While catering may not be a daily necessity, it remains on of those things that will be important at some point in your life. Whether you are hosting a wedding reception, a baby shower or a retirement party, it is imperative that your caterer reflects your individual needs and desires. Although it may seem that all catering companies are pretty much the same, I assure you otherwise. The fact is, some catering companies may be better suited for the ‘green minded’ customer than others. If you are an eco-conscious consumer, here are some tips that will help you find just the right caterer.

From the Source- A good place to start when looking for a green caterer is to find out what type of food they use. Packaged, frozen and canned food not only lacks the quality of fresh food, but they require more packaging. Look for a caterer who utilizes local, fresh foods that are in season. This will not only ensure the tastiest of meals, but the greenest as well.

What Wares? Another important part of catering is the equipment and wares. An important aspect of green catering is minimal waste. Ask potential caterers if they use disposable chaffing pans and frames. If so, you might want to find a caterer with their own professional equipment. Also, inquire about the dishes. Not only do you want to avoid having your guests easting off of unattractive Styrofoam plates, you do not want to be responsible for the environmental harm. Plus, disposable wares are a good sign of a shoddy caterer.

Location Counts- Just as you do not want your food traveling hundreds of miles, you also do not want your caterer to make a major road trip for your event. Sometimes, setting up an event can take more than one trip from the caterer’s headquarters to the location of your event. Needless to say, the less driving, the better.

What’s Left? Because of Health Code regulations in most states, it is illegal to keep the food that is not consumed at the event. Often times, this means that very edible, totally safe food is thrown away. Not only is this a waste of food, it is a waste of the resources that went into preparing and serving the meal as well. Check with potential caterers to see what they do with left over food. Some caterers will donate leftover food to shelters that take prepared foods.

In the end, it is important to communicate your green desires with any potential caterer. Chances are, they will be willing to try and meet your expectations, even if it means they must adapt they way they do business.

Anyone who owns a business understands the cost of advertising. Just like product cost and other overhead expenses, advertising fees are a necessary expense… or at least they used to be. When I joined the family business a few years back, we were spending a good deal of money to promote our services. Whether we were sending out mailers, flyering parking lots, distributing door hangers or canvassing with posters, each cut into our bottom line.

While I was bothered by the amount of money were spending on these methods of advertisement, I was even more disturbed to see the unnecessary waste we were generating in the process. Not only did each method involve a paper product of some sort (non-post consumer recycled, I’m sure), the printing of our advertisement (non-soy based ink, no doubt) and the shipping of the material to our headquarters (and they didn’t arrive in a fleet of Hybrids). Also, I would argue that instead of being read and thus effective, many of our ads fell on blind eyes, or into the hands of the wrong demographic.

Enter MySpace. Given that I don’t have a conscious memory of what it is like not to have a computer, it only seems fitting that the youngest member of the family would be the one to usher the business into the MySpace world. When I first asked the bosses if our business had a MySpace page, they looked at me as though I was speaking another language and, in a sense, I was.

MySpace and other social networking websites are a great way to reduce, if not eliminate, the environmental impact of a business’ advertisements. For those not familiar with MySpace, it is a website that allows users to set up a profile and then find and add "friends." When a friend is added, they then have access to photos, updates and bulletins of all their other friends.

The business advantage of MySpace can be found when the availability of the target demographic is examined. As a restaurant and catering company, I was able to make friends with hundreds of people in my area who fit into my target demographic. The only thing this requires is a knack for keywords and a ton of patience. Once our business had a substantial friend base, we were able to send out promotions, updates and other tools of advertising… for free. Oh yeah, and did I mention, the whole process was totally paperless as well?

Not only did I have more control over to whom we were advertising, if our ads ended up reaching people out of our target demographic, it was no harm- no foul. This meant that we were wasting less money, saving more trees and more effectively getting our message out. Ingenious, no?

Given that my family is in the service and entertainment industry, the MySpace approach worked very well for us. If you are in an industry that is less conducive to MySpace, I urge you to find another social networking site that better fits your business. LinkedIn is a good site for larger businesses, especially those wishing to advertise to the general business community. Bebo is a social networking site with a general user base that is, in general, a little older than that of MySpace. In the end, it doesn’t matter which site you chose, as long as you are decreasing your advertising costs while, at the same time decreasing the environmental impact of your advertising methods.

