currents

Are We Corn?

One in 8 New Yorkers is said to have diabetes. An interesting factoid as the city fights for food labeling. Two independent film makers did a poignant documentary about "corn" as understood through growing an acre of corn in Iowa for a year. The message ran deep into food supply systems, nutrition (or lack of) American farm culture/traditions and family business. Try to see "King Corn" http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/kingcorn/

Spring?

Why is is so hard to remember from year to year how long it takes for spring flowers to bloom, trees to bud?

The Story of Stuff

Annie Leonard passionately put together a 20 minute web-based video on the material production/supply chain. Perhaps a few things are skewed, but I appreciate that she is taking on one part of the education about the huge post-industiral reshaping that must happen. It affects the quality of human life on the planet, as we hear daily on the news. 
www. story of stuff .com  (thanks to Heather)

Nothing but Optimism

Someone built a cardboard birdhouse and it precariously sits three feet away from the expressway. What a naive or hopeful act. It is impossible to tell if it is inhabited even with NYC's competitive housing market for all creatures. http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Birdhouse

Kitty Kind-ness

KittyKind is a non-profit that, no-kill all volunteer force that spends weekends at Petco Union Square trying to match people with cats. I had a weak moment and volunteered to foster an adolescent mother cat and five kittens. They were found abandoned in the Bronx. What I found is that there is a lot of and joy packed into a cat family. I recommend visiting their site or Petco to support their cause $$$. www.kittykind.org

Download kittykind_newsletter.pdf
Download animalfair.pdf

Bag Sense

If everyone in NYC turned down plastic shopping bags, it is estimated that we would save 11 million barrels of oil a year. I have string bags, but I forget to carry them. When I turn down bags and extra packaging in retail situations, clerks look at me like I am being weird...even with all of the information on shifting our habits and values. Earth Day is a great excuse to renew small (and large) efforts to help the planet. Read about one family's "bag famine."  http://www.plasticshoppingbagfree.org.nz/ Imagine: if Leonardo da Vinci had invented the plastic shopping bag, those bags would still be breaking down in a Florentine landfill today!!

Bunny Season

Spread spring cheer by taking a look at cute bunnies, those protein bits of the food chain and holiday icon. see  http://www.dailybunny.com/.

NYC Thinking Green

Did you know that there is a new Council for the Environment NYC? Take a look at the site for connections to education possibilities, RRR and sustainability--with some imagination, links can be made between their cause and art education! From a conversation with the recycling director, I found out about two other programs valuable to schools and non-profits: New York Wa$re Match--reduces solid waste reduction by matching companies who discard with those in need (a great place to get furniture); and, Build it Green NY--sells very low cost recycled/salvage building materials.

•www.cenyc.org/site/
• www.wastematch .org
• www.bignyc.org/

Snail Paced Life?

How do you tell if a new snail pet is dead or alive? I bought one and it didn't move for two days. Of course, poking it didn't do any good. I took it back to Petco and they laughed. It wasn't dead. Somehow, pets like a snail add perspective. Instead of waiting in the IKEA bus line at the Port Authority today, I should have slowly walked to the park. Small things seem to be great accomplishments to the snail. Time isn't measured.

Tomato Evolution

This is the first tomato I have ever grown. Small and blemished, but a small miracle. I revisited the book Botany of  Desire. Pollan tells us " Plants are so unlike people that it's very difficult for us to appreciate fully their complexity and sophistication. Plants have been evolving much, much longer than we have...[plants] are natures alchemists, expert at transforming water, soil, and sunlight into an array of precious substances, many of them beyond the ability of human beings to conceive, much less manufacture (p. xix).