Day trips can Get summer Container be wet, wild, fun in small, gardening for and stimulating local doses! big impact Page 5 Page 6 Page 8 Longfellow Nokomis Your community Messeng newspaper since 1982 June 2014 • Vol. 30 No. 4 www.LongfellowNokomisMessenger.com 21,000 Circulation Local restaurateur mixes philosophy, food, and sustainability By JAN WILLMS all part of a vision he has had mals such as fish in tanks) with When you sit down to enjoy since opening his restaurant in hydroponics (cultivating plants in a meal made from a Bangladesh 2008. Following the mission of water) in a symbiotic environ- family recipe at Gandhi Mahal Mohandas Gandhi, the world- ment. In an aquaponic system, (3009 27th Ave. S.) you can taste renowned promoter of peace for water from an aquaculture system the freshness of the vegetables whom the restaurant is named, is fed to a hydroponic system you are eating. Islam strives to “be the change where the by-products are broken That’s because those vegeta- you want to see in the world.” down by nitrogen-fixing bacteria bles have been grown in a com- The aquaponic sustainability into nitrates and nitrites, which munity garden and brought di- system he is practicing has been are utilized by the plants as nutri- rectly to the restaurant. And this the result of conversations and a ents. The water is then recirculat- year for the first time, plants were study completed in 2012 by ed back to the aquaculture system. started in aquaponic gardens in Urban Nile Systems. Cumin, onions, mustard, let- the basement, to be transplanted Aquaponics is a food pro- tuce, spinach, cilantro, chilies and outside later. duction system that combines tomatoes are growing under artifi- For owner Ruhel Islam, it is aquaculture (raising aquatic ani- cial light in the basement of Gandhi Mahal. Planted in April, they are already several inches tall. Islam has fish tanks ready to raise tilapia for his menu, and the water from those tanks will be put back on the plants. “Anything you do takes time,” Islam said. He started growing vegetables in Minneha- ha Community Gardens in 2009. Then he hosted Julia Nerbonne, Ruhel Islam is the owner of Gandhi Mahal, 3009 27th Ave. S., a restau- the environmental sustainability rant with a focus on Bangladesh cuisine. Islam based his life and his busi- program director with Higher ness on the mission of Mohandas Gandhi, the world-renowned promoter of Education Consortium for peace for whom the restaurant is named: to “be the change you want to see Urban Affairs (HECUA) at his in the world.” (Photo by Jan Willms) village home in Bangladesh. HECUA provides community- other vegetables in 2012. er,” Islam said. “They harvest and based off-campus study for stu- “We raised $10,000 for our bring the vegetables here; we dents and partnered with Islam HECUA project on Kickstarter,” weigh the vegetables and keep a to expand his gardening. The Islam said. By last year, the restau- record of the soil and seed used For several years, Gandhi Mahal has used fresh vegetables grown in area gar- pilot project was a 60’x20’ plot rant had over 5,000 pounds of and give them a check back.” dens. This year, for the first time, plants were started in aquaponic gardens in on Hiawatha in which he grew vegetables from 12 gardens. the basement, to be transplanted outside later. (Photo by Jan Willms) squash, beans, chili peppers and “Every garden has a manag- Continued on page 16 Living deliberately on a boat Inspired by Thoreau, Ericsson family is ready to sail away on a catamaran they’ve spent the last seven years building by TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN INSPIRED BY THOREAU tion of material possessions that What can you build with don’t improve happiness. He 150 gallons of epoxy, 700 It was after reading “Sensible didn’t want to spend his time pounds of fiberglass, some ma- Cruising: The Thoreau Ap- going from day to day working rine plywood and Corecell™ ma- proach” by Don Casey and Lew and buying and working and rine foam? Hackler, that Jeff, who has been buying. He wanted to see his son A catamaran. sailing since he was a boy, told more. He didn’t want to miss out What can you do with such a Heather, “This is what we should on his own life, just for the secu- boat? be doing.” rity of a safe life. “My feelings are Sail the world and live delib- While it seemed to her that stated more eloquently by Thore- erately, the sort of life that Henry he’d made the decision au, ‘and not, when I came to die, David Thoreau would be pleased overnight, for him sailing was the discover that I had not lived,’” with. answer to a larger question he’d said Jeff. Ten-year old Ethan, Heather and Jeff Ilse are all looking forward to spending That’s precisely what Jeff and been asking for years about the more time outside when they move onto their 34-foot catamaran and sail the life he wanted to lead. world. