How to Build a Quick and Easy Vegetable Trellis

It’s spring in Iowa, and the smell of the moist, black soil calls out to the gardener in all of us. Ever since the first hint of bulbs peeking through the dirt, I’ve been itching to get started planting an organic garden. On Friday, the temperature was 60 degrees Fahrenheit. By Saturday, it was 35 degrees and dropping. The Weather Channel showed a big snowstorm coming in a few hours. I decided I’d better hurry.

We bought two steel-grid fence panels like this one. Photo: J. Wasson

I checked the garage to find wood to cut into stakes and a shovel to turn over the soil. I got out my skill saw, an extension cord, and a hammer. Then a friend and I jumped into my son’s Jeep and headed to the lumberyard.

I purchased two, 15-foot-long by 50-inch-wide, steel-grid fencing sections. These had to be flexible enough that I would be able to bend them into an arch, but sturdy enough not to collapse under the weight of vines and produce I plan to grow on them. The panels cost about $35.00 each, so I was now $70.00 into my experiment, plus gas and time.

“Won’t fit,” the kid at the lumberyard had said, watching my friend and me lift the grids onto the Jeep. He wasn’t prepared for our ingenuity. We tied the panels on the roof, padding it with our coats to protect the paint. (Obviously, we didn’t plan very well. If you decide to do this, bring along some old towels or a blanket for padding between your vehicle and the fencing sections.) This was only possible with plenty of rope, another $4.00.

Have you seen the movie Mad Max? That’s what the Jeep looked like, with the fencing grid curved down over the hood and tied to the front bumper. We would have been well protected should anyone want to throw a cinder block through our windshield. The whole adventure took about an hour — and the lumberyard is 15 minutes away.

Back at my house, we unloaded the sections onto the lawn. I went to work selecting the best location for the new trellis. My wife and I have a small lot — only 40 feet wide — squeezed between very close neighbors. Most of the backyard already has a perimeter of flowerbeds filled with perennials, so we weren’t anxious to disturb them.

Snugging the fencing against the stakes before raising it. Photo: J. Wasson

We keep the remaining lawn small on purpose, because we both hate to mow. We don’t like the pollution of belching fumes, and we hate the noise. We dislike starting a mower and storing a mower and tuning a mower. If I had my way, I’d rather pave my yard than mow it. My theory on saving the environment from the evils of lawn-mowing is to keep adding flowerbeds.

This year, we’ve decided to plant an organic vegetable garden. (It’s a great reason to rip out some more sod.) We’re working to become more sustainable, and gardening is a great step in that direction. It’s green living at an elemental level.

Because neither of us feels like crawling around on our hands and knees to garden, we decided to build a trellis and see how many vegetables we can grow on vines. We’ll try peas, beans, tomatoes, and squash, and any other climbing veggies we can find. (Got a suggestion? We’d love to hear from you.)

Most of our backyard is shady, so we chose to place the trellis in the center, halfway between a neighbor’s large garage on one side and our other neighbor’s large shade trees. I figure the trellis will get about 6 or 7 hours of sun on a good day.

Bending the fencing to create an arch. Photo: J. Wasson

Constructing the trellis was simple and took no more than half an hour from start to finish (not counting our Mad Max adventure). With the skill saw, I cut 8 wooden stakes out of some scrap 1″ x 2″ lumber. I then drove 2 stakes into the ground about 4 feet apart, parallel to our backyard sidewalk. I took one end of the first panel and butted it up against those stakes, then pushed the prongs on that end into the ground. Then I lifted the other end until the whole panel was standing almost vertical.

Pressing the panel down hard against the first two stakes, I then pulled down on the free end until it touched the ground. This left an arch about 6 feet wide and 6 feet high, giving us plenty of room to walk under and pick the produce yet to come. The prongs on the back end of the fencing held it in place in the sod while I secured it by pounding in two more stakes.

Two days later: sunshine and melting snow! Better get ready to dig. Photo: J. Wasson

I repeated all this with the second panel, connecting a second arch to the first one. Ta-da! In less than two hours, from start to finish, I had built a 9-foot long, 6 1/2-foot tall, trellis. It was easy enough to do alone, but having an extra person would make the job even easier.

I was going to go ahead and break the sod, but heavy, wet snow began to fall. It was the 28th of March. That’s Iowa for you.

Watch for the further adventures of Joe the Gardener (not to be confused with Joe the Plumber), right here on BPGL.

Joe Hennager

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Related Posts:

Organic Gardening in Your Own Backyard

Lights Out for Earth Hour!

It feels a little like waiting for the ball to drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Earth Hour will finally arrive tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. local time. What will you be doing for that hour? Why not join the estimated one billion people in 1000 cities “going dark” for Earth Hour? Don’t be left in the light.

The Earth Hour event is a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiative designed to remind people to take action on climate change. In case you haven’t heard, the goal is for as many individuals, businesses, communities, and governments as possible to turn off all nonessential lighting for one hour. It’s a dramatic symbol of unity in the fight against what many believe to be the most serious of all the environmental problems.

This is the third annual Earth Hour event, with 64 countries expected to participate. Landmarks that will go dark include the Roman Colosseum, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, and Times Square’s Coca Cola billboard. According to the WWF, lights switched off for Earth Hour will be “symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.”

WWF and the Experience Project (EP) are teaming up to involve the public in several interesting ways. EP calls itself “the largest site for anonymously connecting and sharing common experiences.” EP will also go dark during Earth Hour. According to an EP press release, “For every 100 points EP members pledge (points are earned by participating in challenges, posting stories, etc.), the site will go dark for one second. The goal is to keep the site dark for as long as possible.”

Additional EP initiatives include “a 30 day challenge to turnoff all unnecessary appliances, signing a petition to conserve energy, or playing trivia games where accrued points can be used to buy time to keep the EP homepage dark during the day of the event.” Join us at BPGL with your own pledge to go dark on the EP site.

Facebook users can also earn “Earth Minutes” by sending messages that urge their Facebook friends to participate in Earth Hour. By reaching 60 friends, users will achieve the equivalent of 60 minutes of Earth Hour participation.

Joining the Earth Hour initiative is easy. All it takes is the simple flip of a light switch. But don’t sit there in the dark secretly watching your TV behind closed curtains. Get in the spirit. Turn off all nonessential lights and appliances — yes, including that TV. Get together with people who matter to you. Make a party of it. Lie out under the stars, if you can see them. Huddle together by a fireplace. Or just lounge in your living space and talk. Share stories about the natural world you remember from your youth. Share dreams of the future you’d like to leave for your grandchildren. Make plans to reduce your own carbon footprint and reduce your own impact on climate change. Together we can make a positive difference. (Yes, we can.)

Julia Wasson

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Fairchild Challenge Prepares Youth to Protect the Planet

“Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.” — John F. Kennedy

Today’s adults will not solve every environmental challenge we face in the world. We will make progress, certainly, but the solutions to most of the major problems that plague us will not come in our lifetimes. The future of our species — and with it, the future of all life on Earth — hinges on the actions of our children and their children.

