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Submitted by Pattytoo on Thu, 01/11/2007 - 12:58pm.
This is actually a global issue, but I wanted to talk a little bit about it and then discuss a more local perspective. I've been coming into contact with more and more information surrounding The Codex Alimentarius. I'm far from an expert on it, and I'm not certain that I have the time to become one. The gist of the matter seems to be that folks that support The Codex feel that it protects everyone by setting food standards. The folks that don't support it seem to feel that The Codex harms everyone by setting up standards that are not based on health, but are instead motivated by economic trade considerations. You can read the official stance of The Codex by reading information at the link above. The other side of the matter can be read about at healthfreedomusa.org, or you can get a slightly bigger "gist" by watching the video below:
So, that is the global side. Now, I want to talk about the very local side of things starting with the basic family unit. These new concerns about standards join very old problems as "simple" as hunger. I'm a big fan of understanding these large issues of legality, but one of the things that strikes me as I listen to all sides of the argument is how very important the home or community garden really is. Deciding to feed yourself and become fully aware of how to do so has become a truly revolutionary and empowering skill. So, I am interested in hearing from people in the community on this topic. How can people in our community become more independent in this way? What groups (such as farms or garden clubs or neighborhood collaborations) help to do this? What food grows well here without much (or any) need for intervention beyond giving it a space to thrive? In addition to that, what do you know about how to protect your own water source or how to filter water to make it safer for you without dependance on laws? If you do deal with commercial sources for gardening supplies, seeds, water, and such...who have you learned to trust for that and why? Do you have a list of resources or a body of knowledge on local gardening to share?
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Revolutionary?
Submitted by Norm on Thu, 01/11/2007 - 1:32pm.It's nothing new, unless I'm misunderstanding you.
Growing up, we went grocery shopping for frivolous(sp?) needs. Everything else came from home. Dad, Grandpa, Uncles, and myself all hunted. We used a meat packing company (local) to process some of it, and make jerky and pepperoni, and ground meat. The rest we did ourselves, steaks, flanks, etc.
Grandma and my mom, and we kids all worked in the garden. We planted peas, corn, carrots, pumpkins, green beans, I'm sure others, but it's been awhile. All of them normally grew well, the sunflowers seemed to have a hard time for some reason, but never could figure that one out. Everything we grew, and then harvested, we canned. I did not have vegetables, from outside of my family's garden until I was almost 7. I wasn't impressed, and to this day am not.
We also had honey bees that loved our area and made some great honey. We have jars and jars of the stuff and we haven't had bee's since I was little (Grandpa found out the hard way that he had become allergic)
Unfortunately it's been awhile since then. Grandpa is too old to hunt, my Dad's been gone for years, my uncle and I go to the grocery store rather than do our own killing. As mentioned above, the bee's aren't harvested any longer. Grandma still keeps a good garden but nobody else has really taken up the fight in that area. It's kind of sad really.
Oh, and they run on spring water there, no wells. They have a large holding tank and multiple filters (it's enough to support 5 houses at this point ) I helped put the darn thing in more than once, but I'm not sure exactly what kind of filtering was used in the process. I could ask if you'd like?
You're right, as a species
Submitted by Pattytoo on Thu, 01/11/2007 - 1:43pm.I'll ask, I should be up
Submitted by Norm on Thu, 01/11/2007 - 1:50pm.I'll ask, I should be up there this weekend.
I'm still learning (haven't finished the video yet) it sounds interesting.
I'm all for self-sufficiency. It's something we do seem to have lost over time.
going really local
Submitted by enpen on Fri, 01/12/2007 - 7:27am.Living in an urban environment does, I think, make it a little difficult to live off of the land if only because of space considerations. That being said, cooperative models make sense to me for combining community resources to sustain individuals. Here are the local sustainable groups I'm aware of:
Fertile Ground
GRuB
Left Foot Organics
cultureseed
I'm absolutely positive this doesn't come close to comprising what actually is locally available; however, it is representational of those which I'm currently aware."Anybody who doesn't know that politics is crime has got a few screws loose."
what about rooftops?
Submitted by Rob Richards on Fri, 01/12/2007 - 9:35am.Chicago
Vienna
New York City
“One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world was better for this.
Does anyone in Olympia
Submitted by chaney on Fri, 01/12/2007 - 12:16pm.Apartments and offices
Submitted by Rob Richards on Fri, 01/12/2007 - 12:40pm.“One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world was better for this.
Another ?
Submitted by Norm on Fri, 01/12/2007 - 1:14pm.You never know until you
Submitted by Rob Richards on Fri, 01/12/2007 - 2:40pm.“One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world was better for this.
Too true
Submitted by Norm on Fri, 01/12/2007 - 3:01pm.All too true
flat roof
Submitted by go econo on Fri, 01/12/2007 - 1:10pm.My garage roof is flat and deep dished...I had it checked out for strctural integrity - that is, can it support some garden boxes or soil...Answer is no because it's sitting on top of a slab. Any extra weight on it and all comes tumbling down. Bummer.
"No one in the world ever gets what they want and that is beautiful." - John Flansburgh & John Linnell
deep dished
Submitted by Norm on Fri, 01/12/2007 - 3:02pm.Path to Freedom - a great
Submitted by Mike on Sun, 01/14/2007 - 8:53am.Check it out.
This is great! Thank
Submitted by Pattytoo on Mon, 01/15/2007 - 12:21pm.re: nutrition
Submitted by Scott Haley on Sat, 01/13/2007 - 11:16pm.Blackberries.