Caroline (SEA alum/former leader) wrote a reflection on spending class time at Potomac in the outdoor classrooms - read her piece below!

On what was coincidentally the coldest morning in February 2012, Mr. Howard led my English 11 class to the Morton Deck for a lesson about Henry David Thoreau’s Walden.  We walked to the Deck together as a class, tugging our hats down around our ears and fiddling with jammed jacket zippers as we stumbled along the wooded trail.  As our hearts pumped and exposed cheeks reddened, we got energized for class and for the rest of the school day.  When we reached the Deck, Mr. Hoffman and a blazing fire greeted us.  Our class sat in a lopsided circle and opened up our green English 11 Course Packets to “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For,” from Chapter two of Walden.  As Mr. Howard began to read aloud, we dug pencils out from the depths of our jackets.  We listened, and in our minds compared the vivid descriptions of Thoreau’s wilderness to the hilly, frozen, and silent woods around us.  When we got to them, I put a star next to the words, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately.”  Something about trekking up that hill to use the outdoor classroom screamed “living deliberately” to me.  Our discussion lasted the entire class period and left us contemplative, numb from cold, and smelling of fragrant wood smoke.  I will never forget that class, when we went to the woods to learn deliberately.  Although I enjoyed our entire Romantic poetry study, the lines of text that I can remember most clearly are those that we read that February morning out on Potomac’s secluded, beautiful campus.  We have 90 acres of classrooms, yet I have only taken class outside a handful of other times since I joined the Upper School.  These experiences in my sustainability, biology, and environmental history classes have been some of the most memorable of my entire education.  If I could make one wish for Potomac’s future, it would be that students and teachers would more often utilize the campus we are lucky to have (we didn’t move to McLean from Dupont Circle for nothing!) and, in doing so, learn deliberately by exploring connections between course material and the natural environment.

How was Lily's internship with DC Greens?

Read about Lily B's (a former SEA leader) experience working as an intern for DC Greens!
Lily, a Potomac alum who is now studying environmental policy in college, spent her summer working for a great organization in DC.  DC Greens is a nonprofit that helps low-income families and individuals afford and gain access to healthy, local produce.

Learn about the slow food movement!

Here is a short compilation of graphics about the slow food movement. Enjoy!

Learn about the chemistry of smog!

Below is the link to a Potomac AP Chemistry student's Powerpoint presentation about smog.  See the notes below each slide for details.

Farmers' Market Shopping

The DC metro area is home to over 160 farmers' markets.  Many Potomac students say that their families try to eat more sustainably by shopping at their local market as often as possible.  With so many options, there is a market reasonably close to almost every neighborhood!

List of DC farmers' markets: http://dc.about.com/od/restaurants/a/FarmersMktsDC.htm

I happen to be a huge fan of my local farmers' market.  Located in the center of downtown Bethesda, the Bethesda farmers' market is bustling every Sunday morning.  Below are the names of my favorite vendors.

Vendors list at the Bethesda farm market:
 http://bccdcrealestate.com/files/2012/04/SAM_7854-239x425.jpg

Cookinut by Sweet Nuttings:

 - Dedicated to making simple food from high quality ingredients that customers can order online and buy at farmers' markets

Website: http://www.sweetnuttings.com/

Stonyman Gourmet Farmer:

 - Family farm in the Blue Ridge mountains - Little Washington, VA

 - Sells local meat and cheese

Website: http://www.stonymangourmetfarmer.com/

Liberty Delight Farms:

 - Family owned All Natural Meat producer in Reisterstown, MD

 - Sells at farmers' markets, does home delivery

 - Main products are meat, poultry, and eggs

Wesbsite: http://www.libertydelightfarms.com/

Map of farmers' markets in the DC area:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/lifestyle/dc-farmers-markets-interactive-map/

Planting a garden

Why it's good for the environment:

- Extra local produce - no CO2 emissions from shipping
- Small-scale farming takes less of a toll on soil and surroundings than massive fields

Why it's good for you:

- Fresh
- Inexpensive compared to supermarket produce
- Not packaged in plastic, covered in wax, or sprayed with pesticide

Veggies to plant that will provide throughout the growing season: tomatoes, peppers, squash, lettuce

Herbs that you can use in cooking: cilantro, basil, oregano, thyme, dill, rosemary, tarragon

For more information: http://www.bhg.com/gardening/vegetable/vegetables/planning-your-first-vegetable-garden/

Gardening as a way to get food on the table: http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/blogs/q-a-starting-a-garden-part-1 

Find out what will grow in your garden: http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/questions/how-do-i-learn-what-will-grow-best-in-my-backyard

http://www.fugoolive.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/vegetable_garden_tomato.jpg

Some fruits and veggies to avoid and others to stock up on!