We cannot sit back idly and expect generations yet to come to take up the banner of environmentalism and sustainability. We must begin by educating — and inspiring — our youth to learn about the problems and to take action to fix them. One program that has been successfully motivating youth to learn about the environment is the Fairchild Challenge.

The seven year-old program, which began at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, Florida, provides junior high and high school students with competitive projects, contests, and performance opportunities that engage them in a study of the natural world. More than 40,000 students participated in this free, educational experience in Florida alone this academic year.

Caroline Lewis, director of education for the Fairchild Challenge

Caroline Lewis, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s director of education, who oversees the Fairchild Challenge, says, “The Fairchild Challenge promotes, provokes and celebrates young people’s engagement in environmental issues. The program is a vital tool to give young people a voice in the national and international conversation about the critical issues affecting our planet – and to foster lifelong environmental stewardship in the students, in their families and in their communities. We are gratified to see our youths becoming more passionate about protecting our planet.”

Current Challenge options include:

Students participate in an eco skit, "What a Waste," at the Fairchild Challenge.

• Write opinion and research papers

• Perform songs and skits

• Create gardens, artwork and newsletters

• Design solar-powered devices

• Formulate “green” cuisine menus

Participating students can earn points for their sponsoring organization. By earning a specified number of points, students qualify their school or organization for the Fairchild Challenge Award, which is presented in May. Qualifying schools win a monetary prize to be used for a green project of their choice.

Fairchild Challenge Satellite Training class February 2008

According to Lewis, the template for the Fairchild Challenge initiative is expanding across the US and other nations, to foster “environmental awareness, scholarship, and stewardship in teenagers and pre-teens.” Satellite Training workshops provide educators from schools, museums, and other public and private facilities with the opportunity to learn about and implement the Fairchild Challenge in their own communities. The program is active in Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Utah, USA; South Africa, Venezuela, and Costa Rica.

In February 2008, the Conservation Fund’s National Forum on Children and Nature (NFCN) endorsed the Fairchild Challenge as one of 30 models that provide novel means for connecting youth to the environment. Larry Selzer, president and CEO of The Conservation Fund, said, “We celebrate these projects for demonstrating how to get kids back outdoors. This is critical for children’s health — and for the future of our environment. Saving a generation is not a spectator sport. These ideas invite corporate leaders, educators, community planners, government officials and others into the game.”

To find out how an educational organization in your community can become a part of the Fairchild Challenge, visit the Fairchild Challenge website or call (305) 667-1651.

Julia Wasson

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Organic Gardening in Your Own Backyard

Spring in Iowa feels like stepping out of the Ice Age into some of the most appreciated warm weather on the planet. After enduring 20 snow and ice storms from November to March (and more still possible all the way to early May), a person’s patience begins to thin. Mine does, anyway. But a few days of warmer weather, say in the 50s and 60s, changes my whole outlook.

About mid January, I stop thinking of winter as “pretty” or “picturesque.” I remember the salt, backaches, missed appointments, missed school days, cars that won’t start, jumper cables, ice-covered windows, car accidents, tow trucks, frozen body parts, wind chill, slips and falls, black ice, power outages, cold feet, heavy blankets, long johns, and itchy wool sweaters. Winter, you’ve overstayed your welcome.

I am ready for spring. I am ready for the rain to wash all those chilly memories away. I am ready for the plants in my garden to return. I am ready to see green buds pushing up through the dead leaves. I long for the feel of dirt under my fingernails. If you live in a cool climate, I’ll bet you’re ready, too.

We are looking forward to our rewards.

This year, Julia and I are motivated to do more than plant flowers. We’ve decided to add vegetables to our backyard garden, small as it is. I have a design in mind that will let us grow a number of vining veggies and still give us access to their harvest without having to crawl on our hands and knees. (Watch for more details in a later post.)

So, how about you? Are you thinking of planting vegetables this year? You don’t need a large area, even a few pots or planters will get you started on a delicious harvest for your family. You do need a lot of sunshine, though. And here’s one other thing to consider: If you want your garden to be organic, you have to start with the soil.

ORGANIC FROM THE GROUND UP

If you’ve been putting chemical weed killers or artificial fertilizers on your lawn (and we hope you haven’t), you can’t just dig up a patch of grass and call it good. Those chemicals are still in your soil, and soon will be in your vegetables, then inside you and your loved ones. Instead, build a simple raised bed, or convert old washtubs, barrels or other used items into container gardens. Be certain that the containers never held anything toxic, or you’ll defeat the purpose of using them high above a chem-treated lawn.

If you’re just starting out, and you’re unsure of the chemical history of your soil, or you’re opting for container gardens, consider buying organic soil from a trusted supplier. Packaged potting soil from a garden center may well be better than the soil in a chemically treated lawn. But if you’re looking for soil you’d trust to grow food for yourself and your family, check the label for the word “organic.”

And don’t forget to start your own compost bin. Leftover food scraps mixed with yard waste will create all the fertile soil you will need in time. We have already written about the value of the red worm and the advantages of vermiculture. But be warned, red wrigglers cannot survive outside in an open-air compost heap. You will need a covered wooden box or bucket to house them.

WHY PLANT A GARDEN?

With the extra effort it takes to plant, sow, and tend a garden, why do it? I can think of several good reasons. Maybe you have others to add.

One of the joys of gardening is watching bees at work.

• You know the grower. You’ll have no worries about how wholesome the food is.

• It’s the epitome of “shop locally.” When you shop in your own garden, you save fuel. Here in Iowa, most of our fruits and vegetables are trucked 1,500 miles before reaching our tables. How far are yours transported? (Can you say, “carbon footprint”?)

• No mowing! You don’t have to mow the area where you plant your garden. This isn’t a “no-labor” proposition, though, as you’ll get your share of exercise planting and tending your plot.

• You get to experiment with agriculture on a limited scale. Learn which plants grow well together. Find out firsthand whether the natural pest control suggestions keep aphids in control.

• If you’ve got kids, it’s a great opportunity for them to learn about the cycle of life and of reaping what you sow.

• You get to relax a little. Gardening lowers your heart rate and blood pressure. It’s good for you in so many ways.

• You can see Nature at work. Bees and butterflies are becoming a scarcity today. If they stop by your garden for a visit, you’ll get to watch life replicating itself on a tiny and important scale. You won’t get that experience going to the grocery store.

• You’ll save money. Sure, you have an initial investment in seeds, a few tools, and water, but the payoff in healthy vegetables (and your health) far outweighs the modest amount you have to invest.

TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

I asked Fred Meyer, founder of Backyard Abundance, an Iowa City group that encourages gardening “in your own backyard,” what a novice should consider when starting a garden. These were his suggestions:

Starting with plants, instead of seeds, speeds the time to harvest.

• Pick an area with a lot of sun.

• Choose plants that are easy to grow: beets, beans, squash and tomatoes. You can buy starters from greenhouses or at the farmers markets. (In general, bigger seeds mean easier-to-grow plants.)

• Don’t over till the soil. The best nutrients are at the top.

