May 2, 2007
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Ecology Links Stuff

Scotts versus TerraCycle

TerraCycle Inc — a company started by a college student that sells liquid worm poo fertilizer in recycled pop bottles — is being sued by Scotts makers of Miracle-Gro claiming that the product package designs are too similar and confuse customers “…because some TerraCycle plant foods have a green and yellow label with a circle and a picture of flowers and vegetables on it.” Cause you know how novel and original these style choices are in the garden industry. They have started a blog called “Sued By Scotts” chronicling the lawsuit.

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Scotts is also taking issue with the TerraCycle claim that their product is better than “a leading synthetic plant food” while refusing to hand over their test results to Scotts.

I love me some worm poo but have never tried the TerraCycle product since I can get liquid vermicompost produced locally or make it myself. I don’t think I need to tell you that I think Miracle-Gro is a terrible, environmentally unsound product but I gotta say that while I didn’t think it was possible this kind of bullying tactic only further places Scotts front and centre on my shitlist.

Terracycle’s answer to Scotts claim is due today.

Further Reading:

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May 1, 2007
8 Comments
Ecology Gardening 101 Links Places

Making a Community Garden

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Parkdale, the neighborhood where I have made my home for most of my adult life houses approximately 75% of its residents in apartments with 38% residing in high-rise towers without access to outdoor space. This neighbourhood is incredibly diverse with people hailing from literally all over the world. It’s an excellent example why Toronto is lauded as the most multicultural city in the world and why I love it here so much. But with so many people living on low incomes and without outdoor space, we desperately need food-growing gardens that serve the needs of this community.

Over the last month or so I’ve been involved with an exciting innitiative in my neighborhood to build a community garden in an underused park next to the local community centre. It’s not a huge garden and demand for space is high, but the hope is that the success of one such garden will open up the possibility for many more in this area.

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This past weekend marked the official groundbreaking of the garden. The City gave us two options to get the garden started: they would remove the sod with a cutting machine or rototill the entire area. From the start the group has established a mandate to be as ecologically sound as possible, our goal being to create an environment that cultivates the health of the neighborhood. As a result we opted for the less invasive sod removal method. We would have loved to have simply composted the grass in place (sometimes called sod conversion) however time is not on our side this time around. Rolling up the sod means we can control how much the soil is cultivated, preserving the health of the soil and keeping as much nutritional matter intact as possible. We were also concerned that rototilling would result in grass popping up in plots within a few weeks.

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We saved some of the sod to form rows between plots and gave the rest away to locals who needed it.

I am really excited to be a part of such a great project and can’t wait to see how it evolves and grows in the coming weeks and most especially once the gardens are planted and on their way to making food and building relationships within the community.

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April 30, 2007
2 Comments
Links Places

Water for All Occassions

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This is one of the smartest rain barrel contraptions I have seen, spotted at the Alex Wilson Community Garden here in Toronto. They don’t have access to a downspout but turned that around by setting up some kind of pipe system that funnels rainwater into this massive tub that also probably collect some amount of rain due to the large surface area. The multi-tiered system allows a great deal of water to be stored long-term.

Unfortunately, the following story about this particular rain barrel might turn some off the idea of contructing one in the first place. I think it just adds to the charming surprise of city gardening. Apparently when the system was first constructed, and before it had a protective mesh top, a friend of a friend arrived at his plot one day to find a nude man emersed in the “tub” taking a bath!

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April 27, 2007
6 Comments
Deep Thoughts Links Press

“You Grow Girl” in Shameless Magazine

I’m proud to be included in the recent issue of Shameless Magazine, an independent magazine for strong, smart, and sassy teen girls that breaks the mold of the typical diet tips and beauty trends magazine.

I interviewed with writer Caroline Pelletier on growing food which can be found on pages 18-19.

Here’s what I said in response to her question, “Why is gardening fun and fulfilling?”

Gardening just IS fun. I wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t fun. Because it can also be hard work and challenging. It’s problem-solving, and learning patience. It’s learning to accept failure as a part of learning. It’s becoming an observer. That part can be really exciting, especially as you make discoveries or come to understand and appreciate things in a new way. It’s creating space for wonder in your life and finding that part of your child brain that may have been lost or crushed in the challenges of adult life.

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April 25, 2007
4 Comments
Deep Thoughts Ecology Links

Prince Charles, Slow Food, and Sustainable Agriculture

A friend of mine recommended this New York Times piece about Prince Charles and his involvement in the Slow Food Movement. Be sure to listen to his speech on small-scale and sustainable agriculture given at the Terra Madre conference in Turin, Italy (2004).

“The one resource the developing world has in abundance is people so why are we promoting systems of agriculture that negate this advantage and contriubte directly to further human misery and indignity.”

“I can only say that for some reason I felt in my bones that if you abuse nature unnecessarily and fail to maintain a balance, then she will probably abuse you in return,” he wrote in his new book, “The Elements of Organic Gardening,” written with Stephanie Donaldson (Weidenfeld & Nicolson).

What surprised my friend and myself as well is how clear and honestly he speaks about poverty and it’s attachment to food and agriculture. Who knew the Prince of Wales was such a progressive chap?

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