Jennifer Hammond

Youth Blog: Hunger in Marin- What Can You Do?

February 7, 2017 by Jennifer Hammond

Despite being one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, Marin County has a widespread population of people who are food insecure. Food insecurity is the state of living without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. Food insecurity is having to choose between impossible decisions like having the food you need or having shelter and a place to live.

There are nearly 50,000 people in Marin County who are food insecure, and worry about where their next meal is coming from. In Marin, over 16,000 seniors are food insecure. Many seniors have a difficult time getting access to fresh produce and affording nutritious foods. In a recent survey of 3,000 seniors, 46% report running out of money for food each month. On top of this, 3,500 seniors over 65 have annual incomes below the Federal Poverty Level of $11,670. These alarming and distressing facts demand change and require community effort to ensure that everyone in Marin has access to fresh, healthy, nutritious foods.

Marv Zauderer, founder of ExtraFood, came up with one solution. The United States has an extremely high rate of food waste, at a rate of over 40% (Zauderer). That means for every ten apples you buy, four of them go rotten! This rate of food waste is unacceptable, given the number of people in our local community who are food insecure on a daily basis. Zauderer founded ExtraFood because he witnessed how many people in this county were food insecure, and wanted to ease people’s worries about where their next meal was coming from. So much food was not being eaten and Zauderer realized how this “creates unnecessary waste and is bad for the environment.”

Zauderer decided to tackle the issue of food waste and food insecurity by creating a system to recover fresh healthy food that would normally go to waste and donate it to someone in need. ExtraFood picks up excess fresh foods from organizations and businesses and delivers them immediately to various nonprofits that serve Marin’s population of hungry people. The foods that they deliver include fresh produce, prepared food, eggs, meat, dairy, packaged goods, and baked goods. According to Zauderer, “ExtraFood delivers food to more than 5,000 people per month to over 80 different sites around the county.” In three years of operation, ExtraFood has delivered over 900,000 pounds of food collected from over 150 donors to almost 83 different sites in Marin. This includes 13 new food programs they have started with their partners to expand the safety net further. ExtraFood has made 11,000 deliveries and continues to regularly supply food to Marin County. Zauderer explains that every donation counts, even the smallest contribution can make a difference.

Another local organization working to take action against hunger in Marin is The Fairfax Food Pantry, co-founded by Holly Bragman. Bragman helped create The Fairfax Food Pantry in 2011 because she noticed that there was a need for this service in the Fairfax community: 25% of the participants of the San Geronimo Valley Community Center Food Pantry were from Fairfax. Bragman decided to open up the Food Pantry in Fairfax because transportation is often very difficult for people who are food insecure, and this new location would provide more central access to healthy nutritious foods. Located in the Fairfax Community Church, The Fairfax Food Pantry feeds over 130 families every week. According to Bragman, “the Pantry receives donations totaling 5,000 to 8,000 pounds of food per week.” These foods mainly include protein like meat, fresh veggies, fruit, and other staples for the everyday kitchen. If they have extra food at the end, they often give it to other locations or organizations like St. Vincent’s. Bragman’s vision is to act locally, helping the community through a system that includes Fairfax Volunteers, the Town of Fairfax, and the Fairfax Community Church to create an easy and accessible way for people to obtain healthy, fresh foods.

What can you do? You can support ExtraFood by committing to volunteer as a “food runner” and deliver healthy food to those in need. You can also help by encouraging other Marin businesses and organizations to donate their extra or leftover food. (For more information visit: ExtraFood.org) To support the Fairfax Food Pantry, you can donate money, sign up to volunteer, or something as simple as dropping off empty paper bags from 8:30-11:30 a.m. on Saturdays at the Fairfax Food Pantry. (For more information visit: FairfaxVolunteers.org)

Together we can help solve hunger in our local community by making small changes to our consumer behavior, and making a conscious effort to help those in need.

Reflections on the Women's March on Washington

February 7, 2017 by Jennifer Hammond

The Women’s March on Washington that took place on January 21, 2017 will go down in the her-story books.

When I learned about the march, I felt a strong urge be part of it and quickly made my travel plans, yet became apprehensive about what to expect: would there be riots, terrorism or violence?

We started the day at a breakfast with the inspiring Rep Barbara Lee (see video). She emphasized the historic nature of the event, the importance of youth involvement, and that we must never return to the archaic policies of the past.

After the breakfast, we made our way to the rally and were astounded by the size of the crowd – we could barely move; it felt like being inside of a mosh pit at a punk rock concert, yet everyone was polite and apologetic for the cramped conditions. We inched through the crowd, shoulder-to-shoulder surrounded by pink pussy hats. I had some pangs of claustrophobia (how would I escape in an emergency?), but let those feelings roll away and focused instead on the significance of the moment.

There was an extraordinary and overwhelming sense of peace, power, love, humanity and kindness that permeated the entire event. The signs were creative, provocative and funny, and speakers were powerful- the message was clear: all people must be respected, valued and celebrated, no matter what group they are or are not a part of; and we must fight against regressive policies that undermine the rights of women, minorities, immigrants, LBGTQ community and under-served populations.

