Eat Local Farm Tour July 15
Food co-ops across the region want to help you learn where your food comes from, hence the Eat Local Farm Tour, in partnership with Twin Cities area co-ops. This year, more than 20 local farms and producers are participating in the event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 15. The tours are free and self-guided, so there's no need to sign up. Review this year's guide at bit.ly/2tokTM6, select a route and go. Organizers note that because GPS can be spotty in rural areas, check your directions on Google Maps before heading out. Also, check out Eat Local Farm Tour on Facebook.
Reynolds Wrap turns 70
We grab it without thinking, but there was a time before aluminum foil. Reynolds Wrap is noting its 70th year in business with a collection of short fun videos on YouTube that include celebrities, old commercials, recipes and more. You can see them by visiting youtube.com and searching for Reynolds Wrap. Company history notes how aluminum foil was key to the barbecue craze of the 1950s, how people in the 1960s wrapped their TV antennas with it to boost reception, and how in 2016 the Chicago Cubs partnered with the Chicago-based company to create the Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil rain tarp — a silver tarp resembling a sheet of aluminum foil. And we all know how the World Series turned out.
Recycle old cellphones this summer
In our house, there's a "drawer of useless technology," into which go old cellphones and such. Turns out we're not alone. According to a recent report from the Environmental Protection Agency, only 11 percent of all out-of-use mobile devices in the U.S. have been recycled. Now two Twin Cities businesses, Tech Dump and Tech Discounts, are launching Cell Phone Summer, an ambitious initiative to collect a ton (quite literally) of cellphones for recycling between now and Labor Day. There'll be collection bins around the metro where people can drop off their old flip phones, smartphones, and even PDAs and related cords. The grand finale will be at the Eco Experience at the Minnesota State Fair. All data are destroyed. Farmers markets are taking part with bins this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Northeast Mpls. Farmers Market and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 15 at the Mill City Farmers Market. For a complete list of drop sites and dates, visit techdump.org/cell-phone-summer.
KIM ODE
