By John Ivanko •
July 1, 2009
Like millions of Americans, we’re celebrating July 4th, Independence Day.
However, we’re celebrating this national holiday by focusing on the many aspects of our life that, in various ways, have led us to quite a different vision for a sustainable tomorrow – complete with local, renewable energy and lots of delicious meals harvested within ten miles of where we live – if not from our own kitchen garden. Sometimes we even celebrate July 4th with a rainbow.
Here’s how our Independence Day is different — and yours can be too:
• Be energy independent by generating all our power with renewable energy systems.
For a vast portion of the United States, there is enough solar and wind energy to completely meet our needs right where we live. True, adopting renewable energy will require an investment either personally or for your business if you work from home. But with present Federal tax credits and many state incentives, the time couldn’t be better. We completely power our Inn Serendipity Bed & Breakfast and Farm with solar electric and wind turbine systems. In fact, we overproduce renewable energy to the tune of about 4,000 kWhs (kilowatt hours) a year. We share the surplus with our neighbors.
By John Chappell •
March 21, 2009
In a symbolic victory for sustainable living and home gardening proponents, the White House announced that they will be resurrecting the tradition of planting a kitchen garden at the US capital.
First Lady Michelle Obama is scheduled to break ground shortly on the organic garden in conjunction with her agenda of promoting better eating habits for American families. Mrs. Obama plans to involve local school children from the Washington DC area with the planting, maintenance, and harvesting of the vegetables in a grass roots effort to teach families better nutritional habits. The idea for the current garden is to have a multitude of vegetables including spinach, chard, collards, hot peppers, and several varieties of lettuce.
By Pamela Price •
September 30, 2008
Guest contributor Pamela Price is the founder of Red, White & Grew, a blog devoted to “Promoting the Victory Garden Revival and other simple, earth-friendly endeavors as bipartisan, patriotic acts in an age of uncertainty.”
Meeting people…really interesting people…is the most satisfying aspect of my blogging experience thus far. Among the many folks that I’ve met online is Susan Wittig Albert, a prolific and talented novelist based in Texas.
Many people contemplate a life well-lived in the country surrounded by books, beloved animals and rewarding activities like gardening, writing, and knitting. Albert has created just such an existence. Moreover, through her assorted web sites and blog, she covers a bounty of topics–ranging from her many bestselling books to cultivating herbs–for her devoted fans. Recently, she began chronicling the outcome of her decision to embrace the victory garden concept on her blog, which celebrates the ecologically diverse region in which she dwells.
But of all I’ve read of her work this summer it was a snippet in one of her weekly email newsletters, All About Thyme, that proved the most bewitching to me.
