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Findings

By: Devon Reynolds

If you’re reading this blog, you may already know about food waste. Estimates put between 30 and 50 percent of all food produced annually in the US into the trash, whether it rots in the fields or at the bottom of your fridge. Meanwhile, 14% of households in the US are food insecure.

Boulder Food Rescue (BFR) has been connecting these dots here on the Front Range, delivering food that would otherwise be thrown away by grocery stores and restaurants to communities that have organized its distribution to their food-insecure members. With organizations like BFR and Community Food Share working on food recovery in the city, Boulder is looking to buck the trend and get food going into mouths instead of dumps. The question remains: how much farther do we have to go?

The Boulder Food Rescue, in collaboration with researchers at CU Boulder, recently released the findings from their study, the City of Boulder Food Waste Audit in order to answer that question. The study assesses the impact of current food recovery operations in Boulder; perceptions of food donation among city grocery stores, restaurants, and cafés; and the potential for rerouting more food away from the trash and onto the table.

The Food Waste Audit shows that BFR recovered over 300,000 pounds of food in 2014, an amount that has only grown since that year. That sounds like a big number, but the audit findings show that the grocery stores and restaurants not yet collaborating with BFR could more than quadruple it. The study found that the six non-participating grocery store could add more than 210,000 pounds of food to recovery efforts, and non-participating restaurants could add up to 1.2 million pounds.

According to the Food Waste Audit, “…even with conservative estimates, there is likely more than enough good food being discarded in Boulder and Broomfield counties to meet the caloric needs of all of the food-insecure individuals in the area.” Now that is a powerful incentive for area food retailers to get on board with BFR.

Aside from non-participation, the Food Waste Audit survey of food retail employees showed that even participating stores and restaurants might be able to donate more food. Grocery store employees expressed concern about liability issues related to the quality of the food being donated, while restaurant employees said that most waste was the result of consumer choices. These two issues prevent perfectly good food from making it into BFR ’s bike trailers—but that is a topic for our next foray into the Food Waste Audit.

Come back soon to the BFR blog for more info on the Food Waste Audit, or get your very own copy today.  Don’t forget, we’re always looking for your help, so if you’d like to lend a hand, click here to donate or get involved. Until next time!

By Devon Reynolds, Attendee

Last Saturday, arriving by bus and train and foot, people from all over the front range gathered for the Forward Food Summit, risking soaked socks and slipping ires in the forewarned return of winter. When I arrived at the Mercury Cafe, the air already buzzed with excited murmurs as, wet boots squeaking and noses sniffling, concerned citizens gathered to share tales of battle and redemption; to break bread with comrades; to dream a future as a community. The Food Rescue Alliance and their guest speakers hosted “conversations on food and economic justice” without shrinking from the immense complexity of the systems that affect health and wealth in Colorado. The entire affair went off in truly epic style.

The first collaborative Front Range Forward Food Summit, this year’s event brought attendees from Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs, and other cities in the region. In six sessions, speakers and audience addressed together issues ranging from wage inequality to corporate food retail.  Laura from the Community Language Cooperative helped warm up the day’s discussion with an anti-oppression workshop. Placing a garbage can at the front of the room, she asked each audience member to try to throw a balled up piece of paper into the can—without moving from our seats. The physical representation of privilege—some were so close to the can they could not miss, while others sat so far they could not see the target—got people talking about the challenges created by real-world inequality.

For me, one highlight of the Summit was the Living Wage Panel, facilitated by Asia Dorsey of Five Points Fermentation. Dorsey kicked off the panel with a question so fundamental to justice work, and yet so often unaddressed: “Why should we care about the wages of other people?” The panelists, Nikhil Mankekar, an organizer in Boulder, and Maggie Gomez of 9 to 5 Colorado, have both centered their work on caring about fair payment of employees. They fired back powerful responses. To Gomez, the reason for her passion is simple: “If you work forty hours a week, you should be able to feed yourself,” she said.

The speakers at the Summit represented micro-businesses, nonprofits, youth groups, cooperatives, and corporations, a cross-section of the communities affected by food and economic justice. But a chilling moment came when one of the speakers asked how many people in the audience lived in a food desert. Only a few hands rose. It brought into my mind the question of what must be done to bring more of those voices into the room. They are vital to an understanding of the full scope and impact of the food and economic systems we seek to change.

