SPRING 2014
Bringing self-sufficiency and sustainability home
What we’ve learned about growing food in a post-flood world High water and high stakes at the farmers’ market Farm fresh foods for national parks Shaping up for summer peaks
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Spring 2014 Susan France
staff Publisher, Stewart Sallo Special Editions Editor, Elizabeth Miller Advertising Director, Jeff Cole Director of Operations/ Controller, Benecia Beyer Circulation Manager, Cal Winn
EDITORIAL
Editor, Joel Dyer Associate Editors, Michael de Yoanna, Josh Gross, Caitlin Rockett
SALES
Retail Sales Manager, Allen Carmichael Digital Portfolio Sales Manager, Kirk Koskey Senior Account Executive, David Hasson Account Executives, Julian Bourke, Andrea Craven, Jacqueline Grewe, Nick Paetsch
PRODUCTION
Production Manager, Dave Kirby Art Director, Susan France Graphic Designer, Mark Goodman
GENERAL & ADMINISTRATIVE
Assistant to the Publisher, Julia Sallo Office Manager, Andrea Neville Circulation Team, Dave Hastie, Dan Hill, George LaRoe, Jeffrey Lohrius, Elizabeth Ouslie, Rick Slama 14-Year-Old, Mia Rose Sallo
contents ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 5 Purging developmental toxins
FOOD & GARWDEN 9
Growing smarter after the floods
SUSTAINABILITY 20
A surprising source for fertilizer
BUSINESS 26
How changing demographics may change the economy
HEALTH & FITNESS 31
Getting into peak fitness Boulder Weekly Boulderganic Spring ’14
Frank Hodge, owner of Father Earth Organic Farm in Lafayette, displays his arugula sprouts.
Growing up the greener way
A
fter a long and in some ways challenging winter that began with a deluge that saw flooded gardens wiped out early, gardeners are likely eager to be getting their fingers back into the soil this spring. Our Boulderganic is focused, first, on providing some information for growers and local farm shoppers interested to know how to expect our produce markets to have responded in the face of the floods last fall.
We’re also looking at innovations in the way we eat, recycle waste and give back to our communities. After the frigid cold and the persistent wind, we’re ready for a little sunshine and a few summer breezes — which means shaking off the winter dust and getting back outdoors to get in shape and in gear for a summer that will no doubt include trips into the mountains. In short, the options for keeping busy among the signs
of the season abound. We hope that in addition to nudging you along your way toward growing your own food, or supporting those who do so here in Boulder County, we’ve also provided the food for thought each edition of Boulderganic aims to deliver, talking about the changes in our region and the exciting possibilities that lie ahead. Perhaps relishing that buzz of opportunity is truly the best way to savor the season ahead. Respond: info@boulderganic . March 27, 2014 3
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Boulderganic Spring ’14 Boulder Weekly
The rise (and fall) of developmental toxins A local company joins the ranks of national businesses aimed at removing harmful chemicals from children’s products — but is it enough? by Caitlin Rockett
J
ay Palmer’s been in the salon industry right around a decade, give or take a year. He’s owned more than half a dozen salons, and currently runs the four Floyd’s Barbershops in northern Colorado — one in Boulder, another in Longmont and two in Fort Collins. A few years ago, Palmer began talking to family and friends about creating a line of what he calls “clean” personal hygiene products: vegan and gluten-free shampoos, conditioners and lotions with no parabens, sulfates, phthalates, carcinogens or synthetic fragrances. And while Palmer’s a businessman, he’s also a parent, and like most parents, his two children are his primary focus. “When I started doing research and started learning what was in these types of products, I decided I would focus on my kids and try to make something that would be the cleanest and the best product you could find on a professional level,” Palmer says. Palmer joined forces with fellow Boulderite parents Josh and Lauren Ginsberg, and in January their freshly minted Boulder Baby Company rolled out its first three products — a shampoo, a conditioner and a lotion. “It took us eight months to develop three products.You’d think usually turn around would be quicker. We just wanted to do it right,” says Palmer. “Doing research, finding out what ingredients to keep out, was huge.” Recent research has made the public acutely aware of the growing list of commonly used industrial
chemicals that are known to interfere with the human hormonal system. These so-called endocrine disruptors, which mimic the sexual hormones estrogen and androgen, are particularly detrimental to children’s developing brains. Like the Boulder Baby Company, many businesses across the country have shifted their business models to develop natural products that seek to create a toxic-free en-
dyslexia and other cognitive impairments, affect millions of children worldwide, and some diagnoses seem to be increasing in frequency,” reads the study. “Industrial chemicals that injure the developing brain are among the known causes for this rise in prevalence.” Perhaps the most ballyhooed of the endocrine disrupting chemicals is bisephenol-A, or BPA, a carbon-based
Courtesy of Jay Palmer
vironment for kids, from plastic baby bottles to nursing blankets to hygiene products. Dr. Philip Landrigan at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and Dr. Philippe Grandjean from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston authored a study in February’s The Lancet Neurology journal that found the number of chemicals known to injure the developing brain has doubled since 2007. “Neurodevelopmental disabilities, including autism, attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder,
Boulder Weekly Boulderganic Spring ’14
synthetic compound used to make the plastics and epoxy resins that form baby bottles, sports equipment, CDs and DVDs. Bisphenol A can mimic estrogen by binding and activating the same receptor as the natural hormone. BPA has been shown to cause negative health effects in animal studies. The Food and Drug Administration banned BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups in 2012, but the chemical can still be found in a number of common products, such as canned goods, cash register
paper and ATM receipts. Family-owned company Pura, which operates out of Santa Barbara, Calif., produces BPA-free and nontoxin-leeching stainless steel drinking bottles for infants, toddlers and adults. Like the Boulder Baby Company, owner and co-founder Jennifer Moore says they developed their products out of concern for their child’s health. “We were giving our child a strong vitamin supplement and it would leave a strong smell in the plastic bottle. It didn’t make us comfortable. We couldn’t find any bottles that didn’t have plastic components. That was before the first round of non-BPA products was available for consumers,” says Moore. Pura bottles can be found in 40 countries. Moore says that Pura products combine stainless steel with medical-grade silicone so the contents of the bottle never come in contact with plastics. “Silicon is hypoallergenic — it has no plastic and no petroleum-derived ingredients.You can get medical-grade silicone that leaks nothing [when heated]. When we have signs up at trade shows people ask, ‘What’s this?’ Our task is to educate the consumer that silicone is not plastic.” Moore says despite the increased cost of producing bottles out of steel and silicone, consumer response has been positive and the business model is working for Pura. “We’re focused on not doing things the easy way. It’s cheap and easy to make things out of plastic. It’s much more expensive to make things out of quality material like silicon and steel — but your retail price isn’t that much more than what other brands charge for a BPA-free bottle,” she says. “What the consumer would consider a higher-end brand of BPAfree bottle is $9 to $10. Ours is $16. When it’s under a $20 price point, it’s a no-brainer. For our consumer, it’s what’s best for their child and in the scheme of things it’s not that expensive when it lasts.” see TOXINS Page 6
March 27, 2014 5
TOXINS from Page 5
But because the list of “developmental toxins” continues to grow, many parents still have concerns about how to reduce their children’s exposure to harmful chemicals. Perry Sheffield, a pediatrician with a specialty in environmental health at Mt. Sinai Hospital, says the answer isn’t simple.
