Campus Reading Project: The Omnivore's Dilemma tag:liblogs.albany.edu,2008:/readingproject//26 2008-04-16T18:40:37Z Movable Type 3.2 Discuss The Omnivore's Dilemma April 22, 6:30 - 9:00pm CC 364 tag:liblogs.albany.edu,2008:/readingproject//26.1610 2008-04-16T18:36:19Z 2008-04-16T18:40:37Z Food Awareness for Everyday Life A Discussion of The Omnivore's Dilemma Tuesday April 22 at 6:30 - 9:00pm in Campus Center 364 Have you ever wondered where the food you eat comes from? Have you wondered what's in processed foods?... Lorre Smith Food Awareness for Everyday Life
A Discussion of The Omnivore's Dilemma
Tuesday April 22 at 6:30 - 9:00pm in Campus Center 364

Have you ever wondered where the food you eat comes from?
Have you wondered what's in processed foods?
Are you interested in knowing more about organic agriculture and local foods?

If any of these questions has crossed your mind, or you are interested in learning more about food and the choices you can make concerning food, come and join us for an in depth discussion on different topics relating to the food choices we are faced with today, and the food system which we find ourselves in.


Light and healthy refreshments will be provided.

Presented by Renaissance Yoga

]]> Book Discussion in the Science Library tag:liblogs.albany.edu,2008:/readingproject//26.1590 2008-04-03T16:45:27Z 2008-04-04T16:01:40Z We will be holding a discussion of the book Omnivore's Dilemma in the Standish Room of the Science Library as part of National Public Health Week, which will take place on April 8th, 12 - 1:30 p.m. The motto of... Irina Holden We will be holding a discussion of the book Omnivore's Dilemma in the Standish Room of the Science Library as part of National Public Health Week, which will take place on April 8th, 12 - 1:30 p.m. The motto of this year's National Public Health Week is "Climate Change - Our Health in the Balance". We will address issues that Michael Pollan brought up in his book, which are related to this theme.

The majority of us might have heard or read (even without reading Omnivore's Dilemma) that this book is about tracing the life cycle of several meals from the beginning of their natural growing process until their processing and consumption. But there's more to it. It's about the quality and quantity of our food. Why is the quantity more important than the quality? What is the cost to our health, to our environment, to our planet?

The American Public Health Association as a main organizer of The National Public Health Week is asking everybody to take Healthy Climate Pledge. It includes recommendations that may help our health in five different ways:
- Be Prepared
- Travel Differently
- Eat Differently
- Green Your Work
- Green Your Home
Omnivore's Dilemma addresses at least a couple of those issues. It is important to talk about them and make it clear to ourselves that we are responsible for the future of our planet in individual ways. Climate change cannot be addressed without all and each of us taking a part!

]]> Some Recalculations tag:liblogs.albany.edu,2008:/readingproject//26.1572 2008-03-31T14:44:35Z 2008-03-31T14:45:48Z Pollan's book is generally well-researched and very interesting, but I decided to check on a few of the numbers that get inserted in his narratives. In particular, Joe Salatin of Polyface Farm suggests that converting the 16 million acres of... Sue Kaczor Pollan's book is generally well-researched and very interesting, but I decided to check on a few of the numbers that get inserted in his narratives. In particular, Joe Salatin of Polyface Farm suggests that converting the 16 million acres of hybrid corn production in the U.S. to well-managed pasture, "would remove fourteen billion pounds of carbon from the atmosphere each year, the equivalent of taking four million cars off the road." I have studied and taught about plant growth and carbon fluxes, so I was interested in scrutinizing these numbers. I had two
questions: (1) do they add up? (2) how would this scenario compare with replacement of industrial corn fields by forests?

For the first question, let's take Joe's assumption about the amount of carbon drawn from the atmosphere (and stored in the soil as decaying
roots) at face value. It takes time before a perennial grassland reaches that level of productivity, and carbon fixation is going to vary a great deal with geography and climate, but let's allow that within about ten years the new pastures would be storing carbon at levels approaching his
14 billion pounds per year total. How close is he to a reasonable estimate that this is the equivalent of 4 million cars operating the same year? One gallon of gas contains 5.4 lb. of carbon (the rest is hydrogen and impurities), and combusting that with air adds two molecules of oxygen to every carbon. Oxygen is heavier than carbon, so we pump out 19.8 lb.
of carbon dioxide when burning one gallon of standard gasoline. So we've got the equivalent of 707 million gallons of gas. If we assume a fleet average of 25 mpg and 15,000 annual miles driven per car, we get compensation for 1.2 (not 4) million cars. He's off by quite a bit, but the figures are still worthy of attention.

