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CCQ Capital
Commons Quarterly
October 2007
Publisher’s Corner
Richard Iannello
The
apple of my eye
In 2002, Albany Guardian Society partnered with WMHT Educational
Telecommunications to produce “It’s An Age Thing,” a 13-part
television series about aging. Appearing throughout the series was
George E. Vaillant, M.D., Director of the Study of Adult Development
at the Harvard University Health Service. On camera and off, Dr.
Vaillant spoke about the things that seem to help people age well
and, in fact, he had just written his renowned book,
Aging Well.
In this book, he describes how gardening is such a wonderful
activity. It is instructional and gives us good things to eat. As we
age, gardening fi ts nicely into our cycle of life. It gives us
something to look forward to with each season: preparation, work,
harvest and rest. Dr. Vaillant came to the Capital Region in 2003 to
speak at one of our public forums and listening to him describe how
we can care for ourselves throughout our lifetime reminded me that
the answers we seek to life’s great questions are always the
simplest ideas; never complicated but rather straight forward.
“As we
age, gardening fits nicely into our cycle of life. It gives us
something to look forward to with each season: preparation, work,
harvest and rest.”
In 2007, Albany Guardian Society and WMHT once again partnered to
co-produce “It’s An Age Thing: Our Communities.” This series is
about how our towns and neighborhoods are responding to a growing
population of older citizens. It also showcases the wonderful
projects and activities of individuals and organizations that make
things better for people of all ages.
One segment of the series focused on the Capital District Community
Gardens. Viewers were able to share the pleasures experienced by a
number of gardeners. We saw that cycle of life once again:
preparation, work, harvest and rest. The treasures to come from
these community gardens feed us both nutritionally and spiritually.
While taping that segment, Amy Klein, Executive Director of Capital
District Community Gardens, told us about their newest project: a
Veggie Mobile. I knew immediately that we had to include the Veggie
Mobile in our series and Episode Nine contained a wonderful piece on
this unique and inspirational activity.
In preparing for the segment, I learned about food deserts. First
described in Great Britain, the term refers to geographic areas,
usually urban, where access to fresh fruits, vegetables and other
nutritious foods is limited as there are fewer supermarkets being
built in inner cities. As suburbs grow (or sprawl), services
follow and often a vacuum is left behind. Reduced access to full
service vendors usually means more fast foods and more prepackaged,
heavily processed foods and reduced access to fresh fruits and
vegetables.
This is where the Veggie Mobile comes in. It travels to a number of
inner city neighborhoods and senior housing sites bringing fresh
produce at fair prices to people who might otherwise go without.
Even though our local supermarkets offer some
shopping assistance via courtesy vans, managing fairly heavy produce
can be a challenge for older people, especially if they use an
assistive device such as a cane or walker.
I share this story with you because I cannot think about it without
smiling. The thought of a brightly colored, eco-friendly van
(powered by bio-diesel and using solar panels on its roof) bringing
fresh produce to our neighborhoods is terrific. It’s basic, simple,
and an excellent example of how creative people and organizations
are making the Capital Region a better place to live.
Think about it: a Veggie Mobile. How cool is that?
Rick Iannello
Executive Director
Albany Guardian Society
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