All Blog Posts Tagged 'sustainability' (17)

I planted some mesclun mix, carrots and onion seeds yesterday and watered the tomato sprouts. Click on the photo above to see a set of springtime community garden photos I took.

Everything in the garden is green, green, green and blooming. Some things are fruiting. You can see baby beans, peppers and all sorts of produce coming up.

The…

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(Hershey Trail, West Houston, TX)

Good day, all! It's 75F (24C) and puffy white clouds in a blue, blue sky. The air here in Florida is full of the smells of Spring. Anyone with citrus trees has harvested their fruit by now. The citrus flowers have bloomed and the cycle has begun again. My day is beginning with the sounds…

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Today indeed was a great day at the garden. You're looking at the end of the story. 

 

It all began early today with all the windows open at our little home. The birds were singing way before dawn. If you've never been to Florida, I suggest you choose March as the month to make your visit. The citrus trees and anything else that blooms…

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I went to the garden tonight. What a good time! So many nice things happened. I rode up at dusk and found the garden drenched in the light of the sunset. My mission tonight was simple. I wanted to pick some mint for tea. Mint is dependable. I pulled one strand of the mint, took a look around and saw that the garlic chives were thriving, as always. Troopers! Tomatoes all over the place. Meanwhile, someone visiting the garden said hi. I took a walk around and saw some old… Continue

Coyote tells us about the Firefly Primitive Skills Gathering:

 

 

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I took a chance and planted sprouts yesterday...

The vendor, a Future Farmer of America student, confidently told me that the frosts were over. I bought 8 Big Boy tomato sprouts, 2 jalapeno and 2 bell pepper sprouts.



Just before Christmas, I planted seeds I'd accumulated from various sources: tomatillo, carrot, sweet cream and okra.… Continue

Today’s {BotD} Bike of the Day is a Brompton folding bike…

Bromptons have been around for years. They’re made in England. I spotted this one at the Hawthorne Hostel in Portland, Oregon. It’s not the first folding bike I’ve seen at the

hostel. Last year, another traveler came on a Dahon he loved so much he

had it chrome plated!…

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I had just finished a trip to Brazzaville, Republic of Congo and then Morocco. Came back to NYC, staying on E14th Street at the hostel. It

was a quiet mid-morning on Sunday, I believe. I walked from the hostel to a coffee shop, then to a park.

And, on the way back, I looked up and saw this guy lying…

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I saw a rain barrel collection setup last weekend at Indigo Green Store that made me want to do one myself. Abundant Edible Landscapes has installed a large drum and fitted it with a solar panel to power a small electric pump for irrigation. Fantastic! We're in Florida and there's lots of rainfall. Even so, the soil is sandy and not absorbant. It's also a good idea to utilize rainfall as a… Continue

Carraig Dulra is an organic farm in Wicklow, just outside Dublin, Ireland. Zoobird members Mike and Suzie Cahn organize workshops, training and camping at this idyllic setting. We can learn a lot about making a sustainable, organic low profit enterprise work and making a positive impact on the community by taking a look at their website,… Continue

I've been out of town a good while now. Just got back. Today, I'll head out to the garden and see how my plants have fared. I hear rumors that it's like armageddon. Spring planting here I come.

I needed a Gibson fix yesterday when I got here but the lib was closed, so I tried Google Books Good thing it's there - not complete books, but enough to take the edge off…

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All photos by Mike Levin unless otherwise noted

NYTimes, "A Bicycle Evangelist With the Wind Now at His Back", by Cornelia Dean: "Mr. Blumenauer’s goals are larger than putting Americans on two wheels. He seeks to create what he calls a more sustainable society, including wiser use of… Continue

(photo by Michael Levin www.zoobird.com)



"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination" ---Oscar Wilde



Living off-the-grid means living without public utilities like electricity. People who live off-the grid may not depend on municipal water, sewage, or natural gas. It also can mean you're self-sufficient in various ways. There are many third-world… Continue

Abundant Edible Landscapes, (now a member here at Zoobird!) hosted a fall planting festival on 10/4/08 at INDIGO with workshops, food from Reggae Shack Cafe, and a wide variety of perennial edibles, vegetable plugs and compost for sale. Workshops focused on organic soil building…

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I met someone here in Dublin who lives in Berkeley, CA. She said she doesn't own a house, lives in a small 1bdr flat and her friends sometimes comment that she is such an "un-slave" to fashion. She said she lives like this because she doesn't want to sign up. Now, she is a hospitalist, so there's no real financial issue, but her point is that she lives way below her means and only materially to her needs. I like that philosophy. Comments?

PS - I hope we see her here in Zoobird! That's…

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took the usual morning ride to the office.
it was raining. and it was windy. somewhat autumny feeling in the air.
reminded myself that perhaps a mudguard on the rear would not neccessarily harm me.