COLUMN: Environmentalists are most dateable
Unkempt hair. Bulging quadriceps. Green thumbs and dirty fingernails. Chaco tan lines. Thrift store clothes that smell like curry. While most people find these descriptions less than desirable, I find them to be strikingly attractive.
Often, people in this demographic are referred to as “outdoorsy,” “environmentalists” or “green.” While being green can be extremely trendy and overbearing at times, there are clear and indisputable benefits from living within these descriptions. When I think of sustainability, the first word that comes into my head is continuity. I prepared a list of places in Logan that promote personal health and support local businesses.
Caffe Ibis – located at 52 Federal Avenue – offers fair trade coffee along with a delicious menu that includes local eggs and numerous organic ingredients. Caffe Ibis has been recognized for its recycling and composting efforts. USU has a Caffe Ibis station in the Hub of the Taggart Student Center.
After your morning coffee and breakfast burrito, it’s time to bike to Crumb Brothers Artisan Bread at 291 S. 300 West. Crumb Brothers offers artisan bread and pastries that use organic and local ingredients. After enjoying a fresh-baked loaf of bread in their building, which is climate controlled by geothermal heat exchange.
I would recommend buying a slice of Wasatch Mountain Gruyere raw cheese from Rockhill Farm in Richmond, Utah, to complete the party in your mouth.
Caffe Ibis and Crumb Brothers are far from being the only local food options that Logan has to offer. USU has a Student Organic Farm at 1750 N. 800 East that offers fresh, organic produce at a fair cost. Student volunteers sell produce outside of the TSC after harvests, and the Community Supported Agriculture program is in place so students may pay in advance for weekly shares of produce during the growing season.
Zollinger Fruit and Tree Farm at 1000 River Heights Blvd. grows varieties of apples, pumpkins, squash and melons. Coming home to a pot of chili with a tall glass of Zollinger apple cider, after a long hike or mountain bike ride in Logan Canyon, will be a cherished memory when I move away from Logan.
If you’re fired up about traveling the valley to purchase local food, I have some daytrip recommendations. Cache Valley is infamously known for its poor air quality, and reducing your carbon footprint is something everyone should strive for. Daily, Cache Valley residents drive more than 2.5 million miles, and there are more than 2,000 premature deaths yearly because of our air quality. Luckily, Logan has three fantastic services to get you around town without emptying your wallet, and will help restore the air quality to what it once was.
Cache Valley Transit District is a fare-free local bus service that has 11 routes. Their service is funded by a local sales tax, and through Federal Transit Administration Urbanized Area Formula Program grants. USU also has its own bus system and bicycle center on campus. Both entities are funded through student fees, so it would be in your best interest to make use of the services.
Aggie Shuttle has five campus day routes, and one evening route. Not only does Aggie Shuttle offer a text messaging service to find out when the bus will arrive to your nearest stop, the buses are fueled by natural gas.
If you’ve recently been fantasizing about what your body could look like, I would recommend visiting Aggie Blue Bikes. Aggie Blue Bikes, located east of the Fieldhouse, offers three-month bicycle checkouts to students for free. The shop has tool boards where trained technicians can help you repair, tune-up or overhaul your bike.
While eating local food and traveling by bicycle is not the ultimate solution to large-scale sustainability issues, it certainly makes you a fit, conscious and beautiful person. The only problem that may happen from following these tenants is being able to manage an increase in date requests.
– Comments on Blake’s column may be sent to statesmanoffice@aggiemail.usu.edu.