“While people can do things to reduce children’s exposure to toxic chemicals, and companies can make better choices when picking raw materials for their products, it really comes down to reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act,” she says. The Toxic Substances Control Act
(TSCA) of 1976 provides the Environmental Protection Agency with the authority to require reporting, record keeping, testing requirements and restrictions on chemical substances. Toxic Substances Control Act generally excludes certain products, including food, drugs, cosmetics and
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pesticides. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the Toxic Substances Control Act “generally places the burden of obtaining data about existing chemicals on [the Environmental Protection Agency] rather than on chemical companies. For example, the act requires EPA to demonstrate certain health or environmental risks before it can require companies to further test their chemicals.” Sheffield says it’s not enough. “Eighty-thousand chemicals are mass produced in this country. Who can keep it all straight? Until the burden of proof is shifted to the people who produce the chemicals, then it’s going to be very hard for not only individuals to make safe choices for their children, but also for companies — even the best-intentioned ones — to make safe choices about what they put in their products,” she says. The National Institutes of Health, through the National Institute of Environmental Health Studies, funds millions of dollars of work looking at multiple chemicals, but the industrial chemical industry has chemicals lined up for release years in advance. “It’s kind of a David and Goliath situation. There’s no way [NIH] could do enough research fast enough for EPA or FDA to regulate those chemicals,” Sheffield says. Palmer says it was a learning experience to create Boulder Baby Company’s first products. He and his partners had no background in developing hygiene product formulas, so they used a database compiled by the Environmental Working Group called Skin Deep to look into the potential health hazards of more than 1,500 chemicals.They are happy with their first products, but he says he knows that products from the Boulder Baby Company will continue to evolve as their knowledge grows. “As we grow, we want to continue to find the cleanest products for our formulas,” Palmer says. “We’re not going to leave our formulas the way they are — we’ll make changes as we see fit, especially as more testing is done and as we learn more about these ingredients.” Respond: info@boulderganic.com
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Growing past the flood What we’ve learned about growing food in a post-flood world by Mallane Dressel
T
hough more than six months have passed since the September flood that destroyed homes, displaced roads and scarred landscapes, remnants of the flood still mark the land of Boulder County in the form of erosion and sediment deposits. Farms, gardens and backyards with flood damage may need to be assessed or even tested for growers to determine what needs to be done to their property to restore its condition for another growing season. Boyd Byelich, district conservationist of Boulder County for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, estimates that 40 to 50 of Boulder County’s 600 farmers — from two-acre vegetable farms to 1,200-acre sugar beet and corn farms — were directly effected by the flood. According to Ron Carleton, deputy commissioner of agriculture for Colorado’s Department of Agriculture, the biggest concerns for farmers and other county residents with flooddamaged land are erosion and the deposit of silt. Farms of all sizes, and local growers too, can take advantage of Colorado State University Extension’s soil lab tests to aid in their efforts in correcting the damage to their land. CSU Unity of Boulder’s garExtension’s soil testing dens before the floods. includes a particle-size analysis to determine the soil texture. According to a document by Texas A & M professors titled Soil Testing Following Flooding, Overland Flow of Wastewater and Other Freshwater Disasters, if soil has too much of a clay consistency, water will not evaporate, depriving the saturated ground of the oxygen it needs to enable plant germination and growth. According to the document, “When sandy materials are deposited on top of finer textured Boulder Weekly Boulderganic Spring ’14
Courtesy of Tom West
soils [clay loams and clays], the abrupt change in soil texture [defined as the percent sand, percent silt and percent clay] can substantially reduce subsoil water infiltration. Deep tillage usually corrects this problem if the deposit is less than eight inches deep.” James Self, director of CSU Extension’s Soil, Water and Plant Testing Lab, stresses the need to even out the deposited silt by mixing it with the remaining soil below, as well as making sure to fill in any gullies that were created by the rushing water. If there is more Flood waters saturated gardens, including those for the Unity of Boulder’s Susthan eight inches of silt, tainable Living Project, in September. Self suggests that the property owner find a way to have the deposited silt removed. He says managed to salvage some of the storage winter that some property owners have even made a squashes, but there was really nothing they could profit on removing the silt by selling it as filler. have done once the root rot set in. However, “Trees can be greatly impacted if they are saving the soil for the next round of seasonal smothered with this silt material that comes down crops was very plausible. as a result of the flood. When trees are covered According to Self, lab tests indicate that no around their trucks, even just a few inches, it can harmful contaminants or heavy metals are present, change the whole natural dynamics of the tree, but overall the soils are depleted of nutrients. which puts it under stress,” says Self. “The soils were pretty low in nutrients, low in Tom West, head grower for Unity of Boulder nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. They were Sustainable Living Project, says that they got lucky. silty soils from the canyon area, washed out and Although, their gardens were fully submerged by bleached with a lot of water as a result of the three inches of floodwater, they only had a little flood; the nutrients, almost all flushed out. If you over an inch of silt deposit. They have tilled the start a garden for example, you are going to have land in order to diffuse any drying issues the silt to add fertilizer to the soil in order to improve the would cause. quality,” says Self. According to West, no one was able to make The CSU Extension lab provides suggestions it to the garden for four days after the flooding. on which fertilizer to use depending on what levels On day five they found the garden overcome by of nutrients come back low in the soil sample. root rot, a fungal infection that sets in after the Self says that gardeners will generally need to add base and roots of a plant have remained wateran all-purpose fertilizer that contains nitrogen, logged for many hours. West says they lost the see FLOOD Page 10 best tomato plants they have ever had, and only March 27, 2014 9
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phosphorus and potassium, but if they prefer to go the organic route, a manure-based fertilizer will work as well. He considers manure a great fertilizer to use because it will also add salts back into the soil that were flushed out. “... I approach this as what they did 150 years ago; they didn’t go to the store and drop a thousand or two on nutrients. Instead we take the chicken manure, mix it with the straw, get some used marijuana dirt; we layer them all, about six layers, and cover it for six months, turning it along the way,” says West about his fertilizer practices. At the Unity of Boulder Sustainable Living Project, chickens are fed leaves that have been partially eaten by insects, producing manure for the compost. Plant remnants get heaped onto the compost pile as well, showing how all of the nutrients in their garden get recycled for future use. To West, this is just another regular season. The cooperative garden digs out used soil and replaces it with their composted soil mix every year because the plants suck out the viable nutrients. West says it’s a great way to avoid tomato viruses as well.
Although the CSU Extension lab has not found any serious contaminants in the soil and water tests, Self suggests that gardeners might want to check with their neighbors to see if they had any septic issues because of the flood. He says that contamination worries have diminished by now because enough time and cold weather has passed for the microbes in the soil to not cause any issues, especially if the property received adequate amounts of flood waters to flush the contaminants out. The tests are a safety precaution when it comes to contaminants, but can be a helpful tool in determining if deposits should be removed and what fertilizer will help restore the soil the best way possible. “To grow plants in this now, everyone is going to have to beef up the soil in order to make it more productive,” says Self. “Monitoring their garden sight, so if they notice any yellowing in the plants as they start to grow, to address that by adding nitrogen to the soil. Basically, they will have to manage it a little bit more than they have in the past because of the changes that happened.” Respond: info@boulderganic.com
Boulderganic Spring ’14 Boulder Weekly
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Boulder Weekly Boulderganic Spring ’14
March 27, 2014
11
High water and high stakes
Susan France
Flood’s shadow hangs over farmers’ market, but vendors hope for strong season by Steve Weishampel
T
he flood that hit Colorado in 2013 couldn’t have come at a worse time for many farmers. In the middle of September, many fruits and vegetables are near ripe and ready for harvest, leaving them vulnerable to damage from flood waters and the pollutants in the water. Some farms had to declare the 2013 harvest a total loss, as an advisory from the Food and Drug Administration alerted that crops are “adulterated” if the edible portion directly touches floodwater. It’s been several months, but a new year doesn’t mean a clean slate. As the Boulder County Farmers’ Markets gear up for the 2014 season — the markets open in downtown Boulder and at the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont April 5 — the legacy of the flood lingers as silt covers topsoil and some creeks continue to run high. Farms around the county have pursued various ways to mitigate 2013’s damage, but the farmers’ market season is shaping up to be at least somewhat affected by last year’s flooding, whether the public can see it or not. “This flood issue is really invisible to the community right now,” says Brian Coppom, the executive director of the farmers’ market. “This is going to be a real long term issue for us. The thing that’s difficult for us at the market is seeing how little support the small farmers in this county 12 March 27, 2014
get when things like this happen. Large farmers who have commodity crops are much more likely to get some kind of assistance because they fall under a different set of regulations. Small, local farmers are pretty much left handling it with their own resources.” Peter Volz is determined, though, not to let his farm’s production suffer. The founder and owner of Oxford Gardens farm in Boulder, Volz took quick action after the flood to ensure he’d keep turning out produce. “When we lost soil last fall, we quickly leased another section of land from a neighbor to make up for the loss,” Volz says in an email. Using that additional land should cover for his farm’s damage. “We will not lose any net production in the 2014 season,” he says. He estimates 25 percent of the farm’s topsoil was lost in the flood, and of that, two-thirds is still being restored and will not be planted until late May or early June. Dew Farms in Longmont also saw damage from flooding, farmer Aaron Dew says, but adds he’s thankful it wasn’t worse. “This flood is making me stronger,” he says. “For me this is — it’s not a breaking point.” Dew says he’ll be focusing on rewarding Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program members
Mimi Yanus, owner of Mimi’s Garden, Boulder tends to her Farmer’s Market booth.
