Sustainabilazine
The
Sustainabilazine Green Living in Corner Brook
Green Living in Corner Brook
Issue I November 2017
Ashley Hemmings, Humber Nurseries Greenhouse, lithography. 2016.
Ashley Hemmings, Mosses 1/6 and 2/6, embroidery and real moss. 2016.
Cover photo - Alison Brown
Table of Contents 3-4 A Sustainable Map of Corner Brook, by Olivia Leblanc 5 Foray Newfoundland and Labrador 6 Mushroom Foraging for Food, by Katherine Flores 7 Dear Aunty Bumo: Advice for Sustainable Living, by Bumo Mgabe 8 Outfits with an Impact: Buying Second-hand by Sien Van Den Broeke 9-10 What to Do with Kitchen Scraps: Make Soup Stock, Re-grow Vegetables, and Dye Fabric, by Meghan Bush 11-12 An Introduction to Backyard Composting, by Natasha Pennell 13-14 The Beauty of Gros Morne, photos by Michaela Pye 15 Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Soup: A Farmer’s Feast Recipe 16 The Western Environment Centre 17-18 The Hidden Gem: The Cedar Cove Trail, by Darrian Washinger Back cover How to Make Beeswax Food Wraps Hello reader! You are holding the first issue of our new publication, a zine about green living and environmentalism in Corner Brook. The name is a combination of ‘sustainability’ and ‘zine’ (pronounced ‘zeen’) - thus, the Sustainabilazine. This publication is meant to be a reference for living an environmentalist-minded lifestyle here in the Bay of Islands - whether you’re new to the area and wanting to learn about green ventures, or you’ve been here for a while and just like learning about eco-friendly living! This zine was entirely volunteer-made. All donations will go towards the printing of this and future issues. If you would like to become involved with the Environmental Affairs Committee, check us out at facebook.com/GrenfellEnvironmentalAffairsCommittee/ the EAC
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Photos by Rachelle Dove What do wild mushrooms have to do with environmentalism? Foraging for wild foods is one way for people to source their food locally and to participate in a more sustainable food network. By foraging food from our forests, shores, bogs and oceans, people can get berries, mushrooms, apples, and more right from their backyard, rather than buying foods that had to be grown with a multitude of pesticides and then shipped halfway around the world. There are other benefits to foraging as well - it’s a fun way to explore and enjoy the outdoors, it is a means to make use of a local resource, and many people agree that things you’ve harvested yourself are tastier than anything you could find in a store! ___________________________________________________________________
Foray Newfoundland and Labrador is a non-profit organization conducting amateur mushroom forays in the province. As well as organizing foray events (where you can join other wild fungi enthusiasts and go searching for mushrooms all over the island), Foray publishes an online magazine colled Omphalina, available for view at issuu. com/nlmushrooms. One of the organizations founders also published a field guide entitled “A Little Illustrated Book of Common Mushrooms of Newfoundland and Labrador”. To see when their next foray is planned, to check out their online photo gallery of mushrooms, or to learn more, head over to nlmushrooms.ca. You can also contact Foray through email at info@nlmushrooms.ca 5
By Katherine Flores
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Dear Aunty Bumo... Hi Aunty Bumo, So, all my friends are very environmentally cautious and care a LOT about the environment. I care too, kind of. Actually , the truth is, at the moment I don’t care that much. I’m writing to you because I know that’s a bad attitude to have, given the fact that global warming and all the garbage in the oceans is a real thing. So please give me reasons to be a better environmental steward, besides the fact that all my friends are. -Confused student Hi confused student. First off, I’m really glad you have environmentally cautious friends. Secondly, they say that the first step of fixing a problem is admitting that there is one. You’re doing great so far, so don’t stress too much. For me personally I started being more connected with nature the more I was in it. You’re very fortunate to be in Corner Brook where there are so many trails. My first advice would be to utilize them and try to get outside. You just may fall in love with the orange autumn leaves or the peaceful streams of water. Perhaps my biggest advice is to inform yourself of the environmental issues the world faces today. You could simply read articles or watch YouTube videos. Inform yourself to the best of your ability, and hopefully you can reason with yourself to start loving and caring for the environment. P.S. For me, this documentary helped: An Inconvenient Truth
