Alternative Health Remedies

There is no shortage of alternative health remedies out there. Various foods, herbs and supplements are available that claim to cure everything. This article has 5 interesting ones that remedy various ailments. Some are more commonly known and all have been supported with some research.

At home I try to use some natural remedies for general health. I'm not sure if taking one specific thing cures anything but I think if you incorporate healthy choices into your lifestyle then they will all combine for overall good health. Recently I have started making my own teas from lemon balm and peppermint that I have grown in my garden. Combined with some local honey it is a great tea that may help with colds. Either way, I like it and I'm sure it has some positive properties. These are the kinds of simple things that we can all do without spending loads of money in the supplements aisle.

Urban Farming

There has been a lot going on with urban gardens and raising chickens along with a few other things. What if a an entire urban area was transformed into a farm? Check out this article about Detroit being converted into a farm. The premise is interesting and the article contains some interesting stats.

The most compelling thing that I found was the concept of a deindustrial revolution taking place. If you combine the current economic crisis with peak oil and global warming it may be forced upon us. Something to think about...

Food is an Environmental Issue

Food production, consumption and transportation is becoming a bigger environmental issue. Every element of food has an environmental impact and the growing disconnect between people and their food supply is exacerbating the problem.  I found an excellent article at Grist that summarizes the issue.  Everybody can do a little bit to reduce their "foodprint".  By acquiring a little knowledge about what it takes to get your food home you can be more aware of the impacts.

The Healthiest Foods

Normally, I have made posts about unhealthy foods and the downsides associated with them. I found a list of 33 healthiest foods on Earth. They are fruits and vegetables and there is table that lists them and their benefits.

As I gather more and more information about food and health it looks like fruits and vegetables are the only way to go. I guess the transition to being a vegetarian is the hardest and it probably won't be any easier during BBQ season. In our home we have tried to minimize meat consumption and make a conscious effort to eat vegetarian dinners several times a week and at least one meal a day. Changing habits around eating will be the hardest part as your body will adapt, and over time, I'm sure you'll find the thought of steak unappealing. Also, if you can grow a lot of your own you can have fun gardening and minimize your pesticide intake too.

Gardening and Recycling Combined

Combining gardening and recycling has to be great. Check out this greenhouse made from old windows. i'm sure you could make smaller ones to better suit your needs if this is too big. It will get you thinking about what else you can reuse.

High Tech Gardening

Gardening is a great hobby that has many benefits. If you're into technology there are more ways to combine these to pursuits. As things like computers, sensors, lighting etc. have become cheaper and the ability to connect them all easier having a high tech garden is not that difficult.

Here are a couple of interesting links about technology to the garden courtesy of Lifehacker and Make. At Make they posted a video about a robot that can maintain the garden. Never worry about forgetting to water again! I posted the video at my other site which is mostly news links and videos.

Victory Gardens Return

This Lawn is Your Lawn from roger doiron on Vimeo.

Why not have an organic vegetable garden on the White House lawn? Even if the first family does not eat the produce they can be used for schools, food banks or shelters around D.C. Gardens are a great idea almost anywhere and leading by example from the White House may help in changing the green lawn obsession in fanatical vegetable growing instead.

Vegetable Gardening on the Cheap

Growing your own vegetables is a great way to save money and have a relaxing hobby.  Doing it economically just makes it better.   The Cheap Vegetable Gardener has instructions on how to make a grow box from LED Christmas lights and storage containers to start seedlings.  The beauty is in the simplicity.  I think you could stack them relatively easily if you have space limitations. One thing everybody needs to have to grow their own vegetables is land.  Landshare wants to connect the increasing  number of people in the U.K. who want to grow their own produce with unused, arable land.  They are planning to launch this year so we'll see how the project works out.

Self-Sufficiency in Suburbia

I read an article about suburban agriculture and how suburbs could produce a lot of food. I can't summarize the article to do it justice so go check it out here.

Urban Farming in the New Economy

There are a lot of urban farming ideas out there. In this new economic situation saving a few bucks is a good idea. GardenGirlTV has a lot of ideas and is easy to follow. Check out these posts from Make magazine. Edible Lawns, Backyard Beekeeping and Urban Poultry are the topics and they provide some good sources of information if you're interested in this. I've posted about Edible Lawns before and I think it is a very effective use of your yard. Also, many people find growing their own food to be a great stress relief. Good luck and happy urban farming.

High School Class Monitors Invasive Species

Some high school students from Scituate, Rhode Island are focusing on invasive plant species in their area. Their goal is to raise awareness about the impact on the local environment of these plants. They are posting their findings on their blog so you can follow along to what they are finding. Scituate is located west of Providence (Google Map) and it will be interesting to see if they see any new plants moving in or existing plants patterns changing as a result of climate change. I really don't know what the impact of climate change is in Rhode Island but I'm sure these students will figure it out.

Green Roof at Home

I have heard a bit about green rooftops on buildings but have never thought about having one of my own. Then I came across the Wired How-To wiki on doing just that. It is a great way to make use of space and you can grow some vegetable too. I've limited myself to container gardening because of a lack of space but I might get creative and add a green roof to my garden space.

DIY Composting

Composting is an excellent way to reduce waste and improve your gardening. You don't have to get too fancy. Via Make I have found how to make a compost bin out of used pallets and how to make your own indoor worm compost system.

There are plenty of resources about composting out there. I don't really do anything technical. I just toss stuff in my bin, turn it once in a while and add water if needed. It has made a difference in my garden and yard over the years.

Technology in the Garden

Gardening is a favorite hobby for many people. A friend of mine found this, The Garden Monitoring Project, for a monitoring system for your garden. It will monitor soil moisture, temperature and other must have information for proper garden management. I'm not an electronics expert so I'm not sure whether you can build it with some recycled electronic components. I also don't know the power usage of this unit but you may be able to add a small PV and battery to make it an off-grid appliance. With all the information it can gather I'm sure it could help you enhance your organic garden production in some way and you'll never forget to water again with the automatic sprinkler connection. These kinds of displays of creativity make me feel hopeful that we'll be able to harness our brain power to find solutions to our environmental problems. I guess that will happen when less people read Perez Hilton or follow Lindsay Lohan's escapades.