This weekend I attended the 2nd annual Idaho Green Expo at the Boise Centre on the Grove. It was a huge affair, much bigger than I had anticipated and I definitely needed the road map I was given as I entered by the main doors.
It was an event for the whole family and there were many families attending. One wing of the convention center had been dedicated to children and children's activities and it was fun to watch them involved in scientific pursuits as well as some neat games.
Green was the color of the day and was evident in the tee-shirts being sported by event officials. Reduce, reuse, and recycle - the three Rs of the green movement were the themes of many of the booth attendees.
Kudos to the folks who were truly working to promote sustainability and local action.
Major Honors go to:
*Representatives from the University of Idaho Extension Service
*Boise State University and Sustainable "U" - walk-through exhibits to show how your home, office, and garden can go green
*Boise Urban Garden School (BUGS)
*Treasure Valley Clean Cities Coalition (alternative fuels)
The Dubious Commitment Honors go to:
*Furniture stores using the Expo as an advertising venue
*Businesses slapping the green label on any product they wanted to sell
The Don't Get Me Started Award goes to an organization intent on putting a wolf in every back yard.
And the You're Kidding, Right? Honors:
*Handing out carrots to the kids as they entered probably wasn't the most brilliant marketing ploy.
*The woman who tucked her purchases into a plastic bag.
Last but Not Least
Finally, special thanks to Laura at Rediscovered Books. The exhibit featured tons of useful titles. From growing your food to preserving that food (grin from me here) to anything and everything you need to know about truly going green, Rediscovered Books had it.
A great time!
Showing posts with label Extension Service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Extension Service. Show all posts
Monday, July 20, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Idaho Green Expo
It's Easy Being Green
Looking for something to do this weekend? Come to the Idaho Green Expo in downtown Boise. The Expo's being held at the Boise Centre on the Grove this Saturday and Sunday and there's plenty to see and do. Directions available on the website.
Book Signing
Check out the event at http://www.idahogreenexpo.org. I'll be there at the Rediscovered Books booth, signing copies of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Preserving Food.
Excerpt from the Expo's Webpage
Here's some info from the Expo's webpage:
"Green” gardens and landscapes? Naturally! Beautiful, well-maintained lawns, landscapes and gardens are good for our cities and neighborhoods, our property values, our children, and our mental health. But those benefits don't have to come at a cost to our environmental health! Greening the garden is about creating healthy, regionally appropriate landscapes and gardens that use less water, rely on fewer pesticides, and provide beneficial habitat for a rich biodiversity of plant, animal, and microbial life! University of Idaho Extension, the University of Idaho Master Gardeners and the Boise Urban Garden School (BUGS) have teamed up to demonstrate reducing, re-using and recycling, garden style, through our interactive Greening Your Garden exhibit at the Idaho Green Expo.
This garden will connect you to principles and practices of xeriscaping, Idaho native plants, organic gardening, backyard poultry, edible landscaping, pollinator protection and more. You can also learn about safe home food preservation techniques for your garden's bounty from the University of Idaho Extension Food Safety Advisors. We'll also show you ways to reduce reliance on chemicals for fertility and pest control, and teach you all about composting: the ultimate in garden recycling! Stop and rest awhile in our beautiful, inspirational garden space, where green really is "green".
Hope to see you there!
Looking for something to do this weekend? Come to the Idaho Green Expo in downtown Boise. The Expo's being held at the Boise Centre on the Grove this Saturday and Sunday and there's plenty to see and do. Directions available on the website.
Book Signing
Check out the event at http://www.idahogreenexpo.org. I'll be there at the Rediscovered Books booth, signing copies of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Preserving Food.
Excerpt from the Expo's Webpage
Here's some info from the Expo's webpage:
"Green” gardens and landscapes? Naturally! Beautiful, well-maintained lawns, landscapes and gardens are good for our cities and neighborhoods, our property values, our children, and our mental health. But those benefits don't have to come at a cost to our environmental health! Greening the garden is about creating healthy, regionally appropriate landscapes and gardens that use less water, rely on fewer pesticides, and provide beneficial habitat for a rich biodiversity of plant, animal, and microbial life! University of Idaho Extension, the University of Idaho Master Gardeners and the Boise Urban Garden School (BUGS) have teamed up to demonstrate reducing, re-using and recycling, garden style, through our interactive Greening Your Garden exhibit at the Idaho Green Expo.
This garden will connect you to principles and practices of xeriscaping, Idaho native plants, organic gardening, backyard poultry, edible landscaping, pollinator protection and more. You can also learn about safe home food preservation techniques for your garden's bounty from the University of Idaho Extension Food Safety Advisors. We'll also show you ways to reduce reliance on chemicals for fertility and pest control, and teach you all about composting: the ultimate in garden recycling! Stop and rest awhile in our beautiful, inspirational garden space, where green really is "green".
Hope to see you there!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Teach Your Children Well
On Monday I was working at the Council Quilt Guild Annual Quilt Show. It's being held at Council Elementary School in Council, Idaho. (In case you didn't catch the location - it's Council. ). From 11:00 to 1:00 each day during the summer, a free lunch is served to needy children at the school. So two different events were going on at the same time.
I went out to my car to grab my knitting - I know, I know, but the quilt in progress was too big to haul down there - and heard some boys screaming "Starling! Starling! Kill the starling!"
They were chasing and running and then converging upon a nest that had been built high above the entry door of the school. I stopped and in my best retired teacher voice inquired, "What the heck are you doing?"
"It's a starling! They're bad!" one of the about 10 year old boys informed me, eyeing the nest with 5 babies perched on the rim.
Seizing the teachable moment, I explained, "Those are swallows. They eat mosquitoes. Do you like mosquito bites?"
"I thought they ate worms," the young ringleader replied.
