Restaurants Going Green

Well now that November is almost officially over, I'll share with you my Nov. article for 605 Magazine on green restaurant practices and PLA (corn-based) biodegradable plastic to-go containers.

The Corn Palace in Mitchell is homage to South Dakota’s rich agricultural history. With the U.S. Department of Agriculture projecting SD to produce a staggering 676.2 million bushels of corn this year and predicting U.S. farmers to break the record for corn produced per acre of land, South Dakota has a lot to celebrate.

Corn is being used in a variety of new and exciting ways, from traditional feed to the growing use of Ethanol in a post-petroleum world and more recently into renewable and biodegradable plastics. Polylactic Acid, or PLA, is a corn derivative that when blended with other materials produces carpet, clothing, film wrap, rope as well as a trend that is sweeping the West Coast and other major metropolitan areas.

Taco Del Mar is a national fast food franchise implementing environmentally friendly practices such as replacing their garbage bags, utensils, straws and to-go containers with biodegradable PLA-based products. Chipotle Mexican Grill uses corn-based gift cards. Kimpton and Westin hotels across the country use corn, sugar and potato-based to-go cups and containers, eliminating non-biodegradable Styrofoam waste.

According to USA Today, even media mogul Ted Turner is in on it, unveiling Ted’s Montana Grill, a chain of restaurants using eco-friendly bags, straws, boxes and fluorescent light bulbs. Turner has also made himself a part of the green restaurant movement, speaking out about ways restaurants can reduce their massive carbon footprints.

Unfortunately, not many restaurants in Sioux Falls have caught on just yet.

Chris Lama, General Manager at Sioux Falls’ Granite City Food & Brewery, would like to use more eco-friendly products instead of the standard Styrofoam to-go boxes, but is bound by corporate policies and procedures—as are many restaurants in the area.

“I know that is something we have considered for our restaurant in the past, but in order to do so, it would have to be implemented in all of Granite City’s 26 restaurants,” said Lama.

Minerva’s in Sioux Falls still uses Styrofoam, according to Executive Chef Chad Howard.

“One of our other restaurants, Grille 26, has gone a lot greener,” he said.

Grille 26 has put thought into using corn-based or other biodegradable take-out boxes and utensils in the future but in the meantime is making other efforts to reduce the restaurant’s carbon footprint.

Farzad Farrokhi, Executive Chef at Grille 26, said Grille 26 uses Energy Star rated appliances and energy efficient back-of-house lighting. Energy Star Certified appliances are rated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and while they may have a higher initial cost, they are more energy efficient than comparable products and cost restaurants and consumers less money in the end. Grille 26 also uses an all-green chemical product line that is less harmful on the environment and comes in recyclable containers.

The average American meal travels about 1,500 miles to get from farm to fork, according to the Green Restaurant Association (GRA). By purchasing foods that are grown locally and are in season, consumers and restaurants alike can significantly reduce the amount of gas used to transport meat and produce. The Co-op Natural Foods is a small locally owned grocery store that buys and sells environmentally friendly products from local retailers such as Wilde Prairie Winery, Svec Farm and Cook family eggs.

According to GRA, the average U.S. restaurant produces 50,000 pounds of garbage annually; much of this waste is completely avoidable with proper recycling and composting efforts. In 2005, the U.S. generated 245.7 million tons of waste. That’s 4.54 pounds of waste per person, per day. These unsustainable patterns cause over-crowded landfills, land, water and ground pollution and long-term economic impacts from unsustainable resource use.

Proper recycling is the obvious solution to this problem, but not many restaurants properly separate and recycle or compost their waste. Not only does recycling reduce waste in landfills and air-polluting incinerators, it provides materials for post-consumer recycled products. Proper waste-management can save energy, natural resources and money. According to the GRA, in 2001-2002 a medium-sized Certified Green Restaurant in San Diego saved $2,220 per year by implementing a recycling program. Many restaurants already purchase materials in bulk to reduce wasted packaging.

