Sunday Flowers

It’s time to wake up and smell the flowers! Brought to you by the benevolence of Gardener’s Supply greenhouse in Williston, Vermont, courtesy of Glenn Fay. All photos taken in natural sunlight.

When Nature Calls

Where are you when it comes to wearing fur from wild animals or even leather or other animal products? Some people are downright militant against using animals or their parts for our food or comfort. Others find ways to rationalize it.

Nowadays there are plenty of vegan clothing products that can replace those made from crude oil and animals. Maybe if we had to butcher, skin and cure our own animals not as many of us would do it because of the yuck factor. Maybe we would have more appreciation for the work and the sacrifice required for those animals donating their pelts!

In celebration of that spirit, here’s a funny scene from the movie “Ace Ventura – When Nature Calls”, complete with “the Monopoly guy”!

LubeMobile, youtube

All images from glennfay36, flickr

This past weekend, thousands of people visited the Vermont Log Home and Green Builders and Energy Conservation Show at the Essex Expo outside Burlington Vermont. Many came to see the latest in green design, construction, energy efficiency and products. The show had fewer exhibitors and visitors than last year and some people made the trek commented that they would like to have seen more green products and services. Hopefully the smaller attendance is not a trend and the show will work on enhancing the show with more green exhibitors and build on the worldwide momentum towards sustainable living and renewable energy.

What would a truly “green living and energy conservation show” look like in the Champlain Valley? I can see Sweet Clover Market of Essex showing off some of their deli foods and specialties. The Cabot Cheese Coop could display their blue ribbon cheeses and products. Lang Farm antiques and Mason Brothers Architectural Salvage of Essex Junction, the ultimate recyclers might have displays, show off some of their furniture and architectural pieces and offer advice. The Audubon Center might have a display that kids would be attracted to and Vermont Institute if Natural Science could do workshops in the corner. Healthy Living Market might have a natural foods class with literature and coupons available. This would be a great place for Shelburne Farms to show off their increible sustainability programs, with of course, some of their products for sale. The Outdoor Gear Exchange would show off their locally owned and operated outdoor gear selection and information.

Vermont is home to several wine vinyards who would find an eager audience for information about their sustainable agriculture operations. Two that come to mind are Snow Farm Vineyard in South Hero and Boyden Valley Vineyards in Cambridge. CVPS Cowpower, NRG Systems, Earth Turbines, GroSolar to name a few, and other local entrepreneurs should be at a show like this. There are plenty of localvore networks, including the UVM Extension Service Master Gardener in the area that could enrich the show, spread their wisdom and plant the seeds of knowledge about local food shares. These are products, services and companies that a lot of people would get excited about. These companies would draw lots of people to the Expo.

While this sounds exciting to people who are positioned to benefit, it also would likely attract new and different consumers along with log home builders. For the organizers it may seem like a risk to move from a proven formula of home construction and subcontractors to an unproven pandora’s box of green possibilities. And the organizers are the ones who have to pay the bills at the end of the month. We hope that they see the light (no pun intended) and take the opportunity to build on green themes for next year. Vermont is ready with tens of thousands of people who are looking for new ideas and incentives. This could be the start of something bigger and better! What do you think? Any suggestions for green sector business to invite next year?

Once a year during the deep freeze of winter the Vermont GreenBuilders & Energy Conservation Show comes to the Burlington area for three days. Mark January 22, 23 and 24th on your calendar. These are the dates that the America’s Best show will set up in the Champlain Valley Expo, hosted by WCAX-TV. Now in its third year, it boasts 100 booths in nothern New England’s largest log home show. You can find green builders, materials, accessories, services, solar and wind systems, energy saving heating and cooling equipment, all in one place.

I have attended several times and having built my own homes and being interested in the latest technology and design, it is always refreshing to see what is going on. I figure for the price of admission, it’s a pretty good education for a day. Last year I attended as an exhibitor with my own table. My products were a big attraction and once people saw the Solaris 26 cranking out juice from the overhead lights and they got to spin the dynamo chargers and shining LED’s, well, let’s just say they could “see the light”. Overall, the show has apparently become greener every year.

