We did it! Our first newsletter is finally finished!
Over the months since starting EcoSherpa, if there was another motto aside from “Realistic, Responsible Living” that would be applicable it would “slow and steady” - since this is the approach we’ve taken with this website.
Well, I think in the case of our newsletter, “better late than never” might be even more appropriate than that!
Our original plans for a “May Newsletter” gradually morphed into a “Spring/Summer” idea, before finally becoming our current “Summer 2007″ offering. The combination of very busy schedules and technical challenges (it being our very first PDF newsletter and all) certainly didn’t help!
What’s important is that it IS now finished, and ready to be (hopefully) enjoyed by our newsletter members. If you have not yet signed up for the newsletter, you can find a link at the bottom of this post (or click on the newsletter link at the top of the blog).
So what’s inside?
Seeing Green II - As a follow-up to my original EcoSherpa “Seeing Green” update, I share my thoughts on our progress as we approach our 1 year anniversary.
2007 Water Conservation Project - Learn about the fun water conservation project I decided to start this summer. Goes hand in hand with my Water-Smart Gardening methods.
Urban Gardening - Steve discusses the joys of growing your own garden-fresh produce, and his plans to share his crop with family, friends and neighbours.
Summer Composting - Summer can represent a prime opportunity for fast, efficient composting - but not if you neglect your bin. Learn how to keep your heap happenin!
Terracycle Challenge - How will Terracycle stack up against solid worm compost, and MiracleGro? Should be interesting to find out! Learn about my experimental design and some of the limitations of this fun project!
Eating Locally - Steve encourages us all to spend the time getting to know our local food providers. Why give your money to the supermarket chains when you can support your local farmers and businesses, and enjoy much better food in the process!
Just so you know, we will make the newsletter available publicly in a month or so. But if you want to read it now and are not on our list, whadya waiting for? You can sign up >>HERE<< (at the bottom of the page)
Remember, it's completely free and your email address will be 100% safe with us!
As for the ETA on our next newsletter...no comment!
Ok, I'm kidding. With the first issue now under our belt, I don't think it will be too challenging to get another issue out for the fall.
I had an e-mail exchange with Franke James earlier this week and she happened to mention that she had enjoyed my post about ‘Water-Smart Gardening‘ and was wondering if I could recommend any drought-resistant grass species.
Franke recently went to battle with the city of North York when she discovered that building a permeable ‘green driveway’ was not permitted in the city. She gained a lot of publicity thanks to Toronto newspapers and news programs (as well as a post on Treehugger), and thankfully was eventually given the green light. For the full story, be sure to check out the post on her blog: How my Eco-friendly Driveway got the Green Light from City Hall
Well now that her battle is behind her, Franke is looking for a suitable grass species for the PermaTurf® system she will be installing (or has already installed). Not being a huge fan of grass in general, unfortunately I did not have an answer for her off the top of my head, but I decided to see what I could find online. Aside from wanting to help out a friend, I knew there would be plenty of other people interested in learning more about this subject.
It didn’t take me long before I came across the mention a product called “Eco-Lawn”. With my curiosity piqued sufficiently I decided to learn as much about the product as I could.
Eco-Lawn was developed by Paul Jenkins and Miriam Goldberger of Wildflower Farm Inc., a native plant nursery and natural landscaping company located in Schomberg Ontario (~ 1/2 hour north of Toronto). Having heard that fescue grasses had a reputation for high performance with low maintenance, they decided to start experimenting with various fescue species. Eventually they hit upon a blend that offered all the beneficial qualities of fescue grass, while still providing the aesthetic appeal of a ‘normal’ lawn.
After a few years of successful testing, they decided to begin marketing their blend under the name “Eco-Lawn”. The rest is of course history!
Some of the Benefits Listed on the Eco-Lawn page:
Drought tolerant
No fertlizers/chemicals required
Grows in full sun, part shade, and even deep shade
Less vulnerable to grubs
Reduced mowing requirements
I highly recommend you check out this video interview with Miriam Goldberger: Eco-Lawn
Unfortunately I don’t have any personal experience using Eco-Lawn, so I’d definitely be interested to hear from anyone who has in fact tried this grass.
