Variegatum Spider Plant

The Spider Plant is a member of the Lily Family. The reason it is called the spider plant is because the way the leaves spread. Another name that you might hear it called is the Airplane Plant. This is because of the propeller like leaves.

Origin:It comes from West Africa. Capetown was a popular place to stop when traveling back from China. Souvenir plants included the spider plant and that is how it came to America!

Nutrition: A caution when watering the spider plant is using tap water. This is because some tap water has high fluoride levels. They put this in water to prevent tooth decay but is not friendly for your Spider Plant!

Fun Fact:

Artist Statement

The reason why we chose to focus on the ingredients in Cool whip was because we both were interested in how much High Fructose Corn Syrup and other ingredients were possibly in it that most people didn't know about. So that's why we chose to focus on the top three ingredients for Cool Whip, so that we could go more in depth with the main ones. The top three main ingredients, besides water, for cool whip are hydrogenated vegetable oil, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup. We found that choosing this topic will hopefully make people more aware of what is in their food. We find it important for people to be aware of what is in their food and what's going in their bodies. For example most people don't know that High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a product of corn wet-milling formed when the starches enzymes are broken down to fructose. That HFCS is a major sugar substitute has been known to be a major cause of childhood obesity and other health related problems.

Working throughout this project we were amazed at the fact that HFCS is in so many products. But what amazed us more was the argument for why HFCS is not harmful. HFCS is not bad in moderation this is true. However because it is in so many of our food products, the over consumption is harmful on a humans liver, The liver is the only place that HFCS can be broken down compared to pure sugar that can be processed throughout the entire body.

HFCS and the cons of it needs more public awareness. What would be nice to see is a decrease in tax-subsidy for HFCS. There are places that a person can go to buy foods without HFCS. This costs more because it is imported. Its up to the buyer right now to decide if spending more on their foods is what they want to do. The option out there for healthier foods. However, it is more expensive.


"Specialty Grain Terms A3-50 December 2006." Iowa State University Extension. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. .

"What is Corn Syrup?" WiseGEEK: clear answers for common questions. Web. 30 Nov. 2009.

Irrigation

“The impact of these supply restrictions already has been felt by thousands of growers and agricultural water users in San Diego County. About 5,000 customers who subscribe to a discount water program run by the MWD had those supplies cut by 30 percent as of January 1, 2008. Growers are stumping trees or finding other ways to cut production to comply with these restrictions.”[3]

San Diego has been in a water crisis for years, The world is reaching one as only 2 percent of the World’s water is safe to drink from and irrigate with.[1] 67 percent of this 2 percent is used for irrigation. The San Diego Water Authority has a "20 gallon challenge"[2] A challenge to save 20 gallons of water every day. A plan to save a little water that can add up to a lot over time. One of the ways to save water is to irrigate at night and early mornings. Another way to conserve is adjusting the water controller. Also watering your plants in multiple cycles allowing the water soaks up, loosing less water to evaporation. This water crisis has not really affected the average person; more farmers are really loosing money to this. The point of the “20 gallon challenge” is to save a little here and there which will help out in the long run. Even though this is implemented in San Diego, This method could be used globally.

Farmers, need more water then the average person needs a day to grow the crops you eat and are struggling to find new ways to conserve due to lack of resources. Yet every human needs water every day to survive. Just drinking water alone the average person is recommended to drink 4 pints of water a day.[4] This is why it is very important to conserve water because when we run out, that’s it! An example of where it is running out is the Ogallala Aquifer a major source of water that spans approximately 225,000 square miles located in the Great Plains. [5]

By watering at night and in the early morning less water is lost to evaporation.[6] This is because when the sun is shining it turns the liquid form of water and vaporizes it, leaving the area that needs to be watered and heads for the sun. When the sun isn’t out, this is not a problem. A easy solution to this world wide problem.

