Zack Garton's Posts - Urgent Evoke2024-03-29T13:23:19ZZack Gartonhttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ZackGartonhttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2236945059?profile=original&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=0ki3xyrnwo5lw&xn_auth=noAct2Part2... Dinner Clubstag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-29:4871302:BlogPost:712632010-03-29T16:12:45.000ZZack Gartonhttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ZackGarton
I decided to take the 'Act' portion of this mission a little further. The question of Food Security is one especially important to me. So, I got to thinking about something I could do, starting first with my group of friends, that would spread to reach a large number of people... This is the idea that I came up with.. I'll post the description of the facebook group my girlfriend and I created to facilitate, as well as a link…
I decided to take the 'Act' portion of this mission a little further. The question of Food Security is one especially important to me. So, I got to thinking about something I could do, starting first with my group of friends, that would spread to reach a large number of people... This is the idea that I came up with.. I'll post the description of the facebook group my girlfriend and I created to facilitate, as well as a link below...<br/>---------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/>Description:So here's the idea: Groups of friends getting together and cooking, eating, learning about good food; how to grow it, get it, and provide it to everyone. Simple.<br/>We start with, say, once a week. My hope is that we'll start with a small group of folks who will then branch out into their various groups of friends, etc. etc., until eventually this is how we're eating every night, with different folks. For each meal there are certain criteria (yea just gettin together and grubbin is fine, but if we're gonna change the world we do this thing right.) Here's what I'm thinkin, to start:<br/><br/>RULES:<br/>1. Dont talk about good clean eats. (jk hehe)<br/>2. The meal must be hand-prepared and home-cooked. Made with your bare hands, and as much from scratch as possible. No bags of Bertolli's or Hamburger Helper, sorry..<br/>3. The meal must be healthy. By this I mean NOT JUNK FOOD. It doesn't have to be tofu and sprouts or anything start with veg-, but its got to be made from good ingredients, with a mind toward providing a well-balanced meal.. Red meat? Sure! As long as you need the protein =D You get the idea..<br/>4. The meal must be comprised of at least 50% local ingredients. This is gonna be the trickiest one. You can go to your local market and find items marked 'Local'.. HEB (Central Market, especially) and Whole Foods are really good about marking which of their products are produced locally. Once this gets off the ground I'll be looking into buying directly from local farms and gardens, etc.. Also, potentially some sort of food club, of which I shall explain more later...<br/>5. This is a social endeavor. While I applaud you for cooking yourself some badass local greens, or some such; the point of it being a group is that we do it together =D Besides, I want to get to know you guys better! 3+ people, at least, for an official meal =)<br/>6. Themes are encouraged! Go Mediterranean for a meal. Or a lovely fish and white wine night. One of my favorites that is easily customizable is Taco Night.. Aawww, hell yea..<br/>7. Talk about good eats! the more the merrier<br/><br/>There we go.. those are the beginning criteria. There will likely be additions and amendments, but here's a start. And so, let us Eat, Drink, and Be Merry! <br/>---------------------------------<br/><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=113259698689056&ref=mf">http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=113259698689056&ref=mf</a><br/>--------------------------------<br/>Let me know what you all think! Also, let me know if you fancy the idea and want to start one near you =D It would be cool to get something like this going in multiple places around the world; make it official and junk, spread the word... =DAlternate Energy Favoritestag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-29:4871302:BlogPost:710452010-03-29T14:24:14.000ZZack Gartonhttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ZackGarton
There are so many amazing alternate-energy technologies out there. Wind, solar, hydro, bio, you name it.. All of these amazing technologies are being developed to help us out of this energy crisis; but not a one of them (so far) has reached any sort of level of scalable practicality. I'm interested in making these Green Energy ideas available to anyone, of any means. Solar is great! If you can afford it =/ Wind is awesome! If you can build a giant-ass turbine somewhere.. I want to see hand-made…
