Viridescence - be green!

There are two components to the process of improving the health of our environment – the individual and the policy-makers or public officials. The actions individuals take to improve the health of our environment will only make a difference if the political policies are in place to protect the environment and encourage natural resource conservation.  Many people consider themselves to be eco-friendly and make efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle. This is great and I want to thank you for your efforts. Now it’s time to take the next step from individual actions to community action. A great way to participate in community action and influence environmental policy is to write a letter or email to an elected public official to advocate for planet-friendly policies that matter to you and your community. To begin, visit your states legislature website.  Here you will find a list of representatives, including their contact information, and a list of upcoming bills, revised stat...

By now, most of the dead leaves have fallen from their trees. The dead leaves cover your lawn, landscape, clog drains, and make for slippery walking, biking, and driving conditions. Instinctually, you might want to rake and bag or burn the fallen leaves. Don’t do this! Instead, harshness the leaves’ mineral-rich, organic properties through decomposition and use the compost on next spring’s garden. Even during cold weather, the decomposing leaves will provide carbon and nutrients to the soil bacteria. Get those dead leaves out of the street gutters. This will prevent them from entering the storm water where they can clog the system. Additionally, excess leaves in the storm water harms water quality for aquatic live. Instead of harming the environment improve the environment by using instead of losing fallen fall leaves. There are several ways to contain and compost fallen dead leaves. 1. Use a mulching mower – By mulching and leaving the dead leaves in place ...

The United States Department of Agricultural (USDA)  launched a program to provide support to veterans interested in joining the agricultural industry. The three ways the USDA will help veterans include through employment, education, and entrepreneurship. Resources available are a new website for veterans and a new curriculum for USDA employees to learn about the opportunities offered to veterans. “Through these resources, USDA is committed to helping veterans in agricultural areas so we can strengthen the American economy and provide assistance for those who have served. Veterans and agriculture are just a great fit.” ( Secretary Perdue , 2017) The newly created website proclaims defense and preparedness as critical needs of the country’s agricultural sector. This proclamation reinforces the USDA missions to hire, train, and support veterans seeking to join the agricultural industry. On the website , there are three links: employment, education, and entrepreneurship. The...

The holiday season is upon us, which means people will be traveling to visit friends and family. According to the Federal Aviation Administration , tens of millions of passengers use air travel during the holiday season. While at the same time, long-distance travel by vehicle increases by 54% during the Thanksgiving holiday and by 23% during the Christmas holiday ( USDOT , n.d.). This extra travel equals an increase in carbon emissions , an increase in energy use , and an increase in waste all and all the holiday season is not a good time for the environment. There are ways you can travel this season guilt free of your increased carbon-footprint. Air Travel Participate in carbon offsetting program, which are non-profit organizations that support carbon-reducing projects. Investigate the program before you purchase to ensure you know how the funds are used, if the results are guaranteed, and is the company certified. Save paper – use electronic tickets Opt for non-sto...

With so many “green” and “eco-friendly” product certifications out there, it can be hard to understand what they all mean. To help sort this out, I have created a list of the most common “green” agricultural product certifications.   USDA Organic - indicates that the agricultural product has been produced through approved methods, including protecting natural resources, conserving biodiversity, and using only approved substances. https://www.usda.gov/topics/organic Certified Humane –assures the consumer that the food products come from a facility that meets standards for farm animal treatment. http://certifiedhumane.org/ Bird Friendly Coffee - Indicates the farm that grew the coffee is preserving migratory bird habitat by growing a variety of shade trees on the plantation . https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/bird-friendly-coffee Fair Trade Certified - model of sustainable, ethical trade support responsible companies, empower farmers, workers, an...

