{"id":12708,"date":"2017-02-03T14:43:37","date_gmt":"2017-02-03T22:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/sustainability\/?p=12708"},"modified":"2017-02-03T20:18:10","modified_gmt":"2017-02-04T04:18:10","slug":"12708","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/sustainability\/2017\/02\/03\/12708\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Sustainable Foods Ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Whisper St. Christopher<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hello Bellevue College!<\/p>\n

Remember when it snowed for the first time this Winter? All pretty and white, and the air had that lovely cold crispness to it\u2026<\/p>\n

Perhaps you went out for an evening stroll as the flurries fell down on your shoulders and caught on the fuzzy bits of your hat. Perhaps you stayed inside and watched the sky from a window, appreciatively snug and toasty. The next morning, lots of us stumbled outside, ice scraper in hand, determined and bundled to near invisibility. (Those of you with 7:30 AM classes, by George I feel for you\u2026)<\/p>\n

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Or, like me, you rolled down the window for a jaunty wave to your boyfriend as you drove off, and then discovered in horror that it would not come back up. What I\u2019m saying here is that we\u2019ve made it through some really cold<\/em> weather this December and January. Thankfully, February is upon us, bringing with it average Bellevue temps between 37 and 51 degrees Fahrenheit. So it\u2019ll be slightly warmer as we zoom toward the middle of the quarter.<\/p>\n

I think one of our most challenging jobs as students can be figuring out how to sustain ourselves in a sustainable way. College pushes us to constantly maintain a high level of functioning ability; this is how we do well academically and simultaneously balance the rest of our lives. It\u2019s difficult to figure out \u2013 lots of us are working things out for the first time on our own \u2013 and adding in the other elements of taking care of our society and our environment while<\/em> taking care of ourselves is a daunting task.<\/p>\n

\"jan2\"<\/p>\n

I admit to struggling with this, but over time I’ve found a few tricks to make things a little easier to sustain myself, sustainably.<\/p>\n

\"Tip<\/p>\n

This seems to be the single most determining factor of how run-down I get during the course of a long day. To keep the cold away, I\u2019ve become a layered clothing fanatic, and shamelessly wear cozy hats and scarves indoors. I\u2019m also a big fan of ginger, which warms you up from the inside out by increasing your circulation. (It\u2019s also anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral, to name but a few of its benefits.)<\/p>\n

\"Ginger<\/p>\n

Recently I\u2019ve been making ginger tea in the mornings: just peel, chop \u2013 I like to matchstick it, like in the upper right hand corner of the photo \u2013 drop into your favorite mug, and then fill with boiling water. On days when I\u2019m feeling especially tired, I make this really strong (2- 3 inches of ginger) and then add some maple syrup to counteract the spice. Lemon juice is a great addition too, if you\u2019re feeling icky.<\/p>\n

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\"Ginger<\/p>\n

Peppermint Tea is another of my favorite hot drinks to bring with me to work and school. It\u2019s non-caffeinated (I know, I know\u2026I\u2019m weird) but I find that caffeine tends to make me more anxious than I already am. Therefore: Stressful Class + Peppermint Tea = Slightly More Optimistic Outlook on Life.<\/p>\n

While we\u2019re on the subject of tea, let\u2019s also discuss the subject of Fair Trade. The tea industry is a massive global industry. As with many other global industries, the planet and the people end up shouldering the externalities for the sake of big business profits. These externalities can be dangerous and irreversible: soil degradation from the chemicals used in agriculture; death from hazardous working conditions; needless suffering from scant wages that don\u2019t cover even the basic necessities of life.<\/p>\n