By Chris Cano
Check out the Midnight garden, a canvas of “living art” powered by compost produced from the food waste of the Gainesville local restaurant community, including The Midnight’s fruit and vegetable scraps which we collect each week via bicycle.

via Building The Midnight’s New Edible Wall Garden [Photo Story] | Gainesville Compost.

As the weather begins to cool off, I find myself spending more time baking in the warmth of my kitchen. Lately, I’ve taken the opportunity to experiment with sourdough breads.

Sourdough is a game entirely unlike bread baking with active dry yeast or a bread machine – it requires a little more time and attention. But, once you learn the basics of keeping a sourdough starter you’ll discover an infinite world of bread making.

Sourdough bread has a rich history, dating back as far as the Ancient Egyptians of 1500 BC. Until only 130 years ago, all bread was leavened with a sourdough starter…

Continued via The Fine Print’s City Farmer: DIY Sourdough Starter and Chestnuts A’Plenty

Many people have made the commitment to go green in their personal lives, so why not extend that mindset to the workplace? Co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Greening Your Business (ISBN: 9781592578856, $19.95) Trish Riley will reply to questions during a live TweetChat on Thursday, September 1 at 1 pm ET. She will explain why every business can benefit from going green and discuss the basics of getting started, including how to…

via » tag » Trish Riley -.

John Diodati isn’t optimistic about the beer growing in his front lawn.

What was once a small parcel of land filled with crab grass now hosts a small crop of barley, hop rhizome and sugar beets. Yet, while the crops are growing, they might not be growing fast enough for September’s block party.

That party will feature eight Morro Bay families celebrating their unique farming project by eating and drinking the things they’ve been growing since April. The families — who collectively call themselves The Beach Tractors — are competing with nine other Western neighborhoods in Sunset Magazine’s One Block Feast Contest.

Diodati first learned of the contest after meeting two Sunset editors at last year’s Savor the Central Coast wine and food event. After talking to the editors about his band of friendly neighbors, they suggested he apply for the contest, which challenges neighborhoods to grow gardens and raise farm animals while working as a team.

*Rain Barrels
*Compost Bins
*Solar Dehyrdrator
*No-Till Gardening
Bat Houses
*Worm Bins
*Homemade Greenhouses
**Solar Oven
*Outdoor Shower
*Compost Toilet
*Green Low-Cost Cleaning Products

WHEN? Saturday, July 16, 9:30 – 11:30 am for ages 5 and up
12:30-4:30 pm for ages 15 & up. Optional Potluck Dinner to Follow

WHERE? Gaia Grove Educational Riverfront Eco-Camp & Ecovillage Community

21255 SW CR 237, Brooker, FL 32622

Suggested Donation: $10-$15. bring your own folding chair & bathing suit.

Please RSVP to Joanna at 352-562-3508 or Bob at 352-262-5068
Or email: GaiaGroveFL@yaoo.com. Website: GaiaGrove.webs.com

Ever tasted the difference between a ripe, juicy strawberry picked yesterday and an oversized strawberry sprayed with chemicals, picked last week and trucked across the country?

If yes, then you might understand why the number of farmers markets has more than tripled in the past 15 years. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more consumers are seeking alternatives to industrialized agriculture by searching for food produced close to home.

Studies have shown that eating locally grown food improves health, supports local economies, promotes the biodiversity of crops and reduces the environmental impact of shipping food around the world.

For useful tips on eating local (especially in Gainesville), check out The Fine Print’s simple guide: 5 Ways to Add Local Food to Your Diet.

Q&A: Environmental journalist Trish Riley
by Jeff Holman
26th April, 2011
According to Trish Riley, it’s absurd to think that individuals can save the planet – only big business has the clout to make a real difference. Utter nonsense or perfectly sensible? Jeff Holman caught up with her to find out

read more Q&A: Environmental activist and writer, Trish Riley – Green Living – The Ecologist.

In the United States, the significant action on climate change—whether state laws mandating the use of renewable energy or municipal improvements to public transportation systems and bike routes—is happening at a local level. But it’s not nearly enough. Citizens need to urge the federal government to act. And we each have work to do within our own lives.

Read more: http://njtoday.net/2011/01/07/with-feds-failing-climate-change-action-goes-local/#ixzz1AZQTU3YG
Tell everyone to get New Jersey News from WWW.NJTODAY.NET

Jill Richardson writes about her experiences working to change the lawss in her Southern California community:

http://www.grist.org/article/food-2011-01-05-how-to-get-your-city-to-allow-backyard-chickens

She posted  this picture of her ”four gorgeous but illegal Buff Orpingtons.”

“How to Boil a Frog is a comedic documentary about Overshoot: too many people using up too little planet much too fast. Yes, we’ve taken the kind of material that makes people jump off bridges, put it in a blender, and churned out a Smoothie o’ Fun that gives you the Big Picture of what the hell is going on with our so-called civilization, and tells you what you and I can do about it that will not only actually make a difference (no light bulbs!) but also make our lives better right now!”