Tag Archives: farming

Human Activity May Have Boosted Palau Shellfish Size

photo: Wikimedia Commons A new study in the Journal of Archaeological Science shows there are exceptions to the conventional eco-wisdom that increased human activity always spells harm for animals: Researchers from North Carolina State University have discovered that the size of one mollusk, that’s been a food source for Pacific Islanders for thousands of years, has increased in size in conjunction with human population growth. … Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Human Activity May Have Boosted Palau Shellfish Size

‘Local’ Cream Travels 340 Miles to End on its Own Doorstep

Image credit: Roddas From the very beginning, TreeHugger has been a huge advocate for local food . Ever since Time Magazine declared that local food was going mainstream back in 2007, there’s been a steady stream of retailers and restaurateurs getting in on the locavore bandwagon . Heck, we even have

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‘Local’ Cream Travels 340 Miles to End on its Own Doorstep

Lomborg: Just Kidding. We Do Need Climate Action Now

photo via flickr Notoriously publicity shy Bjørn Lomborg, the Danish climate skeptic known for saying outrageous things about climate change , has seemingly changed his tune. Yesterday, the UK’s Guardian reported that Lomborg makes a new claim in his upcoming book: we should confront climate change now and invest huge sums for technology development and deployment. … Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Lomborg: Just Kidding. We Do Need Climate Action Now

Self-Sufficiency Versus a Backyard CSA (Video)

Image credit: Peak Moment TV A few years ago, Scott McGuire launched an experiment in backyard sustainability —exploring how much food he could grow in his backyard for his family, and whether they could reach self-sufficiency. So what happened? Having grown everything from annual vegetables to grains, Scott made a realization that it would be almost impossible to grow all his family’s food in such a small space. But rather than give up, or scale back his ambitions, he launched a CSA to feed other families … Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Self-Sufficiency Versus a Backyard CSA (Video)

Setting Up and Running a School Garden. Toolkits for Teachers

All Images: United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have released a follow up document to their 2005 publication, Setting Up and Running a School Garden. The newer manual is a School Garden Teaching Toolkit, comprising a bunch of step-by-step lessons to “engage learners actively and encourage them to observe and experiment.” Both manuals are very comprehensive, each being around the 200 page mark. As the FAO’s Growing Connection

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Setting Up and Running a School Garden. Toolkits for Teachers

Industrial Monoculture Cleans Up: Greenwash, or Mainstreaming Green? (Video)

Image credit: OnEarth Magazine When I wrote about the NRDC’s new Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops, and asked whether industrial monoculture was the real path to sustainable farming , the response from many of our readers was unsurprisingly lackluster. “Lipstick on a pig”, said Bert Harvey. “A misguided attempt at prolonging a faulty paradigm,” said John. So I’m unlikely to get much thanks for posting a video showing just what one of … Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Industrial Monoculture Cleans Up: Greenwash, or Mainstreaming Green? (Video)

Numbers of Potential Treehuggers Decline As US Birth Rates Drop

photo via flickr Chalk it up to eco-awareness, The Great Recession, or increased availability of pregnancy prevention methods but people in the US are having fewer kids. News stats from the National Center for Health Statistics show that for 1,000 people in the US, there are 13.5 births. That’s down from 14.3 in 2007, and around 30 in early part of the 20th century The question is: Is this good green news or just another statistic that amazes for a minute but carries no consequence?… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Numbers of Potential Treehuggers Decline As US Birth Rates Drop

August Eco-Tidbits from Turkey

The rare brown fish-owls recently spotted in Turkey are threatened by continued dam construction, against which protests have been increasing. The sign at right reads “We are taking ownership of our rivers, our culture, our future.” Photos via the Hürriyet Daily News (left) and Bianet (right). The annual heat and humidity of August — and, this year, the start of the f… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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August Eco-Tidbits from Turkey

Norfolk engineer builds speedy hemp harvester

West Norfolk engineer Stephen Eyles has developed a high-capacity multi-bladed hemp harvester capable of cutting at high speeds. His machine has three blades, which cut the crop into three lengths, which makes it easier to handle for baling. Mr Eyles, who has more than 30 years' experience as a practical engineer, was encouraged by his farming brothers to tackle the challenge of designing an effective machine. http://www.edp24.co.uk/content/edp24/business/farming/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline… added by: JackHerer

Labeling Food Miles Catches on in Japan: Does It Help?

Image credit: The Association to Preserve the Earth, via Japan for Sustainability Harris Teeter may be stretching the concept of local food more than most, and industrial agriculture may be making efforts to go green , but with the 100 Mile Diet still going strong as a cultural phenomenon, the idea of labeling… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Labeling Food Miles Catches on in Japan: Does It Help?