This Fourth of July, show your support for clean energy June 30, 2009

I just sent an email to Senate leaders Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell to show my support for The American Clean Energy and Security Act. You can do it too. It’s easy. Just go to Repower America and sign with your email address. Happy 4th!!

Taking Out the Grass is a gas (or lawnless in Seattle) June 29, 2009

My good friend Sharon turned me on a hilarious YouTube video, Taking Out the Grass, featuring Santa Barbara landscape designer Owen Dell. Check it out. As funny as it is though, lawns are a serious matter. There’s really no reason to have a lawn unless it serves a useful purpose—such as for kids to play on, sports, or other recreation. To use excessive amounts of our precious drinking water on useless turf—which is one of the thirstiest plants you can grow—just doesn’t make sense. In California, people water their lawns like crazy from spring through fall to keep them green. I noticed that in my sister-in-law’s Seattle neighborhood, some homeowners keep their lawns green by watering in summer and others let them go brown. Neither one is a good option (sorry, but I find those brown lawns pretty darn unattractive). Instead, imagine a beautiful low water landscape like the one here designed by Mosaic Gardens! If you’re thinking about redoing your landscape, consider a no-lawn option. You’ll find great resources online. For instance, check out King County’s Northwest Yard and Garden: Native Plant Resources for the Pacific Northwest. Click on the interactive Native Plant Guide where you can search for plants by photos or growing conditions. WSU Extension Clark County also offers a Plant Identification Database that includes pictures of each plant. As Dell and friends say, “taking out the grass is a gas, can you dig it?”

two classics republished June 27, 2009

The last time that food issues and edible landscaping swept the nation was in the seventies during the energy crisis. During that time many were traveling the world to learn from obscure agricultural practitioners and others were looking to the urban areas and what they could produce. Out of that time period came two food production classics: The One Straw Revolution, by Masanobu Fukuoka and (Designing and Maintaining) Your Edible Landscape Naturally, by Robert Kourik. Both went out of print in the late eighties and early nineties, but have been recently republished for the benefit of the times we are in. In this two part post I will review two of the most influential books in my life and hope they inspire you as they did me.

Part 1: The One Straw Revolution

The ultimate goal of farming is not the cultivation of crops but the cultivation and perfection of human beings. – Masanobu Fukuoka

As a young twenty-five year old man working in disease and insect control Masanobu Fukuoka became fatally ill and nearly died. After gaining his health back he had a realization that lead him to re-examine the world around him. He, not knowing how to proceed, but knowing enough to know that there was nothing and everything to learn, returned to his father’s farm. Over the course of a few years he began farming rice and fruit in ways that betrayed conventional agricultural science and in the process produced the same if not more yield per acre than his neighboring conventional farmers. His Zen / Taoist like approach to food production caught the attention of many influential agriculturalists including Wendell Berry who wrote the introduction to Fukuoka first work of prose. The One Straw Revolution serves us one part agricultural and one and a smidge part philosophy text drawing from Fukuoka’s revelations and insights during his 30 years of “do-nothing” farming near Matsayuma, Japan. The book reads the way that I imagine Fukuoka reads the land. It acts as a guide to influence and inspire the reader. There is a little bit of how-to tucked in among Fukuoka’s philo-spiritual revelations leaving the reader refreshed and rejuvenated the way that you might feel after splashing your face with cold water at dawn before a day’s work in the field or floored by the weight and truth of his insights:

To the extent that people separate themselves from nature, they spin out further and further from the center. At the same time the centripetal effect asserts itself and the desire to return to nature arises. But if people merely get caught up in reacting, moving to the left or to the right, depending on the conditions, the result is only more activity. The non-moving point, the point of origin, which lies outside the realm of relativity, is passed over, unnoticed. I believe that even “returning-to-nature” and anti-pollution activities, no matter how commendable, are not moving toward a genuine solution if they are carried out in reaction to the over-development of the present age. – M. Fukuoka

Whoo hoo! The House of Representatives passed the clean energy bill today! June 26, 2009

As Repower America said,

“Today, we have something to celebrate. For the first time in decades, we have taken bold action to help solve the climate crisis.”

