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Climate Change
Push Mowers make mowing Reel Fun
My lawn mower is quiet, easy to push and doesn’t pollute the air.
More than 50 million Americans start their gasoline-powered lawn mowers each week to neatly clip their lawns. But they’re also polluting the air in the process.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says small lawn mower engines are big polluters. Most people don’t associate air pollution with mowing the lawn, yet emissions from lawn mowers, and other outdoor power equipment, are a significant source of pollution.
“Today’s small engines emit high levels of carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. They also emit pollutants that contribute to the formation of ozone.”
Last year we parked our gas guzzler and bought a mower that uses alternative sources of energy for mowing, like walking and pushing.
The push reel mower we selected is made by Sunlawn and I love it. It’s quiet, easy to push, does a nice job of cutting and is so safe the dog can be on the lawn while I’m mowing. Plus there’s no running to the gas station to fill the gas can.
CobraHead–My Favorite New Gardening Tool
The CobraHead Weeder and Cultivator is advertised as “the best tool in earth.”
The Easter Bunny didn’t leave any chocolate eggs for me this year, but I didn’t care. Instead, I found a CobraHead in my Easter basket. After using it for the first time yesterday, I decided it’s my favorite new gardening tool.
I was dreading the chore of clearing one flower bed of the grass that had crept in among the Siberian Iris, Basket-of-Gold and other perennials. At one point I considered digging up the entire bed and replanting it.
But that seemed too drastic a measure and I didn’t want to expend that much time or energy. So, I picked up the CobraHead and went to work. I dug through the soil, pulling the blade toward me and the grass came right up.
Tomatoes May Be Future Economic Indicator
Smart gardeners should plant extra tomatoes for canning or freezing this year.
I haven’t heard much about the continuing drought in California, but what happens there this year, will have a lot to do with the price of canned tomatoes next year. That’s why smart gardeners should add a few extra tomato plants to their gardens this season.
California has a $35 billion agriculture industry and consumers in the U.S. rely on the state for half of our fruits and vegetables–including tomatoes. The continuing drought may make it difficult to plant and grow tomatoes this season, which could lead to fewer and more expensive canned tomato products next year.
This is the third year in a row for California’s water woes which is causing produce problems. Without water farmers won’t be planting crops like tomatoes.
Worm Composting is Frugal Gardening
Worm composting is a frugal way to create a rich soil amendment.
Just about every article on going green recommends composting kitchen and yard waste as a way to help save the planet. This is great advice because not only does composting reduce the greenhouse gas methane (that contributes to global warming) but it also provides an excellent source of nutrients for the garden, which reduces the need for synthetic chemical fertilizers.
Most discussions about composting start with the compost bin or pile that’s outside near the garden. Seldom do you hear about the compost bin located under a sunny window in the kitchen.
But that’s exactly where Todd Neff and his family have placed theirs. The Neffs have a worm bin that produces some of the richest compost you’ve ever seen.
Todd, a Denver writer, started the bin full of worms and muck after seeing how intrigued his two-year-old daughter was with the worms moving through the bin. “They became our pet worms,” he says.
Foodshed Challenges Require New Thinking
Wes Jackson and Kernza™ 
The second day of the International Water Conservation Conference focused on the foodshed challenges of the future–from large-scale agriculture to individual efforts.
The keynote address was presented by Wes Jackson, president and founder of the Land Institute in Kansas. In an entertaining and enlightening way he explained the need for developing an agriculture system that’s more sustainable and based on perennial grains instead of annual monocultures like corn.
Wes advocates for a new paradigm for agriculture that’s based on natural systems agriculture that operate more like a natural prairie.
He cited data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations that shows more than 854 million people around the world are food insecure; 100 million because of the rising price of commodities like corn, wheat, rice and soybeans. “Now we have global warming to contend with,” he said. The combination of these two problems will lead to an increase in food supply problems.
Critical Water Issues Provide Food for Thought
Maude Barlow (left) presented
the Global Water
keynote address.
The first day of the International Water Conference helped 400 participants gain a global perspective of critical water issues and some of the work that’s being done to solve them. It’s difficult to sum up the entire first day in one short post, but it’s safe to say that each speaker gave us all much food for thought.
It seems the key is to go back to nature.
The keynote was given by Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and a “water warrior.” At turns she presented grim news and hope for the future. Currently there are water-related conflicts and crises around the world as evidenced by the headlines from newspapers that described water or drought problems in Israel, Iraq, Argentina, China, Kenya, Spain, Pakistan, southeast Asia and states in the western U.S. “It’s the greatest ecological crisis of all time,” she said.