Second, if we converted all that corn to forest, how much CO2 would get removed from the atmosphere? It takes about two acres of healthy, maturing forest to compensate for a year's driving. This calculation assumes about 200 trees per acre, each removing about 30 lb. of carbon dioxide per year, and storing that carbon in soils and wood. This 1,200 lb. of forest-fixed carbon is (after rounding off) the equivalent of 600 gallons of gas, or 15,000 miles of driving at 25 mpg. Conversion of 16 million acres of corn to forest would compensate for 8 million cars, almost seven times the value for pasture.

I am not arguing for implementing these large-scale conversions, but it helps to get a more accurate perspective. Pollan and several of his characters are exactly right in noting that we are treating the atmosphere as a dumping ground for pollution, and now that carbon dioxide is out of balance, we all should bear the costs that have been hidden. The petroleum/corn/industrial agriculture dilemma is particularly compelling and needs to be met with creative solutions. True costs must be calculated for food and fuels. Scientific progress already has tools that make these calculations possible under all kinds of circumstances, but it appears that we will need better political and moral leadership to bring them to bear.


George Robinson
Associate Professor
Department of Biological Sciences

]]> Reviews of Omnivore's Dilemma tag:liblogs.albany.edu,2008:/readingproject//26.1522 2008-03-18T16:55:55Z 2008-03-18T17:52:40Z Web Resources Crumbpacker, Bunny. You Are What You Eat (2006). Retrieved March 3, 2008 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/06/AR2006040601701.html Fleming, Paula. Review: The Omnivore's Dilemma (2006). Retrieved March 3, 2008 from http://www.wedge.coop/newsletter/article/684.html Kamp, David. Deconstructing Dinner (2006). Retrieved March 3, 2008 from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/23/books/review/23kamp.html?_r=1&oref=slogin... Lorre Smith Web Resources

Crumbpacker, Bunny. You Are What You Eat (2006). Retrieved March 3, 2008 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/06/AR2006040601701.html

Fleming, Paula. Review: The Omnivore's Dilemma (2006). Retrieved March 3, 2008 from http://www.wedge.coop/newsletter/article/684.html

Kamp, David. Deconstructing Dinner (2006). Retrieved March 3, 2008 from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/23/books/review/23kamp.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Leonard, Andrew The omnivore's new dilemma (2008). Retrieved March 3, 2008 from http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2008/02/01/omnivore_s_new_dilemma/index.html

Roberts, Adam. Belated Book Review: "The Omnivore's Dilemma" (2008). Retrieved March 3, 2008 from http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2008/02/belated_book_re.html

Schellenberg, James. Everyone's Dilemma (2006). Retrieved March 3, 2008 from http://www.strangehorizons.com/2006/20061009/schellenberg-c.shtml

Tiemann, Michael. Book review: The Omnivore’s Dilemma (2007). Retrieved March 3, 2008 from
http://www.redhatmagazine.com/2007/03/14/book-review-the-omnivores-dilemma/

Tiffany. The Omnivore's Dilemma Review [2008]. Retrieved March 3, 2008 from http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/2007/02/25/the-omnivores-dilemma-review/

Available from Lexis-Nexis

[This database is available through the University Libraries website:
http://library.albany.edu/databases/search.asp]

Morash, Gordon. "Up and down the food chain" The Globe and Mail (Canada), April 29, 2006
Saturday, BOOK REVIEW; IDEAS; Pg. D15, 921 words,

Murray, Sarah, "Something to chew over Although often priced cheaply, mass-produced food
costs us far more dearly than we think" Financial Times (London, England), September 9, 2006
Saturday, FT WEEKEND MAGAZINE - Book Reviews; Pg. 28, 985 words,

POWELL,JULIE REALITY BITES The Boston Globe, May 21, 2006 Sunday, BOOKS; Pg. C6, 910 words

]]> Copies of The Omnivore's Dilemma at the University Libraries tag:liblogs.albany.edu,2008:/readingproject//26.1511 2008-02-29T04:01:02Z 2008-03-05T14:59:08Z Dear readers and members of the University Community! The University Libraries have multiple copies of this book available on Reserve, including University Library, Dewey Graduate Library and Science Library. You can check a copy out for 72 hours (3 days)... Irina Holden Dear readers and members of the University Community!