this season rather than the farmers’ market. “I’m not going to be doing the market until later on because I’m concentrating on my CSAs,” he says. “I’m putting everything I’ve got into the farm again to make it better.” Frustration and disappointment are evident in Boulder County farmers’ voices when they discuss discarding their crops from last year, as their hard work had to be thrown out. For Lenny Martinelli, co-owner of Three Leaf Concepts and Three Leaf Farm in Lafayette, the disappointment far outweighed the monetary loss. “We pitched such beautiful food,”
Martinelli says. “We had just gotten our soils a little better and were really seeing improvement from the year before. To not be able to harvest all the work we did was a bit disheartening.” Just about everything grown around Boulder fell under the FDA’s “adulterated” label. If flood water passed over the plant, every fruit on the vine must be discarded — not even used for compost, the FDA warned farmers. All root plants and leafy greens were similarly adulterated, and given the massive amounts of water in the flood, stalk-growers like tomatoes
Boulderganic Spring ’14 Boulder Weekly
were at risk as well. didn’t even have flood insurance.” Coppom says the flood has had at In a way, his biggest concern for least two secondary effects, as well. this year’s farmers’ market is good The network of irrigation ditches, news. Flood recovery is going well — called laterals, upon which farmers well enough that he’s got other things rely has been altered and in some on his mind. cases destroyed, he says. “For me, the biggest thing is, I’m not “There is hundreds of thousands, going to be selling my soaps at the marif not millions, of dollars of work ket,” he says. Changes to regulations at that has to go the BCFM will on to rebuild prevent him Susan France those laterals,” from selling his he says. “A lot popular soaps, of farmers, made with they plow loofah (or luffa) ahead, pun plants grown intended, but on his farms. there’s some He says Dew question if Farms will they can take sell its soaps advantage of wholesale since all the water they won’t be if the ditch available at system is not the farmers’ complete.” market. The other A few issue is sand, farms won’t be gravel and selling at the silt deposited markets, Coponto farms. pom says, and Besides cleanSisters’ Pantry Produce from Miller’s Farm in Longmont. up, Coppom in Lyons will says organic not participate farms face a after suffering complication. flood damage. But the markets will “A lot of farmers are looking at welcome new farms as well, he says. having to rebuild their topsoil, but Martinelli raised the possibility of if you’re an organic farmer and this more flooding as waterways continue debris from an unknown location is to run high and will soon have to deposited on your land, what does accommodate snowmelt. He says the that mean?” he asks. creek that runs through Three Leaf Yet, this year, Dew gave away CSA Farm is higher than usual, and he’s memberships to people affected by making plans to place sandbags and flooding, which he calls “our way prevent further flooding. of giving back to the community.” “Compared to the past three or Ultimately, he says, his issues pale in four years, it’s about, I’d say, three comparison to others. times more volume right now,” he “I’m lucky I didn’t lose my house,” says, adding, “There is a good amount Dew says. “I can rebuild the farm. I of water. Last year it was a trickle. spent a day repacking wheel bearings Now it’s almost a swimming pool out because they rusted out, but a lot of there.” people who lost their homes, they Respond: info@boulderganic.com Boulder Weekly Boulderganic Spring ’14
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Courtesy of Julia Hellerman
Back to the basics Moving away from additives and toward plant-based foods by Andrea Neville
H
ere in Boulder County, That’s it. fruit bars aim to provide being healthy isn’t a fruit in its simplest, most convenient trend, it’s a lifestyle. form by putting the fruit front and Between all the biking, center. hiking and running, Col“Our product contains only two oradans are managing to remain one ingredients and both of them are of the healthiest states in the nation. fruit,” Lewensztain says. “I don’t Lately, we have been hearing a lot think any other product out there about going back to the basics with can claim that kind of purity and all-natural food choices. We all know simplicity.” that eating healthy is These products just plain better for us. Courtesy of Julia Hellerman defy seasonality and But what does it mean allow the consumption to choose a plantof fruit all year long. based diet and why is “Our bars are not it worth it? temperature sensitive “I think that people and they have a twohave gotten away for year shelf life,” says a long time of eating Lewensztain. food that isn’t really “I believe that in food, says Julia Hellerorder for people to be man, owner of Julia’s healthy, they need to Kitchen. I think that have healthy options we’re seeing long term, to choose from,” and really short term, says Sarah N. Ladley, it has an affect on how owner of Ba-Nomwe feel.” a-Nom, a food truck With the rise in that provides 100 medical conditions like percent fruit frozen cancer, heart disease treats that are vegan, and obesity, people are gluten-free and pack all finding that a factor in the nutrition and fiber these ailments is what of fruit. we eat. What we are “It has the texture putting into our bodies of soft-serve ice cream Julia’s Kitchen focuses on can either harm or or frozen yogurt, but gluten-free and vegan goodies. help us. is literally made 100 “There is a higher percent from fruit,” consumer awareness. People are Ladley says. “We live in a fast-paced checking labels the way they never society where convenience is key and used to,” says Etty Lewensztain, direc- eating healthy can be really hard when tor of marketing and communications you are on the go. So the more busifor That’s it. fruit bars. nesses that exist that can sell healthy Founded by a medical doctor, foods conveniently, the better.” 14 March 27, 2014
Consumers are paying increasing attention to plant-based foods, like those produced at Julia’s Kitchen.
“Why are people choosing vegetarian diets? Health, weight loss, awareness of heart disease, cholesterol,” says Steve Hoffman, managing partner of Compass Natural Marketing, LLC. “These are all health issues that are tending to drive people towards more of a plant-based diet.” In the past 10 years, there has been a definite increase in the switch to eating a more plant-based diet. “I think people are understanding the value in eating more plants,” says Hellerman. “Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free they are truly emerging trends in healthy lifestyles,” says Hoffman. “As people realize they need to eat less meat in the American diet, they are turning towards other kind of center of plate options.” “People are taking on more of a plant-strong lifestyle,” says Adriane
Little, category manager of Earth Balance. Earth Balance is working hard to show consumers that eating plant-based foods provides many health benefits. “Our spreads are made from a patented blend that was shown to raise good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol,” Little says. “They are all vegan, non-GMO. Those are our two core brand attributes.” Their line now includes buttery spreads, culinary spreads, soy milk, nut butters, mayonnaise and snacks. “There are so many more alternatives available now,” Little says. “Consumers are finally starting to realize that there are consequences to eating unhealthy or non-nutritious foods,” Ladley says. “People are starting to want healthy foods so they can feel good.” Companies have begun to make
Boulderganic Spring ’14 Boulder Weekly
Courtesy of Sarah Ladley
Ba-Nom-a-Nom food truck makes soft-serve ice cream style frozen treats using nothing but fruit.
many more products with all plantbased ingredients that try to eliminate the additives and get back to just fruit and vegetables. “It’s important to offer alternatives for people who are interested in living the plant-based lifestyle,” Little says. “People want to be able to understand the ingredients they are consuming,” Lewensztain adds. “I am interested in selling a healthy food option due to my passion for obesity prevention,” Ladley says. “We spend billions of dollars every year on diseases that could be prevented by eating correctly and living a healthy lifestyle.” Julia’s Kitchen offers a menu that is 100 percent plant-based, including the bakery items. “It is food that is totally accessible and healthy for everyone,” says Julia Hellerman, owner of Julia’s Kitchen. “We try to make the most of all of our ingredients by silking and sprouting, and that’s something we have gotten away from in our culture because
it’s not quick and easy.” “Plant based foods are of major importance because they are where we get all of our macro- and micronutrients in their most organic form,” Ladley says. “Without all of the correct enzymes, coenzymes, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates, our cells cannot metabolize correctly and our bodies can fall completely out of balance. I am proud to offer a product that nourishes the body as well as satiates the taste buds.” The switch away from additives and preservatives is about getting back to the basics. “We feel like plant-based eating should be fun, delicious, and convenient,” Little says. Plus, what’s good for you is good for the planet, too. “There is no carbon footprint involved with our products,” says Lewensztain. Says Hellerman, “It’s the right thing to do. It’s the only sustainable way to live.” Respond: info@boulderganic.com
Boulder Weekly Boulderganic Spring ’14
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Boulderganic Spring ’14 Boulder Weekly
National parks push for sustainable food services New federal rules will encourage use of local meats, produce and dairy by Bob Berwyn
I
f your spring or summer travel plans this year include a national park visit, be sure to check out the healthier food options that are showing up in cafeterias and restaurants at our public lands crown jewels — and if you find some, be sure to give the chef and the park a shout-out to help encourage the transition to more sustainable eating habits. You’ll still be able to order up a burger and fries, but you may also find a goat cheese salad served on a bed of arugula — all organic and produced at local farms. New menu items like fish tacos and yogurt parfaits are all part of the National Park Service Healthy Foods, Healthy People initiative, including new rules encouraging restaurant operators in the parks to emphasize sustainability. The rules apply to private companies seeking to operate snack bars and restaurants under concession from the federal government, including Aramark at Mesa Verde and Xanterra at Rocky Mountain National Park. “Park visitors are going to see really tasty choices that are healthy for them, with sustainable attributes, some regionality and a softer environmental footprint,” says Kurt Rausch, a National Park Service contracting specialist who helped develop the new guidelines. At places like the cafeteria in Muir Woods National Monument, near San Francisco, nearly all the scones, sandwiches and snacks are produced within 100 miles of the redwood grove. National parks in Colorado are also joining the movement. At Mesa Verde, chef Brian Puett works closely with local producers
Courtesy of Aramark Courtesy of the National Parks Service
Mesa Verde is one of several national parks adding healthy and locally sourced menu options.
to offer regional and seasonal menu items that also help link the park with its cultural roots. “We continually keep on the lookout for new local food and beverage vendors,” Puett says, naming more than 20 local companies that help provide the ingredients for tasty dishes like roasted vegetable salad and elk shepherd’s pie. Dried beans come from nearby Dove Creek, and even the flour for baking is locally sourced from the Cortez Mill.
