There’s lots of folks doing cool things out there and it seems a good time to take a look at what’s going on.
In Scotland, one island has taken back its power–the people own the land and they have both their own grid for power and heat, and the wisdom to keep consumption down. Smart folks on Eigg–if you live there for six months you become a resident and have a say in what’s going on.
Todmorden in England is still going great with its community gardens. The idea is simple–convert any open space to open gardens. Plant and allow folks to harvest on the honor system. Some of the gardens are in front yards, some are in public areas. The fact that they’re still going strong shows this is one cool idea.
In Germany, over half of the power companies are owned by the people. This means decentralized power, and that means if the power’s out in one place it is not out across the entire country. Recent storms have show the wisdom in this.
The Sustainable Seed Company is a great place to go to for heirloom and non-GMO seeds. With spring coming this is a great idea to get some tomatoes growing in planters (or even bags), or start a kitchen herb garden.
Australia is promoting and selling native plants to its locals–both to help with their water issues and promote local birds and helpful insects. This is one we all can learn from–lawns take a lot of water and don’t give much back other than green grass. It’s time to really look at ways to plant beautifully and productively.
Cuba has shown the world how to farm without petrochemicals. The lack of chemical pesticides and fertilizers forced them to rely on old fashioned methods to keep farms productive. Now they’re a case study for the rest of the world on how to farm sustainably and without the high costs that come with petrochemical production.
Honey Love is a non-profit to help urban bee keepers, both new ones and existing ones, and to promote honey bee health. A good place to start since we need our bees to keep our food crops pollinated.
And at CLR we’re starting to think about summer workshops and spring planting. This is the year to get our chicken coops built and more adobe work done.