The University Libraries have multiple copies of this book available on Reserve, including University Library, Dewey Graduate Library and Science Library. You can check a copy out for 72 hours (3 days) at the circulation desk. Hurry and read it: it's a great experience!

]]> Michael Pollan and the Nation's Largest Beef Recall tag:liblogs.albany.edu,2008:/readingproject//26.1505 2008-02-26T13:36:51Z 2008-02-26T13:45:16Z In a recent Newsweek article - http://www.newsweek.com/id/113695 - Michael Pollan addressed the Westland/Hallmark Meat recall of 143 million pounds of beef. In "Bad News on Beef", he discusses what is wrong with the current system of slaughter in providing safe... Sue Kaczor In a recent Newsweek article - http://www.newsweek.com/id/113695 - Michael Pollan addressed the Westland/Hallmark Meat recall of 143 million pounds of beef. In "Bad News on Beef", he discusses what is wrong with the current system of slaughter in providing safe food, and what can be done to improve the system.

Sue Kaczor
Science Librarian

]]> Sierra's November/December 2006 Let's Talk selection: The Omnivore's Dilemma tag:liblogs.albany.edu,2008:/readingproject//26.1452 2008-01-29T19:02:54Z 2008-01-31T19:47:42Z Sierra's November/December 2006 Let's Talk selection: The Omnivore's Dilemma A book by Michael Pollan Review by Bruce Hamilton A review of Omnivore’s Dilemma plus useful supplementary materials are the heart of this web page. There are links to several interviews... Lorre Smith Sierra's November/December 2006 Let's Talk selection:
The Omnivore's Dilemma
A book by Michael Pollan
Review by Bruce Hamilton

A review of Omnivore’s Dilemma plus useful supplementary materials are the heart of this web page. There are links to several interviews with renowned food writer Michael Pollan which help to provide background regarding Mr. Pollan’'s opinions and his other writing as well as an audio interview. The highlight of this page is the questions for discussion. These questions should jump start groups and inspire pithy dialog regarding the main issues of Omnivore'’s Dilemma.

Sierra's November/December 2006 Let's Talk selection
http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/letstalk/nov_2006/book.asp

Lorre Smith
Librarian for Digital Library Initiatives
University Task Force on Environmental Sustainability
Green Commerce Committee

]]> Bibliography: Books for Omnivore’s Dilemma tag:liblogs.albany.edu,2008:/readingproject//26.1438 2008-01-25T14:44:12Z 2008-01-25T14:55:06Z Books can be a good resource to start with, when looking for information that complements this semester’s Campus Reading Project. Book titles in this bibliography cover such topics as the bioethics of eating, American agriculture and agribusiness, as well as... Lorre Smith Books can be a good resource to start with, when looking for information that complements this semester’s Campus Reading Project. Book titles in this bibliography cover such topics as the bioethics of eating, American agriculture and agribusiness, as well as information on food and approaching food from different perspectives. All books are housed in the three University Libraries.

Sue Kaczor
Science Bibliographer

Bibliography: Books for Omnivore's Dilemma
http://www.albany.edu/~ls973/bibliography.htm


]]> Omnivore's Dilemma tag:liblogs.albany.edu,2008:/readingproject//26.1416 2008-01-10T16:30:02Z 2008-01-10T16:31:23Z The blog shall be an online space for discussions, announcements, supplementary materials and resources for the campus reading project, and can be linked to the reading project site. A bibliography of related readings, pointers to Michael Pollan's web site as... Lorre Smith The blog shall be an online space for discussions, announcements, supplementary materials and resources for the campus reading project, and can be linked to the reading project site. A bibliography of related readings, pointers to Michael Pollan's web site as well as other related sites, reviews of the book, pointers to campus events, photos and reports can all be included. We welcome interested faculty members and program organizers who wish to post announcements and discuss the book as well as related issues. We envision the blog as a place where readers and program participants can comment and exchange information.

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