• Fertilize with compost, not chemicals. Start your own compost.

• Control weeds and moisture with mulch, yard clippings, and newspapers.

• Don’t over water. Water is too precious. Capture your rain water.

• If you have questions, contact a Master Gardener. Or read the many relevant publications available online.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing about my tiny backyard garden. If you see me on the street, check my fingernails to see how my garden is doing.

Joe Hennager

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Related Posts:

Green Living – A Beginner’s Guide

Praise the Lord and Green the Roof

Sustainable Living Profile: Jessica Klein

Ranching Underground Livestock

My 5: Hector Hernández

BPGL: What are the five most important things we can do to save the planet?

HECTOR HERNÁNDEZ:

Hernández is in charge of a gardening program for inner-city San Antonio youth. Photo: Texas AgriLife Extension Service

• Recycle whatever you can in your community: glass, paper, plastic, etc.

• Be more mindful of water usage. Right now, we’re in a drought situation in Texas, so we’re careful when we water the garden plots and make sure we don’t over water.

• Respect nature. Don’t litter. It’s our only home, so we have to take care of it and respect it.

• Reconnect with nature. Most of the kids we work with in San Antonio live in the inner city. They don’t have an opportunity to garden or go into green space. Our project gives them an opportunity to discover their own planet.

• Reuse things. Instead of throwing something away, find another use for it.

Hector Hernández

Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Related Post:

Growing Citizens and Leaders through Organic Gardening

Green Living on Wheels - Take a Spin at a Bike Library

Joe’s post last week about riding a bicycle reminded me that I’m a bike-riding wannabe. I look with envy at friends, who ride with ease down our city streets, then cruise 50 miles down country roads in a single day. I’m awed by people my age — and older — who train for and ride in RAGBRAI (Register and Gazette Bike Ride Across Iowa), the annual bike trek across our state. While a trans-Iowa ride is not on my list of things to do before I die, I hear it’s a lot of fun. But that’s not what I dream of.

A trusty friend awaits its owner. Photo: Julia Wasson

All I want is to cruise downtown to the library, ride to my local coffee shop, or zip over to a friend’s house like I did when I was a kid. (My office is a 20 step commute from my bedroom, so biking to work is out.) So what’s stopping me? I don’t have a bike.

Picking out a bicycle requires a commitment — not just a financial commitment, though a new bike can be as pricey as some of the second-hand cars I’ve owned. More than that, getting a bike requires an investment of time. It isn’t easy to pick out just the right bike, not when you expect to own it for years. And a bike requires a commitment of labor to maintain it. I learned to repair a flat tire when I was 10, but haven’t been called upon to do anything similar since. And, let’s face it, the fat-tire, single-speed transportation choice of my youth was a dinosaur compared to even the lowliest K-Mart, blue-light special you see on the streets today.

But, lucky for me, there’s a simple solution to my bike-envy woes. Thanks to the Environmental Advocates of Johnson County, I can borrow a bike from the Iowa City Bike Library for short trips, a season, or half a year, then take it back. No commitment required. All I do is pick out one of their 500 bikes, then give them a deposit (from $20 to $80, depending on the condition and style of the bike). Then I check out the bike for up to six months. The beauty of this is that I don’t have to find a bike that I’m going to love for the rest of my life. But, I’m pleasantly surprised, and I do fall in love, I can make the bike of my dreams my very own by surrendering my deposit.

Great exercise, reduced carbon, instant transportation. What's not to like? Photo: Julia Wasson

But this post isn’t just about me. If you’re in a similar situation — no bike, but would love to use one without a permanent commitment — there’s a solution. Bike libraries, which allow users to check out and return a borrowed bike, are popping up in cities around the world. It’s a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, exercise, and get where you need to go.

BIKE LIBRARY MODELS

There are three primary models of bike libraries, according to the International Bicycle Fund, from which the following information is quoted:

1. “Let-loose: Multiple locations used for lending with no membership and no real tracking system. These programs tend to experience high rates of mechanical problems and rapid evaporation of their inventory, and subsequent burnout of volunteers.
2. “Controlled Network: Several bike stations used for a short-term or relatively short-term lending/checkout program that involves membership and keeping track of who has the bike for how long. There is high administrative/communications burden. Even so, inventory tends gets lost fairly quickly. High volunteer demand can lead to volunteer burnout and high volunteer turn over, which exhausts the program.
3. “Single Source: One bike station used as a bike maintenance clinic and single source for bike lending - generally more long-term lending than quick trips around city. This is the furthest from the altruistic ideal, but it tends to be the most stable, and have the greatest longevity.”

WHERE TO FIND A BIKE LIBRARY

Here is a small sampling of the many bike libraries in various parts of the world. If you know of one in your area, feel free to post a comment and let others know. And if you live, or will be traveling, in one of these cities, be sure to check that city’s website to get the details.

CANADA

Yellow Bike Action, Kingston, ON: Lease a salvaged bike for one day to four months for a small fee ($5 to $40) plus refundable $25 deposit.

FRANCE

Velib’, Paris: Borrow one of more than 10,000 bikes for a small fee.

Even little ones can find a ride at many bike libraries. Photo: Joe Hennager

NORWAY
Sandnes Green Bikes, Sandnes: You can borrow a bike for a day, entirely free, in the city of Sandnes.

U.S.

Arcata Library Bike Program, Arcata, CA: Pick a bike. Pay $20 deposit. Check it out for up to six months. Ride on!

Buffalo Blue Bicycle, Buffalo, NY: A convenient, online program allows you to reserve a bike and get the code to unlock it at any of several bike library hubs in Buffalo. Use the bike from 2 hours to 2 days.

New Brunswick Bike Library, New Brunswick, NJ: Members only. $20 “grease fee” gets you use of workspace, tools, and volunteers’ wisdom. Work on your own bike, adopt a frame, or build a bike “from the ground up.” Members may also check out a bike for a one- or two-week loan. Volunteer time is required before checking out a bike.

Wildcat Wheels, Lexington, KY: Free bike checkout for University of Kentucky students, faculty, or staff.

Fort Collins Bicycle Library, Ft. Collins, CO: Free bike checkout for residents, visitors, and students. You’ll need to leave a credit or check card, but won’t be charged if the bike is returned in good condition.

UCSC Bike Library, University of California at Santa Cruz: Borrow a bike, a helmet, a lock, and lights. But first, go through a workshop on bike safety, tire changing, and more.

Orange Bike Project, University of Texas, Austin, TX: If you’re a UT student, you can check out an Orange Bike for an entire semester, just like checking out a book at the library.

PedNet, Columbia, MO: Here’s a bike library for employers and employees. Each bikes come with “helmets, locks, lights, rear racks and cargo bags.” Check them out for up to 60 days.

MORE GOOD STUFF

This Heidelberg bike rack is perfect for students and commuters alike. Photo: Joe Hennager

If your locale doesn’t already have a bike library, consider starting one. The International Bicycle Fund website provides information about starting a bike library or a corporate or government fleet. Topics include liability insurance, theft deterrents, tracking devices, and more.

