Published on April 23rd, 2009
America received an Earth Day gift today wrapped in national significance and organic pea tendrils. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, declared the entire six-acres grounds of the Whitten Building, the mammoth marble USDA headquarters on the Mall in Washington D.C., as “The People’s Garden.” Goodbye grass, hello edible greens.
Today’s act builds on initial plans unveiled back on February 12, when Vilsack announced the People’s Garden concept on Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. “Abraham Lincoln founded the Department of Agriculture in 1862, referring it to the ‘People’s Department,’” explains Rose Hayden-Smith, a garden historian and Kellogg Food and Society Policy Fellow. “The name of this new garden reflects the inspiring significant shift on the federal level in championing homegrown produce, rekindling the Victory Garden era for modern times.”
The new People’s Garden will be 1,300 square feet (slightly larger than the White House Garden, for those counting) and will include a rotation of crops, beginning with spring plantings such as peas, lettuce and kale.
This garden represents more than trendy edible landscaping. Here are three reasons why these plantings cultivate inspiration and meaning for us all: Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 21st, 2009
Is there anyone NOT sucked into the whirlwind of earth day hype? Is there anyone that isn’t thinking of how they can get their green on? Is anyone else feeling overwhelmed by it all?
Us Green Divas area all about easy does it! If we make earth day more of a lifestyle and simply start by making one green improvement from wherever we are on the big green super highway, sustainable living habits seem to sprout like hearty organic weeds and multiply. Before you know it, you’re talking local sustainable agriculture at your favorite new potluck dinner club!
I started with food. Yum.
The low-stress way of doing this, is to know you don’t have to do it ALL. Just pick one that resonates with you and start there. It should be fun and bring you some joy. This is NOT about adding stressful activities to your lifestyle, but adding some thoughtful and hopefully more meaningful activities to the things you already do anyway.
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Published on March 4th, 2009
Earth Day is coming up next month on April 22nd, what better way to get warmed up for Earth Day, then by participating in Earth Hour? Earth Hour 2009 is scheduled for March 28, 2009 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time, and participants are encouraged to turn off all their lights for one hour. Over 74 countries and states have already publicly declared their support for Earth Hour, and reports that the numbers continue to grow daily.
Earthhour.org has a petition for participants to sign as well local information regarding the event in your area. The Earth Hour website also has news and background information of the origins of this demonstration of collective environmental will.
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Published on April 18th, 2008
If you think of any major holiday, nearly the first thing that pops into your head is food. Okay, well, maybe right after “Christmas is in a week?! I haven’t gotten anything done yet!” Then, it’s all about food. Or, at least it is for me.
So, in the tradition of your Thanksgiving table, holiday feast and Easter eggs … why not an Earth Dinner? It’s simple, just make your meal on Earth Day a table comprised of local, seasonal, sustainable and/or organic dishes. The concept was created by Theresa Marquez, Earth Dinner founder and chief marketing executive for Organic Valley, the nation’s largest organic farmers cooperative.
“We started Earth Dinners three years ago to honor Earth Day with its own special meal filled with deeper conversations about food,” said Marquez. “Many Americans today are detached from what they eat and the tremendous impact of their food choices. Earth Dinners are a perfect way to bridge that gap, a time to slow down and reflect on each aspect of the food being served, how and where it was produced, the way it tastes and the stories behind it. It’s exciting to see more people than ever before embracing this movement.”
For ideas on menu plans, resources, party ideas and creative hosting ideas, check out Earth Dinner. And, given the global food issues, when you sit down to that “holiday” meal, it sure does take on a new meaning this year.
America received an Earth Day gift today wrapped in national significance and organic pea tendrils. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, declared the entire six-acres grounds of the Whitten Building, the mammoth marble USDA headquarters on the Mall in Washington D.C., as “The People’s Garden.” Goodbye grass, hello edible greens.