Image credit: www.myspace.com

In nearly every post I describe the reasons business should go green. I tell you about social responsibility, about the fact that potential employees find sustainability attractive and the assurance that you may save some money in the long run. What if I told you that going green could give you a significant edge over other businesses in the same sector? Well, its true. Recently, the Carbon Beta Equity Performance Study came to the conclusion that there exists a "strong, positive, and growing correlation between industrial companies’ sustainability in general, and climate change in particular, and their competitiveness and financial performance." Basically, this means that companies who practice environmental sustainability have a competitive edge in their industry.

Innovest, an investment research firm, launched the study in order to better understand the effect of sustainability upon potential business investment. What they found was a much more substantial difference than most had predicted. In fact, the report found that, "In the longer term, the out-performance potential will become even greater as the capital markets become more fully sensitized to the financial and competitive consequences of environmental and climate change considerations”.

While this may be great news for some, it does not mean happy days for all. The report noted that the ’strong and postive’ correlation between a business’s performance and its sustainability was not necessarily true for every sector of business.

Further, the report found that potential investors are having difficulties figuring out which companies are truly sustainable. Because of inadequate reporting methods, investors have to do a substantial amount of leg work to figure out which companies have a comprehensive sustainability program in place, and this may be a deterrent in future investing. As the report notes, disclosure information is notoriously unreliable, inconsistently reported across companies and over time, and generally not validated by independent third parties… Emissions data alone provides less than 25 percent of the information a sophisticated investor requires."

The folks at Innovest think that the method of disclosure is a pretty big obstacle for investors looking for a truly green company. As founder Matthew Kieman puts it, "It is increasingly critical that performance-driven investors move beyond simply pressing for greater company disclosure," he said. "We are now seeing them begin to demand the sorts of investment tools, research and products they need to turn mere information into superior investment decisions and performance." Superior investment decisions, indeed! As business owners and conscious citizens, we really need to take measure that would ensure that investors looking to put money into a green company had the resources to make informed decisions. Not only will it be good for green minded investors, it will bonly serve to increase the green business edge.

I, like many other people in the United States, am not fortunate enough to live close enough to work that I can walk or bike. When possible, my co-workers and I attempt to car pool but with differing schedules, this is not possible 100% of the time.

One day at lunch I was looking around my office at the many, many people eating and talking, and it dawned on me: most (if not all) of these people rely on individual transportation to get to work. "What a shame!" I thought to myself. "If there was only a way to reduce the amount that people had to drive to get to work!" With a mass rail or transit system out of the question, because we do not live in a very densely populated place, I began racking my brain for ways to decrease the amount of carbon produce by my office in our collect daily commute.

Inspired by a comment from my mom ("If you are so unhappy with the situation, why don’t you just quit!"), I decided to attempt to not go into work. No, I didn’t quit. What I did do was sit down with my boss and analyze the work I do on a day-to-day basis, and which things I do that could be done from home.

While it was not an easy subject to approach, nor the most comfortable conversation I have ever had, I came out with a totally new work schedule. It was important to stress that I would not be doing less work, nor would the quality of my work decrease. Also, we agreed that if either scenario happened, that I would immediately return to my normal work schedule. Now, instead of driving to work five days a week, arrive at 9 am and leaving around 5pm, I have flexibility in my "office hours."

This is beneficial in two ways: First, I do not have to drive to and from the office nearly as much, as I have days in my week that do not require any "office hours" at all. Secondly, when I am required to be in the office, I do not necessarily have to drive in peak rush hour anymore. This is a significant improvement to my old routine, as I was wasting a lot of gas, and emitting a ton of extra carbon sitting on the highway in traffic.

Now, a friend of mine alerted me to the fact that I might be using more carbon to heat my house in the winter than I would be using to drive to work. This may be true in some cases, but if you take the extra steps necessary to winterize your home, the point should be pretty much null and void.