And here’s another great resource for bicycle enthusiasts in the US and Canada. Austin’s Yellow Bike Project has put together a directory of bike-related resources like bicycle shops, bicycle clubs, and repair shops.

See you on the bike path soon!

Julia Wasson

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth

For far too long, critics of environmentalism have resorted to a now-familiar false dichotomy pitting humankind against Nature. Human beings are a species apart, they say, detached from the ecosphere but still able (indeed, morally obligated) to reap its benefits. This fallacy is backed up by a related either/or argument, in which any environmental regulation is equated with obstructing the progress and well being of the human race. According to this philosophy, the protection of the proverbial spotted owl threatens the welfare of humanity.

Over the course of decades, science has unambiguously disproved these premises. It has become increasingly clear that in addition to providing innumerable nonmaterial benefits to humankind, the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it bestow upon us equally incalculable eco-services, such as water purification and soil enrichment. Humanity requires Nature to survive. Therefore, it is in our best interests to protect, preserve, and nurture the environment.

This is the argument behind E.O. Wilson’s The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth (2006). Refuting the tired ideas of anti-environmentalism and presenting the reality of human dependence upon Nature, Wilson demonstrates that the environmental crisis will affect us all, regardless of our ideological differences. It is appropriate then, that the book is not simply a sermon to the converted. Rather, it is a direct address to the very people who stand in the way of environmental progress. Of course, the converted can enjoy it too.

Written in the form of a letter to an unnamed Southern Baptist pastor — a member of a famously anti-environmental, anti-science political coalition — The Creation is Wilson’s compassionate plea to safeguard and care for the biosphere. Though Wilson is obviously attempting to bridge sharp political, cultural, and religious divides — to forge a truce, if you will, between Red States and Blue States — he is just as interested in expressing his personal conception of Nature and humanity’s place in it. And the reader is lucky for that, for Wilson is a fine chronicler of the natural world and his musings are as effective an argument as any.

Winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for General Non-fiction, E.O. Wilson has long been one of America’s most prominent naturalists and theorists. In The Creation, he clearly draws upon his decades of work in the fields of sociobiology, entomology, and conservation to produce a document that is brief without being shallow and compassionate without being impractical.

Beginning with a salutation to the unnamed pastor, Wilson goes on to describe the wondrous workings of Nature and the problems that humanity — with its mix of “Stone Age emotion, medieval self-image, and godlike technology” — has caused it. “Civilization was purchased by the betrayal of Nature,” Wilson tells us in the first few pages. If humanity and Nature are to survive, this betrayal must be mitigated as much as possible.

Refreshingly, The Creation is not simply a screed or list of grievances, and Wilson doesn’t try to assign blame. Though the many environmental problems we face are well-documented, he is equally interested in compelling a sense of reverential awe for Nature. For each current or coming ecological catastrophe, there is something uplifting, fascinating. So while “the pauperization of Earth” is examined in-depth, Wilson is generous enough to provide a profile of the wolverine and the pitchfork ant (“two magnificent animals”) and the occasional incredible fact (“700 bacterial species thrive as symbionts in the human mouth”). Along the way, he touches upon his own thought-provoking theories of “biophilia” (the theory of humanity’s innate connection to Nature) and “consilience” (the unity of all knowledge), as well as his long love of ants.

And somehow it all works. When I came to the final page, I didn’t feel despondent or angry, but rather, inspired. I was excited to protect that pitchfork ant, as I was every other living thing.

The Creation is less concerned with all of the past crimes perpetrated against Nature than it is with preventing future ones. Wilson only devotes half of the book to the sorry state of the environment. The other half is dedicated to biology as a subject of study — its definition, laws, discoveries — and how to effectively teach a love of Nature to children and students. He closes with a proposal to the pastor to create “An Alliance for Life.” But what of the profound differences separating the author from his symbolic opponent? Wilson has an answer:

“Forget the differences, I say. Meet on common ground. That might not be as difficult as it seems at first. When you think about it, our metaphysical differences have remarkably little effect on the conduct of our separate lives. My guess is that you and I are about equally ethical, patriotic, and altruistic. We are products of a civilization that rose from both religion and the science-based Enlightenment. We would gladly serve on the same jury, fight the same war, sanctify human life with the same intensity. And surely we also share a love of the Creation.”

Published just three years ago, The Creation seems well-suited to the historical moment. With all this talk of national unity and the bridging of partisan divides (cross your fingers), it seems fitting to read a book about hope and change from an author who’s truly a uniter, not a divider. For its affirmative tone, Wilson’s text strikes me as one that begs repeated readings. For those of you fighting the good fight out there — through activism, conservation, recycling and the like — you may occasionally feel as if it is all in vain. But, sometimes, great causes should be undertaken regardless of their chances of victory. The Creation will tell you why.

Jordan Jones

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

The Green Commute — Bike to Work

It’s a beautiful Spring day. What shall I do to save the planet from self–destruction today? My superhero suit is at the cleaners, so maybe I’ll just ride my bike to work. Hey, let’s bike together!

The Green Commuter, off to save the planet!

What do you mean, “Why bike?”

I can answer that: Bicycling saves gas, reduces my carbon footprint, and doesn’t pollute. The exercise builds muscle and controls weight. (Hey, check out these glutes — you can’t get these sitting in a bucket seat.) It’s even good for my heart. What’s not to like?

Oh, I see. You’re one of those people who has to find something to complain about. Have at it. Nothing you can say will phase me. You’re not talking to just anyone, you know; I’m the Green Commuter!

YOU: But, I’ll stink by the time I get to work. You know, B.O.

ME: Yes, you will raise your body temperature. Your heart rate will increase, and you may become winded. But if you should break a sweat, all you have to do is one simple thing: Slow down. If you’re prone to sweating, try wearing a Lycra shirt or cycling jersey. Polyester will wick away any moisture from your body, but not so for cotton. Try a pace slow enough that you could whistle or talk or sing while you ride. The secret is to breathe steadily — don’t hold your breath. And there’s no need to race against cars; just smile at the drivers and think about how much money you’re NOT spending on gas.

You don't have to rush. Take it easy and enjoy the ride.

YOU: If I slow down, I’ll be late.

ME: I hate to tell you you’re wrong, but you’re wrong. It depends on your commute, of course, but think about it: You can easily escape traffic jams, and you’ll never have to park your bike way at the back of that giant company parking lot. You’ll be surprised how fast you can go and not sweat. But make sure you start early enough to enjoy your ride. You’ll see a whole lot more of nature than you could from a car. You might even like it.

YOU: Ah, bikes are too expensive.

ME: And cars aren’t? Car insurance. Gas. Upkeep. Parking. Traffic headaches. Stress. Obesity? What’s the price of your health?

And you thought a bike couldn't carry much!

YOU: I have too much stuff to carry.