“Evaporation from the oceans accounts for 80% of the water delivered as precipitation, with the balance occurring on land, inland waters and plant surfaces.”[7]

It is hard sometimes to water a garden at a certain time. With the busy lifestyles that are very apparent in today's modern living, for some people making the time to water in the morning or at night when the sun isn’t out can be a challenge. This is why the second way that the “20 gallon challenge” suggests having a controlled water system is a very good idea. This makes it easier on the farmer and home gardener. The controller is preset to go off at a certain time. If once a month the controller is reset to go off to make sure it goes off when it is dark, this also helps keep water in the garden instead of evaporating. Lowes, Home Depot, and other hardware stores and gardens is a website along with many that sell this type of equipment. They sell for fairly cheap and the time that is saved, along with the water that is being saved is worth it!

One more idea is watering in cycles. By watering in cycles, the water can be absorbed in the soil. The reason that this is a good thing to do is because soil is a mixture of many different particles. This includes sand and clay. Sand does not absorb water allowing it to seep down to the deeper roots. Clay however absorbs water very well and if the soil has a lot of clay in the upper part of the soil, then the roots down further in the ground will not get the amount of water that they need. So by watering in cycles, this allows water to be absorbed then seep down and then that’s when it can be watered again. Another reason that watering in cycles is a good idea is because of runoff. This is also due to having a soil mixture with a lot of clay in it. If the soil is watered with a large amount of water at one time, then the water will absorb the first layer and then the rest will have no where else to go so it will slide off and run down the garden to places not intended to be watered.

In conclusion, I have been doing a lot of work in a garden and setting up the irrigation system for this garden. I know that it seems like a lot of work or even a burden to change a lifestyle but I know from personal experience that setting up irrigation with PVC mainlines and a drip system along with a water timer, that even though the work was a lot in the beginning, now all that I have to do is flip a switch and water is supplied to the entire garden!

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[1] "HowStuffWorks "How much water is there on Earth?"" HowStuffWorks - Learn How Everything Works! Web. 16 Oct. 2009. http://www.howstuffworks.com/question157.htm.

[2] 20 Gallon Challenge. Web. 16 Oct. 2009. http://www.20gallonchallenge.com/.

[3] "Why should I conserve water?" 20 Gallon Challenge. Web. 16 Oct. 2009. http://www.20gallonchallenge.com/whatisit.html#whyconserve.

[4] "Benefits of Drinking Water - How much water should I drink a day - Water." Natural Nutrition - Natural Health Products. Web. 16 Oct. 2009. http://www.nutritionfriend.com/Benefits-of-Drinking-Water/I11.htm.
[5] "The Ogallala Aquifer Depletion." IITAP Home Page. Donald Wilhite. Web. 01 Nov. 2009. http://www.iitap.iastate.edu/gccourse/issues/society/ogallala/ogallala.html.

[6] 20 Gallon Challenge. Web. 16 Oct. 2009. http://www.20gallonchallenge.com/residenttips.html.

[7] "Evaporation." Tech Alive Home Page. Web. 16 Oct. 2009. .

School Lunch!

Breaking news! school lunch isn't good for you!

I think most people know this already since the coined phrase "Mystery Meat" started being said about cafeteria foods.

First Article:
http://www.commonwealinstitute.org/blog/jill-richardson/foods-role-in-the-health-care-crisis

"Food's Role in the Health Care Crisis |." Commonweal Institute. Web. 19 Nov. 2009. .

This article brings up the 2 biggest setbacks (I think) that are out there for people not eating healthy. If it was easier for people to get healthy foods then maybe people would. School lunch is provided by the school so the access is very easy. However school lunches are made in mass for hundreds of students and is the epitome of industrial foods. Because lunch food is provided by the school there is also a program called "free and reduced lunches" and for those who qualify get lunch for free or at a reduced price. The second part that this article says as a setback is cost. By decreasing cost that would be more appealing for people to buy.

Second Article:

This article is talks about an actual movement. And one of the major problems, some people just don't care or can't break the habit. his solution though is to make healthy foods more convenient and less expensive.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/magazine/11Oliver-t.html?pagewanted=6&_r=1

"The New York Times Log In." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Web. 19 Nov. 2009. .

