Where in the world is the USA? Collected statistics related to the environment compare the USA to other nations.

Often in the midst of conversation, Lee Moore will throw out a cogent statistic or two related to the subject at hand. While some folks make up such statistics, Lee's interests have led him to compile reliable statistics on a wide range of subjects. Here are a number of lists largely related to environmental concerns from his personal collection.


Gasoline Prices: USD per gallon (2005)
Norway 6.2
Britain 6.0
Germany 6.0
Italy 5.9
France 5.7
Poland 5.0
Japan 4.4
Australia 3.7
USA 2.4
(Raw cost is everywhere $2/gal; the difference is tax to discourage consumption and fund mass transit.)

Gasoline Consumption : Gallons per person per year (1997)
USA 459
Germany 140
Japan 113
(Germany is the second largest consumer worldwide, so the USA really stands out.)

Fuel Economy : avg passenger vehicle mpg and average engine size (2005)
Japan 48 mpg
Europe 41 mpg 1.6 (avg engine size in liters)
Australia 32 mpg
Canada 28 mpg
USA 24 mpg 3.4 (avg engine size in liters)

Oil Consumption : barrels per person per year (1999)
USA 25
Japan 16
Europe  14
Latin Amer 4

Oil Reserves
Billions of barrels (2005)  and years remaining at current extraction rates. New fields will of course be found.
Saudi Arabia 260 billion barrels, 66 years at current rate
Iran 140 billion barrels, 93 years at current rate
Iraq 115 billion barrels, 100 years at current rate
Kuwait 100 billion barrels,100 years at current rate
UAE 100 billion barrels, 97 years at current rate
Venezuela 80 billion barrels, 73 years at current rate
Russia 75 billion barrels, 21 years at current rate
Kazakhstan 40 billion barrels, 80 years at current rate
Libya 40 billion barrels, 63 years at current rate
Nigeria 40 billion barrels, 38 years at current rate
USA 35 billion barrels, 12 years at current rate
Canada 20 billion barrels, 15 years at current rate
China 20 billion barrels, 12 years at current rate
Mexico 15 billion barrels, 10 years at current rate

Water Consumption: Cubic meters per person, includes agriculture (2002)
USA 1690
Canada 1430
Australia 940
Japan 720
Germany 710
France 700
Britain 200

CO2 Emissions : Tonnes per person (2002)
USA 20
Singapore 14
Czech Rep. 10
Russia 10
Japan 9
Poland 8
Hungary 6
Mexico 4
China 3
India 1.5

Organic Farmland: % agricultural land certified organic (2004)
Switzerland 10.3
Austria 9.8
Finland 7.1
Italy 7.0
Denmark 6.2
Sweden 6.0
Britain 4.2
Germany 4.1
Australia 2.6
Spain 2.5
Canada 0.9
Japan 0.7
USA 0.2

Environmental Taxes: Taxes on energy use, big cars, etc -- as % of total taxes. (2005)
Denmark 9.5
Holland 9.5
Germany 7.0
Britain 7.0
Japan 6.0
Poland 6.0
Spain 5.5
France 5.0
Canada 3.5
USA 3.0
(As total taxes are lowest in the USA, the actual environmental taxes are very low.)

Miscellaneous  Facts

• In 2000 the Total National Energy Use in average BTUs per person per day was 48 in Europe and 368 in the USA.
• The average American generates over 1600 pounds of garbage per year, more than twice that of the average European.
• The average American consumes nearly 750 pounds of paper per year, by far the most in the world.
• If the world's 6 billion people consumed like the average American, we would need at least 4 more planets to supply the resources and absorb the wastes.
• In 2003 the average American consumed 53 times more resources than a Chinese, and 35 times more than an Indian.
• American use of oil:  66% to all transportation, 40% to auto/truck gasoline.

Sources ‒ OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), US Census Bureau, Office of Economic Development, US Energy Information Adm., US Dept of Health, Justice Policy Institute, Standard and  Poor's, UNICEF, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, National Center for Education Statistics, Eurostat

SPEEDY WEEDFEED in Austin, Sunday October 24, 2010. Attend and get in the movies (details below)

Here's a message we just received from our friends at Useful Wild Plants

Hi All! It's Speedy Weedfeed time! 
This is the Sunday afternoon short intensive class that Scooter Cheatham teaches on the Edible, Medicinal, and Otherwise Useful Wild Plants of Central Texas. It will be the last class of 2010.
 