ME: Don’t tell me about too much to carry. When I was a little kid, I rode my bike with a violin case laying across the handlebars and my school books in the basket. And you’re complaining about a laptop bag? Sure, for every pound of weight you carry on your bike, you’ll need more energy output. (To some of us, this is a good thing.) There’s a solution to that: Be selective about what work you carry home. Plan ahead. You can always get a bike bag, or even a bike trailer, if you really feel it’s necessary to take your entire desk home at night.

YOU: I can’t listen to my music when I’m on my bike. Gotta have music.

ME: I agree, music is important. But headphones aren’t the smartest thing to wear while biking. If you miss your music too much, buy a bike stereo, for Pete’s sake. Just think about it: You’re a breakable human body balanced on a few pounds of steel and rubber, surrounded by tons of fast-moving steel and rubber driven by highly caffeinated, aggressive, poor planners, who, by the way, are probably late for work. I’d opt for clear ears, clear eyes, and a clear head.

YOU: Oh yeah, you’re making my case for me. Riding a bike isn’t safe.

Your safety depends on how you ride.

ME: You’re right, if you ride like one of those New York messenger cyclists, weaving between cars and through traffic lights, racing against time, eventually, you will go down. The way you ride determines how safe you are.

And, it’s true, you’re unprotected. So wear a good helmet, and always have front and rear lights, day and night. Check their batteries, or buy the kind that recharge with use. If you use the recharger type, remember, they tend to stop when you’re not moving. Or get a light with a small capacitor to hold the charge long enough to stay lit at short stops. It’s worth the investment.

Listen, if you cycle to work, chances are you’ll begin to cycle for pleasure. You know, weekends, evenings. You’ll get the spirit.

The more you bike, the more you’ll learn about the mentality of the road. There are rules: You follow them, you stay alive.There comes an interesting point where your body, your knowledge, and your peace of mind allow you to enjoy the pleasures of nature. You’re not just a piece of mindless flesh behind a steering wheel.

The sign says it all.

You’ll see things you can never see from a car. Beautiful things. You’ll hear things and smell things you didn’t realize were there (good smells, like roses and lilacs). You’ll become a part of nature, not separated from it. And by the time you get to work, your brain and your body will be up for the challenge. Keep pedaling!

Joseph Hennager

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Beverage Container Laws Expanding in Several States

When bottled water first appeared on product shelves, I initially thought it was a waste of money. I held off for a long time. Eventually, like many of you, I saw the relatively small investment as a fair exchange for the convenience of portability. It was an attractive lure. I bit. And I bought. And bought. And bought.

Millions of beverage bottles end up littering the landscape.

Now that I’m deeply steeped in environmental issues, I have come to understand the disaster of bottled water. Aside from questions about the quality of the water and the safety of the plastic bottles themselves — significant issues, for sure — there’s the problem of waste. Millions of plastic water bottles get tossed in our waterways, lie smashed on our roads, litter our green spaces, or end up in our landfills. In the best-case scenario, they get recycled into other products.

But recycling is less frequent than one might think. When most container laws (often referred to as “bottle bills”) were first enacted about a quarter of a century ago, personal-sized bottled water was unheard of. (If there was such a thing, it’s safe to say that the majority of consumers didn’t know about it.) Today, water bottles and other non-carbonated beverage containers make up a huge proportion of the beverage-container waste stream.

In the US, only 11 states have bottle laws at all, and fewer still include water and other non-carbonated beverage containers. With so many states as hold-outs, you might well wonder whether container recycling laws are effective. Do they keep trash off the roads? Do they have any other economic or environmental benefits to the states that have them? Consider this statement from a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation press release (January 21, 2009):

“Since the original Bottle Bill was enacted in 1982 requiring a five-cent deposit on beer and carbonated drinks, roadside litter has been reduced 70 percent. More than 90 billion containers and 6 million tons of glass, aluminum and plastic have been recycled, resulting in saving more than 50 million barrels of oil and eliminating 5 million metric tons of greenhouse gases - a sum equal to getting 600,000 cars off the road for one year.”

But that’s just recycling of beer and carbonated beverage containers. What about adding water, juice, and tea containers as well? Does expanding the law make much of a difference? Do consumers actually make the effort to turn in their empty water bottles, juice bottles, or energy-drink cans?

A financial incentive encourages consumers to return their empty bottles, rather than litter.

AHEAD OF THE CURVE

For the past two days, I’ve been researching which states currently have bottle laws and, of those, which include water and other non-carbonated beverages. Four states that I know of have included water bottles in their bottle laws: Hawaii, Oregon, Connecticut, and Maine.

I asked Amelia Hicks, Environmental Health Specialist for Hawaii’s Department of Health about her state’s deposit beverage container program. She said, “We’re working to capture as many beverage containers as Hawaii’s Bottle Bill will allow for redemption, including new energy drinks and workout beverages. By providing a financial incentive to encourage recycling, the Program effectively diverts millions [of] beverage containers away from the waste stream each year. Hawaii’s Bottle Bill law currently includes containers for beer, mixed spirits, mixed wine, coffee & teas, carbonated soft drinks, and water. In general, we are finding that water bottles make up a large portion of the plastic bottles being recycled at the redemption centers. Our redemption rate for 2008 was 72%, a large portion of which may be water bottles.”

Peter Spendelow, Environmental Specialist at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said, “Water bottles are covered under Oregon’s Beverage Container Act, but only since January 1, 2009. The amendment was passed as a compromise between those who wanted to add containers for juices, teas, energy drinks, and the like, and those who did not want to add any containers at all.” Another work session is scheduled for Thursday of this week to once again discuss proposed amendments to the container law.

Ilicia Balaban, Issue Associate for Connecticut Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) told me that the governor recently signed legislation expanding the state’s container law to include bottled water. The law goes into effect April 1 of this year.

According to the Maine Department of Agriculture website, the state’s bottle laws apply to all beverages. “ ‘Beverage’ means beer, ale or other drink produced by fermenting malt, spirits, wine, wine coolers, soda or non-carbonated water and all nonalcoholic carbonated or non-carbonated drinks in liquid form and intended for internal human consumption, except for unflavored rice milk, unflavored soy milk, milk and dairy-derived products…. Maine was one of the first of eleven states in the country to have a Returnable Beverage Container Law. When one looks at the history of success with the Bottle Bill, one cannot help but wonder why it isn’t a standard rather than an exception.”

STALWART STATES

The other seven states that have long-standing bottle bill laws do not include water bottles at this time, though legislation is pending in several states:

Water bottles make up a large proportion of the trash we dispose of every day.

In Delaware, Bill Miller of the DNREC Solid Waste & Hazardous Waste Management told me, “Our bottle bill is 25 years old, and a lot has changed since it was written. Today, a big percentage of the market is water, juice, and tea bottles. I haven’t seen any draft legislation, but this is something we talk about a lot. I would like to see these items included in our Beverage Container Regulation.”

Greg Cooper, Director of Consumer Programs at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection informed me that, in his latest budget, the governor proposed to expand the 1983 bottle statute to include containers for water, juice, teas, and other non-carbonated beverages. The Legislature must approve it, of course, but the hope is that the expansion will become law in July.

