Climate Change: The National Climate Assessment

Climate Change: The National Climate Assessment

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Climate change is real, and it's happening faster than anyone predicted.  There's no arguing that extreme weather is becoming more severe and more frequent- from Hurricane Sandy that struck the Northeast to the arctic blast that rattled Georgia to the drought that's running it's course in California.

In it's effort to understand the reality of climate change, the US government created the US Global Change Research Program, which recently released the Third National Climate Assessment.  The National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee (NCADAC) oversaw the development of the report, which was created by over 250 authors. The report outlines the current changes that are happening across the US due to climate change.  You can find the full report here: http://www.globalchange.gov/ncad

Here's a synopsis of what's in the report, courtesy of the science blog iflscience.com

Temperature: U.S. average has increased by 1.3 to 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit since record keeping began in 1895, and it’s expected to rise. Most of that increase starting around 1970, with the most recent decade being the warmest on record. With human-induced warming superimposed on natural climate variations, the rise hasn’t been (and won’t be) uniform or smooth across the country or over time.

Extreme Weather: Heat waves and droughts have become more frequent and intense (especially in the west), while cold waves have become less frequent and intense across the country.

Hurricanes: The intensity, frequency, and duration of North Atlantic hurricanes, as well as the frequency of the strongest (category 4 and 5) hurricanes, have all increased since the early 1980s. Associated storm intensity and rainfall rates are projected to increase as well.

Severe Storms: Winter storms have increased in frequency and intensity since the 1950s, and their tracks have shifted northward over the U.S. Intensity and frequency of tornadoes, hail, and thunderstorm winds are uncertain.

Precipitation: Average precipitation has increased since 1900, with a lot of regional variation above and below the average. More winter and spring precipitation is projected for the northern U.S. and less for the southwest.

Heavy Downpours: These have increased nationally, with the largest increases in the midwest and northeast, especially over the last three to five decades. We'll be seeing Increases in the frequency and intensity for all regions.

Frost-free Season: Their lengths have increased nationally since the 1980s, especially in the west. Growing season will continue to lengthen.

Ice Melt: Rising temperatures are reducing ice volume and surface extent on land, lakes, and sea, and the loss is expected to continue. The Arctic Ocean is expected to become essentially ice free during the summer before mid-century.

Sea Level: The global level has risen by about 8 inches since 1880, when record keeping began. It’s projected to rise another 1 to 4 feet by 2100.

Ocean Acidification: The oceans are absorbing about a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere every year, and they're becoming more acidic as a result.

Here are some impacts that are specific to geographic regions. These effects have socioeconomic as well as ecosystem consequences.

Northeast: Heat waves, more extreme precipitation events, and flooding from sea level rise and storm surge.

Southeast and Caribbean: Increased risk from hurricanes, decreases in water availability with increases in water competition.

Midwest: Increases in crop yields from longer growing seasons and rising carbon dioxide levels will be offset by heat waves, droughts, and floods.

Great Plains: Rising temperatures lead to increased demand for water and energy, along with increased impacts on agricultural practices.

Southwest: Drought and increased warming foster wildfires and increased competition for scarce water resources.

Northwest: Earlier snowmelt and changes in streamflow timing will reduce water supply in the summer.

Alaska: Rapidly receding summer sea ice, shrinking glaciers, and thawing permafrost damages infrastructure and changes ecosystems.

Hawaii and Pacific Islands: Increasingly constrained freshwater supplies and increased temperatures will decrease food and water security.

Coasts: Water supply infrastructure and evacuation routes are increasingly vulnerable to higher sea levels and storm surges and inland flooding.

Read more here

There is great controversy in regards to the role that we as humans play in climate change.  It is true that Earth does have natural cycles of climate change, but never before in recorded history have changes occurred so quickly or so violently.  Scientific data points towards humans as significant contributors to the abrupt changes that are happening.   Carbon emissions, agricultural practice, energy production, and ocean pollution are a few things on the long list of human activities that are contributing to climate change, and the outcome is devastating.