Biodegradable PLA plastics make restaurants even more efficient and environmentally conscious because they do not have to be recycled separately; they decompose naturally. Purchasing these corn-based products is not only environmentally friendly; it supports local corn-growers, giving back to the environment and local economy in more ways than one.

You can reduce your carbon footprint and lasting ecological impact on the Earth by taking some of these small steps:

1. Turn off lights when you leave a room. Also, consider unplugging cell phone chargers and other electronic devices or appliances when you are not using them, some waste energy even when not in use.
2. Save water by turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth.
3. You should also consider washing your dishes or laundry on lower cycles. Washing your laundry in cold water reduces the amount of energy to heat all of that wasted water, and preserves the color of your clothes.
4. Ride a bike. Also, try utilizing public transportation, car-pooling, telecommuting or even walking.
5. Buy groceries that are locally grown and in season. Buying locally cuts down on fuel used to transport food and supports local growers.
6. Use less plastic by drinking filtered tap water instead of expensive bottled water.
7. Energy-proof your home by hanging plastic film over your windows during cold winter months.
8. Save energy and money by switching to energy efficient light bulbs, which usually last longer.
9. Buy items in bulk when you can and look for items with minimal packaging. You will save money and waste less.
10. Recycle. It’s almost as simple as putting out the trash, but more environmentally friendly.

How I survived the Awful Death...

It's the beginning of cold and flu season, which means I am sick. I work in the restaurant industry, and on any given day I come into contact with almost 100 people or more, and roughly one in five of those people are carrying "the awful death." Half of my co-workers are sick. In the last 3-4 days, I've left the house about twice.

I've spent a lot of time the last few days raiding bathroom cabinets for vitamins and medicine, and only today found Tamiflu. This isn't a product endorsement, I just took my first one three minutes ago, so it probably won't help me at all, but I wish I found it sooner. According to the product Web site, if taken within two days of experiencing symptoms, Tamiflu helps stop the flu virus from spreading throughout the body. Or, if you've been exposed to someone with the flu, it can be taken as a preventative measure. I'm not exactly sure how this is possible, but if you're like me, you're willing to try just about anything to avoid the awful death.

Hydration is always key, especially when you are sick. Since contracting the awful death, I've a gallon of grapefruit/orange juice and an entire box of tea. Mint tea is great for opening up those nasal passages, and lemon tea with a dollop of honey soothes sore throats. And don't forget to drink plenty of water. This is especially important if you have a fever.

A hot and steamy bath or shower helps soothe aches and pains, and can also clear up nasal passages. I purchased some SudaCare Shower Soothers in lavender-mint in a small sampler from the Cub Foods discount rack a while ago and I thought they were awesome. I've even used them to feel refreshed after a hard night of drinking and would go as far as to say they could cure a hangover. Upon further Internet investigation, however, they appear to be pretty expensive and I probably wouldn't purchase them at full price.

Nasal decongestant spray is wonderful, but apparently addictive? Not according to Mayo Clinic asthma and allergy specialist James T. Li, M.D. Well, that's a relief, because I go through quite a lot of it throughout the winter months.

I also found these tidbits of information taped to a package of Kleenex from MSU Student Health Services that I would like to share with you:

• According to Louis Harris and Associates, "Bless you!" is the most common response to a sneeze.
  
• DiscoveryHealth.com shares that the average cough releases and explosive burst of air moving at speeds up to 60 mph.
  
• The Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 killed 20 to 40 million people worldwide.
  
• The average preschooler gets six to 10 colds each year. Adults can get between one and three.
  
• Despite what your mother or grandmother told you, going out in cold weather with a wet head will not make you sick. Colds and flu are caused by viruses.
  
• The Web site tos.beastlet.com reports that the average sneeze propels 100,000 bacteria into the air at an average speed of 103.6 mph.
  
• Animals catch colds, too. Some of the species which may suffer include chimpanzees, gorillas, horses, cattle and cats.

