October 2011

By Joanna McQuillan Weeks

A Slice of Life
October 05, 2011 12:30 AM

"A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down," Mary Poppins famously sings. While learning about sustainability might not strictly be considered "medicine," How on Earth has found a creative and entertaining way to share the message.

Thursday evening, "The Lexicon of Sustainability" pop-up art show will be on view at the Mattapoisett grocery, restaurant and shared-use commercial kitchen.

The photo-collage project by artist Douglas Gayeton (thelexicon.org) will be exhibited during an open house from 6 to 8 p.m. The project is based on the premise that people can't be expected to live more sustainable lives if they don't know the basic terms and principles. A collection of 50 large-format "information art" collages addresses such terms as "backyard pollinators," "the edible schoolyard," "food miles," "green collar" and "pasture raised."

"They are sending us 24 of those images ... we're going to have them hanging around the store," How on Earth events coordinator Scott Gallant explained.

Tomorrow's open house will feature acoustic music by Neal McCarthy, local beer and wine (sold at cost), and complimentary appetizers prepared with locally sourced ingredients by Chef Colin Bradley. (That's the "spoonful of sugar" I referred to earlier.) The event is free and public.

In addition, a workshop on fermentation will be offered by Jim Mercer, chef of the Bay Club. However, as this is being written, the program about lacto-fermentation and its health benefits, provided by products such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, and vinegar, was close to filled.

Another workshop, featuring Johanna Voss of Mattapoisett on the topic of nutrition, is planned for the first Thursday in November, at a time to be announced. Future topics might include foraging and meat-cutting, Gallant said.

"The goal is to connect the dots for consumers, and to show them that it's not hard to support local farmers. At How on Earth, we're trying to make it easy for them."

How on Earth was chosen as one of 100 presenters around the nation to host "The Lexicon of Sustainability" pop-up show. The collages will be shown again Oct. 21 to 23 at the U.G.L.Y. Gallery on Union Street in New Bedford, during the Connecting for Change Bioneers by the Bay conference. After the conference, the gallery has committed to finding public spaces to exhibit the images in the coming year, Gallant said.

How on Earth is at 62 Marion Road, Mattapoisett. For more information, call (508) 758-1341 or www.howonearth.net.