The following article will be printed in the January, 2012 issue of Daegu Compass:
Ever
wonder what the green scene in Daegu is like? Maybe you’ve seen the
awkwardly worded “Me First” signs in the buses encouraging us to
unplug electronics, turn down the heat, and finish all our food. Or
maybe you’ve noticed people
standing around 2.28 Park holding signs and banners protesting the
Four Rivers project. Perhaps you were downtown on at midnight on
Earth Day last year and saw a bunch of people pitching tents in
preparation for a night to be spent hanging out, singing, snacking,
and enforcing car-free day? While
I
can’t
say
I
know
who’s
behind
the
first
two,
I was honored to be a part of
the
third,
which
was
organized
in
part
by
the
Daegu
Green
Consumers
Network
(녹색소비자연대).
Over
the
past
year
I’ve
been
lucky
enough
to
have
the
opportunity
to
spend
time
with
several
employees
of
the
DGCN,
though
only
recently
did
I
sit
down
with
them
to
get
the
official
word
on
what
the
group
is
and
what
they’re
up
to.
The
Green
Consumers
Network
started
in
Seoul
in
1996
as
a
consumers’
rights
protection
organization.
Consumers
who
had
problems
with
faulty
products
could
contact
the
GCN,
which
would
then
advise
them
on
what
they
could
do,
or
even
advocate
for
them
in
court.
Over
the
last
fifteen
years,
it
has
expanded
to
include
branches
in
eighteen
cities,
each
of
which
runs
its
own
programs
and
projects
depending
on
local
interests
and
needs.
Despite
their
differences,
though,
all
are
dedicated
to
“green
consumption”
in
some
form
or
another.
The
Daegu
branch
of
the
GCN
has
three
divisions:
the
main
office
in
Suseong-gu,
the
Palgong
office
in
Dong-gu,
and
the
little
hole
in
the
wall
near
the
rear
gate
of
KNU,
endearingly
named
“The
Unawkward
Warehouse”
(“어색하지
않은
창고”
in
Korean,
or
“Chang-go”
for
short.)
I’m
most
familiar
with
this
last
one,
which
I’ve
been
visiting
regularly
and
sharing
with
friends
ever
since
I
found
out
about
it
last
December.
Spearheaded
by
Jeong
Mi-na,
Chang-go
exists
to
give
college
students
and
others
a
place
to
meet,
organize,
plan,
study,
or
do
just
about
anything
they
can
think
up.
Student
groups
working
for
social
justice
can
book
the
space
for
a
nominal
fee
and
use
the
kitchen
to
prepare
group
meals
for
themselves
and
guests;
study
groups
or
book
clubs
can
reserve
space
weekly;
and
individuals
can
stop
by
for
a
cup
of
fair-trade
coffee
or
organic
tea
sold
at-cost.
There
are
bookshelves
full
of
books
on
social,
political,
environmental,
and
culinary
topics,
available
to
anyone
who
wants
to
borrow
them.
In
addition,
Chang-go
also
operates
two
regular
programs:
Community
Lunch,
where
students
cook
lunch
together
using
mostly
organic
ingredients,
and
the
weekly
Veg
Night
for
the
Earth,
where
members
gather
together
to
enjoy
brown
rice,
organic
vegetarian
fare,
and
one
another’s
company.
(Disclosure:
I
chef
for
this
event
once
a
month.)
Enjoying a group meal and some good company in Chang-go
The international chefs mean business: quinoa salad, sautteed eggplants and mushrooms, hummus, and kidney bean burgers.
The
staff
of
the
Palgong
branch
is
principally
involved
in
creating
Daegu’s
own
version
of
Jeju’s
Olle-gil,
a
hiking
trail
that
runs
around
the
entire
perimeter
of
the
island.
The
Daegu
Olle-gil
will
eventually
link
together
a
number
of
already-existing
hiking
paths
around
Mt.
Palgong
and
offer
starting
points
easily
accessible
by
public
transportation.
I
asked
Jin
Seon-a
to
explain
the
connection
with
green
consumption;
she
told
that
consumption
refers
not
only
to
what
we
buy,
but
how
and
where
we
spend
our
time.
