There has been a lot of talk about this term and its use in the past week. I have always referred to it as my backyard homestead, but the idea is basically the same. We live in town and have a small backyard space that is currently serving as my own little farm. As always, it is a work in progress, but I thought that it would be fun to talk a little bit about it here.
My first garden was only about ten by ten and was not terribly successful. It was born about five years ago. Much like a tattoo, once I had one garden, my thoughts went to having another. The next year we added about 25 square feet to the garden and planted a few more varieties. We learned the importance of added amendments to the soil, and I started to actually read about how to have a more successful garden. And it paid off a little more. Then it was official that I had the bug. I even did a pretty good job of getting hubby involved.
The homestead process really started rolling after the birth of our son. I began to really think about the world that I wanted him to grow up in, and about what I could do to make his world more safe and sustainable. The more I read about food safety and security, the more I longed to do more. Then I picked up the book Lasagna Gardening and learned how much more I could do to grow food in our small space. I built my first lasagna bed about three years ago. Adding organic material to the bed is easy because I have recruited some neighbors to save grass clippings and leaves for me. They may think that we are crazy, but you would be surprised how happy people are to get rid of that stuff. We also created two small raised beds. Suddenly, we were growing more food than we could use.
This happy problem led to further study into how to make use of what I was growing. I picked up the Ball Blue Book to learn about how to can. I had vague memories of my great grandmother doing some canning, but had no idea where to start. We started with salsa because we had a glut of tomatoes and salsa creation did not take any special equipment. After some jams and canned fruit, I found a pressure canner at an auction and started canning beans as well. I am still working on food dehydrating, and on creating a root cellar, but those things will come in time.
The next year, my husband and I set up a booth at the local farmer's market. We loved the sense of community there and wanted to be a part of it. You would be surprised at how much you can learn from "real" farmer's that can help the urban farmer. They always seem happy to share their knowledge with anyone who will listen. We sold some things from our garden, resold fruit from local pick your own places, and sold baked goods and jellies. It was great.
Now, I have approximately 8 gardens in my backyard of various shapes and sizes. The grass has given way to nice fertile patches of ground. My toddler does not have a lot of running room during gardening season, but he likes to make friends with worms and dig in the dirt, so the trade off is okay. The next hurdle I hope to conquer is to have some livestock. I would like to start with rabbits this year and then possible move on to chickens and bees.
Other things that we do on our little homestead? I cut my husband's hair myself, bake bread, sew and knit. We have a couple of apple trees that are still maturing and grow strawberries, black raspberries and blueberries. In the late spring we have secret berry patches where we go out to forage for the free berries. I make soap and my own cleaning products in order to create less of an impact on the Earth. Most of all, I try to meet my neighbors, share the fruits of my labor with them, and talk to them about what they can do in their own backyards. If times get tough, I don't want to be the only one in my neighborhood with a garden.
The message that I am trying to get across is that you do not have to start with everything at once. You do not have to spend a lot of money, in fact that is what we are trying to avoid. Maybe your homestead will start with a container garden on your patio, or with a pet rabbit, but whatever the case it does not matter how small you start. Once you get started, you may find that it gets in your blood, and that you add a little each year until you are a pretty successful urban homestead yourself.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Understanding Fair Trade
If you are looking to make more sustainable lifestyle decisions, consider buying fair trade products. You might have noticed more items on the store shelf with the words "fair trade certified." This label means that those products are part of a system of buying and selling goods that is designed to promote greater equity between producers and consumers.
According to the Fair Trade Federation, the aims of the fair trade system are to create greater equity and partnership in the international trading system by:
The fair trade system has its roots in the late 1940s when a Mennonite volunteer first started bringing hand-made goods back from Puerto Rico for sale in the united states. That first fair trade exchange turned into the well-known purveyor of fair trade goods - Ten Thousand Villageswhich increased awareness of this type of exchange. Since then, fair trade exchanges have grown to a multibillion dollar part of the international economy, creating new economic opportunities for the developing world and leading to a broader appreciation for international goods.
