The Courier-Journal, the Louisville newspaper, recently asked residents why and how did they become drawn into gardening. Me, being a gardener for over 15 years, had to answer. I was lucky enough to have my response and photo in the newspaper. The following is what I wrote on why I'm drawn to gardening:
My parents got me into gardening and I'm so glad they did. Gardening teaches you responsibility as well as the satisfaction of growing something that can be appreciated or eaten. Even in Kentucky, you can grow almost whatever you like. Gardening has been one of my favorite hobbies for years. From flowers to tomatoes, gardening has taught me a lot about nature. I recommend gardening to anyone and everyone.
You can see my response and other gardeners in the Louisville area here.
Over the years I have grown just about anything you can in Kentucky. The photo below is the last all-out garden I had a few years ago. The scarecrow was a fun little thing to add to the garden, but I’m not sure it really worked. Days after this photo was taken a family of deer wiped out my entire crop of sweet corn. I guess they needed it more than me. One of the casualties of gardening, I reckon.
I made the below video almost two years ago, but I have recently changed up the audio. This video is a culmination of facts about our environment as well as ways we can improve the environment. I think you'll learn something. I see it as the video version of the Ways2GoGreen website. Enjoy.
A nationwide study reveals that children exposed to higher levels of a type of pesticide found in trace amounts on commercially grown fruit and vegetables are more likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder than children with less exposure.
Researchers measured the levels of pesticide byproducts in the urine of 1,139 children from across the United States. Children with above-average levels of one common byproduct had roughly twice the odds of getting a diagnosis of ADHD, according to the study, which appears in the journal Pediatrics.
Exposure to the pesticides, known as organophosphates, has been linked to behavioral and cognitive problems in children in the past, but previous studies have focused on communities of farm workers and other high-risk populations. This study is the first to examine the effects of exposure in the population at large.
Maryse Bouchard, Ph.D., a researcher in the department of environmental and occupational health at the University of Montreal says, "Organic fruits and vegetables contain much less pesticides, so I would certainly advise getting those for children. National surveys have also shown that fruits and vegetables from farmers' markets contain less pesticides even if they're not organic. If you can buy local and from farmers' markets, that's a good way to go."
If this research is true it would be just another of many reasons to eat more organic fruit and vegetables.
So which fruit and vegetables have the potential of the most and least amount of pesticides? See the The Dirty Dozen & The Clean Fifteen.
Is enough being done to protect us from chemicals that could harm us? Watch "Toxic America," a special two-night investigative report with Sanjay Gupta M.D., June 2 & 3 at 8 p.m. ET on CNN.
Earth Day is an annual holiday founded by peace activist John McConnell, who also designed the Earth Day Flag. It started as a grassroots effort to inform people to support environmental concerns and create a movement. Now there are millions in the world who celebrate Earth Day each year on April 22nd. If you haven't already, learn more about Earth Day and become involved.
The first official Earth Day was on April 22, 1970. The day was proposed by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson. It marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement. Approximately 20 million Americans participated that year, with a goal of a healthy, sustainable environment. Denis Hayes, the national coordinator, and his youthful staff organized massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.
In 1990, 200 million people in 141 countries celebrated the day and lifted the status of environmental issues onto the world stage. Earth Day gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit. For 2000, Earth Day had the internet to help link activists around the world. By the time April 22 rolled around, 5,000 environmental groups around the world were on board, reaching out to hundreds of millions of people in a record 184 countries. Including, hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Earth Day 2007 was one of the largest Earth Days to date, with an estimated billion people participating all over the world.
The Earth Flag was designed in 1970 by Earth Day founder and pioneer John McConnell, an early leader in the international peace movement. Inspired by the striking first photographs of the whole Earth taken during America's historic Apollo 10 space mission in 1969, this symbolic creation attained immediate world-wide recognition, including a lifetime association with renowned anthropologist Margaret Mead. Dr. Mead carried what she called "the flag for all people" with her wherever she appeared from 1969 until her death in 1977.
