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RESULTS		Results 26 – 50 of 60
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Headline	Author	Published	Section
Gardens in the hood Urban agriculture does more than provide healthy food for those who need it	David Roberts	27 Aug 2007	Gristmill
Phoebe Connelly and Chelsea Ross have a detailed and incredibly heartening story on urban agriculture in In These Times. It focuses on urban ag projects that target inner city "food deserts," where liquor stores outnumber groceries 20-to-1 and the most easily available food is fried. It's not just about food, though: 'We are what most folks would consider organic, but we're not certified,' the Food Project's Burns says. 'That's not as important to us. We' ...
Topics: food, gardening, health, placemaking, sustainable ag (all these topics)

Haiku Times on community gardens (with gorgeous photos)	Roz Cummins	26 Aug 2007	Gristmill
There is a really nice issue of Haiku Times devoted to community gardens. The haikus are variously lovely, funny, and insightful, and the photos are absolutely beautiful.
Topics: food, gardening, placemaking (all these topics)

Lady, Bugged On fighting pests with pests	Umbra Fisk	16 May 2007	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I have a pest problem in my backyard -- specifically, some tiny (but apparently hungry) insect is making lace out of my basil leaves. I do not want to use pesticides for many reasons, not the least of which is that I cook with the herbs I grow. I think I have found a "natural" solution, but I wanted to consult you first. My garden-supply store sells praying-mantis egg cases ("The natural pest control s ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food, gardening, green living, toxics (all these topics)

The Hose Knows On watering the yard	Umbra Fisk	30 Apr 2007	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Thanks for your good advice about water conservation. You failed to mention the largest (unnecessary) water user in most U.S. homes: outdoor plant watering. While Grist readers may be eco-wise enough not to water their plants, nor even entertain the possibility of managing a green lawn, there may still be a few closet waterers out there. The solution: choose the right plant for the right location; water the plant to get it ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, gardening (all these topics)

TerraCycle sued by Scotts, laughing all the way to the bank A David v. Goliath story	David Roberts	28 Apr 2007	Gristmill
Here's a marketing rule of thumb for the modern age: there's no better advertising for a small company than getting sued by a big company. A little organic plant-food company called TerraCycle (which makes fertilizer out of worm poop) has gotten boatloads of free advertising out of its innovative strategy: rather than creating new bottles for the product, it asks schools and churches to collect used 20-oz. soda bottles. For each bottle collected, the company donates a ...
Topics: business, gardening, green living, green products, jackassery (all these topics)

Yeah, In My Back Yard Americans digging eco-friendly home improvements		27 Apr 2007	Daily Grist
Yeah, In My Back Yard Americans digging eco-friendly home improvements If your weekend plans involve puttering in the yard, you'll dig these eco-trends. Interest in sustainable landscaping is up, with some professionals in the field seeing a 15 to 25 percent increase in business over last year. With native plants, rain barrels, recycled decking, and solar lighting catching on, DIY retailers like Home Depot an ...
Topics: gardening, green living, green products, news (all these topics)

Garden Variety Now's the time to discover the myriad pleasures of growing food	Tom Philpott	29 Mar 2007	Victual Reality
"A natural diet lies right at one's feet." -- Masanobu Fukuoka, The One-Straw Revolution It's springtime here on my mountain farm, and that means an explosion of activity. We're starting seeds in one greenhouse, and finishing construction on another. Fields are being tilled, and we're putting in the very first sugar-snap peas and spring onions. We're depleting a pile of compost ...
Topics: food and agriculture, gardening, local food, Victual Reality (all these topics)

Have Some Class: Feed your Roots Win a compost bin designed and autographed by celeb-types	Sarah van Schagen	23 Feb 2007	Gristmill
Youth-focused group Global Inheritance has teamed up with hip-hoppers The Roots to get composting into schools across the U.S. As part of the Feed Your Roots campaign, elementary, middle, and high schools who develop composting programs will have the chance to win a Roots compost bin autographed by the band. To enter, students/teachers must submit a detailed outline of the composting program as well as promotional materials. Entries are due May 1, and the Ro ...
Topics: celebrity, education, gardening, waste (all these topics)

Elite Eats Locally grown food shouldn't be just for those with cash to spare	Tom Philpott	29 Nov 2006	Victual Reality
As a critic of the globalized industrial food system, I often face charges of elitism -- in part, likely, because I neglect to acknowledge the system's clear achievements. So here goes. In the mood for good food? Look no further than your backyard. Photo: iStockphoto In human history, few pampered Roman emperors or African kings had as easy access to a broad variety of foods as the present-d ...
Topics: agriculture, farmers markets, food, gardening, local food, slow food, sustainable ag, Victual Reality (all these topics)