Should I get the flu vaccine? I'm not sure. Some years I get it, and some years I don't. I never really notice a difference either way, sooner or later it's going to get me. There's no escaping it. And what is the deal with this FluMist vaccine spray?

My boyfriend brought me a can of Amy's No Chicken Noodle Soup (I'm a vegetarian), but I refused to eat it for a day or two because I was skeptical. Usually, I don't care for imitation meat products, since I already don't like the taste of meat, and I never liked canned chicken noodle soup anyway. I was wrong, this soup is DELICIOUS. Perfect for those cold winter days when you're stuck at home with the awful death. It's also low fat, no cholesterol, dairy-free, lactose-free, treenut-free, vegan and certified Kosher. Granted, a serving does contain 540mg of sodium.

I've spent a lot of my time the last few days editing this blog and watching season two of "Mad Men" (I know, I'm behind). I'm not sure why the dates don't appear on this template, so if you know how to fix that, or have any other suggestions, please let me know.

I also made some vegetarian chili.

Here's my recipe:

2 red onions, chopped


2 garlic cloves, minced


3 celery ribs


2 zucchinis


1 green bell pepper, diced


8 oz mushrooms, sliced


1 can kidney beans, 1 can black beans

1 14 oz. can of stewed tomatoes

2/3 cup of tomato sauce

1 small can of tomato paste

1 tsp. cumin, coriander, cinnamon and chili powder (each)

1 bay leaf


2 Tbsp. brown sugar

A dash of Frank's Red Hot or your favorite hot sauce, to taste.

Basically, toss those all in a large pot and simmer for half an hour or until the vegetables are tender. It's great to make a large batch and freeze for a warm, hearty meal any time you're too sick to cook or go out to eat.

How it should have appeared...

I recently wrote an article for the Mankato Free Press, and they changed it significantly.

Here is the way the story was published. There was also a section, with my credit and cut from my original story, that was more related to the actual event, but was mostly just information about the speakers and it is not available online.

I did not write about Anne Sweeney's gypsy wagon because I thought it didn't really have anything to do with the event. I also didn't make out Sweeney to be main organizer, because after talking to Tom Heffernan, it became clear that he was entirely responsible for booking the bands, Adam Greeley was responsible for booking the speakers/workshops, and Sweeney was responsible for booking the vendors. It was a much more collaborative effort.

Also, c'mon, it's the 40th anniversary of Woodstock this year. I think this is a much, much better lede.

Here is my original story:

One doesn’t initially imagine cows and rock music, pigs and aura readings, goats and short films existing harmoniously in the same space, but for one weekend in August, a remote farmhouse just outside Mankato will be the unlikely venue for a rather unusual event. The farmhouse, accurately dubbed the Sanctuary, will play host to three days of music, independent films, political speakers, local artisan craft vendors and aura readings that will entertain an eclectic crowd.

No, it’s not Woodstock 2009, but it’s close enough.

The Midsummer Under the Full Moon Festival started as a joint project between Mankato residents Tom Heffernan, Adam Greeley and Anne Sweeney. Greeley was envisioning a politically motivated festival with plenty of speakers and community focused workshops, while Sweeney dreamed of something a little more artistically driven. The trio combined their ideas to form a multifaceted festival featuring speakers, political workshops, a short film festival, local bands, an open mic stage and a flea market.

“It kind of became a community event,” Heffernan said.

Midsummer is being hosted Aug. 7-9 at Sanctuary, a privately owned farm in Franklin, Minn. and is being coordinated by a group of community organizers in Mankato calling themselves Grassroots Marketing, LLC.

The festival is also a benefit for Ken Pentel, former gubernatorial candidate, and his not-for-profit organization, the Ecology Democracy Network. According to the Web site, Pentel started the Ecology Democracy Network in 2008 to “create a new pro-active way of doing politics that will care for our collective home, Earth.”

Pentel will be at the festival speaking on various ecological issues including ending big money in Minnesota politics, proportional representation and publicly funded elections. Pentel appeared at the 10,000 Lakes Festival last month and is currently bicycling around the state to raise awareness for his platforms. Minneapolis Mayoral candidate John Charles Wilson will also be speaking at the event.