Also, if you happen to know of any other drought-resist grass species, or interesting lawn alternatives in general, please let us know! This is a really interesting topic, and something I’d like to revisit again in the near future.
I’ve had an interest in ‘growing stuff’ for a number of years now, but my true passion for gardening has been cultivated (no pun intended) in the last two years, since buying our first home.
When we first moved here, creating a garden design with perennials in mind was of paramount importance to me. The property was pretty bare from a botanical standpoint - almost like a blank canvas, waiting to be painted upon.
My goal has been to bring our property to life - to have it bursting with lush green foliage and a wide assortment of colourful flowers.
It’s probably important to mention that I use the term “design” very loosely! While I will certainly plan where I want my gardens to go and what size I want them to be, but I tend to enjoy flying by the seat of my pants a little when it comes to putting in plants!
My only real requirements are that my plants be almost exclusively A) Perennials and B) As small as possible (when planted).
Don’t get me wrong - I’m the furthest thing from a gardening snob! Seeing my neighbours out digging in their gardens each spring warms my heart - regardless of what types of flowers they are putting in. I strongly believe that EVERYONE should make time to connect with the earth and mother nature in general.
I guess my love for perennials simple stems (the unintential puns are flying today) from my fascination with watching something grow from one year to the next. I almost feel like I’m the parent of many children - I nurture them as best I can, and feel a great deal of pride as they grow and blossom (literally) over the years.
The idea of planting a cold-intolerant plant, only to watch the poor thing die at the end of the season just seems a little odd to me (but I guess I CAN understand the appeal of easily adding life and colour to one’s property during the growing season).
Of course, like a fine wine, perennial gardens often require some time before you start to see the fruits of your labours. There is a certain level of unpredictability inherent in this approach as well - it’s hard to know for sure what your garden is going to look like, especially when just starting out.
But I think this is in fact one of the real pleasures of perennials! Sure, your garden might end up looking a little rough around the edges at first, but with a minimal amount of love and attention, you’ll be amazed with how well things progress. I’m constantly surprised by new blooms and unexpected growth during the spring and summer months - something a bed of petunias just can’t provide.
Of course, if you have the money and don’t want to wait, you can easily head to your local nursery and purchase large perennials instead. I just happen the love the idea of starting from square one (ok, maybe “square two” - I definitely don’t grow from seed as much as I’d like to). Not only is it much less expensive, but like I’ve said there is just a real thrill that comes from watching something grow and prosper under your care!
And it’s EASY! Far easier than keeping houseplants alive, in my experience.
Once you do the initial dirty work (don’t forget the mulch!), all that’s required is a little maintenance from time to time. Nature does the rest!
I know we won’t be in this house forever, but I like the idea of leaving behind a living legacy of sorts. Something that perhaps inspires others (the next owners included) to get into gardening.
I’m sure I’ll be a little sad leaving all my “children” behind, but I’ll also feel a sense of satisfaction, knowing that my green investment will likely pay dividends for years to come.
We received an email quite some time ago from Emiliana Garcia, ‘director of sustainability’ (hopefully I haven’t botched the translation too badly) for the Harmony Hotel in Costa Rica. I’ll be honest, when I first read the message I assumed it was yet another person who was hoping we’d promote their business. Don’t get me wrong - we love letting our readers know about cool ‘green’ businesses, but we also want to feel like we are at least dealing with a real person who is genuinely interested in what we’re doing - not just some drive-by promo-hound (particularly irritating when their business has virtually nothing to do with sustainability or related themes) .
Anyway, in Emiliana’s case, because she seemed friendly I decided to request more detailed information, knowing full-well there was a decent chance that would be the end of it. Well as it turns out, she DID write back providing me with lots more info and some photos - I’m glad she did!
Here is the information she provided…
Nestled into the sleepy coastal town of Nosara, Costa Rica, 40 miles from the nearest paved road, high standard of sustainable living meet the creature comfort of low key beach at the Harmony Hotel. Here, comfort meets effortless sustainability. Guests can enjoy the rare luxury of knowing that the beauty they see goes further than grass deep.
The hotel’s many natural treats are sure to enhance our guests’ experience of green living. An awareness of our interconnectedness within nature is shown in our practices which include permaculture, worm farming, a recycling program, use of biodegradable products, biodegradable guest room amenities and gray water purification irrigation system.
