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Conservation: Conservation Corner - Energy Advisory Panel’s School Projects Come to Fruition
November 9th, 2011

Conservation: North Florida - Wild Florida: The Donkeys` Trick or Treat
October 30th, 2011

Conservation: Student Volunteers Educate through Recycling and Parading Efforts
October 28th, 2011

Conservation: Conservation Corner - Déjà Vu Translates to Eco-Chic Recycled Clothing
October 15th, 2011

Conservation: North Florida - Wild Florida: Catching Some Rays
October 11th, 2011

Conservation: Energy Conservation = Money Saved
September 29th, 2011

Conservation: North Florida - Wild Florida: Fall’s Wild Bounty
September 25th, 2011

Conservation: Costal Cleanup - 2011
September 18th, 2011

Conservation: North Florida - Wild Florida: Snakes in the Hen House
September 15th, 2011

Conservation: Cedar Key Marina: Opportunities for Our City to Save Money
September 12th, 2011

Conservation: Sometimes You Just Can’t Believe What You Read!
August 25th, 2011

Conservation: Energy Efficiency: The Obvious Energy Source
August 18th, 2011

Conservation: What`s For Dinner?
August 2nd, 2011

Conservation: Renewable Energy or Nuclear Power: What`s Your Choice
July 19th, 2011


Food for Thought

Food for Thought

Eileen Bowers

I was settin` at this restaurant
When the waiter came up and said, "What do you want?"
I looked at the menu---it looked so nice.
Till he said, "Let me give you some advice."

He said, "Spaghetti and potatoes got too much starch,
Pork chops and sausage are bad for your heart.
There`s hormones in chicken and beef and veal,
Bowl of ravioli is a dead man`s meal.

Bread`s got preservatives, there`s nitrates in ham,
Artificial coloring in jellies and jam.
Stay away from doughnuts, run away from pie,
Pepperoni pizza is a sure way to die.

Sugar`s gonna rot your teeth and make you put on weight,
Artificial sweetener`s got cyclamates.
Eggs are high in cholesterol, too much fat in cheese,
Coffee ruins your kidneys and so do teas.

Fish got too much mercury, red meat is poison,
Salt`s gonna send your blood pressure risin`.
Hot dogs and bologna got deadly red dyes,
Vegetables and fruits are sprayed with pesticides."

So I said, "What can I eat that`s gonna make me last?"
He said, "A small drink of water in a sterilized glass."
And then he stopped and he thought for a minute,
And said, "Never mind the water---there`s carcinogens in it."

So I got up from the table and walked out in the street,
Realizin` there was absolutely nothing I could eat.
So I haven`t eaten for a month and I don`t feel too fine,
But I know that I`ll be healthy for a long, long time.

This poem, entitled Food? was written nearly 30 years ago by American poet, humorist and children`s author Shel Silverstein. Mr. Silverstein, who has been deceased for nearly 15 years, would not be amused that we have made little progress over the control of quality of our food and water.

But what if we the citizens of Cedar Key could have more local control over our food? High-season employment at Kona Joe`s Island Cafe presented the perfect opportunity to collect 5 gallon pails full of coffee grinds, veggie and fruit peelings and innumerable egg shells that were composted and then fertilized a spring crop of beans, squash, tomatoes and peppers. This workable scenario convinced me that we could indeed have more control. What if all food waste from all our restaurants and school were collected, added to chipped yard waste, composted and then used to fertilize a community garden? Wouldn`t that not only allow us to utilize a valuable resource that we`re currently paying to have trucked to a landfill, educate our children about planting a seed and harvesting a crop and also give us local control over our food? Now that`s some food for thought.

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