Woolman Blog

I learned many new and fascinating things on the Food Intensive. It gave me new views and perspectives.

After talking to Kent Bradford, a “pro GMO” guy who works at UC Davis, my perspective of “pro GMO” people completely changed. I had always believed that anyone who was rooting for more GMO seeds to be distributed, must be a selfish, heartless person who didn’t care about future generations. But talking to Bradford made me rethink this assumption. He seemed to genuinely care for my generation, and feeding the world years to come. Now I wonder if most “pro GMO” people are just doing what they think is the best way to improve the world. To me, GMO crops and seeds are incredibly scary, the research that seems most obvious to me states that people really do not know how GMO food affects our bodies, the environment, or even really how to control it. But the folks on the other side of the spectrum have studies that state the opposite.

As I realize that most people might actually be working towards the same goal, I wonder how we (the many different approaches) could come together, hear each other’s ideas and thinking, and create a plan to save that world that makes everyone happy. Of course, this sounds very basic and almost silly, the ol’ “let’s all be friends” plan, but I’m saying we all have to be friends. I’m just asking if everyone could be more open minded to other peoples thinking and reasoning. And sometimes “basic” is the best way to go about solving something.

The other thing that the Food Intensive has left me pondering is the HUGE power food holds. It may sound like I am stating the obvious, which I am. But during the tours of farms and gardens I always found myself wondering how much money it had taken to start the place. I started to think about the different diets of the people in my community at home, and my peers at Woolman. The people with more money might eat crappy food, but they had the option not to. People with less money who might even want to eat wholesome food, often cannot, because of price. Food is money, power, life. Of course I have known this all my life, but I suppose the starkness had never hit me.

Food seems like such a basic human right, how is it instead a commodity that some have more than enough while others have nothing? I wonder what it take for all people to view food as a right, instead of something for people who have money.

The Food Intensive was an educational and fun packed adventure. I look forward to learning more about most of the subjects that we touched on during the trip. We talked to many interesting and intriguing people, I know I will continue to think about what they had to say for a long time.

The People's Grocery is an urban farm in West Oakland. West Oakland is notoriously noted for gang violence and its low income and food deserts. Food deserts are dominant in low income neighborhoods across America. It is when these neighborhoods have no access to healthy affordable foods, but rather to unhealthy cheap processed foods. This has a negative impact on the residents of these neighborhoods because they are usually unfit and unhealthy. The people's grocery is counteracting this with their urban farms and has replaced liquor stores with food markets.  People's Grocery helps residents build healthy connections to food, the land and each other. Their urban farms offer affordable healthy food to the residents. In addition, they hold community building events such as block barbeque parties and movie nights. As a result of this, vandalism has dropped in the neighborhood and so has litter. Overall, the residents of West Oakland are much healthier and happier.

When I visited Swanton Berry Farm, I was amazed. As a city boy, I had never been to a farm prior to coming to California, nor did I know how berries were grown in beds. The Swanton Berry farm is on the Pacific Coast in Santa Cruz, California. They grow a diverse range of organic berries such as, Bossin Berries, Loola Berries and of course my favorite of the berries, Strawberries. Originally, Swanton Berry farm started up as an activist project to show the agriculture industry how to farm berries organically while offering their worker great benefits, both which have rarely been done in the agriculture industry. Strawberries are extremely hard to farm due to their susceptible weak nature and they way that they are prone to pests and diseases.

The Farm realized that if you introduce a rotation of broccoli, it kills the strawberry's most ferocious pests and diseases. Most of the farm laborers are seasonal farm workers who come from Mexico and receive no rights or labor law protections. The farm introduced an hourly rate wage system for their workers which had never been done in the agriculture industry. They felt this was necessary even though they saw a drastic drop in their production. Remarkably, they saw an increase in the quality of the berries being picked as compared to when workers were paid on how much berries they picked. Workers would pick berries that were not ready just so they can earn more money. In addition, Swaton Berry Farm offers their workers a wide range of benefits such as health care, vacation days, sick days and of course free berry. During the tour, the instructor Bear talked about the water laws on the west coast and how lucrative they are. Cities like Los Angles own the water right of aquifers miles away. This shows me how water is a necessity for organic farms like Swaton Berry Farm. 

