Gardening continued…

Happy gardeners, 

Now that you’ve dug a mini-canyon in your backyard, it’s time to fill it with something besides your sweat! A soil mixture composed of compost, planter mix, and top soil will give your plants the combination of nutrients they need to thrive. Make sure to use organic and natural soil because chemical fertilizers can destroy beneficial organisms within your bed disturbing your tiny ecosystem. Remember Nature knows best! Hit up a plant nursery in your area and buy the best brands to promote a healthy garden. It’s true nurseries are slightly more expensive (about a dollar more per bag), but it’s worth it! The soil from Home Improvement stores such as Lowe’s and Home Depot often sells soil rich in chicken manure containing high levels of toxins that actually burn plants. I also investigated a brand called Kelloggsold at my local Lowe’s claiming to be “natural and organic,” but upon research I learned it contained a small percentage of human feces. Not kosher. Don’t buy into everything that says “Organic material” or “All Natural,” it seems the word naturalmeans something different to large corporations. Some trustworthy brands I have found include: Whitney Farms, E.B. Stone Organics, and Farmers Organic Products. Also, keep in mind, soil is the fundamental foundation for your garden, you get what you pay for. I paid about $40 for 11 bags to fill my 4’ x 6’ garden bed at a depth of 10 inches. 

Once you have lugged your many, many, bags of soil over to your garden bed you want to interlayer the bags of compost with your planter mix. Starting with one bag of compost evenly spread the material with a garden rack and top it with one bag of planter mix, rack again, and keep the process going until all bags are used. Save the top soil for the top (duh), providing your bed with a heavier substance preventing water from compacting the airy soil underneath. Ask for help at the nursery when deciding how many bags of compost, planters mix, and top soil you need with the dimensions of your bed. 

  While your at your local nursery it might be a good time to peruse the seed section and shop for future groceries! With August around the corner here are some vegetables and herbs that would grow nicely in the late summer heat. 

Veggies such as:

carrots

turnips

radishes

beans

Leafy greens like: 

lettuce

spinach

swiss chard

and it’s ‘thyme’ for Herbs like:

basil

cilantro (coriander)

dill

  Read the back of the seedling packet for instructions about plant spacing and seed depth. After you have made rows for your different plants and placed those baby seeds to bed, sprinkle them with some life-sustaining water and call it a night. When direct seeding and transplanting (which you may have to do if your plants start growing too close to one another) it’s easier on the plant to do so before 10 am or better yet after 4 pm when they’ll have a cool night to recover from the trauma and strengthen for tomorrow’-0gs sun. Water about two to three times a day (I positioned my garden bed next to a sprinkler to help with that), but don’t over water. It’s okay if the top layer gets a little dry before the next bath. Just as important, make sure you water from a watering can with a perforated nozzle. This simulates rain and doesn’t compact the soil or drown your plants. 

  If you soak in this information like plants soak in water and sun and you’ll be sure to have a flourishing garden in no time! Maintenance after the first days of digging and planting are relatively easy. Weed around your plants, give them enough to drink, and look forward to the day when a small speck of green catches your eye and makes you smile!

Stay hungry,

Brittany Lawrence

Eco-Rooted Writer

Want to make your own “black gold?” Check out this short and informative clip about creating your own backyard compost while eliminating waste from your homehttp://www.korduroy.tv/2011/composting-health-nuts

What’s growin’ on gardeners?

  It’s July and now is the time to start planning your very own garden! If you live somewhere like me where the soil in your backyard is composed mostly of clay and rocks a raised garden bed is the way to go! This gives you full control over the ingredients and texture of your soil, ensuring the highest quality for your plants. Depending on the size and depth of the bed, you have the freedom to plant anything from herbs to full-bodied shrubs. Get going today and have deliciously-fresh homegrown vegetables ready in time for fall!

     First thing’s first, select your site. Walk outside to your soon-to-be productive piece of land and survey your backyard for a place that gets at least six to eight hours of sunshine. This is vital for those heat-loving tomatoes and squash. Select a flat patch of earth so water won’t flow heavier to one side leaving the other side dry. It’s also important that there is enough room around the bed for you to work on all sides (stepping in the bed is a gardening sin). Once you’ve settled on the local, it’s time to decide on the calculations. The bed is a bottomless structure that should be about four feet wide. However, if one side of the bed is bordered by a fence or wall, the bed should be no wider that three feet. You must be able to access all parts of the garden in order to equally spread the love. The length of the bed is up to you. The optimal depth for a healthy herb/vegetable garden is about six to eight inches. You want to give your plants plenty of space for their roots to infiltrate the dirt and soak up life-sustaining nutrients. If your planning on growing vegetables like carrots or parsnips, they require deeper soil (ideally ten or twelve inches). To prep the site, outline the dimensions of the bed with chalk or string and remove any overgrown grass and weeds inside or around your garden. When you’re ready for business, dig out at least six to eight inches of soil within the outline for your bed using a shovel or garden fork. When you’re all finished, you might want to consider laying down a layer of weed-suppressing landscape fabric at the bottom.   