In
winter
and
summer
alike,
we
depend
on
fossil-fuel
powered
climate
control
to
keep
us
comfy.
Further,
more
of
us
are
overweight
and
out
of
shape
than
ever
before.
Encouraging
people
to
get
out
and
hike,
and
making
it
easier
for
them
to
do
so,
can
kill
both
of
these
birds
with
one
stone.
Winter
hikers
generate
their
own
heat,
summer
hikers
can
cool
off
in
the
fresh
air,
and
no
matter
what
time
of
year,
being
out
and
active
leads
to
better
health.
Plus,
the
more
time
one
spends
in
nature,
the
more
likely
one
is
to
want
to
protect
it.
As
it
is,
Daegu’s
continuing
sprawl
is
encroaching
on
Mt.
Palgong;
the
DGCN
sees
increased
attachment
to
the
natural,
cultural,
and
historical
treasures
of
the
mountain
as
the
most
effective
remedy.
Different entry points for the Daegu Olle-gil, all accessible by public transportation.
Some scenes
The
main
office,
hidden
in
an
unassuming
old-style
Korean
house
just
East
of
the
Sincheon
river,
orchestrates
a
number
of
programs,
the
biggest
of
which
is
the
recurring
Brown
Rice
Raw
Vegan
Diet
seminar.
Participants
start
the
seminar
with
a
health-check
up
that
includes
detailed
measurements
of
weight,
cholesterol,
blood
pressure,
and
other
nutritional
indicators.
Over
the
course
of
a
month
and
a
half,
they
attend
six
weekly
meetings
at
which
they’re
treated
to
healthy
dinners
and
listen
to
lectures
by
Dr.
Hwang
Seong-su
on
social,
nutritional,
ethical,
and
practical
aspects
of
raw
veganism.
Participants
also
keep
food
diaries
and
receive
another
check-up
at
the
end
of
the
program.
I
was
lucky
enough
to
be
able
to
attend
the
final
meeting,
where
I
heard
their
stories:
several
lost
as
much
as
four
kilograms
and
everyone
reported
improvements
of
some
kind,
whether
measurable
(blood
pressure),
tangible
(better
skin),
or
slightly
less
concrete
(overall
more
energy).
Other
DGCN
projects
include
courses
for
those
interested
in
learning
about
organic
farming
before
retiring
to
the
countryside;
field
trips
for
children,
adults,
and
families
to
forests
and
apple
orchards;
and
farm
visits,
complete
with
lessons
on
making
all-natural
(aspartame-free)
rice
wine.
The
DGCN
has
also
helped
certain
local
restaurants
develop
vegetarian
menus
and
convinced
them
to
offer
whole-grain
brown
rice.
Starting
in 2012,
they’re
planning
on
running
a
small
co-op,
where
five
members
will
live
together,
eat
vegetarian,
make
their
own
compost,
and
produce
no
non-recyclable
trash.
Spring
will
see
the
inception
of
an
indigenous
bean
and
grain
rehabilitation
program,
where
participants
receive
seeds
from
local
crops,
raise
them
(at
home
or
outdoors)
for
a
year,
return
the
same
number
of
seeds
to
the
center,
and
share
the
rest
with
friends.
Urban
gardening
courses
are
also
on
the
horizon.
So,
next
time
you
see
a
pile
of
trash
on
the
street,
smell
that
sewer
stench,
or
get
assaulted
by
someone
trying
to
sell
you
makeup
and/or
smart
phones,
don’t
despair!
There
are
good
people
doing
good
work,
and,
better
yet,
there
are
chances
for
you
to
get
involved.
For
more
information
about
the
Daegu
Green
Consumers
Network,
check
out
the
official
website,
http://www.dgcn.org.
Information
on
the
Palgong
Olle-gil
is
available
at
http://cafe.naver.com/culture803.
For
English
news
about
the
DGCN,
look
up
Daegu
Green
Living
on
Facebook,
or
visit
the
blog
at
http://noksaeksari.blogspot.com.
Or,
come
out
to
an
Eco-film
Night
(two this month! Jan 15th and 29th!)
Who
knows
who
you’ll
meet?
Core members, honorary members, friends, and passers-by hanging out on Jungang-no.
