Politics As Usual As Congress Passes on Climate Change Legislation

Senators decided to pass on moving forward with enacting climate change legislation last week. Money talked, and "principles" walked right out to the door. So, poor people will pay as usual for poor policy. Like the victims of hurricane Katrina, they will be stranded in hot, toxic, dry cities and towns as a result of decades of harmful environmental policies and decisions that benefited powerful and wealthy forces. After the financial crisis of 2008, there are a lot more poor people and middle class folks on the edge, so don't think this won't affect you or yours. Not even the disastrous BP gulf oil spill was enough to compel our congressional leaders to move forward on the legislation. Guess that was a far fetched notion, when some politicians were publicly apologizing to BP. WTH? So what else is new? Rome burns while Nero (us) fiddles. We need to stop letting our politicians off the hook on these issues and let them know how we feel, because I seriously don't think they are reading our blogs. The events of last week indicate that some blogs are not only being read, but generate action at high levels. Wow. How can we elicit such a rapid fire response for our outrages? Not sure. Maybe we are perceived as being too weak and passive. Why is that? Did we think that by electing a black president all of our troubles and responsibilities would magically disappear?We need to think about that. Anyway, if you want to express your ire at the lack of action on climate change, you can write your rep through the links provided in the "Write Your Rep" section on this site. That's what I'm going to do.

Did You Know Funding is Available for Gardeners and Community Gardens?

Did You Know Funding is Available for Gardeners and Community Gardens? Get some green to green up and clean up the health of your community.

Green Hip Hop

The Message Remixed More Black artists sing songs about being black and into green.

Rap Artists on The Oil Spill

Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek’s Black Gold Official Video Discovered this video via the Eco-Jam Of The Week feature of a recently discovered website, http://www.speakeasynet.com/. Discovered this site via a post on the new environmental justice blog, Nappy Green.

O2H Snap...I Can't Breathe!

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20727692.000-o2h-no-is-our-oxygen-running-out.html Okay, so if our descendants don't die from heatstroke, or some insane climate driven natural disaster, suffocation might be another option. Don't be fooled by these commercials touting the benefits of old economy fossil fuels, let's get on with investing in cleaner, greener energy for a cleaner, greener future.

This Week In The Garden: Edibles and Beautifuls

Enjoy the latest blooms and fruits in my partially edible landscape. Edible - Broccoli, Figs and Daylilies. Coneflowers are an herb aka Echinacea.

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So exciting.....a tiny broccoli head!

The figs are getting fatter!

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Look at this black beauty of a daylily.

These Peach Butterfly lilies have freckles like me!

These vanilla scented lilies are showstoppers!

Butterflies love these purple coneflowers.

Purple Coneflower for Supper.

Coneflowers and Daisies Cohabitate

White lilies make a statement at night.

Fragrant lilies greet me by the patio.

Raw Food Picnic Hit: Peach Pie

Check out the peach pie with almond crust that I made for a raw food picnic this weekend. Of course, I was late and got there just in time to share my dessert. The last few folks were packing up, but when I told them I had some peach pie, they sat back down and pulled out their eating supplies. I actually made two, one with raw honey and another with agave. They tore it up people! Major grubbin was going on with this pie! Seconds were had by all. The sponsor of the picnic, Good N Raw Cafe, wants to include my recipe in the online cookbook. I will have to get back to you on the recipe. It is actually a modification of two recipes from different uncookbooks, one of which is "Raw Food Made Easy" by Jennifer Cornbleet. I used her almond pie crust recipe, but added a splash of almond oil. The filling was from a book called "Raw Food" by Erica Palmcranz and Irmela Lilja, but a reduced the cinnamon and added some lemon juice.

Healthy Replacement for Baby Powder

If you are like me, you probably grew up powdering yourself down with baby powder on those sweltering summer days. So I went out today looking for an eco-friendly and human friendly version of this magical coolant and dehumidifier. Found this wonderful product from WiseWays Herbals in Whole Foods (yea, I ended the boycott once healthcare reform passed). Ingredients: Arrowroot, Cornstarch, Clay, Sage Leaf, Essential Oils of Tangerine, Cedarwood, Rose Geranium and Sage. No parabens, phthlates (fragrance) or other garbage.

Some Amazing Snacking

My favorite candy bar is Endangered Species Dark Chocolate with Cranberries and Almonds, throw in a handful of dried strawberries and raw almonds. Heaven! For a totally raw treat replace the chocolate bar with cacao nibs. Yea Mon!

A Bit of Light Summer Reading - Gardeners, Urban Farmers and Foodies Will Love These Picks

A Bit of Light Summer Reading This post is from Gayla, the blogger who writes "You Grow Girl". I will have to check out some of these good gardening and cookbook summer reads. Includes one based on slavery in Jamaica, "The Book of Night Women", by Marlon James.