       Wood is the easiest and most inexpensive building material used for garden beds. Construct your bed out of rot-resisting wood such as cedar or redwood. Do not use wood that has been preserved with toxins for it can infect your soil and plants with unnatural chemicals. Visit your local home improvement store to find 2 x 4 or 1 x 6 sized lumber. Cut the wood at home using a circular saw or handsaw to your desired measurements. If you’re going all out and would like to build more than one bed, keep them at least eighteen inches apart. Next, attach the frame by connecting the corners using galvanized decking screws or nails. Use a level and make sure the wood is even in all directions. If one side of your frame is higher remove some soil beneath that side. Step… 1,003: Pat yourself on the back! You have finished the foundation for a lovely garden bed where your plants are sure to flourish and make your belly happy. Although the hard work is done, your plant parenthood has just begun (take note of the rhyme). Tune in for my next blog about composting and veggie varieties that are waiting to be born in your home garden! 

Take a look at my very own garden bed! Lots of woman-power went into that. 

Peace,

Brittany Lawrence

Eco-Rooted Writer

P.S. just took down a juicy peach from a farmers market in Rancho Santa Margarita. Good stuff. Hope you had a chance to visit a market near you!

Also, check out this inspiring TED lecture by Ann Cooper, a.k.a the lunch lady 

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ann_cooper_talks_school_lunches.html 

Recreational Pollution- Celebrating Freedom With A Price

If you didn’t get to check out any fireworks this past fourth, don’t feel like a bad American. Tell people it’s not because you passed out, but because you are way to earth-friendly to engage in activities that negatively impact the environment. For those who could not tear themselves away from the big sky show, Eco-Rooted is not about to get on your case, we just want to greenwash your brain with a little information about night lights. 

      Fireworks might be a cheap thrill, but they also release harmful greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and ozone that are responsible for air pollution and ozone depletion. Although July 4th is only one day a year, the single day significantly contributes to the year’s gas emissions that account for poor air-quality. The Environmental Protection Agency is allowed to exclude July 4th when calculating a city’s air-quality because it’s considered an “exceptional event” by local and state laws. By omitting perhaps the most harmful day for air pollution, various city air-quality rankings come across much better than they actually are. 

      When the show is done, the remaining eerie and smoky clouds are vestiges of damaging gases, shards of metal and blasts of raw materials. Not only does the atmosphere suffer from such detrimental explosions, but the ground is littered with heavy metals after the event. In addition, chemicals from firework fallout can also end up in our lakes, rivers, or oceans leading to water contamination. Here is a list of the dangerous materials used in fireworks to evoke color effects along with their destructive results. 

Toxic Element-Fireworks Usage-Toxic Effect of Fallout Dust & Fumes

Aluminum- brilliant whites- Contact dermatitis, bioaccumulation

Antimony sulfide- glitter effects- Toxic smoke, possible carcinogen

Barium Nitrate- glittering greens- Poisonous, possible radioactive fallout. 

Lithium compounds- blazing reds- Toxic and irritating fumes when burned

Nitric oxide- fireworks byproduct- Toxic by inhalation, free radical that can cause degenerative disease

Nitrogen dioxide- fireworks byproduct- Highly toxic by inhalation

Ozone- fireworks byproduct- Greenhouse gas that attacks and irritates the lungs

Sulfur Dioxide- gaseous byproduct of sulfur combustion- Acid rain from sulphuric acid affects water sources, vegetation & causes property damage

Just because July 4th is a special cultural tradition does not mean it should be exempt from issues regarding climate change and air pollution. There are some ways we can enforce safer fireworks, such as using air-launch technology instead of gunpowder (an invention that dates back before the American Revolution itself - we don’t need to be that nostalgic) and low-smoke techniques that produce less toxic elements. Fireworks will never be a friend of the environment, but for now, all we can do is become knowledgeable of the dangers and help spread awareness!

Best,

Brittany Lawrence

Eco-Rooted Writer

For more information about alternatives and firework research visit:

http://www.backcountryattitude.com/toxic_fireworks.html

The Global Population and Ecological Footprint

Humans were not always the most prevalent species on our earth. Until 1650 the human population only increased relatively slowly, then it exploded. After centuries of exponential increase the global population will reach an astonishing 7 billion inhabitants this year. No population can grow indefinitely, and humans are no exception. The photo below is a picture of the planet at night. The colored areas represent levels of light pollution or artificial light. Notice how developed countries on the map like the United States, Europe and Japan have significantly more colored area. In this single photo we can see that these areas are using much more energy resources. Surprisingly though, the largest proportion of the global population is in developing third world countries.  Wealthy developed nations use more energy than under developed countries of greater populations.

