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Trouble in Farm City, and How You Can Help

April 7, 2011 By 1 Comment
Urban Farmer Novella Carpenter
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Urban farmer extraordinaire, Novella Carpenter, has recently hit a wall of bureaucracy with the city of Oakland that threatens the very existence of her small farm.

Carpenter is the author of the popular and engaging book “Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer”, and has been raising food on an open parcel of land that she owns in Oakland. She was informed by local officials that growing vegetables on an empty city lot is illegal, and furthermore, raising livestock without a $2500 Conditional Use Permit, (she has chickens, goats, rabbits, and at one time had two pigs) is also illegal. I would argue that a lot with a farm on it is not empty, but that’s just my own twisted logic.

Olympia’s Relentless Rain, Kurt Cobain and Knitting

April 6, 2011 By 2 Comments
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As the frigid rain turned to sheets of hail, I ducked into the Olympia public library, and tried to think slightly less depressing thoughts than just fixating upon Cobain’s untimely death and the possible nuclear annihilation of our species. When I entered the warm cozy haven, I immediately came upon a vibrant rolling book rack that had been adorned with a rather elaborate knitted outfit, complete with recycled aluminum pull tabs as fashion accents. I could feel my dark mood beginning to brighten.

Are Big Cities Greener Than the Suburbs?

April 6, 2011 By 1 Comment
Should we live in cities, instead of out in the country?
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With all the traffic, electricity use, people, and public transportation, it’s easy to assume that cities emit more emissions than the suburbs with their lawns and open space. However, Jess Zimmerman of Grist cites a study in the Environment and Urbanization journal that shows carbon emissions in cities are lower than in the suburbs where people are more prone to driving everywhere. Really? Driving can make that much of a difference? Evidently, because Zimmerman goes on to say that Manhattan is one of the greenest places in America. Manhattan? Green? It’s all in how you measure it.

Sexual Violence Prevention; A Promising Model and Brief Commentary

April 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This year’s campaign, promoted by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) is “It’s time … to get involved.”

Transform Your Garden, Transform Your Life: Designing an Edible Garden in Suburbia

April 4, 2011 By 10 Comments
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Beware, growing your own vegetables is the “gateway drug” to a more sustainable lifestyle. Households that grow food usually do so organically, to better protect the health of their families and the environment. They begin composting in order to feed their gardening habit, then go on to add efficient watering systems, (recycling gray water, drip irrigation, collecting rainwater). Next come worm bins, chickens and perhaps a backyard beehive. Soon a suburban micro farm is thriving where you would not have expected it, as rows of leafy lettuce and succulent fava beans replace what was formerly a perfectly manicured front lawn.