So this is Vegan week! I was reluctant at first. I assumed it would be very tough. I thought I would have low energy.
SUPRISE! I actually have more energy. Its weird, I don’t know if it is because I am eating more unprocessed food? Maybe it is because cheese, eggs and chocolate clog up my arteries? I feel like I have as much energy as a puppy.Do all vegans feel this way? Do dairy products keep us down?
Wow! I personally had no idea that the government has worked to increase cheese consumption. It is particularly ironic because The United States Department of Agriculture is working on anti-obesity campaign that discourages saturated fat. This same department created a program called ‘Dairy Management’ to vigorously promote cheese – the largest source of saturated fat.—Adrienne
Okay, so Batten house is in the midst of Radical November. We started our first challenge last week, it was to eat as local as possible.As a house, we have already made a commitment to eat local for our communal dinners but we often eat food that is not local for breakfast or lunch. So, this particular challenge is about being extreme and taking it to the next level.
Support your local economy EATTTTTTT LOCALLLLLLL! That is a suprisingly easy in a place like Pennsylvania! We have lots of fresh food in season. Here is a short random list of food you can find at the Bryn Mawr Farmer’s Market or at Clark Park in West Philadelphia:
Apples, Potatoes, Figs, Beets, Beer, Leeks, Beans, Radishes,Kale,Edamame, etc.
Hey guys–the Batten house blog is back up and running!
Here you can find pics of delicious food we’ve made, ideas we have about radical living and social justice, and updates on house stuff….
Feel free to follow!
Batten love,
Anna
So this week is LOCAL week–we’re trying to eat all local food!
Some past dinner pics:
Consensus is a decision making process designed to bring together the views of all of the members of the group.Consensus does not require everyone to agree on everything, but it does require a common goal and a willingness to work together !
According to wikipedia majority rules works better for larger groups and consensus works better for smaller groups. Maybe wikipedia is saying this because majority rules might leave some people slighted or out of out of the loop. Consensus isdesigned to involve everyone in the group playing a role in the decision making.
coolest consensus fact: the popularity of consensus decision-making in U.S. culture dates from the women’s liberation movement!!!!!
Also, Quakers are the oldest practitioners of western consensus.
A group of female AIDS activists hold a banner reading “WHAM! Women’s Health Care is Political” at a United For AIDS Action demonstration in Times Square in New York City, circa 1992. 50,000 people turned out for the event.
–love
adrienne
Hey You all!
I just wanted to post this video that everyone should watch. The Story of Stuff is a 20 minute animated video on the process of production as well as the economics of things. I hope that you enjoy it!
Much Love,
Sophia
The Link:
Hello Fellow Radical February-ers!
Sorry for the drought in posts (get it?) We had a fascinating week down at the ol’ homestead with an ol’ fashioned shower competiton, in effort to save that most precious resource: h2o! We even tried washing our hair in snow–but it was a little too gravelly despite our boiling efforts. All told, we had a great week.
We’re on to week three: stuff. We’re taking time this week to think about our consumption of all kinds: the paper we use, clothes we buy, the every-day material clutter of life and how it all fits into social and environmental justice. I promise to update more frequently! Come to our Chattin for dinner and conversation on Wednesday at 6:15!!
Cause of hell week and general busyness, we’re having a “stuff” and “food” event next week: wednesday the 24th join us for a stuff swap and a seitan-makin’ how-to! bring stuff you don’t need or want and find some new treasures. we’ll donate the leftovers!
happy week!
SO we’re on to week two of our challenge and our focus this week is: water! Our global population is growing and our water supply is shrinking. It’s that simple. An article from MSNBC summarizes some of the issues with our water supply in the U.S, and cites the oft-quoted statistic that by 2050, up to 2 billion people could be facing severe water shortages. There are a ton of ways to reduce your water use, even as a student in a dorm. Showering less frequently, and for a fewer number of minutes each time is one way. Over at Batten House, one way we can definitely save water is by using just one glass or mug each day to drink from, saving our dishwasher and faucet from multiple needless uses. Washing your clothes only when you have a full load, and using cold water, saves both water and energy! One of the best ways to conserve water on a larger scale is a continued theme from last week: eat less meat. We use a lot of our crops to feed animals, and growing those crops takes irrigation. Less animals=less crops=less water use!
Anyways, happy conservation! Dig out your bandannas, french braid those locks, and get ready to radically conserve! Check in with us throughout the week and come to our Water Chattin’ on Wednesday at 6:15!!!!!!
hi all!
Today we went to a diner. An adorable little dinner in Narberth. The kind of place where you want the coffee even if it’s steeped in the blood of hundreds. The kind of place where the pancakes are fluffy, the eggs are light and that americana on the wall is not ironic. I was jonesing hard for the usual bottomless coffee in a perfect-sized mug with the insane pleasure of unpeeling those little plastic tubs of half and half. but i resisted, in an ode to the month of radical living. sated with oatmeal and potatoes, the coffee beast whimpered to a hush and i passed the ultimate challenge.
happy friday!
laura b
yesterday, i decided to go for a run without my headphones/ipod. it might seem like a lame, small step toward radicalism, and i’ll spare you the subsequent musings on the affirmations found in the sound of my breath and the thump of rubber on pavement. i did, however, run by that cemetery near bryn mawr. there were these wiry bushes lined between the road and the gravestones and as I passed, i heard a distinct rustling. Well, more of a harsh rustle, a schurring sound. I crossed the street to get a closer look. The sound was these tiny robins digging (for worms? for infrastructure?) in the icy ground. I don’t think I would have heard their schurrs with my headphones planted in. And I think that’s as good a reason as any for unplugging.
happy wednesday of food-week!
laura b
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