July 2008
I don’t just eat my veggies,
I eat local veggies
Get your weekly produce fresh from the farm and delivered to a convenient location near you! Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) makes a meaningful connection between farmers and consumers. CSA membership means buying a flavorful share of the season's harvest. Members are rewarded with affordable, locally-grown, minimally transported fruits, vegetables, and sometimes other foods, that are often raised organically. One tasty bite and you can almost feel the good earth between your toes. Go here to find CSA’s in your area (click on a region and then click on CSAs).
Carry canvas and bag the plastic
Around the world, a billion or more plastic bags are given out every day! Too often they end up as debris littering our cities and countryside or fouling our rivers and oceans. Marine and terrestrial wildlife of many kinds are killed by ingesting plastic or through entanglement. The popularity of the bags is quickly melting away and many governments around the globe are taxing or banning them. Fill your grocery cart with reusable bags and bear the good news of reduced petroleum dependence and a healthier environment. Look for them in your favorite grocery store or go to www.reusablebags.com for an array of bags that will stretch the imagination and more plastic insights than you can shoulder.
Protect our resources, in life and death
Eco-cemeteries are an idea to die for. According to the non-profit organization Forest of Memories, “An eco burial ground (also known as a woodland cemetery, a green-cemetery, memorial nature preserve, or natural burial ground) is a place where the body is returned to nature. Native vegetation, often a memorial tree, is planted over or near the grave in place of a conventional cemetery monument.” A living memorial and protected wildlife habitat are thus created. Eco-cemeteries are on the rise, including one making the news in eastern Pa. called EcoEternity Forest. Leave a legacy of open space—natural lands interspersed with trails—sure to soothe the soul.
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Congratulations to Arlene Taylor of Harrisburg, the winner of a monthly drawing from the SEEDS subscription list. Ms. Taylor receives a copy of It’s Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth Friendly Living.
Congratulations to Marion Yaglinski of Media, the winning PAiCon who receives a special two-night stay in a state park camping cottage.
Sign up if you received this e-mail from a friend and would like to add yourself to the Seeds mailing list.
iConservePA is a program of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Edward G. Rendell, Governor.
PAiCon of the month
Meet Crystal a self-described “recycling maniac” from Lancaster and our PAiCon of the month. When it comes to conservation, she says doing “anything is something!” Do something today—become a PAiCon, too! See below for the name of the lucky iCon who won a two-night state park stay! Maybe you’ll be next!
Did you know?
Pennsylvania is the national leader in farmland preservation, saving 3,521 farms and 389,247 acres! You can help protect farmland by supporting the American Farmland Trust.
Spotlight on…
The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) - a nonprofit organization working to create profitable farms which produce healthy food and respect the natural environment. For their innovative partnerships in product marketing to their ongoing efforts in research and education, support PASA and help Pennsylvania grow a little better.
© 2007 Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources