Ecofamily

Kristi Cooper

Connection with Nature, Energy, Environment, Food, Health, Water quality & conservation 3 sisters garden, beneficial insects, comfrey, edible landscape design, guilds, permaculture, soil pH

Air Quality – do you think about  that? Mostly I don’t - until I heard about the brown snow that a former classmate reported this winter. Brown snow? WHAT? Turns out, the snow captured particles of a dust storm from Kansas, the jetstream carried it to Michigan’s UP and dropped it neatly frozen in a February 2012 snow. There have been reports of colored snow around the world for years and it contains different things including industrial pollutants, volcanic ash, radiation, and even algae.

I found this really cool website that reports the AQI Air Quality Index http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_state  It measures ozone and particulates in the air and ranks the health risk. I watched the map of the midwest and then Colorado and Florida and various other places across the US.  It was  a good air day in most places but a few had “Action Day” notices meaning they anticipated the air quality was moving into the unhealthy range soon.

Ok, so what am I doing today that could show up in someone else’s backyard?  The wood smoke from the camp fire, the exhaust from my car, my personal care products, the vapors from my carpet, flooring, paint, mower, etc.  Check out Air Quality Awarenes Week resources at http://www.epa.gov/airnow/airaware/ 

I will breath easier tonight knowing that my friends in Kansas are paying attention to their actions! What do you do that affects air quality?

Kristi Cooper

Environment, Health, Public policy industrial pollutants, ozone

OMG! If you are the least bit interested in growing your own food and you live in a town, then THIS is the session you need to come to! My friend and teacher, Fred Meyer, is the guru of ecological design and I have seen him transform an itty bitty urban backyard into a food forest! He will be helping us understand the principles of permaculture and how to mimic nature to produce our own food in small spaces. Learn about the 7 layers of a forest, the 3 ethics of permaculture (if you ‘ve been paying attention to this blog  you may already know these) and food production zones and planting guilds. It’s a little introduction to more exciting ways to be earth friendly and people friendly, too!

Fred is the founder and executive director of Backyard Abundance, www.backyardabundance.org a non-profit organization in Iowa City that helps individuals,  families, organizations and government implement food bearing spaces.

There is still time to join us! Register for the conference today and I will send you the link to participate! Here is the registration information: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/sites/www.extension.iastate.edu/files/www/Virtual-Conference-Brochure.pdf 

Kristi Cooper

Connection with Nature, Energy, Environment, Food, Health, Public policy, Waste Prevention, Water quality & conservation ecological design, food forest, permaculture, urban backyard

Oh, my kale, spinach and mixed greens have been soooo happy this spring.  They even liked the cool near freezing nights we had.  It makes them sweeter - literally.  It is fun to nibble as I pass by my container gardens when I come home from work and while ‘playing’ outdoors.

My Roma tomato starts look healthy, my butternut squash starts are raising their pretty heads but the melon seeds have yet to emerge from their pots. They like it a little warmer. I love the deep green and the aroma of the dulce basil seedlings.  I have plenty for my own use and plan to share the extras with the Backyard Abundance plant sale on April 28 or maybe the Master Gardener plant sales in my area in May. I hope to pick up some vegies from those sales that I don’t have like cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi, maybe an eggplant . . .

How will you support the spring plant sales in your neighborhood?

Kristi Cooper

Connection with Nature, Environment, Food, Health basil, broccoli, cabbage, kale, kohlrobi, roma tomatoes, spinach

Do you ever find yourself in the middle of strange conversations? I was in a group of grandmothers debating the virtues of cloth versus disposable diapers.  Presumably one of the grandmothers’  friends was sewing diaper covers for a baby-to-be and asked me about what is in the diaper liners.  “Beats me,” I said, and that question sent me on a goose chase of information about human waste and landfills. I was intrigued by this article written by an environmnental professor at Dartmouth http://www.sustainabilityinstitute.org/dhm_archive/index.php?display_article=vn321diapersed  My perception is that although both disposable and cloth diapers are energy intensive in diffferent ways, the use of cloth diapers puts the waste back into the water treatment system (municipal or septic), not in the landfill to potentially seep into our water supply. That seems more environmentally friendly to me. I mean what are we going to do, make the baby stop? It also points to the benefit of early potty training! However, that is another subject entirely!

Then the lunch conversation changed to pet poo – yes it was lunch – sorry. I hadn’t thought deeply about this issue before either. If we were in a public area, we used to collect Poochy’s treasures in a plastic bag, and deposit it in the nearest garbage can after the walk. It went to the landfill, probably seeped into the water supply along with the myriad unsavory things I can’t mention here. Well, maybe I could, I AM talking about excrement . . . anyway.  I actually thought that leaving it on the ground was better because the soil & plants could use it, until I learned that stormwater washes it off of our mowed landscapes and directly into the streams and rivers, bypassing any filtration possibilities. I paused long enough to wonder if flushing was a better place to deposit the doggy doo, too, since that goes into treatment. I wonder if there is water quality testing near dog parks? What do they do to prevent contaminated runoff?