The Environmental Working Group has put forth a list of the fruits and vegetables that are consistently the most pesticide-laden and another list of items that are generally more safe.  There are 13 on the "avoid" list and 15 on the "eat" list:

Highlights from the "avoid" list: apples, grapes

Highlights from the "eat" list: asparagus, mango

For more information and the complete lists:
http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php

BUYING GROCERY ITEMS IN BULK

Packaging and containers amount to 80 million tons of waste per year in the United States

BENEFITS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

- Waste less packaging (plastic, cardstock, etc)

- Bulk products are often less processed, more local, and more fresh

BENEFITS FOR YOUR WALLET

- Pay for less packaging

- Lower prices, especially if you buy in greater quantities

http://www.stacymakescents.com/wp-content/uploads/bulk-bins.jpg

For more information on the benefits of buying in bulk and for tips on what products to buy: http://www.frontiercoop.com/learn/bulk_advantages.php

EINKORN FLOUR

"man's first form of cultivated wheat"

The type of wheat that most of us consume today has been genetically altered so that it contains more gluten because this change has made large- scale food production easier.

What makes einkorn healthier than regular wheat:

It's high in

- Protein

- Fatty acids

- Phosphorous

- Vitamin B6 (health benefits include improved nerve and brain function, protein digestion, etc)

- Potassium

- Carotenoids (health benefit is that it helps prevent cancer)

- It's low in gluten

For more information on nutrition, history, and purchasing: http://www.einkorn.com/

http://jovialfoods.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Picture-421.jpg

HOMEGROWN HARVEST

(formerly SOUTH MOUNTAIN VEGGIES)

Get fresh vegetables delivered to your door!


Veggies arrive at your doorstep 1-2 days after being harvested.  Setting up your personal delivery schedule is easy; there are no sign-up fees, season commitments, or pre-paid shares.  All products are organic, completely non-GMO, pesticide-free, and antibiotic-free.

How to get your veggies: 

Visit the website where you will see different sized bags that represent different quantities of veggies that you could receive each week.  Select a bag size and then choose your veggies once a week from a menu of seasonal options.

GET VEGGIES NOW: http://www.smveggies.deliverybizpro.com/summary.php?go=products

THE ORGANIC BUTCHER OF MCLEAN

What to buy:  meat, seafood, wine, cheese

What makes the products sustainable? 

Meat is antibiotic and hormone free, certified humane, and almost entirely from Virginia.

Seafood is only 24 hours out of the water and is harvested sustainably.

Produce is pesticide-free and almost entirely from Virginia.

Wine is local.

Specialty items including seasonings, dressings, sauces, marinades, and rubs are local or homemade.

Visit the website here: http://www.theorganicbutcher.com/ml_home.html

 Delivery service coming soon. Sign up for the mailing list here: http://www.theorganicbutcher.com/ml_delivery.html

6712 Old Dominion Dr  McLean, VA 22101(703) 790-8300

What does the Graham family do to eat more sustainably?

1) Eat organic foods

2) Sometimes shop from farmers' markets

3) Mom tries to make family eat less meat

What does the Ayenew family do to eat more sustainably?

1) Buy only grass fed beef

2) Eat very little processed foods

3) Lucas eats paleo

4) Keep leftovers after meals and eat them at next meal

What does the Mencia family do to eat more sustainably?

1) Buy organic food from Whole Foods

2) Buy from Vienna farmers' market

What does the Hoffman family do to eat more sustainably?

1) Tend a large veggie garden in front yard: carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, etc

2) Order veggies from Hometown Harvest (formerly South Mountain Veggies)
Get veggies delivered to your door: http://www.smveggies.deliverybizpro.com/summary.php?go=products

3) Bake homemade bread, granola, yogurt
No-knead homemade bread: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html?_r=0
Slowcooker recipe for yogurt: http://www.pepperlynn.com/2013/03/slow-cooker-yogurt-with-honey-almond-granola/

4) Bake homemade bread with einkorn flour, which is healthier than standard white flour because it has a lower glycemic count, less gluten, and is higher in protein
Learn about benefits of einkorn flour: http://www.einkorn.com/

5) Hunt deer (harvest 1 animal/season)
Skin, clean, butcher, freeze - lasts 1 year

What does the Goldman family do to eat more sustainably?

1) Buy 80% of meat at the Organic Butcher in McLean
What you can buy at the Organic Butcher shop: http://www.theorganicbutcher.com/ml_products.html

What does the Lane family do to eat more sustainably?

1) Tara is a vegetarian
Pros of switching to a vegetarian diet: http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-substitutes.asp

2) Buy free-range and grass-fed poultry and meat

3) Rarely eat out

4) Maintain peach trees and small herb and vegetable garden
How you can grow cilantro, Tara's favorite fresh ingredient: http://www.sunset.com/garden/flowers-plants/better-way-grow-cilantro-00400000017171/