How Does Your Garden Grow?

The happiness that little tiny sprout brings me is hard to explain. I have never, until this spring, attempted to grow anything in my entire life. I have never even had a houseplant. But that little bit of green right there is (hopefully) going to bring me lots of happy little jalapeños this summer.

I have always wanted to have a garden, but have always had something keeping me from it. I move a lot and have rarely had a place to start one (let alone stayed there long enough to make it worthwhile), and I have never had any clue where to even begin - I sooo wish I would have paid more attention to what my mom was doing all those years!!

To be honest, I still have no clue what I am doing whatsoever. I went and bought some containers (I have a large terrace on the 8th floor - but no actual garden), some dirt (200 liters and counting), and some seeds and plants and just kinda went at it. I have a random selection of flowers (all purple and yellow cause you know, its the playoffs and we're Lakers fans)(and kinda dorky apparently), some strawberries, some rosemary and some lavender.


From seeds I started some peppers and some tomatoes (if I can find some Cilantro I will add that to the mix as well - then I'll have everything I need for salsa). So far, everything is doing......ok. The strawberries are very very happy, the Dahlias and Gladiolas are starting to sprout so I guess they are happy too. The rosemary is alive - so far so good on that (I hear its hard to kill so - yay for rosemary!). I already killed some lemon-thyme and the lavender looks pretty sad....but its alive. And my little seedlings are plugging along.

And I am completely and utterly devoted to gardening. Its heaven.

Happy Earth Day!

This year I am starting my very first garden, to which I hope to start a compost bin for soon.

I am making a better effort at recycling so that we no longer throw any plastics away.

I am making a pledge to buy more of our goods used or handmade, when possible.

Hey California Voters...

For anyone who hasn't voted early...I know lots of people reading this are in Cali and I wanted to get you the REAL facts about Prop 2. Seriously, take a look -- and I hope you'll vote YES! on Prop 2.


Proposition 2, The Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, is a modest initiative that would give calves, pigs, and chickens in California room to stand up, lie down, turn around, and fully extend their limbs. It's endorsed by The Humane Society of the United States, the California Veterinary Medical Association, the Center for Food Safety, the Consumer Federation of America, and dozens of newspapers from The New York Times to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

As goes California, so goes the country, right?

Here's what Prop 2 will do for the animals and citizens of California:

Prop 2 will eliminate the worst cruelties inflicted on animals living on factory farms. It will end the practice of cramming animals into cages so small the animals can’t even turn around or extend their limbs.

Prop 2 will make our food safer to eat. A recent study found that battery-cage operations were up to 20 times more likely to be contaminated with Salmonella than cage-free facilities. Prop 2 will protect all Californians -- and especially infants and small children -- against higher risks of Salmonella.

Prop 2 will cost less than a penny per egg to implement. Published research and analysis by a California-based poultry economist show that it costs producers less than one penny per egg to stop confining laying hens in battery cages.

Prop 2 will give farmers more than 6 years to adjust to more humane and sustainable practices. That's a more than reasonable phase-in provision. In fact, more than 100 California family farmers are endorsing Proposition 2.

For all these reasons, vote YES! on Prop 2 tomorrow. For more detailed information about Prop 2, including complete fact sheets on animal cruelty, food safety, and other issues related to Prop 2, visit YESonProp2.com

NO, I won't bring up that other ballot issue you can vote ON , Prop 8.

Perception

Focus changes everything.

Here is a wonderful article by Rick Steves about how we focus while sightseeing.

Here is an excellent article about the world focusing on the financial crisis while allowing the global food emergency (which I wrote about here) fade to the background (thus focusing on the rich instead of the poor).

Here is information on a current case where the Court is choosing to focus on a revenge instead of justice - accusations instead of facts. An innocent man will be put death on Oct.27 because of it (unless we make it our focus and stop it).

A Letter to President Bush

Dear President Bush,

I write in strong opposition to the proposed changes that would weaken Section 7 of the landmark Endangered Species Act.

For more than three decades, this key provision of the ESA has safeguarded imperiled species from the impacts of potentially harmful federal projects.

Key to the success of this provision has been the requirement for interagency consultation between "action agencies" that build dams or highways, issue oil and gas leases or timber cutting contracts, etc., and the "conservation agencies" that have the primary responsibility for protecting endangered species (the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service).

