Sharecropping is Back

It's time to start think about planting your garden. Don't have space? That's ok because sharedearth.com is a website that is bringing sharecropping back by connecting land owners with gardeners and farmers. However there are currently no listing for our area this is a great concept, be the first to put a listing for our communities.

Today is Earth Day!

There are number of things you could do to celebrate. Whether its something big like planting a tree, to something simple like unplugging small appliances when not in use or by eating local, please take time out TODAY to do something to make it happen! DO IT NOW!

Eating Local and Organic Foods is Good for the Environment

Two aspects of the industrialized food production system create excessive carbon emissions: the use of fertilizers and pesticides to grow food crops, and the use of fossil fuels to transport food products. Buying local and organic fruits and vegetables can help limit these activities. When demand for local produce is high, it cuts down on food transportation costs, benefitting the local farmer and the environment. In addition, local organic farmers practice techniques that focus on conserving soil and water. They also grow foods that are free of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Eating local, organic food is a healthy choice because it is free of the harmful chemicals that are in traditional pesticides and fertilizers. It also provides consumers with the freshest produce available.

Organic and Grass-Fed Meat are Environmentally Friendly

Meat production takes an incredible toll on the environment. Animals raised on feed lots require feed shipments. Their manure releases toxins in the air and piles up, stressing the local land and water supplies. Food guru Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore's Dilemma, proposes a meatless Monday as one way to reduce your carbon footprint and enhance your health.

Purchasing locally grown foods cuts down on the fossil fuels required to transport the food, and also cuts down on the energy needed for refrigeration during the transportation process. The term "Food miles" refer to the distance a food item travels from the farm to your home. The food miles for items in the grocery store are, on average, 27 times higher than the food miles for goods bought from local sources. In the U.S., the average grocery store's produce travels nearly 1,500 miles between the farm where it was grown and your refrigerator. About 40% of our fruit is produced overseas and, even though broccoli is grown all over the country, the broccoli we buy at the supermarket travels an average of 1,800 miles to get there. Notably, nine percent of our red meat comes from foreign countries, some as far away as Australia and New Zealand. Our food is trucked across the country, hauled in freighter ships over oceans, and flown around the world. A tremendous amount of fossil fuel is burned to transport foods such long distances, releasing carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and other pollutants that contribute to global climate change, acid rain, smog and air and sea pollution. The refrigeration required to keep our fruits, vegetables, dairy products and meats from spoiling during their long journeys burn up even more fossil fuel. In contrast, local and regional food systems produce 17 times less CO2.

The Modern Local Food Movement: A Timeline

The modern local food movement gained notoriety in 2005 when four women invited community members to pledge only to eat foods grown within the San Francisco Bay foodshed. These women coined themselves as “locavores,” and take credit for starting the grassroots local food movement. In 2006 Michael Pollans, The Omnivore's Delimma hit the NY Times Best seller list. Followed shortly after by Barbara Kingsolvers top selling Animal Vegetable Miracle. A couple years later, Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon challenged themselves only to eat foods grown within 100 miles of their home in British Columbia. They coined their experiment “The 100 Mile Diet” and launched a book and a website that discuss their experiments and invites other people to also take the local challenge. Today its almost impossible to pick up a magazine or newspaper that doesn't contain an article or a section devoted to eating locally!

Happy Earth Day,

Melissa

Earth Day Count Down

1) Eat brown rice. Yes, brown rice is better for the environment than white rice. It's because brown requires less processing. + Plain white rice has far less Vitamin E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folacin, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron and over dozen other nutrients. Added to that, the dietary fiber contained in white rice is around a quarter of brown rice.

Earth Day Count Down

2) Reduce junk mail. Save paper and aggravation by reducing the amount of junk mail landing in your box. Visit stopjunkmail.org for a free, downloadable Stop Junk Mail Kit.

