Local Marine Shrimp?

Did you think it would be possible to have fresh, marine shrimp in Michigan? Well I learned a way that I can! I learned in class of a man who is raising his own marine shrimp and selling it in Okemos. This is very exciting in my opinion because I can have shrimp alfredo and not buy it from Meijer, where the shipping and transportation costs alone are enormous! Also these shrimp are not depleting the amount in the oceans. The only questionable thing is the sustainability of aquaculture. I can't think of any major reason aquaculture would have negative effects, other than the energy the indoor recirculating system burns by running. I imagine, though, that those negative effects are outweighed by the positive benefits of mainting shrimp populations in the oceans and eliminating transportation/processing/preserving costs.

I think I'll be making Shrimp Alfredo in the coming weeks. 

Also, I found out about some Co-op gift shops in Old Town, Lansing where I might do some Christmas shopping. They are second-hand, but they are locally made. I much prefer supporting locally made products to mass produced ones. I think it is a suitable alternative option to purchasing second-hand. Don't get me wrong, though, I am going to look at second-hand shops as well.

P.S. Happy Snow!

Apartment composting....in the winter?

We have a garbage disposal in my apartment, which is a new appliance for me. At first, I really enjoyed it. No more throwing food scraps in garbage! I didn't realize that the scraps just went into the waste water for the sanitation plant to clean out and send to the landfill anyway. I had previously brushed off the idea of a composting area while I lived in an apartment, but I am revisiting it again. Apparently there are lots of people who compost while in an apartment:http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/apartment-compost-guide.html

I've done some research and I can either do vermicomposting (as system of turning food waste into potting soil by use of worm) or regular composting, which uses microorganisms.  Neither seem completely feasible in an apartment, especially since we don't have a lot of hidey-holes to stick a stinky bucket of rotting food. I could use our balcony, but I'm not sure how that works in the winter. Apparently, you should not let the compost pile freeze (especially if you have worms!).  They suggest insulating the compost pile, but that doesn't seem feasible on a balcony.

So if I can't compost on the balcony during the winter, here is the question for now: should I wait to start composting until Spring or should I coerce my roommates into letting me compost in the apartment? Opinions?

Thinking long term

It occurs to me that any changes I make during my sustainability experiment are essentially useless if I don't continue them beyond this semester. Real change will only come from a lifestyle change. The changes I implement in these couple of months need to be practical for the long term.

The simple changes, like switching over to CFL bulbs is obviously long term, but what about my new commitment to shop as much as possible at the East Lansing Food Co-op? I can't just shop at the co-op a few times this semester and then continue on with life feeling better about myself. I need to make a commitment to myself to institute this change not just here, as a college student in East Lansing, but in any situation. Of course, this could just be all talk. How can I be sure I will follow through? Using some of the methods of changing behavior I discussed in earlier posts, I can be more sure of my commitment lasting throughout my life. But really, I think I need to make these changes a part of me. I need to become a person who buys local food rather than a person who believes buying local food would be good if it wasn't so expensive. I need to shift things around in my budget so there is room for this new change and simply make it so.  This is my new goal. Instead of a vague goal to become more sustainable, I have a goal to change my lifestyle and eat local food. I will do this in whatever city I live in, because I will make it work. Just like I find a way to make rent work, or find a way to make buying gas for my car work. I will find a way to make buying local food work.

I'm Co-operative!

Last night I shopped at the East Lansing Food Co-op! I like it, I decided. It was pretty interesting to see where all my food came from and kind of odd to imagine that the chicken was all from a farm here in Michigan. It was almost uncomfortable feeling closer to my food. I hadn't realized how far I had separated the chicken in my freezer from the bird on American farms.

As I shopped, I made a list of my apartment's commonly bought items and their prices. I will show them to my roommates and we will decided what we could buy at the Co-op and what we can't afford to buy there. Milk, for example, was too expensive for the amount we drink. But I appreciated the flour, cornstarch, granola and some pastas that were available in bulk. The vegetable supply was about what I expected. They weren't as pretty and shiny as those you find in Meijer (I picked through the bananas a bit) but there wasn't anything wrong with them. I am just used to my vegetables looking like a piece of plastic.

They also have a nice line of natural cleaning supplies, which I might have to take advantage of when we run out of our current supplies. The people were friendly and the food selection was pretty nice. All in all, I am happy and hope to continue shopping there!