OKAY! So it's time to remind ourselves about the GOOD things going on in the world. Remember during the early days of the pandemic when John Krasinski did the weekly "Some Good News" online show? That was SO what we needed then, and I want to continue sharing some cool green things that are giving me hope that, at least in some places, positive change IS happening...
To save their soil, Kansas tribe shifts to regenerative agriculture – and transforms their farms - I just re-read this aloud to my husband as it made me so happy to see the lightbulb moment that happened for this tribe and how they wasted no time in changing the way they farmed literally THOUSANDS of acres...and not only improved the health of the soil, air, wildlife and community - but realized a far more diverse and more sustainable (which equals healthier) profit as well. Yes it was hard! But it was SO worth it!! They said F the corporate monoculture system that's been destroying farms and communities for ages and reconnected to their land. LOVE.
A local team of Ecofeminist women leading the charge for farmworkers' rights, participatory democracy, and food sovereignty have captured my attention thoroughly as of late. Community to Community focuses on Food Justice through a variety of lenses, from agroecology to labor rights to sustainable healthcare, careers and more. Check 'em out...and get inspired in YOUR community!
This is actually several years old but did you know there's a 'Plastic-Free' Trust Mark for companies who leave the fossil-fuel mainstay that's killing our communities and natural world OUT of their products? Sounds awesome. Have I seen it out there? Not yet...but it's time to start paying attention. So many things you think don't contain plastic do - canned goods (yep, they may be aluminum but they are LINED with a thin layer of plastic - see why some now say 'BPA-free' on cans? That's why.), soda cans (Again, WTF? Well it's because most sodas are highly acidic. So now there are two reasons now to avoid putting this junk in your body!), cash register receipts, tea bags, and soooo many more items. (THIS is a great piece that shares some of the thousands of products you might not realize plastic is found in).
This rewilding project in Portugal bringing back species who humanity had shoved out of the way? YES! "The goal is not to recreate what the landscape once was, but to tap into the potential of what it could be. By setting aside land and releasing key species, the organisation is promoting the return of large herbivores, scavengers and predators, such as imperial eagles, vultures, Iberian wolves and ibex and the Iberian lynx - the world's most endangered wildcat." So awesome. And while this is a larger scale project, you can do this in your own backyard or, better yet, if you have acreage, set aside a part of your land to 'rewild'. We had worked our arses off on the farm to plant native incense cedars along the 3 acre pasture that represented half of our property, and with exception of a mowed path around the exterior and down the middle, let it go back to nature. We pulled out invasives like tansy ragwort and Scotch broom, and allowed the long grasses and native wildflowers to return. And you know what happened? Deer stayed away from the house because they had a place to peacefully travel through, to sleep protected from predators, to have their babies. Kildeer (birds) began nesting in the grasses. Field mice stayed in there and bald eagles and other birds hunted them. Not to mention it became the most beautiful place to take a walk during the golden hours of dawn and dusk. Sadly, few are willing to do this and the folks who bought this from us immediately began to hay it even though they are financially well off. And yep...deer were in their veggie garden in no time. See how the ability to coexist affects so many things?
And finally, I gotta share the After School Special PSA of sorts by the guys at Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't, who have the awesome show Kill Your Lawn with their exaggerated Chicago Italian accents mixed with a Tenacious D vibe and unabashed devotion to ecology as to why you gotta get rid of that grass and embrace native species..."all with a slice of smart-assed social commentary and reflections on the (hilariously) depressing nature of modern society's hamster-wheel and epic Race-to-Nowhere." We caught several episodes on YouTube and are totally hooked...and I gotta say, I love it that their 'Before & After' landscaping jobs do not give it the faux design treatment a la Chip & JoJo and actually impress upon the viewer that it takes time for plants to grow into a newly landscaped, eco-fied garden!
Great piece, great link about plastics..ugh