Nathan Blog Post #2: #WeAreMaunaKea

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Back home in Hawaii, there is a very serious debate and controversy over the $1.4 billion TMT, or Thirty Meter Telescope, that is being constructed on the slopes of the million-year old Mauna Kea.  It is a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii, otherwise known as the “Big Island.”  Mauna Kea stands 13,796 feet above sea level, and its summit is the highest peak above sea level in the Pacific Basin.  When measuring the height from sea floor to the summit, Mauna Kea stands 4,000 feet taller than Mount Everest.

Mauna Kea is a special place for scientists; the location is ideal for telescopes and observatories to explore the stars and space of the night sky.  The environmental conditions are so unique and unparalleled; the “average night” at this place is just as a good as the “best night” for many other locations around the world.  The Thirty Meter Telescope will be three-times as wide as the largest existing visible-light telescope in the world.  It would deliver sharper and deeper images that ground based telescopes can’t produce.  I can’t deny that having Mauna Kea as the site for the Thirty Meter Telescope would prove to be beneficial and progressive for science and astronomy.

Last Week to Sign Up for CSA!!

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By Scott Chan

Our Roots CSA summer season starts this weekend! What does this mean? It means our farmers are growing some of the yummiest veggies of the season, including long beans, green beans, sweet peppers, fava beans, tomatoes, and much more! For just $60, you will receive veggies to last you 3 months, all while supporting our friend/farmer Cha Her (featured above). Purchasing local produce supports local economies and ensures that small farms like Her Farms continue to thrive.

Sign up for a Roots CSA near you by clicking here!

Hike to Chantry Flats

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By Scott Chan

“Places like Chantry Flats way up here in the San Gabriel Mountains…they’re not accessible to kids in my neighborhood.”

Last week, Kyle and I led a workshop/hike with high school and college students on what it means to have access to nature for people of color communities. The quote above is from one of the youth who participated in the workshop/hike, explaining how youth growing up in Lennox would find it very difficult to physically get to the mountains.

These youth are part of a summer program called the Asian American Environmental Academy, which focuses on engaging and empowering Asian American youth on the important of environmental justice and environmental health.  The Asian American Environmental Academy is a brand new program put together by APIOPA, A3PCON, and Bike SGV. 

Nathan Blog Post: Week 1

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My first week at APIOPA is officially over.  Entering this week, I can honestly say I didn’t have sufficient insight about what APIOPA did as a whole.  I suppose this could have been attributed to what I though the “Obesity Prevention Alliance” within the name.  But I’ve learned a great amount about how broad their scope is, and that all elements, conditions, and access to healthy environments and food is just as important as obesity prevention.

Connecting to your Roots

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Roots CSA continued our series of healthy cooking workshops, “Connecting with your Roots,” this teaches community members not only about health and nutrition but also how to cook simple, healthy, and delicious meals. We at Roots feel that this is necessary within the communities we serve because they are used to enjoying their traditional dishes and in the process of preparing some of these dishes; ingredients are usually never measured out but rather added until favors and taste come together. In the process of cooking, no nutritional facts are available so these cooking workshops take traditional dishes community members love and show folks how to make healthier version(less fat, sugar, and salt) of these dishes without compromising the taste and flavors.PicMonkey Collage

On June 20th in partnership with Filipino Migrant Center and American Heart Association, APIOPA was a part of the Check. Change. Control celebration at Hudson Park in Long Beach. This event funded by Dignity Health/ St. Mary Medical Center. We were able to host a healthy cooking workshop lead by Chef Tolosa and her son, Julian. Participants learned how to make a healthier version of Lomi a traditional noodle soup with a mustard leaf salad. Thank you to all the volunteers and organizations for making this possible!

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Figuring out what to do with that CSA daikon…

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By Scott Chan

It’s CSA pick-up day. You open the bag and find your favorite veggie friend who ends up withering in the fridge half the time because you’re not sure what to do with it. Daikon. Besides soups and pickling, WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Special Delivery – Getting Produce to L.A. San Miguel

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By Ailene Ignacio

One of the biggest things we’ve done with our Fresh HiFi – corner store transformation – Project is get FRESH, AFFORDABLE, & CULTURALLY-RELEVANT produce in low-income, underserved food desert communities, including Historic Filipinotown.

After a store’s transformation (which you can read about in previous blog posts),  the real work begins, namely KEEPING PRODUCE AT THE STORE. For many small markets, this is their biggest challenge yet, and usually receive little to no assistance in procuring products at an affordable price for them. Last week, I was able to  help one of our Fresh HiFi corner stores – L.A. San Miguel – with this challenge by going on a “produce run” for the owner, Cecilia!

Meet our new intern, Nathan Lee!

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By Nathan Lee

Hey there, my name is Nathan Lee and I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii.  I graduated high school at Punahou School, and I am currently a rising senior at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles.  Skateboarding, hiking, surfing, camping, traveling, and exploring new places in the outdoors are just a few activities on my long list of hobbies.  I am studying Entrepreneurship, and I am extremely grateful and excited to be working with LEAP and APIOPA this summer.  Growing up in Hawaii has immersed me in a deep melting pot where a multitude of cultures and ethnicities intersect.  Being exposed to such a variety of cultures has led me to grow an affinity for all types of people, and once I left the island to begin college on the mainland, the API community has provided me with much support and love.  Sustainability and healthy environments have become very important to me.  I am confident that my internship experience this summer will help me grow and an individual and leader who will make a meaningful impact in my surrounding community.

APIOPA Cycles for Change

By Scott Chan

With the help of over 40 people, we came up with 10,018 miles of our 10,000 goal. With the help of nearly 100 people, we fundraised an amazing $9,241 of our $10,000 goal. That is a lot of money raised in just 1 month to support the great programming we run!

Workshop with Hmong Farmers

By Kyle Tsukahira

Continuing our work in Fresno, APIOPA as part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farmers Market Promotion Program grant, was able to host a workshop helping Hmong farmers learn about the latest rules and regulations surrounding farmers market in California last week. In addition, we also had presentations on two innovative alternative markets (School Farm Stands & Community Supported Agriculture) that can help farmers grow their business  expand their distribution networks, and help ensure everyone has fresh fruits and vegetables to eat. This is a part of a series of workshops that we will be hosting this year! We are excited to continue these workshop later on throughout the year!