Friday, October 28, 2011

Urban Sustainability

There is nothing more fulfilling than investing time into a task that returns 100-fold. I know, getting back to the basics and learning what was once common place to our grand or great-grand parents may not appear to give much return. In fact, it may seem like a waste of time or a complete failure on first or second attempt. But here is where the old adage 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again' becomes more than just good advice. There comes a point, where one has invested ample time, that the cadence of life falls into step with our inner desires, and the energies spent return great rewards. This is something we must all invite into our lives again. Invite the uncomfortable of failure, with a pinch of knowing that it will work-out in the end. Being sustainable in this day-in-age is not only worth it, but maybe one day, will be our only choice.


Check out this video of Patti Moreno, a suburban gardener and traditionalist extraordinaire. She has a great personality and a lot of good ideas!


http://www.youtube.com/user/GardenGirltv#p/u/7/rmmBXqHpdV8

Monday, October 17, 2011

Endless Varieties not Available to you

Apples do not grow true to type, meaning the seed will not produce an apple that is identical to the mother tree. This has caused many different varieties to be grown in the early history of America. Look up Johnny Apple Seed. This video link shows John Kohler trying 40+ apple varieties grown in a previous Sonoma Apple Farm location.

Only a few apple varieties are available in your grocery store, not because they are the best tasting, the most nutritious  or are the superior cultivar. This is so because of picking, shipping, and marketability. I invite you to explore the varieties available for not only apples but other various fruits and vegetables at a local farmer's market.

Don't let a grocery store chain determine what your diet has to be!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shCzz99i3JQ&feature=colike

Sunday, October 16, 2011

It's time to take our lives back!

Copy the link, paste in your address bar, and watch this video. Although it is a ad for a national chain restaurant, it has an important and relative message to this blog. After you watch come back and read the commentary underneath the link.

http://youtu.be/aMfSGt6rHos



The video "Back to the Start," with a music cover of Coldplay's The Scientist from Country music legend Willie Nelson, is a short film illustrating where we started and where we are now.

As man worked, tilled, sowed, and harvested the sustenance that would ensure the survival of himself and his family, the importance of reverence for the land was ever present. However, due to over urbanization, the marketization of food has led to mass populations that do not identify with where food actually originates from. To test this theory, we could show the average classroom of students an orange. We could ask “Where did this orange come from?” What is shockingly unsurprising is that most would say Publix, Winn-Dixie, or any local grocery-store chain. Unfortunately, only a few would recognize that the orange came from a tree, and even fewer would further unveil that it was probably imported from another country. Students don't experience the growing of food locally and even local orchards are subject to the rising and falling of market prices, which inevitably affects the ability of that crop to be sold. What results is a population unaware of how closely tied humanity remains to the land. If environmental scientist are correct in their prediction that rising global temperatures will lead to catastrophic food depletion, these oblivious individuals will either have to adapt quickly or fail to survive.

We are facing a challenge and even though it may not seem as dire as I have outlined, there is indeed merit to the idea that we are currently facing an obstacle produced by ourselves and reinforced by the truth in nature... exploitation, depletion of resources, and passions rooted in profit alone will be met with compelling adversity. So compelling that we must recognize the need to change. Challenge yourselves to change before 'mother nature' forces us to.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Another day out in the Garden

Ladies and Gentlemen! It is officially the beginning of a new journey. And as it is with every fulfilling quest, it will be filled with many lessons and hopefully much wisdom. Everything learned will be shared and every mistake unabashedly revealed. BackYard Phenomena represents a shared experience of reconnecting and going back to the basics of not only American tradition and life, but also returning to  our origins... nature. Man and nature have always been one; it has only been through our quest to be more than what our DNA has outlined for us that we have shut out our true instincts. Although conquest and victories in a worldly sense are commendable, nothing compares to living in the every lasting presence of the One. This is found deep in our roots, which are somehow entangled with fresh air, a trowel, and the hope that each seed will produce a fruitful crop of our dreams.

Take this journey with me, as I unveil a new path. Share your thoughts and comments and allow us to walk together. Every passing moment is another chance to turn it all around.


Sincerely,
BY Phenomena