Michelle Gross from Communities United Against Police Brutality, based out of the Twin Cities, will also be giving a workshop raising consciousness concerning police abuses and a “Know Your Rights” training session. Workshops will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“We’re also going to be getting together some diversity trainers from MSU,” Heffernan said.

A variety of local and traveling bands will take the stage throughout the festival. Heffernan is the drummer for Mankato band Shotgun Fiction, which just finished recording a nine-track album.

“We’ve been playing for almost a year with no recordings to give out,” said Shotgun Fiction lead guitarist Colin Scharf, who recorded his band’s album in Heffernan’s basement. “The festival gives us and the other bands a great chance to spread our music.”

Shotgun Fiction will be headlining the festival Friday night. Also performing Friday will be Sioux City, Iowa favorite Man Eats Bear and the Minneapolis folk group A Paper Cup Band.

Southern Minnesota group One Fast Move..., self-described on their MySpace as an experimental string band that stretches traditional stylings, taking the best from Americana, blues, bluegrass, old-time country, folk, jazz, newgrass, and even psychedelic jam rock will perform at 8 p.m. The string band will also perform at 9 p.m. July 31 at the Sugar Room in Mankato.


Local filmmakers may bring their films and submit them to be shown following the bands. Heffernan will be showing his documentary “In Search of Dylan Thomas’ Grave” and Scharf will be showing his horror-comedy “The Blood Van.”

A flea market will be held Saturday and open to public to sell their wares. Local vendors and artists will also be selling beads, printed tees and other handicrafts. Tarot card readings and aura photographs will also be made available.

Sanctuary has a full kitchen serving a variety of foods, including vegetarian options, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own food and beverages as well. No alcoholic beverages will be sold by Grassroots Marketing or other vendors, but campers are allowed to bring them if they choose. On-site amenities include a hot tub, port-a-potties, water access and plenty of space to grill. The site has the capacity for up to 300 people and is located near state and national parks with camping available as well. Adult weekend passes cost $20, and passes for kids between ages 10 and 16 cost $10. Day passes are available for $10.

Sweeney suggested campers bring tents, sleeping bags, coolers, plates and utensils, small grills or a grill grate and any other camping accessories needed.

Heffernan said this is the first year the festival is being held and is expecting about 150 people to attend.

“There are going to be a lot of different things for a lot of different people at this festival. It’s going to be very diverse.”

***********

Tickets can be purchased at Professor’s Pipes and Stuff, Tune Town or online at http://grassrootsmarketing.webs.com

For vendor information, contact Anne Sweeney at (507) 276-7670 or anne.sweeney42@gmail.com

For information regarding films or music, contact Tom Heffernan at thomas.heffernan@mnsu.edu

Sanctuary
62657 430th Street
Franklin, MN
55333

For Camping: Adults $20 and 10-16 $10
Kids 9 and under are free

Which story do you prefer?

This is my internship completion essay. It's ungraded and had to be six pages.

I completed my internship at KTOE AM 1420 Information Radio and Radio Mankato this spring semester 2009 under the supervision of news director Pete Steiner.

Although he assures me I probably learned more from my experience at KTOE than I could have in class, I wish I had taken his adjunct broadcasting class in preparation for my internship. I think I learned a great deal from Pete Steiner throughout my internship and without his guidance, I do not feel the experience would have been nearly as valuable. What impressed me the most about Pete were his people and communication skills. At every event or meeting I attended with Pete, everyone wanted to talk to him or shake his hand and everyone had great things to say about him. I felt very honored and fortunate to work with someone so revered in the industry and in the community.

