Written by Morgan | 20 May 2010

It has been interesting to watch the great juggernaut known as Consumer Capitalism gobble up and commodify the terms that have been used to define the movement working to change our lifestyles to something more in line with the jarring reality of living in a closed system with finite resources (surprise!).

First it was “Green.” We all had to Go Green. A cute term, and sensible. Plants are green. Plants are good, right? Let’s be like plants. Plus, it had the added bonus of lending itself to include other things that happened to share the same hue. Kermit the Frog is green. Money is green. The old dichotomy between the health of our economy and the health of our planet and selves was instantly overcome. Green is good.

Well, Green was good. Unfortunately, we can’t live in 2006 forever. First green was derided for its singular focus; how did issues like social justice and health fit into green? Obviously, green was the last color you would associate with health, so the marketing gurus put their heads together and came up with the new color of the movement… wait for it… BLUE! Beautiful! Everyone loves blue! Water is blue. The sky is blue. 73.4% of grade schoolers list their favorite color as blue! But blue did not catch, probably for a lot of reasons not least of which because it’s impossible to define such a foundational, holistic, far-reaching transformation of worldview and action in such reductionistic terms as one freaking color. If they wanted to use color to define the movement, I don’t know why they didn’t just go with the rainbow… oh, right. Nevermind.

Read the rest of the article... Originally posted on The Wigg Party.

Written by Kevin Bayuk | 06 May 2010

The "Agenda"

"Organic Visioning Jam"

Log in and report back on actions items:

At the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia, Rob Avis explains how swales work to re-hydrate the landscape and re-charge aquifers.  Love to see that blue tape name tag Rob!

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Originally posted to Permaculture Research Institute Blog

Written by Wiley Rogers | 03 April 2010

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard and uttered this phrase in the last couple of years.  I’ve practically forced fava beans and clover down friend’s throats, sneaking into gardens late at night to sow row after row during the winter months. The nitrogen-fixing missionary, saving depleted gardens from ruin. Last Sunday after listening to a fellow student talk about Vetch’s “nitrogen-fixing” abilities a slow, terrifying realization crept in:

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW A PLANT ACTUALLY “FIXES NITROGEN”

I felt like a doctor who flunked most of medical school, prescribing potent medications after reading glossy pharmaceutical adds in magazines.  In an effort to restore my integrity and investigate this astonishing process, I’ve compiled a detailed microbiological summary of nitrogen-fixation.

Highschool Flashback!  Let’s start with the Nitrogen Cycle:

Read the rest of "Nitrogen Fixation for Dummies" at City Sown