WHEN: Sunday afternoon, October 24, starting at 1:30 p.m. and going until dusk.
 
COST: $75 per person. Your place in the class is reserved when you pay. You may pay by cash, check, or money order. Make your check out to Lynn Marshall (if it is made out to any other name it will be returned to you for replacement). Mail or bring your tuition to 4700 Loyola Lane, Suite 104, Austin, 78723. That’s at the corner of Manor Road and Loyola Lane. You must be at least 18 to attend.
 
SPACE IS LIMITED: Space is limited. You need to register in advance.
 
WHERE: We’ll meet at 1:30 p.m. at the Useful Wild Plants Project office for a short introduction to the class. We will spend the rest of the time in the field. You’ll need a notebook and pen/cil for taking notes (no tape recorders or video cameras allowed, but do bring a still camera if you want). Wear comfortable walking shoes.
 
WE WILL BE FILMING: Portions of this Speedy Weedfeed will be filmed for a documentary. If you are in the witness protection program, you may want to wear a mask or stand to one side. We won’t ask why you are doing either.
 
WHAT IS WEEDFEED? In case you are forwarding this to a friend who doesn't know, the Fall and Spring Weedfeeds are Scooter Cheatham's (more about him two paragraphs down) legendary class on the Edible, Medicinal, and Otherwise Useful Wild Plants of Texas. The long class runs for 7 weeks, spring and fall. The Speedy Weedfeed is the condensed version (see next paragraph).
 
WHAT IS A SPEEDY WEEDFEED? The Speedy Weedfeed is the "bullion cube" version -- lots of plants packed into an afternoon of outdoor fun. We'll go to some interesting locations with plenty o' plants (you've probably noticed that around Austin, that could be just about anywhere you look, including your own back yard, the roadsides, any number of parks, and even some parking lots). We'll look at whatever is where we are -- trees, vines, flowers, understory plants, floating things, stickery things, pretty things, spiny stuff, nuts, fruits, berries, leaves, stems, petals, roots... and talk about their uses -- foods, pharmaceuticals, medicines, domestic goods, and other good and eminently useful stuff. If you haven't done the long Spring or Fall Weedfeed, a Speedy Weedfeed is a good way to "test the
waters," like sticking in a toe before you jump into Barton Springs. And if you have done the long classes, the Speedy is a good refresher.
 
WHO IS SCOOTER CHEATHAM? He is, among other things, the lead author of 15-volume (three published, the fourth getting close) The Useful Wild Plants of Texas, the Southeastern and Southwestern United States, the Southern Plains, and Northern Mexico. He started teaching Weedfeed in 1974 not long after he founded the Useful Wild Plants Project.
 
QUESTIONS?” Call Lynn Marshall at 512-928-4441 or email her at weedfeed01@gmail.com or lynnmarshall@usefulwildplants.org for more information. Please put Weedfeed in the subject line. Visit the UWP website at usefulwildplants.org for information about the Useful Wild Plants Project.

Scooter Cheatham to again teach legendary "Weedfeed" course starting September 24, 2010

Scooter Cheatham is one of those amazing Austinites. He found his life's work in 1974 and has been working on it ever since. He also teaches the Weedfeed. He used to teach it regularly but these days the work on his life's work takes up so much of his time that he doesn't get around to teaching it. This is the first time he has taught it in at least 2 years.

So, if you have the time and money this is the time to do it.

Here is the text of their pdf which I can't locate at the moment.

WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT AIN’T
Weedfeed is Scooter Cheatham's legendary class on the Edible, Medicinal, and Otherwise Useful Wild Plants of Texas. The Fall Weed­feed and Spring Weedfeed classes are seven weeks packed with slide shows, field trips, native plants, wildflowers, food, the Weedfeed Ban­quet, and fun. The Speedy Weedfeeds are the half-day teaser/toe-in-the-water/refresher version. What it ain’t is about fertilizing your lawn or garden. In fact, after a healthy dose of Weedfeed, you’ll never look at your weeds (or any other plant) the same way again.

