JOIN OAK CREEK CLEAN UP – MARCH 2014  

In 2013 about 4000 lbs of garbage was removed along the banks of scenic Oak Creek!  Join our group  to make a positive impact on this beautiful waterway.   For every volunteer hour, Oak Creek Watershed Council receives $20 in matching grant funding.

Matched funding from this event will go towards building a public restroom at Midgley Bridge, one of the busiest tourist stops along Oak Creek Canyon.  Construction to begin this spring. Cost $4200.

Where:  Meet up for orientation at Indian Gardens parking lot in Oak Creek Canyon

When:  Tuesday, March 11 9am  and / or Wednesday, March 12 9am for 3 hours / day

What:   Help pick up trash along our beautiful waterway . Bags and garbage pickers provided.

RSVP REQUESTED!  E-mail sedonamarket@gmail.com or call (928) 821-1133

The Hudson Valley is setting an example for collaboration to transform the web of food.

The Hudson Valley Food Hubs Initiative is a project that was started in 2012 by the Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, a not-for-profit organization concerned with the Hudson Valley food system and its neighboring communities in the state of New York. The Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress is funded by the Local Economies Project (LEP) of the New World Foundation and collaborates with the Urban Design Lab at the Earth Institute at Columbia University.

Read the FULL ARTICLE HERE!

 There’s no shortage of organizations around the world who are working to create a more sustainable, more just food system. Food Tank is honored to highlight many of these groups every week, showing the world that solutions to alleviating hunger, poverty, obesity, food waste, and environmental degradation not only exist, but have huge potential to be replicated and scaled-up.

Read the FULL ARTICLE HERE!

Maine becomes the second state to pass a law requiring food producers to label GMO food, but other states must follow before it goes into effect.  Do you want your food labeled?

Read the Full Article Here.

What does the USDA “organic” label mean?  How organic is it? What are the federal requirements and how are they changing?   Read the full article here.

In the State of Arizona it is currently cost prohibitive for small scale farmers to obtain USDA organic certification.  This would change if we had an Organic Commodities Commission at the state level.  The State of New Mexico has one and it costs a farmer only approx. $650 to receive the certification.  In our state it is currently approx. $20,000 per farm, therefore not cost effective for the small scale farmer we see at the Farmers Markets.

Produce at the market is chemical/pesticide free, GMO free and non-irradiated, not waxed and free of synthetics.  We invite you to ask the farmer at the market about their production standards!

The article above makes one wonder if USDA organic certification would even be worthwhile if it is geared once again towards commercial large scale operations?  Production standards are needed but let’s scale them to the farmer in our backyards.  Just food for thought.

More to follow on this subject.

This month marks the 40th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act being signed into law; the occasion, however, is being eclipsed by criticisms about whether government agencies are doing enough to protect some species – bees, especially.

A lawsuit, the first to invoke the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in defense of bees, was filed in March by major U.S. beekeeping associations against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its decision to register a new pesticide called sulfoxaflor.

Read the full article here.

Vandana Shiva is a global activist for sustainable agriculture.  She is a scientist and quantum physicist, she has also taken Monsanto to court and won.  Watch and listen to the interview with Vandana and Bill Moyers here.

What is the meaning of the Winter Solstice?

WINTER SOLSTICE LINK 1 – farmers almanac

WINTER SOLSTICE LINK 2 – sun cycles

WINTER SOLSTICE LINK 3 – esoteric

WINTER SOLSTICE LINK 4 – plant life