According to the International Telework Association and Council (ITAC), I am apparently not the first person to love the idea of working from home. If fact, ITAC claims that by 2010, the number of people working from home will increase from the current 26 million to an incredible 100 million. That means there may be 74 million less people driving to work everyday!

While working from home may not be an option for everyone, it is an avenue that I strongly suggest checking out. Before my uncomfortable discussion with my boss, I would never have though it possible that I could work from home.

photo credit- workingathomeopportunity.com

If your office is anything like mine, you have a TON of outdated/broken/obsolete tech stuff lying around, with nowhere to go. Now, in my office, we try not to throw this stuff out, because we are aware of the fact that it probably is not safe to go into the garbage dump. So we have what is lovingly referred to as the “tech graveyard”. It is a large box in a closet where we place all the gadgets and such that we have no idea what to do with.

Very recently my boss came to me and said. “Jessica, we need to do something about the graveyard, it is getting seriously out of control”. She was right. The box had turned into three boxes, nearly spilling out into the hallway whenever someone opened the door. So, now I had a mission. I had to figure out someway to deal with the tech stuff that was more sustainable than keeping it a closet (out of sight, out of mind- right?). Well, little did I know, the answer would be waiting for me in my inbox the next day. A friend of mine sent me an article that she thought I might find interesting. And interesting it was! Here is what I found out…

It seems as though “tech graveyards” may be more popular than you think. People all over the U.S. are struggling to find a solution to all the tech stuff that they just don’t know what to do with. Enter: Office Depot. According to this article, Office Depot is stepping up to the plate and helping the people of America find a home for all that obsolete tech equipment. As the article states, “the office supply retailer will offer recycling for tech equipment at all its 1,100-plus stores in North America.” Pretty nifty, no?

From what I understand, the tech recycling program is something Office Depot has been toying with for awhile now. It has been reported that the recycling program began 2006, in nearly 100 stores in the United States. Now, those stores must have done a really good job, because sustainabalebusiness.com claims that “more than 108,000 pounds of technology” has already been recycled. That’s the equivalent of over 15,428 of my office’s ‘tech graveyards’.

Further, according to the Office Depot Website, the company is taking measures in their offices to prevent the buildup of their very own ‘tech graveyard’. As the website states,
“Office Depot has an extensive waste recycling program at our Corporate Headquarters that targets more than 80% of our waste stream. This program includes paper, plastic bottles and cans, ink and toner cartridges, cell phones, rechargeable batteries and computers. Every ton of paper this program recovers has conserved 17 to 24 trees, and each extra ton of aluminum cans and plastic bottles recycled has conserved more than 2,000 gallons of gasoline.”

Now, Office Depot isn’t the only business looking to capitalize on the tech-recycling market. According to Frank Norton, from The News and Observer, “Intechra …{a company out of Jackson, Miss}, recycles tech equipment for major corporations. The company, which operates a logistics center in Durham, removes outdated computers, servers, monitors and other equipment, strips them of all data, refurbishes some and sells the rest as ground plastic, glass and metal on commodities markets.”

So, next time your boss is complaining about the ‘tech graveyard’ in your closet be reassured; there are options outside of throwing it all in the trash and hoping for the best. It is a sad fact that, an estimated 400 million units of obsolete electronics are scrapped yearly. That means that by 2010, three billion units will be in need of responsible recycling. That means we need to find an easier, more comprehensive way of dealing with our outdated gadgets. If all else fails, put an ad in the paper, or on craigslist.org saying you have a free box of out-dated tech stuff that you are looking to give away. I guarantee someone will be glad to get their hands on your unwanted ‘tech graveyard’.

What do you get when you combine an undergraduate degree in sociology and three masters degrees in sociology, divinity studies and urban planning with an intense love for the Lord? A priest on a mission … that’s what!

Since 1998, Rev. Charles Morris has been on a mission to make his church a sustainable place to worship, and the results are quite impressive. St. Elizabeth’s Church, in Wyandotte, Michigan, is not only a place of God, but a place of innovation as well. It has taken Rev. Morris almost ten years, and over $150,000 to make his church a beacon of both religion and sustainability, two things he believes go hand in hand.