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Get a Tankless Water Heater! They can be 24% to 34% more energy-efficient. Plus you never run out of hot water.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/definitions/tankless-water-heater

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Plant drought tolerant native plants in your garden. Commit to planting a tree in your yard or neighborhood each year. A properly placed tree can reduce your cooling costs in the summer and improve the overall health, aesthetic, and value of your home. Work with a local landscape specialist to assist you with finding the right plants for your needs!

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Switch your font. Century Gothic Uses 30% less ink than Arial! Bet you didn't think of that one.

Earth Day Count Down

Don't Rinse. Skip rinsing your plates before putting them into the dishwasher. On average you will save 15 gallons of water per load.

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7) Get motion-sensing light switches. If you tend to forget to turn lights off, consider installing motion sensors to help reduce lighting-related electricity use (which accounts for about 10 percent of total household consumption).

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8) Don't fertilize your yard before a rain storm. Fertilizer runoff can pollute rivers, lakes, and bays, and cause problems in recreational areas or fishing grounds.

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WALK – our community is very walker-friendly. Next time you go to the post office or the library, walk instead! It will save gas and make you healthier.

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Install a Low-Flow Shower Head. Evolve's Road-Runner Low-Flow Shower Head saves about eight gallons per five-minute shower. The water slows to a trickle when its fully heated, letting you know when its time to step in and pull the tap for a full-strength spray. Check it out athttp://evolveshowerheads.com/

Earth Day Count Down

Stop mowing! A traditional gas powered lawn mower produces as much air pollution as 43 new cars each driven 12,000. Check out our 4 solutions.

Plant a no mow lawn. Save water, time and energy.

http://www.supereco.com/how-to/how-to-plant-a-no-mow-lawn/

Get a reel push mower.

http://www.cleanairgardening.com/reelmowers.html

Solar powered lawn mower by Studio Volpi

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/9136/studio-volpi-solar-powered-lawn-mower.html

Artificial turf is always green and short. Perfect for the lazy OCD types.

http://www.frassfakegrass.com/

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SHUT DOWN your computer, screen savers do not save energy.

Earth Day Count Down

UNPLUG your cell phone charger, it uses energy even when your phone is not attached!

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CONTAIN THE RAIN

We all know that when it rains, it pours; and with the right rain barrel, all that rainwater can be saved. Rain water harvesting is important because it decreases the high demand for domestic water in which residential irrigation can account for up to 40% of consumption. By collecting rain water and storing it a rain barrel you’ll have water for future use, whether it’s for watering the garden or just keeping it handy for emergency situations. Check out Aaron's Rain Barrels made from 100% recycled plastic and wood at http://www.ne-design.net/

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COMPOST! Give up your garbage disposal, compost your food scraps instead. Its actually better to throw them in the trash, than to grind them in the disposal. Food sent down the drain often winds up in the landfill after the sewage treatment plant, so save the electricity - and 2,000 gallons of water per year!

http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/composting/by_compost.htm

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CARBON FOOTPRINT – visit carboncounter.org for information on checking your homes carbon footprint.

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Invest your green in green companies.

www.greenrankings.newsweek.com/top500

VOLUNTEER for a local clean-up event

Saturday, May 8, 2010, Saugatuck Dunes State Park , 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Help us pull garlic mustard and restore these amazing dunes. Join the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance and the Stewardship Network, West Michigan Cluster in their quest to rid this amazing state park of a nasty invader. Enter the park from 138th Avenue and meet at the state park's main parking lot.

HANG CLOTHES OUTSIDE on the line to dry. Indulge in Spring freshness on your bed linens! Save 4.4 pounds of carbon per load by line drying your clothes. Plus, it will also increase their life, the heat from your drier breaks down the fibers in clothing very quickly!

Earth Day Count Down

Follow our Earth Day count down and learn (or be reminded) how we can all be a little greener this year

Clean your environment and ours.

CLEAN GREEN – Most of the conventional cleaning products we all grew up with are petroleum-based and have dubious health and environmental implications, use green cleaning products instead:

Better Life http://www.cleanhappens.com/

Seventh Generation http://www.seventhgeneration.com/

Mrs. Meyer's http://www.mrsmeyers.com/