Hiya Aunty Bumo, I’m from a big family and we eat a lot. We have jiggs dinner every Sunday and my nan always bakes cookies from scratch at least once a week. I’m a second year environmental studies student and have since learnt about sustainability and waste management. I know my family produces a lot of waste and it has been bugging me for a while. I’ve tried to talk to them about it but have had no luck. I just want to suggest alternatives ways of dealing with litter rather than producing 10 garbage bags a week. Please help! - Desperate student Hi Desperate student, I’m glad you are noticing that 10 garbage bags per week per family is a little much. From an environmentalist point of view, composting seems like the answer. I think if you sat your family down and introduced the idea to them you may be successful. After the talk though, I suggest moving into action. You may want to research composting options or donate the organic waste you produce to someone who may be able to use it. You could start a family garden with the collected compost to show your family that suitability is achievable. Last piece of advice, reducing waste can start in small steps. Instead of using numerous ziplock bags, you could use a container. Instead of using many disposable cups, you can have a mug. Instead of collecting many plastic bags at the grocery store, you can always bring your own recyclable bag. Hope this helps, best of luck. Have questions about green living or environmentalism? Email Aunty Bumo at grenfelleac@gmail.com
Outfits With an Impact
by Sien Van Den Broeke
Though a catchy tune, the thrift shop Macklemore sings about has been completely outstripped. Today, second-hand is hot, unique, and changing the world for the better! As today’s fast fashion industry is guilty of several social scandals and major environmental neglect, I consciously choose only pre-loved items for my wardrobe. Moreover, besides always wearing outfits with a story, I have saved a bunch of bucks over these past years – bucks that I proudly use to pursue my other passions. My advice: dare to step out of your comfort zone – you know, where the magic happens – in your treasure hunt for second-hand clothing. Some pieces might not seem like exactly your cup of tea at first, but don’t be scared to go for that unique style! You’ll leave an impression for sure… plus, you’ll have a positive impact on the world! Go and check out downtown Corner Brook’s Salvation Army – or “Sally Ann” for the insiders – for your new one-of-a-kind outfit!
Did you know that one brand-new cotton t-shirt wastes 2,700 litres of water and travels thousands of miles before even ending up in the store? Why not save that water and energy used, reduce your ecological footprint, and make your choice for second- hand count! 8
Things to do with kitchen scraps By Meghan Bush
What can you do with all those potato peelings when you’re finished preparing supper? Or with those rubbery carrots that have seen better days? The first answer is, of course, composting, which is an excellent way to put your food waste to good use and to reduce the amount of stuff going to the landfill. However, there are actually many different ways that you can make use of your kitchen scraps!
Veggie Stock You can use nearly any vegetable scrap that you’d put in the compost - potato peelings, wilted celery, soft carrots, even onion skins! (but don’t use anything that’s moldy). You will need to collect about 3 cups - an easy way to do this is to keep a container in your freezer and add the scraps to it. When you have enough, throw the scraps into a large pot with enough water to cover them. You can leave your stock as is, or add in some herbs. Bay leaves and parsely are good ones. Bring the pot to juuuuust about a boil, then turn it down to a medium heat. Leave the pot to simmer for at least an hour. Let the stock cool some, and use a slotted spoon to remove the veggies. Pour the stock through a strainer into a bowl, and there you have it! If you put your stock in the fridge, be sure to use it within a week or so. I usually put some in the fridge to use right away, and put most of the batch in the freezer. Bone Stock Make use of that chicken carcass! Don’t worry about removing any little bits of fat or gristle that are still on the bones. Put the bones into a large pot with enough water to cover them, as well as any chopped veggie bits you’d like (onion, celery and carrots are good!). Bring the pot up to just under a boil, and then reduce to medium heat. Leave to simmer for at least 2 hours. Let it cool some, and then remove the bigger bones with tongs. Pour the stock through a strainer into a bowl. Then you can put your stock into the fridge or freezer! (Again, if in the fridge, use within a week!)
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You can actually grow some vegetables using the odds and ends from your kitchen waste! i. Save the bottom inch of a green onion, put in a cup of water, and leave in a windowsill that gets a lot of sun. You’ll have to change the water every few days. When the onions grow, cut off what you need. ii.Place a piece of ginger root in a small pot of soil, and leave somewhere it will get just a little sunlight. When you need ginger, dig up the whole thing, use what you need of the root, and replant. iii. Keep the base of a romaine lettuce heart, and put it in a dish with a little water. New leaves will start to grow in a few days, and in a few weeks there should be enough small leaves to use on your sandwich or as part of a salad. Change the water every couple days.