"No," I repeated. Mosquitoes. And each of those baby swallows, when it grows up, will eat nearly 3,000 mosquitoes a day. " I finished up this mini-lecture with, "Leave them alone."
At this point, a young mother walked up to see what was going on. She said nothing. I waited until the gang of four had wheeled off in search of other trouble to get into and then smiled at her. She looked confused. She most likely didn't know the difference herself. More disturbingly, she probably didn't care.
The point here, and it's a long way around the barn, is that ignorance is the big problem and it manifests in many different guises. We can't just assume that people know what we know. Children need to be taught right from wrong, good from evil, good decisions from ones that will bring them painful consequences, and sometimes - the simple difference between a starling and a swallow. A brief aside here - starlings also have their place in the greater scheme of things.
The Arrogance of Ignorance is a far more serious problem than the fuel crisis or the crippled economy. Some people are certain of what they know, even when what they know is actually incorrect. So, what's the connection to food preservation?
You'll encounter many well-intentioned people who will all too willingly give you advice on how to put up your food, using shortcuts their great-aunt Tillie or their hairdresser gave them. They'll treat these orts of info as gospel. Be careful. Always check with a reliable source before setting out on a shortcut that seems too good to be true. The Extension Service is always available for you, to give you the right answers. You'll find their number in your phone book.
With the right information you'll learn to distinguish a starling from a swallow, dill from hemlock, and morels from their poisonous cousins. And you'll be able to pass on this knowledge to others.
I went out to my car to grab my knitting - I know, I know, but the quilt in progress was too big to haul down there - and heard some boys screaming "Starling! Starling! Kill the starling!"
They were chasing and running and then converging upon a nest that had been built high above the entry door of the school. I stopped and in my best retired teacher voice inquired, "What the heck are you doing?"
"It's a starling! They're bad!" one of the about 10 year old boys informed me, eyeing the nest with 5 babies perched on the rim.
Seizing the teachable moment, I explained, "Those are swallows. They eat mosquitoes. Do you like mosquito bites?"
"I thought they ate worms," the young ringleader replied.
"No," I repeated. Mosquitoes. And each of those baby swallows, when it grows up, will eat nearly 3,000 mosquitoes a day. " I finished up this mini-lecture with, "Leave them alone."
At this point, a young mother walked up to see what was going on. She said nothing. I waited until the gang of four had wheeled off in search of other trouble to get into and then smiled at her. She looked confused. She most likely didn't know the difference herself. More disturbingly, she probably didn't care.
The point here, and it's a long way around the barn, is that ignorance is the big problem and it manifests in many different guises. We can't just assume that people know what we know. Children need to be taught right from wrong, good from evil, good decisions from ones that will bring them painful consequences, and sometimes - the simple difference between a starling and a swallow. A brief aside here - starlings also have their place in the greater scheme of things.
The Arrogance of Ignorance is a far more serious problem than the fuel crisis or the crippled economy. Some people are certain of what they know, even when what they know is actually incorrect. So, what's the connection to food preservation?
You'll encounter many well-intentioned people who will all too willingly give you advice on how to put up your food, using shortcuts their great-aunt Tillie or their hairdresser gave them. They'll treat these orts of info as gospel. Be careful. Always check with a reliable source before setting out on a shortcut that seems too good to be true. The Extension Service is always available for you, to give you the right answers. You'll find their number in your phone book.
With the right information you'll learn to distinguish a starling from a swallow, dill from hemlock, and morels from their poisonous cousins. And you'll be able to pass on this knowledge to others.
Monday, May 11, 2009
War and Peas
Judging by the number of Victory Gardens sprouting up around the country, we are a nation at war! It's the latest fad and a direct response to the prickly economic situation we're going through right now. There's a whole lot of good things to say about these gardens and newbie gardeners, and hopefully, they'll keep at it after better times return.
The first victory gardens grew during the dark days of World War II and the Extension Service was the guiding hand behind them. Fresh foods were tough to come by, if you lived in the city, and many items, including sugar and butter, were rationed. It was all to support the war effort. Growing your own garden gave you a chance to do something good for your family, do your part, and also teach your children some honest values.
After the peace, came prosperity, and with prosperity came complacence. Rural folks continued to garden, but many city folks turned to the new supermarkets that were coming onto the scene. Some urbanites continued to wield trowels and hoes and plant seeds, and these folks kept the dream alive.
Today, we've rediscovered our roots, so to speak. What was old is now new again, and even the White House has its victory garden. Let's hope these gardens continue, once good times return. Our connection to the earth is fundamental and is what sustains us. Working with the soil, nurturing and harvesting, give us a chance to reconnect with the rhythm of life.
Garden on, America!
The first victory gardens grew during the dark days of World War II and the Extension Service was the guiding hand behind them. Fresh foods were tough to come by, if you lived in the city, and many items, including sugar and butter, were rationed. It was all to support the war effort. Growing your own garden gave you a chance to do something good for your family, do your part, and also teach your children some honest values.
After the peace, came prosperity, and with prosperity came complacence. Rural folks continued to garden, but many city folks turned to the new supermarkets that were coming onto the scene. Some urbanites continued to wield trowels and hoes and plant seeds, and these folks kept the dream alive.
Today, we've rediscovered our roots, so to speak. What was old is now new again, and even the White House has its victory garden. Let's hope these gardens continue, once good times return. Our connection to the earth is fundamental and is what sustains us. Working with the soil, nurturing and harvesting, give us a chance to reconnect with the rhythm of life.
Garden on, America!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
About Me
.JPG)
- KK Brees
- I've been dabbling in learning German most of my adult life. Now it's crunch time. Fluency by December 31,2020. Come join me on my Final Approach to Learning German.
.JPG)
.jpg)
Posts