Nevertheless, the day can be summed up in the words of one of the representatives of a group of women starting a food-related micro-business in Globeville and Elyria-Swansea [translated from Spanish]: “We all come from different backgrounds. We all have different capabilities. But we also all have dreams.” The speakers and attendees of the Forward Food Summit dared to speak many ambitious dreams on Saturday. I hope they flourish through our actions as we move Forward from this inspiring weekend.

 

By Nina Holtz

1 in 5 transgender people have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives. 1 in 8 have been evicted due to identifying as transgender. An estimate of 41% of trans people have attempted suicide in their lifetime. Trans folks of color are 6 times more likely to experience physical violence when interacting with the police than white, cisgender people. Twenty-two trans women of color were murdered in 2015. It is imperative for cisgender people to work alongside trans folks to combat transphobia in the United States.

There’s a multitude of resources out there about working to become a better ally to trans folks. These are some guidelines are from MIT’s “[email protected]” publication.

“Don’t assume you can tell if someone is transgender. Transgender and transsexual people don’t all look a certain way or come from the same background, and many may not appear “visibly trans.” Indeed, many trans people live most of their lives with very few people knowing their trans status.

Don’t make assumptions about a trans person’s sexual orientation. Gender identity is different than sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is about who we’re attracted to. Gender identity is about how we know our own gender. Trans people can identify as gay, straight, bisexual, or asexual.

Be careful about confidentiality, disclosure, and “outing.” Some trans people feel comfortable disclosing their trans status to others, and some do not. Knowing a trans person’s status is personal information and it is up to them to share it with others. Do not casually share this information, or “gossip” about a person you know or think is trans. Not only is this an invasion of privacy, it also can have negative consequences in a world that is very intolerant of gender difference—trans people can lose jobs, housing, friends, and sadly have even been killed upon revelation of their trans status.

Understand the differences between “coming out” as lesbian, bisexual, or gay (LBG) and “coming out” as trans. Unlike “coming out” in a LBG context, where the act of disclosing one’s sexuality reveals a “truth” about that person’s sexual orientation, disclosing one’s trans status often has the opposite effect. That is, when a person “comes out” as trans, the listener often assumes the “truth” about the trans person is that they are somehow more fundamentally a member of their birth sex, rather than the gender/sex they have chosen to live in. In other words, sometimes “coming out” makes it more difficult for a trans person to be fully recognized as the sex/gender they are living in.

Do not tolerate anti-trans remarks or humor in public spaces. Consider strategies to best confront anti-trans remarks or jokes in your classroom, lab, office, living group, or organization. Seek out other allies who will support you in this effort.

If you don’t know what pronouns to use, ask. Be polite and respectful when you ask a person which pronoun they prefer. Then use that pronoun and encourage others to do so. Be patient with a person who is questioning their gender identity. A person who is questioning their gender identity might shift back and forth as they find out what identity and/or gender presentation is best for them. They might, for example, choose a new name or pronoun, and then decide at a later time to change the name or pronoun again. Do your best to be respectful and use the name and/or pronoun requested.

Don’t try to tell a person what “category” or “identity” they fit into. Do not apply labels or identities to a person that they have not chosen for themselves. If a person is not sure of which identity or path fits them best, give them the time and space to decide for themselves.

Don’t assume what path a trans person is on regarding surgery or hormones, and don’t privilege one path over another. Affirm the many ways all of us can and do transcend gender boundaries, including the choices some of us make to use medical technology to change our bodies. Some trans people wish to be recognized as their gender of choice without surgery or hormones; some need support and advocacy to get respectful medical care, hormones, and/or surgery.

Don’t ask a trans person what their “real name” is. For some trans people, being associated with their birth name is a tremendous source of anxiety, or it is simply a part of their life they wish to leave behind. Respect the name a trans person is currently using.

Don’t ask about a trans person’s genitals or surgical status. Think about it—it wouldn’t be considered appropriate to ask a non-trans person about the appearance or status of their genitalia, so it isn’t appropriate to ask a trans person that question either. Likewise, don’t ask if a trans person has had “the surgery.” If a trans person wants to talk to you about such matters, let them bring it up.

Don’t ask a trans person how they have sex. Similar to the questions above about genitalia and surgery—it wouldn’t be considered appropriate to ask a non-trans person about how they have sex, so the same courtesy should be extended to trans people.

Don’t police public restrooms. Recognize that gender variant people may not match the little signs on the restroom door—or your expectations! Encourage schools, businesses and agencies to have unisex bathroom options, and offer to accompany a trans person to the bathroom, in a “buddy system,” so they are less vulnerable.

