer, and I look forward to helping youth academically, socially and culturally mature as they become knowledgeable about food security.

Bio for Rick Samu

My name is Richard Marton Samu, and I was born March 2, 1991 to Attila and Jaccie Samu in Salem, Ohio. I attended Salem High School, where I participated in a variety of extra-curriculars, serving leadership roles in several. Among these were varsity soccer (co-captain), academic challenge (co-captain), varsity track, National Honor Society, and band (percussion section leader). I graduated second out of my class of 148 with a GPA of 4.67 in 2009.

A Cincinnatus and Choose Ohio First scholar, I attended the University of Cincinnati, where I planned on majoring in Astrophysics. After a year of hating all things calculus related, I changed majors and got into the Zoology program. During my past two years here I've been involved in various service organizations on campus, such as the University Honors Association; ZooMates, a mentoring program through both UC and the Cincinnati Zoo; the Adaptive Ski Program at Perfect North slopes; and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, Ohio Theta chapter.

I have a sister, Jocelynne, who also intends to attend the University of Cincinnati for Zoology when she graduates next year, two cats, a dog and a rabbit. In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer, dodgeball, ultimate frisbee, and the drums.

After graduation, I hope to continue my studies in order to obtain my Master's degree in Zoological Sciences.