Make your own biodegradable Newspaper Pots for Seed Starting #GardenCuizine #GoGreen @SNAP_Ed

Do It Yourself Video
for making Newspaper Pots 

for Seed Starting

Last week I was sorry to miss a guest speaker at the Family Success Center of Vinelands Eat Clean and Green Event. Susan McKenna from NJ SNAP-Ed Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cumberland County taught families how to make their own newspaper pots to start seeds in. I've been gardening for years, but never tried to make my own FREE biodegradable pot until today. 

Gardening objects of any kind always catch my attention. As I walked to my office within Family Success, there leaning against the Program Coordinators door, was a tray of leftover newspaper pots from their class. She kindly gave me a few to take home to try and figure out how they were made. Before I took them apart I Googled the topic and came across this video.

After watching the video I could tell that this was just what I was looking for: directions on how to make newspaper pots for seeds. The best part about these newspaper pots is that they do not require using any tape or staples to hold them together. You definitely do not want staples in your garden dirt!

When I watched the video a second time, I paused it at the beginning when he tells the dimensions. The square pots are about 2 3/4-inches wide and 3-inches deep, exactly the size of my samples.
 
Now came the time to try making one myself. I got a few pieces of our local Burlington County Times newspaper and cut it in half following the video. The nice part is that you can pause it along the way as needed while following along with his directions.  ...Then sure enough, as mom would say when it was finished, "Ta-da!" My first newspaper pot was finito.

The pots can now be filled with dirt and seeds. And, when Mother's Day comes, the danger of frost will be gone and the whole pot with the seedlings can be planted directly into the garden or wherever the plants are desired to go.

Gardening Kids
Kids and families are guaranteed to enjoy this fun garden project.

Happy Gardening!
Blogpost and photo Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

Healthy Food | Healthy Planet #njhealthy #GardenCuizine

Healthy Food | Healthy Planet

The live webcast of the Healthy Food, Healthy Planet Conference in Washington DC was held today, October 26, 2011 from 8:30 to 10:30 am. The Honorable Tom Vilsack, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary, joined a panel of experts for an engaging discussion on new paradigms for ensuring a future of enough food for our growing population while maintaining a healthy planet.

By the end of this year, projections estimate that the world’s population will reach seven billion people, growing to nine billion by 2050. That is a lot of mouths to feed. In order to do this, food production will need to grow 70-100 percent during a time of uncertain environmental changes, destabilized agri-foods market and continued global economic turmoil.

The Secretary kicked off the session speaking for 10 minutes about Healthy Food, Healthy Planet concerns. Vilsack supported the MyPlate icon as a simple graphic that gives you a sense of what a balanced, healthy meal should look like.

Matthew Cooper, editor of National Journal Daily then moderated the all male panel asking questions of sustainability, malnutrition, food security and environmental impact with an emphasis on how to feed a growing planet.

Meet the Panel

• John Reilly, BCFN Advisory Board Member, senior lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management, co-director, Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, Center for Environmental Policy Research
• Ken Cook, president and co-Founder, Environmental Working Group
• The Honorable Dan Glickman, former secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture; senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center
• Corby Kummer, senior editor, The Atlantic

John Reilly said many people eat foods that are bad for their health and that those foods are bad for the planet. He suggested eating healthy foods and that those foods are better for the planet. Reilly pointed out climate change should be an issue of priority.

Ken Cook agreed with Reilly that eating good food was good for the planet adding, “Organic is now a 30 billion dollar business in this country.” Cook pointed out that thanks to stores like Whole Foods, Safeway and Walmart, organic food demand will increase production. He acknowledged that so far, “We’re not doing a good job in matching production.” And, "We are under investing in organic." Cook encouraged continued open dialog with regards to the farm bill and that the Food Stamp program is the bills top priority. Further along in the discussion when Cooper asked Cook what he would change if he could. He said, “I would use the school lunch program. Educate them early on. It would support thousands of farmers to grow more fruits and vegetables.”
 
Former USDA secretary Dan Glickman brought up as he called it, “The enormous problem of obesity.” This was apparent to him while on a recent trip to Disney. “This is not a simple solution,” he said. Glickman mentioned how food and nutrition get more focus in schools than physical activity. When asked what would he change if he could. Glickman responded, “To try and relieve poverty.” He added, “I’d have a research agenda to help meet climate change, drought, disease and pests.”

Corby Kummer chimed in about obesity, citing sugared beverages as one measure to consider. In the case of organic foods, Kummer thought that organic is safer for the health of the earth and for farm workers. He was all for helping small farmers to continue to make a living. Kummer said a priority for him was getting fruits and vegetables into the hands of people in need.
 
Glickman concluded that for the first time in history we can expect to see more and more input and conversion about food and climate change.

Related Links: 
The Farm Bill Oregon Dietetic Association 
USDA Ag Secretary Vilsack's 2012 Farm Bill priorities
Wildlife and the Farm Bill
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Learn about the Farm Bill
"Covering much more than just farms, the federal Food, Conservation and Energy Act (Public Law 110-246), or Farm Bill for short, is a wide-ranging package of laws governing food, fiber, nutrition assistance, conservation, energy, rural development and other related policies. Since its initial passage in 1933, a new iteration of the Farm Bill has been reauthorized every four to six years. Natural resource conservation made its first major appearance in the 1985 bill." 
Blog Article Copyright ©2011 D.Wind. All rights reserved.

Help Save the Rainforest

How would YOU like to save
100+ square feet of Rainforest?

It is really easy, I just did it and here is how: In reading the nutrition facts label on the back of our Tropicana orange juice container, I learned that Tropicana is offering this terrific program to help Rescue the Rainforest. They are working together with an organization called ‘Cool Earth’ and are saving thousands of acres of endangered rainforest.

• Why not replant forest that's already been destroyed?
• Do I own the land I save?
• Who is Cool Earth?

These questions and more are answered on the www.tropicanarainforest.com web site. It is really easy to participate and no money is necessary except to purchase a larger than 12oz container of Tropicana orange juice labeled with the unique Rescue the Rainforest message and code stamped on it . Participating products include their 32 oz, 59 oz, 64 oz, 89 oz and 128 oz orange juice.

Fruit juice - part of a Healthy Diet

Orange juice, especially 100% pure juice, can be purchased with added Calcium and Vitamin D. Orange juice is always an excellent source of Vitamin C and a good source of Thiamin, Folate and Potassium. Juice is a great way to incorporate the health benefits of fruit into your diet. To benefit from dietary fiber, make most of your daily fruit choices whole or cut-up fruit. 

Tropicana's Rescue the Rainforest promotion has been extended to March 31, 2010
Drink up some nutritious Orange Juice today!

Join team GardenCuisine*

*Note: the spelling is the correct way to spell 'Cuisine'.
This contest was before we jazzed up our name to Cuizine, spelled with a "z"

Every team member’s code will add towards the team total. Together we can watch our plot of rainforest in Peru grow as more codes are entered.

Team Update: As of 2/17/10
1,900 sq ft of Rainforest Saved!

(in the Ashaninka Corridor in Peru)

start your own team by contacting www.tropicanarainforest.com 

Green thumbs up to Tropicana!

Related Links: Rainforest Report Card

TROPICANA is a registered trademark of Tropicana Products, Inc.