By their nature, fair trade exchanges lead to producers getting paid a more equitable rate for the goods they provide compared to traditional wholesale changes where many producers make a few cents per unit of what they produce. This increase can lead to a higher standard of living, opportunities for gender equity and lowered barriers to entry into the world marketplace for less affluent countries and individuals. Now, more than just a market for handmade goods, fair trade has extended into commercial agriculture, textiles and furniture.
Large corporations are moving toward using more fair trade goods, companies like Starbucks have a line of fair trade coffees and recentlyBen & Jerry's announced that they will be moving to all fair trade goods. This move is considered especially notable by fair trade observers because the brand Ben & Jerry's was sold to Unilever which raised questions about whether or not the brand would continue to champion causes as they did when they were an independent entity.
TransFair USA which is the US certifying body for fair trade exchanges has also moved on to certifying textiles for use in clothing and linens. The first TransFair USA certified textiles are expected to go on the US Market by this spring. In the past fair trade textile alliances have also called for language to be included in World Trade Organization and United Nations resolutions in order to provide additional weight to the movement. This has had limited success however, without the cooperation of large governments like China.
Fair trade goods have seen continued growth in adoption all over the world and consumers have come to know the label as being indicative of sustainable commerce. Fair trade observers expect this trend to continue as awareness of these products and what the fair trade label means continues to grow.
According to the Fair Trade Federation, the aims of the fair trade system are to create greater equity and partnership in the international trading system by:
- Creating Opportunities for Economically and Socially Marginalized Producers
- Developing Transparent and Accountable Relationships
- Building Capacity
- Promoting Fair Trade
- Paying Promptly and Fairly
- Supporting Safe and Empowering Working Conditions
- Ensuring the Rights of Children
- Cultivating Environmental Stewardship
- Respecting Cultural Identity
The fair trade system has its roots in the late 1940s when a Mennonite volunteer first started bringing hand-made goods back from Puerto Rico for sale in the united states. That first fair trade exchange turned into the well-known purveyor of fair trade goods - Ten Thousand Villageswhich increased awareness of this type of exchange. Since then, fair trade exchanges have grown to a multibillion dollar part of the international economy, creating new economic opportunities for the developing world and leading to a broader appreciation for international goods.
By their nature, fair trade exchanges lead to producers getting paid a more equitable rate for the goods they provide compared to traditional wholesale changes where many producers make a few cents per unit of what they produce. This increase can lead to a higher standard of living, opportunities for gender equity and lowered barriers to entry into the world marketplace for less affluent countries and individuals. Now, more than just a market for handmade goods, fair trade has extended into commercial agriculture, textiles and furniture.
Large corporations are moving toward using more fair trade goods, companies like Starbucks have a line of fair trade coffees and recentlyBen & Jerry's announced that they will be moving to all fair trade goods. This move is considered especially notable by fair trade observers because the brand Ben & Jerry's was sold to Unilever which raised questions about whether or not the brand would continue to champion causes as they did when they were an independent entity.
TransFair USA which is the US certifying body for fair trade exchanges has also moved on to certifying textiles for use in clothing and linens. The first TransFair USA certified textiles are expected to go on the US Market by this spring. In the past fair trade textile alliances have also called for language to be included in World Trade Organization and United Nations resolutions in order to provide additional weight to the movement. This has had limited success however, without the cooperation of large governments like China.
Fair trade goods have seen continued growth in adoption all over the world and consumers have come to know the label as being indicative of sustainable commerce. Fair trade observers expect this trend to continue as awareness of these products and what the fair trade label means continues to grow.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Maternity Kits for Haiti
I am super excited about a project that I have gotten involved with. Delicate Fortress is an organization who is currently working with Create Hope to make and send maternity kits to women in Haiti. Sound interesting? Get involved here. They are hoping to send hundreds of kits to the women of Haiti in March. They will be collecting donations and supplies until February, 16th. If you can help in any way, that would be great.
I am helping by sewing bags and blankets for the cause. I have not had my sewing machine out in ages, and it has been fun to get back to it. If you don't have sewing skills, or money to donate, you can still help. I promise to give one 2.50 postage donation for every comment that I receive on this post until the 16th. So leave a comment and pass on to your friends so they can comment as well.
Here's hoping for lots of comments
I am helping by sewing bags and blankets for the cause. I have not had my sewing machine out in ages, and it has been fun to get back to it. If you don't have sewing skills, or money to donate, you can still help. I promise to give one 2.50 postage donation for every comment that I receive on this post until the 16th. So leave a comment and pass on to your friends so they can comment as well.
Here's hoping for lots of comments
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
A New Kind of Tree Planting
If you're a fan of sustainable lifestyle choices, its likely that you've been to a tree planting event, or donated to a charity that plants trees. Tree planting as a way of giving back is as old as Earth Day. Now, a company in Hawaii is offering a new twist on the traditional tree planting party - instead its asking investors to purchase units of its legacy hardwood with the ability to watch them grow. Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods is selling units of 100 trees that will be tagged with RFID's allowing the investors to literally watch their investment mature over time.
RFID's or radio-frequency identification involves applying an RFID tag to an object allowing owners to track the location and identification of the object using radio waves. RFID's have become a popular means of managing supply chains for distributors but have recently gained popularity as ways of tracking information and places. Cities have started affixing RFID's to store windows so that people can get store information as they walk by, using their smart phones. Now, by adding RFID's to the trees, people who have the tags can check in through applications like Google Earth to view the progress.
According to the company, Hawaii is the only place in the US with the appropriate climate for growing tropical rainforest hardwoods. Woods that have been wiped out in other places. Hawaii also has several large tracts of abandoned acreage left from sugar crops and pineapple crops that are now cheaper and easier to grow in other countries. As such, Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods intends to fill that space with these rare trees.
Last year the company planted the first 140-acre sections with Koa trees and has plans to fill the full 2700 acre site on the Hamakua coast. The site will eventually support 1.3 million tropical hardwoods, primarily Koa, that are indigenous to Hawaii.
Hawaii has seen a loss of over 90% of its native forests, primarily to agriculture and development. According to the International Tropical Timber Organization the world has less than 14 years of tropical hardwoods left to cut before resource is completely depleted.
For its part, the company is working to restore the forest through its plan of sustainable logging and planned regrowth. Tree owners will receive data about the ownership, growth, maintenance and lumber yield from each tree in the unit. The trees will have GPS coordinates to provide satellite viewing of specific trees from space.
The use of RFID is growing in the multi-billion dollar timber industry as timber companies struggle with ways to halt illegal logging, and maintain control over their lands. The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) also uses satellite tracking as a way of monitoring deforestation and preventing against illegal logging and is currently increasing the amount of resources it allocates for the tracking and prevention of deforestation globally.
RFID's or radio-frequency identification involves applying an RFID tag to an object allowing owners to track the location and identification of the object using radio waves. RFID's have become a popular means of managing supply chains for distributors but have recently gained popularity as ways of tracking information and places. Cities have started affixing RFID's to store windows so that people can get store information as they walk by, using their smart phones. Now, by adding RFID's to the trees, people who have the tags can check in through applications like Google Earth to view the progress.
According to the company, Hawaii is the only place in the US with the appropriate climate for growing tropical rainforest hardwoods. Woods that have been wiped out in other places. Hawaii also has several large tracts of abandoned acreage left from sugar crops and pineapple crops that are now cheaper and easier to grow in other countries. As such, Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods intends to fill that space with these rare trees.
Last year the company planted the first 140-acre sections with Koa trees and has plans to fill the full 2700 acre site on the Hamakua coast. The site will eventually support 1.3 million tropical hardwoods, primarily Koa, that are indigenous to Hawaii.
Hawaii has seen a loss of over 90% of its native forests, primarily to agriculture and development. According to the International Tropical Timber Organization the world has less than 14 years of tropical hardwoods left to cut before resource is completely depleted.
For its part, the company is working to restore the forest through its plan of sustainable logging and planned regrowth. Tree owners will receive data about the ownership, growth, maintenance and lumber yield from each tree in the unit. The trees will have GPS coordinates to provide satellite viewing of specific trees from space.