I made my contribution to the landfills in two different counties when my children were of diaper ages. Sorry, future grandchildren, I didn’t know the diapers would still be there when you were born!  It is these strange conversations that help me stay conscious of how my everyday decisions impact the earth as well as my human and creature companions. 

If we think of waste as a resource, then what are the possiblities? Bet you hadn’t thought of THAT before!

Kristi Cooper

Energy, Environment, Health, Public policy, Waste Prevention, Water quality & conservation diapers, waste, water quality

TWO large trash bags FULL of paper plates, plastic forks, cups and water bottles, pop cans, pizza boxes and plastic wrappers.  This was after 1 day of a 3 day meeting with 17 people.  I cringe at what we send to the landfill in the name of health and convenience. This was after collecting an ice cream bucket full of banana and orange peels and apple cores for my worms.  At least the dinnerware was compostable! Or not . . .

I was gently reassured that the dinnerware was compostable so I breathed a sigh of relief, opened another plastic bag to collect them in,  before launching into a thought process of how they would get composted. My 20 questions started like this: If they are in a plastic trash bag will they breakdown in the landfill? Do they have to be put out with the yard waste to go to the municipal composting process? Will the yard waste be rejected at curbside if it has “paper” products in it? Does the office building we are in have yard waste pickup? Can the compostable dinnerware go in the cardboard recycling bin - if it has remnants of salad dressing or pizza sauce on it? I was told that the pizza boxes could not be recycled because they had contained food.

At my son’s graduation party in 2005, I ordered compostable dinnerware – plates, napkins, forks, spoons from California that were made from corn grown in Iowa. There was nothing like that at my local grocery store then. The concept of composting the plates and utensils seemed interesting, they were made with locally grown corn  and more green than plastic plates and silverware for our celebration. However, we collected it all in big garbage cans and it went to the landfill with the rest of our trash.  That didn’t seem quite right, but I was hopeful, thinking that since someone had THOUGHT of and CREATED compostable dinnerwear, there must be a way to dispose of it.  Just in case, I had sorted out some of the plates and spoons to put in my garden compost pile to see what happened.  I learned that compostable dinnerware still looks like it did when I put it in the compost bin months later, because my home compost bin does not create the heat needed to breakdown these products. Rats. I’m guessing the stuff we sent in the plastic garbage bags hasn’t changed either – unless the black plastic bags they were in generated enough heat to break them down. And turn them into methane in the landfill.

Fast Forward to 2012.  Has anything changed? Well, there are more compostable products on the shelves, but there is still not a system to compost these products. I am trying these newer compostable products in my vermi-compost bin this time – some intact, some cut into pieces, some filled with banana peels and apple cores.  I will let you know what I find in a few months.

What do you assume happens to your waste? Look up the phone number to your landfill and ask them about compostable dinnerware, food waste and methane. Let me know what you find out.

Kristi Cooper

Connection with Nature, Energy, Environment, Food, Health, Public policy, Waste Prevention, Water quality & conservation compostable dinnerware, landfill, methane, vermi-compost

I just rediscovered a new fitness routine – ironing! It started with my daughter getting the wrinkles out of her new cotton Easter dress. She used the steamer, but it didn’t result in the crispness that ironing creates.  So, while the iron was out, I did some cloth napkins – just playing - and decided I had a pair of pants that could use perking up and before I knew it I had finished a spring blazer, too!  My upper arms are feeling pretty buff with the isometrics of ironing!

I thought of my grandmothers and mother ironing, the multitude of 4-H clothing projects I practiced my ironing skills on, the way fabrics have evolved.  The industrial age gave us easy care fabrics with polyester and nylon made from extruded petroleum, greatly reducing the time, energy and effort it takes to make our clothing function well and look good. We have stronger parachutes, longer wearing, colorfast carpets, upholstery and even better medical technology as a result!

But we’ve gotten flabby in the meantime. No longer do we haul the water, crank the washing machine, beat the rugs and iron our shirts. I’m not sure I would trade my modern conveniences for all of that physical labor, but I might choose to iron more again.  I found my mind shedding the worries of the day, relaxing and focusing on the steam rising, the texture of the cloth in my hands, the hem draped over the ironing board and the perfectness of the creases that emerged from my hot stainless steel weight. I felt mindful and fully conscious of the present moment. Ironing was an almost meditative if not muscle strengthening activity. Creativity flowed, problems solved themselves and I felt such a sense of accomplishment that I went looking for more items to iron.

We’ve traded chores for convenience, purposeful work for treadmills, and basic skills for more time at the office. Hmmm. I think I will put together the push reel mower I bought for a 1/3 of the price of a gym membership.  It might increase my ‘icy-hot/ben-gay’ expenses, but I might get fit in the process.

What have you traded for convenience? What purposeful work could you choose this week to benefit your mind or body?

Kristi Cooper

Health convenience, cotton, creativity, fitness, meditative, nylon, petroleum, ployester, purposeful work

 Are you one of the thousands of people watching the Decorah eagle cam?  http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles  I am in awe of these amazing birds and their wisdom and vision!