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The conservation agencies have always had the opportunity and responsibility to take a second look at the projects proposed by the action agencies. As a result of taking that independent look, the conservation agencies have often been able to suggest project modifications that avoid harmful impacts to rare species.

The proposed regulatory changes would eliminate the requirement for an independent review by the conservation agencies. The result will almost certainly mean that both harmful impacts on rare wildlife, and opportunities to avoid those impacts, will be overlooked.

Conservation is not the mission of federal action agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Highway Administration, and others. To make sure that their projects (and the projects of many other federal agencies as well) do not cause needless harm to rare species, the existing requirement for independent review by federal conservation agencies should not be abandoned.

Thank you.

If you would like to send a letter to both the President and your US Representative opposing changes to the Endangered Species Act that would threaten animals like the Honu (Green Sea Turtle) in Hawaii, please click HERE and HERE.

Our Beautiful Beach

In 1969 an offshore oil rig spilled 9 million gallons of oil off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. This disaster reaked havoc on the ecosystem and the beautiful beaches. This disaster prompted congress and the American people to put a moratorium on off-shore drilling in the name of protecting the environment we all enjoy. However, in June of this year, President Bush demanded congress lift the ban on offshore drilling. Lifting this ban would surely mean profits for the oil companies, not to mention the people building their platforms and pipelines. And it is surely good politics for those in Washington to advocate it, if they think Americans believe it will help them save money. However, it would do nothing to affect gas prices. We would be polluting the ocean, destroying beaches, altering habitats (most notably the sea turtles in the gulf and south atlantic that are already highly endangered) of marine life and causing damage that could never be repaired. Not to mention the high risks of spills large or small. We would be selling a national treasure, America's coastlines, in the name of politics and profit.

So far, the democrats (Nancy Pelosi) have held firm in not even having a vote to lift the ban. However, both John McCain and Barack Obama (to a more limited degree, but still) have said they would be open to drilling on our coastlines. The pressure to lift the ban is intense (the oil lobby is by far the richest and not just a few politicians need their money).



Sometimes when you are surfing at this beach in San Diego, you will look up and see a whale spout spewing water into the air, or a pod of dolphins a few yards away. These waters, like so much of Americas coast, are already dangerously polluted from sewage and ground runoff. Lets not make the problem any worse.

If you, like me, love our oceans and the creatures that inhabit them, please take a minute to write a letter to your congressperson and ask them to please stand firm in protecting America's coast by keeping the ban on offshore drilling. You can find your Representative's information by visiting www.house.gov and entering your zip code at the top of the page.

Tienen Hambre

I am starting to feel a little guilty posting my recipes and pictures of my food online without acknowledging the millions of people in the world right now that are currenly hungry. More than hungry - starving. Right now, the world is in a food crisis. Its not just doomsday talk either - the price of staple crops like rice, wheat, and corn have more than doubled in the past year (rice has more than doubled in the past five weeks alone). This is leaving the worlds poorest unable to feed themselves or their children. Not just the families in places like Haiti either (where millions are literally dying of starvation) - prices of food right here at home are causing children in our own communities to be malnourished and underfed.

The problem is just beginning however - prices of these crops are still rising. And as our critical fossil fuels become more and more expensive - and more and more scarce - our industrial produced food will also get more expensive and more scarce. We in the United States (and other rich countries) have a unique opportunity to help the people suffering the most now, as well as to stop the trend that is causing the world's food supply to become scarce.

First an foremost, we can use our resources to help the worlds poorest. Even small amounts of money to us can buy rice and livestock to feed entire families. Oxfam International is leading the way in programs to provide food for those in crisis. At Heifer International you can donate livestock, crops, honey bees and other gifts that not only provide nourishment but also provide an income to poor families in rural countries.

But one of the most significant things we can do is make small changes in our lifestyle and eating habits. For some time we have been living an unsunstainable lifestyle in the United States - especially with regards to how we eat. And other people pay the price for our over-consumption. Here are just few tips on easy changes we can make in your eating and shopping habits that will help us be better neighbors to the world and better stewards of the earth.

