Comments ecology has made

  • Vegetarian option

    I grew up in Jamaica, eating oxtail and soups and stews made with ham and chicken bones, but now, am a vegetarian.  Thank you for providing vegetarian ways to prepare your soup.On Take the chill off the bad economy with a frugal, delicious vegetable soup posted 10 months ago 14 Responses

  • Garden analogy

    A pleasurable read, thank you.  I was struck by your use of the milpa - a long-standing, successful planting strategy of multiple species within a small area yielding not only a bounty of food but food that work together for an optimal diet.  In addition, as in the story of weeding you offer, social life is supported.On Notes on a recent trip to Mexico posted 1 year, 3 months ago 8 Responses

  • Berkeley's fruits

    Thanks for the link to local ecology!  The map needs to be updated of which I am reminded every day I walk in Berkeley.  So much fruit in the public right of way goes uneaten, whether by birds, squirrels, or people.  There are a few organizations that harvest fruit from private trees but none to my knowledge that actively harvest street tree fruits.  If anyone is interested in the latter, please email me at info_AT_localecology.org

    For additional fruit posts, read here; here; and here.

    local ecology | http://localecology.org

    On Urban fruit: An untapped resource posted 1 year, 4 months ago 12 Responses

  • 1 x 10

    I have a 1x10 foot home garden where I am growing lettuce, tomato, bell pepper, rosemary, and lavender, with room to spare.

    local ecology | http://localecology.org

    On As food prices rise, policymakers ignore potential of home and community gardens posted 1 year, 7 months ago 9 Responses

  • The Pittsfield Elm, &c.

    A historical incident of urban treecycling is noted in Campanella's book , The Republic of Shade: "Broken, branded, and shorn of its limbs, the 'central gem' of Pittsfield was finally laid to rest in 1864, 'amid the tears of the sternest men.'  Wielding the ax was a man with the ironic name of Sylvanus Grant.  An African-American woodsman, his felling of the Pittsfield Elm made him something of a local celebrity....The wreckage of the tree itself was auctioned off, its scraps carved into bric-a-brac, an armchair, and picture frames to hold portraits of the tree itself."

    The Pittsfield Elm was a very special tree, more so than many street trees, but treecycling is a great idea.  It fits into contemporary discourses about DIY, life cycle of materials, and greenhouse gas reduction (landfills contribute a lot of methane).

    Some folks at the City of Boston considered a treecycling program.  I think it is fair to assume that in older cities, overmature trees make up the greater share of a city's street tree population (see Maco and McPherson 2002), so there are numerous opportunities to recycle urban wood.  (Check out UFEI's urban wood website.)

    local ecology http://localecology.org

    On High-end use for urban trees saves landfill space posted 1 year, 7 months ago 5 Responses