February Field Notes

February Field Notess

Farmers at the NM Organic Farming conference, February, 2010

It’s been a few months since last I writ, but there’s much to tell! I’ve been holed up at my computer, getting some ideas on the page for the Thinking Like a Watershed project, and reading lots of material about food and its role in creating a sustainable future.

Since the Confluence writing conference in October I’ve shifted a gear, realizing the great relationship between foodshed and watershed. As such, that will be my focus for the chapter I’m writing for the book. And to jumpstart my foodshed writing mojo, I’ve started a blog called “Culture Cookery.” Check it out at culturecookery.wordpress.com. I’ve only made a few posts so far, but it will be a platform for my ruminations on American food culture and some ideas about fixing it, tutorials on how to make your own foods from scratch (such as yogurt, granola, polenta and other things we usually, but unnecessarily, buy at the grocery store), and reviews of dining establishments that take sustainability as seriously as I do.

I’ve also made a few small steps toward starting my own farm in the valley of Durango. I met with Darrin Parmenter, the county director extension agent for La Plata County, and got an earful about the first steps to take as a new farmer. In the next few weeks we’ll get a soil test, and start planning our crop. It’s taken a while for this idea to take root (so to speak) but by golly, I think we’re going to plant some seeds this year!

I attended day one of the New Mexico Organic Farming Conference in Albuquerque, NM, and was amazed at how much there is to know about planting seeds and getting them to grow (not to mention selling them to turn a profit). The shocker of the day was genetically modified foods and how they are dominating the agribusiness industry, and putting organic farming and traditional foods at high risk. The Center for Food Safety presented some horrifying information about how much control the larger GMO corporations (such as Monsanto) have over commercial seed production and sales, and what they are doing to spite the organic food movement. For more information about genetically engineered foods visit CFS’s website: http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/geneticall7.cfm

Jack showing us how to use ProTools

Earlier in the month, Jack hosted a tutorial on ProTools and sound recording where Sonia Dickey (a fellow LoL scholar), Stacia Spragg (a glorious photographer), and I learned about sound editing and techniques for getting a good recording. One can never have too many tools in one’s kit when trying to save the world!

Jack has also been bouncing around the southwest gathering interviews and wild sound for the TLAW project. He’s interviewed a multitude of thinkers and doers all over New Mexico, and has just begun the production aspect for our upcoming radio series.

Jack and I were fortunate enough to meet up in Phoenix, Arizona, for a two-day work and play spree. I spend some time with our brilliant website builder, Matt Clower, and equally as adept graphic designer, Jeff Del Nero, to get up to speed on our website. So I take responsibility for any mistakes on the site from this moment forth (hopefully you won’t find any, but if you do, please contact me).

Political scientists and partners, Vincent and Elinor Ostrom, in Phoenix, AZ.

During our trip, Jack interviewed 2009 Nobel Memorial Prize-winning author and economist, Elinor Ostrom, who won the prestigious award in Economic Sciences for her analysis of economic governance, particularly the commons. We had an excellent interview, and were fortunate enough to meet her equally impressive life partner, Vincent Ostrom, who has also made invaluable contributions to the field of political science. Dad and I were amazed at the duo, and got some wonderful information, which will undoubtedly be included in our project. One of the concepts addressed was “polycentrism,” meaning the organization around several political, social, financial, or other centers. Wikipedia defines the term polycentrism within an intercultural context as “understanding attitude and openness towards other cultures, opinions and ways of life: when intercultural actions and correlations are interpreted not only with the background of own cultural experiences, but when the independence of other cultures is recognized and appreciated and when cultural values are relativized and seen in the whole context.” Essentially, it is the opposite of ethnocentrism. Interesting thought for the day.

So as we ponder that, we’ll keep busy on our project, and keep you posted with events, of which there are many in the coming months. Don’t forget to check out our calendar!

Wishing you a wonderful end of the winter season, and as always, thank you for reading.