International Water Conservation Conference Set
Hello from Albuquerque, NM, home of the Xeriscape Council of New Mexico and the setting for the International Water Conservation Conference.
Each year the Xeriscape Council gathers together a group of extraordinary speakers to present the latest research and the newest thinking in how to solve some of our most challenging water and growing issues. The conference begins in the morning and I’m looking forward to learning more about this year’s theme–“Watershed-Foodshed.”
I’ll be blogging from here, providing some topic highlights that I think other gardeners in the West will be interested in. I’m especially looking forward to hearing the Global Water Keynote given by Maude Barlow, the National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and co-founder of the Blue Planet Project–a global water initiative.
Thursday morning’s other speakers include Dr. Andrew Parker on the topic of “Biomimicry and Design from Nature” and Dave Gutzler discussing the impact of climate change on water supplies here in the desert southwest.
Warmer, Drier Forecast is Daunting!
On the front page of Tuesday’s Denver Post, there’s a report that I really didn’t need to read. Under the headline, “Warm & Dry” there’s a three-month precipitation probability for many parts of the West that calls for warmer, drier weather—something that will have serious implications for anyone who was looking forward to a wet spring—like gardeners, landscapers, and farmers.
While most people have enjoyed 60 degree days in February, I’ve grown weary of them. A typically dry month has been even drier than usual, and after a really dry January, we’re seeing the beginnings of another year of drought. And I hate drought.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the earth is continuing to get warmer as a consequence of global warming, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Maybe you’ve seen signs of it—earlier leaf out and bloom times, earlier emergence of insects or the arrival of new bird species at your backyard feeder.
In early January, when temperatures should have been frigid and when I should’ve been shoveling snow off the driveway, I saw two ordinary flies happily buzzing around right outside my front door.
Drought and climate change due to global warming are bound to create more challenges for gardeners in the West. Drought and heat waves not only encourage weeds, but also insect pests, like aphids, spider mites, locusts, and whiteflies.
Would you like to help? Efforts are underway to track these early signs of warming. A national field study called Project BudBurst uses observations from gardeners across the country to collect environmental and climate change information. Anyone can sign on and help keep track of important plant “firsts” each year like the first leafing, first flower and first fruit of area trees, shrubs and plants.
What changes have you seen in your landscape because of the warmer, drier winter we’ve had? How do you think this current trend will affect your landscape in the future?
My lawn mower is quiet, easy to push and doesn’t pollute the air.
More than 50 million Americans start their gasoline-powered lawn mowers each week to neatly clip their lawns. But they’re also polluting the air in the process.
The CobraHead Weeder and Cultivator is advertised as “the best tool in earth.”
The Easter Bunny didn’t leave any chocolate eggs for me this year, but I didn’t care. Instead, I found a CobraHead in my Easter basket. After using it for the first time yesterday, I decided it’s my favorite new gardening tool.
I was dreading the chore of clearing one flower bed of the grass that had crept in among the Siberian Iris, Basket-of-Gold and other perennials. At one point I considered digging up the entire bed and replanting it.
But that seemed too drastic a measure and I didn’t want to expend that much time or energy. So, I picked up the CobraHead and went to work. I dug through the soil, pulling the blade toward me and the grass came right up.
Tomatoes May Be Future Economic Indicator
Smart gardeners should plant extra tomatoes for canning or freezing this year.
I haven’t heard much about the continuing drought in California, but what happens there this year, will have a lot to do with the price of canned tomatoes next year. That’s why smart gardeners should add a few extra tomato plants to their gardens this season.
California has a $35 billion agriculture industry and consumers in the U.S. rely on the state for half of our fruits and vegetables–including tomatoes. The continuing drought may make it difficult to plant and grow tomatoes this season, which could lead to fewer and more expensive canned tomato products next year.
This is the third year in a row for California’s water woes which is causing produce problems. Without water farmers won’t be planting crops like tomatoes.
Worm Composting is Frugal Gardening
Worm composting is a frugal way to create a rich soil amendment.
Just about every article on going green recommends composting kitchen and yard waste as a way to help save the planet. This is great advice because not only does composting reduce the greenhouse gas methane (that contributes to global warming) but it also provides an excellent source of nutrients for the garden, which reduces the need for synthetic chemical fertilizers.
Most discussions about composting start with the compost bin or pile that’s outside near the garden. Seldom do you hear about the compost bin located under a sunny window in the kitchen.