Boulder Weekly Boulderganic Spring ’14
It all comes in appetizers like a tri-colored corn tortilla with breaded turkey strips and prickly pear red pepper jam, or entrees like local trout dusted with pine nut crumbs harvested from the Four Corners’ ubiquitous piñon forests. Local vintners often participate in wine dinners that focus on sustainability, and the Metate Room menu includes only Colorado-brewed beers, Puett says. “We have always made a large effort to offer healthy and sustainable
foods, and will continue to expand our efforts year over year,” he says. Closer to Boulder, Rocky Mountain National Park has also been ahead of the curve — although the park has only one concession-operated food service outlet at the Trail Ridge Road store. “It was one of the things that was asked for when they bid on a contract in 2007. They had to answer how they would provide a more healthy menu,” says John Hannon, who manages concession operations at the park. According to Hannon, Xanterra has also switched all its utensils to corn-based biodegradables, and the company also recently renounced the use of plastic straws, which are a huge source of plastic waste in landfills, lakes and even the ocean. Straws are one of the top 10 marine debris items. The focus on sustainable and local food has also benefited private businesses around the parks. One supplier was able to leverage connections with organic food producers to make additional sales outside the national see NATIONAL PARKS Page 18
March 27, 2014 17
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Menu items at Mesa Verde draw inspiration from Ancestral Puebloan dishes and source from local food. Bob Berwyn
Muir Woods National Monument sells sandwiches and snacks produced with 100 miles of the monument.
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18 March 27, 2014
park system, he explained. Lu Harlow, director of Xanterra’s food service program at Yellowstone National Park, said her company has already been sourcing healthy local food for several years. “We put a lot of our focus on supporting local economies,” Harlow says. “What can we do to help keep people in their family farms, finding food produced within 500 miles, grown without hormones and antibiotics?” Xanterra is also helping local producers gain the needed certification to become a supplier for national park restaurants, he adds. “We’ll be forming more partner-
ships with local farmers, trying to keep it healthy and close and looking at the carbon footprint,” he says. The agency collaborated with park food and beverage operators, concession industry leaders and health experts to develop the standards, which will be integrated into all new concessions contracts and applied on a voluntary basis to existing contracts. “We intend to promote concessioners that are doing this and we’ll be able to monitor how we’re doing with our regular surveys to make sure they’re getting what they’re looking for in terms of healthy and sustainable food,” Rausch concludes. Respond: info@boulderganic.com
Boulderganic Spring ’14 Boulder Weekly
SRI SRI SRI SHIVABALAYOGI MAHARAJ SRISriSRI SRI SHIVABALAYOGI MAHARAJ Shivabalayogi, lovingly called Swamiji by thousands of devotees
around the world, is a true Yogi, a God-realized master from India.
Sri Shivabalayogi, lovingly called Swamiji by thousands of devotees around the world, is a true Yogi, a God-realized master from India. SRI SRI SRI SHIVABALAYOGI MAHARAJ
“To be with Sri Swamiji is to experience the “To be with is to experience reality of Sri the Swamiji divine spiritual presence.”the reality of the divine spiritual presence.”
Sri Shivabalayogi, lovingly called Swamiji by thousands of devotees 2012 Colorado Programs Programs around the world, is2012 a2014 trueColorado Yogi,Programs a God-realized master from India.
“To be with Sri Swamiji isand to experience This year in North Carolina the Torontothe Area Thursday, July 5 at 7:00 PM Tuesday, July 3 at 10:00 AM Saturday, July 7 at 3:00 PM Thursday, July 5 at 7:00 PM reality of the divine spiritual presence.” Tuesday,Guru July 3 at 10:00 AM Saturday, July 7Church at 3:00 PM USA Program Highlights The United Methodist Church of Evergreen CanadaFirst Purnima Spiritual Science of Denver Program Highlights 2012 Colorado United Methodist Church of Programs Evergreen (across from Safeway) Evergreen 3757 SThe Ponderosa Drive, Purnima First3375 Spiritual Science ChurchDenver Denver Pada Guru Puja Meditation in Evergreen Retreat S. Dahlia Guru Purnima Saturday, July 12 - Street., morning -ofPadh Puja Saturday, June 21 Saturday, June 28 www.Drive, evergreenumc.org Call to RSVP and for directions www.spiritualdenver.com (across from Safeway) Evergreen 3757 S Ponderosa Thursday, July 5 at 7:00 PM Tuesday, July at 10:00 AM July for 7Street., atWorld 3:00 PMPeace Puja in3Fire Evergreen 3375 S. Dahlia Denver Homa - Pada Sacred Ceremony for World Peace Homa - Sacred FireSaturday, Ceremony The Bruce: United Methodist Church of• Evergreen GuruSaturday, Purnima June 28 -Contacts: First Spiritual Science Church of Denver 303-884-3541 Wade: 303-917-7873 morning www.Drive, evergreenumc.org CallPlace~Swamiji’s to RSVP for directions www.spiritualdenver.com Saturday, July 19 - morning - JC Saddington Park 3757 S Ponderosa Pujaand in Evergreen 3375 S. Dahlia Street., Denver at GaneshPada Ashram in the Raleigh-Durham area(across from Safeway) Evergreen
evergreenumc.org to RSVP forarranging directions www.spiritualdenver.com Sri Swamiji has come to helpaccommodation us on the path meditation. Hee-mail: does not give lectures. He silently teaches the practice of For Call questions orand help nearofwww. ashram shivabalayogicanada@gmail.com or call Sanjay at 647-632-1837 Contacts: Bruce: 303-884-3541 • Wade: 303-917-7873 Contacts: Bruce: 303-884-3541 • Wade: 303-917-7873 e-mail: ganeshplace@gmail.com or call Carol at 919-878-4663 Dhyan meditation. His gift of meditation is given as a friend without obligation.
to path deepen whatever spiritual oneHehas undertaken. Sri SwamijiHis has blessings come to helpserve us on the of meditation. He does not givepath lectures. silently teaches the practice of Dhyan meditation. His gift of meditation is given as a friend without obligation.
Sri Swamiji has come to help us on the path of meditation. He does not give lectures. He silently teaches the practice of
Sri Swamijiʼs programs always free serve and opentotodeepen all. They include an introduction, onepath hour ofone meditation, singing traditional Indian spiritual Hisareblessings whatever spiritual has undertaken. Dhyan meditation. His gift of meditation is given as a friend without obligation. songs called bhajans, arthi, and an opportunity to speak with Sri Swamiji individually and receive his blessings and guidance.
Sri Swamijiʼs programs are always free and open to all. They include an introduction, one hour of meditation, singing traditional Indian spiritual For more info about Sri Swamijiʼs mission and tour, visit www.shivabalamahayogi.com or songs called bhajans, arthi, and an opportunity to speak with Sri Swamiji individually and receive his blessings and guidance.
His blessings serve to deepen whatever spiritual path one has undertaken.
e-mailand ganeshplace@gmail.com or visit www.shivabalayogi.ca ForFor more information tour details visit www.shivabalamahayogi.com or www.shivabalayogi.ca more info about Sri Swamijiʼs mission and tour, visit www.shivabalamahayogi.com or
or visitone www.shivabalayogi.ca Sri Swamijiʼs programse-mail are alwaysganeshplace@gmail.com free andColorado open to all. They include anWade: introduction, hour of meditation, singing traditional Indian spiritual Contact: 303-917-7873 songs called bhajans, arthi, and an opportunity to speak with Sri Swamiji individually and receive his blessings and guidance.