On our last full day of our week-long food intensive, we visited the Regenerative Design Institute, a learning and training center that aims to foster the spiritual, intellectual, and practical growth of budding farmers. James, our tour guide, introduced us to their secluded farm land – featuring pregnant goats, chickens, a large greenhouse, a solar hot water heating system, a cob oven, a solar dehydrator, a cozy moon tent, an outdoor kitchen, adobe huts, permaculture gardens, and so much more! In stark contrast with some of the other workshops we attended, RDI emphasized the potential of inspired, local farms to transform the American food industry and ultimately promote a healthier and more gratifying food access model for future generations.

 Furthermore, we received an unexpected visitor who proved to be one of the most thoughtful, beautiful, and uplifting people I have ever met. M. Kalani – a middle-aged man who works within the system to sustain indigenous Hawaiian culture – spoke to us as we sat attentive next to the buzzing irrigation pond. He spoke charismatically, urged us to honor our own individuality while recognizing that we are all unique. In this way, we are all the same. If we speak our own personal truths loud and clear, trusting our inner guidance and respecting the world around us, we will find peace and overwhelming satisfaction. If we don’t … “our truth will bite us in the ass!” In the words of Kalani, “We are God’s of our universe, however our universe only extends to the tips of our fingers.” In this way, our individual power is infinite while simultaneously finite. We must take action wisely, respecting the interconnectedness of all the universes. Thus, we would do well to approach the wider world in the least offensive way possible. Most importantly, however, we must show compassion. Only once we open ourselves up and let our truth be heard, can we truly extend our hearts with clarity, integrity and authenticity.

The Global Issues class has truly been a journey.  From discussing what makes an activist, to learning about hard issues, to exploring what is being done in the world, this class is a constant chance to collect and alter my beliefs in order to become who I want to be in the world.  It cannot always be a teacher’s responsibility to show me what is wrong on our planet, and I have now been given the tools to learn for myself.  When there is no one to hand me a sheet of paper filled with links to websites that fight for change, I now have the initiative to find those organizations myself.  I feel confident that I have gained enough knowledge to make informed decisions about what movements I think will make change, and which ones could use more work, hopefully by me.  This class has not taught me how to be a “good citizen,” but has given me the tools to be aware and passionate about the kind of citizen I strive to be.

In the earliest stages of discussing hard issues, we were assigned to portray slavery in the chocolate and coffee industries.  This was really my first chance to decide how I would want to get a message out.  I was able to evaluate my skills and realize that for me, interactive work is what I do best, such as making edible art.  I loved getting to bake a Fair-Trade chocolate coffee cake that not only contained quotes from the article, but was shaped like Africa to portray the immensity of this problem, and could be eaten by all.  I was able to improve my communicating of a message through speech when we discussed sweatshops, and the Great Turning Trip inspired me to think thoroughly about the kind of change I want to see.  Through all of these units I was able to decide for myself what kind of activism I want, and what that looks like.

From this class I have been able to identify three personal steps I want to take in order to make change: 1) identify the problem, 2) evaluate what is already being done for change, and 3) decide how my personal strength can help support and create that change.  Units such as Modern Slavery and Sweetshops have given me strength to look into the world and finds what’s wrong, because it’s worth it to know.  I cannot be ignorant, for the ignorance is a constant thorn in my side reminding me I’m not the citizen I want to be.  I have learned that I can’t jump straight to the physical acts of making change, unless I thoroughly understand what it is I am changing.  I also can’t try to change one situation unless I understand as much as possible the others systems that surround and interact with that problem.

Once I feel knowledgeable about the problem, I am inspired to see what is already being done (step 2).  I have learned from this class that it is worth investigating the organizations and individuals out there already making change.  I don’t have to go in on a problem alone, and once I find my niche I think I can make the most change from, I can slide into step three.  I have learned that if I want to make change for others, while still maintaining my own health and happiness, I have to use my strengths.  Such as baking for the Chocolate unit, or public speaking for my final project on Love, I have do the sort of activism that feels right to me, even if I have to make up a new way of doing so that has never been done.

