Buffalo Green Code Meetings this week!

Now is the time to get involved! We have been talking for months about the City of Buffalo's overhaul of the current zoning code. The public participation meetings are happening this week!

You can attend any of the three meetings - doesn't matter where you live - just go to the one that fits best with your schedule.

HKHC has prepared a flyer that helps to explain a bit about the Green Code process. Click here and you can download the flyer!

What is Zoning?

Some of you may be asking yourselves why zoning matters to you. The following is an excerpt from the City of Buffalo's Green Code website:

"A zoning Ordinance is a document containing rules, requirements and standards that guide and direct the use of structures and land, and the form and location of structures in a manner that carries out the policies of the Comprehensive Plan. It determines whether the design and use of neighboring buildings complement each other or conflict with each other. It determines whether the places that people live, work and play are clustered together or separated from each other. It determines the process through which change occurs and whether these changes happen in a manner equally transparent and predictable for the developers of land and residents of the neighborhoods in which they develop."

For those of us interested in health - zoning can support healthy neighborhood design. It can support the inclusion of grocery stores, parks and community centers. On the flip side, it can exclude or limit the number of unhealthy uses like liquor stores and fast food restaurants.

Tonight is the first Green Code meetings - come out and show your support for healthy community planning! Check out the Buffalo Green Code website at www.buffalogreencode.com for location and time information - or see the previous posts! See you tonight!

2nd Policy Brief released today!

The second policy brief was released today by the HKHC assessment team from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University at Buffalo. This brief outlines the food system in the City of Buffalo.

What is a food system? The food system includes the production of food (farms, gardens, etc.), processing (canning, wrapping, etc.), transporting the food, distribution (grocery stores, corner markets, farmers markets, etc.) and food disposal (waste).

The policy brief also shows what neighborhoods look like around schools in terms of food access - what can students get within a five minute walk from their school?

Check out the policy brief below or download it here!

Great Youth Turnout at Buffalo Green Code Meetings!

During the week of November 15th, the City of Buffalo held three public meetings to discuss the planning of the new Buffalo Green Code - an overhaul of the existing zoning code and the development of a new land use plan for the city. The meetings were informative and interactive - allowing participants to share information about the places they liked and disliked in the city - giving the planning department and the consultants a good idea about what we value in our city.

There was a great youth turnout! At both the Tuesday and Wednesday meetings, youth 19 and under made up 10% of the participants! Middle school and high school students turned out with friends and family to share their views on what matters most to them.

For now, the consultants will take the information that they heard and continue to work with stakeholders in the community. Another round of public meetings will take place in the spring - we hope to see even more families and youth participating in the next round!

Photos courtesy of Erin Sharkey and the Massachusetts Avenue Project.

New Active Living Policy in Buffalo!

Active living advocates released
the report Healthy City on
the Great Lakes. The report includes information about the current conditions in Buffalo including current behaviors and perceptions about walking and bicycling. The report is full of information about who we are as a city, what our city looks like for pedestrians and cyclists, and how our policies and neighborhoods either help or hinder our ability to be active. The report also included a list of recommendations that can help the City become more friendly for active living.

The report was created by a team of partners - all of which are members of the HKHC partnership. The team includes Michael Ball (Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.), Justin Booth (Green Options, Buffalo), Kailee Neuner (University at Buffalo), and Samina Raja (University at Buffalo).

Recently, HKHC partners presented the report to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board. The Board drafted a resolution, that was sent to the Common Council, calling on the Council to adopt the Healthy City report as an addendum to the City's comprehensive plan. I am very happy to report that on November 16, 2010, the Buffalo Common Council unanimously voted to adopt the report. The adopted policy "authorizes all future steps to amend the city's comprehensive plan to improve the health and quality of life for Buffalo's residents."

This is a huge win for Buffalo! We should all get on our bikes and go for a celebratory ride! Stay tuned for more good news soon.

Youth Training Announced for Green Code Meetings

The next round of Green Code meetings has been announced! The meetings will take place between Monday, February 28th and Saturday, March 5th. Check out the map to find the meeting closest to you!

HKHC Buffalo has been working closely with its partners to determine the best ways to get Buffalo youth out to the meetings. We have met with many community groups and youth leadership groups - including the Buffalo Public Schools Inter-High Council - to talk about the importance of the youth voice at the Green Code meetings.

