For the full article: http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4422&Itemid=53

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 The focus of the article is around Palumbo’s Friday Store in Arvada, Colorado.  It states that a majority of people still go to the regular grocery store and that going to a salvage grocer is more like a “treasure hunt”. 

 Imagine the food waste that occurs every time a shipment is dropped?  These salvage grocers are doing a huge service to the community as well as to the environment.  In other instances, the food and packaging would end up in a landfill, as opposed to feeding people. 

 Does anyone know of any local salvage grocers?

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 Starting on Aug 4^th, the state of California will be loosening its requirements on grey water systems.  As Jill points out, California is in a perpetual state of draught, therefore these grey water systems will go a long way towards lessening the states water burden. 

 Previously, Californians had to buy a permit in order to put grey water systems in place.  However, the permit has been removed and citizens are free to put systems in place, assuming they follow a set of rules set forth by the state.

 Think of all the possibilities on re-using water on a larger scale.  What if every toilet in the nation used grey water instead of fresh water?

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 The bill failed to pass the House today as it was brought to a vote by special rules where there were no amendments and only limited debate.  Therefore, the bill had to pass with 2/3 of the vote as opposed to the simple majority.  It fell six votes short.

 The bill is supposed to be re-introduced today under different rules which call for a simple majority vote, which assuming everyone votes the same way they did yesterday, should pass with flying colors.  Major opponents of the bill included Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH).

 This bill has been in the works for a while.  With the recent emphasis on food and the role it plays in the healthcare debate, it makes sense that food safety has become a hot button issue.  Food Inc is opening around the country and opening the public’s eyes as to how food gets from the farm to the plate. 

 Its great to see Congress take another step towards improving food and the greater public health of the nation.  At this point, it’s hard to tell what the overall affect of the bill will have on local farmers and producers.  Hopefully it will create a safer environment for food cultivation and not just more red tape to sort through.

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Who would have thought that one of the most controversial corporations in America would be the first to start one of the biggest greening projects in retail? The Big Money Blog’s Marc Gunter reported that Walmart has started a consortium of businesses and universities, including the University of Michigan, that have undertaken the task of creating a sustainability index that would be labeled on every product from bicycles to Hi-Def TVs.

Details of the program are still scare as it will not be announced until later today at Wal-Mart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. The project has been in development for over a year and complete roll-out could take up to two years. However, the end result is that consumers will have a concrete statistic on the sustainability and global impact of every product they buy off Wal-Mart shelves.

And how is Wal-Mart able to throw their collective weight around? By being the nations largest retailer, earning $406 billion in revenue in 2008. This is not the first time Wal-Mart has flexed its muscles either. They announced that by May 2008, the store would only carry concentrated bottles of laundry detergent because they used less water and less plastic packaging. Wal-Mart struck again when they announced they would no longer carry products made with cotton by Uzbekistan, as they protested the countries child labor laws.

Not too long ago, many people may not have thought that Wal-Mart would be playing the role of moral compass in terms of our national sustainability. But it seems this is exactly what they are doing and as the country’s largest private employer it is a role nicely suited to them. Wal-Mart has done the responsible thing by realizing that this project is bigger than itself and partnering with suppliers and universities to develop an index that will truly measure the transparency of a product’s supply line and its impact on the environment. It should be interested to see how this initiative is carried out, and the public’s response to it.

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Group sees large donations, but no room: It’s not only the fledgling Campus Kitchens that are looking for space, but food banks and food pantries too. Some have gotten help from unlikely sources, and others create partnerships that allow them to store the overload. But while need grows, are donations being wasted because of lack of space?

 More food donated, less waste: With these forces combined, Florida may be in the running for food recovery capital of the U.S: the Florida state legislature expanded the Emerson Good Samaritan Act last year, and Campus Kitchens are up and running at Jackson University and the University of Florida. This editorial joins the call for more food donations and more redistribution:

Now, with Lee County facing a staggering rise in demand at feeding agencies, it’s time for providers and restaurants to take full advantage of the state’s food-donation program.

Why the poor pay more: This piece considers the lived experience of poverty, and focuses on the little things that make up the cycle: check-cashing costs, laundromat waits, corner store prices, and gaps in the system where working moms tend to fall.

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As you probably already know…www.campuskitchens.org.

Special thanks go out to William Neuheisel who has done a ton of work to help us roll out our new upgraded website.

We’d love to hear what you think about our new site?  Any thoughts or ideas?

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For all the recognition we’ve been getting ranging from our award winning volunteers to coverage by NPR, our students continue to impress their communities.  Just a few weeks ago, another university that is working towards opening a Campus Kitchen was recognized by a local community group. 

The Seven Society, a organization based in Charlottesville gave a grant of $11,000.77 to the Campus Kitchen that will be starting at UVA.  Read about it here.

UVA has been working hard to start a Campus Kitchen for over two years now.  The work that has been done by students, led by Ayisha Memon, Caroline Nettles, Krystal Boitnott and John Bankson has been impressive.  Their hard work is finally paying off, 11,000 different ways.

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Last week in Bloomington things were par for the course, which for CKP students is always amazing.  A great event was planned for a group of about 50 students, teachers and friends to hear about CKP and the kind of difference it could make on the community in Bloomington.  The event was held in a beautiful room, The Tudor Room, the food was excellent and the discussion was great.

I’m sure many of you know what a hunger banquet is, but for those who have never been to one, they are designed to create a representation of hunger across the world.  Some people get a full meal and others do not.  One of the coolest parts of this banquet was the open mindedness of the students at the banquet.  The middle class who only received a large plate of vegetables for the table along with rice, opted to share their vegetables with the lower class, who had only received rice.  I thought it was great to see a truly perfect representation of what CKP does going on at the banquet.

The banquet then broke into a discussion of what hunger truly is.  Why we do we call food insecurity?  Does it make us feel better knowing people are food insecure instead of hungry?  Why don’t we call it shelter insecure instead of homeless?  I challenged the students to google the word “hunger.”  And I issue the same to you.  Now click over to images.  It’s not a pretty sight, but it’s very real.  Hopefully we provoked some thoughts about hunger and how we deal with it at the banquet and hopefully it leads to a meaningful impact on those who participated.

I just wanted to give a big shout out to wrap up this post.  The Exec Board that has been diligently working on getting the project started at IU has done a great job:  Kelly Childs, Michael Peck, Anthony Bowen, Stephen Mendenhall, and Christopher Tan.  They’ve worked really hard and are close to getting a Campus Kitchen started.  I can’t wait to see it happen this summer!

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