Food & Health

image credit: Suzie Gibbons/Getty Images

Garden centres in countries affected by draught, like Spain for example, are promoting Xeriscaping (or Xeroscaping) in order to motivate people to help save water. This technique of water conserving landscaping doesn’t refer to cactus gardens or those that are all tiled up and plantless. The possibilities of Xeriscaping are plentiful, resulting in lush and flowery garden designs. This concept of gardening has been around since the 80ies in the US. As climate patterns shift, xeriscaping is catching on in other areas and has been very popular here in Spain for the last few years. The term itself derives from the Greek word ‘xeros’, meaning dry, and the word ‘landscape’.

The idea behind Xeriscapes is to create gardens with a rational water use, to avoid any waste of water, especially in Mediterranean and warm temperate climates. Saving water however is not the only objective of Xeriscaping. It also intends to eliminate the amount of chemical fertilizers and pesticides as well as petrol-driven machinery to keep the garden in shape. Plus is saves you money and maintenance.

Food & Health

The Chelsea Flower Show, now in its 85th year, is a showcase for all the best garden designers and newest trends. This year is no different, and happily, amongst the excesses, the ecological theme is getting stronger and stronger. Patio heaters, a controversial staple of British life, have been banned from the garden displays and shops. Many stores will use biodegradable corn starch bags. Several gardens will have living "green walls" which are often seen now on huge buildings but are being adapted to smaller urban spaces. There is a contest for the best eco-friendly gardening tips with advice from some of the top designers being offered.

All exhibitors had to fill in a green questionnaire about their project--almost 95 per cent propagated their own plants but 77% still used peat compost. As before, all timber must be sustainable. Apparently, "the waste from every stand will be photographed to create a baseline for measuring the environmental impact of future shows"... There is no getting around the huge carbon footprint of a garden show; with plants trucked in from all over England and flown in from all over. However, many of the components of the gardens will be recycled after the show; with some being donated to charities and a school, relocated, sold (one on ebay, others privately) or returned to nature (sand from one will be returned to Frinton beach). The lecture series will feature talks on use of fruit and vegetables in design (should be good) and wildlife gardening. Stay tuned for more exclusive on-the-spot reports from Treehugger. :: RHS Chelsea Flower Show :: Via :: thisislondon

Food & Health

The rising price of gas is leading to all kinds of changes: bicycles instead of cars, camels instead of tractors and now peat to burn as central heating. In the Outer Hebrides, Scotland they are reviving the ancient tradition of cutting peat to fire their stoves. More people are starting to cut their own and are re-installing their formerly bricked up peat-burning stoves. As a result, orders for the tools used for cutting peat have risen; 40 cutters have been sold this year as opposed to 6 last year. A blacksmith whose father started making the cutters in 1920 said ""This year they've really snowballed, I reckon it's the price of fuel. With prices going up, I was thinking, oh well, they may be wanting peat irons this year; then it turned out true enough. People were saying to me, 'I'll cut peat this year to help out'."

The cutting of peat on the May holiday weekend was once a central activity, as whole families would join together to cut it and stack it and dry it for use as fuel during the winter months. Then electricity came to Scotland's remote outposts and people threw away their peat cutters and turned up the heat. There are environmental issues; now many peatlands are protected because of the endangered species living in the fields and many of the areas are already depleted. But with the price of gas doubled, it is expected that hundreds of people will take to the hills this week to do it, the way generations of villagers did in the past. :: Guardian

Recent Comment by ecobore : "Jeez guys, How in hell can you write about this as if it were a good thing...." [read]

Food & Health

At Union Square this past Sunday, a quizzical look appeared on many New Yorkers' faces when they encountered volunteers publicizing the 1st New York City Wildflower Week. Wildflower Week started on May 3rd and continues until May 10th, with evening lectures, plant walks, and activities for kids. Though celebrating wildflowers in the urban jungle may seem incongruous, New York City is actually home to more than 40% of the state's rare and endangered plants, and New York City has more open space than any other large city.

Food & Health

AP Spiegel Online

From Amy Stewart's Flower Confidential:

• The famous Dutch flower auction at Aalsmeer handles 19 million flowers per day.
• Americans spend $1.98 billion on flowers and plants for Mother’s Day.
• 78% of all cut flowers sold in the United States are imported, primarily from Latin America. This amounts to about 2.9 billion imported stems, most of them coming from Colombia and Ecuador.
• A typical wage on an Ecuadorian flower farm is $150 per month. Wages represent less than four cents for every rose sold.

Learn About Roses
::The TH Interview: John Nevado, President of Nevado Roses Ecuador

Food & Health

So what can be done about Canada’s blight of mountain pine beetles who are savaging forests turning them from carbon sinks to emitters? Well, at least from an economic point of view the Government of Canada think hemp might be one of the solutions.

They are investing $235,665 CD to help the District of 100 Mile House launch a hemp production pilot project. This project will “assess the viability of an industrial hemp processing facility, and includes the production of 200 acres of industrial hemp crop demonstrations, product development and test marketing. An alternative source of fibre, industrial hemp can be used in the development of construction products such as particleboard, insulation materials, and countertops.”

Food & Health

A perfect storm of research and technology has emerged that when taken together may provide part of a solution to food production and global warming. The key ideas are:

1. Biodiversity increases the ability of an ecosystem to capture carbon, says Brown University.
2. There are 100's of economically important native seeds according to Lee and Maggie Arbuckle.
3. Native perennial grasses can be used as food, according to The Land Institute.
4. Harvesting perennial grasses is getting easier, with the Arbuckle Native Seedster.

Together these innovations change the framework for how we can turn sunlight and water into food. Incorporating these ideas could sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, provide economic growth, improve soil health, reduce fossil fuel use, and provide sustainable and resilient food production.

Food & Health

Historically May Day has commemorated the coming of spring and a recognition of workers' rights. Here's another cause for its celebration: International Sunflower Guerrilla Day. It's easy, it's fun, it's slightly subversive and it brings joy to all who look upon its fruits. What could be bad?

Here's how to do it: Find a crummy, neglected and sunny public space somewhere near your place. Get some sunflower seeds, the bigger the flower, the better. Take a bottle of water and a little spade, stick or soup spoon with you to the spot. Dig a hole about 3/4 of an inch deep. Drop in a seed and water it. Return every once in a while to water it and clean off the litter. Watch the little seedling grow into full bloom by August. If you want to show your success to the world; take a picture and post it on the community website. Fellow gardeners in Brussels, London and France will be doing it too. Happy May Day, however you choose to celebrate it. :: International Sunflower Guerrilla Day