For more info about Sri Swamijiʼs mission and tour, visit www.shivabalamahayogi.com or e-mail ganeshplace@gmail.com or visit www.shivabalayogi.ca
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March 27, 2014 19
Courtesy of Kim Nace
I
t’s a practice that was used for thousands of years, but with the development of sewage systems and chemical fertilizer, the practice of recycling urine and using it as fertilizer went by the way side. Recently, this old practice gained new momentum in the U.S. when the first legally authorized and publicly documented communityscale urine reuse project, conducted by Rich Earth Institute in Vermont found human urine has a use as a viable fertilizer. “Our population needs to close the nutrient cycle, and can do it in the most expedient way possible by extracting all the nutrients from our human waste,” says Kim Nace, founder of Rich Earth Institute. “I always Researchers in Vermont have had success recycling urine for use as fertilizer, an age-old put waste in quotations because practice that could significantly reduce an individual’s water use and carbon footprint. really it’s a resource; it’s just a resource in the wrong place. It’s only pollution because we’ve got it in the wrong place.” The scientifically documented success of the crops treated with recycled urine by the Rich Earth Institute, and the addiby Mallane Dressel tional funding awarded to them for their success in the form of a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, shows an interest in this that any more because of our initial methods to sterilize the urine before practice. Using urine as a fertilizer results,” says Nace. “We know that use, either by heating the urine to 70 instead of flushing it down the toilet urine is a fertilizer that is equally as degrees Celsius in small batches using could save 4,000 gallons of water per strong as chemical fertilizer. In those a solar heater, or using long-term person a year, according to the Rich terms, we are very confident in movstorage methods, such as researchEarth Institute. The battle, according ing forward.” ers from the Swedish University to Nace, is getting people over the For the Rich Earth Institute’s of Agricultural Sciences have done “ick factor” of having to collect their initial field test trials, started in 2012, during their urine recycling research, own urine, and getting the research they grew strips of animal crops such which spans almost 20 years. This together that would prove that reas hay. They reached out to the comlong-term storage method relies on cycled urine is safe to use. munity in order to get enough urine the fact that stored urine becomes “The proof that this concept for the project. After collecting the very alkaline, allowing for the acidity works, we don’t have any doubts on urine, researchers used two different over time to destroy any pathogens
Making it rain
Recycled urine passes initial test for use as a fertilizer
20 March 27, 2014
that may have been present. “I really trust that information quite a bit. I think [the researchers of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences] have a lot of integrity in the way they have done their work, and they’ve done it a lot longer than we have in the U.S.,” says Nace. “Their information has served as a foundation in our work, and I think it’s really excellent that there is a foundation that we can keep building upon.” With the exposure of this practice and Rich Earth Institute’s research, in articles, such as “Is ‘Peecycling’ the Next Wave in Sustainable Living?,” on National Geographic’s website, Nace says, they have received increasing interest in the program. At this rate of public exposure, she says she believes the “ick factor” will be overcome quite quickly. The real issue, she says, is addressing the fact that pathogens and pharmaceuticals can be present in human urine. The Environmental Protection Agency researched some of the Rich Earth Institute’s initial test site soils and plant matter, but never gave them any conclusive data. She says this information is necessary for the regulatory process when it comes to the installment of urine-diverting systems in homes and broadening the acceptance of this practice. Representatives of the Water Quality Control Division for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) agree with her that adequate research material would need to be provided for the investigation of urine-diverting
Boulderganic Spring ’14 Boulder Weekly
Courtesy of Kim Nace
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Want happy pets with Fresh Breath? In addition to getting over the “ick factor” of recycling urine, the project awaits regulatory input on developing urine-diverting systems.
systems to get underway. Dick Parachini, clean water program director of the Water Quality Control Division for the CDPHE, says there really hasn’t been a push from the public to research this process with the state in order to develop the regulations necessary for Colorado citizens to be permitted to use urine-diverting systems on their property. But really a person can just start this practice simply by collecting their urine in a bucket or a bottle by diluting the urine to eight parts water, one part urine, according to Carol Steinfeld, the author of Liquid Gold:The Lore and Logic of Using Urine to Grow Plants. Steinfeld is also the founder of Ecovita, a company that sells urine-diverting toilets. She says she hasn’t heard of any cities expressing concern over this small amount of urine being used as fertilizer on people’s own property. “Essentially, in the wastewater treatment plants, we have a lot of nitrogen going in and the easiest to pin point is urine; human urine makes up most of it,” Steinfeld says. “Purchasing fertilizers to put on our land on our farms, more and more, we are going to need to close that loop in order to save money, to save energy.” Steinfeld says there are a few reasons why people are interested in urine diversion in the states: the sustainability of recycling nutrients, water conservation and using the nitrogen before it goes to wastewater treatment plants, where expelled processed wastewater can cause hazardous blooms in oceans and rivers. For example, Boulder County’s
treated wastewater is dumped into Boulder Creek. Lauren Allen, a representative for Gray Water Action, a company that provides workshops in implementing sustainable technology, such as urine diverting toilets, says people may choose to divert urine if they are having odor and composting issues with their composting toilets. This is the case at the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute (CRMPI) in Basalt, Colo., says founder Jerome Osentowski. They urinate on their forest gardens when their composting toilet, “sunny John,” has urine content too high to function properly. He says that salt levels can be a problem with certain plants, such as avocadoes, so avoiding urinating on those kinds of sensitive plants is best. One of the more significant reasons people are interested in this practice, according to Steinfeld, is that if it were applied on a wider scale, it could decrease the carbon footprint produced by wastewater treatment plants. The majority of energy used at the plants goes toward extracting and diffusing the nitrogen and phosphates that are present in human urine. “Treatment plants are going to have to continue to meet standards of nitrogen and phosphorus filtering, and municipalities don’t have the funding and taxes to put into these enormous facilities. Some of the figures I’ve received about doing a quality denitrification all around the country are just so expensive,” says Nace. Respond: info@boulderganic.com
Boulder Weekly Boulderganic Spring ’14
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Boulderganic Spring ’14 Boulder Weekly
Sustaining Colorado’s forests Wave of beetle-kill reboots state’s forest products industry by Bob Berwyn
C
Bob Berwyn
olorado’s vast stained logs are finding their way stands of lodgeto every corner of Colorado. pole pines are As a consumer, you can suppart of one of port a sustainable forestry cycle the world’s great by using products made with lomountain forest belts, stretching cal wood and you can find some nearly unbroken from Canada pretty cool stuff in the process. to Mexico. The pioneers must In all, there are more than 120 have been agog at the amount of businesses using Colorado wood timber they encountered, startproducts and you can search for ing with ponderosa pines in the them at a website maintained foothills and up into Clear Creek by the Colorado State Forest Canyon, then transitioning into Service: http://csfs.colostate.edu/ lodgepole near the Continental cowood/cfp-database.aspx. Divide and beyond, to the west. In Glenwood Springs, Meier The forests first grew during Skis uses beetle-killed lodgepole an opportune period in Earth’s and local aspen to build awardgeological history: Receding ice winning skis. In this spring’s ski sheets tilled the Rocky Mountests, Meier Skis were praised tains and provided moisture as for offering a light and energetic, the climate warmed after the last chatter-free ride. According to ice age. The forests waxed and the company’s website: A lodgepole seedling grows amidst salvage beetle-killed timber on the Frisco Peninsula in Summit County, Colo. waned in an intricate evolution“By using Colorado forest ary cycle, adapting to fire, wind, products to build Meier Skis, [we] drought and insects — until now. are not only providing jobs and About 20 years ago, something house and home, like a snake swaldelving deep into roadless and wilhelping the local economy, the folks tipped. Mountain pine beetles lowing its tail — eventually, there’s derness areas, long-term stewardship at Meier are making the forest a betswarmed in ever-greater numbers, nothing left. In the last couple of of forest resources on the interter place and more sustainable for ultimately killing trees across more the future (not to mention building a years, forest surveys show the bugs mixed zones of private, federal and than 3 million acres, from the Wind pretty amazing ski).” are down to endemic numbers in state lands can provide a sustainable Rivers to Aspen. The forest changed Meier Skis will only use a small most areas. stream of wood. visibly before our eyes, first turnpercentage of the beetle-killed wood, Close monitoring of giant study Spending the money for sustaining bright red, then brown and gray. but a biomass energy plant near plots in the U.S. Forest Service’s able forest management based on Gypsum could take a significant bite Landscape-level change occurred on Fraser Experimental Forest shows good monitoring and science should out of the flow of salvaged wood. an almost unimaginable scale. The healthy regrowth both in areas that be seen as an investment, and not a There’s also potential for more swaths of dead trees posed a direct were clearcut and in areas that were cost. Harvesting, processing, selling risk to people, raising the fire danger untouched. In the clearcut areas, and using beetle-killed wood can cre- energy production. Small towns in the European Alps have developed in some areas, and threatening water lodgepole (with some aspen) is ate jobs and help keep forests— and significant biomass resources with a and recreation values. once again dominating, while in the forest fires — more manageable in communal approach. Scientists will be studying the unlogged areas, a more diverse forest that tricky Red Zone, where develBut still, it’s burning wood, and beetle battle for years to come, but is regrowing, with more subalpine fir opment continues unabated. generally agree that the enormous and spruce. With prompting from Colorado’s some question whether that’s a good energy path. Overall, using biomass scale of the insect invasion is linked But resource managers are still congressional delegation, long-term very locally on a small scale probably with a distinct drop in the number of dealing with the aftermath and logging contracts have helped revive has short-term benefits, but only if severe winter cold snaps in the last also striving to develop sustainable several Colorado sawmills that were three decades. forestry practices targeting the areas teetering on the verge of collapse The bugs ate themselves out of affected by the beetles. Even without just a few years ago, and the bluesee BEETLE KILL Page 24 Boulder Weekly Boulderganic Spring ’14
March 27, 2014 23
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pursued with a strategy to make the full shift to renewables. The push for biomass also raises concerns that it could lead to more unwarranted logging, as public investments in utilities drive planning and policy. In between boutique skis and biomass, there’s a whole range of other products, including furniture that’s custom-designed from beetle-kill timber. Artisans like Loveland-based Ryan Schlaefer have embraced the quirky blue stain to make it a centerpiece of modern Colorado furniture design. The onset of the beetle-kill epidemic also spurred other businesses. In the hardest hit areas on either side of the Continental Divide, dozens of grassroots tree-removal and protection services sprang up, specializing in backyard-scale projects. Sadly, some of the companies continued to advertise tree-spraying services even after state and federal foresters called for a halt to the application of pesticides when pine beetle numbers dropped dramatically two years ago.