Our youth representatives, Adriana and Robert, told us that students will need some help finding their voice around issues of land use and zoning. When we asked how, they responded that a youth-led training could help students find buddies to attend the meeting with, learn about land use and create talking points so they could convey a clear message. We listened.

A free training for Buffalo youth interested in participating in the Green Code meetings will take place this Thursday, February 24th from 5:00 - 8:00 pm. Dinner will be provided to all attendees, and the training is open to middle- and high-school students. The meeting will take place at the Innovation Center at 640 Ellicott Street.

We know school is out this week - and that students are excited for time off and families are relaxing together. We have worked with the youth leaders to make this training fun - and students can count the meeting attendance toward their community service requirement! Plus, participating in the Green Code process is too important to pass up. We need to hear from youth and their families about what they want most out of their city.

RSVP for the training to Erin at 882-5327 or sharkey@mass-ave.org. You can download the flyer here. See you there!

REVIEW and GIVEAWAY-Childrens Books

ENDED-WINNER WILL BE POSTED ON FRIDAY

This Little Prayer of Mine

I wanted to share a little about a couple books I received. An author named Anthony Destefano contacted me in regards to reviewing his new children's book a couple years ago. I have to be honest and say I was a little hesitant at first b/c I was not sure where he found me, but it was totally a God thing. He turned out to be a christian author and his new children's book is titled This Little Prayer of Mine. He has also written other christian books for adults such as Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To and A Travel Guide To Heaven. He had no idea I was so involved with ministries where I am surrounded by families, mothers and LOTS of children; by me previously working at a preschool at a local church, being on the steering team of a local MOPS group and also working in children's ministry at my own home church, I have many opportunities to share this wonderful book with hundreds of people. Not to mention I am a mom of three young children and an aunt too. This book is absolutely amazing and we read it all the time...my children have grown to love it in the few days we have had it in our hands and they can relate to the children in the book as well. This book helps children understand how important it is to have a close relationship with God and how you can always turn to him in prayer. It takes praying to another level and that you an pray for everything not just things or people. The illustrations are really adorable as well. The rhyming is lots of fun for my children and I am sure lots of other children out there as well. This book begins with:

I know you're up in heaven, God,

and can hear my voice from there.

I'm just a little child.

Will you answer my short prayer?

God is always there, no matter how old we are and this book helps show that to even the youngest of children. I have read this to my MOPS group and there were quite a few moms in tears...including me!!

Little Star-Awarded the Moms Choice Award

Anthony sent me his newest children's book this past Christmas called Little Star-it is yet another amazing book that has become a huge favorite in our house.  This story connects the star at the top of our christmas trees each year to the star in the sky for the true meaning of Christmas and the birth of Jesus.

I am so excited to be able to share both of these books with one lucky reader/follower of our blog.  

Here is how to enter-Up to three chances per person:

Become a follower of our blog-if you already follow leave a comment and let us know

Become a fan of US on Facebook-leave us a comment to let us know

Become a fan of Anthony Destefano on Facebook and leave a comment to let him know we sent you-leave us a comment here to let us know you did.

Enter now through May 23rd

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

When cooking/baking I try to use as many organic ingredients as possible. ENJOY!!

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE PUDDING

1/2 c. cocoa
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. powdered milk
1/2 tsp. salt
4 c. water
4 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 tbsp. butter
Mix first 6 ingredients together. Cook in microwave stirring every once in a while until thick.
When done, add vanilla and butter.

CHOCOLATE CREAM PUDDING
 Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in milk and chocolate. Cook, stirring constantly, until chocolate melts and mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in egg yolks. Return to heat and cook 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Chill before serving.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Cream-Pudding/Detail.aspx

Chicken Lasagna Florentine-Slow Cooker Recipe!

I have made this before for dinner...yummy and easy!!!

2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 (10¾ oz) cans of cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/3 cup chopped onion
8 oz container of sour cream
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella cheese
lasagna noodles
cooking spray

Mix the first 10 ingredients in a bowl

Spray slow cooker really well and layer noodles, mixture and mozzarella cheese and repeat until mixture is gone
**Helps if you break the noodles in half when layering them in the slow cooker.