There are so many amazing alternate-energy technologies out there. Wind, solar, hydro, bio, you name it.. All of these amazing technologies are being developed to help us out of this energy crisis; but not a one of them (so far) has reached any sort of level of scalable practicality. I'm interested in making these Green Energy ideas available to anyone, of any means. Solar is great! If you can afford it =/ Wind is awesome! If you can build a giant-ass turbine somewhere.. I want to see hand-made windmills attached to people's houses and cars generating electricity for their phones and computers. I want to see solar panels on EVERY available surface.. Solar is so damned expensive, but there is so much potential there. IF we can make it available to people at less cost, then we've got a workable solution to an energy crisis (tip of the iceberg, I know, but you've got to start somewhere...)<br/>So, I've been looking around on the web and in stores etc, to find examples of folks taking these large-scale green technologies and scaling them down to a consumer-usable (and consumer-affordable) level... Found a couple nifty ones...<br/><br/><a href="http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/solar-charger-laptop-computers/">http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/solar-charger-laptop-computers/</a><br/>Here is a portable solar panel with which you can charge any of your electric devices (laptop, cellphone, PDA, PSP, whatever ya got).. With how much gadgetry people have nowadays, anything to take those items off the grid..<br/><br/><a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/04/10/sunhope-solar-balloons/">http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/04/10/sunhope-solar-balloons/</a><br/>Next, we've got solar balloons.. Impractical right now, yes.. But here's some folks who are taking the bulky and expensive and space-consuming affair that is installing solar and rethinking it.. Instead of horizontal sq. footage, all you need it vertical clearance.. Instead of heavy, costly, unwieldy panels, you've got a lightweight and shapable solar-absorbing material.. Might not be practical to have permanent balloons installed, but why not take the solar-fabric and wrap a tall building with it? Just a thought...<br/><br/><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/saul_griffith_on_kites_as_the_future_of_renewable_energy.html">http://www.ted.com/talks/saul_griffith_on_kites_as_the_future_of_renewable_energy.html</a><br/>A TED talk by a fellow called Saul Griffith.. He's using giant stunt-kites to generate a pretty respectable amount of electricity (upwards of MW, with the right sized wing). Again, a silly premise that is actually being made to work.. Awesome stuff..<br/><br/>Next (and I'm sorry to say that I don't have a link for this...yet...) is one of my favorites.. Those kineticly(sp?) powered bicycles.. Basically its a bike with a motor/battery attached. When you pedal, it creates and stores energy in a battery, which you can then switch on to power the motor and propel yourself up hills and the like. This is genius. I intend to do a lot more research on these and on making home-made kinetic motors for various applications..<br/>I am also, currently, in the process of designing and building my own little devices for creating my own electricity.. Cleverly placed solar and wind generators that I intend will power various other projects that are swirling about in my head.. =D<br/><br/>Anyway, there's a start.. Just a handful of the thousands of people that are out there, just like us, trying to save the world =)<br/><br/>The Perfect Supper - 2020tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-27:4871302:BlogPost:678332010-03-27T23:15:47.000ZZack Gartonhttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ZackGarton
It's hard to imagine what my supper will consist of a decade from now.. What part of the world will I live in? What types of food will still exist at that time? What new ones will have emerged? What will be my means? I cannot say for certain, but I can dream of what I'd like to be eating =) I hope to ultimately attain a near-perfect degree of self-sufficiency, so my meals will be the product of my own labors with Earth and Animal. I intend to have a farm. What type of farm? Read my other blog…
It's hard to imagine what my supper will consist of a decade from now.. What part of the world will I live in? What types of food will still exist at that time? What new ones will have emerged? What will be my means? I cannot say for certain, but I can dream of what I'd like to be eating =) I hope to ultimately attain a near-perfect degree of self-sufficiency, so my meals will be the product of my own labors with Earth and Animal. I intend to have a farm. What type of farm? Read my other blog posts and I'm sure it'll become apparent =D This farm will provide, for my family and I, all the food we'll need.. So, as to my perfect meal... <br/><br/>A fine steak, tender and juicy.. I'm reminded of the longhorn steak from the cattle at my family's farm in Blanco County, Texas.. Free-range and oooooh so tasty =) With that, I think, a baked potato topped with chives and hand-churned butter.. All fresh veggies, mind, from the backyard =) Also, there's got to be some big fat slices of tomato.. By themselves is just fine =D.. Finally, to round it off, a tall glass of captured rainwater, I'm thinkin, from some kind of rain-catcher contraption of my own freakish design... Fresh fruit for dessert.. if there's room.. <br/><br/>There we are, then; my whimsical perfect supper in a far-off, and yet, somehow, not-too-distant future.. Here's hoping it happens =)Sustainable Food Center Contacttag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-27:4871302:BlogPost:673722010-03-27T17:55:05.000ZZack Gartonhttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ZackGarton