Vermont has no pending legislation regarding non-carbonated beverage containers, according to Cathy Stacy, an administrator with the state’s Solid Waste Division.

Howard Heideman, Administrator, Tax Analysis Division, Office of Revenue and Tax Analysis, Michigan Department of Treasury, told me by email, “Michigan’s container deposit law applies only [to] carbonated beverages. Legislation has been introduced to include non-carbonated beverages: Senate Bill 54, sponsored by Sen. Michael Switalski. Last year, Rep. Mark Meadows introduced a similar bill, and may reintroduce it this year.”

Bill Blum, Program Planner for Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources, reports that HF 150 proposes expanding Iowa’s existing container law to include water bottles, glass tea bottles, power drink containers, and other non-carbonated beverages. “The bill is no longer viable because of legislative deadlines. It was assigned to a subcommittee on February 2nd. Anything can happen, but there’s not a lot of activity on it right now,” he said.

That brings me back to New York and that January 21, 2009 press release I mentioned:

“New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today urged support of the ‘Bigger Better Bottle Bill,’ saying it would reduce litter, keep million[s] of containers out of our landfills, help in the fight against global warming and generate badly needed revenue.

“Grannis noted that a flaw in the current law is that the five-cent deposit applies only to beer and carbonated beverages. In his 2009-10 Executive Budget, Governor Paterson has proposed expanding the law to apply to non-carbonated beverages.

” ‘It makes no sense to continue to differentiate these containers based on their contents — especially with non-carbonated drinks now making up more than one-quarter of the beverage market,’ Grannis said. ‘An expanded bottle bill also will keep New York’s roadsides, waterways and parks cleaner. Right now, too many plastic and glass containers end up as trash in our parks, playgrounds, rivers and lakes. And this problem will continue to grow as people buy more water and sports drinks.’

“Grannis cited a 2005 study by the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency that found that while 80 percent of plastic soda bottles are recycled, just 16 percent of plastic water bottles are recovered.”

COMING SOON

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably already a supporter of bottle bills. You know, as I do, that a water bottle is essentially no different than a plastic soda bottle. It still becomes litter when thrown on the ground. It still breaks down into minute particles that add to water pollution and kill tiny sea life. It still required precious resources in its manufacture.

For years, only a few states have had bottle laws on their books, but change is coming. In addition to the revisions proposed regarding which types of containers are covered, several additional states are working to pass new bottle bills: Florida, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

Floating bottles eventually break down to microscopic particles that kill tiny sea life.

If you’re a resident of a state (or nation) that currently has a bottle law, be sure to thank your legislators. Let them know you support keeping the laws in place — and applaud those who have had the wisdom to revise the law to include water, juice, tea, and energy drinks.

But what if you don’t have a bottle law in place? You can still take action. Start by learning all you can about the bottle laws in other locales. A great site for a state-by-state and country-by-country overview is BottleBill.org. To be sure you have the latest scoop, however, contact your state officials directly. (To those of you in other countries, my apologies that this post is so self-focused. Feel free to write and let us know about your own laws.) Then let your legislators know what you want: a bottle bill that covers all types of beverage containers.

There’s even a growing movement to create a national bottle bill, which would simplify the redemption process and improve litter across the country. Want to find out more? Check Care2’s petition site. Then take action. Sign the petition. Let your senators and representatives know that you support a nationwide bottle bill. (You do — don’t you?)

Julia Wasson

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Swishing – A New Green Craze for Frugal Fashionistas

“That’s so cute! Where did you get that?”

We’ve all said it to our friends, admiring a blouse, a skirt, a purse, or a pair of shoes. And they’ve said it to us. But we all get tired of our own clothes after a while. Instead of running out to the store to pick up a new item for yourself, consider swishing — swapping before shopping — as an environmentally friendly way to get those super-adorable clothes your friends own. Swishing is easy to do, and a fun way to enhance your wardrobe without spending a dime.

Potirala checks out the clothes before her swishing party.

THE BASICS

The traditional dictionary definition of swishing is “to rustle, as silk.” But Futerra Sustainability Communications, a group advocating for environmentalism through swishing, has redefined the word to mean “to rustle clothes from friends.” Swishing has become a major trend in London, and swishing parties are making their way across the ocean to the United States.

Swishing parties in the U.S. are most commonly found in New York and other metropolitan areas. These parties are known as Swap-O-Rama-Rama workshops and are defined as “where a community explores creative reuse through the recycling of used clothing.” Sound boring? It’s anything but!

Swishing is a great way to prevent older clothes from ending up in the landfill, and it’s really quite simple. If you’re in the UK, you can find times and places of organized swishes on the official Swishing website. If you’re in the US, go to the Swap-O-Rama-Rama website. All you have to do to attend a swishing party is bring at least one piece of fine quality clothing (no rips, holes, or stains allowed), a pair of shoes, or accessories pulled from the corner of the closet you no longer visit. Of course, you are always more than welcome to bring more than one article of clothing. While brand-name garments are great to trade and to receive, it’s not at all a requirement.

Considering a possible swishing find. Photo: Sabrina Potirala

Typically, the host serves drinks and food before the swish. Guests can use this time to check out the items that have been collected. Once the swishing begins, it’s a free-for-all. You can leave with as many items as you can get your hands on, but you are not allowed to claim any items before the swish opens. The more people that attend, the more stuff you’ll get!

Typically, at least one organized swish occurs every month. But you shouldn’t feel limited to large-scale, organized swishing parties, because you are more than welcome to host your own. That way, you can keep all the clothes that no one else claims after the party ends, or donate them to charity if you’d like.

I hosted my own party as a way of encouraging friends and acquaintances to become more environmentally friendly about their used clothes. It’s so easy, anyone can do it.

MY SWISHING PARTY

What about this one? Photo: Sabrina Potirala

Preparing for an evening of swishing is relatively simple and stress free. Since swishing is intended to be a party, I decided to make it feel like one by sending out invitations. Because the success of the party relies on how many people attend, I made sure to specifically include in the invitation that my guests could bring as many people as they wanted.

As a university student, I’m always busy, so I took a simple approach and just made out a general invitation with the date, place, and time. If you are going to host your own party, you can spruce up the invitation in any way you want. Or, to make it a bit easier on yourself, you can download a pre-made invitation from Swishing.org.

Once I had established the date, time, and number of guests, I collected clothes from guests from a few days to a few hours before the party. About three hours before the swish, I began to display the clothes I had collected. Because of tight space, I had to get a bit creative with laying out the clothes. I hung dresses on hangers from nails in the wall, sprawled clothes over couches and tables, and placed shoes in a single line in the hallway. I even hung clothes on the shower curtain rod.

Swishing expands your wardrobe without costing a dime. Photo: Sabrina Potirala

To make the swish a bit more organized, I separated clothes based on function: formal and casual clothes, dresses, and shoes all ended up in different locations. Nothing about how you place the clothes has to be professional, though, because in a few hours people will be rummaging through things like mad.