In our constant striving to be in tune with the local ecology, the Harmony applies the practice of permaculture to almost everything we do. We hope that by cultivating an awareness of our role in the local ecology that we can work with nature, rather than against it, and as a result foster a deeply satisfying sense of life in harmony for our guests.
We have tried to design our landscape with both our human guests and our animal neighbors in mind. As a result, we have made basic decisions, such as what species of plants to cultivate, based not only on aesthetics but also on their adaptation to the local climate and their contribution to biodiversity.
Native plants, which make up 50% of the plant life in our landscape, are an obvious choice because they not only preserve local character, but also have been fine-tuned by nature to survive both the long dry season and the deluge of rain in the wet season. They also provide food and shelter for the local animal population. The non-native portion of the plants in our landscape are also climate-appropriate and attractive to birds, butterflies, bats, iguanas, humans and other fauna in the local ecosystem.
The desire to create an animal-friendly environment has likewise influenced our overall landscape plan.
Our concern for animal habits and needs is also prominent in the re-design of the once leaky, old pool next to the spa. We transformed it into a living aquatic system by choosing to include shallow areas for herons, egrets and other wading birds plus deeper areas amongst vegetation for protecting fish and turtles from predation.
Using organic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers - such as compost from the restaurant waste - is another method we employ for collaborating with the local ecosystem. This practice increases the soil’s fecundity. It also keeps harmful chemicals from destroying the healthy bacterial necessary for soil balance and from leaching inorganic chemicals, which won’t ever break down, into the plants that feed the local animal kingdom. Plus, composting food waste for fertilizer utilizes waste in an efficient, productive way that gives back to the earth, from which the food originally came.
Our amenities not only vitalize your skin and hair but also serve as a bio-compatible, ph-balanced nutrient for the specific wetland plant life that your shower feeds as a part of our greywater wetland system. Moreover, in keeping with our goal of generating as little waste as possible, we offer you them in a luxury within post-consumer recycled glass containers that the Harmony housekeeping staff keeps clean and refills regularly.
In an effort to promote environmental sustainability and community development we strive to purchase as much organically grown and locally produced food. Harmony Hotel uses a technique called worm farming which transforms all of our organic waste into a fertilizer that is then used to maintain our landscaped gardens and to support the growth of legumes and herbs (which we use in both our restaurant and our spa).
The Harmony Hotel is a sustainable operation with a relaxing, healthy environment with comfortable rooms, excellent dining, melodies mixed with the sound of the ocean.
As mentioned multiple times now, this year I’m really zoning in on water conservation - both inside and outside of the house.
One of my significant water-suckers last summer was my vegetable garden. While I certainly wasn’t a crazy hose-wielding maniac like my neighbour across the street (who seems to love watering his grass, washing down his multiple vehicles, and even pressure washing his driveway during summers droughts), I still needed to give my plants a decent amount to drink so as not to stunt their growth.
This year I decided to impliment some additional water-conserving strategies to help reduce the amount of tap water needed to keep my crops in good shape.
Mulch - I decided to lay down straw on my vegetable bed this year to help reduce water-loss via evaporation. You do need to be a little careful when using a carbon-rich mulch like straw (wood chips etc) however since it can lead to loss of nitrogen from the soil (microbes breaking down the straw take up the N to help maintain C:N balance).
I decided to use slow release fertilizer sticks to help ensure the plants have a constant supply of N (and P). In future years I would love to use strictly organic methods, but unfortunately my soil is just not rich enough yet. If you ARE going to use inorganic fertilizer I highly recommend taking the slow-release route.
Targeted Watering - Using a watering can, and pouring water under each plant (vs general watering of beds) can save a lot of water. To further prevent excess run-off, I like to water 2 or 3 plants at a time. I’ll start with the first, counting off 3-5 seconds as I pour, then move to the next and so on. This allows the water to percolate down, making it much more likely that it will reach the roots where it is needed.
Depending on how serious you are (about water conservation, and about your veggie garden in general), you may even want to set up some sort of slow-release system, either in the form of a drip-line, or slow release reservoirs.