My previous post was about the Sustainable Food Center of Austin. I've done a bit of research about their local projects and decided to contact them to find out ways that I could help and get involved. Below is a copy of the email that I sent to the Director of the Austin Farmers'…
My previous post was about the Sustainable Food Center of Austin. I've done a bit of research about their local projects and decided to contact them to find out ways that I could help and get involved. Below is a copy of the email that I sent to the Director of the Austin Farmers' Market<br />
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
Hello, there, Suzanne,<br />
My name is Zack Garton. You've likely never heard of me, but I've been doing a bit of research into your organization. I'm working on a project concerning sustainable agriculture and food security, and I'm looking for ways to get involved locally. My investigations brought to my attention the report 'Access Denied.' I found it extremely illuminating =D I wanted to know if you were working on an updated version, possibly including the entire Austin area, or expanding on some of the plans there outlined...<br />
At any rate, the main purpose of my emailing you was to find out how I might get involved with you guys. I'm interested in helpin out in any way that I can, anywhere that I can. When you get a chance, let me know what you guys are working on and where you need assistance =)<br />
<br />
Thanks for the time =D<br />
-Zack G.<br />
<br />
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------'<br />
<br />
I'm still waiting to get a response. It will likely be Monday before I do =( So I'll update this blog with any responses and further developments.. Also, I'll likely post another blog with the same tag, because I have another idea that I'm developing... More on that, later =DSustainable Food Center of Austintag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-26:4871302:BlogPost:657652010-03-26T17:29:17.000ZZack Gartonhttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ZackGarton
I believe the biggest problem facing food security in my area is akin, if not identical, to that facing most American towns and cities: lack of knowledge.. We barely know how to feed ourselves (at least, extending no further than buying food from the local grocery store or fast food restaurant), and we know nothing of a healthy and balanced diet. We completely disregard the essential value of a rich, home-cooked meal; and we are teaching our children to be exactly like us...<br />
So I wanted to look…
I believe the biggest problem facing food security in my area is akin, if not identical, to that facing most American towns and cities: lack of knowledge.. We barely know how to feed ourselves (at least, extending no further than buying food from the local grocery store or fast food restaurant), and we know nothing of a healthy and balanced diet. We completely disregard the essential value of a rich, home-cooked meal; and we are teaching our children to be exactly like us...<br />
So I wanted to look for local group that is working on these issues: offering resources and education to the masses..And I found what I was looking for in the blog of one of my fellow Austinite Evoke Agents: Mr. Hayden Linder. Sorry to steal your idea, but this is a good one >=D They're called the Sustainable Food Center of Austin. This is an organization that is working to take the whimsical vision of sustainability and make it a reality...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sustainablefoodcenter.org/">http://www.sustainablefoodcenter.org/</a><br />
<br />
Their website is amazing.. They have everything from how to start your own garden to recipes for the food you grow to dates for the next farmers' market to the locations of each of their 19 community gardens that are scattered across town. They've organized Farm to Work programs for local businesses, as well as Farm to School programs for area schools. They're taking this great idea and showing people that it is workable and profitable. I intend to do more research into ways I can get involved with these people, likely by contacting them via email or visiting one of their centers or gardens.. Keep ya posted!!Ten years...tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-23:4871302:BlogPost:596872010-03-23T21:44:48.000ZZack Gartonhttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ZackGarton
Who can say where I'll be in ten years? Or even five? Who can say what the state of the planet will be, or even where we'll be as a species in ten years? The future is so uncertain it almost seems silly to try and predict trivialities such as the location and activities of one individual. The pragmatist/pessimist in me suggests there is no sense in planning for a future where there is every likelihood that the educational/governmental/financial institutions on which I would be relying will no…