The resurgence of logging does have critics. Some recreational users would rather see undisturbed beetlekilled groves rather than the logging footprint that’s becoming more common in the wildland-urban interface. And forest conservation advocates worry that the pressure to keep supplying wood to sawmills and biomass energy plants could lead to more logging incursions in remote areas. They say Forest management resources should be focused intensively in the fire-prone exurbs, where creating defensible space around homes and neighborhoods is the only proven effective way to reduce wildfire risks. All those questions are best answered by a hands-on adaptive management approach. Local, state and federal experts must agree to extensive monitoring to measure forest regrowth, and a willingness to be flexible to respond to changing conditions, with an overall eye toward restoration rather than exploitation. Respond: info@boulderganic.com
Boulderganic Spring ’14 Boulder Weekly
Rockies flora show climate impact Bloom patterns change in warming temperatures by Tim Radford
A
n intensive study of the flora of one meadow in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado over nearly 40 years reveals a widespread and consistent pattern of climate-induced change. Two-thirds of alpine flowers have changed their pattern of bloom in response to climate change. Half of them have begun to bloom weeks earlier than normal, one-third are reaching their peak bloom well ahead of the traditional almanac date, and others are producing their last blooms later in the year. The season of flowers — that feast for bees and butterflies, and a signal for insectivorous birds to make the most of their moment in the sun — is a month longer than it was four decades ago. This conclusion comes with two qualifications. The first is that it is limited to one meadow in one location in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains in the U.S. But the other is that it is the product of a meticulous, painstaking 39-year-long study by one researcher. So it follows that since there is not much room for mistake or argument about the pattern in one well-studied location, then a similar pattern probably does apply in many upland temperate zone sites. When David Inouye of the University of Maryland began his research, he was a graduate student who just wanted to know what sources of nectar were available for hummingbirds and bumble bees. So he started counting flowers about 3,000 meters above sea level in Crested Butte, Colo., at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. And he carried on.
He and colleagues report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that they chose 60 common wildflower species — most of them perennial herbs — and they specifically excluded the rarer species because there was not enough data. So they
biological events, in one place. “Most studies rely on first dates like flowering or migration, because they use historical data sets that were not intended as scientific studies,” Inouye says. “First flowering is easy to observe.You don’t have to take the
John Holm
A closely monitored meadow of wildflowers in the Colorado Rockies shows patterns for blooms have changed over the course of a 39-year study.
made their judgement on the basis of two million flower counts, during the 39-year interval in which summer air temperatures increased by about 0.4 degrees Celsius per decade and in which the spring snow melt advanced by about 3.5 days per decade. And they also specifically looked at the entire pattern of spring and summer bloom: the big picture of what biologists call phenology, the timing of
Boulder Weekly Boulderganic Spring ’14
time to count the flowers. So that’s often the only information available. It has taken a lot of effort to get the comprehensive insights needed for this analysis, which helps us understand how ecological communities are going to change in the future.” Biologists around the world have begun to use phenological shifts as indicators of climate, and as a basis for future conservation plans, and all
of them have observed a pattern of change. European researchers confirmed that plants were either moving to higher latitudes, or blooming earlier in response to global warming, and that birds, butterflies and blossoms were actually heading to higher altitudes. Some have used historic observations by one of America’s literary giants, Henry David Thoreau, as the basis for their research into climate change, and others have looked at the consequences of changes in the plant timetable for the grazers and predators that depend on specific plant communities. But Inouye and colleagues now think that much of the phenological evidence so far has underestimated the numbers of species that have altered their flowering times, and probably overestimated the magnitude of change: What matters in the field or the meadow is the sum of all the changes, and not just the first dates of flowering. Inouye and students divided the meadow into 30 plots, and counted flowers every other day for 39 years, for five months every year. So because of the initial basis of the research, continued for so many years, the scientists had sure data on changes for individual species, including the first flowering, the peak flowering and the last blooms, along with a measure of changes in abundance. The date of first flowering has advanced by six days per decade, the spring peak is on average five days earlier per decade, and the last flower of autumn has been three days later every decade. — Climate News Network Respond: info@boulderganic.com March 27, 2014 25
Courtesy of Morgan McMillan
Imbalance persists in county economy Income, achievement gaps remain as Latino population increases, report shows by Steve Weishampel
B
oulder County residents haven’t had to worry much about the health of the county’s economy in the last few years. Compared to national and international economies, at least, Boulder has done well through the recession. And while the county is still a “community of wealth,” in the words of Morgan McMillan, some statistical trends indicate that could gradually change. McMillan is the civic forum director for The Community Foundation, a Boulder-based non-profit dedicated to preparing the county for its future and encouraging charitable giving. When The Community Foundation published its biennial Boulder County Trends Report near the end of 2013, McMillan saw many of the same trends that she’s grown used to but that often surprise even longtime residents, she says. Chief among those surprises is the racial and ethnic diversity of a county so often stereotyped as lily-white. “Folks are surprised by our changing demographics,” she says. “We are much more diverse than what most social circles reveal.” The county’s non-white population remains lower than the national average, but the population identifying as people of color has now hit 20 percent. The City of Boulder’s Latino population sits at 9 percent, up slightly from 8.2 percent in 2000. Longmont, meanwhile, is 25 percent Latino. The growing diversity of the 26 March 27, 2014
county is important both in its own right and because it could play a large part in the future of the economy, the Trends report indicates. Boulder County’s Anglo-American population has long maintained a higher-thanaverage income. The county faces a persistent income gap between Anglos and Latinos, as the average Latino family earns only half what an Anglo family earns. According the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the average Anglo household in Boulder County brings in $70,085; the average Latino family income is $35,599, a statistic that appears in the Trends report. “It’s still surprising for people to see the difference in median income,” she says. Latino children are five times more likely than Anglo children to live in poverty in Boulder County, 35 percent versus 7 percent. There have been huge increases in kids living in poverty, McMillan adds. Boulder County’s incomes are high overall, but the county hasn’t had success incorporating that rising minority population into its wealth, she says. As the population continues to incorporate more minorities, the county’s economic health could hinge on improving the income gap. For the 2013 Trends issue, The Community Foundation enlisted the help of the Latino Task Force of Boulder County, a non-profit that serves the Latino community and has performed studies in the past to
There’s a noticable income gap between non-Hispanic whites and people of color in the county, along with a rise in children living in poverty.
evaluate its strengths and challenges. The chair of its board, Nick Robles, says the Latino community is a “very important economic piece” in the county. And the Latino population is rising faster than the non-Latino population in the county. That means, McMillan says, the income gap needs to be addressed for its own sake and for the health of the county’s economy. “We need to do a better job of educating our low-income kids,” she says. “We need to be more effective in educating low-income kids.”
That burden should not fall entirely to schools, she says, because poverty can cause much more complex problems. But school districts should continue to focus on minority achievement to allow for greater incomes for Boulder County’s Latino population. Robles also says closing the achievement gap in school is pivotal. But the Trends publication suggests that it might not be that easy. After all, Latinos in Boulder County are better-educated than the national average — 24 percent have bachelor’s degrees, while nationally the number
Boulderganic Spring ’14 Boulder Weekly
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is 13 percent — yet they earn less repeatedly by law enforcement, than the national average. ignored altogether and mocked Both McMillan and Robles say for not being able to speak English. Boulderites don’t see their communi- A survey of Latino residents indities as very open or inclusive, pointcates more than one-fifth consider ing to a three-year study conducted discrimination a problem in Boulby Gallup and The Knight Foundation der County. Robles points to some of the factors that build strong comof the facts — like how Boulder munities. The study included Boulder County Latinos are more likely to and found that be Coloradans Boulderites by birth than ranked the city’s Boulder County TRENDS MENTIONS social offerings Anglos are, or stories of Latinos in Boulder and aesthetics that the averwell but gave a age Latino family County being shadowed lower score for speaks English at while shopping, stopped openness. home — as signs repeatedly by law en“They just that “national wanted to focus media myths” are forcement, ignored altoit on the Lainaccurate. gether and mocked for tino community,” Moving not being able to speak Robles says of toward closing Trends. “I think the income gap, English. A survey of Latino part of that was Robles says, could residents indicates more spurred by the take a variety of than one-fifth consider Gallup poll that forms. He calls showed that the for more opdiscrimination a problem general Boulder portunities for in Boulder County. County comLatinos to be munity was not in leadership inclusive of other positions and for cultures.” improved educaRobles argues that the tion for Latino students. Latino community’s contributions “Some of the stories from the economically are sometimes overfocus group participants were, as looked. Latino students they felt they weren’t “There are a lot of Latino busiencouraged to pursue higher educanesses, and we saw an increase in the tion or go directly to a four-year amount of Latino businesses [since university. They were pushed to a 2001],” he says. “That, of course, also vocational track or community colmeans more jobs that have been leges,” he says. provided. We also see a majority of Both he and McMillan — and Latinos purchasing goods locally. ... members of the Trends focus groups Even though, at the same time, a lot — also call for greater openness in of survey respondents said they were our daily lives. unsatisfied with some aspect of their “I can own my personal everyday employment.” interactions with people in my comBut what captured Robles’ attenmunity,” McMillan says. “Think about tion wasn’t a statistic of any kind. my workplace, my civic interactions, “For me personally, I was really families at my kids’ school — how surprised with all the accounts of open am I and how much am I discrimination that the focus group stretching myself to connect with participants were able to share,” others I don’t typically connect with? he says. Trends mentions stories of That, to me, is a positive opportuLatinos in Boulder County being nity.” Respond: info@boulderganic.com shadowed while shopping, stopped Boulder Weekly Boulderganic Spring ’14
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Longmont Saturday, April 5th, 10 a.m.-12 noon
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Boulder Monday, April 21st, 6-8 p.m. EARTH DAY! Boulder County Recycling Center 1901 63rd St.