Third article:

This article talks about the level of consumption, along with the amount of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is in a persons diet in relation to Obesity. This article will be useful for evidence of the connection between HFCS and dieting.

http://journals.lww.com/nutritiontodayonline/Abstract/2005/11000
/Highs_and_Lows_of_High_Fructose_Corn_Syrup__A.5.aspx

Fourth Article:
This article is a strict scientific study that came to the conclusion of a "significant correlation". This can be used to show that the results are the same as what my partner and I are trying to express to our audience. It also says that it is because of increase consumption. That is a great point that we can use since HFCS isn't bad in moderation.

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/79/5/774?ijkey=cJSxz0rjkfs9s&keytype=ref&siteid=ajcn

"Increased consumption of refined carbohydrates and the epidemic of type 2 diabetes in the United States: an ecologic assessment -- Gross et al. 79 (5): 774 --." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Web. 19 Nov. 2009. .

Fifth article:
This one talks about the reason that Humans use HFCS . This is good for perspective and to help people understand why we use HFCS in the first place but also what alternatives there are.

http://www.researchdiets.com/OSD/DIDM/diabetes.htm



http://www.nmji.in/archives/Volume_20_2_March_April/correspondence/correspondence.pdf

Irragation Websites

These are a few website that I found interesting.

The first website: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/irmethods.html

"Irrigation techniques" this website explains the history of "bucket irrigation". This website is explains the downsides of home irrigation systems but also gives some ways to be more efficient. Examples are capturing run off, surge flooding, and leveling fields.

Second Website: http://www.yardfairy.com/environmentally-friendly-landscaping-tips.html

"Environmentally Friendly Landscaping Tip" I like this article because it writes about pathways that are most effective when trying to have the least amount of run off. This website is also very good for garden layout. The article explains a lot of ways that makes it so less water is used which is good for irrigation.

Third Website: http://www.missionrcd.org/Pub%20Ed%20-%20Rainbow%20Creek/Agriculture/Micro-Irrigation%20Tips%20brochure.pdf

This is a HTML for irrigation tips. This paper has a section in it about water pressure. i found it very useful because of the language that it uses (head unit, block inlets, lateral lines). Also it explains what that is and how to use it properly. Also at the end it gives details about each section (like a mini dictionary)

Chance to Change

a few topic brought up today in a discussion revolving around "Farmer in Chief" by Michael Pollan brought up some interesting points.
"It is the people up top in the government that have the power to change" stated a person in this discussion This is what I have to say:

The overall agreement is that most of the power is in the government which is out of our hands. A sentence like that can seem very pessimistic however, the government is made up of people who were once high school students and chose to go work in the government. I am a high school student, all the kids i was talking to about this are too and will in a few years have the opportunity to be the ones with the chance to change.

Food seems like such a hard thing to change. With such a strong foundation it seems at least to me that my efforts of the efforts of my class may just be a eyedropper worth of water into a large glass bowl.

During the discussion I started to wonder why I spend money on such a low quality product as industrial food. I would never want to waste my hard earned money. The fact that I have been spending money on food that has been chemically enhanced it very disturbing.

The meat that I am eating isn't the best quality that it could be. The point is I am not that picky and I am grateful for what I have but growing a cow or any other type of meaty animal to eat, i see nothing wrong with it, it feeds and keeps humans full. It is the fact that chemicals are making it so that the meat is not as nutritional as it is naturally suppose to be.

It is the fact that because people are lazy I have to compromise my health so that the farmers I pay to grow my food have it easier. If the food was still good for me and full quality that grown crops and animals are suppose to have I would say yeah lets make life easier on the farmer! But to make physical labor that has been done for centuries easier and because of this have it affect my personal body and then on top of that not give me much of a choice because the organic food is out of my spending limit is a slap in the face.

If we take the time to educate people about issues that directly affect them I have a feeling they will listen, I am being educated and I am listening.

Best Practices

Irrigation:
One very important thing is that whenever the water is turned on that when we are done, the water from the main source is turned off. Otherwise there will be a water pressure backup .

Another thing to consider is over watering and under watering. If someone turns oin the water they need to be responsible for turning it off.