|
| |
Environmental Sustainability and the Redesign of
Agroecosystems. Hill, S. (ed.) May 15, 1992. Ecological Agricultural Projects.
www.eap.mcgill.ca/Publications/EAP34.htm
Ecologically harmful practices in farming still persist for a
number of reasons. This report asks the question: why, when sustainable
alternatives exist, is it common practice to raise our food in ways that are
damaging to the environment. Important reasons for making the change to
sustainable practices are provided, as well as explanations to why change is
difficult for people in general and in agriculture. We consider this a glimpse
into the third component of sustainability, the social component.
Community gardens are about food but we like this reference
for this section because they are also about people and the way people
socialize. Community gardening is a process and a system in the larger context.
The American Community Garden Association supports networks of community
gardeners and their practitioners. Just input your zip code at the site and all
the community gardens in your area pop up. We pulled up four community gardens
in our area (2 Oregon Food Bank’s Learning Gardens, Woodlawn Community Garden,
and the Fulton Community Garden). You can connect with each garden and look it
over or sign up for an E-newsletter or get on a listserve. The resources offered
for gardeners at this site focus on neighborhood and community development so
you’ll find gardening workshops and cooking classes, compost demonstrations,
garden tours, social events in the neighborhood, and a calendar. Growing a
garden capable of improving aesthetics by beautifying neighborhoods, producing
nutritious food while reducing family food budgets, and conserving resources by
creating opportunities from recreation to education are their goals. We want to
change their website title to ‘Community Gardens and More’.
Waste Reduction: The Three “Rs” Plus a C. Randall, J.
July/August 2006. North Carolina Botanical Garden Newsletter. (Bimonthly
newsletter)
Recycling czar, Dr. J. Randall, speaks out on a suite of
actions that are absolutely necessary for waste reduction. Reducing, reusing and
recycling are just not enough; restoring natural processes must integrate
composting, so include a “C” in that mantra. In a funny article on what efforts
the Chapel Hill-based public garden uses, Johnny says that it’s apparent
composting is not embraced as a tenant by American Society, as evidenced by the
overflowing garbage cans, dumpsters, and general litter in public places. Some
of his suggestions, which we endorse wholeheartedly, are: holding trash-free
events, composting everything from paper towels to plates and cups (the
chlorine-free types), using 100% recycled products like furniture from sawdust
and copy paper, and finally making sure that there is a waste reduction program
in place and with sufficient staff. He advises making the entire process
convenient and clear. Work with caterers and the product suppliers, and
enculturate new staff properly. There’s even more in this little
Newsletter article; it’s packed with ideas for institutionalizing
waste-reduction programs. But you might expect that from the Assistant Director
of Conservation for the Botanical Garden at Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
King Cob. Anderson, J. June 13, 2006. The Portland Tribune.
(Newspaper article)
You may have seen them around town at the Rebuilding Center,
Portland State University, and People’s Food Co-Op; they look just like mud
structures. More precisely they are cob structures made of an adobe-like mix of
straw, clay, and sand that can be used to build huts and even houses. City
Repair Project, a nonprofit group that specializes in social building of
whimsical and functional cobb structure projects, for and by communities,
fosters a type of social bond with their structures that is so important for
sustainable communities and minimizing the disruption of natural processes.
Their goal is to make Portland #1 in the nation’s sustainable cities and they
are very committed to including communities in the process of attaining that
goal.
The Portland Tribune is a semiweekly newspaper that spotlights
sustainable stories in and around Portland once a month. This same issue
featured a report on the collaboration between Stumptown Coffee Roasters and
Portland’s Office of Sustainable Development with a plan to capture and recycle
the gaseous byproducts from the coffee roasting process. These and other reports
focus on green business. Pick up the Portland Tribune, it’s free.
| |
|