Earth Day originally had a symbol that was a combination of the letters "E" and "O" taken from the words "Environment" and "Organism", respectively. Later a theta was used because of its historic use as a warning symbol, or the peace symbol. Theta is now associated with Earth Day.
Celebrate the planet locally or globally every day, not just on Earth Day. To find Earth Day events in your area, go to Earth Day events.
Well the Sun is shining and temperatures over 50 degrees, which makes me think of gardening. So I thought I would come up with a list of my favorite 12 vegetables (not all are actually veggies) that I like to grow. I just posted the list on Lunch.com here: Favorite Vegetables To Grow. I'm sure your favorites are different than mine. What are your favorite vegetables to grow?
My top 5 in the list are below:
A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent (such as a virus or bacterium), antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest. Pests include insects, plant pathogens, weeds, mollusks, birds, mammals, fish, roundworms, microbes and people that destroy property, spread or are a vector for disease or cause a nuisance. Although there are benefits to the use of pesticides, there are also drawbacks, such as potential toxicity to humans and other animals.
Pesticide use raises a number of environmental concerns. Over 98% of sprayed insecticides and 95% of herbicides reach a destination other than their target species, including non-target species, air, water and soil. Pesticide drift occurs when pesticides suspended in the air as particles are carried by wind to other areas, potentially contaminating them. Pesticides are one of the causes of water pollution, and some pesticides are persistent organic pollutants and contribute to soil contamination.
Below are two lists from the Environmental Working Group on the fruit and vegetables with potentially the most and least pesticides.
The Dirty Dozen: Fruits & Vegetables that contain highest pesticides load
- peaches
- apples
- bell peppers
- celery
- nectarines
- strawberries
- cherries
- kale
- lettuce
- imported grapes
- carrots
- pears
Clean Fifteen: Fruits & Vegetables that contain the least pesticide residue
- onions
- avocados
- sweet corn
- pineapples
- mangoes
- asparagus
- sweet peas
- kiwis
- cabbages
- eggplants
- papayas
- watermelons
- broccoli
- tomatoes
- sweet potatoes
You can peel your fruits and vegetables and trim outer leaves of leafy vegetables in addition to washing them thoroughly. Keep in mind that peeling your fruits and vegetables may also reduce the amount of nutrients and fiber. Some pesticide residue also collects in fat, so remove fat from meat and the skin from poultry and fish.
So how do you possibly avoid pesticides totally? The answer is either grow your own food or going Organic. Or both. Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on crop rotation, green manure, compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and control pests, excluding or strictly limiting the use of synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock feed additives, and genetically modified organisms. Since 1990, the market for organic products has grown at a rapid pace, to reach $46 billion in 2007.
Think before you buy. I'm starting to do that and buy organic foods. There are more and more options because demand is increasing. Be healthy and eco-friendly.
Last week I started the Ways 2 Go Healthy Blog located at: http://Ways2GoHealthy.blogspot.com.
I am a person who tries to live healthy and who has a family history of heart disease and cancer. I am 36 years old and was diagnosed with high blood pressure years ago. So not only am I constantly looking for green and eco-friendly habits and information, I also am doing the same for all things healthy. I have been doing this "healthy" research for years and I thought it was high time to start a blog about what I find.
A few years ago I started going to a doctor. I am now on blood pressure medication as well as taking an omega-3 fatty acid pill, a multivitamin and a baby aspirin everyday, as prescribed by my doctor. This may sound like a lot to take everyday, but it's due to the fact that I have a bad family history with heart disease. My dad and his two brothers all died of heart attacks before the age of 65. My medication is playing defense. My offense is that I am also eating well and exercising. Of course, we all could do better.
Anyway, I have done a massive amount of research on nutrition, fitness and general health. I'm always reading the latest and greatest news in magazines and online. I thought I would share my findings in this health blog. I'm searching nearly everyday for knowledge that will help me on my way to a better and healthier life.
You can probably guess how I chose the name Ways2GoHealthy. I like the name anyway, but I also thought the name would make a good "sister" blog to the Ways2GoGreen website and blog. My hope is that we all learn a lot here and over there. To your health.
You can already follow Ways2GoHealthy on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/Ways2GoHealthy.