Now, onto the Senate.

Water, water everywhere June 26, 2009

Here is some food – or actually water – for thought:

How many gallons of water is in a…

• Car:  Approx. 39,090 gallons of water go into making a car (whether or not that includes the 518 gallons it takes to make each tire is unclear).
• Pair of Jeans:  Approx 1,800 gallons of water are needed to grow enough cotton to produce your favorite denim.  How many pairs do you have in your closet?
• Cotton T-shirt:  400 gallons goes into growing the cotton for an ordinary tee.
• Barrel of Beer:  1,500 gallons of water are used to process 32 gallons of beer!
• To-Go Latte:  It takes 53 gallons to make your morning (or afternoon!) latte – and that’s just the drink itself.  Factor in any flavoring, sugar, lid, cup, sleeve, etc. and you could have yourself quite the water footprint.

And Treehugger has the skinny on how much water it takes to grow all of our food.  I guess we could all use to go on a water diet…  I know this is just one more thing to think about when you are at the grocery store, buying your tall-extra hot-no foam-blah blah blah latte or shopping for a new pair of jeans, but I hope the numbers inspire at least the smallest change.  It’s a drop in the bucket, but everything helps.

Vote for clean energy today June 24, 2009

Last week, I wrote that the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES, H.R. 2454) was passed by The House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Now the full House of Representatives plans to vote on the bill this Friday. Al Gore calls this “the most important environmental vote of this generation.” Some forces are trying to weaken it. Green For All, 1Sky, and others want the House to strengthen it. For instance, 1Sky is asking that we urge our representatives to join more than 40 members of the House who are calling on the leadership to strengthen the bill in three key ways:

• Hold polluters accountable: restore EPA authority to regulate coal plants
• Increase investment in green jobs and in protecting vulnerable communities against the impacts of global warming
• Improve the renewable energy standard

Gore says a new study found that 1.7 million new jobs would be created by clean energy legislation. If you’re interested in President Obama’s vision for a clean energy economy and in seeing the strongest bill possible move forward, let your representatives know that you want clean energy for America.

We’re finally moving forward…at least for now June 19, 2009

I just received an email from Gore’s Repower America that prompted me to check out “The American Clean Energy and Security Act” (H.R. 2454), the critical climate legislation that was passed last month by The House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Its passage was an amazing step forward towards addressing our climate crises. The issue is complicated to be sure. And there are many hurdles to overcome before it passes through Congress this summer and fall. If you’re unfamiliar with the legislation, below is a synopsis from the House of Representative’s website. If you’re a member of Repower America, you can sign up to hear Gore’s special briefing on Tuesday, June 23, at 5 p.m. (PDT).

The American Clean Energy and Security Act will create millions of new clean energy jobs, save consumers hundreds of billions of dollars in energy costs, enhance America’s energy independence, and cut global warming pollution.  To meet these goals, the legislation has four titles:

• A clean energy title that promotes renewable sources of energy, carbon capture and sequestration technologies, clean electric vehicles, and the smart grid and electricity transmission.
• An energy efficiency title that increases energy efficiency across all sectors of the economy, including buildings, appliances, transportation, and industry.
• A global warming title that places limits on emissions of heat-trapping pollutants. This legislation would cut global warming pollution by 17% compared to 2005 levels in 2020, by 42% in 2030, and by 83% in 2050.  These are science-based targets and within the range agreed to by USCAP.
• A title that protects U.S. consumers and industry and promotes green jobs during the transition to a clean energy economy.

Feed the Hungry…Plants June 10, 2009

It’s time to fertilize if you haven’t already. Many of you put tomatoes in the ground alng with other summer crops a couple of weeks ago and now their hungry! As an organic gardener I often see people cringe when I mention that I fertilize. There’s a cultural association that some folks make with feritilizing and chemicals. But there are many types of fertilizers that are plenty organic and don’t pollute ground water or pose potential risks to wildlife.

