Trick or Treat? Michael’s Garden has the Treats!

We like the treats, and Michael’s Garden has plenty to beguile the most bewitching witch! Choose from an assortment of colorfully decorated hats and with matching broom sticks to complete the look, all made by participants of a very unique program of Michael’s Garden, a Division of ACCEL (Arizona Centers for Comprehensive Education and Life Skills). Michael’s Garden was established to provide adults with functional disabilities and autism an opportunity... Read More

Cultivating Cannabis: Why the Hemp Not?

by Snowden Bishop ~   In the Beginning, There Was Hemp. Humans began using hemp more than 12,000 years ago.  Evidence of the first human industry exists in a piece of hemp fiber dating back to 4,000 B.C. Since then, hemp, a versatile, non-psychotropic strain of the infamous cannabis plant, has been one of history’s most widely used plants with diverse applications ranging from food and medicine to textiles, rope, paper, and in the last century, biofuel,... Read More

One Big Fight to Save One Small Organic Farm

~ Via Change.org ~ More than 20,000 people have joined a popular campaign on Change.org urging officials in Montgomery County, Maryland, to save a 31-year-old organic farm instead of destroying it to build private soccer fields. Farmer Nick Maravell, Montgomery County residents, and the Montgomery Countryside Alliance, an agriculture conservation non-profit, are leading the campaign on Change.org to save Nick’s Organic Farm, the county’s only organic seed farm.... Read More

Scrapmetal Magic: 3R Solarville exhibit shines at the Arizona Science Center

Scrapmetal Magic: 3R Solarville exhibit shines at the Arizona Science Center Can you have any more fun than skulking around junkyards for salvageable stuff, and making money doing it? Enter a local fabrication company who specializes in the three R’s – reuse, repurpose and recycle. They are refreshingly eco-centric across virtually every aspect of their business. Columnist Carrie Morgan is founder and president of Rock The Status Quo, a Phoenix-based marketing,... Read More

Beckets Table: Coming Together for a Little Love

by Kate McClendon When Chef Justin Beckett and his wife Michelle partnered with restaurant owners Scott and Katie Stevens, they wanted to create a space that felt as warm and inviting as being in their homes. They took to heart the idea of being a part of the community, both to its local neighbors and the greater society, and invites you to “Come Together” as you open their front doors. The restaurant was designed to have that communal feeling of breaking bread... Read More

Be a part of history – April 29 & 30 @ The Pioneer Living History Museum for Earth Day 2011

Mark this on your calendar!! What: Earth Day 2011 – Our Earth, Our Home, Our Habitat When: Friday, April 29 (for Youth) and Saturday, April 30 (for Everyone) Time: 9 AM to 3 PM both days / Entry Fee: $5 entry fee to the Museum Location: Pioneer Living History Museum–3901 West Pioneer Road, Phoenix, AZ. * Please join North Country Conservancy and their community partners, the Pioneer Living History Museum, Phoenix Parks and Conservation Foundation,... Read More

We Stand United in Opposition to Genetically Engineered Alfalfa

The following News Release was sent in response to the USDA’s full deregulation of genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa, and signed by more than 20 groups and individuals in the organic community: WE STAND UNITED IN OPPOSITION TO GE ALFALFA We stand united in opposition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to once again allow unlimited, nationwide commercial planting of Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) Roundup Ready alfalfa, despite... Read More

Arctic Sanctuary: A Gift for Future Generations

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the largest and most ecologically diverse wilderness area in the United States, spanning more than 19 million acres unencumbered by human interference, and still driven by ancient evolutionary energies. Often considered the crown jewel of the National Wildlife Refuge System, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is also rich in untouched natural resources. With escalating demand for domestic oil sources, clean water shortages... Read More

Human Resources and the Gift of Nature

Human Resources and the Gift of Nature: A remarkable movement of corporate social responsibility is gaining attention across the country lately – remarkable in light of the economic turbulence that has left a wake of soaring unemployment and budget cutbacks in nearly every sector.  Despite the economic challenges, major corporations, government institutions and private businesses continue to offer corporate giving programs that enable employees to make pre-tax... Read More

FROM THE EDITOR: REFLECTIONS ON A SUSTAINABLE HARVEST

A MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR: The fall season harkens back to a time when early settlers celebrated the bounty of a New World, when pilgrims gathered to reap the rewards of the annual harvest. Today, we are celebrating the harvest of a new bountiful commodity: Sustainability. One can only imagine the awe that must have been struck by early settlers when they descended upon the fertile plains in the new country. The soil rich in nutrients provided a rich life for the... Read More