Author Archive

things are heating up–350.org

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

climate crisis, climate change

Scientists say that 350 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere is the safe limit for humanity.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference takes place in Copenhagen this December. The agreement they craft may or may not have a significant impact on saving our planet.  350.org is a grassroots movement via the Internet [...]

robots on the move

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

19th century mechanical man in today’s news
Boilerplate is a robot. Two Portland, Oregonians, illustrator/author Paul Guinan and author Anina Bennett, have created the Boilerplate Web site, which has become an “Internet phenomenon” that is a lot of fun. Their new book will be available in bookstores on October 1, 2009.
“Now, the adventures of Boilerplate have [...]

garden wisdom

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

… there is so much knowledge in every community. Fortunately many cities arrange gardening workshops.
Eugene, Oregon, had a fun offering in Skinner City Garden this August: Saving Seed, presented by our favorite Seed Ambassadors. The event was free to the public and hosted by City of Eugene Parks and Open Space Division.
The shade at the [...]

first-time gardener in minneapolis

Friday, August 14th, 2009

Hopefully you’ve been lucky enough to eat fresh from your backyard veggie patch all summer. But if you’re still on the fence, so to speak, about starting your very own garden adventure, you might enjoy reading about a Minnesota urbanite’s first stab at it.
The New York Times has a blog by Michael Tortorello, “The Starter [...]

berry heaven

Friday, July 17th, 2009

Blueberries, cherries, whatever is ready in your part of the country, now is a lovely time to get into the fields and pick your own fruit.
Blueberries and strawberries are especially fun for kids, as the bushes are low and the berries easy to pick. If your afternoons are hot, mornings are better.
Some U-Pick or Pick-Your-Own [...]

plant now for fresh food all winter

Saturday, July 4th, 2009

Over-Winter Crops for the Great Refrigerator of the Pacific Northwest*

Now is the time to plant for winter eating. Check out the Seed Ambassadors’ Over-Wintering Varieties chart for great descriptions of useful plant varieties and techniques to help your plants grow “through winter in the great refrigerator of the Pacific Northwest” (*thank you Sarah Kleeger [...]

a garden idea that became a reality

Friday, June 19th, 2009

Remember the public call for a White House Garden? It’s already harvest time, and Michelle Obama has become a champion for home gardening and healthy food.
Read Rosemary Black’s (Daily News) article about the First Lady’s harvest party with the Bancroft Elementary School children who helped plant the garden.
Also Read Natasha T. Metzler’s article.

bikes under the bridge.

Friday, February 20th, 2009

The bike scene is everywhere. Sunday, February 15, 2009, the Zoobomb “Mini Bike Winter Olympics” took place on the East River Walk near the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland, Oregon.
Intended to promote the use of bikes as transportation and to have fun, about a hundred bike enthusiasts were still around at 4 pm to watch or [...]

vertical planting.

Sunday, February 1st, 2009

The article “Addicted to Oil,” in our February issue refers to “vertical farms” as demonstrated in the film, Fuel.
Valcent Products, Inc., a company in El Paso, Texas, has the technology. The High Density Vertical Growth system consists of greenhouses filled with vertical sheets that are reminiscent of hanging shoe bags–the cloth sheets with shoe pockets [...]

been there, done that.

Monday, January 26th, 2009

The February in|ur article, “Busy Life Romance,” talks about the importance of keeping passion alive in the marriage relationship, while bringing up the kids.
Perhaps some of our readers whose relationships survived the raising of children would care to share how they “kept the romance” in their partnerships through the child-rearing years.

[photo credit]