As mentioned not too long ago, the latest Mother Earth News has some great info on the subject. In the article “Wise Watering”, one method the author suggests is creating slow-release water bottles by punching small holes in the bottom, placing them near your plants then filling them up with water. I think this is a great idea.
Here’s a related idea that popped into my head recently: if you happen to have 2 litre pop bottles, why not make a series of punctures or slits then bury in the ground with only the lid showing (could easily be hidden from view with mulch). To water, simply open the lid and pour water down into the bottle.
Rain Barrels - I highly recommend using at least one rain barrel to capture run-off from your roof during summer showers. I’ve been absolutely loving my rain barrel this year, and actually really want to create a multi-barrel system. One of my dreams in the past has been to create a huge underground cistern for rainwater, but I think I’ll need to wait until I get a country property before it makes sense to do that.
Sadly, I just used up the last of my rain barrel water the other day. Things have been utterly desert-like as of late! Speaking of which, if you do only have one barrel I would recommend trying to use as much of it as possible between rainfalls. I’m always frustrated when I’ve been extra-conservative with the barrel water, only to see it overflowing after a couple minutes the next time it rains. You could also simply move the water to other containers so as to ensure that you will always collect a full barrel each rainfall.
Indoor Water Capture - Assuming you don’t already have a greywater system in your home, why not capture excess water from rinsing dishes, washing fruit/vegetables, showers etc etc. (I’ll be talking a lot more about this in our first newsletter). It’s amazing how quickly this adds up. Of course, I’d recommend you keep the soapy water in it’s own container since it’s probably not the greatest water for your edibles - you can however use this for your shrubs and other ornamentals.
Timing - Another way to help reduce the amount of evaporation is to water your plants either earlier or later in the day, when the sun is lower and temperatures are cooler. Early morning is your best bet since this provides your plants with a nice dose of water for their most active hours, and also reduces the chances of diseases developing (watering at dusk is not as ideal for this reason). I’m far from perfect myself, so my timing is not always the best. Now that the weather is really heating up however, I think I’ll be working a little harder to ensure I time my waterings a little better.
So there you have it - just a handful of ways you can save a considerable amount of water this summer, while maintaining lush, healthy gardens.
As I mentioned in my update post the other day, I recently ‘adopted’ a composter.
On the weekend my wife and I were heading off in the car for some shopping when I noticed a backyard composter sitting on the edge of the curb on one of the streets in our neighbourhood. It appeared to have a paper sign taped to it, but I could not make out what it said.
We were in a bit of a rush at the time so I (sadly) kept driving, vowing I would come back to check it out when I got home. I was pretty sure it was being given away, and I was also pretty sure it would be gone when we got back home - but when it came down to it, I decided it was better to risk losing the composter than it was to have an angry pregnant woman on my hands!
It will of course come as no surprise to anyone to learn that the composter WAS indeed still there when we drove past it again. Once we had unloaded our shopping stuff and settled in a little I decided to take the car over and check it out. As I suspected, it did indeed have a couple “free” signs taped to it, so I happily tossed it in the back of the car and drove it back to its new home.
What did however surprise me was the fact that A) Someone would want to get rid of a perfectly good composter, and B) Nobody would have grabbed it before me. Judging by the insane turn-out at the regional Water Barrel Sale on Earth Day Weekend, I got the impression that many more people were becoming interested in these sorts of things.
It was almost a bittersweet victory - on the one hand I was very excited to have a new bin, but at the same time it almost felt like a dark day for composting in general.
Ok, perhaps I’m being a wee bit melodramatic here!
Anyway…
Since bringing it home I have dug myself a decent pit, positioned the composter over top, and piled in as much extra green waste as I could find lying around. As it turns out this new bin is just what the doctor ordered! I’ve been having some real issues trying to keep my large outdoor worm bin from heating up. In an effort to reduce any further heating I have kept a large amount of green waste out of the bin - leaving it to sit in various bags and heaps.
The great thing about the new bin is that it will serve as an excellent “precomposting” bin, where I can pile as much green waste as I want, and then transfer it over to the worm bin once it’s partially composted.
The only problem I have now is that I don’t have enough waste to go into it - and really, that’s not the worst kind of problem to have!
I wrote a post on RedWormComposting.com not too long ago about the lawsuit that Scotts Miracle Grow has filed against Terracyle.