I started my swishing party with drinks and snacks that were easy to prepare ahead of time. Although many people who host swishing parties prefer to serve wine, I took the cheaper route and decided to share Kool-Aid and fruit punch with my guests. It might seem silly, but these drinks are far from bland. I spruced mine up by playfully serving them in real wine glasses and by mixing flavors to create something that tasted “exotic.”

Because I didn’t want to worry about baking treats prior to the party, I bought chips, popcorn, and other simple snacks. To play up the store-bought goodies, I put jelly beans and individually wrapped chocolates in larger glasses, so each guest could have their own. It doesn’t really matter what you serve for snacks — or what you serve them in. Use whatever you have. Make it easy on yourself and have some fun.

Cool shoes! And they're hardly worn. Photo: Sabrina Potirala

When my guests arrived at 7 p.m., I allotted 30 minutes for conversation and snacking. This was also the time when people could sift through the clothes to pick out things they wanted to go for ahead of time. About five minutes before officially opening the swish, I gave a warning so everyone could prepare themselves, followed by a five-second countdown when the time for browsing was over.

This dress still has the price tag on. Photo: Sabrina Potirala

When the swish opened, people were running around all over the place to get what they wanted. But because we were more of an intimate group than larger, organized swishes tend to be, it wasn’t terribly hectic, and nobody needed to worry about getting trampled over a cute pair of shoes. At the end of the swish, everyone had claimed something new that they loved, and some even walked away with brand-new outfits. It’s certainly an experience won’t soon forget, and because I had so much fun, I plan to host another in the future.

BE GREEN AND SAVE GREEN

Buying new clothing is overrated. The cost of sweaters, purses, shoes, and jeans can add up quickly. Too often, we end up not liking some of those items we “just had to buy.” Before they’re barely worn — or with price tags still on — they get tossed in the trash or neglected in the back of a closet. Swishing is a great way to give clothes and accessories away and get free items in return. Hey, there’s nothing better than free stuff! So get out there and throw a swishing party of your own

.

Sabrina Potirala

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Porked Off! A Critical Look at Iowa’s Water Quality

For 25 years, I’ve lived two blocks from the Iowa River. I used to water ski on, swim in, and fish from it. I don’t anymore. Twenty years ago, I felt safe including my children in these activities. We felt safe swimming in the river and eating bass, bullhead, catfish, and walleye from its waters. I had hoped I would be able to share the same experiences with my grandchildren someday.

The Iowa DNR warns against eating more than "1 meal/week" of many fish due to "elevated levels of mercury" or PCPs.

Nowadays, you shouldn’t just drop in a line and catch your dinner. You should check with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) before you eat the fish. The agency does federally mandated testing for pesticides at least once a year. They test for other contaminants every two years, also as mandated by law. On their Fish Consumption Advisories page, you’ll find warnings like this one:

“The Cedar River from the Highway 218 bridge at Floyd (Floyd Co.) to the Iowa/Minnesota state line (39 mile stretch): Eat only 1 meal/week of smallmouth bass, walleye, and northern pike due to elevated levels of mercury.”

Sound healthy to you?

The DNR website has no current warnings about eating fish caught in the Iowa River. You can eat Iowa River fish, if you want to, but you won’t find many Iowa City residents willing to take the risk. We locals are a little less tolerant of the words “acceptable levels,” especially when it comes to mercury, PCPs, and E. coli.

Yes, that’s E. coli, the bacteria found in feces — from humans and animals. It’s in the water. No worries, though, according to the DNR; E. coli won’t harm you as long as your fish is cooked properly. But don’t try eating it as sushi.

POINT-SOURCE POLLUTION

The pollution in the Iowa River is a very complex problem. We can’t just point a finger at one group and say, “Hey, stop polluting our river!”

Communities of less than 400 houses can legally dump raw sewage into Iowa

One of the main sources of E. coli is human sewage. In all of Iowa, there are more than 700 small, unincorporated towns that have no sewage treatment facilities. That’s right, nothing. Nada. Dumping raw sewage is not against Iowa law for a community with fewer than 400 houses. More than 100 such communities dump their sewage into the Iowa River. That’s thousands of gallons of raw human sewage, every day. Whatever goes down those people’s toilets goes directly into the Iowa River — eventually dumping into the Coralville Reservoir (the “Res”), our primary local recreation area. It’s the favorite place for boaters, waterskiers, swimmers, fishermen (and women), canoers, kayakers, and sunbathers.

A friend of ours was canoeing upriver of the Res last summer. “What’s that white stuff in the water?” he asked his companion. “Looks like toilet paper,” the other man said. It was toilet paper. And there were kids swimming not 10 yards away.

I understood from a conversation with Claire Hruby at the Iowa DNR last week that the economic recovery package should provide money to help fund waste water treatment plants for many of these unincorporated areas. Mix that with the low-interest loans already available from the State of Iowa, and there appears to be a chance this problem might get fixed. We did not discuss how soon.

NON-POINT-SOURCE POLLUTION

Another major problem is caused by the fertilizers and pesticides that farmers use to grow corn and soybeans, Iowa’s staple crops. We’re the Corn State, you know. Last year we grew 2.2 billion bushels of it on 12.5 million acres. We used to have the best soil in the world for corn. Now we have to make it that way with tons of chemicals spread largely on fields with non-rotated, monoculture crops. When it rains, those chemicals don’t stay where the farmers put them.

There’s a solution to this problem, too. It’s a practice that both respects the waterways and saves topsoil. Crop farmers who have waterways on or next to their property can create “setbacks,” buffer strips of natural grasses between crops and streams. These buffer strips absorb the majority of the toxic chemicals and stop soil from eroding. But it gets better yet for farmers. Those who sign up for the program get paid NOT to plant crops in the buffer strips. It’s a program modeled on the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which pays farmers to plant “vegetative cover, such as tame or native grasses, wildlife plantings, trees, filterstrips, or riparian buffers.”

When these pigs are grown, they will produce 10 times the sewage of an average human.

The biggest polluters, of course, are the CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations). Each year, Iowa supports about 25 million hogs, 4 million cattle, 8 million turkeys, and 57 million layers. Iowa, a state of only 3 million people, supports about 94 million farm animals. By support, I mean that we breed, feed, and deal with the fecal waste of those 94 million animals each year, over a quarter of which are hogs. The majority of those animals live in CAFOs.

Iowa is the equivalent of the second-largest hog-producing nation in the world. China is number one. Hogs produce ten times the fecal waste that humans do. According to NEUSE Riverkeeper Foundation, “Each and every day, those 10 million hogs produce fecal waste equivalent to what is produced by all the citizens in the following states combined: North Carolina, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Hampshire and North Dakota (100 million people). This ten to one ratio is verified by the research of Dr Mark Sobsey (UNC, Chapel Hill).” In one year, just the hogs that live within the Iowa River water basin will produce more fecal matter than all the people in California (33,871,648) combined. That’s a lot of sh*t.