It all started with a heightened awareness of the harms of global warming, mixed with a responsibility to to his faith. The more educated the Reverend became about peak oil and depleted natural resources, the more worried he became about the prospects for future generations. At the same time, he could not help but feel that every bit of energy wasted was somehow connected to God. As he put it, "I was worried about our relationship to energy, and about our relationship to God… he is the creator of all everything, including life and energy." Instead of preaching from the pulpit, the Michigan priest got involved.

And the result? St. Elizabeth’s is one of the most environmentally comprehensive churches in the United States. On the roof of the building are solar panels and a wind turbine that provide the electricity for the community rooms and for the basement of the church. There is also a solar collector that provides the building with hot water. Moreover, the roof is home to a solar fan, which removes the hot air from the attic of the church.

But, the innovations do not stop there! The church’s 1,400 square feet of stained glass windows are covered with a solar netting that regulates the inside temperature: it retains heat in the winter, and lowers cooling costs in the summer. The church also boasts compact fluorescent bulbs and LED lighting technology throughout the building. Pretty impressive, huh?

Like I mentioned before, the environmental overhaul cost the church about $150,000. While this may sound like a ton of money (which it is!), it is the money saved that made this project economically feasible. Currently, the church is saving about $20,000 per year on energy costs, which means it cut its former energy costs by over half. If you project those savings through ten years, the church will not only make its money back, but it will have saved over $50,000 in utility expenses.

Aside from what he sees as a responsibility to the Lord, Reverend Morris has some pretty persuasive reasons for going green. As he told me, "we have a responsibility to the next generation, and to the generations after that. To ignore the current state of the environment is not only reckless, it is negligent." Sometimes, it seems as though it is the people with the largest sense of imperative that make the biggest changes for what they believe in.

Becoming sustainable has not exactly been a crystal stair for Reverend Charles Morris, though. When asked about the biggest challenge in the greening of both his church and his life, the Reverend tolds me, "lethargy — it is easy to lose momentum when undertaking such a large task. Also, bad habits. I am no different than anyone else: I have parts of my routine that I need to change to reflect my belief [in sustainability]."

Lethargy and bad habits are just the beginning of what Father Morris has had to overcome to get to where he is today. One of the things he claimed posed the biggest hurdle for him, in terms of achieving a higher level of sustainability, was a lack of support and education. When undertaking something like an environmental overhaul, there will always be people who don’t get it, which is why we need to construct an atmosphere that encourages people to try new things, and to take risks.

According to Father Morris, "We must create the conditions that foster green lifestyles, and education is a good place to start." Reverend Morris is a staunch advocate on environmental education and sees it as a necessary step to making this country more sustainable.

When asked what the biggest environmental harm resulting from the way most Americans live their lives, the Reverend responded quickly:

The poor, the invisible people of this country who suffer the most from the destruction of the environment. It is the people suffering from asthma, heart attacks and other health problems. We, as a country do not acknowledge these people. Because of our consumer culture, they are isolated and the only way to fix that is through education

Education is not the only way in which we can decrease our environmental impact though. The Reverend believes that business must step up and take a leadership role in the greening of this country. He explains,

Businesses need to take charge. They need to not only green their own practices and act as a model for the rest of the country; they must provide the capital and incentive to get us to the next level. We are on the cusp of the ‘next phase,’ but businesses must realize that going green can be profitable. When this happens, you will see a shift in the market and the increased affordability of green technology.

While not all of us may have the resources to undertake a environmental overhaul anytime soon, Reverend Morris has some good advice for those people just getting started greening their lives. "Start reading! It is easy to look at your environmental impact and go from denial to despair. Instead, you must go to decision. You need to figure out what you can change, make the necessary modifications and then celebrate your victories." And celebrate he does. Father Charles Morris is not only a wonderful example of what can be accomplished with a little determination; he is man who truly practices what he preaches.

Photo credit: Detroit MetroTimes

So you are a busy businessperson, I get it. You barely have time to do the thing that MUST be done, let alone the things that should. Often times, it is this reality that leads to environmental sustainability taking a back seat in the work place. No matter how busy you may be, there are a few simple things you can do to reduce your workplace’s negative environmental impact.

