Spring rains bring...

...opportunities to learn about water harvesting! The most important principle and design element in permaculture is water; how to direct it, make multiple uses of it, infiltrate it into the landscape, and have it leave your property cleaner than it came in.

A child's mind is an uncluttered, imaginative playground for ideas and innovation. Whereas as adult's mind is often cluttered with thoughts and reasons why something cannot work. As it is raining, go outside and ask your child how the water coming out of the downspouts can be put to better use than simply running into the grass or back alley.

Questions to ask:

1. How can we get this water to our vegetable and herb growing areas or to young trees?

2. How can we store this water for later in summer when it does not rain as often?

3. What else can we use the stored water for? (ie dog, feet, or tool washing)

Here are more resources to familiarize yourself with water harvesting ideas:

http://permaculture.org.au/2009/03/13/tackling-urban-water-runoff-in-a-sydney-suburb/#more-1161

Activities on swales and other water storing ideas coming soon! In the mean time, get yourself a rain barrel or repurpose your plastic garbage can into a rain barrel by just putting screen over the top to keep out the mosquitos.

Where does my food come from?

So many children (and adults) do not know where their food comes from. You may not think twice about where the strawberries you buy in February are coming from or how the cows were raised that produce the dairy products you consume. Here is a quick activity that all adults and children should try:

1. Make a list of the 5 most common items you buy at the grocery store.

2. Go to the store, find the products and write down mark on a map (like the one below) where they come from.

3. For older children, calculate the distance that each item travels to get to the store.

4. Look for the same item and see if you can find another variety that travels a shorter distance to get to the store. Decide with your child if you should still buy the item based on your new knowledge.

5. Visit your local farmers market to meet the farmers who grow or produce foods that you enjoy close to your home. Ask the farmers to see if you can visit their farm with your child.

When faced with the choice of A. organic or B. conventional produce, most experts will agree that the answer should be C. local. Local and organic would be double bonus, but may not always be available. Depending on the source you look at, for every calorie of food about 10 calories of fossil fuels were used to produce and transport that item. If we can reduce the calories used to transport the food, by buying close to home, we can positively impact our environment.

Here are a few more sites for information on local food:

http://www.cityfarmer.info/2010/05/26/the-zero-mile-diet-a-year-round-guide-to-growing-organic-food/

http://greencommunityproject.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-far-does-your-food-travel.html

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/camiles/foodmiles.pdf

Which item on your shopping list traveled the furthest to get to the store? Leave me a comment!