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen) Heather Ilse of Ericsson intend to LOOKING FORWARD TO... do with their 10-year-old son He was tired of sailing only Ethan. Sometime this summer, on the weekend, rushing to get to Jeff, a software designer at time there. being more connected to natural their seven-year boat-building a beautiful place, spending only Four51, can’t wait to spend so Ethan, who will continue to cycles and rhythms. They’ll be project will end and they will sail a few days there and then rush- much time outdoors. Ask him be homeschooled, thinks it’ll be able to spend time in the wilder- away on the Meadowhawk, living ing back home. He wanted to be what he’s most looking forward pretty cool to be both outside ness and also cities. “I like that a life inspired by the author of able to enjoy the journey. He to and he’ll tell you he wants to and at home at the same time. “Walden.” wanted to stop chasing a collec- find beautiful places and spend Heather is excited about Continued on page 7 first step of encouraging kids to Reader asks if walk to their neighborhood Letters to the Editor schools? Instead of a Walking over-protection School Bus organized and led by parents, send your kid out to stifles creativity schools, Hiawatha-Howe, San- mained fairly steady since the walk with a friend or neighbor ford, and other neighborhood in- 1970s, and abduction by 1885 University Ave. from his school. Pretty soon we stitutions are experiencing a virtu- strangers was as rare then as it is St. Paul, MN 55104 To the Editor, could be seeing groups of ele- al renaissance. The energy is pal- now. What’s been lost is creativi- mentary students out there every 651-645-7045 pable, from Parka to Sea Salt. ty, passion, and courage. Now a If you live near Hiawatha School morning, not just on PTO-desig- Yet, from asking around at countermovement is arising, Publishers: in Longfellow, you might have nated Fridays in the spring. school, we’ve learned that there is based on mounting evidence that Calvin deRuyter, Tim Nelson heard some unusual sounds on Today we let our daughter just one second grader who walks today’s parenting norms do chil- Friday mornings. That’s what hap- ride around the block to a Managing Editor: without supervision to Hiawatha. dren more harm than good. pened to me one Friday as I was friend’s house by herself. Her ex- Calvin deRuyter We live one block away - and There’s plenty of anecdotal getting my 1st grader ready for pression when she came back across one street - from Hiawatha evidence against how the Millen- Advertising: school. We peeked outside and into the house after putting her School. There aren’t any crossing nials have been raised, from Denis Woulfe - 651-917-4183 saw a group of elementary aged bike away said it all to us. Rosy- guards any more since the 5th stories of over-scheduled child- Production/Illustrations: kids trotting past the house with cheeked, slightly damp from the graders were moved to the re- hoods to parents marching into two adults in tow. They were peers drizzle outside, breathless and Bob Wasiluk opened Howe building. But there professor’s offices to protest their happy, she described the whole of my daughter, heading to school is a protected crosswalk which students’ grades. Most of the Contributing Writers: adventure to us at the dinner via the “Walking School Bus,” a was installed a couple of years Longfellow parents that I know Iric Nathanson, Jane McClure, table. Her little brother was im- term that was new to me. When I ago, as well as a stoplight. When I aren’t interested in producing Tesha M. Christensen, Sherri Moore, pressed. She was empowered. Googled it I learned that a Walk- asked our principal at the begin- adults that can’t leave the nest. So Jan Willms, Jill Boogren, ing School Bus is a “safe and fun” Reason enough for me. Matthew Davis ning of the year about the avail- why can’t we agree to make this a “creative solution” to the obesity ability of crossing guards, she Free-Range neighborhood for our Now, communicate with the epidemic, and that the suggested said it could be arranged if there children and take the important - Rena Kraut Longfellow/Nokomis ratio of adults to children is 1:6, was a demand for it.