Cookin' in the 'Cuse

Majora Carter Lecture Tonight!

 
Majora Carter is one of my idols.  A sharp Black woman, committed to justice and sustainability--she has transformed the Bronx and brought the language of "green justice" to communities that have too often been the dumping ground for toxins of all kinds.

She will be speaking at Hendricks Chapel tonight at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Syracuse University Lecture Series--co sponsored by the Syracuse Center of Excellence.  Topic:  Green the Ghetto and How Much it Won't Cost Us.  Hope to see you there!  Oh, and it's free!

From the SU Lectures website:

While the term “green-collar jobs” gains more press and pundits daily, very few people have actually marshaled the resources to get unemployed Americans trained and placed on pathways out of poverty in this growing economic sector. Majora Carter has. Born, raised, and continuing to live in the South Bronx, her work takes her around the world in pursuit of resources and ideas to improve the quality of life in environmentally challenged communities.

Parking at Hendricks Chapel/the Dome is free so come on up.

for more information on the Syracuse University Lecture Series go here.

A triathlon buzz all our own

What does triathlon taste like?  Over 2,000 athletes will discover what 70.3 miles of Syracuse triathlon tastes like when they zip up their wetsuits before sunrise on Sunday morning.  They will swim 1.2 miles at Jamesville Beach, bike 56 miles from Jamesville to Fabius, to DeRuyter and back and then run 13.1 miles from Jamesville to the Inner Harbor of Syracuse.  Wow!

As I drizzle spoonfuls of Lee's Bees honey in my tea, on toast, bake into bread, or stir it into granola recipes, I can't help but think that I'm eating the flavor of the Half Ironman race course.  Lee's Bee's have been flitting around Green Lakes, Cazenovia, and South Onondaga, doing their thing--watching many a triathlete in training do their thing.  Brookside Yard and East Lake Rd. Yard honey is gathered from Green Lake and Cazenovia Lake respectively.  Each lake plays host to our area's home grown local triathlons that took place earlier this summer.  Honey is like a time capsule--it captures the unique and particular flavors of the places, flowers, and conditions that exist when the bees collect their pollen.  Indeed, if there is any food to insist on for local--honey is it.  So what better way to capture summer or the training grounds of our local multisport community than by eating our local honey? 

Lee's Bee's honey can be found at the farm stone at Stone's Throw Farm during the CSA pick up or you can now purchase it at Green Planet Grocery on West Genesee in Fairmount. 

And do tell--what is your favorite to enjoy our local sweet honey?

Healing our Relationship with the Earth--a Conference on September 18

Greenblade--an organization that seeks to integrate creation, faith, and justice--is one of the coolest things going in the Episcopal Church.  They were the ones who took on the challenge of eating local as a community over the course of a year--several years ago.  Their first conference is being held in Camillus this Saturday and with topics like hyrdrofracking, food gardens in faith communities, and Sr. Catherine Grace of Bluestone Farm in Brewster on the agenda--it is something you won't want to miss.  Just as an aside--the community at Bluestone Farm has been working on local, sustainable food issues for a long time and they totally walk the walk. They make their own tofu from soybeans they grow themselves--they are hardcore!

The official press release is included below.  Three other things to note:  the suggested donation is just that--suggested.  Pay what you can--if it is only a couple of bucks--no problem.  And the food is being catered by Abigail Henson--formerly of the Restaurant at Elderberry Pond.  Her food is amazing so count on lunch being spectacular.  Finally, with a nun giving the keynote--there will be God-talk here, Greenblade is about healing the planet from a faith perspective--but people of all faiths, and none, are heartily invited to come--don't let that get in the way.

I hope to see you there!

 

Healing Our Relationship with the Earth: Learn, Reflect Act,  will be held on Saturday, September 18, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Camillus, New York.

We know we must heal our relationship with the earth or the environmental and spiritual legacy we leave coming generations will be grim indeed. In this conference we will explore what healing means, what it requires of us, and how we do it.  Most of all, we will explore how this healing can bring all of us, human and non-human, to a place of fulfillment, abundance, and joy. Greenblade welcomes all who struggle with these questions to bring their thoughts, passions and beliefs and join the dialogue.

The keynote speaker will be Sr. Catherine Grace of Bluestone Farm, an organic farm run by the sisters of the Community of the Holy Spirit, in Brewster, N.Y. Her talk is titled “Grounded in the Cosmos: A New Context for Healing.” Participants will have the opportunity to discuss this talk and then to participate in three afternoon workshops. The topics for these workshops are: “Hydrofracking: Beyond ‘For’ and ‘Against’”; “Landscaping: Listening to the Land”; and “Church Gardens: Food to Share”.

A suggested donation of $40 includes a catered lunch of local and seasonal food. We invite participants to pay as they are able. To register please download and mail the form on the Greenblade site, www.greenblade.org.  Payment is by check.

St. Luke’s is located at 5402 West Genesee St., Camillus, New York. There is plenty of parking and handicapped access.  For further information please email Susan Dixon at [email protected].