It's summer now and every time I turn around, it seems, I see someone watering her sidewalk with a sprinkler or another spraying chemicals on his lawn to kill the Dandelions. I don't know about you, but I think Dandelions are kind of pretty. What's all the fuss over Dandelions in lawns??

I'm just sitting in a little coffee shop, learning about water cycles. I stopped to read a bit about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It's already a cold and dreary day, and now I feel a little depressed. So, perhaps I felt a need to spread the gloominess, or I was trying to plant seeds in the minds of others by suggesting that oil is not necessary... whatever my reason, I started talking about the oil spill with the baristas as I got my refill. But I was stunned by the immediate response of one, and never made it to my 'we don't need cars' spiel.

Hey, Everyone,
My CSA Farm is partnering with UW-Stout and they just sent out a survey about organic vegetables and chicken pot pies. Take a minute to answer their questions to give them a larger response!

Here's the note they sent:

Chicken Pot Pie Survey

In my last post, I mentioned the free download of National Geographic's "Water" issue. Since I've been pretty busy, I haven't read the whole thing yet... But I did look at all the photos, and this one really impacted me.

Last Monday was World Water Day. To celebrate, National Geographic dedicated the April Edition of the magazine completely to water--and they made it available as a free download to everyone for a limited time. Check it out!

Last week, I attended a seminar by Patrick Hamilton of the Minnesota Science Museum at the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment (IonE). As a member of the Science Museum and appreciator of the exhibits therein, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the process the Science Museum staff are going through to create engaging educational experiences for public and academic audiences.

I just read a great article from the Mix, a food co-op newsletter, stating that new rules are going into effect for organic livestock and dairy. Organic cows will have to be on pasture at least 120 days a year, and at least 30% of their "dry matter intake" must be from pasture. OK, cows should be on pasture always, but that's still great news!

I quit my job. I'm done at the end of the month. Woohoo! I have freed myself of 7 hours of time spent in front of a computer every day!

A counselor at my old tech school told me once that students shouldn't move, begin or end major relationships, or make major career changes during a semester. Whoops. I have been an online student for 3 years now, and I have only made it through one semester without at least one of those major life events occurring. I'm starting to wonder if I just thrive on excessive amounts of stress...

Here is a chance to exercise your voice in the free market. This site makes it really easy to email the major manufacturers of electronics to tell them that you will buy the first products that are conflict-free. As consumers of electronics, it is our responsibility to do what we can to ensure that humans and the environment are not being exploited or destroyed in the creation of those products. This is where we start: demand.

"When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren't pessimistic, you don't understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren't optimistic, you haven't got a pulse." ~Paul Hawken

I received the link to this speech today via email. Anyone in this program, thinking about joining this program, or simply alive today should read this.