But that’s exactly where Todd Neff and his family have placed theirs. The Neffs have a worm bin that produces some of the richest compost you’ve ever seen.
Todd, a Denver writer, started the bin full of worms and muck after seeing how intrigued his two-year-old daughter was with the worms moving through the bin. “They became our pet worms,” he says.
Foodshed Challenges Require New Thinking
Wes Jackson and Kernza™
The second day of the International Water Conservation Conference focused on the foodshed challenges of the future–from large-scale agriculture to individual efforts.
The keynote address was presented by Wes Jackson, president and founder of the Land Institute in Kansas. In an entertaining and enlightening way he explained the need for developing an agriculture system that’s more sustainable and based on perennial grains instead of annual monocultures like corn.
Wes advocates for a new paradigm for agriculture that’s based on natural systems agriculture that operate more like a natural prairie.
He cited data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations that shows more than 854 million people around the world are food insecure; 100 million because of the rising price of commodities like corn, wheat, rice and soybeans. “Now we have global warming to contend with,” he said. The combination of these two problems will lead to an increase in food supply problems.
Critical Water Issues Provide Food for Thought
Maude Barlow (left) presented
the Global Water
keynote address.
The first day of the International Water Conference helped 400 participants gain a global perspective of critical water issues and some of the work that’s being done to solve them. It’s difficult to sum up the entire first day in one short post, but it’s safe to say that each speaker gave us all much food for thought.
It seems the key is to go back to nature.
The keynote was given by Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and a “water warrior.” At turns she presented grim news and hope for the future. Currently there are water-related conflicts and crises around the world as evidenced by the headlines from newspapers that described water or drought problems in Israel, Iraq, Argentina, China, Kenya, Spain, Pakistan, southeast Asia and states in the western U.S. “It’s the greatest ecological crisis of all time,” she said.
International Water Conservation Conference Set
Hello from Albuquerque, NM, home of the Xeriscape Council of New Mexico and the setting for the International Water Conservation Conference.
Each year the Xeriscape Council gathers together a group of extraordinary speakers to present the latest research and the newest thinking in how to solve some of our most challenging water and growing issues. The conference begins in the morning and I’m looking forward to learning more about this year’s theme–“Watershed-Foodshed.”
I’ll be blogging from here, providing some topic highlights that I think other gardeners in the West will be interested in. I’m especially looking forward to hearing the Global Water Keynote given by Maude Barlow, the National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and co-founder of the Blue Planet Project–a global water initiative.
Thursday morning’s other speakers include Dr. Andrew Parker on the topic of “Biomimicry and Design from Nature” and Dave Gutzler discussing the impact of climate change on water supplies here in the desert southwest.
Warmer, Drier Forecast is Daunting!
On the front page of Tuesday’s Denver Post, there’s a report that I really didn’t need to read. Under the headline, “Warm & Dry” there’s a three-month precipitation probability for many parts of the West that calls for warmer, drier weather—something that will have serious implications for anyone who was looking forward to a wet spring—like gardeners, landscapers, and farmers.
While most people have enjoyed 60 degree days in February, I’ve grown weary of them. A typically dry month has been even drier than usual, and after a really dry January, we’re seeing the beginnings of another year of drought. And I hate drought.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the earth is continuing to get warmer as a consequence of global warming, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Maybe you’ve seen signs of it—earlier leaf out and bloom times, earlier emergence of insects or the arrival of new bird species at your backyard feeder.
In early January, when temperatures should have been frigid and when I should’ve been shoveling snow off the driveway, I saw two ordinary flies happily buzzing around right outside my front door.
Drought and climate change due to global warming are bound to create more challenges for gardeners in the West. Drought and heat waves not only encourage weeds, but also insect pests, like aphids, spider mites, locusts, and whiteflies.
Would you like to help? Efforts are underway to track these early signs of warming. A national field study called Project BudBurst uses observations from gardeners across the country to collect environmental and climate change information. Anyone can sign on and help keep track of important plant “firsts” each year like the first leafing, first flower and first fruit of area trees, shrubs and plants.
What changes have you seen in your landscape because of the warmer, drier winter we’ve had? How do you think this current trend will affect your landscape in the future?
Worm composting is a frugal way to create a rich soil amendment.
Just about every article on going green recommends composting kitchen and yard waste as a way to help save the planet. This is great advice because not only does composting reduce the greenhouse gas methane (that contributes to global warming) but it also provides an excellent source of nutrients for the garden, which reduces the need for synthetic chemical fertilizers.