Weed 'Em and Reap On composting weeds	Umbra Fisk	17 May 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I've been weeding the garden and yard, and got to thinking about some of the more invasive plants. I've heard that not everything goes in the compost pile, but what weeds can I toss in? I'm fairly new to the composting game, so any advice is much appreciated. Danielle Walker Monroe, Ore. Dearest Danielle, Composting is the original and highest form of recycling. People frequently write in to ask what can go into their ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, gardening, green living (all these topics)

Why the nation's largest community garden must become a Wal-Mart warehouse	Tom Philpott	07 Mar 2006	Gristmill
The fate of LA's South Central Community Garden, the largest of its kind in the United States, looks fairly straightforward: It sits on private property, and its owner wants to sell it for development. The 300 or so families who garden there, most of whom by all accounts live under the poverty line, will have to find a new source of food. If the owner/developer, one Ralph Horowitz, has decided to erect a massive Wal-Mart warehouse there, well, that's just the way it goe ...
Topics: agriculture, food, gardening, Los Angeles, placemaking, Wal-Mart (all these topics)

Nursery Time Alan Hip�lito, creator of green jobs for low-income people, answers readers' questions		03 Mar 2006	InterActivist
How can I and others help low-income people of color?�� -- Corey Paradis, Burlington, Vt. Well, that's a big question. Not to be too short, but I would ask them, the ones in your area. To me, and in my experience, and what I tell my students, the most important thing is to truly place yourself at the service of these communities. Seek out organizations serving or from these communitie ...
Topics: environmental justice, gardening, green jobs, InterActivist, interview, placemaking, Poverty and the Environment (all these topics)

Work in Progress Alan Hip�lito, creator of green jobs for low-income people, answers Grist's questions		27 Feb 2006	InterActivist
What work do you do? I run a very small, very new nonprofit organization called Verde. What does your organization do? What, in a perfect world, would constitute "mission accomplished"? Verde offers a helping hand in the form of green jobs for low-income folks. Photo: iStockphoto. The mission of Verde is to increase the economic health of low-income and people-of-color com ...
Topics: environmental justice, gardening, green jobs, InterActivist, interview, placemaking, Poverty and the Environment (all these topics)

I'm Hatin' It How the feds make bad-for-you food cheaper than healthful fare	Tom Philpott	22 Feb 2006	Main Dish
If you're going to talk about poverty, food, and the environment in the United States, you might as well start in the Corn Belt. So good, and so good for you -- until it's turned into soda. Photo: stock.xchng. This fertile area produces most of the country's annual corn harvest of more than 10 billion bushels, far and away the world's largest such haul. Where does it all go? The majority -- a ...
Topics: Big Ag, Department of Agriculture, environmental justice, gardening, grassroots activism, industrial ag, local food, New York, placemaking, Poverty and the Environment, sustainable ag (all these topics)

Turn the Eat Around Forgotten by many, a Brooklyn neighborhood nourishes its own	Tom Philpott	22 Feb 2006	Main Dish
Wander into Brooklyn's Red Hook neighborhood on a Saturday morning in summer, and you'll see a sight not uncommon in New York City these days: a thriving and diverse farmers' market. Neighborhood denizens cluster around stands offering free-range meat, fresh cheese, cream-on-top milk, and a whole array of fresh fruit and vegetables, many of them grown right down the block. An Added Value ...
Topics: Big Ag, Department of Agriculture, environmental justice, gardening, grassroots activism, industrial ag, local food, New York, placemaking, Poverty and the Environment, sustainable ag (all these topics)

All About Steve Steve Frillmann, community-garden guru, answers readers' questions		17 Feb 2006	InterActivist
Steve Frillmann, executive director of Green Guerillas. I'd love to hear a juicy story of how community gardening is a tool for community development. Would you share one?�� -- Lisa Gelczis, Flagstaff, Ariz. Just this past summer, Green Guerillas cut the lock off the fence of a once-vibrant community garden that had fallen into disrepair. We put up fliers, knocked on doors, and went to community meeti ...
Topics: environmental justice, food, gardening, InterActivist, interview, New York, placemaking, Poverty and the Environment (all these topics)