 

 Only recently has the global population growth rate begun to slow. Population growth is limited as are the resources we all depend on. The resources on our planet are finite and substitutions for them may not be available one day. According to the 2008 Living Planet Report, humanity’s demand for the planets resources surpassed its capacity in the late 1980’s, see figure below. In other words our demands for the planets resources have exceeded the earth’s capacity and today much of the world lives as if we had multiply planets at our disposal.                                                                                                                                                                                                           

 (see link: 2008 Living Planet Report)

The human ecological footprint is the amount of environmental goods and services used by each individual or by a population or by the wholes species. You can measure your personal ecological footprint at: www.myfootprint.org. All you have to do is answer 27 questions on the site. You can discover how many planets your lifestyle requires and ways that you can reduce your ecological footprint.

Be sure to return to our blog for new posts to come soon!! Lots of topics to be discussed. Make a little time to educate your self toward becoming a more aware global citizen and stay rooted. 

By Marcella Scholl

July 6, 2011 

Stay Clean & Classy, San Diego!

Summer has officially settled in nicely here in San Diego. Sun is shining, weather is sweet…and the beaches are clean thanks to recent beach clean ups around the county. On June 25^th, Spy Optic hosted a beach cleanup at Ponto Beach in Carlsbad to commemorate International Surf Day. Ponto Beach is considered one of the cleanest beaches in California, receiving four out of five stars based on the Natural Resources Defense Council’s 2010 Testing the Waters report[1].  In fact, six San Diego beaches made the cut in the list of 16 Cleanest Southern California Beaches by the NRDC, including Mission Beach, Oceanside, Cardiff, Carlsbad, South Carlsbad, and Moonlight[1]. Nonetheless, many volunteers showed up to make Ponto beach even cleaner, filling up large trash bags. TransWorld SURF, Surfrider Foundation, and Chemistry Surfboards were also there to support, providing giveaways and prizes to volunteers while Bull Taco provided tasty breakfast burritos. Check out more here: http://surf.transworld.net/1000133062/photos/spy-optics-international-surf-day-beach-clean-up/?show=gallery&pid=55243#ngtop. (I made the cut in the video but they decided to film me enjoying the fruits of my labor instead of picking up some trash. I swear I’m not a freeloader! Haha)

      

Mark your calendars for yet another beach clean up this Saturday, July 9^th at 11:30 AM at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, sponsored by EcoRooted and SD Surf Gallery. Summer Fun on the 101 is a two-day festival starting on July 8^th and will include live “surfy music,” food, beer garden, giveaways, and endless fun. This is an all ages event (except for the beer garden) so bring the whole family. The event is free, however, everyone is encouraged to donate $10 towards supporting the Leucadian Main Street Association and The Paul Ecke ‘School as a Garden’ which educates students on growing food and plants and conserving water and energy through hands-on experience. For more information, visit http://summerfun101.com/. Don’t miss out on this fun and rewarding event!

                      

Lastly, San Diego Coastkeeper and Kona Brewing Company will be hosting the first Liquid Aloha Festival on Saturday, July 9^th at 3 PM at the beautiful Liberty Station in Point Loma. This is a 21+ event and runs from 3 – 9 PM, with tickets on sale for $15 at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/176219. Not only will there be tasty brews straight from Kona, Hawaii and live music from reggae bands such as the Dirty Heads, One Drop, and the Kalama Brothers, but 100% of the beer sales will go towards San Diego Coastkeeper to protect San Diego’s inland and coastal waters! That’s right, 100%! Check out http://www.liquidalohafest.com/sd.htm for more information. For those in Orange County, there will be another Liquid Aloha Festival in Newport Beach on Saturday, July 23^rd (http://www.liquidalohafest.com/oc.htm).

            

Both San Diego Coastkeeper and Kona Brewing Company share a passion and commitment for the environment by doing their part and giving back to the community. Kona Brewing Company is all about sustainability and philanthropy. The company utilizes recyclable and biodegradable materials and saves energy with its brewing processes. It also supports other environmentally conscious companies and raises money for environmental purposes (http://konabrewingco.com/). San Diego Coastkeeper encourages the community to keep our coastal and inland waters clean by organizing events with the help of volunteers (http://www.sdcoastkeeper.org/).

The citizens of San Diego are doing a great job of maintaining the reputation of having some of the cleanest beaches in the state of California and even the country! Keep it up fellow San Diegans!

             

By: Mayanne Atanacio

July 6, 2011

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[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/30/cleanest-southern-califor_n_664159.html#s120584&title=Bolsa_Chica_State

Why Should I Go Organic and Buy From Local Farmers?

