September 2014
As a lover of food, as a proponent of local resources, and as one who likes to slip into a wooded park to escape the world every now and then, I find fracking to be a terrifying force in this region. I have a very close friend who has made it her mission to fight for families being harmed by fracking. She’s an inspiration, and by no coincidence, she’s the reason I have the Urban Farmer in my life. Through this friend, I was humbled to meet a growing group of young girls who have made it their mission to protect their parks from fracking.
These girls may be small in stature, but they have strong voices. They inspire me as females and environmentalists. They are a tremendous reminder to stand up for our natural resources and for our basic rights to clean air, water and food. Every time I think of them, I feel such a mix of emotions and excitement. The next generation of female leaders is going to crush it in a big way, and they make me want to be a better female myself. Two of these girls, Kathryn and Liz, and their amazing mom Joy, had a table at the Allegheny Green Innovation Festival at Hartwood Acres, so the Urban Farmer, the little one and I went to pay them a visit and encourage their efforts.
We had very little idea what to expect, but there were tents and people galore! There were also food trucks. In any other city, these food trucks might not be that big of a deal, but zoning in Pittsburgh was a prohibitive roll of red tape for the longest time. Seeing the food truck round ups grow in size is a great marker of progress, especially when the food on those trucks supports local agriculture like the trailblazing Franktuary.
Though I love me a local frank, I had heard about and needed to test Wood Fired Flatbreads. Uninspired by the choice of asiago as a cheese topping, the Urban Farmer and I decided on the Margherita pizza, while little Julep endured the heat of waiting in line. We arrived at this decision just in time to score the very last pizza of the event!
Wood Fired Flatbreads is a mobile, wood-fired oven for parties and events in the Pittsburgh area, and after thoroughly enjoying the thin-crusted Margherita, I hope to see them at an event real soon. Though I still question the choice of asiago, I suppose there is only one way to find out. Maybe next time.
In summation:
1. No matter how big or small you are, your voice matters!
2. Support your local food scene.
3. Eat good pizza often.
Sincerely,
Quelcy