10 Things I've Learned About Making Sustainability a Core Value | Business | GreenBiz.com

10 Things I've Learned About Making Sustainability a Core Value Business GreenBiz.com

Tricks of the Trade for Landing Green Jobs | Business | GreenBiz.com

Tricks of the Trade for Landing Green Jobs Business GreenBiz.com

Enviro Group Sues FDA for BPA Inaction | Design | GreenBiz.com

Enviro Group Sues FDA for BPA Inaction Design GreenBiz.com BPA is everywhere, in canned food, the lining of glass jar lids, plastic containers and goodness knows where is. There continue to be reports on suspected negative impacts of this synthetic estrogen to our health, but not much action to protect consumers. Some manufacturers have stopped using BPA in water bottles and baby bottles, but this has been driven by consumer demand for BPA free products. At last, the lawyers seize the opportunity.

7 Reasons Why Greening Up is Hard to Do | Business | GreenBiz.com

7 Reasons Why Greening Up is Hard to Do Business GreenBiz.com, but it can be done and it starts with you. One step at a time.

Urban Farmer's Market Opens in Cincinnati's Avondale Neighborhood

On July 4, 2010, the Avondale neighborhood, in Cincinnati, Ohio declared independence from fast, processed junk food. Lisa Bussey, braving hot weather, crime and the odds, opened the Summerville Farmer's Market on 3166 Reading Road. Lisa started working on the market concept late this spring, by that time most farmers were already committed to other markets, so she opened the market with produce from her own garden (right on the lot) and supplemented with produce from wholesalers in the area. Fresh from her garden yesterday were tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, hot peppers and collards. She said the church folk (there are several in the area), were especially delighted to see her pick the greens right out of the garden! The market itself is still in development in many ways, Lisa is still physically enhancing the property (formerly a vacant lot), actively looking for vendors and just now starting to promote her fresh food oasis. While she had a decent turnout yesterday with no marketing, she recognizes the value of promoting the location (build it and they will come only goes so far). There are many perks, Reading Road is a high traffic area in the neigbhorhood, there is no competition and the lot is secured with chain link fencing. I will be working with her to get the word out. So far, that has been somewhat of a challenge given the distance (4 hours from Cleveland to Cincinnati), previous business commitments that consumed a lot of Lisa's time and the fact that she is more of an email/text versus telephone person (as I am, but that has its limits).  While this is primarily an entrepreneurial venture for Lisa (though she does have a passion for gardening), she has come to see the longer term value of the services that she is providing to the community. Viewing the venture from this green and socially responsible lens, has deepened her commitment to bringing fresh food to this food desert. One aspect of my marketing plan is to work with other urban farmers and church member  in the area to supplement Lisa's produce and baked goods  or to set up boothes at Summerville Market. This will also help to spread buzz in the community about the market and generate support. The possibilities are endless as people are starving for this kind of product and good news. She could use some moral, physical, spirtual and financial support, especially in this economy, so if you are in Cincinnati, stop by the Summerville Market  at 3166 Reading Road and give her a shout. The market will be open today from noon to 4pm.

19 Mobile Gardens for Growing on the Go

19 Mobile Gardens for Growing on the Go How wild and crazy is this idea (at least for those of us with a passion for gardening)? I love it! Oh the possibilities....demonstration gardening in neighborhoods and on playgrounds, introduction to native plants, portable vegetable cooking demos, memorial gardens for crime victims, business ventures, ecological education and so on. How would you use a mobile garden?

6 Great Vegetable Grilling Recipes

6 Great Vegetable Grilling Recipes Just in time for Fourth of July! What does vegetarianism have to do with living a greener lifestyle? Animal based foods require excessive amounts of resources to raise and are often fed antibiotic lace, non-vegetarian diets. Often they are cruelly warehoused and treated. Their waste can find its way into local water systems and cows emit a significant amount of greenhouse gases. Really! A plant-based diet is increasingly being recognized as one that will reduce your risks of dying from heart disease, diabetes and cancer. I'm not there yet, but making my way, currently I eat poultry and fish, though sparingly. It's difficult to make that final move when you have a carnivorous male teen in the house!

Raw Vegan Cheese

Dr. Cow"s Tree Nut Cheese -- VeganEssentials Online Store This raw vegan cheese gets rave reviews all over the internet. Try it for a summer picnic.

Nappy Green

Checkout a new environmental justice blog based in Cleveland, Ohio, http://www.nappygreen.wordpress.com/. The author is an environmental justice and community advocate. I appreciate the manner in which the author shares information and invokes an image, but gives you the space to interpret what it means to you and your community.