July 2010

  • Stop the Use of Deadly Poisons for So-Called “Predator Control”

    By sarajean on 7/26/10 6:24am
    Add Comment

    Every year, the United States government consciously poisons bobcats, coyotes, bears, foxes, wolves, and many other animals in the name of “predator control.” The Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services Program calls for these animals to be killed by the strategic placement of toxic poisons all across the nation’s public lands and national forests. That’s right—the same forests we lobby to preserve and protect are being treated with poisoned to kill the very animals that we should also be protecting.

    Read more >

  • Jay Rossier, "Living With Chickens"

    By erika on 7/21/10 5:59pm
    Add Comment

    I have read a lot of books about keeping chickens in the last year.  This book has become one of my favorite to read, if not one of the most informative chicken books.  If you are looking for a hard data reference, then this is probably not the best book for you.  But if you want a sample of what it's like to keep chickens, along with plenty of useful information in a relaxed and chatty atmosphere, then this is it.

    This book was published by the American Poultry Association, and includes a forward by the APA president.  It was printed by a press in Connecticut, and I have to say that they did a fabulous job.  The typesetting, the photographs, and the layout are all outstanding.  


    Read more >

  • July is Smart Irrigation Month

    By sarajean on 7/15/10 8:40pm
    Add Comment

    What exactly is smart irrigation? To me, it’s using water as sparingly, efficiently, and sustainably as possible. I am a huge hater of lawn sprinklers, for example. We don’t use one in our yard, though many of our neighbors do. I can’t stand to watch the water run and run just so they can have the “greenest” yards possible. Ours is actually pretty green just from the rain, though I’ve recently taken to using grey water, too.

    I do understand that some areas need manual irrigation, especially in dry regions where people are growing food. (Golf courses, to me, are definitely not an excuse to waste millions of gallons of water; I’d rather we took out all the golf courses and made them into sustainable communities and co-ops for the homeless, myself.) If you do have to irrigate, how can you do so smartly?

    Read more >

  • Where's the corn?

    By ecoscott on 7/10/10 5:35pm
    Add Comment

    It seems that we are hitting the proverbial wall with the demand for corn outgrowing the ability of U.S. farmers to even grow it. While the promises of ethanol and other biofuels make a lot of sense in moving away from fossil fuels, they do take a serious amount of corn to make happen. Couple that with the fact that we use corn in many, many forms in a huge percentage of our food, and we find ourselves in a position where we have created a gigantic demand for a crop that takes a lot of land and resources to grow. We simply do not have the space.

    Read more >

  • Keeping Your Chickens Cool

    By erika on 7/8/10 7:47am
    Add Comment

    The hottest days of the summer are upon us, and everyone is suffering - including your chickens!  Heavily feathered breeds like the Buff Orpington and Wyandotte are at a distinct disadvantage this time of year compared to closely feathered, Mediterranean, and tropical breeds such as the Rhode Island Red and the Leghorn.

    A chicken's body temperature is normally between 104 and 107 degrees Fahrenheit.  Their body temperature is lethal when it reaches between 113 and 117 degrees Fahrenheit.  Therefore it is extremely important to keep chickens cool when the outside temperature starts hitting the triple digits.  If a chicken is unable to dissipate its body heat, it can become heat sick very quickly.  


    Read more >

  • EPA Tells Texas To Clean Up Its Act

    By ecoscott on 7/7/10 9:31pm
    Add Comment

    When I was in school there were rules, and I remember that I hated them. Well, I hated them when I wanted to do something else. When I was little, it was simple stuff- like I wanted to stay outside longer for recess, or I wanted to be able to run around instead of stand in line or sit in my desk. Everybody wants that. Then I got older and I started to think that the rules were there just to control me, and I figured out sophisticated arguments for why I should not have to follow certain rules, more than once invoking the Bill of Rights, or even something a teacher had said a few minutes prior as backing for my argument. For the most part, though, I was just against rules and wanted to poke holes in them- make my own, or have none at all.

    Read more >

  • Houses made from Plants or Meat

    By becksta on 7/6/10 10:14am
    1 Comment

    In the interest of sustainability, Urban Planner Mitchell Joachim has some simple advice: Don't build your home, grow it. In this short TED Talk, Mitchell Joachim talks about building houses from plants and even the possiblity of making houses from actual MEAT without harming any living animals.

    Read more >