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Bringing in the harvest
For a decade I have been converting my front lawn into an urban garden. As a result, there isn’t much lawn anymore. It’s big enough to grill dinner and hang out the wash — and it’s incredibly quick to mow, even with a manual. The rest is a garden that grows vegetables, flowers, herbs, shrubs, fruit trees and bushes and grape vines. When people ask what I grow, it’s easier to tell them what I don’t grow. I’ve never weighed a season’s worth of produce from this place, but some urban gardeners claim to bring up to 6,000 pounds of food off their lawns. That doesn’t surprise me. Lately, I look down at the garden and back up at my 800 square foot house wondering where I can stuff in more....More »
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Do you Freecycle?
The best way to recycle is to Freecycle. While Freestyle is only a word, not affiliated with a particular person or national organization, it’s a group of folks who got together with a like-minded philosophy: They believe in helping the environment and aim to keep useful goods out of the landfills.
It’s an organization that benefits both parties: Those with unwanted “stuff” and those who can find a use for it.
When the kids have outgrown their clothes, and baby is no longer in the crib (or you are sorting through games, toys or puzzles) think Freecycle.
If you’re cleaning out the garage, or storage shed, and no longer need the lumber, screws and nails, pails and planters — think Freecycle. ...More »
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2011 Holiday Green Gift Guide
When you give this holiday season, don’t forget to give back to Mother Earth. While modern consumerism — and Christmas may be the epicenter of buying — may not be the most earth-friendly activity, that doesn’t mean there aren’t great gift ideas that can save the planet … one present at a time.
Wild Ginger Boutique
320 S. Main St., Zumbrota, MN 55992
(507) 732-4123
www.shopwildginger.com
Food
Fair Trade Coffee: Keep farmers around the world employed on cup of coffee at a time. $10.95.
Accessories
Fair Trade Hats, Mittens and Scarves: Accessories to keep you warm in winter while garment workers and farmers in developing countries earn a fair wage. $19-$38...More »
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Holiday feasting
The chill in the air and changing leaf color may signal hunting season for my son, but for me … it signals baking season!
And I admit — I am anticipating a wee nibble at the holiday table. A teensy taste of this … a slight sip of that … a skimpy sampling of the other … I’m conjuring up images of roast turkey, stuffing, sweets and pies.
With all these goodies in mind, I am gathering my recipes and mixing in the good ideas garnered from Kari Dunn, market manager of the Rochester Downtown Farmer’s Market. Now I’ve got a grocery list for a joyous season filled with delicious, hearty — not to mention healthy — holiday feasting.
Herb-Roasted Turkey
• 1 (10-to-12 pound turkey) turkey...More »
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Healthy currency
It wasn’t so long ago when I went to the Rochester Downtown Farmers Market (RDFM) that I found delicious, fresh food, but there were only a couple of ways I could pay for it: 1) cash, or 2) a check — both of which were inconvenient for me. Like so many people whose payroll is direct deposited into financial institutions, I had to withdraw cash from my account to be ready to shop at the market. But, as I recently learned, those days are over. Cash and checks are only two of several currencies that can now be spent at the RDFM.
Vouchers, Credit, Debit, and EBT Cards = Green and Red Tokens....More »
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From golden to green
A restaurant known for its burgers and fries isn’t the place you’d expect to find a “green” revolution happening, but the McDonald’s restaurant at 1306 Apache Drive is about to reopen as the most eco-friendly fast food establishment in Southeastern Minnesota.
Wendy Lommen, who along with her husband Rick, owns and operates Courtesy Corporation, a company that runs 44 McDonald’s in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin, said the change is all part of McDonald’s Environmental Sustainability Plan.
“It’s a plan to reduce our footprint and challenge builders and owners to use these tools in their stores,” Wendy Lommen said. “It’s optional, but we think it’s a good thing to do.”
The remodeled McDonald’s will reopen on Nov. 17....More »
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Get on the bus
Want to travel but have more time than money? Megabus might be right for you. It’s the first low-cost inter city express bus line “dedicated to bringing high-quality travel to 42 cities in North America for as low as $1 via the internet.”
Don’t pack your bags yet. But get the suitcase out of the closet and the Internet fired up; here’s the scoop on one of the area’s newer travel hits....More »
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The sound of silence
We live fast, noisy lives facilitated by loud machines. High-speed expressways roar through towns. Cell phone conversations are everywhere. Our homes are a symphony of digital beeps, from the computer to the dishwasher. We barely notice lawn mowers and chain saws — noises that would have made our ancestors jump and run.
Thunder was the loudest noise that rocked pre-industrial humans. Before internal combustion, roars and booms signaled danger, and our bodies still react to loud noises with a prehistoric adrenaline surge: Our hearts pump harder, our blood pressure rises, and our blood vessels constrict. Living in a din of ringtones, mechanical humming, and loud and unrelenting advertising, it’s no wonder we get a little stressed. ...More »
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Community weaving
Time Trader, a really neat concept that connects people and unmet needs with untapped resources, is enabling individuals to use their everyday skills to benefit a network of people.
This is an organized exchange system through which members earn Time Dollars (TD$) for time spent helping other members. One hour of service earns one TD$. Members can “buy” hours of service they want or need with TD$. A wonderful part of this arrangement is that all time and service are valued equally. Engineers and bakers, seamstress and carpenters, an hour is an hour is an hour.
John and Sandy MacLaughlin of Rochester have been avid Time Traders for the last couple of years. “One of the big attractions of Time Traders is that everyone’s time is worth the same,” said Sandy....More »
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