The use of RFID is growing in the multi-billion dollar timber industry as timber companies struggle with ways to halt illegal logging, and maintain control over their lands. The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) also uses satellite tracking as a way of monitoring deforestation and preventing against illegal logging and is currently increasing the amount of resources it allocates for the tracking and prevention of deforestation globally.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Fair Trade Towns
Do you purchase and support the use of Fair Trade goods? Or, maybe you'd like to but they are hard to find in your area? Consider making your town a Fair Trade town.
The growth of Fair Trade products has given consumers more power to vote with their pocketbooks by choosing these goods. Now, the Fair Trade town movement is taking it to the next level by making it a city/town mandate to support Fair Trade. The movement started in England with the town of Garstang, which declared itself the first Fair Trade town in 2000. Since then, the movement has grown to 600 communities on three continents.
In the US, the first Fair Trade town was Media, PA - now, cities from Austin to Boston are in the mix and pushing others to get involved. The organization dedicated to creating Fair Trade towns -- Fairtradetowns.org provides five steps for becoming a Fair Trade town:
Sounds easy enough right? While most cities involved haven't faced significant difficulty in achieving the certification once they start out, the process can be a lengthy one and does require a core group of committed individuals. Since this is a grass roots movement, the first big hurdle is educating decision makers about the benefits of Fair Trade. Once people understand the benefits, the infrastructure has to be set up including a procurement schedule as well as support from local businesses. Depending on the size of the community working towards certification, this can take some time.
Interested parties will also have to become familiar with the way their city/town councils work and what it will take to get a declaration on the council agenda. This process is not always clear or easy when the action starts from a citizen level. Overall, the process is defined by time spent and education, making commitment key.
Becoming a Fair Trade town is to truly live the motto, "think locally, act globally." Each new Fair Trade town creates an impact and new opportunity for not only the town itself but farmers and workers the world over. Supporting Fair Trade also helps create a more sustainable world allowing us all to enjoy our cities and towns as well as our livelihood's for a long time to come.
The growth of Fair Trade products has given consumers more power to vote with their pocketbooks by choosing these goods. Now, the Fair Trade town movement is taking it to the next level by making it a city/town mandate to support Fair Trade. The movement started in England with the town of Garstang, which declared itself the first Fair Trade town in 2000. Since then, the movement has grown to 600 communities on three continents.
In the US, the first Fair Trade town was Media, PA - now, cities from Austin to Boston are in the mix and pushing others to get involved. The organization dedicated to creating Fair Trade towns -- Fairtradetowns.org provides five steps for becoming a Fair Trade town:
- Local council passes a resolution supporting Fair Trade, and agrees to serve Fair Trade products (for example, in meetings, offices and canteens).
- A range of Fair Trade products are available locally (targets vary from country to country)
- Schools, workplaces, places of worship and community organisations support Fair Trade and use Fair Trade products whenever possible
- Media coverage and events raise awareness and understanding of Fair Trade across the community.
- A Fair Trade steering group representing different sectors is formed to co-ordinate action around the goals and develop them over the years.
Sounds easy enough right? While most cities involved haven't faced significant difficulty in achieving the certification once they start out, the process can be a lengthy one and does require a core group of committed individuals. Since this is a grass roots movement, the first big hurdle is educating decision makers about the benefits of Fair Trade. Once people understand the benefits, the infrastructure has to be set up including a procurement schedule as well as support from local businesses. Depending on the size of the community working towards certification, this can take some time.
Interested parties will also have to become familiar with the way their city/town councils work and what it will take to get a declaration on the council agenda. This process is not always clear or easy when the action starts from a citizen level. Overall, the process is defined by time spent and education, making commitment key.
Becoming a Fair Trade town is to truly live the motto, "think locally, act globally." Each new Fair Trade town creates an impact and new opportunity for not only the town itself but farmers and workers the world over. Supporting Fair Trade also helps create a more sustainable world allowing us all to enjoy our cities and towns as well as our livelihood's for a long time to come.
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