AND JUST WHO IS SCOOTER CHEATHAM?
Scooter Cheatham is, among other things, the founder and director of The Useful Wild Plants Project, so he knows of what he speaks. He started teaching this class in 1974 not long after he founded the Useful Wild Plants Project (see below).

WHAT IS THE USEFUL WILD PLANTS PROJECT?
The Useful Wild Plants Project is a monumental research and publishing project on the economic botany of the southern United States and northern Mexico titled The Useful Wild Plants of Texas, the Southeastern and South­western United States, the Southern Plains, and Northern Mexico. Volumes 1, 2, and 3 are out and Volume 4 is on the way. The 15 volumes will cover 4,000 species (give or take a few). The treatments include botanical descriptions (we're told that they contain good Scrabble words), color pictures, range maps, common names, and thousands of uses beginning with archeological evidence and exploring the historic and current uses of these plants for foods, medicines, utilitarian applications, landscape uses, new crops, and more.

THE GENERAL SET-UP OF THE CLASS
The class is 6 consecutive weeks of slide lectures, field trips, and campouts. Week 7 is the Weedfeed Banquet. There will be four or five Austin-area field trips (anywhere from a vacant lot in the middle of downtown to a park 40 or so miles away) and one or two weekend camping trips to distant lands (for a total of six). So if you sign up for the class, plan for a weekend or two out of town.

THE SLIDE LECTURES
The slide lectures are Fridays at 7:00 p.m. at 4700 Loyola Lane, Suite 104 (corner of Manor Rd. and Loyola Lane). They cover the plants for the week in detail, with pictures, identification, and uses.

SATURDAY FIELD TRIPS
The Saturday field trips start at 8:00 a.m. We visit various Austin-area locations (anywhere from the ever-relocating center of town to 40+ miles away). We visit parks, country roads, vacant lots, yards, gardens, alleys, flower beds, curbsides, wherever looks interesting.

THE CAMPING TRIPS
Usually the third and sixth weeks are trips to some distant and different location, though this can vary depending on what the plants are doing that season. We've camped and plant-watched in Big Bend, the Big Thicket, the Gulf Coast, and other botanical wonderlands.

THE WEEDFEED BANQUET
Yum! Each person brings a dish (plus a different one for each guest they invite) made from wild plants (tame ingredients allowed too).

A FEW THINGS TO CONSIDER AS YOU RUMINATE ABOUT WHETHER TO COMMIT SEVEN OF YOUR PRECIOUS WEEKENDS TO FLORAL FUN OR PUT IT OFF ANOTHER YEAR
You'll have even more fun than you think you will. And learn more too.

If you put it off now, you'll put it off later.

If you put it off now, we might not be doing it the year you decide to take it.

Six weeks really isn't that long and you don't really need to sleep late on Saturday morning.

Everybody misses a class or two; review is built in. So if you have to leave town to pick up your Nobel Peace Prize or go to cousin Lulu-Belle's third wedding or Uncle Buck’s sentencing, don't sweat it, you'll catch back up.

You'll learn a lot and can then regale others with your new-found knowledge.

The planet post-Weedfeed will be an even more interesting place that it is pre-Weedfeed.

The other people in the class are really nice and really interesting and they'll think the same about you.

You might need to know this stuff. Really.

WHO TAKES THIS CLASS?
Weedfeed is made up of an eclectic assortment of people with a wide variety of interests and a desire to learn about what is around them (no, you don't need to know anything about botany to take this class). It is also made up of an eclectic assortment of people who otherwise might not ever meet each other and find out how interesting they are, even if they did vote for the wrong political candidate and/or have blue hair (which these days can be found both on grandmother types and punkers, both of whom are part of the Weedfeed contingent, thank you). You must be 18 or over to take the class.

HOW MUCH is tuition?
Tuition for the seven week Fall Weedfeed of 2010 is $495 per person for early registration and rudely rises to $525 if you procrastinate and pay after 11:59 p.m. on Friday, September 17, 2010. Speedy Weedfeed is $75 per person. Space is limited. Prices may change without notice in the future. Specifics are announced when a class is scheduled.

