MOTHER EARTH NEWS August - September 2017

I’ve had dogs on the farm for more years than I can remember. Most have had some combination of working and companionship duties. Some slept in the house, some slept in the barn, and some had their own houses with enclosed runs to “protect” them while I was out and about. But at the end of the day, my dogs and I broke just about every rule imposed on dog owners. Some people want to keep their dogs fully restrained, but my approach is to celebrate their genetics and skills and simply let my dogs live the lives they were bred to live within a framework of sufficient order, which lowers all of our anxiety levels. Our 10-year-old Cairn Terrier, George, is a loyal companion. He lives to run the farm…

Stoic Silver Linings I read with interest Hank Will’s editorial “Seeing Silver Linings” in the June/July 2017 issue. I teach college-level philosophy classes, and I’ve found that what Hank says is true. If a person can learn to think in possibilities, then when the stuff really hits the fan, they won’t wallow in the morass for long. The best thing to do is to revert to an ancient form of philosopy — stoicism. Stoicism tells us that we need to know what we can control, and what we can’t control. A wildfire as widespread and destructive as what Hank spoke of is beyond any human’s control. Even in the face of complete and utter loss, each of us can still control one thing: our attitude. If our attitude remains hopeful, then we…

“I can’t put the magazines down! I’ve learned so much during my new adventure.” Debt-Free Adventure We built a cabin in the woods in West Virginia (pictured above) and started our homestead. The cabin took a year from start to finish, with half of that time spent working only on weekends and traveling back and forth from New Jersey to West Virginia. In August 2016, we decided to move in and finish the house and homestead. We are debt-free and have a garden, fruits, goats, and chickens, and plan to add more animals soon. A neighbor gave us issues of MOTHER EARTH NEWS from 1999 to more recent years. I must say I can’t put the magazines down! They’ve been so helpful to me. I’ve learned so much during my new adventure. Dina…

Have you ever admired a strong, community-supported business? If so, it may be a co-op. By common definition, co-ops are comprised of workers, consumers, farmers, and others who work together to meet a common goal for the group. Because they’re owned collectively, coops also strive to keep financial benefits within their communities instead of allowing those benefits to line the pockets of outside investors. Historically, many co-ops have focused on farming and organic food. Their growing popularity in the United States means that more than 30,000 co-ops now exist for a wide variety of enterprises, ranging from hotels to hardware stores. And recently, the co-op movement has expanded to include renewable energy. In many ways, alternative energy is a natural fit for co-ops. Community-driven renewable energy efforts allow experts and laypeople alike to…

Cars aren’t the only vehicles that run on electricity these days — buses and trucks are also embracing the power of plugging in. A primary motivation for this trend is reducing the pollution caused by diesel. While heavy-duty diesel vehicles make up less than 5 percent of vehicles on the road, they account for more than 20 percent of transportation emissions. School buses might have the most to gain from going electric. Currently, almost all buses are equipped with diesel engines, and the children who ride on them can be exposed to levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and volatile organic compounds that may damage their developing respiratory systems. Switching to electric power significantly reduces this exposure. While a diesel engine emits 22.2 pounds of carbon per kWh, an electric bus…

Since the 1970s, community-supported agriculture programs (CSAs) have helped farmers reduce their financial risk while making it easier for them to get crops directly to consumers. A farm’s CSA members buy a share of its potential produce at the beginning of the year, and then receive portions of the farm’s bounty throughout the growing season. In this way, CSA programs create a network among farmers and their surrounding communities. Thousands of CSAs keep thousands of households around the United States supplied with locally grown food. Historically, there’s been little effort to unite disparate CSAs, or to universally define what being a CSA truly means. Following the example of programs around the world, farmers in the United States are now proposing a CSA charter that establishes a national definition of what it…