Before modern preservation methods such as refrigeration and freeze-drying, drying fruit was a means of preserving fruits for long periods of time – making it a choice food among travelers who needed the nutritional properties of fruits, but also were faced with problems in preventing food from spoiling.  In today’s world, fast and efficient methods of transporting fresh foods have reduced the necessity of dried fruit for much of the world; however a key component of Woolman’s philosophy is making a conscious effort to eat foods that are local and sustainably grown. This puts the school in somewhat of a dilemma during the spring semester when fresh local fruits are not in season and thus in fruit options being limited for the most part to preserves and sauces made with fruits from the orchard, and apples and oranges grown on the other side of the planet. 

The solar dehydrator that I built for my sustainability project seeks to solve this problem by drying fruits which will provide students in future semesters with healthy, delicious and more varied options of fruit.  Although drying fruit with a traditional sun-drying rack has been attempted and failed in the past, I have adapted my design so that rather than using direct solar rays, a dehydrator only uses the heat produced from these rays, making it possible for fruit to be dried even on cloudy days.  Its shape similar to a beehive, my design consists of a wooden box with multiple removable horizontal cloth screens upon which the fruit is placed.  Attached to this box is the solar collector which consists of a ramp-like box with a black painted bottom and a clear glass or plastic top.  The sides of the solar collector adjacent and opposite to the ground are open so as to allow air flow.  The solar dehydrator is based off of the principle that warm air rises – hence the design of the solar collector which forces warm air to flow into the box where the fruit is stored.  Woolman also has a very hot and dry climate which will help speed the drying process immensely. 

Building the sustainability project required a lot of hours, materials, and physical work, and involved its fair share of both trials and tribulations.  Ultimately, the work and dedication paid off and I can say that I am proud of the final product.  My only regret is that I will not be at Woolman at harvest season to enjoy the fruits of my labors.

We had been driving up Highway 1 and getting so carsick that the very thought of the sticky bag of Jelly Belly jelly beans sitting next to me swirled in my head like the concoction I was sure was about to come up. Then, out of the rolling California hills, appeared the Regenerative Design Institute in all its glory!

We were first greeted by James, who toured us around in the hot afternoon sun to see the goats and chickens while answering, as best he could, some of our questions regarding GMOs, food culture, and other environmental issues we had been concerned about.  When we came up to the main house, we were greeted by joyous shouts as James embraced an old friend who visited by surprise. Jacob had heard this man (whose name turned out to be M.Kalani) speak before and so he asked if he might chat with us for a little while. He graciously agreed and so all 23 of us sat down in the grass in the shade of a birch tree and listened as Kalani spoke and sang his truths.

One of the things Kalani taught us is that there is a simple test to check if the person you’re in love with truly loves you back, called The Cookie Rule. The Cookie Rule is in effect when, for example, our loved one opens a sleeve of cookies. If he or she gives the first and last cookie to you, you know it’s real because you should always be the first and last thing on their mind. But, if they don’t, “you should kick them right out of the car without explaining why,” he half joked.  

Turning to a more serious tone, Kalani also spoke of the anti-GMO work he has been doing with young people for many years on the big island of Hawaii. He explained the set up he has created in the middle of a Monsanto GMO corn field where he has an education center for high school students and a garden in which he grows everything except for corn (so he can’t be accused of having stolen Monsanto products).

Something about the pure happenstance of Kalani’s visit (he wasn’t suppose to be there and hadn’t been there for close to a year) rocked me to my core. I took all he said as significant and as an extremely important sign. Besides Kalani’s miraculous visit, the rest of the Regenerative Design Institutes grounds included a giant redwood, that when climbed all the way to the top had a view of the Pacific, a moon tent for women to stay in during their periouds, a fire circle, meeting yurt, and an extensive garden. Though we only spent a few hours there, the people we talked to and things we learned have stayed with me more than almost any other experience of the trip.  

