Vote Anna-Ruth #1 for ASUCD Senator Winter 2011

My name is Anna-Ruth Crittenden, and I am running for ASUCD Senate.

I am an independent candidate, and have been working to build my campaign by looking to various entities on campus such as the Multicultural Center, the Women’s Resource and Research center, and the cooperative student living communities. I have attended the 2 public forums concerning the tri-coops and the domes, and am aware of the challenges facing the residents, as well as student housing’s stance in the coming transitional phase.

As senator, I hope to alter the food system on campus by advocating for a student-run food cooperative on campus, that would provide the student body with the opportunity to be more intimately involved with their food. I am passionate about food sovereignty, and I believe that locally-sourced food that is ethically grown is very beneficial to communities. The opening of the new food pantry in lower freeborn indicates a significant need on campus to provide students with affordable (in this case free) food. I have been involved with Cofed (www.cofed.org), an organization which supports students with the resources they need, to open student-run cooperative cafes on campuses all over the nation. Through Cofed (Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive) I have participated in the following workshops: finances and accounting, grantwriting, media relations, fundraising, and concept design.

If elected as ASUCD Senator, I will work to promote healthy, dynamic communities. This includes working in coordination with such student organizations as Project Compost, which empowers students to take charge of their food waste, and turn it into vital nutrients for the soil.

We are living in extraordinary times, in which the reality of climate change is putting pressure on us to adapt to rapid changes. In order to ensure that healthy, dynamic communities continue, I am a strong advocate for the cooperative communities on campus, specifically the Tri-Coops and the Domes. As senator, I hope to open new channels of dialogue between these entities, the administration, and the surrounding Davis communities in order to ensure their longevity and continued support through ASUCD.

Lastly, as Senator I hope to support creative, experiential spaces on campus. This includes advocacy for AS Papers, Associated Students Providing Alternative Publications Equal Resources, which currently lacks the support it needs to thrive. I am a strong advocate for experiential learning, because it is a chance to put thoughts and passions generated in the classroom into actual hands-on work. I have volunteered at the Student Farm, which I believe is an invaluable resource on our campus, because it provides students with a unique yet critical chance to participate in our food systems here on campus. To me, supporting creative spaces on campus means acting in coordination with various creative campus entities such as the Craft Center, the Experimental College, Sickspits Poetry Collective, the Whole Earth Festival, the Technocultural Studies Department, and KDVS90.3fm freeform radio.

As an ASUCD Senator, I will bring a new voice to the Senate, and would be honored to serve the UC Davis student body in the above specified ways.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Fun Home Recipes: Lets Get Cookin!

How to make Flax Seed Oil, in your own home!

Step one.
Go to your local health food store, and purchase some flax seeds. If your health food store doesn't have any, then you can order some online right here
Step two.
Place the seeds into a small-medium sized saucepan and let simmer at very low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally either with your hand or with a wooden spoon (metal and plastic spoons should be avioded)
Step three.
Let cool for 20-30 minutes, and you should notice that the flax seeds have attained a slightly mucous-like texture, and that the seeds are at the bottom, while the oil is on top

Enjoy your homemade flax seed oil and share this recipe with your friends!
Read more about flaxseeds here

Genie's After Dinner Sunflower seed desert

Ever get that feeling after dinner that you want just a little bit more food?
Try this easy sunflower seed snack!

Step one.
Put 4 tbsp oil (olive, flax, canola) in a pan, turn on the heat medium high
Step two.
Place into the pan 2-3 tbsp brown sugar or honey. Let heat for 1-2 minutes
Step three.
Add in 1-2 cups roasted sunflower seeds. These are pretty easily purchased in most grocery stores, and sometimes even at gas stations
Step four.
Continuously stir the sunflower seeds into the honey or sugar for 3-4 minutes, or until the mixture is a nice golden brown
The snack is ready to be snacked on, so feel free to try out your creation
Also consider serving over yoghurt, the combination of the hot sunflower seeds against the cold yoghurt creates a pleasant culinary experience

Monday, February 28, 2011

Back in the cycle, will we learn from history this time?

Davis Wiki Events Page

    Public Forum on Food Harvesting and Distribution in Davis

    Time: 1:00 PM (US/Pacific)
    Location: Davis Public Library Blanchard Community Room

    http://scc.losrios.edu/~waxmanr/Davis%20Enterprise%20Article.png

    Many of you found out about the broccoli grown for academic purposes at UC Davis through the Davis Enterprise , on CBS13, over the KDVS90.3fm interview, via email, or you heard about it through a friend. I was excited by the inundation of phone calls and emails from people interested in continuing to harvest on Friday January 28th. Unfortunately, our efforts were suddenly canceled.

    
On Friday morning, the Principle Agricultural Superintendent of the broccoli field informed me that the broccoli was gone: it had been chopped down by a tractor the day before. I am confused as to why my school did what it did. They told me “the weather conditions were perfect” to go in and destroy the broccoli, but they knew about the community movement to harvest through the various media outlets. They knew that there were dozens of people planning to help harvest the food, in an effort to feed themselves and others. The Food Bank offered to wait for our donation Friday afternoon before closing for the weekend, and many other social services were on stand-by to receive and re-distribute hundreds of pounds of fresh produce.

