Paper Straw Resistance is a public affair now, and we love it.
You’re in a supermarket. While you’re mindlessly tossing a zucchini in your basket, it suddenly hits you: “I have literally no idea where in the world this veggie came from!” Even worse: you’re not even sure you’ll eat it, either. Too often we buy stuff, change our plans, and precious food goes to waste.
In the 1st week of July, we organized our first public event. Actually, two of them, with the themes ‘food waste’ and ‘community supported agriculture’. Yep, the Paper Straw Resistance emerged from the underground. Here’s a recap on what went down, as well info on how to stay in touch and what our next steps will be.
The first event was a movie screening. With a group of around twenty people we saw the documentary Wasted! The story of food waste (2017). It shines a light on the many issues related to food production and the waste which comes with it. Did you know it takes a head of lettuce twenty five years to decompose in a landfill? Fortunately, there was a more positive perspective too. All around the world people find creative ways to rescue discarded food. Faith in humanity restored, and for those who were wondering: yes, we took the leftover snacks home.
Then, on Saturday, we put air in our tires (physically and mentally), smeared sunscreen on our faces and set off for a bike tour. We visited two locations in the West where community supported agriculture is practiced. Despite the weather being almost too beachy (read: blistering hot), we were with around twenty five people. Turning us into a full-blown bike parade. Cool beans!
Our first stop was at the Kas Kantine. We got a tour from the founder, Menno Houtstra. At this spot, many activities are organized to include and introduce the neighbourhood to a way of living which is in touch with the environment. To return the favor we did some choirs: we made coleslaw, moved wood chips around and got high on soil from busted weed plantations. What we learned? That you can’t force a community to come to life — but by working together with organizations with shared goals and benefits, we become a community that depends (positively) on each other.
After that we went on to the Fruit tuinen van West, where we again got an insightful tour, this time from Ann Doherty, one of the founders and organizers of Pluk CSA. Of course, we got our hands dirty again, this time by digging up soil and clearing weeds to prepare land for growth. The veggies and fruits which are grown here are currently feed lots of families in Amsterdam and surrounding areas. Many day visitors eat here too, buying goods from the store and the café. All in all, they seem to be doing very well!
It was a privilege to get to know the people behind these great initiatives, to meet new friends and to learn something along the way as well. And, importantly: have fun doing it! That’s why we will definitely be organizing more activities like this. A big thank you to those of you who joined us for the screening and the bike tour!
B)Want to stay involved and learn more? These are the links to follow:
C) More about CSA and Urban farming
- Try the app Too Good to Go
- Get to know another system: Boeren & Buren
We have new plans in the making and will update via email.
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