Iowa has a lot to be proud of. We are the corn capital of the world. We are the largest hog producer in the nation. And now, we are the toilet of our continent, or, rather, our rivers are. In 2007, the advocacy group American Rivers named the Iowa River the third most endangered river in the US. (According to the DNR, it is possible that American Rivers group selected the “Iowa River” to symbolize it’s location, understanding that there are many rivers in Iowa that are much worse and many better. The DNR conceeds that the Iowa River, indeed, does have its share of problems.)

According to American Rivers, “Iowans are proud of their state’s high rankings for education and livability compared to other states, but on a crucial aspect of the Clean Water Act, our state lags far behind the rest of the nation. Iowa has failed to adopt adequate clean water rules thirty years after passage of the Act that set a baseline to keep water quality from getting worse. If this baseline isn’t enforced, the state will continue to issue permits that allow increased pollution in the Iowa and other rivers. Faced with a growing load of sewage from both humans and livestock, it is no wonder that the Iowa River is one of the Most Endangered Rivers in America.” The floods last year made Iowa’s rivers even worse, creating exponential increases in runoffs of chemicals, topsoil, and sewage.

DUMPING ON FROZEN GROUND

Just a few days ago, the Iowa Senate Agriculture Committee in both houses of the Iowa Legislature released a bill to the floor (S308 and H574) that will restrict the Iowa DNR’s ability to control midwinter sewage dumping. For those who live in warmer climates, let me explain the problem: In winter, when farmers dump raw animal sewage on frozen ground — especially when they dump in January and February, when the snow and ice are more compact — little, if any, soaks into the ground to fertilize next season’s crops. A much higher percentage of that raw, animal sewage washes directly into the streams and rivers during the first rains and snow melt. If the proposed legislation goes directly to the floor, there’s a chance that it just might pass.

Soil erosion like this can be prevented by creating buffer strips along creeks and rivers.

Many environmentalists believe the bill should go back to committee, say, to the Natural Resources Committee (last time I checked, water was still considered one of our natural resources). If it goes to the floor and passes right now, this legislation will deal yet another serious blow to all of Iowa’s rivers.

But lest you think this is just an Iowa problem, consider that Iowa’s rivers dump into the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Our waters touch South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, and eventually, run into the Gulf of Mexico.

Take a look at the NASA photographs of the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico. That colorful ring clinging to the land mass around the curve of the Gulf is our runoff. All those pretty colors in the water show the effects of the Midwest’s pesticides, fertilizers, topsoil, animal wastes, and human sewage hugging the shores of Louisiana and Texas. By this summer, due in part to last year’s floods, the Dead Zone is expected to grow to 10,084 square miles. That’s an area roughly the size of Massachusetts and 17 to 21 percent larger than at any time since the mapping began in 1985.

Due to the nitrogen and phosphorus runoffs from farm fields here in the Midwest, large blooms of algae are depleting the oxygen in the Gulf. This hypoxic water is causing massive fish kills, and driving shrimp and crabs closer to the coast as their habitats are destroyed. Iowa’s crops are killing crops in the Gulf. If the condition worsens, fishing and the coastal economies from Texas to Florida will be irreparably damaged. But the world will still have plenty of corn, soybeans, and hogs.

For those of you who follow Iowa politics, this small vote on this small bill brought a surprisingly large response from some of Iowa’s farm lobbyists, the Iowa Pork Producers, and the Iowa Farm Bureau. There is a lot of money behind these groups. In my opinion, Big Ag runs the State of Iowa. It’s our largest industry. This situation is no different from the coal lobby in West Virginia, the steel and auto lobbies of the Great Lakes region, or the lumber lobby in Washington and Oregon — environmentalists’ voices are drowned out by the clamor of Big Money. The quality of our rivers appears to be far less important to some folks than the almighty dollar.

STEPPING OUT OF THE EQUATION

So, this morning, I stood on the Park Road Bridge over the Iowa River, asking myself, “What can one person do?” Farmers may believe they are the stewards of the land, but they are killing our rivers. This doesn’t have to be a battle between us and them. We all need the rivers.

A winter view of my favorite river.

This is simply a failure to communicate. I know that members of the Farm Bureau have children and grandchildren. Their future generations, too, will drink this water, eat the fish, and simply enjoy the rivers’ beauty.

There is some good news. Inventive minds are creating technological solutions for some parts of the CAFO problem. For example, Iowa’s farmers are throwing away a great potential energy source. Methane burns. It’s a fuel. It just needs to be captured and processed. It can be done. The technology is already working in California and has been for five years.

Roger Treloar, a local hog producer, has patented an organic air filter for hog confinements that naturally — and inexpensively — reduces the smell and methane release by 75%. If you want to call him, I have his number. There is more hope for the future.

But I’m not willing to wait until someone invents a solution to handling excess hog waste so that farmers don’t feel compelled to dump in the middle of winter. I won’t stand by and be silent until more farmers act responsibly and plant buffer strips along waterways.

I have decided that I cannot complain about this problem if I am partly the cause of it. You see, I eat meat. So, today, I am going to partially take myself out of the formula. I am going to pick one meat and stop eating it. I choose not to eat pork, because of what the pork lobby is doing in the Iowa legislature right now.

An average person in the US eats 62.8 pounds of pork per year. That’s roughly one 250 pound hog every four years. If I live another 20 years, that’s 5 less hogs consumed. The 1,276 or so pounds of pork that I would have eaten in my remaining years will not have any noticeable effect on the huge hog industry. But I’ll feel good, knowing I’m not part of the demand that’s causing the problem. By not eating the levels of nitrates that are often cooked into or are a part of the pork processing, I’ll even lower my chances of getting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pancreatic cancer, or contracting MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant staph infection that kills 18,000+ Americans annually. (I strongly suggest that you read about a study done recently at the University of Iowa.)

I'm saying goodbye to pork.

By not eating pork, I’ll be healthier and happier, and so will my favorite river.

The Iowa Pork Producers won’t notice that I’ve thrown away that last package of bacon from my fridge and two cans of pork and beans. I don’t think they’ll notice that I will never again buy hot dogs at baseball games, or eat pork ribs at barbeque restaurants. I will never buy another McRib at McDonalds or a ham, egg and cheese Croissanwich at Burger King. These businesses will not miss me. I am just one person.

Oh, my wife just said she’ll join me. Thanks, Honey. And now, six of our volunteers are cutting out pork, too. Thanks, guys. A few of my friends are joining in. We’re up to 72 hogs already, and I haven’t finished writing this article. Let me make some phone calls and send a few emails. I know some other folks, too, who agree that our Iowa River is an embarrassment to the world. (Check our group on Facebook: Save The Iowa River.) Maybe there are other Iowans living near any of the 72,000 miles of our Iowa waterways, who would like to be able to enjoy them safely.

If you are one of these folks, and you think you can live without pork, let me know. We are each just one person. Our not eating pork is a very small thing. The Iowa Farm Bureau will probably not even notice.
I believe the Iowa DNR should have the power to protect our rivers. I also believe that if I am going to complain about something, I should not be a part of the problem.

Maybe next week, I’ll stop eating beef. After that, chicken… Maybe I’ll have to become a vegan to save my river.

Joe Hennager

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)