Everyone gets it and most of us consider it junk. I’m talking about direct mailings commonly known as junk mail. All direct mailings or junk mail end up as waste whether thrown in the garbage or recycled with about 44% thrown away unopened 1 . It’s easy to stop receiving direct mailings and there good reasons to do so. Stopping the flow of junk mail is good for the environment because it reduces the amount of extracted natural resources, it reduces energy use during production, distribution and recycling and it reduces the amount of waste in landfills. While you’re at it, you can also stop unwanted emails and telephone calls. Paper waste amounts to 69 million tons / year in the United States 2 .   1.5 trees / year / household 3 is used in the production of junk mail. That’s about 848 pieces of junk mail / year / household 4 . The production of junk mail as it relates to deforestation equals the same greenhouse gas emissions as 3.7 million cars 5 or 17,390,000 metric...

Tis the season to plant garlic. Garlic is both a culinary and medicinal herb. The garlic bulbs sprout in the autumn, over-winter until they begin growing vigorously in the spring and is harvested in the summer. There are two types of garlic: hard-neck and soft-neck. Hard-neck garlic has a hard stem  with uniform bulbs that are typically small. Soft-neck garlic, the most common variety found in grocery stores, has a soft center stem with larger irregular bulbs. Although elephant garlic is not a true garlic rather a member of the onion family, this is still the time of year to plant. Maximum Flavor the First Year It is best to purchase the mother bulbs or sets from a local nursery or farm for maximum flavor the first year. Grocery store bought garlic will result in flavorless garlic the first year of planting. However, if you plant the bulbs you harvest, the second years’ crop will have increased in flavor and should be maximized by the third year. Again, this is preventa...

Fish is an excellent source of protein and omega oils. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), 20% of animal protein in the human diet comes the oceans 1 . Unfortunately, the fish in our oceans are being over-harvested and are contaminated with mercury. NPS.gov  In order to help consumers make better decisions about the fish they eat, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sorted the most popular types of fish into three categories: Best Choices, Good Choices, and Fish to Avoid 2 . Good news : 90% of fish eaten in the USA fall under the Best Choices category 3 . Best Choice - Commonly eaten fish include: canned light tuna, tilapia, shrimp, salmon, cod, catfish, and Pollock 4 . Fish to Avoid – King mackerel, Marlin, Orange roughy, Shark, Swordfish, Tilefish (Gulf of Mexico), and Bigeye Tuna 5 . The complete list of fish is found here . For women of child-bearing age (16-49), pregnant women, and children, the FDA recommends eating 2-3 ser...

With cold weather on its way, now is the time to weatherize your Courtesy of i.pining.com home. All types of homes (apartment, duplex, mobile homes, single-family) benefit from weatherization. Making your home resistant to cold weather by adding storm windows, insulation, etc., will not only make those cold winter nights cozy it will also reduce your energy consumption and reduce your energy bill. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates a savings on your energy bill of 5 to 30%. Weatherization – What you do Add insulation to walls and attic – if needed Seal air leaks in attic with expanding foam or caulk (seal around chimneys, wiring, ducts, flues, and vent stacks) Caulk doors and windows Install weather-stripping to windows and doors Install plastic sheeting on inside windows and sliding doors Install door sweep Seal furnace ducts Seal household leaks with spray foam (around door and window frames, chimneys, vents, skylights, etc.) Use heavy curtains ...

Chive Seeds. Photo by A. Bradley  Now that summer is coming to an end and your vegetable harvest is in full swing, consider leaving some of those ripe veggies on the plant to let their seeds ripen. Collecting your own seeds is a rewarding opportunity and provides you with free seeds for next year’s garden. Plant Type  Self-pollinating plants, such as tomatoes, beans, and lettuce, are the easiest to collect. Self-pollinating plants do not need another plant to pollinate their flowers to produce fruit. The plants produced from these seeds will be similar to the parent plant. Cross-pollinating plants, those that rely on the wind or pollinators to pollinate their flowers, are more difficult to collect seeds that will grow true. Meaning the plant grown from the seed of a cross-pollinating plant will not be like the parent plant. Collect  Annual plants produce seeds in one season (for instance beans, squash, and spinach). Collect mature seeds at the end of the gr...