Cook for 1 hr on high and the 4-5 hours(or until noodles are done) on low

Linking to:

Positive Changes

I have such a passion for passing on what I have learned to my mommy clients to help them make the entire family healthier.  Last week, one of my clients totally made my day, now this may not be as exciting to you, but to me, it was one more step in the right direction as a family to become healthier.  I simply shared with my client that I used a shaker cup for my shakes when I'm on the go and how easy it was.  She picked one up, and the kids were amazed by it.  There was nothing special about the cup, well maybe to a kid, it had a wisk ball in it.  So my mommy client decided to take advantage of the awesomeness this shaker cup had.  She told her 2 children that it was only for healthy drinks, meaning water and the meal replacement shakes.  The kids totally ran with it, and are now drinking more water on a daily basis than ever before!  Normally, they would not of drank water, it would of been juice or something along those lines.  To see a mommy so happy she has her kids drinking more water and less sugary drinks was a blessing to me.  By helping one mommy with her fitness and nutriton habits, I have been able to slowly help transform a family.  She has gone from a mommy that would sit at the park while the kids played, to now she is out running around with them climbing through tunnels.  When I hear things like this, I know I have made a difference in not only her life, but in our kids. 
What a lesson I learned, we dont have to be the strict parent that says now we have to do this, find a creative way to make it a fun and interesting change, and it will be a lasting one.  You will be surprised at how fast one little change will snowball into many more.

Homemade Applesauce-Crockpot Recipe

 

8-10 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1/2 cup water

1/2-3/4 cup sugar depending on kind of apples you use...I only used about 1/4 cup cup sugar and it was great.

Mix all ingredients in crockpot, cook on low for 4-6 hours

ENJOY!!!

Linking to:

Great Turnout at the Youth Ambassador Training!

Around 30 Buffalonians came out for the Youth Ambassador Training last Thursday at the Innovation Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. HKHC Buffalo and the Massachusetts Avenue Project worked with local high school students to plan and run a meeting that prepared young people in Buffalo to participate in the city's Green Code Process.

The training included land use planning activities, including a map activity that allowed the students to design their own city. Students were given a quick crash-course in land use and zoning - then given maps to design a city that they would want to live in.

Other activities included P/P/P - Policy, Program, Project. This activity helped students to understand the difference between the three, and narrowed their focus for what the Green Code meetings would be about.

Finally, students drafted their own talking points for the Green Code meetings. They asked themselves what is good about my neighborhood? What should change? Each student committed to going to at least one meeting, and found partners that were attending the same meeting. Students were able to create an accountability network to motivate and support each other at the meetings.

A big thank you to the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo for supporting the youth training. And thanks to all the great youth that came out! We hope to see all of Buffalo at the Green Code meetings!

Amazing Videos - Vote today (and everyday until 6/26)!

Two of our partners – Green Options Buffalo and the Massachusetts Avenue Project – have entered videos into the GrowWNY video contest. The prize is a much-needed ,000. Please vote for our partners at the Facebook pages below. You can vote for two a day – perfect since we have two partners entered!

Please show your support – and share with your friends and colleagues. Get out the vote!


Green Options – Why I ride
VOTE!
http://apps.facebook.com/contestshq/contests/79940/voteable_entries/23324988?ogn=facebook




MAP – Green Thumb-It’s Catching On:
VOTE!
http://apps.facebook.com/contestshq/contests/79940/voteable_entries/23393978?ogn=facebook

Choosing Personal Care Products Without Harmful Chemicals

Do you know most personal care products (hair care, body care, baby products etc.) have toxic chemicals? Many of these chemicals have been linked to diseases like Cancer, Autism, Attention Hyper-Active Disorder, Obesity etc.


Products labeled "organic", "natural" and "safe" can still contain toxic chemicals.





Go to the Environmental Working Group's http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ to see how your products rate. If your product isn't found, you will have to look up each ingredient. It may take a long time.

Lunch in a Box

I have to be honest and have to say I am in a lunch rut with my kiddos and lunches for school.  I know we are at the end of the school year but they still have to eat over the summer and we will be packing lunches for zoo outings, VBS, and of course the neighborhood pool.  So I decided to do a little research and come up with some fun and different lunch ideas.  I came across the idea of "lunch in a box"-a bento lunchbox that is.  If you have ever been to a Japanese restaurant they serve bento box meals and they are really neat...everything has it's own little place.  Here are some recipes and tips for filling up your bento boxes for your kiddos.  I also picked up a book at Kohls last week for that is filled with new and fresh ideas for kids lunches.

