Happy New Year to everyone. Let’s hope 2009 brings peace, enlightenment and wellness to the world around us.
As much as I dislike resolutions and have avoided them in the past few years, this year I’m making a few, only to give myself such an overwhelming sense of guilt if I fail in keeping them, that I’ll pick up wherever I went astray.
So, here are a few resolutions for the New Year. And yes, I want to read yours.
Live a bit more sustainably: bicycle or walk to more local destinations.
Take some kind of community action: thinking about asking the city to help establish a community garden.
Produce enough vegetables in 2009 to provide for three families year-round fresh produce.
Learn how to can vegetables, make jelly and sauces and teach it to someone else.
Start going to the local farmer’s market.
I think that’s enough for now. I’m not going to quit smoking or stop the caffeine (my two biggest vices), but I am doing a small part for the community I live in.
There is a revolution happening in the farm fields and on the dinner tables of America, a revolution that is transforming the very nature of the food we eat. This documentary explores the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled grocery store shelves for the past decade. It also examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat as huge multi-national corporations seek to control the world’s food system.
Today I received the seeds from the Plant a Row for the Hungry project. Ed Hume Seeds sent carrot seeds and I’m now trying to germinate half of the pack indoors before I place them in the garden.
The Plant a Row Project is sponsored by the Garden Writers of America and by 2005 more than 1.5 million pounds of food had been given to hunger programs.
If you do participate in the project, please send a thank you note when you receive the seeds. It lets those donating know how much they are appreciated.
This is three shorts (about 15 minutes) documentaries. 1) Robert Hart’s Forest Garden Find out loads about what forest gardening is, and how to make your own. 2) Edible Landscapes Second is an amazing case study about Rural Permaculture in Britain, showcasing loads of amazing edible plants and aquaculture and flowers, as well as fantastic medicinal plants. Look out for a cure for female infertility that’s dropped in here. 3) Urban Permaculture This is a brilliant and inspiring documentary of permaculture techniques used effectively in an urban back garden. WIth little more than 2 hours of work a week, this couple produce about a fifth of their food intake.
The Acorns aren't falling this year according to some reports. Does this mean something more dire? Check out CNN's report The Case of the Missing Acorns
-------------------------------------- Washington Post reports that Ginkgo-lined streets are causing a bit of a stink.