Danielle from Terracycle just popped by the blog to let me know that there was some BBC news coverage of the lawsuit. I have added the video above and highly recommend watching it.
It seems that Terracycle isn’t going to take this lying down - they’ve decided to launch a media campaign to help drum up support for their cause.
As I mentioned in my other post, they’ve already set up a website, ‘Sued By Scotts‘, which gives a run-down of the suit and offers a funny comparison of the two companies. They also clearly demonstrate that their packaging is very similar to numerous other products on the market (more than 100), not just that of Miracle Grow.
I think this is a ridiculous suit personally. I’m convinced that Scotts is simply using its power to try and oust an up and coming competitor!
Let’s hope that Terracyle will be able to weather the storm!
Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to pop by and let everyone know that we haven’t found the edge of the earth and fallen off!
The limited time we’ve had lately for sherpa stuff has been dedicated to the task of getting our first newsletter wrapped up and out the door (definitely long overdue, and something we didn’t want to fall by the wayside).
If all goes well, we are hoping to get it out later in the week, and will certainly aim to get some new posts up as well.
I want to talk a little about my low impact, water-conserving gardening strategies for this year, not to mention the new composter I adopted the other day. I should get at least one of those posts up tomorrow!
By the way, if you have not yet signed up for the newsletter, you may want to do so now so can be alerted once it is ready. Just so you know, we will also be posting links to the newsletters at some point, but we won’t likely do so for a few weeks after each release.
We will also write a post here on the blog once it has launched, providing some more details re: what you’ll find inside!
I must say I was VERY pleased to recently receive an email from our good friend, Franke James - letting me know that her latest visual essay was ready!
I’ve been eagerly anticipating her latest release, and after reading it I have to say it was definitely worth the wait! I have loved her previous two works, but I’m quite sure this one is my favourite thus far!
It is called To My Future Grandkids in 2020, and takes the form of a letter written to her (currently unborn) grandkids in the year 2020.
It explains her worries and concerns about the state of the world from an environmental perspective, and of course carries with it a very powerful underlying message.
I found this particular piece a wee bit more sobering that the previous two. There was certainly plenty of Franke’s unique (and endearing) humour woven in, but the overall mood seemed to be more sombre - although it did pick up nicely at the end!
One thing is for sure, I think EVERYONE should read this!
So check it out and share it with others!
I just received my latest ‘Mother Earth News’ - yet another juicy issue, full of interesting articles! Now that I’m completely in the ‘grow zone’ myself, it’s no surprise that several cool gardening articles caught my interest - and whadya know two of the three are available online!
1) 8 Strategies For Better Garden Soil
You may recall in my first post about Mother Earth News (after receiving my first issue) I mentioned a great article by Harvey Ussery called “Our 21st Century Homestead”. Well that article actually marked the start of Harvey’s “21st Century Homesteading” column - something I look forward to reading each issue. In this issue (June/July), Harvey chats about eight strategies that will help enrich your garden soil - primarily revolving around the approach of disturbing your soil as little as possible. One strategy I find particularly intriguing is the idea of ’soil mining’ with certainly plant species - very cool!
Anyway, be sure to check out the article (link above) - definitely worth the read.
2) Maintain a weedless organic garden
To be totally honest, I have not yet had a chance to really take a close look at this article. Based on my brief ‘look-see’, it looks as though the author covers some of the same ground (no pun intended! haha!) as Harvey Ussery - talking about reducing soil disturbance, use of mulches etc etc.
Yet another cool article in the June/July issue (but not available online) is called “Wise Watering”, which declares in the subtitle that “organic mulches and the right watering equipment will keep your crops healthy and your yields abundant”.
This year I too am very focused on conserving water while maintaining lush gardens - so this one certainly caught my eye as well! I may chat more about it once I read it!
I’ve spoken earlier about my 2007 Water Conservation Project in one or two other posts, and will be writing a full article (with pictures) all about it for our upcoming newsletter (believe it nor not, we ARE indeed close to finally releasing our inaugural edition - apologies for the delay).
I’m absolutely LOVING my new rain barrel so far, and have been implementing some other key strategies inside the house as well!
Anyway - enough for now. Be sure to check out those articles!
Cheers