1. Buy Locally. I love bananas more than just about anyone - but fossil fuels are shipping those bananas from thousands of miles away, even the organic ones. In order to ship many of the products that come from across the country or across the planet, they also are grown using petroleum based fertilizers and pesticides and are heavily processed and packeged to arrive 'fresh'. This further wastes our dwindling fossil fuels as well as pollutes the soil, air and ground water of countries where some of the poorest live. I know many of you reading this live in places (cough -california-cough) where it is easy to use entirely local produce and dairy. Look at the labels next time you are shopping and try to buy items that were produced within a 500 mile radius.


2. Eat in Season. One of the biggest reasons we get food shipped from all over the world is because we are trying to eat foods that are not currently in season and so are not being grown in the region. A quick internet search can find you lots of resources to help you know what is in season when


3. To go help with number 1 and 2 - try and shop at your local Farmers Markets or use a Farm Co-Op for your produce. Check out Localharvest.org or find ones near you. Often it makes your shopping and meal planning even easier - you just go pick up your box of locally grown, in season produce and then you can plan accordingly. Bonus is that is also tastes much much better.


4. Eat less meat! This is the single best thing you can do to help (and includes fish, much of which is farm raised). The amount of grain and water to feed the animals, fossil fuels to process their flesh in large factories, fossil fuels to ship them across the country, to keep the cold - it is all incredibly wasteful. And it is one of the primary factors in the rising cost of staple crops. We in the US eat much more than our fair share of meat, and use up more than our fair share of oil, grain, and water to raise those animals. Try and start by cutting down to once or twice a week. You may find it difficult to plan meals at first but trust me, you won't miss it and before long you will be eating meat once or twice a month. This can really help you lower cholesterol and lose weight also, not to mention save you money, so consider that a bonus.


5. Cut out High Fructose Corn Syrup. Not only is it horrible for you, it takes an enormous amount of the worlds corn and drives up the prices of that corn. This is actually one of the harder things to do as this nasty little substance is hiding in everything. Good news is, people are getting wise to it so companies are starting to make products without it. So start reading the labels - especially of your favorite junk foods, cereals, sodas and juices.


6. Try making it from scratch. So much of what we eat and cook uses lots of processed and packaged items that we can easily make on our own. I recently swore off of store bought salsa - I realized making my own is super duper easy and tastes way better. And that store bought stuff? Its full of High Fructose Corn Syrup. There a loads of products like this - we buy for convenience but don't really need to - try buying dehydrated beans instead of canned (I am working on this one), making your own pasta sauce, salad dressing, chicken broth etc. All of those products are made in plants using staple crops and oil that is driving up food prices world wide. And they don't even taste good!


7. Don't jump on the biofuel bandwagon - the rapid adoption of biofuels in much of the world is a main contributor to the rising costs of corn, especially.


8. Plant a garden. Try growing some of your own vegetables or herbs (its is my goal to create a small salsa garden). This is something that is healthy, good for the earth, and can be really fun. Some old friends of mine from high school started an incredibly cool blog called Backyard Farming that is full of lots of cool tips and how-tos on growing food, raising chickens, and lots of other cool stuff right in your own backyard. There are lots of other resources like this out there on teh internets.
   

I am going to try and do better on all of these things, I hope you will try to!

Reusable Shopping Bags

One of the easiest ways to be a little more earth-friendly is to bring your own grocery bags. According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags every year - and that is just one country. Worldwide, the number is close to a trillion. Reusable bags are easy - just leave them in your car or by the door - and you will have them handy for the next time you stop by the store. You have probably noticed these reusable bags for sale next to the checkout line at your local grocery store. I have several of these (from Safeway, Top Foods, and Trader Joes). They work great. They hold a ton more than either the plastic or paper bags - and most stores give you a credit of some kind for using them (Trader Joe's enters you into a store raffle for free groceries). If you buy more groceries than me (and you probably do - I only shop for two) it is totally worth it to buy some more sturdy and versatile bags.

My favorite site to find these is resuablebags.com (there is a link in the sidebar). Not only do they have a massive selection of bags for every possible use (they even have reusable produce bags so you can eliminate plastic all together), they have lots of cool facts about the negative impact plastic bags are having on our planet. You can even submit pictures to them of plastic bags you see in your environment.

Like me, however, you probably have some cupboard or drawer full of hundreds of plastic grocery bags that you mean to reuse for trash or wet clothes. However, these bags still end up filling up our landfills. Better yet, clear out your cupboards and take these bags to your local grocery store. Here in the U.S. they almost always have a recycle bin (somewhere near the front door) for the pesky buggers.