Barn Dance (June 27)

Kick up your heels and benefit CIAS research and instruction with a celebratory barn dance, Friday, June 27, 2014. As part of its 25th Anniversary celebration, CIAS (Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems) will welcome students, staff, alumni and friends to Schuster’s Farm in Deerfield for an evening that will feature, in addition to dancing, the music of Thirsty Roots (aka Graminy), a silent auction and refreshments.

The event runs from 7:00-10:30 PM.  Tickets ($10 in advance; $15 at the door) can be purchased from Brown Paper Tickets or at the CIAS office (phone 608-262-8018 or email for hours). Do note that there will not be a credit-card option at the event.  Ticket prices for children ages 5-12 will be $5.00; those younger than 5 attend for free.

Loving of the Land (April 26)

Save the date for the third annual "Loving of the Land" benefit concert!

CIAS, the Nelson Institute and the Agroecology Department welcome you to this third annual night of music. The concert will feature the bluegrass and classical music styling of Graminy with their special guests, Chromatic and Ten, choirs from West High (Madison). 

The concert enjoys additional sponsorship from Wisconsin Public Radio and F.H.King Students for Sustainable Agriculture.

Proceeds from the concert benefit student research in sustainable agriculture and food systems.

Concert-goers will also be welcomed to the event by Master-of-Ceremonies, Stephanie Elkins, host of Simply Folk, Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR).

Date: Saturday, April 26
Time: 8:00 PM
Place: Music Hall, (925 Bascom Mall)
Ticket prices: $10.00 ($5.00 student) in advance; $15.00 ($10.00 student) at the door

Tickets can be purchased from Brown Paper Tickets, the CIAS office (phone 262-8018) or from students in Agroecology.

Meet Your Farmers (CSA Open House)

CSAs are alive and well in the Madison area!  The FairShare CSA Coalition will host its annual open house at the Monona Terrace, Sunday March 23, from 1:00-4:00 PM. A "CSA" (Community-Supported Agriculture) is a community venture in which participants pledge their support for a farm’s food production efforts and, in turn, receive a share of the product in various installments.  The CSA model has been extended to include (and support) other small grower/producer products including craft beer, coffee, and seafood.

At the open house, you will be able to chat with farmers and evaluate the different share options--often weekly or every-other-week deliveries of seasonal produce, eggs, cheese, honey or meat depending upon share plan and CSA farm. (And, many of these same folks participate in the area farmers’ markets).

In order to plan ahead, take a look at the Farm List to consider farms and share options that will best satisfy your appetite for produce and level of participation. Many of the farms have application forms that you can submit now.

In addition to supporting a local economy and savoring the fresh produce, there are some other incentives for students and staff. Many health plans furnish rebates for CSA participation. Shares can also be donated to assist families in our community in need. And, less we forget, there are opportunities to volunteer and to learn more with a job or internship at an area farm or FairShare event.

Loving of the Land, 2nd Annual

Save the date for a benefit concert! CIAS, the Nelson Institute and UW-Madison’s Agroecology Department welcome you to the second annual "Loving of the Land" night of music. This concert will feature the bluegrass and classical music styling of Graminy and the rousing percussion of the Handphibians. 

Proceeds from the concert will benefit graduate student research in sustainable agriculture and food systems.

Concert-goers will be welcomed to the event by Stephanie Elkins, host of Simply Folk on Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR).

Date: Saturday, April 13
Time: 8:00 PM
Place: Music Hall, (925 Bascom Mall)
Ticket prices: $9.00 ($7.00 students) in advance; $12.00 ($10.00 student) at the door

Tickets can be purchased from Brown Paper Tickets, the CIAS office or from students in Agroecology and the Nelson Institute.

Food Day with Slow Food UW

Celebrate Food Day 2012 with Slow Food UW!  National Food Day (October 24), as conceived by CSPI and a coalition of leaders in the movement toward just and sustainable food-ways, presents an opportunity to appreciate a good meal and to engage with the issues and policies that speak to heath, hunger, and agricultural practice. 

Slow Food UW events include:

• Introductory remarks from Barlett Durand regarding products from Black Earth Meats as well as his involvement with Red Meat Market
• "Meet your Meat" spin board for prizes
• Information table and raffle with REthink Wisconsin to support its Farm Mobbing project
• Free samples from Bloom Bake Shop (bacon brownies and other treats--including options for vegetarians)
• Visit from Bucky Badger
• Free swag from the Office of Sustainability and We Conserve

When:  October 24 (11:30 AM - 2:00 PM)
Where: Slow Food UW Café (1127 University Avenue)

Eat Real!  Health + Sustainable + Affordable + Fair

Slow Food Cafe

Craving a delicious lunch?  If so, then mark your calendars for Wednesdays at the Slow Food Café!  The staff with the Café offers a selection of home-made, sweet and savory lunch items using ingredients sourced locally.  Lunches are served from 11:30 AM until 2:00 PM at the organization’s downstairs space in The Crossing, 1127 University Avenue.