In order to leave behind a livable world for future generations it is essential that we spread awareness and take steps to decrease our impact on the environment.

Curious about your impact on the planet?  Your "Carbon Footprint" is an estimate of the greenhouse gases that are produced from your daily activities.  Click here to calculate your own carbon footprint.

At My Kid's Lunch we are dedicated to minimizing our impact on the planet. Serving healthy, delicious meals is our first priority, and we strive to do so in a manner that promotes the health of our planet as well.

Here's a few ways My Kid's Lunch "goes green":

  • We grow our own organic produce in gardens at some of the schools we serve
  • Whenever possible, we use our own trays to prevent the waste that comes with disposable plates and silverware
  • We are dedicated to recycling at all of our kitchen locations
  • We use online ordering to prevent paper waste
  • We plan our delivery routes to minimize driving and therefore carbon emissions, and run regular maintenance on vehicles to ensure they are running efficiently

You can make a difference!  When it comes to taking care of our planet, every little bit helps.  Things like turning off lights when you leave the room, turning off appliances when not in use, taking shorter showers, and carpooling all add up to make a big difference in your carbon footprint (and saves major $$ too!).  You   Check out 50waystohelp.com for more simple strategies to save money and the planet!

New Garden At Holy Trinity

New Garden At Holy Trinity

My Kid's Lunch's newest garden is officially up and running at Holy Trinity Catholic School in Westminster!  Holy Trinity Principle Tate Hallahan teamed up with Michael and our Arvada kitchen manager, Deb, to turn an empty grass field into a garden full of baby veggies that will one day end up in meals for My Kid's Lunch students.

 

The team started by removing the grass and tilling the soil to get it ready for planting.  Then they covered the freshly tilled soil with a ground cover to prevent the growth of weeds and to make maintenance of the garden quick and easy.  With the ground cover in place, the garden was ready for plants!  Baby plants from Michael's home nursery (check out our earlier post here)  were planted in the fresh soil, and a protective fence was put in place to keep out hungry little critters.

 

 

In just one day, the hard work from My Kid's Lunch and Holy Trinity turned an empty field into a garden that will produce fresh, organic vegetables and valuable and fun learning experience for the students of the school.

 

Does your school have a little extra space?  My Kid's Lunch welcomes gardens of all sizes!  You provide the space & the access to water, we'll take care of the rest!  Get students involved by having "field trips" to the garden or offering an Organic Garden Club where students can take part in caring for the plants.  Give students the opportunity learn about the ecosystem and nutrition right on their own back yard!  Email Michael for more information (msudak@hotlunchonline.com) or download our Organic Garden Club Agreement at the bottom of the page.

 

From Field to Table

From Field to Table

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Do your kids ever ask you where their food comes from?  The produce cooperative Markon has created videos to give you a glimpse into the life of produce before it lands on your grocery store shelf.  Touching on topics such as how certain plants grow and how local weather is affecting crops, Markon's short videos are a great tool for teaching children about the food that ends up on their table.  Check out this one on how a heat wave in California affected strawberry crops:  Live from the Fields: Strawberries. Watsonville, CA

To see more footage from Markon check out their full video library: http://www.markon.com/resources/videos

Behind the Scenes

At My Kid's Lunch, we don't believe in cutting corners for convenience at the cost of quality.  We believe that lunch is a meal that shouldn't come in a wrapper, and neither should the ingredients used to make it.  With 18 years of experience under our belts, we've developed delicious, from-scratch recipes that call for the best ingredients available.  We even make many of our breads, sauces, and dressings in house!  Our recipes are tailored to the tastes of the children we serve, and our menus are designed to offer options for even the pickiest eaters.