Guerillas in the Midst Steve Frillmann, community-garden guru, answers Grist's questions		13 Feb 2006	InterActivist
Steve Frillmann. With what environmental organization are you affiliated? I am the executive director of Green Guerillas, New York City's oldest community-gardening group. What does your organization do? At Green Guerillas, we help people carry out their visions for what community gardens can be in a dense, vibrant urban area -- urban farms, botanic gardens, performance spaces, community centers, ...
Topics: environmental justice, food, gardening, InterActivist, interview, New York, placemaking, Poverty and the Environment (all these topics)

Gardeners: Man the green barricades in LA Why greens should join forces with gardeners to face down the bull dozers in LA.	Tom Philpott	17 Jan 2006	Gristmill
Even though I abandoned Brooklyn for the Appalachians, I'm no sentimental pastoralist. I'm a long-term disciple of the great urban theorist (and champion of cities) Jane Jacobs. Human history since the dawn of agriculture 10,000 years ago has been a history of cities. Cities are the future; as David Owen's superb article 'Green Manhattan' (PDF) shows, they may be our only hope. The trick is to create agricultural systems within and just outside of cities, minimizing the ...
Topics: agriculture, food, gardening, Los Angeles, placemaking (all these topics)

Litter Bugged On kitty litter	Umbra Fisk	26 Sep 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I recently adopted a cat, and I am having a hard time deciding what to do with the kitty litter. Is there some kind of green litter that is best to use? Anything flushable and sewage-tank friendly? Or, can I compost the litter -- and what should I use to cover it up with? Kate Graves Nashville, Tenn. Dearest Kate, Just as our eco-children can be diaper-free, it appears our cats can be litter-free. Teach your cat to use the toil ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, gardening, green living, waste (all these topics)

The Ol' Razzle-Nozzle On garden hoses	Umbra Fisk	29 Aug 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I'm diligently avoiding PVC plastics, but cannot find a good quality non-PVC garden hose. We have particularly high water pressure, so we need a hose that can withstand the pressure. I only need to water the veggie garden a couple of times a week in summer, but it's not quite feasible to do it with a watering can. To further complicate matters for you, we live in New Zealand, though we are willing to try importing a non- ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, gardening, green living, New Zealand (all these topics)

Gray Water's Anatomy On channeling gray water to the garden	Umbra Fisk	04 May 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, As part of my water-conservation strategy, I'd like to reuse the rinse water from my laundry machine to water the native plants, many of them edible, in my yard. I've heard concerns about the soap (biodegradable) damaging the plants. There are also potentially some regulatory hurdles involved. Can you shed some light on this? Thanks, Wendy Gray All the Way Seattle, Wash. Dearest Gray All the Way, ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, gardening, green living (all these topics)

This Mortal Soil On mulch	Umbra Fisk	02 May 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Spring is upon us and the season for spreading shredded bits of trees around our landscaping is here. How does Umbra feel about the utility of mulching, and what is the environmental impact of mulch production? Omar Ellicott City, Md. Dearest Omar, Umbra feels excited about spring, I'll tell you that much. Umbra is jumping up and down with glee, sometimes on top of slugs. Umbra is very pro-mulch, and very happy to choose mulch ques ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, gardening (all these topics)

Low-energy indoor composter	Chris Schults	15 Mar 2005	Gristmill
Thanks to frequent Gristmill commentor Mike Capone, I came across this very cool product on Treehugger: Naturemill Low-energy Indoor Composter. While I'll stick with my green cone, since I have a yard, this would have been awesome while living in an apartment building in New York City. Unfortunately, there is a waiting list.
Topics: gardening, green products, waste (all these topics)

Every Worm Is Sacred On composting	Umbra Fisk	06 Jan 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Can you tell me what is the best and most effective composter for a small urban backyard? Joe Baltimore, Md. Dearest Joe, Sort of. It's ultimately a very personal choice, and one that depends on what you will try to compost and the amount of time you are willing to spend helping the compost along. You may be familiar with the concepts of "aerobic" and "anaerobic" decomposition. Aerobic is better, and co ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, gardening (all these topics)

Heavy Metal Garden On composting paper	Umbra Fisk	12 Feb 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Two questions: Does the colored ink in newspapers still contain chemicals bad for a compost pile? Also, what about the colored ink printed on cardboard boxes? I want to have a safe compost pile to use in a garden. Anonymous Dearest Mysterious Reader, Some readers may find gardening questions in February a bit jarring. By choosing to answer this one, I'm taunting those of you who don't live in the Pacific Northwest. True ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, gardening, toxics (all these topics)

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