Slow Food UW is non-profit organization run by students and volunteers committed to an appreciation of healthy and sustainable food-ways. Follow Slow Food UW on Twitter or Facebook.

Native by Design

Save the date!  This early fall, the University Arboretum will host a Native Gardening Conference (Sunday, September 23).  Its theme, "Native by Design: Gardening for a Sustainable Future" will inspire the Midwest gardener to design and to plant spaces that support native wildlife, attract pollinators, and filter runoff. 

Visit the Arboretum Website to view the program brochure and to print a registration form.  Deadline for registering for the conference is September 14, 2012.

Eat Locally...For Less!

Go where the locovores go and benefit REAP in the process by using a selection of coupons to area restaurants and vendors.  The REAP Coupon Book is the "must have" item for Madison-area food lovers who enjoy saving on items purchased from farmers’ market vendors, restaurants and shops.

The coupon book can be purchased at the REAP office for $10.00 or ordered online for $12.00 (includes postage/handling).  All proceeds from the sale of coupon books serve to benefit REAP programming. To learn more, visit the REAP Food Group site.

The Loving of the Land (April 13)

Save the date for a benefit concert! UW-Madison’s Agroecology Master’s Program will present a "rousing night of class-grass music". What is "class-grass" you might ask? This concert fusion of bluegrass and classical music traditions will feature Graminy and The Blue Dog Consort (aka: faculty, staff and students in performance with band-mates). Proceeds from the concert will benefit graduate student research in sustainable agriculture and food systems.

Concert-goers will be welcomed to the event by Stephanie Elkins, Host of Simply Folk on Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR).

Date: Friday, April 13
Time: Doors open at 7:00 PM; Show begins at 8:00 PM
Place: Mills Hall, (445 N. Park Street)

Ticket prices: $9.00 ($6.00 students) in advance; $12.00 ($9.00 student) at the door

For more information, visit the Agroecology Department Website.

Print a flyer.

Local Harvest: Taste of the Town (Oct 18-20)

Celebrate your local community of food growers and purveyors with REAP Food Group’s Taste of the Town event. Fourteen Madison restaurants will create special menus to showcase the bounty of locally-grown products.

Raise your fork and contribute to efforts to bolster a sustainable food system!

And, for those of you who may wish to save and "go where the locovores go", consider purchasing a coupon booklet with deals to be had from partner restaurants, market vendors and area retail shops. Purchase the coupon booklet through the REAP site or at Willy Street Coop locations. Makes a great gift!

Celebrating Forests for People

The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests. This effort is intended to raise awareness and to recognize and celebrate people’s efforts to conserve and sustainably manage all types of forests.

Visit the site to read the UN Resolution and to access information regarding news and events. Additionally, consult the FAO Forestry site for links to data, maps and discussion regarding global forestry issues.

For your research needs and local library support, visit the campus libraries’ Research Guide to Forestry.

Wisconsin Solar Tour (Oct 2)

Open the door to renewable energy...

If you are interested in exploring alternative energy solutions, come take of tour of area (south-central region) homes and businesses that have incorporated wind, solar and geothermal technologies into their design and energy production--electricity, space and water heating.

On Saturday, October 2, business and home sites will be open from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM.

(All tour sites are free and open to the public; stop by and chat with business and home owners about how they have made that transition to renewable solutions to their energy needs).

For more information, visit the Midwest Renewable Energy Association Solar Tour Web site.

Pyramid of Conservation

The state of Minnesota’s power utility, Minnesota Power, maintains an online guide to improving home energy efficiency—a "Pyramid of Conservation". As a useful construct on its Power of One; One Home site, the Pyramid demonstrates the principles guiding wise energy use and steps one can take, with increasing attentions and investments, to achieve its apex where alternative energy solutions may be put in place.

Of related and local interest, Madison Gas & Electric and Focus on Energy supply guides and tip-sheets for home and workplace energy-saving efforts.

And, should you wish to get started on assessing your own home energy use, be sure to check-out one of the portable energy meters available from Steenbock Library. While there has been considerable demand, please do not hesitate to add your request to the queue by using the "Place Request" feature from the MadCat record.

Portable Energy Meters

Thanks to Madison Gas and Electric, students, staff and faculty can check out "portable energy meters" from Steenbock Library. The model for the two available energy meters is the "Watts Up?" Standard. (These are the same type of meters that are also available from Madison area public libraries). Use the meters to identify the cause, or source, of high-energy use in your home, school or workplace and factor your potential savings by implementing change. Change is often as simple as unplugging your appliances when not in use or shutting off a power strip to which several may be attached.

Madison Gas and Electric supports an energy meter website with a video demonstrating the use of these energy meters.

The meters can be checked out for two weeks at a time, and you can use the "Place Requests" feature in MadCat to have them sent to the campus library of your choice.

The Schwerdtfeger Library (space science and engineering) also has energy meters; these meters are the "Kill a Watt" model.

Of related interest, consult MG&E’s publications (print copies available at Steenbock):

• Energy Saving Tips for Renters

• Appliance Energy Costs

• Public Library Partnership & Greening Our World (in partnership with Madison Public Library and Sustain Dane)
  

Fresh!

