Everything Petroleum Does, Hemp Does Better Becca Wolford, Contributing WriterWaking Times We are in an economic crisis. But don’t panic, there are always good things that come out of crises. Our economy, put simply, really sucks right now. Here is a simplified example: A country has good currency and a strong economy. (image from rickety.us) Here are the main reasons for our economic state today: 1. 2. 3. If you look at history about 100 years ago, when the big oil boom started, that is when the economy surged and the population started seeing an increase. The United States uses 25% of the world’s daily oil supply, and imports 70% of that. Oil is not a renewable resource, and it is a DECLINING resource. Global oil production is declining at 8-10% per year. Now, this is not the end of the world as we know it. Hemp does everything that petroleum does, AND BETTER! Extracting fossil fuels are harmful to the environment and to human health. Petroleum-based plastics are not biodegradable. Why are we not allowing our farmers to grow hemp?
World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms - WWOOF Local Harvest / Farmers Markets / Family Farms / CSA / Organic Food Eco Truly Park -Volunteer Program How to Grow 100 Pounds of Potatoes in 4 Square Feet | Apartment Therapy Re-Nest On many occasions, we've been tempted to grow our own potatoes. They're fairly low maintenance, can be grown in a pot or in the ground, last a fairly long time if stored properly, and can be very nutritious (high in potassium and vitamin C). Here's more incentive: according to this article, you can grow 100 pounds of potatoes in 4 sq. feet. According to this article from the Seattle Times, potatoes planted inside a box with this method can grow up to 100 pounds of potatoes in just 4 square feet. Lumber Seed potatoes Soil Careful attention to watering The Times' guide for building a potato growing box yields up to a 100 lbs. of potatoes in a mere 4 square feet is shown below: Plant as early as April or as late as August 1, with an approximated 3 month till harvest turnaround time. Here are some pointers from the article: Cut apart larger seed potatoes, making sure there are at least two eyes in each piece you plant. Seattle Times via LifeHacker.
Ron Finley: A guerilla gardener in South Central LA Ron Finley plants vegetable gardens in South Central LA — in abandoned lots, traffic medians, along the curbs. Why? For fun, for defiance, for beauty and to offer some alternative to fast food in a community where “the drive-thrus are killing more people than the drive-bys.” Eating HealthyGardeningGIYGrow Food Not Lawns Related Posts « How To Keep Your Home Garden Monsanto-Free Cancer Doctor Explains How Cooking with Turmeric Leads to Amazing Health Benefits »
US Seed Companies Pledge to Be GE-Free For newest list go to: US Seed Companies Pledging to be GE-Free Recently a project called the "Safe Seed Initiative" was launched by the Council for Responsible Genetics and the High Mowing Organic Seed Farm. Virtually every seed company in the US was given an opportunity to sign on. The Safe Seed Sourcebook Winter 2000 Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. California: Abundant Life Seed Foundation PO Box 772 Port Townsend, WA 98368 Bountiful Gardens 18001 Shafer Ranch Rd Willits , CA 95490 Environmental Seed Producers PO Box 2709 Lompoc, CA 93438 Horse Creek Seed Santuary PO Box 1476 Santa Cruz, CA 95061 KUSA Seed Research Foundation PO Box 761 Ojai , CA 93024 Santa Barbara Heirloom Nursery PO Box 4235 Santa Barbara, CA 93140 Colorado: Beauty Beyond Belief Wildflower Seeds 1730 So. Sunnyland Seeds PO Box 385 Paradox, CO 81429 Connecticut: New England Seed Co. 3580 Main Street, Bldg 10 Hartford, CT 06120 Florida: Idaho: Illinois: Iowa:
Global Village Construction Set by Marcin Jakubowski Open Source Ecology is a network of farmers, engineers, and supporters building the Global Village Construction Set - a modular, DIY, low-cost, open source, high-performance platform that allows for the easy fabrication of the 50 different industrial machines that it takes to build a small, sustainable civilization with modern comforts. The aim of the GVCS is to lower the barriers to entry into farming, building, and manufacturing. Its a life-size lego set that can create entire economies, whether in rural Missouri, where the project was founded, or in the developing world. So Far we’ve prototyped 8 of the 50 Machines and we’ve been expanding rapidly. We are 100% crowd-funded. Please watch these videos if you are new to the project: What Makes the Global Village Construction Set so special? Why should I help fund this project? The library of instructional material that we produce will make replication a straightforward task. What will you do with the $40,000? Absolutely!
About Us | Homesteading and Survivalism Store We here at Homesteading and Survivalism Store take pride in our reputation as the center for "How To" products on self-reliance, sustainable living, and other related fields. This reputation has been built from years of service and tens of thousands of satisfied and returning customers. We run a simple and straight forward operation geared towards getting you the right product at the lowest price. Our team is small, caring, passionate, informed, and responsive. You will not encounter automated and impersonal service here. Is It Really Money That Motivates Us? The Science Will Surprise You! (VIDEO) Human nature is not what we have been told. I couldn’t contain my excitement while watching this video because this is what I have always felt to be true. Not to mention it is now backed by a legitimate study! Many people love to blame “Human Nature” for the state of our world. Think about it: it takes on average 20 years, starting from a very early age, to shape us into so-called “functional members of society” at school. Enjoy this awesome RSA Animate adapted from a Dan Pink’s talk.
6,000 lbs of food on 1/10th acre Off-grid Urban Homestead – Urban Permaculture Over 6,000 pounds of food per year, on 1/10 acre located just 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles. Everything from there electricity, biodiesel, and 90% of the food they eat is produced on this 1/10 acre of property. There electric bill is usually $12.00 a month. To follow Urban Homesteading, you can find them at Comments comments 8 ANCIENT BELIEFS NOW BACKED BY MODERN SCIENCE The Earth may not be flat nor is it the center of the universe, but that doesn’t mean old-world intellectuals got everything wrong. In fact, in recent years, modern science has validated a number of teachings and beliefs rooted in ancient wisdom that, up until now, had been trusted but unproven empirically. Here are eight ancient beliefs and practices that have been confirmed by modern science. In their never-ending search for the best way to live, Greek philosophers argued over the relative benefits of hedonic and eudaimonic happiness. The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last year, found that while both types of happiness can make you feel good, the latter could promote physical health and longevity as well. The traditional Chinese medicine technique is believed to address imbalances in a person’s qi (pronounced chi), the circulating energy within every living thing.