WHEN is the next class?
This class starts Friday, September 24, at 6:30 p.m.

We do the long class in the spring and fall, but sometimes skip a season or two (or three) because of the writing and photography for the volumes. Speedy Weedfeeds occur as time permits. Email weedfeed01@gmail.com or call 512.928.4441 to be put on the notification list.

HOW DO I SIGN UP?
Sign the two page in small type No Naked Smoking Dogs With Guns Weedfeed Rule and Policy Form and return it with your payment. Call Lynn at 512.928.4441 or send an email to weedfeed01@gmail.com if you need a form. We can take cash, checks, and money orders. We do not take credit cards, IOUs, Monopoly money, or your first born. Nor do we barter, trade, work out payment plans, or sign you up for half a class. Make your tuition check out to Lynn Marshall. If you make it out to any other name it will be returned to you for replacement. Mail it to Lynn Marshall at 4700 Loyola Lane, Suite 104, Austin, Texas, 78723.


Questions? Call Lynn at 512-928-4441 or weedfeed01@gmail.com.

Here is an interview with Lynn and Scooter on the Useful Wild Plant project: 

"Ruth Stout's Garden" an endearing insight into a gentle iconoclastic organic gardener

Here is a lovely documentary interview with Ruth Stout the long time advocate of organic, no till gardening.   It was produced by Arthur Mokin in 1977, three years before Ruth's death at the age of 96. This is not a how to video. Instead it is an appreciation of her personality. In it we learn of her surprising background and temperament. The complete film is on You Tube but you can order a vhs copy of it from gardenworks.cc.

In honor of Arbor Day: The Man Who Planted Trees

There is a power in stories.  After this tale has engraved itself on your heart be sure to visit this site to learn more. 

Paul Stamets' Six Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World

This TED talk by Paul Stamets is more than two years old but it is a classic. He has found ways that mushrooms can produce energy, fight our common pathogens (bacteria and viruses), fertilize, sequester carbon, kill and then repel carpenter ants and termites and remediate toxic chemicals in the environment.

DIY Compost Bin ideas from Instructables.com

Instructables.com has an extensive collection of  do it yourself projects. Some are pretty far out, some would fit in better a dorm room than in a mansion.  But they all provide ideas to build on.

Here are links to some compost bin ideas that may be just what you are looking for:

First there's an Overview of Compost Bins on Instructibles.com.  followed by a Compost tumbler on a stand, a compost tumbler that is not on a stand, a different version of a compost tumbler on a stand that uses a standard garbage can , a double deck tumbling compost bin and finally a classic compost bin made from pallets.

Free Gardening Classes on the west side from Time Dollar alternative currency and Green Spaces

These classes are being offered by the Time Dollar Community Connections (an alternative currency coordinator in San Antonio's impoverished west side with support from Green Spaces Alliance.  All classes take place in the community garden behind the Time Dollar house across the street from Divine Redeemer Presbyterian Church at 2806 W. Salinas. San Antonio, Tx 78207. 

Each class will be taught by Andrew Willems an experienced gardener and community organizer.  Call (210) 433-9851 for more information.

Intro to Square Foot Gardening
(20% of the Space, 20% of the Water, 20% of the Work, 100% of the Harvest)
Tues April 6th 1:30, Wed April 7th 10:00 AM, Thur April 8th 1:30
                   

Planting Techniques                   
(A study of companion planting and other planting guides)
 Wed April 14th 10:00 A.M

Composting                                 
(The key to a great garden)
 Wed April 21st10:00 A.M.

Water Saving Techniques         
(Learn how to best utilize this valuable resource at your home)
 Thur April 29th 10:00 A.M.

More about Plants                      
(Learn helpful tips about plants including herbs and vegetables)
 Wed May 5th 10:00 A.M.

Organic Pest Control                                           
 (Controlling pests and diseases the healthy way)                                                  
 Wed May 12th 10:00 A.M.

Saving Seed & Spring Starters   
(Sustaining your garden for the future)                                                                    
 Wed May 19th 10:00 A.M.

Vegetable Nutrition                    
(You are what you eat)                                                                                               
Thur May 27th 10:00 A.M.