Creating meals from scratch requires extra time and care, but our amazing kitchen staff works hard to make sure the meals we deliver to students are both healthy and delicious.  Our staff does all the chopping, mixing, preparing, and cooking that goes into producing homemade meals.  No emptying containers of frozen foods into fryers in our kitchens!

Our meals are 100% free of trans-fats, hydrogenated oils, fried foods, and high fructose corn syrup.  We serve only hormone free milk, and have replaced sugary dessert items with homemade whole wheat or gluten free chocolate chip cookies.   We go the extra mile in the kitchen to give you the confidence that your child's school lunch will delight their taste buds and nourish their bodies!

What’s the fuss about organic?

What’s the fuss about organic?

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The organic food movement has taken over the US food market, with organic labels showing up in grocery stores, restaurant menus, and news headlines.  We’ve heard that organic foods are better for us, but many of us don't know why.

WHAT IS ORGANIC? Organic produce and meats are produced without the use of synthetic insecticides, herbicides, antibiotics, growth hormones, or medications.  Organic farmers use natural fertilizers and practice methods such as crop rotation to control disease, pests and weeds among their products.

WHY DOES IT MATTER? Residues from traditional insecticides and herbicides can remain on many fruits and vegetables, and antibiotics and growth hormones accumulate in the muscles of the animals that become our meat.  When we consume conventional produce and meats these chemicals and synthetic substances enter our bodies and can have damaging effects.

At My Kid's Lunch, we strive to produce the healthiest and best tasting meals, and this means incorporating as much organic produce and meat as possible.  We even use vegetables grown in our own organic gardens!

HOW CAN I EAT ORGANIC AT HOME?  Though the high demand for organic foods has driven prices down, organic food items often have higher prices than their conventional counterparts.  Keep your food safe and your grocery costs down by following the rules of the DIRTY DOZEN and the CLEAN FIFTEEN.

DIRTY DOZEN:  These fruits & vegetables have the highest pesticide residue and should be purchased organic whenever possible:

  • celery
  • peaches
  • strawberries
  • apples
  • domestic blueberries
  • nectarines
  • sweet bell peppers
  • spinach, kale and collard greens
  • cherries
  • potatoes
  • imported grapes
  • lettuce

THE CLEAN FIFTEEN:  These fruits and vegetables have lower levels of pesticide residue and are fine to purchase non-organically

  • onions
  • avocados
  • sweet corn
  • pineapples
  • mango
  • sweet peas
  • asparagus
  • kiwi fruit
  • cabbage
  • eggplant
  • cantaloupe
  • watermelon
  • grapefruit
  • sweet potatoes
  • sweet onions

If purchasing organic is out of your budget, thoroughly washing your fruits and vegetables can help get rid of harmful pesticide residue.

Springtime Weather

Springtime Weather

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Springtime in the Rockies means crazy weather!  Last weekend's snow storm merited some TLC for all of our gardens, and My Kid's Lunch staff got creative with their methods for protecting our baby plants.  Luckily their efforts were successful and all of our plants weathered the storm!

Dig In!

Michael and Anna took advantage of the beautiful Denver weather over the weekend and dug in to our gardens at Woodrow Wilson and Denver Academy.  With the help of their canine assistant Rico, they tilled the soil to get it ready for new seeds and plants, careful not to disturb the onions that resprouted from last year.  Seeds were planted for peas, beets, lettuce, spinach and swiss chard, which should all be sprouting soon.  We’re so excited for all the fresh vegetables and herbs to come!

Gearing up for Gardens

Spring is here and that means it's time to get started on our gardens!  Michael and Angie have been hard at work over the past few moths building a nursery full of seedlings to plant in the outdoor gardens.They started with seeds, many of which were harvested from our own gardens last year, and now have a little army of plants ready to be moved outside! Baby broccoli, cauliflower, heirloom tomatoes (5 kinds), and peppers (4 kinds), as well as fresh herbs including sage, thyme, mint and cilantro are all waiting to make the move.