I feel Media Writing I & II were beneficial classes to my internship experiences. In these classes, I learned the basics of AP Style and the news gathering process. During my internship, I put these lessons into practice by attending campus and community events and conducting interviews. At KTOE, I also learned how to select news stories based on location, importance, and relevance to each station's particular audience at Radio Mankato. What might be interesting to KTOE listeners might not be as interesting to listeners of KFAN, Radio Mankato's sports station. A lot of the newsgathering came from selecting stories from the AP wire, and not actually going out and conducting interviews, researching, and writing stories, however. I wish I had more writing opportunities while I was there and I wish the stories could be more in-depth.

I also attended regular news briefings at the police station with the local media and city council meetings in Mankato and North Mankato with Pete. I think it was beneficial being able to meet with representatives from various news organizations and then see how they handled the same stories differently. Many college students might not necessarily read those particular articles or sections, or even the newspaper at all for that matter, but I came to understand that these were some of the most important stories for a local news station in any form. I think it was also beneficial networking with those individuals for when I continue with my job search.

I also sat in and participated in Pete’s midday program “Talk of the Town.” During this program, Pete brought in various city officials and members of the community, including the City Commissioner, an Abe Lincoln impersonator and the Mankato area figure skating club. I helped arrange some of his interviews for this program, including local author and MSU English professor Nicole Helget.

At Radio Mankato, I got to know Nathan Harrington, a KEYC TV meteorologist and a morning talk show host on KDOG at Radio Mankato. Through him, I learned that Max Jensen, a former high school classmate of mine, also works at KEYC and I will hopefully be getting together with them over the next few months to put together a resume tape to apply for television news positions. Nate also taught me that in mass communications it is important to be multi-disciplined.

During my internship, I went back and forth between KTOE, the AM information station, and KDOG, the FM variety station. Overall, I preferred my experiences at KTOE since I wanted to focus on gaining more experience in the journalism field, but both stations offered valuable experiences. For the beginning of my internship, I attended the KDOG Morning Show with Sarah and Nate, where we mostly sat around and made fun of celebrities on the air. I did not really enjoy this or see the importance of it, and wished I were working on news that is more serious. The station eventually brought back Brad Steele and let Nate go, and I guess the station’s consultants preferred just having Sarah and Brad in the morning, without me or the other intern, which was fine by me.

At KDOG, I followed Jeff Lang, also known on air as "Stunt" or "Stunt Monkey," around and contributed to random tasks. On several occasions, I designed registration boxes for various contests to be placed throughout the Mankato community. When Jeff first handed me the assignment, I asked where I should work on designing the logos and information to be placed on the boxes and asked if any of the computers had Adobe InDesign. Jeff just laughed at me. Instead of being able to apply my knowledge gained in Desktop Publishing and the Editorial Process, I designed the contest registration boxes crudely in Microsoft Word. We also handed out t-shirts and other prizes at the Minnesota State University Walk for Women's Athletic Scholarships and at a career fair.

Jeff also showed me how to use Cool Edit for voice tracking to record programs when the stations are not live on the air. I watched him voice track on numerous occasions for different stations at Radio Mankato, but when I asked if I could voice track anything for the air he told me no. Radio Mankato had recently lain of four staff members in addition to the receptionist, and Jeff said if I were to take on too much responsibility as an unpaid intern, I could make some of the other staff members look expendable.

This sentiment was echoed by the evening KTOE news personality, Julie Kroon, when I asked her if I could record one of her short news updates. Pete Steiner regularly let me select stories and record news updates for KTOE and KFAN, but Julie was also concerned that this would take away from her hours since she was not a salaried position, or make her look unneeded.

Julie did call me one afternoon, however, because she had to take her pet to the vet and could not make one of the Mankato Area Public School District Superintendent interviews. I sat through the interview with the first of three Superintendent candidates, each interview to take place at the Intergovernmental Center on a a different day, and took notes and asked questions along with Joe Spear from the Free Press and many concerned teachers and parents. I then transposed those notes and wrote a brief radio news story on that interview.

During the midday, I often enjoyed sitting in the KDOG studio with Mike McKenna discussing the ins and outs of the radio industry until he, too, was let go by the station. McKenna had been working within the radio industry and at Radio Mankato for over 20 years. I am not sure what McKenna is going to do now, but he had mentioned pursuing sports announcing and that he was the voice at the Moondogs and MSU Women's hockey games.

Through McKenna, I learned that Duane, the Program Director, started out at Radio Mankato mowing the stations lawns. He was eventually asked to fill in for a position and then came to host his own programs. When Clear Channel bought out Radio Mankato, Pete Steiner stepped down from the Program Director position to become the News Director and Duane became Program Director. Radio seems like a difficult industry to crack into, even in a small town like Mankato, and I am not sure that it is something I want to spend too much time devoted to pursuing.

In the afternoons, I often sat in on and participated in Trish Johnson’s 4:10 p.m. program, "Talkin' the Beat." Each day, Trish as different guests from the community come in and discuss their organization. I largely viewed this program as a public service and it was often one of my favorite programs to participate in. I learned a lot from Trish’s conversational interview technique.

Every other Wednesday, Christopher Crock, the speech and debate coach at Gustavus Adolphus College, would come in with one of his students and discuss everyone's greatest fear, public speaking, for the program "The Spoken Word." During the section segment of the program, the student would then read a piece they had prepared for competition. I did speech and debate in high school and found the college level entries and competitions very interesting, and something I might consider going to grad school for in the future.

One afternoon, the GAC team was unable to make the show and Trish asked me to fine a person or organization of interest and conduct the interview. Conveniently, my boyfriend is the MSU MFA creative writing program and their second year reading was coming up the next week. My boyfriend and another friend of his from the program came in and I interviewed them about their upcoming readings, as well as the latest issue of the Blue Earth Review, of which they are both editors. Then, during the second portion of their segment, I had them read some of their original work, much like in the scheduled programming of "The Spoken Word."

Every Thursday, Mankato Police Commander Amy Vokal and another officer would come in and discuss issues in the community. These segments were interesting because they were often situations I had learned about earlier in the day or earlier in the week at the briefings with Pete Steiner at the police station. On one particular occasion, we discussed what came to be known as "The Mall Brawl," an altercation occurring in the River Hills Mall and parking lot. We also discussed the increasing incidence of khat in the southern Minnesota area when a member of the Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force came in for the program. I also attended a live remote with Trish at a bank opening.

While I think my internship was important and valuable, I preferred my experiences at the MSU Reporter. Last year, I served as the assistant news editor, which amounted to much more than 120 hours per semester. I feel like I had much more responsibility as a serious member of the Reporter staff, and I think I learned just as much from Bronson Pettitt, Derek Wehrwein and Rachel Heiderscheidt as I did from the Radio Mankato staff. In the future, I think the Department of Mass Communications should consider accepting Reporter editorial positions for internship credit.

I am glad I learned other computer programs and other forms of mass communication, but overall I learned that my passion is for print journalism. Pete Steiner encouraged me to continue with my interest in print, and even to contact Features Editor Amanda Dyslin at the Free Press.

I think it is unfortunate that when you look at the staff page for KMSU it does not consist of any MSU students. If there is no broadcast branch of the department, I think it would be great for students to learn radio right on campus. I know many colleges and universities, including St. Cloud State, the University of Minnesota and the University of South Dakota have campus radio stations that are primarily student run, much like the Reporter is student driven. KMSU has shows like “The Best of Broadway,” which boasts having been on air since 1984—before most MSU students were even born. This does not make any sense to me and has been a frustration of mine, and many other students that I have talked to, since I started going to school here.

During the last few weeks of my internship, I came to the realization that I wished I had kept a blog of my experiences. I think this would be something interesting for the department to consider requiring. Last spring, I took Ellen Mrja’s “Journalist U” honors course where I kept this blog for a semester, and I easily could have continued to document my internship experiences here, but it did not occur to me until it was too late. I think keeping a blog would make the essay much easier instead of trying to remember all the things I did over the course of a semester and could even be used in place of the essay. I think this would also be an interesting way to incorporate new technologies and aspects of mass communications into the program.