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Cultivating a suburban foodshed (audio and video)
Peak Moment via Global Public Media
Landscape architect Owen Dell has a vision: transforming suburban neighborhoods into shared “foodsheds” with food-bearing and native plants, and even chickens. Neighbors can start by finding edible plants already growing in their yards, maybe remove fences, plant what works best in each location. Best of all, share the resulting food abundance with one another (“Hey, it’s lemon time. Come and get ’em!”) and build the social network with shared food potlucks. Tour Owen’s own edible landscape yard, including a rooftop container garden complete with visiting cat. (www.owendell.com)
(19 August 2008)
Talking directly, and kindly, to believers in the eco life (profile of “Ask Umbra”)
Felicity Barringer, New York Times
Living green is not for the faint of heart. Think of the imponderables. What roach killer should one use? How should one deal with environmentally oblivious in-laws? Can one generate electricity while exercising on a StairMaster or a stationary bicycle?
… Confused? Ask Umbra, the arch online sage of the new green age. A trailblazer in the field of eco-advice columnists, Umbra Fisk serves as a sensible big sister to the growing tribe of the environmentally aware. She teases, informs, puns and prods, but never scolds.
Six years after its inception, “Ask Umbra,” a twice-weekly column that reads like the love child of “Miss Manners” and “Car Talk,” is the most popular feature of the environmental Web site grist.org.
“Grist TV’s Ask Umbra,” an online video program based on the columns, should make its debut this fall. Oh, yes, one other thing – she does not really exist.
Becka Warren, who writes for grist.org from Vermont, drafts most of Umbra’s columns. Was the name a play on her own mysteriousness? Ms. Warren says it “just came into my head” back in early 2002
… Whether real or virtual, Umbra Fisk has been a trend-setter. Similar columns, blending authority and insouciance, have popped up elsewhere, including “Ask Pablo” on Salon.com, “Green Lantern” on Slate.com, “Earthtalk” on E Magazine’s site and “Mr. Green” on the Sierra Club’s Web site.
The writers “have all come out of environmental science programs, and this is a common language of their culture,” said Kevin Berger, the editor for environmental coverage at Salon.
(26 August 2008)
Little Farm in the City (text and video)
KVIE California Heartland
Jules Dervaes and his three adult children all live and work together on their family farm in Pasadena, CA. They call themselves, “eco-pioneers.” They say it’s a homegrown revolution that’s taking place, a way for them to get back to a more natural, organic and better way of life. Their mission? To change the world one urban backyard at a time.
California Heartland’s Jennifer Quinonez visits the Dervaes’ home where at the helm is Jules, a man whose vision wasn’t so clear 23 years ago when he bought the 1917 California bungalow for his family. All he knew was that the cost of keeping of a green, but barely usable front yard, was a waste of money and resources. He began taking action and made a shift in the way he lives in an urban city. By clearing out the grass and planting an edible garden, the change began.
In 1991, Jules discovered a way to profit from his garden. Area teahouses were in need for his edible flowers, and that’s when he realized he could make money out of his hobby. But biggest change in his life happened in 2001. When buying organic food became too expensive and difficult to find, and genetically altered food started hitting the market, Jules took matters into his own hands and began “Path to Freedom.”
At this little urban homestead in the big city, the family produces 6,000 pounds of organic produce a year. It’s amazing that their home is on a 1/5 acre and their garden is only on 1/10 acre! The front yard is 95% edible and the rest of the main planters are in the backyard. Every corner is used to grow food. Jules says he doesn’t need more space; he just needs to be a smarter gardener. He looks to the Japanese and Europeans for guidance, those who for thousands of years have had to grow food in a small space. In his garden, or “micro-farm” as he prefers, you’ll find more than 350 different vegetables, herbs, fruits, and berries.
… Watch Video [at original]
(25 August 2008)
Dervaes family writes:
Since the mid 80’s the Dervaes family has transformed their ordinary city lot into a sustainable and self sufficient urban homestead.
Urban homesteaders are individuals who are striving to live an low impact, self reliant life in the modern city environment.
Since 2001, their site has been at the forefront to the revival of the modern urban homesteading movement. Offering resources, first hand accounts and inspiration for a 21st century self sufficient life.