Most discussions about composting start with the compost bin or pile that’s outside near the garden. Seldom do you hear about the compost bin located under a sunny window in the kitchen.
But that’s exactly where Todd Neff and his family have placed theirs. The Neffs have a worm bin that produces some of the richest compost you’ve ever seen.
Todd, a Denver writer, started the bin full of worms and muck after seeing how intrigued his two-year-old daughter was with the worms moving through the bin. “They became our pet worms,” he says.
Foodshed Challenges Require New Thinking
Wes Jackson and Kernza™
The second day of the International Water Conservation Conference focused on the foodshed challenges of the future–from large-scale agriculture to individual efforts.
The keynote address was presented by Wes Jackson, president and founder of the Land Institute in Kansas. In an entertaining and enlightening way he explained the need for developing an agriculture system that’s more sustainable and based on perennial grains instead of annual monocultures like corn.
Wes advocates for a new paradigm for agriculture that’s based on natural systems agriculture that operate more like a natural prairie.
He cited data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations that shows more than 854 million people around the world are food insecure; 100 million because of the rising price of commodities like corn, wheat, rice and soybeans. “Now we have global warming to contend with,” he said. The combination of these two problems will lead to an increase in food supply problems.
Critical Water Issues Provide Food for Thought
Maude Barlow (left) presented
the Global Water
keynote address.
The first day of the International Water Conference helped 400 participants gain a global perspective of critical water issues and some of the work that’s being done to solve them. It’s difficult to sum up the entire first day in one short post, but it’s safe to say that each speaker gave us all much food for thought.
It seems the key is to go back to nature.
The keynote was given by Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and a “water warrior.” At turns she presented grim news and hope for the future. Currently there are water-related conflicts and crises around the world as evidenced by the headlines from newspapers that described water or drought problems in Israel, Iraq, Argentina, China, Kenya, Spain, Pakistan, southeast Asia and states in the western U.S. “It’s the greatest ecological crisis of all time,” she said.
International Water Conservation Conference Set
Hello from Albuquerque, NM, home of the Xeriscape Council of New Mexico and the setting for the International Water Conservation Conference.
Each year the Xeriscape Council gathers together a group of extraordinary speakers to present the latest research and the newest thinking in how to solve some of our most challenging water and growing issues. The conference begins in the morning and I’m looking forward to learning more about this year’s theme–“Watershed-Foodshed.”
I’ll be blogging from here, providing some topic highlights that I think other gardeners in the West will be interested in. I’m especially looking forward to hearing the Global Water Keynote given by Maude Barlow, the National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and co-founder of the Blue Planet Project–a global water initiative.
Thursday morning’s other speakers include Dr. Andrew Parker on the topic of “Biomimicry and Design from Nature” and Dave Gutzler discussing the impact of climate change on water supplies here in the desert southwest.
Warmer, Drier Forecast is Daunting!
On the front page of Tuesday’s Denver Post, there’s a report that I really didn’t need to read. Under the headline, “Warm & Dry” there’s a three-month precipitation probability for many parts of the West that calls for warmer, drier weather—something that will have serious implications for anyone who was looking forward to a wet spring—like gardeners, landscapers, and farmers.
While most people have enjoyed 60 degree days in February, I’ve grown weary of them. A typically dry month has been even drier than usual, and after a really dry January, we’re seeing the beginnings of another year of drought. And I hate drought.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the earth is continuing to get warmer as a consequence of global warming, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Maybe you’ve seen signs of it—earlier leaf out and bloom times, earlier emergence of insects or the arrival of new bird species at your backyard feeder.
In early January, when temperatures should have been frigid and when I should’ve been shoveling snow off the driveway, I saw two ordinary flies happily buzzing around right outside my front door.
Drought and climate change due to global warming are bound to create more challenges for gardeners in the West. Drought and heat waves not only encourage weeds, but also insect pests, like aphids, spider mites, locusts, and whiteflies.
Would you like to help? Efforts are underway to track these early signs of warming. A national field study called Project BudBurst uses observations from gardeners across the country to collect environmental and climate change information. Anyone can sign on and help keep track of important plant “firsts” each year like the first leafing, first flower and first fruit of area trees, shrubs and plants.
What changes have you seen in your landscape because of the warmer, drier winter we’ve had? How do you think this current trend will affect your landscape in the future?
Wes Jackson and Kernza™
Maude Barlow (left) presented
the Global Water
keynote address.