    
I understand that the easy choice would be to just let this go, to keep quiet about this as Ag Superintendent asked me to, and to go back to my life as a 2nd year student at UC Davis. The bigger and scarier challenge is to be a productive citizen of this progressive community— one that assists in the distribution of fresh food to those who need it the most. Why doesn't UC Davis have an program in place that distributes acres and acres of food grown for academic purposes?

    
I would like to facilitate a public forum regarding the many acres of unconsumed fresh food in Davis, so that food is not wasted, but rather is made available for those who need it the most.

    
If you are interested in contributing ideas and/ or taking action, please join us on Sunday February 27 from 1-2:30pm at the Davis Public Library Blanchard Community Room 


    For more information or questions contact me, Anna-Ruth Crittenden at arcrittenden@ucdavis.edu

    Davis Enterprise Article: [WWW]http://search.davisenterprise.com/display.php?id=73351

    KDVS90.3fm Radio Interview: [WWW]http://169.237.101.62/archives/2011-01-27_1576_192kbps.mp3

    (Posted by annaruth)

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Vote Broccoli

Oh, hello!
Well, today was a great day because for many reasons, including this article in the Aggie, our fine campus newspaper, which covers the Great Broccoli Harvest and its aftermath from back in January. Here is a shot of the broccoli field, before it all got destroyed.







This picture was taken by Stephanie Anderson, on her handy dandy iPhone











I just want to say thanks to the Aggie for publishing the article about the broccoli, because the importance of the issue has not disappeared 2 weeks later.

Many people who have been in contact with me first heard about the broccoli through this Davis Enterprise article, which was published the day after we harvested hundreds of pounds of broccoli.

This is the picture on the front page of the Davis Enterprise article on January 27th, showing Kase and I in the broccoli field, the day before it all got destroyed

Voting begins tomorrow, and before go, I just want to say that although the Aggie did not endorse me, Suzanne Lewis just published this Davis Voice article, which pretty much says it all.

If I have learned one thing from this whole process:
its about the journey, not the destination.




Saturday, February 12, 2011

AGTV Ad

This AGTV Ad was made on Monday, February 7th in the AGTV studio.


Thanks to Enosh Baker and Stephanie Anderson, who accompanied me and helped me rehearse all of the lines. After rehearsing a couple times, we were able to make it happen when the camera started rolling.

CoHo Debate

On Wednesday, February 9th, was the CoHo debate, a chance for the candidates to go public for the first time. The Aggie wrote this piece on the debate, a short rendition of the many questions that were asked.


















The debate was the first chance I had to go public with the campaign and the platform issues I am passionate about.
It was also a chance to experience what it would be like to sit at the senate table, as a public figure.

Thanks, Jeremy Raff of the Aggie, for the photos.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

What we believe/ hope to achieve

So today was a very special day, because the mission statement for the SRA has been released!
I know I was very inspired to read it out loud in class today, and so here it is:

"The Sustainable Research Area (SRA) provides hands-on, experiential living and learning opportunities in sustainability and participatory democracy in order to imagine, foster, and develop ecologically and socially just communities. It is broadly structured to allow students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to plan, design, build, live in, and modify elements related to the natural and built environment, while also researching and critically reflecting on these processes.

The SRA is committed to and encourages multiple ways of knowing with the hopes of transforming human and human-environment relationships by creating communities where all human and nonhuman resources are valued to their fullest extent. The SRA is a touchstone for sustainability visioning on the UCD campus, reflecting the interests and will of the student body, nurtured and encouraged by the administration, educators and global society."



Thursday, February 3, 2011

KDVS90.3fm Interview

On Thursday January 27, I had an interview with KDVS90.3fm Freeform Radio. As a guest on "Swamp Bass", Charmin Ultra and I discuss broccoli harvesting, efforts to start the Davis Student Food Collective, as well as my campaign efforts for ASUCD.
My segment does not begin until about an hour in
Follow this link to listen to the interview


Monday, January 31, 2011

Getting to know your possible future senator

I am a 2nd year Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning major. Last quarter (Fall 2010), I spent 3 months in Bolivia and Peru, with a study abroad program called "Where There Be Dragons".Peculiar name, right?
Well, in ancient times, when the world was being explores and the mapmakers had drawn to the extent that they knew, a dragon would be drawn beyond known lands, and they would say 'Thats where there be Dragons'

In the Andes and the Amazon rainforest, I stayed with various indigenous communities, participating in a way of life very different from what I had known living in the U.S.


Holding a mango and a banana plant, exploring the Bolivian Amazon has never been more thrilling.

My time in South America taught me that relating to people is the most important way to interact with the world, much more than the virtual dream we may be caught up in as a generation.

Studying and traveling, I focused a lot of my efforts on an Independent Study Project, which I centered around food and agricultural practices in the Andes and Amazon, in a critical analysis of food as the main building block of community.


I'd like to bring to the senate the same energy and enthusiasm that I brought to my time in the Andes Mountains and the Amazon Rainforest.























Empowering Students Through Food

Ava Lorraine and I made this video in Spring of 2010, shortly after I had first heard about Cofed, which seeks to provide support to students who want to start cooperative food cafes on their own university campus.