MOTHER EARTH NEWS June - July 2020

At the time of writing this, I haven’t been to the office for more than a week, in part because I stepped down from my role as Editorial Director to focus on our farm before I get too old, and in part because our company has encouraged us to work from home during the pandemic. I came to the office today to record a podcast, and it feels a little eerie with so many desks empty. I’ve heard from several folks who are in an understandable panic as our world gets turned around with attempts to slow the virus’s spread. I’ve felt empathy, sadness, and some uncertainty, but not panic. In the realm of things that matter to us, my family has a certain abundance. We have plenty of homegrown food…

EDITORS’ PICK A Transformative Tree I was a 20-year-old college sophomore in 1971, when I suddenly became acutely mentally ill. More specifically, I entered the nightmarish world of full-blown schizophrenia. I was wracked with hallucinatory pain and anguish and unable to think or function. Every waking moment became a living hell; there was no escape from it, day or night. After a couple of months as a couch zombie, my mother, bless her heart, took me to Lexington Gardens, a large nursery and greenhouse. There, I saw a bonsai tree sitting on a bench in the corner. It was a perfect little tree with nice green moss. That tree awakened something in me; it reached into my soul, grabbed me, and said, “Johnny, hold on, you’re still in there.” So, in spite…

The divestment movement began as a decentralized network of people who used their membership or support of universities, churches, and organizations to push for divestment on a local level. As a result of this pressure, more than 1,100 institutions have made divestment commitments, bringing the amount of divested funds above $14 trillion. Now, a new arm of the divestment movement has emerged that’s bigger in scope and involves a coalition that has come together under the name Stop the Money Pipeline. Elana Sulakshana, an energy finance campaigner at Rainforest Action Network (RAN, www.RAN.org), says this movement primarily targets financial institutions, the biggest backers of the fossil-fuel industry. RAN’s 2020 fossil fuel finance report, “Banking on Climate Change,” shows that 35 banks have invested a total of $2.7 trillion into fossil fuels…

In 2018, Hill Farm Vintage Vegetables prospered as thousands of other farmers lost most of their crops. The record rainfall that hit much of the mid-Atlantic didn’t adversely affect Scott and Susan Hill’s farm in Louisa, Virginia, thanks to their high tunnels. By cultivating in raised beds under protective high tunnels, Hill Farm grows crops year-round. It profits by supplying customers with early- and late-season crops, and it can survive excessive rain. While other farmers lost millions of dollars in drowned vegetables, the Hills were able to continue supplying produce to customers. High tunnels, also known as “hoop houses,” are similar to greenhouses, except they aren’t heated. Like most modern greenhouses, high tunnels use a plastic covering to protect crops from excess rainfall while letting in sunshine. During winter, the Hills…

Reviving the Victory Garden I’m part of Ogden Publications’ Garden Group, a crew of employees gaining firsthand gardening experience. Our vegetable garden is making a comeback, with an emphasis on food grown for a food bank that services our region. We also cut back on okra and cucumbers, so this year’s yield is more diverse. We paid a little more attention to companion planting to help fend off squash bugs and other destructive critters that were a headache last year. During uncertain times, it may seem like everything is spiraling out of control and there’s nothing we can do to rein it in. A great way to find a bit of solace in the chaos is to turn to a garden. In the spirit of the Victory Gardens of World War I…

It used to be that when one of my kids asked, “What’s for dinner?” I’d grab a basket and say, “Let’s see what the garden has to offer.” Generally, I knew what the garden had to offer, be it beans, tomatoes, zucchini, or salad greens. I could count on my boy to snack on as much as, or more than, what he put in the basket. That was OK by me—better to fill up on green beans than on crackers. But the ritual of going to the garden to harvest supper, well, that’s one of the joys of summer. What isn’t a joy for me is the heat. I don’t like it. And I don’t like to work in a hot kitchen. So my summer meal planning involves lots of main-dish salads.…