I marched to prove to this administration and the world that democracy is alive, and that people still care about liberty and justice for all. And that includes “climate justice for all” – an important, yet sometimes overlooked part of climate change activism. Climate regulation and research is clearly under attack by the new administration. Yet poor communities throughout the US are subject to lethal levels of pollution, or are at risk of sea level rise, such as Marin City right here in Marin County. And there are other countries are in great peril such as drought-ridden Africa.

Sustainable Fairfax is committed to supporting climate activism and climate justice. Stay tuned to learn how you can help resist a dangerous rollback of climate policy. I am confident that the historic marches and activism taking place will keep building. Lets work together towards positive action to support the values we all hold dear.

List of Weekend Marches & Rallies

January 18, 2017 by Jennifer Hammond

Since there are several local rallies and marches happening this weekend, I thought it would be helpful to summarize them all in one place.

Here’s the list I have for Friday and Saturday:

1) Friday, Jan 20 (Inauguration Day), Bridge Together Golden Gate– 10am-noon

Participants will form a human chain across the Golden Gate Bridge in a “peaceful demonstration and performance art piece” beginning at 10 a.m.

2) Friday, Jan 20: Marin is Marching!

People’s March & Unity Rally- for Love, Peace, Justice & Truth. This event is being organized by members of the Marin community.

Schedule:

1:00 pm- Gather in San Anselmo (at the HUB/Creek Park) OR in The Canal (at Pickleweed Park)
2:00 pm- Groups March from East and West to San Rafael City Hall
3:00 pm- Groups Arrive at San Rafael City Hall for Unification
3:30 pm- Unified Group Walks from City Hall to Community Center
4-6 pm- Unity Rally in San Rafael Community Center Auditorium, 618 B St, San Rafael (Kid-friendly event with a kids activities room adjacent!)

Volunteer: If you want to help out before or at the march, contact Craig Slater (415 721.7241)

3) Friday, Jan 20: 6:30-7:30pm- “An Inauguration Day Interfaith Gathering”

First Presbyterian Church, 1510 Fifth Ave., San Rafael

Join Congressman Huffman and religious leaders to celebrate religious freedom, social justice and community engagement. The event is free and open to the public. Tables will be provided to share materials for volunteer opportunities. Please bring materials to share.

Please note the event will also be live streamed on www.facebook.com/rephuffman. Register here.

4) Saturday, Jan 21: 10am- Fairfax Parkade

Fairfax residents are organizing a “standing” march in solidarity with the Women’s Marches across the country. They will not be marching to another location, but will be showing their support together downtown. (Note: I do not know of any marches in Marin on Saturday)

5) Saturday, Jan 21: 10am-3pm- Women’s March in Oakland

Schedule:

10am: Meet at Madison Park, Oakland

11am: March to Frank Ogawa Plaza (2 miles)

12:30-3:00pm: Rally at Frank Ogawa Plaza

6) Saturday, Jan 21: 3pm-8pm: Women’s March in San Francisco

Schedule:

3-5pm: Rally at SF Civic Center

5-8pm: March to Justin Herman Plaza (1.7 miles) (Note: there will be no official event at the end of this march)

**Take Golden Gate transit with Sustainable Fairfax to the SF Women’s March. Lynette Carlton, our Fairfax on Foot organizer, will lead the way. Meet at the downtown Fairfax bus stop at 1:45pm. Find out more info here.

DC WOMENS MARCH: I will be attending the DC march and will be reporting from the march via the Sustainable Fairfax social media accounts. Be sure to follow Sustainable Fairfax if you want my updates at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SustainFX

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sustainfx/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SustainableFairfax/

These events were created to bring people together to stand in solidarity with the other marches all over the world aiming to protect civil liberties, civil rights, women’s rights, LBGTQI rights, immigrant’s rights, the environment, healthcare, education and other important issues. By coming together in such great numbers, we will show the incoming administration that we are unified, engaged and ready to take a stand for what is right.

Be safe, and enjoy all of the passionate and energized people participating in these historic marches!

Pedal Powered Food Drive: A Success!

December 5, 2016 by Jennifer Hammond

A joyful group of adults and children participated in the ReduceX2 Slow Riders Food Drive Bike Ride from Fairfax to the Corte Madera Town Center on Saturday to “feed” the Giant Turkey (a collection spot for the SF-Marin Food Bank).

The group made three stops to collect food donated by Fairfax Market, Good Earth Natural Foods and Woodlands Market.

The Corte Madera Town Center greeted us with delicious Blue Barn organic ice cream, coffee and snacks. The event was filmed for the MotherLoad Movie promoting the cargo bike movement. The event was a great success and a beautiful ride!

Thanks to all who participated, the grocery stores for donating food, and Corte Madera Town Center for the warm greeting!

Sign up for future Slow Riders bike rides here. These are fun and relaxed bike rides to popular Marin County destinations. You will learn bike routes that avoid the busy streets and will discover the beautiful paths and backstreets of Marin!