Photo courtesy of www.laptoplunches.com

Lunch in a Box-Top Tips

Lunch in a Box-Recipes

Creative and Healthy Lunch Ideas

Just Bento

Parenting.com Bento Lunch Box Ideas

Where to buy bento lunch boxes:

Laptop Lunches

Linking to:

Cities battling sweetened beverages...

Here are some recent interesting articles about the challenges and opportunities of policies directed at reducing excess sugar consumption by targeting sweetened beverages...

LA Unified Removes Flavored Milk From Menus - LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lausd-milk-20110615,0,4882897.story

City Council souring on Nutter Plan to tax sweet drinks - Philly.com

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/city/20110615_City_Council_souring_on_Nutter_plan_to_tax_sweet_drinks.html

The Proposed Tax on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages - Vermont Public Radio

(4 part radio show debating the issue from both sides)

http://www.vpr.net/episode/50634/

Check out the 2011 HKHC Annual Meeting presentations...

The Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Annual Meeting took place on June 1-3. Check out the presentations and see what other sites have going on!

2011 HKHC Annual Meeting Website (click here)

Sunscreens 2011

I posted a few weeks back about this same subject here but just wanted to post the new updated list for the 2011 Sunscreen List.  EWG's Skin Deep Database is a wonderful tool for checking out the products we use on a daily basis on our own skin and our kids.  It is very alarming to find out what is really in your shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc...  This new list for sunscreens was just posted within the last week so it is the most up to date list out there...it gives you all the necessary info to choose the best and safest sunscreen for your self and your family. 

 

Best Sunscreens

Hall Of Shame

Please take the time and search out your preferred sunscreens and see how they compare.

And the Winner is... and Some Catching Up To Do

The winner for our childrens book giveaway is comment #5 by S.  

Congratulations and be on the lookout for an email from us.

We have been super busy here lately...and we have lots of fun giveaways coming very soon.  My kids are all finishing up school this week and next so we have had preschool graduations, birthday parties, graduation parties, etc...  Not to mention all these deadly tornadoes we have had in Missouri (and across the midwest) the past few months.  I have spent way to much time trying to remain calm sitting in my basement with my three kids with sirens going off, shingles blowing by my windows, and hail that has ranged from quarter size to baseball size in some areas.  Ready for summer break, the pool and just hanging out with our kids and our friends and family.

Linking to:

Chicago's mayor wants win over food deserts!

Chicago's Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, wants to get rid of food deserts and he's turning to urban agriculture and food retailers to make it happen. Using planning tools like mapping, local ordinances and economic development incentives, the Mayor hopes to ensure implementation of policies aimed at increasing food access.

Urban Agriculture...
In a progressive move, Mayor Emanuel sees urban agriculture as a part his plan to "win" the battle against food deserts and plans to see food grown in the city sold in the city. He also plans to eliminate burdensome barriers for farmers and develop site guidelines for urban growing.

Supermarkets...

Mayor Emanuel sees large supermarkets as an important part of the plan to eliminate food deserts. According to the ABC news article he plans to designate certain neighborhoods as food deserts and then provide incentives for the construction of supermarkets in those areas. However, smaller markets are concerned that they may lose business if big chains come into those areas.

Don't forget corner stores...

We applaud the Chicago's commitment to increasing food access for all residents and suggest that they include corner stores in the conversation. Corner stores can be a critical piece in increased food access since they are already located in food deserts and are very accessible to residents without cars. If provided with technical assistance or other incentives, corner Stores could have a positive impact on reducing food deserts and also provide economic development in struggling neighborhoods. HKHC Buffalo facilitates a Healthy Corner Stores Initiative in Buffalo. We are working to bring healthier foods to more people by eliminating policy barriers and partnering with the economic development field to provide loans and incentives to small grocery stores for equipment purchases.

To see how corner stores can have a positive impact check out what other cities across the country are doing as part of the Healthy Corner Stores Initiatives

Philadelphia, PA

http://www.thefoodtrust.org/php/programs/corner.store.campaign.php

New Haven, CT

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/new_haven_cty/healthy-corner-store-initiative

Washington DC

http://www.dchunger.org/projects/cornerstore.html

Providence, RI

http://ejlri.wordpress.com/our-work/healthy-corner-store-initiative/

Minneapolis, MN

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/dhfs/ship-cornerstores.asp