Solutions for a cultivated planet

The need to feed a growing population and the threat of modern agricultural practices are a double-edged sword for the health of the very systems they depend on. But a team of researchers from Canada, the U.S., Sweden and Germany has come up with a plan to double the world’s food production while reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture.

Navin Ramankutty of McGill University and his team outline five key steps for sweeping change that can offer hope in a challenging food future. They might surprise you. Their findings were published in the October 20th edition of Nature.

Treehugger.com loves the Earthbox

The online authority for all things sustainable, today Treehugger.com highlighted the top "9 Plant-Preserving Self-Watering Container Gardens You Can DIY or Buy". Isn't this the category that Earthbox defines? Yes it is, and yes it's of course on the list! We, of course, would recommend the Organic Garden Kit version, but the patented, award-winning, self-watering sub-irrigation technology is the very same in every single Earthbox.

Earthbox gets Raw

The Earthbox grows incredible, nutrient-dense organic vegetables - the perfect fit for Raw! A raw food diet maintains all of the nutrients in food by keeping them in their natural ("uncooked") state. Does it work? Just ask Uma Thurman, Woody Harrelson, Sting, David Bowie, Beyonce, or Bif Naked - all raw food devotees.

Or simply learn from the best tomorrow night at The Raw Food Foundation, with gourmet raw food instruction from Canada's own celebrity raw chef Janice Skoreyko and lessons in food sustainability from Kind Garden's Graeme Hodson-Walker. Get a 3-hour class AND your own Earthbox for $99 - less than just the class alone! "From Garden to Plate" runs 6-9pm and includes a 4-course raw meal! Contact 778-839-8424 to book your seat.

Vancouver is Awesome - Kind Gardens at EPiC!

Soak up some local arts and culture and check KG at the EPiC Sustainability Fair on the excellent Vancouver is Awesome blog. Thanks Bob!

For the first time, food becomes a political priority

For the first time in Canadian electoral history, each of the country’s federal parties have included strategies in their electoral platforms that, to varying degrees, as a distinct priority separate from agriculture. Read the Globe and Mail article here.

Grow Your Own Dinner May 7th at the Urban Garden

The Earthboxes are in at Art Knapp! Come May 7th for their Grow Your Own Dinner event. Ten bucks gets you in for food, drinks, music, seminars and professional advice on growing your own food. 20% off everything in the store. Lotsa door prizes with your ticket. Proceeds go to the kids for botanical education. See you there!

dwell mag talks dirty backyard fun

In the April issue, dwell talks home gardening. At the turn of the 20th century, Ebenezer Howard published "Garden Cities of Tomorrow", promoting harmony with the natural world through proximity between agricultural and city centers. 20 years later, the war turned every available green space into an urban farm, until the post-war boom lead to sprawling suburbia and expansive lawns. Now we again see the resurgence of home gardening with sustainability and utility as the drivers. dwell's advice for container gardening - be sure the soil is kept constantly moist and evenly drained. Even dwell loves the Earthbox!