Erie Saturday, April 26th, 10 a.m.-12 noon Erie Community Library 400 Powers St.
Louisville Monday, April 28th, 6-8 p.m. Louisville Public Library 951 Spruce St.
Boulder Thursday, May 8th, 6-8 p.m. Boulder County Recycling Center 1901 63rd St.
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Boulderganic Spring ’14 Boulder Weekly
Courtesy of Rally Software
W
ith one of the highest concentration of tech workers in the nation, Boulder’s market is ripe with opportunity for local startups and entrepreneurial game changers. A 2013 study by the New Engine/Kauffman Foundation stated that Boulder has more tech startups per capita than any U.S. metropolitan area. Additional research by the TechAmerica Foundation found that statewide, the total tech-payroll was $15.8 billion in 2012. Beyond economic prosperity, Boulder’s startup culture also shows a correlation between strong businesses and strong communities as evidenced by such organizations as the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Colorado, a trendsetter for economic community-mindedness that has provided more than $2 million in community funding, benefitting Front Range area nonprofits. The organization consists of a network of local entrepreneurs whose companies pledge at least 1 percent of their founding equity or a portion of annual profits to the community. “[Entrepreneurs Foundation of Colorado] represents a new kind of giving — you don’t have to be wealthy to be a philanthropist,” says Morgan McMillan, executive director of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Colorado. “The organization makes it easy for entrepreneurs to invest and to see an impact. Our model brings in younger folks, greener folks and people who have not built and sold multiple companies.” “It’s important to get started early when it’s pretty easy to set aside a percentage of the company,” explains Ryan Martens, CEO of Rally Software and one of Entrepreneurs Foundation of Colorado’s founding partners and current chair of the organization’s board. Martens was named the Boulder Chamber’s 2014 Business Person
Rally Software recently made the largest community donation yet under the priciples of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Colorado: $689,000.
Engineering citizens of change How strong businesses can build strong communities. by Vanessa Schatz of the Year in early March. The award honors both Rally Software’s economic impact as a market leader for software development and the tech company’s effective framework of giving back to the community. Martens says it comes back to the mantra of: “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” Rally Software’s initial public offering (IPO) took place last year, debuting the highest-profile achievement on the New York Stock Exchange for a Colorado software startup in a decade, according to the Denver Business Journal. Rally just donated 1 percent of its venture funding, totaling $689,000, to The Boulder Community Foundation Serving Boulder County, allocating 85 percent to The Community Trust Fund and 15 percent to Entrepre-
Boulder Weekly Boulderganic Spring ’14
neurs Foundation of Colorado. This is the largest community contribution in the foundation’s history. Rally’s philanthropic approach is based on a “citizen engineer” model, which means being aware of the applicability of employees’ skills beyond office walls and can lead to a desire to give back to the community. “Citizen engineers need to be empathic and have an ability to explore areas and problems and solution spaces very quickly,” Martens says. He promotes empathy, exploration, and execution — or the ”three ‘E’ formula — as essential for communities. “The world needs engineers to take their skills and talents and use them to better their local communities, just like a doctor or a lawyer
would go out and do pro-bono work,” says Geri Mitchell-Brown, Rally’s director of social corporate responsibility. “It has become Rally’s social mission to have a ripple effect. We want to inspire other companies. Many people don’t think of their professional skills and the value that those skills really could bring outside of their job function. … A company should think about ‘What is the best that we have to give?’” This also raises the important question of what values are sustaining software engineers’ lives before they pursue a career or a startup. “There is more emphasis culturally, as well as within our classrooms, on the creativity and the building elements of being an engineer, which are enormously important, but probably not as much accent on the ethics of community-mindedness,” says Brad Bernthal, an associate clinical professor and leader of the entrepreneurial law clinic at the University of Colorado Law School. “Through EFCO, we have a platform that people are paying attention to.” Some of the current community challenges include resolving how to effectively engage entrepreneurs in greater community needs — beyond just giving — and how to make invested parties feel connected. Entrepreneurs Foundation of Colorado is also exploring storytelling in the startup culture to achieve a better sense of what the community needs through nonprofit partners that are already in existence and to leverage the skill sets that entrepreneurs bring to the non-profit community. “It works both ways,” McMillan says. “The community relies on the support of the business community and the business community relies on the local community to sustain a great business.” Respond: info@boulderganic.com March 27, 2014 29
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Boulderganic Spring ’14 Boulder Weekly
Peak fitness Getting in shape for high altitude hiking by James Dziezynski
T
here are few places you can the rigors of hiking at elevation. The a weekend, I prefer to sleep a little wake up in your own bed, “Guardians of the Flatirons” trio of lower if possible, around 9,500 feet, ascend 9,000 vertical feet to Bear Peak, Green Mountain and South rather than struggle through a night a mountain top and get home Boulder Peak bring you even higher, at trailheads that are 10,500 feet. and in time to catch the evening over 8,000 feet in height with over higher. Many Coloradans have suffered news. Boulder is a fantastic base for 3,000 vertical feet gained. Most people through a long night when trying to exploring Colorado’s alpine regions. will have no problem with the oxygen rest at the high-altitude huts, many of Living more than a mile above sea levels at these heights, even if their which are over 11,000 feet. level, we already have a lot of advanfitness level may leave them wheezing. The good news is that it often tages — but that doesn’t mean that Hikes on these peaks are the perfect only takes 24-48 hours above 9,000 those lofty summits come easy. primer for higher peaks. feet to feel strong on Colorado’s highWe have roughly est mountains. And 17 percent less oxy- James Dziezynski the more time one gen than we would spends at higher elat sea level. Our evations, the better bodies compensate the body can adapt by increasing red to repeat visits. blood cell producWhile it’s certainly tion, thereby making possible to ascend our respiratory sys14ers from Boulder tem more efficient. in a single day, it’s That helps when worth working up heading to peaks a few lower peaks over 14,000 feet first to gauge how (a.k.a. the 14ers), you feel. A small where the oxygen headache or upset levels are even stomach is normal lower as a result of and usually goes decreased atmoaway as you return spheric pressure. to lower elevations. As summer looms, the lure of 14ers begins to draw hikers toward higher If you haven’t However, even elevations, and there are plenty of local options for getting in shape to tackle been to high altiif you’ve previously those peaks. tudes in a while, you had no issues at will likely feel the altitude, AMS can effects of the thin air. Serious health If you feel good on these moununexpectedly hit fit, acclimated hikers. issues, including High Altitude Ceretains, you should feel fine on terrain If you start to feel dizzy, nauseous and bral Edema (HACE) and High Altitude up to 12,000 feet — the average find it hard to concentrate, it’s time Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) can occur height of the high lifts at most Coloto head down. Resist summit fever as low as 6,000 feet, but for the marado ski areas. But there is a difference and rest up — chances are you just jority of Colorado residents, should between a quick visit to the thin air needed a bit more time at altitude not be an issue. However, Acute and laboring away for hours at a time before striking out for the high peaks. Mountain Sickness (AMS) is an issue, at altitude.The key to proper acclimaIt is well known staying hydrated is which is why you should take steps to tization is spending enough time at a essential to a good day in the mounprepare for high altitude hikes. high enough altitude to adjust. tains. As we climb higher, our bodies increase our rate of respiration to Boulder is ideally set up for If you can spend a night or two compensate for the lower levels of high altitude training, thanks to the at 9,000-10,000 feet before heading oxygen. Add to that the perspiration progression of peaks in our backyard. up over 13,000 feet, you will likely of grinding out a tough hike and the Mount Sanitas at 6,800 feet is a great notice a strong performance boost radiation of the sun (please remember place to reintroduce your body to at altitude.When hiking 14ers over Boulder Weekly Boulderganic Spring ’14
