Working With and Learning From Nature
Silent Night: The Unintended Consequences of Rodenticides
by Your Hungry Neighborhood Owl, as told to Jill Cloutier You may see me after the sun goes down. A sharp, swift glide, feathers wide and silent, a blur of brown or white. You may hear me. My calls can fill the darkness with…
5 Questions With…
Andrew McMillion, Plant Expert Andrew McMillion grows over 200 varieties of vegetables, trees, and herbs on his small ecological farm in Ornes, Norway where he focuses on earth care, people care, and increasing and protecting plant biodiversity. 1.) What is one of your favorite plants?…
Spice Rack Remedies Herbal Online Workshop
My Internet friend and herbal inspiration Kami McBride is offering a free herbal workshop, Spice Rack Remedies: How to Use Common Kitchen Herbs and Spices. Kami’s workshop can keep you feeling inspired and moving forward on your path of healing with herbs. You may have heard Kami…
5 Questions With… Peter McCoy, Author of Radical Mycology
Peter McCoy is the author of the book Radical Mycology and the co-founder of the grassroots organization of the same name that educates about the importance of fungi, mushroom cultivation, and mycoremediation. Peter is a writer, artist, mushroom cultivator, and educator. 1.) Who or what has made a difference in…
Return to Squash Mountain
It’s hard to tell if there are more squash or people at the National Heirloom Exposition. Every September, thousands of gardeners, farmers, seed collectors, and plant people travel to Santa Rosa, CA to celebrate heirloom and organic plants, learn from the experts, and take photos of…
Kale, Not Jail
“There goes the syllabus!” I yelled as a gust of wind blew our newly printed class schedule off the dashboard and onto the open road. After three cars had rolled over it, I got out of the truck, peeled the syllabus off the pavement,…
Taking Permaculture on the Road
Patrick Jones is a poet, Permaculture practitioner and the co-author of the book The Art of Free Travel: A Frugal Family Adventure. In 2013, Patrick and his partner Meg Ulman embarked on a 14 month, 6,000 km journey by bike, cycling along Australia’s East Coast from…
“Fragrance” Stinks
For people like me, who don’t like the smell of popular detergents and fabric softeners, it’s getting hard to avoid the stuff. The fragrance of scented laundry is common on city buses, subways, and sidewalks where the odor of these products, much like an overpowering…
The Climate Change Diet
I’m going on a diet. A Climate Change Diet. An eating regime that not only makes me healthier, but also affects the earth and ecosystem in beneficial ways. If enough of us signed up for the Climate Change Diet or Climate Diet, we might have…
Wake Up And Smell The…Spruce?!
Black Spruce, Latin name Picea mariana, is my new BFF. I’ve never met a Black Spruce in person, but I’ve been spending my mornings with its essential oil and I think it’s making me a better person. Native to North America, Black Spruce is…
The Monsanto-Permaculture Alliance: Committed To Sustainable Agriculture
“After attending our first PDC or Permaculture Design Course, Monsanto realized that the problem is the solution… And that we are the problem.”
When We Feed The Soil, We Feed Ourselves
Composting your food scraps turns your trash into treasure, saves you money on gardening inputs, and helps you become part of the solution to climate change.
Plant The Rain! Brad Lancaster Shows You How
Rainwater harvesting guru Brad Lancaster has a lot to say about water. In his books Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands, Volumes 1 and 2 Lancaster writes about the importance of “planting the rain” and shares with readers the many benefits they receive when they learn how to…
Monsanto vs. Nature
Monsanto hit the genetically modified ball out of the park in California’s November election after pouring over $7 million into defeating Proposition 37, the initiative measure that would have required labels on genetically modified food sold in California supermarkets. Playing for the Monsanto team…
