Earthprints-Step Lightly

Reuseable Produce Bags

I recently read Colin Beavan's No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process. The title's a little long, but the book is packed full of the Beavan family's interesting adventures as they grapple with the concepts of 'no-impact' and 'sustainability' for a year of their lives while living in New York City. This book won't save the planet, but it is a thoughtful and well researched rea...

Principles of Edible Education from the Edible Schoolyard Garden

I love Alice Waters' book, Edible Schoolyard: A Universal Idea. Worth noting (below) are the principles of Edible Education that she lays out in the book. Food is an Academic Subject A school garden, kitchen, and cafeteria are integral to the core academic mission of the school, so that ecology and gastronomy help bring alive every subject, from reading and writing to science and art. School Provides Lunch for Every Child From preschool through high school, every child is served a wholesome,...

Combating Nature-Deficit Disorder in the Garden

According to author Richard Louv, the greatest increase in childhood obesity in our history has occurred in the same two decades that the greatest increase in organized sports for children in our history. "Pediatricians are now saying that this generation of children may be the first to have a lower life expectancy than their parents and its because of this sedentary lifestyle." Studies show that kids connected to nature have Better Concentration Less Stress More Creativity and...

Composting with a Green Solar Cone Digester

We've talked about worm composting as a way to recycle food waste. But worms don't eat everything and if you do a lot of cooking, worms probably won't keep up with all your waste. In my yard, I also use the Green Cone System as an additional way to dispose of food waste. The primary function of the Green Cone System is to accelerate the natural decomposition process by raising temperatures, maintaining aerobic conditions, and encouraging the growth of micro-organisms. The system takes a...