SA Alternative Housing Corp, City of San Antonio and San Antonio River Authority begin construction of 1 mile of Westside Creeks revitalization

At a recent public meeting on the Westside Creeks planning project, someone asked former Mayor Garza why we should bother with imagining how Apache, Alazan, Martinez and San Pedro creek could be transformed before money had been authorized to do so.   But the questioner didn't realize that vision must precede funding.

Lo and behold, funding has been found to start a small part of the project!

From Rod Radle, San Antonio Alternative Housing Corporation:

San Antonio, Texas December 16, 2009 — The San Antonio Alternative Housing Corporation (SAAHC) is sponsoring a ground breaking ceremony to announce the start of construction for the first linear park to be created on the Zarzamora and Apache Creeks. The mile long park will provide a picture of what future public development will hold in store for San Antonio residents on four major creeks located on the Westside and inner city.


The linear park is being developed on a bank of constant level creek just north of Elmendorf Lake. The area has been for years a mass of overgrown vegetation, with lush plants, tress, numerous birds and animals. The park will open up this natural jewel for the first time for citizens to appreciate and utilize for their own physical and mental health. It is anticipated that the area will become active with school children and adults as its natural riches are discovered.


Eleven years ago, SAAHC, with participation of numerous public taxing entities, formed one of the first developer sponsored Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZ) in San Antonio. The TIRZ was formed primarily in order to create sixty-five, affordable homes for families in the Rosedale Subdivision. This financing mechanism allowed lots to be developed and sold for 1/3 of their cost, thus allowing families to afford homeownership in one of San Antonio’s lowest economic neighborhoods. The TIRZ finance plan also envisioned the creation of a linear public park beginning at General McMullen and finishing at Commerce Street near Our Lady of the Lake University.


Needless to say, when the park was first thought of there was no major push for the development of the creeks on the city’s Westside. But the timing couldn’t have been better, with Roberto Rodriguez championing the cause with numerous citizens for strategies for creek development through the Westside Creeks Restoration Project. Committees are working on developing the Alazan, Apache, Martinez and San Pedro Creeks, working closely with the San Antonio River Authority, as well as the City of San Antonio and Bexar County. This linear park will provide a hands-on example of what will become a reality for public spaces on these creeks in the coming years.


The groundbreaking event will mark the start of construction on the park, which is being developed by SAAHC on land owned by the City of San Antonio (COSA). Once completed, the COSA will maintain the park, adding it as another linear park in its care. The park will be comprised of two paths, one concrete for bikes, skateboards and pedestrians, and a second cinder path for exercise. Lighting will be featured throughout the pathways. Benches, tables and exercise stations will also be strategically placed along the paths to take advantage of the views of the creek. The park is scheduled to be completed and opened to the public in spring of 2010. The $700,000 project will be fully funded through TIRZ proceeds, with interim financing provided by the San Antonio River Authority.


The San Antonio Alternative Housing Corporation (SAAHC) is a nonprofit organization established in 1993. The mission of SAAHC is to provide decent rental and ownership housing that is affordable to low- and moderate-income people in Texas; to provide housing education and ownership counseling through a community home ownership association; and to promote and create business development, job training, health and social services.

The start of the park will be at near the intersection of Matyear and Landa Street.

Paul Stamets Fungi Perfecti "Tree Life Box" as described in Ted Talk delivered!

At TED in February 2008, mycologist Paul Stamets delivered his talk entitled "Six Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World."  In that talk he described the "Life Box",  a box in which seeds and mycorrhizal fungi which would protect and nurture them would be embedded in recycled paper cardboard.   Torn up and planted the box would yield gardens, grasslands and forests.  He imagined life boxes used for mailers, hot beverage sleeves, pizza boxes and shoe boxes.

Many people went to Stamets website, http://www.fungi.com/ and found their way to lifeboxcompany.com only to find out that the boxes were not yet fully available to the public. But recently people who had written them received a special offer that allowed them to receive a tree life box if they ordered any non-food item from them.   Apparently the life box is not yet approved for the shipping of food products.

I received my Tree Life Box today.  I'm waiting to open it.  But here are some pictures of it which are also freely available on Flickr.

