C.+Walter's+Page

**This I Believe...** By C. Walter media type="file" key="sfm.mov" align="center" width="300" height="300"

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I believe that every individual, no matter their income, should have access to nutritious, and delicious food with a **minimum impact on the planet** , and a **positive impact on farming communities**. It is amazing to think that as our society and technology become more and more advanced, our **food culture** seems to be backpedaling.

By supporting **local farming**, the local economy is stimulated, the **carbon footprint** of your meal is significantly reduced, and biodiversity is encouraged. When produce and meats need to be shipped from far away, the cost of transportation is not just a blow to the **environment**, but also to the farmers who cultivated the product. Out of every dollar spent at the super market, only eighteen cents goes to the farmer (LocalHarvest, Inc.). The rest of the money goes to shipping costs and handling fees. This is a truly unfair statistic, and I believe that if even a handful of individuals paid greater attention to the path our food takes, from farm to table, we will make better choices for the **farmers** and the **planet**.

Michelle Obama’s push for **healthier foods** in public schools and pledge to combat childhood obesity could not have come at a better time. Her program **“Let’s Move!”** is a great way to get kids and parents alike thinking about **food as fuel**, and the benefits of adopting healthy eating habits at a young age. Today, one in every three children is either obese or overweight, a statistic that demands our attention (Let's Move!). Children learn by example, and I believe that now is the time to place a greater emphasis on the nutrition in our diets.

<span style="color: #400c9d; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 130%;">As the <span style="color: #400c9d; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 140%;">**Slow Food Movement (** SFM) gains ground around the country, I have been thinking more and more about the type of food that I consume. This September 15th, the SFM is encouraging anyone who wishes to try, to participate in a five dollar challenge. The average fast food meal costs around this amount, so attempting to create a **<span style="color: #400c9d; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 140%;">nutritious, <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 130%;">sustainable ** meal for this amount is a form of protest or a way to show your support to improving **food culture** in your **community**.

<span style="color: #400c9d; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 130%;">I believe that food is not just vital for **survival**, but it is also a way that we **connect** and **bond** to one another. <span style="color: #400c9d; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 150%;">Sharing a meal together has long been the traditional date, quality family time, and social event. Since we already place such importance on food, it seems it would be a simple step to demand better <span style="color: #400c9d; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 140%;">conditions for farmers, more <span style="color: #400c9d; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 140%;"><span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 140%;">eco-friendly farming habits , and <span style="color: #400c9d; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 140%;">equal access to non-processed foods. I believe that we will reach these goals if we continue to spread information, support local farmers, and demand <span style="color: #400c9d; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 140%;">higher standards with our **consumer power**.



<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">__**Production Process**__ I employed a number of different techniques to create a wiki page that looks professional, eye-catching, and unique. Firstly, I kept my font choice relatively basic, and picked a solid, dark color for the majority of my text (purple). I wanted site-visitors to be able to clearly read what I had written. I selected key terms that stuck out to me as crucial to the understanding of my piece, and emphasized them by changing the size, color, or boldness. I especially like how the words concerning the environment are in green! My "This I Believe" mentions two organizations that I believe in, "Let's Move!" and the "Slow Food Movement". I figured out how to link the websites of these organizations to my wiki with a little bit of practice. First, I tried just listing the URLs at the bottom of the page, but I found that this appeared too cluttered. Unwilling to detract from the presentation of my wiki, I figured out how to link the actual phrase "Let's Move!" to the corresponding website. First, you highlight the phrase that you want to link. Next, you go to the tool bar at the top of your editing page, and click the chain icon labeled "Link". Then you click on the "External Link" tab in the window that pops up, and type in the URL of the site you wish to link to. Finally, make sure that you have selected the box "New Window". By selecting "New Window", you ensure that you are not drawing readers away from your page, but instead providing them with additional information and reading material. After all, you would not want to draw people away! I wanted to keep people on my page, so I added a word search puzzle. I just created a simple word search using a Discovery Education tool, and then copy and pasted it into my wiki. I think that this adds a lot to my page, because all of the answers are key words from my writing. By including this game, people become more involved, and are more likely to stay on my site and read my essay. However, after leaving the puzzle up, I decided that it detracted from the integrity of my essay, and decided to replace it with a simple picture. I much prefer this lay out, and think it has a better effect on the reader. Recording the audio was definitely the most challenging aspect of this project. I first recorded in garage band using the built-in microphone, but I found that this picked up too many outside noises, and did not have the professional sound I was going for. I borrowed a microphone from a friend and attached it to my Mac, (and was careful to select Garage Band, Preferences, Built-in Input), and found that this recorded a much cleaner sound. I selected my photos very carefully, using a mixture of my own personal photos and ones that I found online. I saved all my photos in iPhoto, and from there created a slideshow. I posted this to my wiki by selecting "export", and then saving the show to my desktop, where I could then upload it successfully to my wiki page. This was challenging for me, because I had never done it before. Although it is no where near perfect, I am proud of myself for trying, and think it still adds to the look and feel of my page. I also included two still photos, on either side of the slideshow and at an angle from one another. I like the way this feels sort of design-y, and really draws the eye down the page.