The first day of the International Water Conference helped 400 participants gain a global perspective of critical water issues and some of the work that’s being done to solve them. It’s difficult to sum up the entire first day in one short post, but it’s safe to say that each speaker gave us all much food for thought.
It seems the key is to go back to nature.
The keynote was given by Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and a “water warrior.” At turns she presented grim news and hope for the future. Currently there are water-related conflicts and crises around the world as evidenced by the headlines from newspapers that described water or drought problems in Israel, Iraq, Argentina, China, Kenya, Spain, Pakistan, southeast Asia and states in the western U.S. “It’s the greatest ecological crisis of all time,” she said.
International Water Conservation Conference Set
Hello from Albuquerque, NM, home of the Xeriscape Council of New Mexico and the setting for the International Water Conservation Conference.
Each year the Xeriscape Council gathers together a group of extraordinary speakers to present the latest research and the newest thinking in how to solve some of our most challenging water and growing issues. The conference begins in the morning and I’m looking forward to learning more about this year’s theme–“Watershed-Foodshed.”
I’ll be blogging from here, providing some topic highlights that I think other gardeners in the West will be interested in. I’m especially looking forward to hearing the Global Water Keynote given by Maude Barlow, the National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and co-founder of the Blue Planet Project–a global water initiative.
Thursday morning’s other speakers include Dr. Andrew Parker on the topic of “Biomimicry and Design from Nature” and Dave Gutzler discussing the impact of climate change on water supplies here in the desert southwest.
Warmer, Drier Forecast is Daunting!
On the front page of Tuesday’s Denver Post, there’s a report that I really didn’t need to read. Under the headline, “Warm & Dry” there’s a three-month precipitation probability for many parts of the West that calls for warmer, drier weather—something that will have serious implications for anyone who was looking forward to a wet spring—like gardeners, landscapers, and farmers.
While most people have enjoyed 60 degree days in February, I’ve grown weary of them. A typically dry month has been even drier than usual, and after a really dry January, we’re seeing the beginnings of another year of drought. And I hate drought.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the earth is continuing to get warmer as a consequence of global warming, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Maybe you’ve seen signs of it—earlier leaf out and bloom times, earlier emergence of insects or the arrival of new bird species at your backyard feeder.
In early January, when temperatures should have been frigid and when I should’ve been shoveling snow off the driveway, I saw two ordinary flies happily buzzing around right outside my front door.
Drought and climate change due to global warming are bound to create more challenges for gardeners in the West. Drought and heat waves not only encourage weeds, but also insect pests, like aphids, spider mites, locusts, and whiteflies.
Would you like to help? Efforts are underway to track these early signs of warming. A national field study called Project BudBurst uses observations from gardeners across the country to collect environmental and climate change information. Anyone can sign on and help keep track of important plant “firsts” each year like the first leafing, first flower and first fruit of area trees, shrubs and plants.
What changes have you seen in your landscape because of the warmer, drier winter we’ve had? How do you think this current trend will affect your landscape in the future?
On the front page of Tuesday’s Denver Post, there’s a report that I really didn’t need to read. Under the headline, “Warm & Dry” there’s a three-month precipitation probability for many parts of the West that calls for warmer, drier weather—something that will have serious implications for anyone who was looking forward to a wet spring—like gardeners, landscapers, and farmers.
While most people have enjoyed 60 degree days in February, I’ve grown weary of them. A typically dry month has been even drier than usual, and after a really dry January, we’re seeing the beginnings of another year of drought. And I hate drought.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the earth is continuing to get warmer as a consequence of global warming, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Maybe you’ve seen signs of it—earlier leaf out and bloom times, earlier emergence of insects or the arrival of new bird species at your backyard feeder.
In early January, when temperatures should have been frigid and when I should’ve been shoveling snow off the driveway, I saw two ordinary flies happily buzzing around right outside my front door.
Drought and climate change due to global warming are bound to create more challenges for gardeners in the West. Drought and heat waves not only encourage weeds, but also insect pests, like aphids, spider mites, locusts, and whiteflies.
Would you like to help? Efforts are underway to track these early signs of warming. A national field study called Project BudBurst uses observations from gardeners across the country to collect environmental and climate change information. Anyone can sign on and help keep track of important plant “firsts” each year like the first leafing, first flower and first fruit of area trees, shrubs and plants.
What changes have you seen in your landscape because of the warmer, drier winter we’ve had? How do you think this current trend will affect your landscape in the future?
