Encouraging Birdlife to Control Pests: Another Reason to Eat Organic
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA 
on 03.26.08
Many folks will tell you that the essence of organic agriculture is about working with, rather than against, nature. But aside from avoiding artificial pesticides and fertilizers, what does that really mean in practice? The video above is just one example of how organic farmers encourage natural checks and balances to control insects and pests – in this case stringing up bird houses across a dairy farm to encourage swallows, which in turn keep down the fly population. But increased biodiversity is not the only benefit of organics – carbon sequestration and higher levels of certain nutrients are all part of the bargain too. Check out our Green Basics guide to organic food for more on good green eating. ::Cookingupastory::via YouTube::
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- Enjoy Backyard Bird Watching By Feeding Them Their Favorite Foods
That's awesome. So much better than spraying the cows.
We have black phoebe birds in our backyard, and they are amazing! They will eat almost any bug including the dreaded box-elder bug (which is like a cockroach). I love them!
I just like to sit outside with a beer and watch them eat. I really do need to buy them some bird homes though, as a "thank you" for all their hard work.
I have a product for solving one area of our global environmental impact: water bottles. My product is called Gaia's Tribute, and converts ordinary plastic water bottles into a self-watering container for plants. Over 1 billion water bottles go into landfills every year worldwide, and over 50 million each day in my home state of California.
Anyone can use them to grow new plants, and because of this re-use, the Gaia's Tribute containers do not go into landfills. They would instead be used to grow new plants/seedlings/trees, that could reverse global impact. Great for kids to get involved and learn how to make a difference! As the bottles degrade over time, the compacting process begins, too. Also, there's an instant reversal and creation of carbon credits by the simple use of this product.
It is a way to think of excess in our environment, and re-use it in a new way. I would be very interested in partnering on any future local events you may have planned.
A potential for fundraising exists by use of the Gaia's Tribute containers.
Sincerely,
Mike
Gaia's Tribute
mdcnet1@gmail.com