Pull the Plug — Is your microwave being used 24/7? No? Then why is it plugged in? While idle appliances don’t take up a ton of energy, think about all the small lights that shine, blink or flash throughout your office. Each of those displays requires energy to light up. Further, even appliances without lights or displays can consume energy when they are not turned on. Stand-by appliances can add a constant 50-watt drain to your power supply.

Your computer is a big contributor to the problem of wasted energy. Did you know that when your computer is completely idle, even if your monitor is off, it still is probably pulling about 100 watts from the wall.

Stop the Leak — You may not think it considerable, but the amount of water wasted from leaky faucets and other sources really adds up. If you notice a faucet dripping, or a spigot outside that doesn’t quite close, fix it! One drop wasted per second wastes 2,642 gallons per year. Now, that is not only bad for the environment; it is bad for you bottom line!

Make it a Double — While many of us may not think to take the time to change out printer setting, printing on both sides of the paper reduces your paper usage by … 50%! Halving you paper consumption is a great way to make a huge difference in your workplace’s environmental impact. 50% is a significant decrease and the only you have to do is flip the pages!

Cut the Chlorine — When buying paper products, most companies go for the cheapest stuff their suppliers have to offer. I mean, they are just napkins, right? Wrong! Paper products processed with chlorine are more harmful to the environment than those that are not. In fact, chlorine-free paper production uses 20-25 times less water. Moreover, the chlorine used in paper production can create dioxins that are poisonous to fish and can pollute water sources.

If your company is not ready to take the plunge into absolute greenness, you can do these five, simple things, and will be making big steps in the right direction! Hopefully, the energy, water and waste you conserve will help motivate you to do even more to become a sustainable business!

It may seem that anything available can be found in the green variety: there are green builders, natural cleaning products and eco-friendly clothing lines … but sustainable event planners? Yep! Seven-Star Inc provides a one-stop shop for all your green events needs. From planning to production, Seven-Star has incorporated their eco-conscious business model into every aspect of their services.

Now, you may be thinking, "green event planning?" Apparently there is an awful lot of environmental degradation happening at the hands of big events. As Seven-Star explains,

As planners, producers and consultants, our job is to provide easy, economical and practical solutions to reduce your event’s impact on the environment and society. Every event has associated negative impacts: Carbon emissions result from shipping, exhibitors and attendees use fuel for travel, waste is generated, electricity is used, the list goes on. Our goal is to reduce and mitigate these negatives, then transform them into more profit for you and positive PR for your event.

Seven-Star has incorporated their sustainable philosophy, known as eR/sR, into their day-to-day operations. eR/sR is an acronym for environmentally responsible and socially respectful. As the company notes, "We coined the term eR/sR to precisely describe the high standard we believe in: true environmental responsibility and social respect. It’s simple, it’s user-friendly, and in the world we live in today, eR/sR is synonymous with a powerful alternative."

Seven Star works to make every event, from street fairs to private parties, as green as possible. They work with their clients to reduce waste, ensure efficient energy technology is utilized, organize event recycling, and even facilitate the use of green decorations. According to Seven-Star,

[We take] a comprehensive approach to transforming an event, one step at a time. We begin by reviewing an events’ ecological footprint, taking energy use, waste stream and the quality of products into account. We then develop and implement an operational and product usage plan outlining steps to green the event on a specified timeline. We identify opportunities for material re-use, carbon emissions neutralizing and product conversion to eco-friendly alternatives.

The list of clients taking advantage of Seven-Star’s services is reads like a list of environmental "Who’s Who." From the Green Fest in Chicago, to the Global Exchange in San Francisco, Seven-Star is working on projects all over the continental United States.

Seven-Star’s committment to sustainability extends into the workplace itself: As the company states on their website,

At Seven-Star, we internalize our commitment and express it in practical ways. Our employees are served all-organic breakfast and lunch each day, and all of our employees are enrolled in a health care plan that emphasizes prevention. Meanwhile, our office participates in recycling and composting.

Needless to say, Seven-Star is a great example of a fully integrated green business plan!

It seems as though Seven-Star has taken the idea of sustainability and effectively woven it throughout nearly every aspect of their business. It takes a lot of planning and dedication to make a business as sustainable, both in principal and practice, as Seven-Star. In the end, Seven-Star not only provides quality event planning services, they also serve as a model for other businesses striving for environmental sustainability.

All quotes in this article can be found on Seven’ Star’s website.

As a small business owner, I am aware of the difficulty in making an existing business sustainable. Whether it is the lack of access to greener products, or just the lack of knowledge, there are many obstacles to overcome when trying to green a company. An interesting thing that I found when greening my own business was that the difficulties I was facing were also being faced by other small businesses in my area. So, instead of suffering individually, a few of the local businesses and I got together and formed green business group. Much to my surprise, the group has greatly reduced my struggles to go green. It is for this reason that I would like to share with you the benefits of forming a green business group.

Resources — Just as two heads are better than one, the collective knowledge of several business owners can be extremely valuable. While I may not have known how to install a greywater system in my building, the café owner down the street sure did! By getting together to troubleshoot, you can save a lot of wasted energy searching for answers that your group members may already have. Having trouble finding the right green products for your company? More than likely, other group members will have helpful tips about the green products they use. Also, by combining areas of expertise, business can use each other as sounding boards for new ideas.

Publicity — If what is good for the goose is good for the gander, then to see other local business succeed in going green should do nothing but help your own sustainability efforts. By joining green businesses together, you can use your collective greenness to your advantage. If every small business on your block or in your section of town is taking positive steps towards sustainability, than you can honestly advertise that you operate in a "green friendly zone."

Further, if you and your neighbors join together in a green business group, you can send out a joint press release touting the green-friendly nature of your businesses. Press releases are a great way to let the public know about all the great things your group is doing in the name of sustainable business. Whats more, by forming a green business group, you can create many opportunities for cross-marketing. Does the coffee shop down the street roast their own Fair Trade coffee? Why not use it in your restaurant? By seeing members of your green business group as allies in your struggle for sustainability, you can form a bond that can benefit all business involved.

Group Work — I don’t know about you, but my city’s recycling program leaves much to be desired. Not only do they refuse to pick up the large loads of recycling that my business produces, the times and days they offer pick-up service do not jibe well with my business’ schedule. Because of this, members of my local green business group came up with a recycling program of our own. With our combined efforts, we are able to recycle our waste on our own time, at the recycling station of our choice. The man who owns the business next to mine has a large truck, and every week each business takes a turn picking up everyone’s recyclables and taking them to the recycle station. This is not only time efficient, but it also encourages other businesses in the area to jump on board.

See, peer pressure can be a good thing from time to time- when the other businesses in our area saw the effort we were putting into our recycling program, they were encouraged to hop on the bandwagon! Plus, we are able to hold small, informal meetings to explain to newcomers exactly what can be recycled and in what condition it will be accepted. Talk about a grassroots approach!

Another neat way we all work together is through public education. As a group of business owners, we are able to hold small, fun events to educate the public on the topic of sustainable business. Whether it is a community round-table discussion or a found-objects arts and crafts day for local children, events are much easier to plan and execute when there are a number of forces working towards the same goal. Not only is this a good chance for the public to brush up on their sustainability knowledge, but it is also a great way for us to get the names of our businesses out there.

The first step in forming a green business group is to identify potential members. You can either send out a mass email through your local chamber of commerce, or simply rely on plain old fashioned word of mouth. Either way, the main goal is to attract other green-minded business owners to the group.

Next, you need to come up with goals for your group- do you want to keep your group’s purpose internal and really just act as a resource for each other in your attempts to go green, or do you want to focus on publicity and public education? While a green business group can easily achieve both of those goals, it is good to start off with one or the other. As business owners, we have enough on our plate and, if the group gets too complicated or time-consuming, it will be harder to retain membership.

Lastly, try to avoid stark hierarchies in the group. Because this should be seen as a collaborative effort, there is no immediate need for a president, vice-president and secretary. Often business groups do not succeed because of autonomy issues. To ensure effective teamwork, avoid making certain members seem more important than others.

If you belong to a green business group and have other tips for success, please feel free to share them below. Much of what I have learned in this process has been through trial and error, so any additional knowledge is welcomed and encouraged!