You can make beautiful colours using fruits and veggies as a dye! Spanish onion skins make a rich gold, avocado skins produce a dusky rose, and spinach makes a light green. You can dye an old t-shirt and give it new life, dye plain old bedsheets to use for crafts, or dye yarn and use it for knitting! You can start with trying out this project, which use the skins from yellow Spanish onions to dye white 100% cotton fabric. As a note, you’ll want to have a pot kept specifically for dyeing and mordanting, separate from your cooking pots. Look for an enamel or or stainless steel pot from the Salvation Army (avoid iron or aluminum, as they can affect the colour). 1. First, collect your onion skins. You want just the outer papery, brown skins. A good few handfuls will do for something the size of a t-shirt. 2. You’ll need to weigh your fabric while it’s dry, and then mark it down. 3. Leave your fabric to soak in water overnight (wet fabric will take up the colour easier and more evenly). 4. Then, you need to mordant your fabric. A mordant is what binds the colour to a textile; without a mordant, a lot of natural dyes will simply wash out! One of the easier mordants to use is alum, a white powder that is used for pickling. You can find it in the spice section at the grocery store or Bulk Barn, or in some places it’s shelved alongside canning supplies. For how much alum you’ll need, figure out 10% of the weight of your dry fabric. For example, to dye 100 g of fabric, you’ll need to use 10 g of alum. 5. Fill the pot with water and bring up to a boil. Dissolve the alum in cold water, and then dump into the boiling water. Add the wet fibre, and lower to a simmer. Now let it simmer for about 45 minutes. Your kitchen might smell a bit vinegar-y at this point! 6. Your fabric is now pre-mordanted (for other dyeing processes, sometimes you do the mordant after the dyeing, or at the same time). Put in your onion skins and cover with water, and then bring up to a simmer. Simmer for about 45 minutes (the water will turn yellow). Strain out the onion skins, and pour the liquid back into your pot. 7. Put your fabric in, and stir it well to make sure there’s no air bubbles. Bring up to a simmer, and simmer for at least a half hour. The liquid should start to become more clear, and you’ll see your fabric taking on the colour. 8. When you’re satisfied with the colour, grab the fabric with tongs and hold under cold water for a minute, until the water running off is clear. Then hang up to dry. And you’re done! These instructions are specifically for onion skins with cotton fabric. Differing instructions apply to different kinds of fabrics, mordants, and plant sources - if you were to use these instructions with wool, for example, it might not work! For using other plants or dying other kinds of fabric, get a natural dye book from the library, or search up instructions online! A note of caution, however - if you’re using resources from the 1960s - 1980s, they might recommend using metals like tin or chrome as a mordant. These have been found to be toxic if used incorrectly, so it’s best to avoid these in favour of other, safer mordants such as alum!
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An Introduction to Backyard Composting by Natasha Pennell
This semester the Waste Management Subcommittee, in partnership with the EAC, is excited to announce a composting program on Grenfell campus. At the start, 30 student residents will be involved in this pilot project, in which education and practical workshops will instruct the participants on the use and benefits of a composter on campus. To celebrate this new initiative, here are some directions on how you can compost on your own. Backyard composting uses inputs from nature and our kitchens, such as fruit and vegetable peels, grass clippings, dead leaves, coffee grounds and filters, cardboard, sawdust, and a host of other products or household waste. Compost turns waste into productive soil additives that can increase yields in gardens by providing essential nutrients. While conventional fertilizers will eventually degrade the health and quality of soils, organic inputs such as compost can increase their health and fertility and ensure soils remain productive in the long run (and helps them store more carbon!) To create compost you need to alternate between “browns”, associated with carbon, and “greens”, associated with nitrogen.
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Browns Dried Leaves Woodchips Saw dust Paper products Rice, oats and grains Dried grass clippings
Greens Fruit and vegetable scraps Fresh grass clippings Houseplant clippings Green leaves Crushed egg shells Coffee grounds and filters
It is important to regularly cap your compost pile with browns, as this will act as a carbon filter to control odors, speed up the decomposition process, and to deter pests. Placement of your composter or compost pile is very important. It must be placed in an area of ample sunlight, this will intensify microbial and biological activity within the compost. To avoid pests you should refrain from adding animal products and fats to the pile. If it is still attracting flies, add browns to the top of the pile to act as a carbon filter. If your pile gives off an ammonia smell, it could indicate an alkaline or nitrogen problem. Too much nitrogen indicates that there are too many greens in the pile, to fix this turn the pile and add more browns. A pile too alkaline would possess too much limestone, ash, or poplar tree leaves, fix this by adding acidic material such as saw dust and vegetable scraps. If the pile smells putrid, aerate it by turning the pile and add dry browns. Turning the compost more frequently, every 2-4 weeks, will speed up the process. With frequent turning, your compost may be ready in three months. Happy planting!
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The Beauty of Gros Morne Photos by Michaela Pye
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Farmer’s Feast
Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Soup The Farmer’s Feast is a free vegetarian meal prepared and served by the Environmental Affairs Committee, approximately every two weeks. For every Feast we choose a recipe which centres on produce that is in season, and get that from local sources such as the farmer’s market or our own gardens.