Check out our Press Release for the upcoming weekend's events!

Students from the local Woolman Semester School come to the end of their four month educational program spent studying peace, justice, and sustainability. The public is invited to come see the students present their culminating projects for their Peace Studies and Environmental Science classes the weekend of May 17^th.

A semester program for high school juniors, seniors, and gap year students, who hail from all over the country, Woolman offers the opportunity to learn first hand about social and environmental justice. Three core classes of Global Issues, Peace Studies, and Environmental Studies explorethe interdependence of the political, historical, cultural, and environmental forces that shape the problems our world is facing today.

In each core class students design and carry out a project throughout the semester. “Class projects allow students to engage fully with classroom material and enable them to carry on their activism beyond Woolman,” explains admissions director Emily Wheeler. In addition, class projects embody Woolman’s educational philosophy of teaching through experience and are the main way students take ownership of their education.

On Friday May 17^th at 7pm there will be a screening of peace documentaries, the culminating project for the Peace Studies Class, at the UU Community of the Mountains. The Peace Studies class “examines how we tell stories as a culture and why it matters. We particularly explore how our common cultural narratives can contribute to a climate of violence,” says Peace Studies teacher Grace Oedel. Their ten-minute documentaries enable students to tell stories about our culture in a way that counteracts that climate of violence and builds one of peace.

Documentaries this semester include one on the role of police in our society and another on the Steubenville High School Rape Case. Each documentary incorporate interviews from national and local experts to deepen the audience’s understanding of the issues. All are invited to come see these four thought provoking student-filmed, edited, and directed films!

OnSaturday May 18^th at 9am all are welcome for a tour of the student’s Sustainability projects at the Woolman campus, located off of Jones Bar Road. Throughout the semester the Environmental Science class looks at different environmental issues in today’s world and explores ways to solve them.  The sustainability projects are a way for students to try creative solutions for pressing needs at Woolman.

“Completing their sustainability projects gives students the opportunity to not only leave the legacy of their commitment to the earth for future students but to also learn practical skills that they can implement beyond Woolman,” explains Environmental Studies teacher Jacob Holzberg-Pill. This semester’s projects include a natural dye garden, a solar dehydrator, and a methane bio-digester!

Both events are free and open to the public. Come see Woolman’s unique education at work and what this semester’s students are doing to make a difference! Visit woolman.org for more information.

Over the past week, we have traveled many miles, and learned so many things about food, justice, sustainability, and community. We picked strawberries overlooking the Pacific Ocean while learning about water dependency in coastal California, and supported local economies at the Santa Cruz and Berkeley farmers markets while planning a cohesive feast. We explored the magic of life at the Regenerative Design Institute, and were given a very persuasive lecture about the benefits of genetically modified organisms at the UC Davis labs. At Wolfskill Experimental Orchard, we ate our fill in mulberries while marveling at the potential food supply it could be to the local community.

Strangely, what I’ve been thinking a lot about in the week following this trip is our dependence on sugar. It comes from the tour we took at the Jelly Belly Factory in Davis. It was a fascinating, horrible, amazing and crazy place. I think having spent three to five months prior abstractly considering my sugar intake, reading the book “Sugar Blues”, being counseled by my mother and my dentist, and considering sugar in general. At the Jelly Belly factory we were toured around a large warehouse, where we saw lots of heavy machinery, people working the machinery in white jumpsuits, and lots and lots of sugar! I was surprised and interested when Jacob pointed out to us that all the giant bags of sugar had “Cargill” on it. It was surprising to me that this big company, Jelly Belly, still gets its sugar from an even bigger corporation. It made me sad to see all of the workers who were inside the giant factory listening to loud beeps and clanks all day. And that’s not even going into the political and historical aspects of sugar.

I switched on and off from chanting “Jel-ly Beans! Jel-ly Beans!” and being disgusted and repulsed with American culture. All in all, I really loved this trip and relished the opportunity to look at real life food systems!

photo credit: Haley Jackson