Through my connection with Nature Explore www.natureexplore.org I learned of an early childhood center that built a a man made “eagle’s nest”. The adults installed the posts and throughout the season the children collected sticks, branches and materials and wove them into an 8 foot nest.  The children had fun developing their math skills by estimating how many children would fit in this space.  They even role play being the momma eagle, the babies and even the dead rabbit  one of the adult eagles brought to the nest.

I nearly drove off the road recently watching a pair of eagles soar over my car.  I have a moon roof so I got a glimpse of them straight up – not recommended with the car in motion! I get excited to see these elegant birds because I remember when they were on the endangered list because of DDT , a toxic chemical used routinely on farms and yards. Im glad that chemical is now banned.

I might be one of those grandparents who builds an ‘eagle’s nest’ or ‘muskrat house’ or ‘fox den’ in the backyard. I am already an advocate of no lawn chemicals. 

What about this story inspires you?  What captures your attention in nature?

Kristi Cooper

Connection with Nature, Environment, Health, Public policy

It was just a year ago that I was digging this hole in my yard.  It rained so much it took me a couple of weeks to get my raingarden constructed. My neighbors would drive by curious to see me in my raincoat watching the water flow off the road and driveways, cutting rivulets in  my yard on its way to lower ground.  That little rain garden did its job and still is, thankfully! The storms were definitely “gully washers”! 

I’m sure you have noticed the dramatic changes in our weather and precipitation patterns over the last decade. These changes brought about by the increased temperature of our planet and atmosphere are changing the hydrologic cycle. That’s why some places around the country and world have no water and are experiencing drought, and other places like Iowa have experienced multiple flood events. Torrential rains wash pollutants from our roads and yards quickly into the rivers without time for it to be cleaned and filtered through the soil to the water table below. This affects the amount and quality of the water available to us, no matter where we live. It affects our wells and our municipal water systems. What we do on our individual properties impacts the bigger picture.

I’m thrilled to have our next speaker, Stacie Johnson with the Iowa Stormwater Management Education Program with us on the Virtual Eco Family Conference on Thursday, April 5.  Stacie will teach us how to take advantage of the water that moves across properties after extensive rainfall. She will share strategies to prevent street and lawn contaminants from reaching community rivers and ultimately the water supply. Stacie will share numerous rainscaping practices that the average person (like me and you) can use to make use of this precious resource – water!  

There is still time to join us! Register for the conference today and I will send you the link to participate! Here is the registration information: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/sites/www.extension.iastate.edu/files/www/Virtual-Conference-Brochure.pdf 

See you soon!

Kristi Cooper

Energy, Environment, Health, Public policy, Water quality & conservation rain garden, vitrual conference

Are you a juicer? Do you liquify fruit and vegies for intense nutrition? I got a centrifugal juicer about a year ago.  I saved my Christmas, birthday money and allowance and I have enjoyed creating lots of concoctions! My latest favorite is “creamscicle” that I learned about from the b organic show.  I used 2 peeled oranges, 2 ripe pears, 3 small sweet potatoes.  It is delicious and loaded with lots of vitamins and minerals for my body and brain!

I saved the orange peels  for an experiment.  I am soaking  them in vineagar to use as a ‘green’ enzyme cleaning product later. I will let you know in a month or so how this comes out.

I have my green smoothie (spinach, kale, cucumber, apple, and green tea) for my afternoon snack! I first heard about juicing decades ago when my father had cancer and intensive nutrition was considered a ‘new alternative’ treatment. I have since learned that juicing is helpful to maximize the nutrition for our brain cells and mitochondria (the energy producing part of the cell).  I like it because it helps me meet the USDA My Plate http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ recommendations for fruits and vegetables. I feel better and think better when I have my dark green and orange foods.  Not only are they attractive on the plate, they are very pretty in a drink!

A friend of mine always reminds me that we are to live  “juicy”!  Being positive, putting our best effort forward, choosing what is good for our bodies, mind and environment is also good for our spirit and considered “best practice” when it comes to overall health.  One of the things learned in the Mind Body Medicine training a few years ago, is to be mindful of how food affects your mood.  Every body is different and you need to see what YOUR body really needs. I discovered that some of my comfort foods were actually making me sick.  When I started juicing, I experienced a whole new appreciation for really good nutrition. Whole foods - whole fruit and vegies, whole grains, local meat & dairy in moderation. I go VERY easy on processed foods – any food that is no longer in it’s original form is processed and usually found in a box or can in the frozen and canned goods sections of the grocery store.

My nutrition colleagues are always touting the benefits of exercise and good foods.  If you want a variety of ideas for meals check out their webpage http://www.extension.iastate.edu/families/healthy-living-and-eating-families  My favorites are the “Words on Wellness” newsletter and the “Spend Smart, Eat Smart” sites.

What do YOU do to live a juicy life?

Kristi Cooper

Environment, Food, Health nutrition, USDA My Plate, whole foods