Ingredients - one medium butternut squash - one small pumpkin - 1 small onion, chopped - 3 cloves garlic, minced - 2 cups veggie stock (see page 9 for how to make your own stock!) - 1 can coconut milk - 1 tbsp maple syrup - 2 tsp ground ginger - 1/2 tsp cinnamon - 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Cut the pumpkin and squash into small pieces and spread the pieces out evenly on a pan with a bit of water. Bake for an hour, or until a fork can easily pierce. When they’ve cooled some, you should be able to peel the skins right off. 2. Heat oil in a large pot over med heat, add onion and garlic. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, until onions become translucent. 3. Add the pumpkin, squash, and broth to the pot. Stir in the coconut milk, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 4. Bring the pot up to a boil, then turn the heat down low and let simmer for an hour. You can help things along by mashing the squash and pumpkin with your spoon. 5. You can serve as is, or pulse in a blender until creamy.
Recipe adapted from Whole Living Lauren
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WEC is a volunteer-driven, non-profit environmental organization based in Corner Brook. Founded in 1998, WEC has undertaken multiple green initiatives in the area, works to encourage public dialogue on environmental issues, and engages with community partners on common sustainability goals. Through their three pillars of environmental action, WEC is engaged in both handson sustainability projects and public policy work. These include: climate change and energy reducing our effect on climage change through education and action
food sustainability striving to improve our local, regional and provincial food system
public policy and engagement engaging in policy discussions and public dialogue on critical issues for our province
WEC has initiated and continues to run a variety of green projects on the west coast, including the Electric BikeShare Rental in Corner Brook and Gros Morne National Park, the Humber Valley Fruit Rescue, the Humber Heights Community Compost, 3 Community Gardens and more! They also offer food skills workshops, host community meetings, facilitate dialogue with various groups and publish a quarterly newsletter (available online and at WEC events). To volunteer, sign up for their monthly email update or become a member, email info@wecnl.ca or check out their website: wecnl.ca
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The Cedar Cove Trail
Article and photos by Darrian Washinger
The Hidden Gem
Approximately a 1-hour (50km) drive from campus, the Cedar Cove trail is located in Lark Harbour. During the drive, you’ll pass through several communities along the bay, each with its own personality, and beautiful views of the mountains and water. Upon arriving, a staircase leads to the beginning of the trail, which is approximately 3.6 km round trip. The trail is slightly rugged, winding through thickets of conifers which leads out to a meadow just before reaching the cove. While it can be quite windy, the views of the crystal-clear water, crashing waves, and surrounding cliffs are spectacular. It’s a perfect place to settle down for a picnic. You can also spend some time hiking down to the water where you can find unique pieces of nature: driftwood, remnants of aquatic life, and there are even records of a beached whale, a sad but astonishing site. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous – and have a good pair of hiking boots – on the way back, the trail forks and you can choose to take the Little Port Lighthouse Trail back, which is about 5km and rated as difficult. This hike climbs approximately 330m and both the ascension and descension provide guide ropes for the steep and often strenuous terrain. While the footing may often be unstable, the views along the way are breathtaking. Once you get to the top of the ridge, you are rewarded with a 360° view of the Blow Me Down Mountains, the Bay of Islands, and the cliffs along the ocean. Make sure you pack warm clothing, as it is often chilly and windy on top of the mountain. The descent takes you down to a lighthouse and a wharf before leading you back to the parking lot. So, lace up your hiking boots and get out there! Adventure awaits! 17
Looking down over the Lark Harbour community and the bay.
View halfway up the Little Port Lighthouse trail ascent. 18
That’s a wrap!
How to make beeswax food wraps
These handy wraps are a sweet alternative to plastic wrap and baggies - they can be used over and over again, thereby reducing the amount of waste you produce! You will need : - beeswax (you can buy beeswax blocks from craft stores or online, or use pure beeswax candles) - 100% cotton fabric. Find a fun print! - an iron and a knife - parchment paper - a place to work that you can iron on and that can get messy (ex. lay down an old towel that you don’t mind getting wax on).
Cut your fabric to the size you want - think of what you’ll be wanting to wrap. For example, you might want a small one to wrap around a few cookies (6” x 6”), a medium one to wrap sandwiches in (11” x 11”), and a large one to wrap up a loaf of bread (15” x 15”). Use a knife and pare your beeswax into small shavings. Prepare your workspace (old towel, old board, etc.) Lay one of your fabric pieces down, and sprinkle the beeswax shavings evenly over it. Place the parchment paper on top. When the iron is hot, iron on top of the parchment paper, making sure to spread the wax out evenly and right to the edges. Carefully peel back the parchment paper and check that you’ve got wax spread all over and evenly. Lay out to dry - it will dry in only a minute! And you’re done! The wraps will hold their shape when you mold them around your food. They can be washed with mild soap and cold water. If they start to lose their wax, just re-do the process above and you can keep using them for years! ___________________________________________________________ Honeycomb image by Tyrone Kelly
This publication was made by the GCSU Environmental Affairs Committe, with support from the Grenfell Campus Student Union