Salish Current
Tribal sovereignty comes slowly to school curriculum
The tribally endorsed, state-mandated curriculum—”Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State”—is gradually making its way into public school classrooms as relationships between school districts and tribes continue to develop. Read more >
Sound Consumer
From seed to sourdough: How one bakery is connecting an island ecosystem
Before the industrialization of agriculture, landrace grains fed the world. Generations of farmers planted seed out, harvested, and planted seed out again. Over time, natural variation and seed exchange created highly diverse, hyper-localized, and inherently resilient populations. Barn Owl Bakery hopes to establish a modern, island-sized version of that world. Read more >
Salish Current
Seed swaps strengthen community and improve produce
Seed swaps—like those that take place at Inspiration Farm in Bellingham, Washington and one long-running event in Whatcom County’s South Fork Valley—are one way to propagate locally adapted seeds, support local food security, and build community. Read more >
Salish Current
Food security requires connection to land, to each other
Feeding communities is particularly challenging in this time of systemic upheaval and uncertainty. Consumers, farmers, policy makers and Indigenous stewards of San Juan County’s food system are relying on connections to meet challenges — connections to the land, and to each other. Read more >
Sound Consumer
Confessions of an incidental vegan
Shortly after my diagnosis, a friend invited me out for happy hour. I contemplated and decided that a menu full of deep-fried bar food was a minefield I wasn’t ready to navigate, even if I would ultimately be able to find choices that met my restrictions. I shrugged: “Sorry, I can’t.” I added, as if an afterthought, “Doctor’s orders.” Read more >
Sound Consumer
Trains, bikes, and sometimes automobiles: Building a carbon budget
I biked to work. I ate a plant-based diet. I opted out of AC and swapped all my light bulbs for LEDs. I was happy enough with my low-impact life. And then I read this: “An American gallon of gasoline corresponds to about 90 tons of plant matter… We are living off a bequest of fossil fuel from epochs before there were humans and even before there were dinosaurs.” Read more >
PCC Community Markets
An apple a day for food system education
Between merchandisers and farmers, stores and nonprofits, staff and customers, collaboration is essential to PCC Community Markets’ triple bottom line. The Farm to School Program is one way the co-op has teamed up with local producers, longtime partners and grassroots organizations since 2013 to meet these goals. Read more >
PCC Community Markets
Planting the seeds for an organically grown future
In 1998, produce merchandiser Joe Hardiman met Tom Lively of Organically Grown Company (OGC) to draw up the foundation for a partnership that would fundamentally change PCC’s ability to provide the Puget Sound region with high-quality, organic produce year-round. Today, that partnership is stronger than ever. Read more >