Paul's TED Talk is below:

Sanctuario Sisterfarm: A gem of practical, responsible, relationship building and spiritual permaculture near Waring, Texas

Adrian Dominican Sisters Carol Coston, OP and Elise D. García, OP founded the sisterfarm in 1992 on a 7 acre triangular patch of Texas off of IH 10 at the Waring/Welfare exit on Big Joshua Creek.  In 2001 they established a non-profit and renamed their permaculture experiment, Sanctuario Sisterfarm.

The farm serves as their home as well as a welcoming space for members of their order and others.  Over the years they have gradually transformed the original house, which has a double wide mobil home at its core into an efficient dwelling with saltillo tile floors, energy efficient windows, rainwater catchment, gray water reuse, a standing seam metal roof and geothermal heating and cooling.

On Sunday, October 18, 2009 Carol and Elise welcomed members of Doddi Evan's Permaculture in Practice meetup group along with a visiting sister from Kansas and two sets of neighbors to an extensive tour.   Carol was particularly pleased to have visitors who were familiar with the principles of permaculture who were wanting to implement them in their own lives.

The farm includes two tiny houses for guests, a yurt, orchards, a keyhole garden, a spiral garden, vegetable box planters and a chicken yard.   Carol reported that they formerly had guinea hens but they did not behave as advertised so as they lost one after another to various predators they were not replaced nor mourned.  Their Gaia garden is only just recovering from its encounter with the guineas.

"For Love of Water" September 11-13 in Wimberly takes a holistic approach to water

From Holistic Management International:

F.L.O.W. = For Love Of Water

With water making headlines as “liquid gold” and “the new oil,” a debate is heating up over whether or not we need to have meters on private wells and over how much authority we need to give regulating bodies as our creeks dry up and our wells go dry and new developments of thirsty families keep on moving in. We feel the time is right to invite consumers of water, recreationists relying on water, land managers, and public policymakers to gather for an event centered on appreciation, awareness and actions we can take to ensure a sustainable future for this precious resource.

For Love Of Water
F.L.O.W. of Appreciation, Awareness and Action for a Sustainable Future
Sept. 11-13, 2009, Wimberley Community Center
The purpose of this event is a celebration of the allure of water and its role in our quality of life; awareness of the water cycle and how it affects decisions on water use, the sustainability of available water; and actions people can take individually and collectively to conserve water use, seek the best sources of water, manage toward a healthy water cycle, and decide wisely how this shared resource is best used.

We kick off the event with a reception and art show on “The Allure of Water” Friday evening, September 11 from 5:30 to 9:00 pm. We are planning a “quick draw” art & auction event and a screening of the documentary film The First Millimeter: Healing the Earth as guests enjoy wine, beer and appetizers.

The Saturday conference will feature speakers, panel discussions and breakout workshops on the magic, the art, the science, and the business of water. We have Aldo Leopold winner J. David Bamberger coming to talk about managing land for maximum water. Decision makers and water regulators will tell you how these important decisions are made and answer your questions. The issues and aspects will be addressed on the local, the regional and the state levels. We are partnering with as many organizations as possible on this one, including National Wildlife Federation, Wimberley Valley Watershed Association, Dixon Water Foundation and more to come.

A Sunday morning ceremony at Jacob’s well combines a number of traditions including a rain dance.

Costs to attend the event are $20 for Friday evening, $25 for Saturday (lunch included) or $40 for the entire event. Sunday ceremony is free. Register with Peggy Cole (512-847-3822) or below and watch the website for more details as the event flows together.

Who's afraid of the Mountain Cedar? Not land steward Elizabeth McGreevy

Elizabeth McGreevy , certified permaculture designer and MLA landscape architect is in the midst of taking a long detailed look at the negative stories put out about ashe juniper aka mountain cedar. She calls them tall tales.

She's still working on a book on the subject but you can read excerpts that form an excellent outline on her website landsteward.net.

Her chapters question the major anti-cedar statements that are repeated over and over again. She looks for what is true in the statements and what is exagerated or false.

She looks at the study that is used to criticize cedar's water usage and finds its conclusions ill founded. She looks into statements that are passed on as fact regarding cedar's effect on other plants such as Live Oak and finds them to be incorrect.

