By John Chappell •
September 18, 2009
With all the news surrounding food safety, global pollution, misguided government food policies, and the myriad of other problems faced by consumers, it’s always comforting to occasionally read some good news. Here’s a bit of uplifting news. An organization, Edible Schoolyard, bringing gardening knowledge to junior high school kids in urban areas.
The program strives to teach inner city youth about gardening and consuming fresh, seasonal produce. From its own website, Edible Schoolyard specifically defines its goal of involving students “in all aspects of farming the garden and preparing, serving, and eating food as a means of awakening their senses and encouraging awareness and appreciation of the transformative values of nourishment, community, and stewardship of the land.”
By Vanessa Brown •
August 29, 2009
image courtesy of CaliforniaOrganicFlowers.com
We are a family that sends flowers to funerals, mothers in the hospital, for Mothers Day, or just because. To be honest, I still have not found a great online source for ordering and buying flowers. I haven’t been thrilled with any of them and just now realized I should have been looking for an organic flower source. We strive for everything else to be organic. Why not the flowers we send as gifts?
I started browsing the web in search of these companies and am excited to share with you the list I put together:
When Michelle Obama announced plans for a White House kitchen garden, local foodies, gardeners, and health advocates rejoiced: what better way to promote the value of home-grown food than get the first family involved. It turns out that the Obamas aren’t the only executive family growing vegetables on the grounds of the official residence: a number of governors and their spouses have taken up the cause of not just planting vegetables, but also implementing more sustainable landscaping practices at governors’ mansions and even state capitols.
By Becky Striepe •
August 5, 2009
Container gardening is a great way to grow your own veggies, even in a limited space. We’ve looked at making an upside down tomato planter. Now let’s make use of that patio or back porch’s floor space with a home made Earth Box! Not only does this contraption let you grow a bunch of veggies and herbs in a small space, it’s self-watering! Once you start to get sprouts, you just have to add a bit of water from time to time to replenish the reservoir if you don’t get any rain!
By Jamie Ervin •
July 31, 2009
Gardening with your children provides valuable lessons, family togetherness time and plenty of fresh veggies to dress your table.
I’m a big slacker this year. My big, fat, Eco-Confession? I didn’t plant a garden this year. This means we have been relying on farmers markets and u-pick to survive! Ugh.
But, wait… I have a pretty good excuse. We moved this Spring. Our Spring was consumed with painting, cleaning, packing and unpacking. It was pretty crazy around here. Then my beloved Mama passed away and I didn’t want to do much of anything for a good two months. Now, I’m up and running… but my yard is far from it! Since this is a new to us home, there was already a bunch of yard work to do. Needless to say, we haven’t gotten around to much of it, which includes clearing the garden beds and replanting.
So, that’s the plan this weekend. Get those beds cleared and start our transplants inside the house. Good thing I have plenty of kids. 
By Cate Nelson •
July 30, 2009
Like we needed one more reason to keep nasty pesticides away from our homes and children. They’re linked to respiratory problems and asthma. And a recent study shows that children up to age 7 have a harder time ridding their bodies of the chemicals.
Now a new study shows that kids with childhood leukemia have elevated levels of household pesticides in their urine. The study was performed at the Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
These aren’t industrial-level pollutants, either. These are everyday chemicals people pick up at the hardware store and use in their very own backyards.
By Jennifer Lance •
July 28, 2009
Want to listen to a podcast featuring yours truly? I had the honor of being featured on Green Talk Radio with Sean Daily. We talk about living-off-the-grid, green parenting, organic gardening, seasonal eating, forest fires, natural childbirth, blogging, etc. Visit Green Living Ideas to listen to the podcast.
Here’s a safe family friendly way to ease the itchies from bug bites, Brittanie’s Thyme Organic Bug Bite Relief.
I’ve had the chance to sample this handy little roll on and I keep it close to use during the inevitable event that someone gets bit by something.
By Julie Finn •
July 28, 2009
They’re a staple of the season around here, but I don’t remember a single wildflower when I was growing up in the land of lawns and pesticide, and the truck that would drive around every few days and gas the neighborhood for mosquitoes (Did that happen in anyone else’s neighborhood, or was it just ours, because that just sounds CRAZY to me now), unless I saw them in ditches or on roadside medians from my backseat window in the car.
And that’s no way to see wildflowers.
My girls and I are very blessed where we live now to have a community that actively grows and encourages wildflowers, and several Backyard Wildlife Habitat homes that demonstrate the beauty of native growth.
I am adamant about the fact, however, that just experiencing a thing is, although critical, not enough. To love wildflowers, we just have to see them, sure. To understand them and be knowledgeable about them and know where they ought to live and how to protect them, we need good books.
By Cate Nelson •
July 22, 2009
We used to think that kids were susceptible to pesticides until age 2. Now, researchers who are apparently trying to freak us out again have discovered that the toxic affects of pesticides are pervasive until age 7.
The kids are lacking a particular enzyme until they reach that birthday, one called paraoxonase. Adults have this enzyme, but the kiddos don’t. And this is crucial to help the body neutralize and eliminate specific pesticides.
So you may be chem-free at your house, but this is all the more reason to go organic for any produce you can—and know what the farms near you use on their fields.