to put on sunblock!) and your body can burn through liquids. Even during periods of high exertion, humans can only take in 16-20 ounces of water an hour, so keep this in mind as not to overhydrate and flush essentials food fuels out of your body too quickly. Making sure you are well hydrated the night before is key. Adding in electrolytes in your drink (sport drinks, tablets, etc.) will help prevent cramping. At altitude, it’s hard to digest heavy foods. Energy gels and gummies are very easy to digest and provide a real boost (I like to take in 100200 calories per hour on hiking days, even during the descent). Solid bars, sandwiches and snacks work for some people, but can ultimately slow you down, as digestion is tough at altitude mostly due to a lack of red blood cells. In fact, many athletes prefer a big meal the night before and will skip an official breakfast the morning of, instead using gels and gummies throughout the day. If you do start to feel lousy, gelbased Ibuprofen tablets can stave off an oncoming headache – as well as sore knees (Vitamin I as it is sometimes called). Antacids will help with a foul belly. While there are prescription drugs such as Diamox that can help with acclimation, they can have strong side effects and are usually not necessary for Colorado natives. If you’d like to learn more about high altitude fitness and adaptation, there are several excellent books on the subject. Medicine for Mountaineering: And Other Wilderness Activities by the Mountaineers and Going Higher: Oxygen Man and Mountains by Dr. Charles Houston are two of the best. The best advice is to learn to listen to your body, pace yourself, and remember, the more you get out there, the easier it gets. Respond: info@boulderganic.com March 27, 2014 31
The magic five How just a little weight loss can go a long way By James Dziezynski
I
’ll be the first to admit it’s easy to let a few pounds sneak on over the winter. I think it has less to do with outright laziness and more to do with how great it is to read a good book next to the fireplace on a cold, snowy day. The opportunity to feast without (immediate) remorse around the holidays doesn’t help. It’s not until we try that first real hike or bike ride of the spring that it becomes obvious we’re a little off our game. The more weight we’re packing on our frames, the more work it is to be physically active — that’s obvious. More insidious is the fact that a few extra pounds can increase your risk for injuries, especially to the body parts that are doing the heavy lifting. Hikers, for example, are adding four pounds of pressure to their knees for every pound they add on. Doing the math indicates that losing five pounds will reduce over 20 pounds of pressure from your knees with each step. Likewise, the strain on hand tendons and forearms for rock climbers is drastically increased with a five-pound gain, leading to quicker burnout and greater chance for injury. It is easy to overreact to modest “winter weight” gain by declaring a plan to lose 10, 15, 20 pounds and to lose it now! Unless you are already seriously overweight, those numbers are going to be very difficult to hit, especially if you have stayed physically active throughout the winter. The only time I naturally lost 10 pounds — without a gimmicky diet or weight loss supplement — was the summer I worked on a Colorado hiking guidebook. I ate well and was hiking around seven hours per day six days a week and even then it took a good three months. More realistically, aiming to lose five pounds — without giving yourself 32 March 27, 2014
James Dziezynski
a deadline — at least 30 is a better minutes, is a way to create formula that healthy habits won’t leave that you you starvcan actually ing, or at sustain over least it won’t time. Chancfeel so bad es are that after the first longer days day or two. and warmer However, if it temps are alwere merely ready inspira matter of ing you to get numbers, I back out on would gladly that bike and eat 1,800 dust off the calories of old running cupcakes shoes, so you without hesialready have tation. There’s an advantage. more to it Regular physithan that. cal activity is What you eat is equally an important as important. part of the Packed on a couple extra pounds? Focusing on equation and shedding just a little weight can go a long way. Nutritionist Mariah Ehlert will build of the blog strength and KALE (Keep Active, Live Energeticalskill in your sport. ly) Nutrition points out that cutting Taken on a very basic level, the certain foods out of your diet can be math is simple:You need to burn a great help. more calories on a regular basis than “The biggest enemies of weight you consume. The problem with quick-fix diets is that they often work gain and inflammation are sugar and processed foods,” she says. by denying your body essential nutri“Most people have the extra weight ents. Jenna Anding, Ph.D., registered either due to a nutritional imbalance and licensed dietitian and associate department head for the Department or food intolerance. Cut back on processed foods and increasing ‘real of Nutrition and Food Science at Texas A&M University says, “Losing 20 food’ [food made up of one ingredient, basically] will help balance out pounds in two weeks is not healthy; the nutrient need of the body.” nutrition experts recommend a A great deal of the foods we get weekly weight loss of no more than our carbohydrates from fall into the two pounds per week.” category of processed foods. A good middle ground for one to “Try to get carbs from vegetable two pounds of weight loss per week sources versus processed sources: is to count your calories. A modest think legumes, sweet potatoes, quidaily intake of 1,600-1,800 calories noa, squash instead of pasta/bread/ per day, coupled with exercise of
cereal,” says Ehlert. It makes sense that the body will run its best when powered by the optimal fuels. So now that you have a diet plan and are dedicating yourself to regular exercise, what kind of results can you expect? For runners, studies have shown that extra weight exerts its penalty not so much when accelerating the total body mass, rather in the increased weight the body has to support between every stride. That extra energy to stabilize and support adds up over time — in one study, an extra five pounds meant a 90-second loss over a distance of 5 kilometers. For cyclists, losing five pounds may contribute to immediate results. A study from James C. Martin, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of Utah tested a 160-pound rider on a 7 percent grade hill over 5 kilometers. His results showed that, for every 5 pounds added, it would take additional 30 seconds to complete the climb. Finally, rock climbers will immediately feel the benefit of being five pounds lighter. Besides taking stress off the specific muscles of the hands, arms, legs and feet, it is easier to balance the body when there is less of it. And the less the weigh, the easier it will be for your belayer to catch a fall. The great thing when aiming for five pounds of weight loss is that it is a realistic and attainable goal that doesn’t require a drastic change in lifestyle. A little more discipline when eating and avoiding processed foods and sugar along with regular exercise will do the trick. And once you feel better, even these things get easier. Better performance and injury prevention are great goals in themselves and it only takes a loss of five pounds to get on track. Respond: info@boulderganic.com
Boulderganic Spring ’14 Boulder Weekly
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Green Flooring Half Page 11.625X10.5
4c ALTERNATE
We are making a green commitment in our9:30am-5pm stores and offices by focusing on educating our ◆LSunday C A R P EMonday-Friday T Monday-Friday • H A R D9:30am-6pm; W 9:30am-6pm; O O D • Saturday V ISaturday N Y L9:30am-5pm • T I L E ◆•Sunday A M11am-4pm I N11am-4pm AT E • A N D M O R E employees and business partners; conserving resources and reducing waste; and encouraging At participating At participating storesstores only, not only,allnot products all products at all locations. at all locations. PhotosPhotos for illustrative for illustrative purposes purposes only. Not only.responsible Not responsible for typographical for typographical errors.errors. offersoffers cannotcannot be combined be combined with other with other discounts discounts or or recycling and green practices. promotional promotional offersoffers and are and not arevalid noton valid previous on previous purchases. purchases. ©Carpet ©Carpet onemaintenance Floor one Floor & Home®. & Home®. *See store *See for store details. for details. Subject Subject to credit to credit approval. approval. †See actual †See actual warranty warranty at store at for store complete for complete details. details.
Greystone
Trussville
2827 Greystone Comm. Blvd. PHONE: 991-1082
1465 Gadsden Hwy. PHONE: 655-8777
Greystone
2827 Greystone Comm. Blvd. PHONE: 991-1082
EE EASY WAYS TO SHOP.
Vestavia
1432 Montgomery Hwy. PHONE: 822-4334
Trussville
1465 Gadsden Hwy. PHONE: 655-8777
Vestavia
1432 Montgomery Hwy. PHONE: 822-4334
For a free room measure and financing pre-approval visit CarpetOne.com.
IN-STORE
ONLINE
IN-HOME
LIFETIME INSTALLATION
GUARANTEE
†
ect to credit approval. Financing provided by CitiFinancial Retail Services Division of Citicorp Trust Bank, fsb. Finance charges begin to accrue at the time of purchase. No monthly payments required during the promotional period. Payment of amount financed in full must be received prior to the otional period in order for accrued finance charges to be waived. Otherwise, accrued finance charges will be assessed to the account. Standard rate 24% APR. Default rate 26.99% APR. Minimum finance charge $.50. See Cardholder Agreement for details. Available for a limited time only at ee store for details. Not responsible for typographical errors. Not all products available at all locations. Photos for demonstration purposes only. †See actual warranties at store for details. ©Carpet One Floor & Home 2007
THREE EASY WAYS TO SHOP.
For a free room measure and financing pre-approval visit CarpetOne.com.
IN-STORE
ONLINE
IN-HOME
LIFETIME
GUAR
*On all products. Subject to credit approval. Financing provided by CitiFinancial Retail Services Division of Citicorp Trust Bank, fsb. Finance charges begin to accrue at the time of purchase. No monthly payments required during the promotional period. Payment of amount financed in full must be receiv Page 11.625X10.5 ALTERNATE expiration of the4c promotional period in order for accrued finance charges to be waived. Otherwise, accrued finance charges will be assessed to the account. Standard rate 24% APR. Default rate 26.99% APR. Minimum finance charge $.50. See Cardholder Agreement for details. Available for a limite participating dealers. See store for details. Not responsible for typographical errors. Not all products available at all locations. Photos for demonstration purposes only. †See actual warranties at store for details. ©Carpet One Floor & Home 2007
catering to the avid gardener
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