Save the date for a screening of Fresh: New Thinking about What We’re Eating and faculty-led discussion, March 11 (5:00-7:00 PM), Memorial Library Commons (Room 460). The film, produced and directed by Ana Sofia Joanes, examines the current food system and celebrates the individuals who are looking to forge healthier and sustainable alternatives. The film features Will Allen (Growing Power), Joel Salatin (Polyface Farms) and David Ball (Hen House Markets), among others (see bios)

Professors Jack Kloppenburg and Jill Harrison, from the department of Community & Environmental Sociology, will lead discussion about the ideas sparked by the film--an event that is free and open to the public.

This event, held in conjunction with UW-Madison's Go Big Read common-reading program is intended to provide a forum for students, staff, and community members to share ideas and perspectives related to the film and their reading of In Defense of Food.

Meeting the Demand

During this academic year, the campus community has been engaged with issues related to diet, nutrition and local food economies (Go Big Read). While few would dispute the advantages to be reaped environmentally, socially, and economically by stocking one’s pantry with food that can be sourced locally and seasonally, meeting that demand can present its own challenges.

Researchers and outreach specialists with the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems and the Agricultural Innovation Center have issued a new report examining the logistics of bringing food to this burgeoning market, Scaling Up: Meeting the Demand for Local Food.

Eleven models for regional food aggregation and distribution are examined, with a healthy list of challenges, lessons-learned and additional resources supplied for the entrepreneur.

UW Local Food Event & Panel Discussion (Dec 3)

What are the benefits of buying local? Where can one find local foods? What businesses support local growers?

Inspired by the ‘Go Big Read’ initiative, student volunteers have organized a panel presentation to examine these questions and to learn how to become more conscientious consumers in a discussion of local food.

Come to this event to ask questions of local growers, restaurant owners, farmer’s market vendors and other groups committed to supporting local agriculture such as Buy Fresh, Buy Local, Willy Street Co-op, and F.H. King Students of Sustainable Agriculture.

The panel event and discussion will be held in the Open Book Café, College Library, Thursday, December 3rd at 5:00pm.

Food for Thought Festival (Sept 26)

The annual Food for Thought Festival, sponsored by the REAP Food Group, will celebrate healthy food traditions and the quest to eat sustainably by tapping the seasonal harvest of local producers.

Saturday festival events will be held just off the Capitol Square on Martin Luther King Blvd. from 8:00 AM until 1:30 PM. Enjoy cooking demonstrations, information tables, tasty samples, activities and raffle prize opportunities.

Special guest, Michael Pollan, will speak at the festival at 10:00 am. Seating for his Saturday festival talk (speakers’ tent) may be limited.

Fresh Farm Atlas

The 2009 edition of the Southern Wisconsin Fresh Farm Atlas will be released at the first Dane County Farmers' Market of the season on April 18 and can be picked up at several university and area locations, including Steenbock Library.

Use the Atlas to locate farms, markets and restaurant partners who bring you fresh, area-grown produce and food products. Do note that many of the area growers welcome visitors with special events, u-pick options, hay-rides and tours.

Should you be looking for options outside of the southern Wisconsin area, consult the site for Wisconsin Fresh Farm Atlases.

Think globally, eat locally!

Wearing of the Green

Seeing as it is St. Patrick’s Day, I am sporting a green sweater. Not only is it green in color, but it is made from a sustainable fiber. As we look to outfit ourselves, now and in the future, it will be worth considering not only how our clothing is designed, but also how it is produced. The Steenbock collections offer a variety of titles to explore sustainable fashion and design. Should any of the following titles be circulating to other library users, do speak with your librarians for assistance locating additional copies or related titles.

Author: Black, Sandy.
Title: Eco-chic: the fashion paradox / Sandy Black.
Publisher: London: Black Dog, c2008.
Location: Steenbock Stacks -1st Floor
Call Number: TT497 B53 2008

Author: Crown, Fenya.
Title: How to recycle old clothes into new fashions / Fenya Crown; drawings by Kristine Campbell.
Publisher: Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, c1977.
Location: Steenbock Stacks -1st Floor
Call Number: TT550 C76 1977

Title: Ecotextiles [electronic resource]: the way forward for sustainable development in textiles / edited by M. Miraftab and A.R. Horrocks.
Internet Links: Available through ENGnetBASE
Publisher: Cambridge : Woodhead Pub., 2007.
Call Number: Use Internet link(s) in this record.

Author: Fletcher, Kate, 1971-
Title: Sustainable fashion and textiles: design journeys / Kate Fletcher.
Publisher: London; Sterling, VA: Earthscan, 2008.
Location: Steenbock Stacks -1st Floor
Call Number: TT507 F583 2008

Title: Sustainable fashion: why now? : a conversation about issues, practices, and possibilities / [edited by] Janet Hethorn, Connie Ulasewicz.
Publisher: New York: Fairchild Books, c2008.
Location: Steenbock Stacks -1st Floor
Call Number: TT497 S87 2008