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I have made a habit of pre-writing all my blog posts. By the time this one appears tomorrow we may be in the midst of the what is left of Hurricane Sandy. The storm is expected to entend into Ontario … Continue reading
Category Archives: sustainability
I recently interviewed a biodynamic farmer who did not like the label sustainable, and he is not the only one. Many people who want to treat nature well are choking on old vocabulary. Sustainability, environmentalism, carbon-neutral, green living and organic … Continue reading
So much for rational discussion. Until recently I had not seen evidence genetically-modified foods were safe to eat. My main gripe has been they add no benefit except for poor corporate citizens like Monsanto. GM scientists claim they offer food … Continue reading
Foraging and slow food have become recurring themes here at Speed River Journal. Yesterday Barb Freda’s blog, Babette Feasts, hosted my guest post, Foraging Nettles: A Bitter Misadventure. It highlights some of the challenges of adapting to locally-available foods. … Continue reading
The more I garden, the more I want to garden. The more I research permaculture, the more I recognize a huge gap in my knowledge about sustainable practises. The courses I might undertake all appear to be prohibitively expensive. For … Continue reading
If you have followed Speed River Journal for a while you may remember I set up a worm chalet at the end of January (this photo shows it with the lid removed). The red wrigglers have been busy reducing our … Continue reading
A new vegetable garden is a great responsibility. Novices think, “It would be fun to grow our own food,” the same way they think of getting a puppy. A friend of mine, a grad student, adopted a Doberman pup last … Continue reading
A short BBC News clip demonstrates a level of stewardship we should all emulate. Brendan Grimshaw bought the tiny Pacific island paradise of Moyenne for £8000 in 1962 and has lived there alone except for the company of giant tortoises, … Continue reading
Yesterday we went to Guelph’s Seedy Saturday at Norfolk United Church. I brought home a few more ideas along with packages of heirloom vegetable and wildflowers seeds. Seedy Saturdays began in Canada in 1990, encouraging communities to share locally-adapted, non-hybrid … Continue reading
For the permaculture garden, I began by choosing the best site in the yard. Most vegetables and herbs prefer full sun. This section gets a little morning shade, but full sun from late morning through early evening. I decided to … Continue reading