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change the way you shop – for good. watch this video and make the pledge to use fewer plastic bags. together we can keep one billion plastic bags from polluting our streets this year.
today, nugget and i made these awesome cork trivets from marthastewart.com’s collection of earth-friendly crafts as this week’s craft an earth day project!
now speaking of earth day, sure, posting “happy earth day” as your facebook status is great, but you could go to http://savejapandolphins.org and make a real impact. so go on, what are you waiting for?!
50 years from now what will they say about us here? did we care for the water and the fragile atmosphere? there are only two kinds of folk and the difference they make, the ones that give and the ones that take.
it’s hard for me to blog wen i’m home from the hospital, have chemo brain and family staying with us to help. so, this morning i snapped a bunch of garden pics for my twitter feed. check those out here and follow me on twitter, subscribe to or watch my twitter feed, “tweet, tweet” on the sidebar when you’re waiting for me to blog.
mystery solved. those are pumpkins growing from the compost pile! more specifically, those are last thanksgiving’s floral arrangements. i’m hoping they are at least the white pumpkins we used. so, there’s still a little mystery left.
it’s a good thing that these are doing well, because all of the organic, heirloom varieties i planted in the garden-with-crappy-soil are floundering and being attacked by squash bugs. i think i might try more hot pepper wax spray on those pests.
the neighbors are of course full of helpful chemical poison suggestions, but as you know, that’s not how we roll. any non-toxic ideas? and nothing involving soapy water buckets and early morning bug drowning, please. that is definitely not how we roll.
let’s just take a break from all of this woe-is-me chemo business for a second. remember that garden i planted? i snuck out to have a look at it today. the “garden soil” we had delivered is pretty useless, so things have been off to a slow start in there. over by, and from, the compost pile, however, things are much happier! and by “things,” i mean plants.
i have a mystery melon growing from the geobin. i’m guessing watermelon, but what do i know? it’s something we ate, that’s all i can be sure of. maybe a cantaloupe? i’ve done zero research, but perhaps a kind reader will point me in the right direction. (i should post more photos of the developing fruit and flowers, huh?)
the trellis that is intended to hide our trash bin is home to a few heirloom tomatoes. i’m really excited about the tomatoes. free tomatoes are a good thing.
the environmental protection agency is asking for public input on its review of the toxic pesticide endosulfan. the united farm workers and a number of environmental groups will be turning in a joint petition to the epa on february 15th. it is vital that they get as many signatures as possible.
endosulfan is acutely toxic and easily absorbed by the human body. low levels of exposure in the womb have been linked to autism, male reproductive harm and other birth defects. the lethal chemical has been linked to dozens of accidental deaths. it is an organochlorine–which means it persists in our environment long after it has killed the target pests–thus leaving a deadly legacy for people and wildlife. in the u.s., this toxic pesticide is used on tomatoes, cotton and other crops.
the european union and several other countries have already banned endosulfan. less dangerous alternatives are available. it’s time the u.s. does its part to protect communities and the environment at home and around the world from this persistent organic pollutant.
there is a short opportunity to make a difference. the epa is currently looking for public comment, so please act immediately and let them know continued use of this dangerous pesticide is unacceptable. demand an end to endosulfan by adding your name to the petition today. please forward this petition to your friends and family and encourage them to sign no later than february 15th.
to sign the petition go to:
http://www.ufwaction.org/campaign/endosulfan?rk=A7xv3gs1OlyNE
whatchoo talkin’ ’bout?