Head Honcho Bob Cole remarked, “This year we have at least 25 green booths and the interest in lowering heat costs and becoming more energy efficient seems to be a growing trend.” Last year I mingled with geothermal contractors, solar hot water and photovoltaic companies, wind turbine businesses, solar architects, designers and builders, Efficiency Vermont to mention a few. It was rich gathering of every kind of information and an eye-opener for me. Got questions about any of these areas? The Champlain Valley Expo is the place to be Friday, noon January 22nd through Sunday January 24th at 5 pm. See you there!

Living in a place like Vermont with four seasons has its advantages. You can always talk about the weather, because not only does it change minute by minute, it radically changes every few months. Just when you don’t think you can stand hearing one more chirping bird or the delightful organic ether rising from the hillsides, you notice the sun bearing down and burning your skin and days getting much longer and and hotter.

During the glorious summer everybody heads for a Vermont State Park campground, stream, pond or lake to cool off. After few months of living in absolute paradise and a rich growing season you notice vegetation changing colors and slowing growth of flowers, shrubs, trees and veggies. Then a few leaves turning, birds flocking, and evening chills are the wake up call that change is coming. If you are lucky, the fall foliage light show continues into November and you can follow it starting from the mountains in September and later down into the valleys by the lake.

At some point we get a dusting of snow and a reminder of why hundreds of thousands of people come here in the winter. The landscape is transformed into a magical white crystal fairyland for a few months. The hearty rise early, bundle up, kick and glide and tromp deep into the woods and schuss down powdery glades like this is the way life should be.

Then, just when you think the cold is creeping into your bones for good, the late February sun climbs high and warm in the sky and the snow melts, runs off and washes the landscape, warms the soil and begins the cycle of renewal again!

You can see more Vermont photography on our Facebook Fan Page and buy our Earth-friendly products here:LoveEarthAlways Products.

Image: gary.calton@btinternet. com, flickr

Recently Grist did a piece on the coming “Climate Panic”. Authors Auden Schendler and Mark Trexler noted that sometimes societies in crises reach a tipping point that leads to outright panic, and our reaction to climate change might eventually follow this same pattern. They predict that when the public finally ‘gets it’ there will be hell to pay with a backlash, not unlike the rise of Hitler, the violence of the French Revolution, or the sudden, peaceful collapse of the Soviet empire.

With the help of our crystal ball LoveEarthAlways offers some predictions of our own:

You will know we have “Climate Panic” when…

10. Skiing on snow is replaced with nano-surfaced skis and boards that work on thawed natural terrain.

9. Composting toilets become commonplace. Public water-flush toilets use credit cards only.

8. Captain Planet overtakes Superman as the world’s greatest superhero.

7. Professional sports leagues and teams curtail their travel and season schedules to control budgets.

6. New agricultural staple foods that will thrive in seawater are engineered and manufactured.

5. Cisterns to collect and store water become widespread and regulated across the U.S.

4. The ‘America The Beautiful’ verse about “amber waves of grain” is changed to “blown sand in the wind”.

3. Home-grown hand-made hemp clothing becomes mainstream in the big retailers.

2. Florida and other low-lying coastal areas are designated historic underwater preserves.

1. Aliens in UFO’s visit Earth and they decide not to settle here after all.

As funny as these sound, epic climate changes are all around us. The time to act is NOW, before we have a worldwide panic.

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost (1874–1963)

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

You can see more of Glenn Fay’s Vermont photography on our LoveEarthAlways fan page here Facebook Fan Page and buy our Earth-friendly products here:LoveEarthAlways Products.

Stopping By The Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost (1874–1963)

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound’s the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

All photos by Glenn at LoveEarthAlways glennfay36, flickr

If you find yourself out in the woods on a snowy evening and wanting to find your way back, consider how nice it would be to have one of our cool crank flashlights that never need batteries. They are always ready when you are. Buy them here. You will be glad you did.