Don’t just add the “T” without doing work. “LBGT” is now a commonplace acronym that joins lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender under the same umbrella. To be an ally to trans people, gays, lesbians and bisexuals need to examine their own gender stereotypes, their own prejudices and fears about trans people, and be willing to defend and celebrate trans lives.

Know your own limits as an ally. Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know everything! When dealing with a trans person who may have sought you out for support or guidance, be sure to point that person to appropriate resources when you’ve reached the limit of your knowledge or ability to handle the situation. It is better to admit you don’t know something than to provide information that may be incorrect or hurtful.

Listen to trans voices. The best way to be an ally is to listen with an open mind to trans people themselves. They are the experts on their own lives! Talk to trans people in your community. Consult the reading and film lists of this Allies Toolkit to find out where to learn more about trans lives.”

– [email protected] Allies Toolkit – Action Tips for Allies of Trans People

 

Find the original document here.

 

Have your organization get a LGBTQ inclusivity training from Out Boulder!

Further Reading:

Stop Trans Murders

http://www.pride.com/lgbt/2016/3/21/11-cisgender-privileges-you-didnt-know-you-had

http://www.bustle.com/articles/76762-11-ways-to-be-a-trans-ally-according-to-transgender-people-themselves

Trans 101

https://community.pflag.org/document.doc?id=904

Trans 101

By Nina Holtz

On Dec 10th, 2015, US House Representative Chellie Pingree introduced House Bill 4184, the Food Recovery Act. A couple of representatives from Boulder Food Rescue and other partners drafted a letter on behalf of food rescuers and food waste reduction activists in Colorado who firmly support this proposal.

If you’d like to learn more, please check out their letter of support here. To stay tuned with the progress of the bill, you can visit this website.

Inspired? 

Take Action! Reach out to Jared Polis and sign the petition! 

 

By Michael Benko, former Volunteer Coordinator

It has been only ten short days since my technical departure from BFR, but I figured a small notice was in order. And so, here it goes.

Working with BFR for the past year has been, simply put, one of the best experiences of my life. And I mean that. I could go into why, personally, I found such a comfortable home with our bikes, trailers, and mission, but suffice to say that I find it rare to engage with an experience that one can truly grab ahold of. It’s not a matter of running through a motion, but feeling and acknowledging the give and take of the past year of my involvement. Avid fixed gear riders, cinema enthusiasts, poets, foodies, and anyone who has ever felt lit up when their recipient is truly thankful and excited for your delivery will know what I’m grasping at. I guess, in a word, it is passion. BFR is not simply about moving food; we are weaving a new kind of connection in our community, and food is simply the language we are using. We are doing our best to push back against the expectations of what is possible to be accomplished with our time, our experiences, and our bicycles. We are friends. We are cyclists. We care about so many real things, and we are making a difference.

This being said, I want to take a moment to personally thank a lot of people who were important to me in this organization. First and foremost, to my dearest rock solid volunteers who know how to schedule absences, but rarely do, and hold shifts down as strong as roofing nails would; your undaunted resolution to food justice, and your/our bicycle’s, is the glory of any volunteer coordinator and you are the spokes that hold our wheels together. Thank you. Moreover, if you ever covered a shift when I asked (despite the cold or the heat or the fact that I actually needed you to cover two shifts that were right next to each other), then I offer my utmost thanks to you. Even being clear about your schedule, saying no, or communicating at all meant the world, and without your dedication to the last-minute shift-cover this organization would be in big trouble. Our maintenance team is certainly part of this group, and knows even more about the last-minute repairs we’ve had to do to keep things rolling; your knowledge, tools, and time are invaluable. Our donors deserve some kind of honorable mention; I’m positive we’re as nice as possible (and in some cases gently forward), and obviously we have nothing to do if they have nothing for us. Finally, our BFR staff has been at the forefront of all of this. How could I have had any experience worth having if it weren’t for our weird schedules, off-beat humor, support, and energy? You all are the foundation of my past year, and it has been an absolute honor and pleasure.

Some of you who bothered to read this fall into many of these categories, and I know that you know that you do. You are the best. You are inspiring. You are the reason humanity continues without starving itself out. You are the reason I can look around me and say there remains inspiring people in this world doing inspiring work worth something. I am unbelievably grateful to have spent time with all of you and I cannot wait until my path returns to Boulder and I can pick up my own shift again; rejoining the cavalry of couriers we are, who ride into the snowy horizon one pedal stroke at a time. These two words can’t communicate the feelings I have, but I also can’t write a novel so: thank you. For everything.

-Benko

 

We love you, Benko!