She points out that the presence of mountain cedar pollen in a cave in Bexar county indicates that it is a native plant contrary to what many say. She questions whether the entire hill country was grassland before European settlement and whether the natives were able to burn it all regularly.

From her site:

Untwisting the Tall Tales

The bandwagon effect is when people tend to go along with what others are thinking or doing without taking the time to examine the merits of a particular idea. Instead, the instinct to herd is the overriding factor and people will believe or do things based solely on the idea that “everyone else” is doing the same thing. As the beliefs are passed along, the strength of the new belief system increases.

In the Hill Country, we have the cedar bandwagon. The purpose of this bandwagon is to bash the cedar so that we may eradicate most or all of it

Back in the days before I started writing this book, I was part of the cedar bandwagon. I would listen and nod my head in “understanding” whenever the media, elected officials, friends, co-workers or builders informed me with great authority the many reasons why all mountain cedars are bad. Some of the most popular reasons were that cedars are sucking water from our aquifers, they are not native, and they cause erosion. These beliefs then lead to new beliefs, and then more, with each new belief resting its weight upon the broadly accepted merits of the former.

When Sally Wasowski published her book, Native Texas Plants in 1988, she she shed some light on the bandwagoning against the mountain cedar. She wrote, “you hear enough people badmouthing junipers, you assume they must be bad. Trouble is, the people who are saying negative things are doing it mostly because that's what they've heard from someone else.”

After reading this and beginning my research, I soon realized that although every argument against the mountain cedar seemed valid, none could hold up to close inspection. Almost no one I asked was able to provide concrete facts to support their claims. If evidence was shoved before me, my detective work usually found the evidence to be hogwash.

Read more at http://www.landsteward.net/mountain_cedar.html

Photo by gunnyrat published under creative commons.

First Annual Regional Forest Conference

The Alamo Forest Partnership is asking for all people who like trees in San Antonio and surrounding areas to join them in the First Annual Regional Forest Conference. We all know how important trees are to our oxygen supply, temperature relief, and just being great hangouts for our favorite birds and other animal friends. Please come out to 1901 South Alamo, here in SA for a FREE conference (thanks to CPS Energy). It's an early one, from 8:00am- 12:30pm, Friday, July 10th. Even though it's free, you must register first by July 7th. Topics include: Tree inventories, Working with growers to increase tree species diversity, Trees and the San Antonio River Improvement Project, Trees and Energy, and round table discussions on Tree issues important to your community, business, and/or organization. This notice brought to you by the Citizens Tree Coalition. Register by going to www.alamoforestpartnership.org or call 210-207-8053.

New Braunfels' Organic Living Club brings speakers and presentations to Comal, Hays and Guadalupe counties

If you live in Hays, Comal or Guadalupe county you have a regular source for information on organic gardening and natural health topics. Since July 2008, the Organic Living Club has met (mostly) on the fourth Monday of the month at various locations appropriate to the topic.

Their Monday, June 29, 2009 meeting at 7:00 PM will be at the Markley Family Farm, 394 Union Wine Road, east of New Braunfels on the right of FM 725 past Zipp Road.

The Markley Family Farm grows vegetables and fruits hydroponically. Topics of discussion will include: Tree planting with a tree being planted at the farm, natural oak wilt prevention, tree pruning, drought avoidance.

Attendees are advised to bring a chair and to dress appropriately since there is no air conditioning. The presentation is free, there are no dues and everyone is welcome, but seating is limited. Please RSVP if coming to rsvp@organiclivingclub.org.

Past speakers have included Malcolm Beck, Mason Arnold of Greenling, Bob Fitzsimmons of Bob's Organic Garden and numerous presenters on alternative medicine. A number of their meetings have been recorded and posted to Jason George's YouTube channel, OrganicTexas.

OrganicTexas brings outstanding South Texas speakers and discussions to YouTube

Jason has been shooting and editing videos of south Texas organic gardening notables such as Bob Webster and Malcolm Beck and adding them to the YouTube channel OrganicTexas since October 2007. So far he has over 380 videos posted.

Since YouTube limits postings to a maximum of 10 minutes, he breaks up presentations into several parts, but the videos are grouped into playlists so you can play all of them in a series automatically.

