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Urban Releaf

When Kemba Shakur was young, she looked forward to her family camping trips to Yosemite National Parks. Shakur grew up in housing projects in San Francisco, but she said she loved the smell of the redwoods. She felt like the camping trips “washed away the stresses of the city.” When she moved to Oakland, California in 1994, she found herself in a crime-ridden urban neighborhood with no trees. No tree, Shakur said, “just block after block of concrete.” As a former corrections officer, Shakur said the “prison grounds looked better.” That’s when Shakur decided to take action. In 1999, she … Continue reading →

Detroit: Urban Agriculture Capital of America?

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I was watching some television show about Detroit not long ago and the state of the city saddened me. What was once the bustling, busy Motor City, home to Motown and a thriving auto industry, has now become a ghost town in many areas. It is estimated that there are about 33,000 vacant homes in Detroit, with many city blocks being totally abandoned. Overall, there is approximately 25,000 vacant acres in Detroit. City officials are facing a daunting task – how to revive this once lively city. Detroit seems the perfect place for urban agriculture. After all, there are cheap, … Continue reading →

That’s Not Very Green, Orlando!

Jason and Jennifer Helvengston are residents of College Park, a section of Orlando, Florida.  This area is close to downtown and popular among the working age citizens, of which the majority are homeowners.  But, if you are a homeowner, do you have the right to do whatever you want on your land? No, according to College Park officials. See, Jason and Jennifer decided to set up a 25 x 25 foot micro-irrigated vegetable garden in their front yard.  City code says your yard has to look “finished” and kept clean to keep property values up.  Therefore, officials told Jason he … Continue reading →

October 24th is Food Day

Tomorrow is Food Day. What is Food Day you might ask. Food Day was instituted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The day was established 34 years ago, but has been on a hiatus. However, now reinstated, the CSPI hopes to raise awareness of how our food supply has become industrialized. CSPI also hopes people will see that many of us have unhealthy diets. But, on the upside, the CSPI hopes to show people that they can eat a healthier diet that is also part of a sustainable food system. I know that I can see … Continue reading →

Dancing Rabbit Eco-Village

This morning, I was revisiting one of my favorite shows – “30 Days.” It is done by documentarian Morgan Spurlock. He takes people and puts them in foreign environments for 30 days then films how they do with the experience. For example, a Christian lived with Muslims for 30 days and found out that in many ways, they were not different from himself. Today’s show focused on a place called Dancing Rabbit Eco-Village. “30 Days” took two people and dropped them off at a totally sustainable village in Missouri. Dancing Rabbit was started in 1997. The Dancing Rabbit Land Trust … Continue reading →

Great Green Website for Kids

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The children are our future and most of us want to teach them to respect our planet and all the creatures on it. We have blogged about ways to do that, but there are also excellent online resources you can use. My 5-year-old loves any excuse to get on his computer, so why not teach him something while he has fun? Yes, I am a tricky mommy. Kids F.A.C.E. Kids F.A.C.E. stands for Kids (F)or (A) (C)lean (E)nvironment. This website encourages kids to get involved in improving the environment. Melissa Poe started Kids F.A.C.E. in 1989 with only six members. … Continue reading →