How far away do you live from the nearest grocery store? More than likely, you pass one on the way to school, two on the way to work and maybe even three on the way to the gym. If this scenario is something you can relate to even slightly, you do not live in a food desert.

According to The Low Income Project Team, food deserts are "areas of relative exclusion where people experience physical and economic barriers to accessing healthy food." This does not mean that people in food deserts do not have access to any food… just the stuff that is relatively good for them.

In fact, a food desert often has an abundance of "fringe locations," or businesses that do not serve the sole purpose of selling foodstuffs, yet where food is available think dollar stores, gas stations, liquor stores, etc.). The type of food sold at these stores is usually the worst type of food, and when the only food available is pre-packaged, and full of preservatives, there are bound to be health risks.

In June, LaSalle bank sponsored a study that explored the nature of food deserts in Detroit, Michigan. Not surprisingly, what they found was a high concentration of food deserts. The report noted that "more than a half million Detroit residents live in areas defined as food deserts — areas that require residents to travel twice as far or more to reach the closest mainstream grocer than to reach the closest fringe food location."

Further, the study found that the people of Detroit were physically suffering because of their lack of access to healthy, fresh food. The study concluded that "as a group, residents in food deserts are statistically more likely to suffer or die prematurely from diet-related disease than residents who live in areas with healthy food options."

I don’t know about you, but these revelations make me profoundly sad. I have never known a life without farmers’ markets, Whole Foods and even the occasional roadside produce stand, so the prospect of living in a place where fresh food is so far away slightly boggles my mind. Moreover, the places that food deserts are the most prevalent are places where people have the lowest incomes, and are therefore more likely to not be able to afford transportation. Talk about adding insult to injury.

While the prevalence of food deserts in Detroit is disheartening, there is a silver lining to this awful reality. Local groups have been responding to the lack of fresh food by producing their own! The Detroit Black Community Food Security Network (DBCFSN) operates a two-acre site in downtown Detroit where they operate a very small, city farm.

According to Malik Yakini, a community activist, owner of the Black Star Community Book Store and member of the DBCFSN,

"Our primary work is urban agriculture, urban growing in the city of Detroit…It’s a small-scale farm. We mainly sell the food, although we give some away to people in the immediate neighborhood. We’re trying to create jobs as a result of urban agriculture".

What?! Good for the economy and good for urban sustainability? Now this is an example of people finding environmental solutions to economic problems.

"Where exactly do you find a farm in the middle of Detroit?" one might ask. Well, you make one! The DBCFSN practices soil remediation, or "the removal of pollution or contaminants from environmental media such as soil, groundwater, sediment, or surface water for the general protection of human health and the environment." In their remediation efforts, DBCFSN’s main project is removing house foundations from abandoned and grown-over sites, in order to prepare the land for tilling. As Yakini notes,

"Given the vast number of vacant lots in Detroit, we’re creating a model of how we can utilize that space…We’re trying to create greater access to fresh produce, generate income and create jobs and to change the community’s vision of what a city is and how space is used in a city. I don’t think we’re going to feed Detroit on vacant lots but we can grow 10 to 25 percent of the food and that’s a significant impact." 10-25% is nothing to shake a stick at! Given the devastatingly low access to fresh food Detroiters are witnessing now, 10-25% is a major improvement that will help to increase the health of Detroit residents.

Like I said before, the DBCFSN is an environmental solution to an economic problem, which is why I believe it should stand as the model for other hurdles faced when trying to improve the quality of life in urban centers. Because conventional ways of approaching problems in inner cities have not led us to many successful conclusions, looking at alternative approaches — like the Local Food Movement — seems to be a proactive way to go about making the necessary changes.

In addition to utilizing the wisdom of the local food movement, DBCSFN is also drawing on staples of the Urban Environmental Movement through the creation of urban green spaces and the redevelopment of "dead sites." Needless to say, the DBCFSN’s efforts should be applauded. Not only are they making large strides for the people of Detroit, but they are also teaching the rest of us how to make sustainability tangible in even the most unlikely of places.

Quotes from Malik Yakini taken from an interview with Larry Gabriel, in his article "Life in the Desert" (Metrotimes, 2007)

Photo Credit: The New Farm