Who can say where I'll be in ten years? Or even five? Who can say what the state of the planet will be, or even where we'll be as a species in ten years? The future is so uncertain it almost seems silly to try and predict trivialities such as the location and activities of one individual. The pragmatist/pessimist in me suggests there is no sense in planning for a future where there is every likelihood that the educational/governmental/financial institutions on which I would be relying will no longer be there. What point is there in devoting resources to attaining a degree that won't matter? Or paying taxes to a nation that will no longer exist? These notions have long kept me from diving headlong into opportunities that may well have ended up making me a better person or allowing me to lead a more secure life, and for this I have much regret. Doubt and fear of uncertainty have kept me from making long-term plans; but have not entirely frozen me. There is an advantage to this outlook: fluidity. I have kept myself flexible in terms of the ways in which I may apply myself. I have devoted myself to accumulating knowledge that will allow me to solve whatever myriad problem may arise, and a sort of morbid fortitude that prepares me for dark days ahead. I believe we, as a whole species, are in for rough seas; but at the same time I believe we are still in a place from which we can bounce back. I am determined to take part in initiating the return..<br/> So in ten years, where will I be? I could be in a jungle in Borneo, regrowing rain-forest.. Or in India or Africa, trying to set up clinics to bring free medical attention to those who need it. Or, perhaps, working to find a more cost-efficient and scalable solar panel material.. Maybe developing hardier food crops to grow in areas with poor soil condition, or teaching Middle-Eastern children to build windmills.. The point I'm getting at is: who the hell knows? The applications for a well-trained mind are infinite, and the necessity for people who know the World is ever-growing. I want to be one of the people who can fill that demand..Permaculture Fish-Farmtag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-20:4871302:BlogPost:489272010-03-20T00:51:46.000ZZack Gartonhttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ZackGarton
The person that I've chosen as my hero is a man named Miguel Medialdea.. He's the Quality and Environment manager at a place called Veta la Palma. It is a fish-farm in southern Spain, and its unlike anything you'd imagine a fish-farm to be. The ecosystem that they've cultivated there is so rich, that the fish they harvest require no feed; they eat exactly what they might in the wild. The system is so healthy that the estuary water that they pump into their fish ponds actually leaves cleaner…
The person that I've chosen as my hero is a man named Miguel Medialdea.. He's the Quality and Environment manager at a place called Veta la Palma. It is a fish-farm in southern Spain, and its unlike anything you'd imagine a fish-farm to be. The ecosystem that they've cultivated there is so rich, that the fish they harvest require no feed; they eat exactly what they might in the wild. The system is so healthy that the estuary water that they pump into their fish ponds actually leaves cleaner than when it entered. I wonder how we ever straye away from farming like this.. This is how we should have been doin it all along..<br/><br/><a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1902751,00.html">http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1902751,00.html</a><br/><a href="http://www.sustainable-seafood-multi-stakeholder-summit.com/speakers.asp#Medialdea">http://www.sustainable-seafood-multi-stakeholder-summit.com/speakers.asp#Medialdea</a><br/><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_barber_how_i_fell_in_love_with_a_fish.html">http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_barber_how_i_fell_in_love_with_a_fish.html</a><br/><br/>The above are links to stories about Medialdea and his farm.. I'm looking for any and all information I can find about this man and those like him. This is how agriculture should be done; by farmer/biologists who have a respect for the Nature that provides for us. I'll update this post with any more info that I find about these awesome farmers =D<br/>LEARN1tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-19:4871302:BlogPost:481542010-03-19T19:51:48.000ZZack Gartonhttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ZackGarton
Of all these 33 tips, one really quite sticks out to me: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Provide skills, not just finished technologies.</span> In the same vein as 'Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll be fed his whole life..' There's simply not much use in just fixing somebody's problem for them; especially when similar, or even brand-new, problems are likely to arise which would leave that person helpless and unprepared (unless of course you're there to…
Of all these 33 tips, one really quite sticks out to me: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Provide skills, not just finished technologies.</span> In the same vein as 'Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll be fed his whole life..' There's simply not much use in just fixing somebody's problem for them; especially when similar, or even brand-new, problems are likely to arise which would leave that person helpless and unprepared (unless of course you're there to fix it, again.. But how tiresome would that get?...) It is infinitely more effective to empower people to do for themselves. Encourage the ability and confidence to problem-solve in any situation, no matter how daunting. Build toward self-reliance and self-sufficiency. Nurse the achievement of an epic win =) You can't go on meeting every problem hoping that somebody is going to drop a solution into your lap. People need to learn and know what they're capable of, rather than just waiting for aide to arrive.<br/><br/>