Replanting Trees In New Orleans, La. : Participation Nation. Urban Farming Is Growing a Green Future. Photograph by Anthony Behar, Sipa Press/AP With seven billion mouths to feed, human agriculture exerts a tremendous toll on the planet, from water draws to pollution, and from energy use to habitat loss.
But there is also a growing set of solutions, from organic agriculture to integrated pest management. More people around the world are taking a look at urban farming, which offers to make our food as "local" as possible. By growing what we need near where we live, we decrease the "food miles" associated with long-distance transportation. We also get the freshest produce money can buy, and we are encouraged to eat in season. Another benefit of urban farming is that it can add greenery to cities, reducing harmful runoff, increasing shading, and countering the unpleasant heat island effect. Although planners have a long way to go, boosters envision soaring vertical farms that will eventually produce most of what we need within a short walk from home. —Brian Clark Howard. Noah Wilson-Rich: Every city needs healthy honey bees. Inner-City Farms. Farm aid, the annual concert dedicated to raising funds for the American family farmer, has been held in such agricultural strongholds as Manor, Texas, and Ames, Iowa.
But the most recent venue, the distinctly nonrural borough of Manhattan, is not as incongruous as it seems. With its estimated 600 small-scale farms (which are often large-scale vegetable gardens), New York City is part of an urban agricultural boom in the U.S., where rising food and fuel prices are making city farming seem less and less outlandish. In July volunteers began transforming the front lawns of San Francisco's city hall into the first... Subscribe Now Get TIME the way you want it One Week Digital Pass — $4.99 Monthly Pay-As-You-Go DIGITAL ACCESS — $2.99 One Year ALL ACCESS — Just $30!
Stephen Ritz: A teacher growing green in the South Bronx. 'Vertical farm' blossoms at meatpacking plant. Greens and mushrooms grown at the Plant with homemade sauce and bread by Carla, the plant's mycologist.
John Edel is building a zero waste veritcal farm on Chicago's South SideIt has bakers, fish farmer, tea brewer and other farms working with each other to use wasteEdel hopes this will show other businesses the ease of adapting to green initiatives (CNN) -- An old meatpacking plant on Chicago's South Side is being transformed into an eco farm, which its founders says will produce food sustainably, while creating zero waste. American entrepreneur John Edel is the founder of "The Plant," a vertical-farm initiative that he hopes will show people the ease of adapting to green food production in urban living environments.
A vertical farm is an urban agriculture concept whereby food is grown in and on top of buildings in city areas. Watch: A farm on every roof top At a certain point I realized if we built an anaerobic digester, we could get our waste down to zero. Valentine the Gardener - Season 1 - Smart Girls at the Party. Instant Insects: Kill Garden Pests (and Delight Your Kids) with Ladybug Kits. I did it for the children.
They can't get enough of ladybugs. We went to the garden center and bought a bag of live ladybugs (yes, live!) And unleashed them in our backyard. Within minutes the ladybugs were frolicking happily (and mating ferociously, I might add). But just as important as my kids' hard-won happiness: ladybugs are terrific for your garden! For all kinds of fun creepy-crawlies and caterpillars you can watch grow and then release, check out Insect Lore (many of the products are also sold on Amazon). Now, I will admit that last week my daughter caught her own caterpillar at the park and kept it in a box. Also, check out the praying mantis egg cases from Amazon. (Image: Shutterstock.)