Lovely EcoRooters,

Let’ s keep the earth under our feet green! With worldwide depletion of valuable resources causing the disruption of our planets fragile ecological balance, we must take it upon ourselves to live sustainably. That is to say, we can and should adopt a way of life that keeps biological systems diverse and productive while stopping permanent damange of raw materials. Take your first baby steps towards green-living and eat local and organic! The food you eat is responsible for the way your body functions and your mind thinks, so feed yourself the best.

“ Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.”

-Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Why is it important to eat natural foods from local farms? Buying produce from farmers markets ensures that the food has been harvested at the peak of freshness. The veggies and fruits colorfully displayed under the breezy white tents of farmers markets are perky with nutrients unlike the jet-lagged greens that travel sometimes 1,500 miles to meet you at your supermarket.

Buying locally also helps fight against Global Warming since there is less fuel being used to transport the goods. So visit your local farmers market tomorrow and enjoy samples of strawberry varities never sold in grocery stores, and talk with local farmers who are devoted to growing and selling food in a way that helps save our planet!

So what’s so great about organic? Jump on the organic wagon and steer away from preservatives, additives, pesticides, herbicides and genetically altered crops. Let us return to the age of real food and eat products without artificial pesticides or fertilizers! Organic foods are given the chance to naturally reach maturity without the interference of growth hormones. These hormones found in inorganic food bulk up crops quickly preventing them from developing their essential nutritients. Like your average creatine-drinking bodybuilder, their biceps may appear unusually large but don’t bother asking them to open your bottled pasta sauce, it’ s not happening. The same goes with beefy inorganic produce that looks oh so healthy but hardly holds any nutritional value. Don’t waste your time eating vegatables and fruits incapable of nourishing your body, go organic.

In addition, studies have shown organic food to be safer and more nutritious than inorganic. Researchers at UC Davis detected a 58% increase in natural antioxidants found within sustainably grown food that is proven to fight heart disease and cancer. Also, a study at University of Washington showed that the consumption of pestisides in a conventional diet can cause permanent changes in the brain chemistry of children that may result in lifelong learning disabilities. So for a balanced body and mind, think, buy and eat organic!

Warmly,

Brittany Lawrence

Eco-Rooted Writer

For farmers markets closest to you check out http://www.localharvest.org/ and for more tips about how to eat locally take a look at Portland’ s farmers market challenge http://www.eatlocal.net/how.html

Sources

Kepner, John. (2003) Studies Show Benefits of Eating Organic. Beyond Pesticides. Retrieved

June 23, 2011, fromhttp://www.beyondpesticides.org/infoservices/pesticidesandyou/spring%2003/organic%20benefits%20studies.pdf

Eco-Labeling and Green Washing: Think Before You Pay

We have all been put into that position at the grocery store or in the appliance section where you have two options to choose from: organic vs. conventional, energy star toaster vs. cheap toaster. But you can’t believe everything you see. The labels we see on a daily basis as consumers like “green” “natural” “eco-friendly” are meant to help us make more conscious purchasing decisions. But what do they all mean?

Eco-labeling, according to the Global Eco-labeling Network, is a voluntary process in which a product is certified as environmentally friendly based on a standard assessed by cradle-to-grave impacts known as a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). So consider a toaster. The LCA would begin by assessing the environmental impacts of the raw and synthetic materials that make up a toaster, continue assessment throughout the manufacturing and shipping of the toaster, and end with the consumer. Sounds great right? We get to really know where and how that toaster was made. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

  Eco-labels are awarded to a range of products from washing machines to organic foods by a private third party after independently being deemed as environmentally superior to similar products. The primary purpose of eco-labeling is to inform consumers how a product may potentially impact the environment and has become a key marketing tool. Eco-labeling has failed to act as an informative marker for environmentally sound products and has been abused by advertisers to promote sales, known as “greenwashing”.

Many environmentalists have seen Greenwashing as the key issue behind the eco-labeling movement. The EnviroMedia Greenwashing Index defines greenwashing as when a company or organization puts more resources into the physical label and marketing of a product rather than actually practicing environmental soundness. Greenwashing can be achieved in many ways; the most common greenwashing tools are vagueness and irrelevance. It is obvious that many companies who use eco-labeling are not concerned with the environmental impacts that may result from particular the production and use of goods. These companies are pouring money into making consumers believe their product is environmentally superior but there is no government regulation or oversight over the standards private third parties are using to deem a product as green.

How to avoid green washing: Look beyond the label. Transparency of products thatwe consume on a daily basis is becoming more difficult. Most people cannot even trace the apples bought at a grocery store back to the farm in which they came from. The best conscious consumers can do is research the products they love most but can’t seem to figure out where they came from. YOU can be the private third party that makes the call on whether or not the items you are purchasing are green.

-Stephanee Souza

Environmental Director

Eco-Rooted Has a New Blog!

Welcome to our new blog! Check back for articles on everything from green projects and environmental issues to awesome local events!