Grilled Peach, Tomato and Basil Ramen Salad

Summer is coming to a close; the school year has just begun and kids sports are on the horizon. A time of new beginnings from my youth. August and September would give me purpose after a long hot summer, reunite me with friends, renew the hard (mental) work of school, and re-challenge me through sports and teamwork.

Sustainability Spotlight: Summer tends to be one of the most sustainable seasons if for no other reason than the lack of commuting many students do in a regular school year. School buses and student cars + parent pick-up mobiles race the roads of America again in August and September and don't end until the school year calls it quits the next May/June. All of those emissions and continued use of resources (including electric or hybrid vehicles) make for a very pollution-centric focus on Back-To-School.

More than the outdoor air quality, students are entering schools to face a litany of indoor air quality (IAQ) issues at buildings that have been largely closed over a 3 month or more period and / or are among the many aging schools in the United States. Did you know that "the average age of a main instructional school building in the United States is 49 years, according to a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)? This means that about 38% of schools were built before 1970. The survey also found that fewer than half of the schools had undergone a major building renovation or addition, and that about a third of schools had never had any major renovations, replacements, or additions." 

If the above is true (and I have no reason to believe it is not), that means that 38% of schools in this country have, or likely have, asbestos containing materials (ACM) in roofing, flooring or ceiling tiles, lead-based paint (LBP) on walls and in water pipes, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in caulk, and sealants, and almost certainly have mold and mildew due to insufficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

"In recent years, comparative risk studies performed by EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) have consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health." (EPA.gov). Why is that the case? The EPA has countless research that highlights that "...IAQ problems can increase long- and short-term health effects for students and staff, such as coughing, eye irritation, headaches, allergic reactions, aggravat(ion) of asthma and/or other respiratory illnesses (1 in 13 school aged children have asthma)..."

While the EPA has launched programs and plans to manage the lead exposures, and mold management in schools, they consistently source these topics as something for individual school districts and school systems to manage and maintain themselves. That's because our schools are locally funded and managed for the majority of America's districts. So, how you support your school district and the tax funding as well as those in and among our school boards (who are elected officials BTW) are some of the most imperative civic duties we have as adults. Everything we do and understand ab out sustainability can help the next generation institute more change and better infrastructure support for their kids and beyond.

In the meantime, be sure to support your children as they go back to school; fueling their dinners and lunches with healthy and sustainable meals (like this one! Tastes great room temp) to keep their immunity up and be sure to raise awareness about IAQ to teaches, administrators and other parents. Change starts with the individual and if we all support more sustainable approaches, change will happen at large.

Ingredients:

• Dressing:

  • 2 limes (juiced)

  • 3 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)

  • 1 tbsp agave syrup

  • 1 large serving spoon of mango preserves

  • 1 tbsp sesame oil

  • 1 tbsp black sesame seeds

  • 1 garlic clove (grated)

  • (1) 1/2 in piece of fresh ginger - peeled and grated

  • 2 green onions (diced)

• Salad:

  • 3 almost ripe peaches - cut in half each

  • 4 blocks of brown rice ramen noodles

  • 2 large radishes (chopped)

  • 1 cucumber (chopped)

  • 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes (chopped)

  • 4 ancient sweet peppers (chopped) - or bell peppers if you cannot find these

  • 1 large handful of spinach (chopped)

  • 2 large handfuls of basil (chopped)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat grill and lightly coat peach halves with avocado oil spray

2. Grill ~5-6 min or just until grill marks appear; peaches should not be soft

3. While your peaches are grilling, add all ingredients of dressing to a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

4. Once your peaches are done grilling - remove them (Carefully! they are hot) from the grill and set aside to cool slightly.

5. Next, bring a small pot of water to a boil; then add noodles to cook for ~6 minutes (or until softened). Drain and rinse with cold water. Cut (yes, you can / should use scissors) the noodles into smaller pieces (just enough so they are not big long spaghetti strands).

6. Now, add all the remaining ingredients to a large salad bowl, top with chopped grilled peach, the cooked noodles and the dressing. Toss to combine thoroughly.

Serve salad in bowls immediately and enjoy!

With love and hope for a better future for all of us - Jamie