Collecting Supplies for Standing Rock Sioux

November 6, 2016 by Jennifer Hammond

The STANDING ROCK SIOUX are in need of many items to sustain them in their fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Local Fairfax resident Peter Anderson has recently returned from a 3-week trip to the reservation to support them, and will be returning soon to bring them additional supplies.

SUSTAINABLE FAIRFAX IS HELPING PETER COLLECT ITEMS that are on on their supply list. In terms of clothing, they ONLY want very warm, good condition coats, sweaters, and other winter wear and insulated Carhartt type coveralls, overalls and coats. They also need heavy duty tarps, lighters, sleeping bags (only 0 degree F or lower), fur blankets, battery packs / solar chargers for charging phones, tents (that can stand up in high winds, snow, subzero temps), and small wood stoves. For a full list of supplies requested, see http://sacredstonecamp.org/supply-list/. (Note: firewood is being handled locally).

Please bring your items to Sustainable Fairfax, 6 School St, Suite 150 on Wednesday, Nov 9th between 11am-3pm, or you can deliver directly to Peter Anderson’s house at 19 Claus Drive in Fairfax (behind Museum of Bicycling)- leaving items on the porch is fine.

Youth Blog: Get informed about the Plastic Bag Ban Propositions!

November 6, 2016 by Jennifer Hammond

By Lexi Neely, Drake High School SEA-DISC student & Sustainable Fairfax Intern

We often hear about how Americans buy too many products we quickly dispose of or don’t really need. However, many overlook the wastefulness of the packaging and transport of the products we buy. The amount of single-use plastic bags we consume is no small issue; in fact, the United States goes through over 100 billion plastic bags annually.

Plastic bags put an enormous burden on our environment and our wildlife. We use 12 million barrels of oil every year to produce the number of bags we use in this country. Plastic bags are responsible for the death of over 100,000 sea creatures when these animals mistake them as food. On top of that, plastic doesn’t biodegrade, it only photodegrades, meaning it will break up into extremely small pieces resembling dust but it will still be harmful to the environment.

With this ominous and foreboding status of plastic bag use today, it seems like reducing or stopping their production and use is unsurmountable. When looking at this issue as a whole, it can seem overwhelming and hopeless. We must focus on how to change our plastic bag use at the individual, local, state and eventually national level. With the upcoming election this November 8th, I urge you to take a stand against the use of plastic bags and take a stand for our earth.

Two years ago in 2014, California passed the first statewide single-use plastic bag ban in the nation, following the lead of cities and towns all over the state (Sustainable Fairfax initiated one of the first successful plastic bag bans in the country here in Fairfax!). Plastic bag companies from all over the country were distressed that they would lose their biggest consumer of plastic bags. So they hastily challenged this law and placed Proposition 67 and 65 on the November 8th ballot in an effort to complicate, distract, and repeal the existing law.

Proposition 67 puts the California statewide single-use plastic bag ban before the voters, as the result of a referendum on the law sought by the American Progressive Bag Alliance, a coalition of plastic manufacturers. Proposition 67, if passed, would essentially eliminate the use of single-use plastic bags, as well as charge a 10¢ fee for any reusable or paper bag. Prop 67 would give the money collected from the 10¢ bag fee to the grocer. This way, the grocer could use the 10¢ to help abide with the new law requiring them to use more expensive reusable or paper bags.

According to Jessica Connolly, the Recycling Programs Coordinator for Marin Sanitary Service, reusable plastic bags are up to “five times more expensive” to make (a reusable plastic bag is defined as being able to carry 25 pounds across a football field 125 times!) For this reason, plastic bag companies are strongly opposed to the plastic bag ban, and spent $2.9M to oppose Proposition 67.

Proposition 65 is an initiative that was also placed on the ballot by the American Progressive Bag Alliance. If the plastic bag ban passes, this law would demand that the money collected from the 10¢ bag fee be directed into a California State environmental fund. What could be wrong with that? Not so fast. Many believe this poorly written law was put on the ballot by the plastic industry to confuse voters. Since the grocers would be required to give the money to the State, the plastic bag ban opponents could challenge the law by claiming that the bag fee is actually a tax. Tax measures need a 2/3 majority vote to pass, rather than the 50 percent simple majority needed for initiatives. If Prop 65 gets more votes than Prop 67, but doesn’t get 2/3 of the vote, it likely will be challenged and repealed in court, thereby eliminating any plastic bag ban.

For plastic bag ban proponents, the hope is that people will become accustomed to bringing their own reusable bags. According to Mark Squire, owner of Good Earth Natural Foods, they have never given out plastic bags at checkout and initiated a fee for paper bags years ago. He believes that the bag fee serves as an effective reminder for his environmentally conscious customers to bring their own bag when they can. Squire has seen a steady increase in the use of reusable bags, which is currently at about half and half.

In short, to ensure that single-use plastic bags are banned from our state, it is important to vote YES on Proposition 67. And vote NO on Proposition 65. I believe the plastic industry is misleading the public about what is best for the grocers, the environment, and the consumers and are only looking out for themselves. Help protect our earth, you have the power to make a difference!