In general we can pretty much assume that natural materials suck as pulverized rock, marine plants, animal waste and by products are all safe to use in moderate amounts, granted precautions are taken so that you don’t inhale or ingest the stuff. I know its tempting, but don’t eat the compost! The reason that organic fertilizers are superior is that they slowly release what the plants need so that the plants get what they want when they want it. Many synthetic fertilizers on the other hand release the nutrients all at once or very quickly giving the plant the equivalent of a near fatal dose of steroids. Sure your plants might be walking and talking like the Jolly Green Giant, but now you’ve got to feed the beast. Who’s the master of the garden now?

Slow release fertilizers can actually help plants, especially perennials establish themselves and slowly wean themselves from needing food much at all. Annual vegetables on the other hand could use a good feeding every couple of weeks. To get a real sense of the difference between the dosage of fertilizer that you are giving your plants with chemical vs natural fertilizers, compare the labels. The 3 numbers on the bag (or box) refer to Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus(P), and Potassium(K). Another way to think about it is Shoots(N), Roots(P) and Fruits(K). As an example a synthetic grass fertilizer concerned solely with shoot (leaf) growth might read 50-0-0. 50 parts N, 0 parts P and K. Natural materials rarely read over 10 parts of N P or K. They don’t need to because most of it stays put and releases slowly and naturally. Often times excess of any one of the three elements compensates for loss of fertilizer moving quickly through the soil. This brings me to another point.

I prefer granular fertilizers over liquid for most applications (below I will post my favorite granular tomato fertilizer recipe). I have found that for bi-monthly fertilizing you have a better chance of not burning your leaves if you sprinkle granular fertilizer and cover it well with mulch. Liquid fertilizers like kelp meal and fish meal are great in a diluted spray solution that is intentionally applied to leafs. Plants can actually feed through their leaves, so diluted fertilizers like “compost teas” can give your plants a boost. Compost teas actually do a whole lot of things for your plants, but more on that later. For now sprinkle a little fertilizer from the recipe below around your plants every couple of weeks and keep it covered with mulch. And remember no matter how tempting…don’t eat the compost!

Complete Organic Fertilize by Steve Solomon

4 parts seed meal (cotton or canola)

.5 part lime (mix of agricultural and dolmite)

.5 part rock phosphate or bone meal

.5  part kelp meal
A cup of this under your tomato plants will do them just fine. Side dress every two week with a cup and it’ll be like attack of the killer tomatoes!

Save a tree, buy recycled copier paper June 9, 2009

I’ve been thinking a lot about paper waste lately. It all started the other day when I walked into my son’s room and saw how much he had squandered for just one English assignment. Every time he revised the text, he printed out another copy—with no regard to how much paper he was using. He hadn’t even printed on both sides, his teacher doesn’t allow it! So there he was sitting at his desk with all of this premium copier paper scattered all over the floor like a white rug. You can imagine my reaction. “What are you doing with all of that paper?” I exclaimed (okay, it was more like a screech!). Of course the only response I got was “Mom!” It was then that I realized I needed to be more proactive about finding and using environmentally responsible copier paper—and about enforcing conservation in my own household (you’d think this intelligent 15-year-old would “get it” on his own). So, I started searching online for copier paper. Surprise, surprise: I soon learned that you have to read the fine print! The first sites I checked out (all with brick and mortar stores) carry “recycled paper”, but they contain only 30% recycled content. That’s just not good enough. So I kept looking. I soon discovered two major office suppliers that sell paper made from 100% post consumer content. Reading the fine print, I found that the 100% recycled paper sold by Staples is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and endorsed by the Rainforest Alliance. OfficeMax also carries a couple of 100% recycled papers. Look for the Boise Aspen brand; it’s FSC certified, while there’s no mention of certification for the OfficeMax brand—and they’re both the same price. You’ll have to pay more for recycled copier paper. But don’t you think it’s worth it?

Pimpin’ the Prius June 5, 2009

I love my Prius.  I coast as much as possible – and try not to hold up traffic! – to watch my average MPGs creep up.  I get like 400-something miles on one tank of gas.  And it is stealthy quiet, which only really becomes a problem in parking lots…

I would like to share my love of the Prius with you.  A fun video for Friday, courtesy of the Casual Mafia YouTube channel: