Skip to main content

Omni Commons / BAAM / SweetGreen 3-28-2018

Re-cap on Bay Area Applied Mycology Monday night at Omni Commons in Oakland Ca.
Large group, many first timers. Discussion ran around scheduling hikes to go check on current fungi based projects. One such project is to monitor eucalyptus tree stumps that have been inoculated with mycelium. This is to test strength of mycelium in breaking down the stump and reusing new sprouts vs commercial chemicals which are a hazard to wildlife. A march for science in April, BAAM is approved to set up a mushroom booth to sell product and raise funds.
Mike directed the meeting while Jill, who has a degree in mycoremediation requested help teaching kids about mushrooms. Seth, who works the lab in the omni commons in Oakland, talked about pay for teaching mycelium workshops to raise funds as well as hold an income. Great collaboration among fellow BAAM members. 
Within the Omni Commons there are dozens of groups working to make the world a better place.
From Free Access to WiFi, open source patented insulin, food not bombs, BAAM, and more. It’s great to see a work space being utilized in a do-ocracy.

Tuesday Farm tours with SweetGreen, I was the intern for the day. Orion drove us to Sebastopol and we arrived at Gourmet Mushrooms at 10:45. We received a detailed tour of their facility.
They are one of the few that use reusable bottles.
Machines to mix ingredients, fill bottles, cap bottles, cool/mist. Steam and cook. Huge chambers for them to grow in. After each session, they deep clean. 
We received a chefs choice of mushrooms before having lunch at a small glamorous place. Next was a lemon tree farm. The youngest trees were 1 year and already producing fruit. Meyer lemons. The woman managing the farm has designed and managed farms in Kenya, India, and all over the world. Creating seed packets such as salad mix. Intruding from 30 to 600 variaties of seeds. She loves arugula and loves organic. 
Today marks my last day in California. I have too many people to say goodbye to.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Volunteering

When I left public high school, I found myself searching for education in nontraditional ways. This desire led me to volunteering.. I have been an avid volunteer for over 12 years. This is not for curriculum or requirements, I volunteer because it's the most direct action I can take. Donating money is the next best thing, but it's a dry exchange that limits engagement and ability to see where the help* goes. I began with recycling events, tree planting, invasive plant removal, and recycling education. These events and actions put me face to face with my community and my communities core issues regarding consumption, waste, and pollution. It's a practice to do something for nothing. These days instant gratification in social media or consumption leaves us hungry and hopeless to do something that pays off for future gain. To invest in the future may leave our hands empty for now, but the payoff is always greater than the initial handout.

Bella Napoli / Green Business Meeting 5-8-2018

I was present for a green business meeting hosted by BTG this Tuesday. The focus was food waste and the ways to improve. Bella Napoli is a family restaurant that thrives off of the threads of relationships it has weaved throughout the years. Bella Napoli is more than a conversation or one plate of pasta. It is a moment we share together that gets us through the lesser days. Behind these moments are the details of the work place.  Making lists, ordering products, organizing, prepping, serving, and of course loving. There is however more to our story, and that story continues in our trash bins. As much as a passing smile can carry itself through the day, so too does our trash carry itself way beyond our bins. Food waste is one of our beautiful problems. Sending food to the landfill creates methane. Creating a conversation about composting the wasted, and donating the left overs is not only something we can benefit from as a family who cares about their ho...

Happy Hour / A straw experiement 6-22-2018

On Thursdays I go out with my dear friend Kianna and we spend all afternoon bar hopping for happy hour drinks. We enjoy the sunny patios, the cheap cocktails and conversations with those around us. The day leads us into the evening where we make our way to the bars of the night life, and of course finally to VIP lounge with bottle service galore. These Thursdays have become my science experiments on communication, consumerism, and consciousness.     I know plastic straws are measurable on impact to our environment and so I take most Thursdays as a time to communicate with bartenders, servers, and friends. I will be sure to speak up, make eye contact, and say those words “no straw please..” with a murmured “they are killing the planet” under my breath.  I tally how many people actually hear me, and that someone might speak up and say “hey that’s neat” but more likely a “oh she’s a no straw girl.. i don’t get it” I go through my night adding volume to my con...