This particular infographic should be fairly self-explanatory. While subject to change based on the status of the economy, the data is definitely pertinent as oil prices seem to continue their inexorable march upwards.
One of the problems that affect our food supply and the health of the people in our country is the government farming subsidy program which guides the food production system. Originally enacted to ensure the production of a wide variety of foods that aren’t necessarily the most profitable, the program has since become warped into greed-motivated system which does the exact opposite.
This eye-opening video explains how farming subsidies have lead to the proliferation of cheap processed foods, and how this correlates to the rise in obesity and ill-health in our country.
Continue Reading →That sounds like such a harsh thing to ask, but it seems lately that the more I learn about food, culture, and nutrition, I’m left feeling disappointed by the general American view towards these things.
But what is the general American view? I don’t think it has always been this way, but I believe in this day and age the price of food is the most important factor for most Americans when they’re at the grocery store.
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When one considers the likelihood of economic collapse or at least a gradual degradation of civilized society as the modern petroleum-based world sunsets, you can’t help but wonder about all of the bad things we could expect. If modern advances and economic growth brought us better healthcare, food production, and creature comforts, then economic decline would logically strip all of those things away.
But is that what would really happen? Would severely reduced economic development automatically mean a resulting increase in hunger and diseases?
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There are a collection of problems within our modern society that we currently need to tackle. Amazingly, each of these modern problems can be mitigated to some extent by an increased reliance on human-powered transportation, most notably that which is provided by the means of the common bicycle. Indeed, just by biking around more often people could probably save money and improve their health.
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Reliance upon the electrical grid is a fact of life. We need electricity for just about everything we do throughout our day: keeping food cold, heating food up, heating or lighting our houses, etc.
Ever since the deregulation of the power generation industry, electricity has been treated more like a commodity rather than an essential service managed by the government. Power reserves are traded and shifted to different areas based on need and price. Additionally, with the privatization of power generation, utilities companies have a mandate to maximize profits for investors, some times at the expense of much needed maintenance and capacity improvement.
Most people seem to take the existence of the electrical grid for granted, as if it has always been there and will always be operational and ready to serve our needs. But will it?
Continue Reading →Michael Pollan, the forward thinking academic and permaculture advocate who authored such books like The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, has teamed up with the University of California, Berkeley to create a course devoted to increasing knowledge of the food system. The curriculum covers topics like food politics, food in the educational system, feeding the world, the slow food movement, and the impact of food production on the environment.
You can watch the series of lectures online, since they were video-taped and posted to YouTube by UC Berkeley.
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During the winter months in places that actually experience a cold winter, the fireplace or central heating system is bound to be running on a regular basis in order to keep the home at a livable temperature. The downside to this practice is the inevitable drop in humidity inside the house as all of the water molecules floating around in the air are burned up.
Most people don’t think about how this low humidity will affect their house plants though. Your indoor plants won’t get nose bleeds of course, but if their water levels are already low, then low air moisture will make their problems even worse. If the humidity gets too low, it can create problems for most of your regular garden plants.
Continue Reading →I’m not sure if the kids in this video are in any way affiliated or associated with the Occupy Melbourne folks, but I’m pretty sure the cops are the real deal. What initially seems like another routine tent trashing party courtesy of the police, soon turns into a laugh riot due to some wacky kids playing a prank. I don’t know, maybe you’ll think the video is stupid, but I couldn’t help laughing to myself at the ridiculousness of the scenario.
It’s important to maintain a sense of humor even in the darkest of times. Most importantly during the hard times.
Continue Reading →If you’ve ever watched the TV show “Mad Money” with Jim Cramer then you’re familiar with this bombastic financial guru’s flamboyant style and loud-mouthed brand of advice giving.
I don’t think I would consider taking much advice from him on stock buying, but in this particular episode I believe he actually did a pretty decent job of explaining the current credit crunch into terms that normal people could understand. In short, the sovereign countries of Europe are increasingly unable to secure enough credit, or money, to pay the interest on their debt. That’s because as banks and lenders start to decrease their exposure to financial risk, they inadvertently make credit less available.
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Every November there is an interesting display of the inherent hypocracy within the American psyche. While the Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated, calling forth the notions of family and thankfulness for the gifts we have, in the background is the steadily building hum of commercialism waiting to burst free.
I am of course referring to Black Friday, the now institutionalized shopping-spree that kicks off during the early morning hours of the day after Thanksgiving. Billed as a way to get a headstart on holiday shopping by taking advantage of insanely ridiculuos deals, the event has taken on a life of its own, seemingly eclipsing the Thanksgiving holiday it was tied to.
Continue Reading →Recommended Reading
Garden Up! is filled with design tips, plant ideas and over 200 photos, and offers inspiration and how-to information for enhancing any outdoor space with vertical elements.
Authors Morrison and Sweet cover everything from living wall projects simple enough for a home gardener to tackle to creative solutions for blank walls and narrow beds.
The range of gardens included in the book support the authors' belief that vertical gardening is more than a temporary trend - it's here to stay.
