Posts Tagged ‘sustainability’

Last year I spent a bit of time in Rio, and one of the distinct pleasures was sipping fresh coconut water from a green coconut that was sliced with a machete right in front of me on the beach.  After I was done, I chucked the empty shell into the recycling bin, and didn’t give it too much more thought beyond “wow, that’s a lot of coconut shells!” Lungs of the Earth has an interesting and well-researched article on what happens to the coconut shells after we toss them out, and what some eco-entrepreneurs are doing to turn trash into treasure, lowering municipal costs and helping the environment. Nothing says Rio de Janeiro like coconut juice. Cariocas are among the world’s biggest consumers of green coconut juice, which that is sold from street corners and plazas to famed beaches like Copacabana and Ipanema. It’s a lot healthier than the beer,

Welcome back, Prince of Petworth readers. Given the recent surge of interest in urban gardening (where to, how to, when to, etc.) the great Dan Silverman afforded me the opportunity to be a guest contributor to his blog. This is week 6 of 8 scheduled guest posts. So you’ve made your way here. First and foremost, this is a blog about all things urban as they relate to gardening and food systems. From time to time, I’ll discuss things such as farmland preservation, but for the most part, it’s all about the city. I focus on a few main areas: Do It Yourself (as a young apartment dweller, I had to learn quickly how to grow things with limited space and budget); Policy and Planning (this is where my urban planning degree – and google skills – come in handy!); and feature articles, where I explore everything from guerrilla gardening,

Welcome back, Prince of Petworth readers. Given the recent surge of interest in urban gardening (where to, how to, when to, etc.) the great Dan Silverman afforded me the opportunity to be a guest contributor to his blog.  This is week 2 of 8 scheduled guest posts. So you’ve made your way here. First and foremost, this is a blog about all things urban as they relate to gardening and food systems. From time to time, I’ll discuss things such as farmland preservation, but for the most part, it’s all about the city. I focus on a few main areas: Do It Yourself (as a young apartment dweller, I had to learn quickly how to grow things with limited space and budget); Policy and Planning (this is where my urban planning degree – and google skills – come in handy!); and feature articles, where I explore everything from guerrilla gardening,

Welcome, Prince of Petworth readers.  Given the recent surge of interest in urban gardening (where to, how to, when to, etc.) the great Dan Silverman afforded me the opportunity to be a guest contributor to his blog. So you’ve made your way here.  First and foremost, this is a blog about all things urban as they relate to gardening and food systems.  From time to time, I’ll discuss things such as farmland preservation, but for the most part, it’s all about the city.  I focus on a few main areas:  Do It Yourself (as a young apartment dweller, I had to learn quickly how to grow things with limited space and budget); Policy and Planning (this is where my urban planning degree – and google skills – come in handy!); and feature articles, where I explore everything from guerrilla gardening, to local farmers markets, to restaurants that use local ingredients. 

I apologize for the lack of posts lately – I’ve been in New Orleans for the 2010 National Planning Conference, and I’d rather be attending great sessions and touring projects than in the hotel room updating the blog!  I’ll have a few days to digest all the information, but expect some great posts on a Sustainable Schoolyard in City Park; a freedom garden in Donaldsonville, Louisiana; and a report from a session on urban agriculture that featured Heather Wooten and Joanne Berkenkamp.

Nicole Norfleet tackles one of the defining aspects of most small non-profits: the sustainability of funding streams.  In this story, she looks at urban farming and non-profit gardens. Katie Aldworth used Kickstarter to find funding for her organization, Beet Street Gardens.  Kickstarter is a web 2.0 site that connects small funders with good ideas.  With 121 funders, she surpassed her goal of $5,500 by raising $6,121.  That’s an average of $50.58 per donation.  Not that bad when you consider how much you can spend on a nice dinner out. Has anyone else found interesting funding sources for urban gardening projects beyond the traditional grant writing?

A nice idea out of Burlington, Vermont: the Chitten­den Solid Waste District is sponsoring an essay contest about growing flowers or vegetables can win you free garden supplies and volunteer garden help. The purpose is to promote sustainability and reduce pollution.  A well­ maintained vegetable garden can yield about a half-pound of produce per square foot per growing season, accord­ing to the CSWD. Replacing lawn space with garden space reduces the demand for water and lawnmower fuel, the district said. The contest ends on April 12.