There are still 5 days to enter this cool contest at Sunset Magazine. Here's the description at their One-Block Feast blog: THE CONTEST The One-Block Feast, our book based on this blog, gives you everything you need to grow a summer feast. It includes planting…
I'll be at this event on Saturday signing books and enjoying the conversation. Here are the details: The Faith and Environment Network’s annual Called to Care event will take place on Earth Hour Day, Saturday, March 26, 2011, beginning at 4 pm at the Cathedral…
Here's the report from last night's meeting of the Spokane Valley City Council regarding keeping backyard chickens: Tonight the City of Spokane Valley unamously passed a Motion to Approve the raising of chickens by the residents of City of Spokane Valley! In a nutshell, this…
image: Manure Lagoon at a swine CAFO In conversations about agriculture and health, I think the issues raised in the book, Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA by Maryn Mckenna, need to be front and center, especially as it relates to CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding…
In a recent post I pointed out the growing popularity of CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture) programs where consumers sign up with a farmer to receive a weekly "subscription" of food, usually a box of seasonal vegetables and fruits. They have grown in popularity because they…
Several folks have asked me where to buy a copy of Year of Plenty in the Spokane area. I just got word from Sun People Dry Goods that they have a bunch of copies that just arrived. They are located on Browne and 2nd Ave…
There is a proposed law working its way through the Florida legislature, that would make it illegal to photograph or film farms without the permission of the farmer. The proposed law, that would take effect in July, reads: A person who enters onto a farm…
We've been making progress in the Spokane area when it comes to chicken laws. The City of Spokane Valley looks set to approve new laws allowing chickens in residential neighborhoods. The new ordinance will have it's final reading on March 22 and based on the…
At least that's what Jeffrey Sanders claims in a recent Op-Ed at the Seattle Times. The roots of the contemporary food movement in the Northwest run far deeper than Seattle's hastily tilled parking-strip gardens. The movement is more geographically dispersed and firmly established than most…
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is an innovation in food selling and buying that has finally broken into the mainstream. These kinds of programs that usually involve a consumer signing up with a local farmer to get a weekly box of seasonal vegetables. In some cases…
Amazon has officially changed their page and the book is no longer on Pre-order status. I checked my copy that I ordered on Amazon and they said it should get here by March 4. I think it started shipping from the central warehouse of the…
(Warning: In this post I will reveal a key detail of the movie "Unknown," but not THE key plot twist. I don't think my revelation will ruin the movie for you but if you want to play it safe you might want to skip this…
Jonathan Merritt's book, Green Like God, is next up on my list of 28 books on Christian approaches to the environment, food, and simple living. (Looks like I'm going to need more than 28 days but I'll get there.) Merritt is a Southern Baptist, the…
Click on the image below to see the final version of the front and back cover of Year of Plenty.
The Daily Beast has run the numbers and Spokane has cracked the top ten on the dubious list of most fast-food saturated cities in the country. The Daily Beast asked independent data collector AggData to compile the total number of fast-food locations of the nation’s…
The folks at The Economist have created this handy map to show the changes in Body Mass Index in countries around the world over the last few decades (males over 20 yrs old). Click on the 1998 and 2008 in the top right corner to…
I came across this amazing collection of photos, Earth from Above, by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, a French photographer, journalist, and environmentalist. The whole collection is worth taking some time to scan through. I was most struck by the images that portray such a diversity of the…
Tri Robinson is pastor of Vineyard Boise Church in Boise, Idaho and his 2006 book, Saving God's Green Earth, tells the story of how his conservative evangelical church came to embrace care for the environment as a ministry priority. There are some similarities to Sabin's…
Time's Ecocentric blog has an interesting story about the link between rising food prices and the unfolding revolution in Egypt. In the last few days, soaring food prices have been cited as one of the proverbial straws that led Egyptians to take to the streets…
First up on my list of 28 notable books that offer a Christian perspective on the Environment, Food, and Simple Living is Tending to Eden: Environmental Stewardship for God's People by Scott Sabin. Scott is the Executive Director of Plant With Purpose, a San Diego…
Starting tomorrow, February 1, I will be reviewing 28 books in 28 days leading up to the release of my book, Year of Plenty, on March 1. Year of Plenty tells the story of our family's experience in 2008 consuming only what was local, used,…
The USDA has issued new dietary guidelines. According to the executive summary there are four goals that shape the report that are based on their scientific review. Reduce the incidence and prevalence of overweight and obesity of the US population by reducing overall calorie intake…
For the last couple of years I've been regularly reporting on the problem with bees dying in unprecedented numbers and whole colonies collapsing. Go here, here, and here for previous installments in this ongoing story. The latest news is that it is suspected that a…
Mary Kate Wheeler is a recent transplant to Spokane from Vermont and she is initiating a study group for folks interested in permaculture and ecological design in the Spokane region. The first meeting will be held at Sun People Dry Goods - 32 W Second…
A group called the Cornwall Alliance has put together a 12-week video course with a curriculum dedicated to rebutting and resisting the acceptance of environmentalist sensibilities among evangelical Christians. The foreboding web site states: Without a doubt one of the greatest threats to society and…
The Year of Plenty blog was created by Craig Goodwin in the winter of 2008 to chronicle the experiences of his family as they sought to consume everything local, used, homegrown or homemade. That journey was a wonderful introduction to people and movements in the Spokane area who are seeking the welfare of the community through local foods, farmers markets, community gardens, sustainable transportation, and more fulfilling and just patterns of consumption. In 2009 and beyond the blog will continue to report on these relationships and practices, all through the eyes of a family with young children. Craig manages the Millwood Farmers' Market, is a Master Food Preserver and Pastor at Millwood Presbyterian Church. Craig can be reached at goody2230@gmail.com
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