His channel has over 240 subscribers. His most viewed video, a presentation by KTSA host Bruce Deuley speaking on compost tea, has been viewed over 5000 times. His Bob Webster videos and tapes of the Organic Roundtable at the Festival of Flowers have been very popular as well.

How many San Antonian's separate their brush and keep it out of the landfill? (Too few)

A quick look around in any neighborhood that is awaiting their twice yearly bulk and brush pick-up will show that only a small percentage separate their tree brush from their bulky trash.

When the brush is stacked with the trash, the brush has to go to the landfill with the rest of the garbage. If brush is piled separately then it can be taken to the city's shredding site at 1800 Bitter's Rd, north of the airport and made into mulch. It costs no more to separate one from the other and it saves taxpayers money by reducing the use of the landfill.

The city's Solid Waste Management department had always made it clear that brush was not to be stacked with the trash, but now they distribute a doorknob hanger pleading for homeowners to separate them and noting that free mulch is available at the Bitters Brush Collection site.

More educational efforts are needed because despite the new notices during the recent brush pick-up cycles the majority of homeowners continued to mix trash with brush and frustrate efforts to reduce the flow into the landfill.

Composting Collecting Toilets: the affordable no waste-water, no black-water solution to your back end waste problem

To handle your humanure you can use low flow toilets, you can use an artificial wetlands, a Watson Wick, an aerobic or an anaerobic system but these all use water. If you have lots of money you can buy a clivus multrum. Or you could take the leap into the world of Joseph Jenkins and compost it all and practically eliminate your water use to handle your elimination.

Yes, according to Joseph Jenkins there are two kinds of people: those that deposit their body waste into drinking water and those that do not and we in the USA are mostly in the first group. But it doesn't have to be that way. A composting collecting toilet system as described in The Humanure Handbook is a sanitary, water free and inexpensive way to handle this basic human need.

You can read Joseph's book online for free, though if it takes hold of your imagination you will likely want to buy a copy for yourself. You can also watch humanure videos and see pictures of various composting collecting toilets. You can even buy kits if you don't want to design and build your own.

If you are like me, at first the idea seems a little extreme but then little by little the implications for your life might start occurring to you. That cabin in the woods might suddenly become affordable. That shed in the back yard might make a decent guest room with a gray water system for the solar heated shower and a composting toilet. Maybe that you can afford to make that inexpensive travel trailer a bit less costly to operate and a bit more inviting to travel in.

You might even find yourself trying to spread the word to skeptical friends and strangers. But you won't know unless you take a look at the book.

"4 Trees, 1 Hole" Sounds easy enough

In this video, Ed Laivo of Dave Wilson Nursery looks at high density plantings of fruit trees at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in California.

See over 45 videos from Dave Wilson Nursery on FRUIT TUBE their YouTube channel.



Thanks to Joe Barfield for passing on this video and site.

Become a Certified Invasive Species Fighter, attend free workshop Saturday June 6

From the Headwaters Coalition:

Does it sadden you to see chinaberries shading out and killing our
native trees?  Are you angered to see English ivy killing the tallest
trees on the Riverwalk?  Do something to stop the death of our native
beauties!  Become a state-certified invasive species tracker and collect
data used to study and manage invasive plants. You don't have to be an
expert: All you need is a digital camera,internet access and a desire to
help!  Workshop participants will learn the simple methods used to
collect invasive species data and share it with others. Whether you are
a backwoods hiker or a neighborhood wanderer, you can contribute vital data to this statewide effort.

WHAT: The workshop is FREE, but Participation is limited to 30, and an application is required.  Download an application and email it to  Rachel Cywinski at  urbanGardener@satx.rr.com .  Rachel is also your contact for questions or details!

WHEN: June 6, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.   Classroom instruction 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Afternoon session will offer volunteers practical opportunities to identify invasive plants on the mission grounds until 4 p.m.  Please bring your own lunch or plan to break for lunch for less than one hour.

WHERE: The workshop will be in the Conference Center of Mission San Jose Y San Miguel de Aguayo, 6700 San Jose Drive in San Antonio.

ETCETERA: Volunteers need access to a digital camera and the internet. Bring a handheld GPS unit if you have one; it is not required for participation. Please visit the Texas Invasives website  to read more about the Invaders program.