Tag Archives: organic

Peer to Pier: Conversations with fellow travelers

Published by View From The Pier in May 2011 is an inspiring interview with Sue Coppard, the founder of WWOOF conducted by Meg Pier
 
Sue Coppard is founder of WWOOF, a worldwide network that serves as a conduit linking volunteers with organic farms. In return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts offer volunteers food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles. Created in 1971 and one of the world’s first voluntourism organizations, WWOOF was borne out of Sue’s desire to periodically escape her life as a London secretary and spend time in the countryside. Today WWOOF is a global movement, with over 50,000 volunteers working on 7,000-plus host farms in more than 100 countries.

I first learned about WWOOF from one of its host members and another “Peer to Pier” subject, Claudia Scholler, proprietor of Cortijo El Saltador, a traditional Andalucian farmhouse in the foothills of Spain’s Sierra Alhamilla.

In getting acquainted with Sue I learned not only a great deal about organic practices but also got an education on a wide range of other areas–from the basic tenet of anthroposophical philosophy to the potentially huge and positive impact of simply following your own heart, and the wisdom of not needing to have all the answers before embarking on a new endeavor. Not to mention, I remembered all my own reasons for seeking adventure and being out-of-doors! I hope you enjoy this conversation with Sue.

This above all, – to thine own self be true;
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

~William Shakespeare, 1564 – 1616


Meg: Can you explain what WWOOF is?
Sue: WWOOF is an acronym standing for World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms. It is a cooperative network, now worldwide, which offers members the opportunity to stay as working guests on a wide variety of organic farms, smallholdings, gardens and other rural enterprises. No money changes hands, it’s an exchange. In return for your help on the land and with other tasks you receive bed and board, and a lot more besides: farming and agricultural experience – even training to change to a rural life; contact with nature and animals; access to beautiful countryside; good physical exercise; learning a host of other skills such as bread making, weaving, cheese making, bee keeping, cider making, or running a farmers’ market stall; friendships with people from many different cultures and nationalities; and the chance to experience entirely different ways of life, regions, or even continents. The world is your oyster! Alternatively, you could visit the same WWOOF place regularly and get to know your own region throughout the seasons – leaving a considerably lighter carbon footprint!

On top of all this, you have the satisfaction of knowing you are helping the stalwart but not overwhelmingly-rewarded people who make up the Organic Movement around the world – which will surely be the salvation of the planet.

I wish to acknowledge the immensely hard and inspired work by so many WWOOF organisers which are responsible for WWOOF’s extraordinary growth. Many countries now have their own WWOOF organization, all quite different as each is independently self-governing and has evolved in its own individual way. Those WWOOF Hosts in a country without a WWOOF organization belong to WWOOF Independents, an internet network.

Meg: Can you describe what led up to WWOOF’s creation?
Sue: In 1971 when I started WWOOF I was secretary to the Textile Research Unit at the Royal College of Art in London.

I loved London and …


Earth Day 2010: 40 Years and Going Strong

Published by EHS Today on Friday, 22 April, 2011 by Laura Walter
 
On the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, organizations and communities across the nation will come together to celebrate, honor and protect the earth while promoting sustainability and environmental awareness.

“Forty years ago, Americans across the nation took up a call for cleaner air, safer water and unpolluted land,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson in an Earth Day message. “They saw that to keep our families healthy, to build clean communities and to make America stronger for the future, we needed to protect and preserve our environment.”

EPA will hold free Earth Day events on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., April 24 and 25, where Jackson and senior EPA officials will be in attendance. Exhibits will include an environmental crime scene forensics demonstration; cutting-edge automotive technology; climate change habitat loss exhibits; environmental videos; an interactive environmental hazards booth for kids; backyard composting demonstrations; a Chesapeake Bay water model; and more.

“As we look to the past, we are also focused on …


Feeling Skeptical about “Green” Products?

To find the line between greenwashing and environmental victory, Wake Forest University Sustainability Director Dedee DeLongpré Johnston advised, “If something sounds too good to be true, it likely is.”

That means even products touted as organic or eco-smart might not be as Earth-friendly as they seem. Before purchasing that product, consider the following:

Where was the product made, with what materials, and under what conditions?
How much water and …


Bamboo is a bust as a green product

Bamboo IS natural material, different issue is how was it grown?

When nobody knows what is going on, it is in most cases about money. It could be political agenda too. Either way, I have a feeling that there is someone behind this issue.
Claiming that production is not entirely pesticides free sounds like a joke in light of mega-tones of pesticides and herbicides being used by farming industry to produce “healthy and organic” food.
Any way, read the article and have your own opinion.

 
Article published by Star Tribune on 17 February 2011 by JOHN EWOLDT
 
Five years later, the “it” eco-material is hard to find in stores. What changed?

When Matt Joyce of Woodbury tried to find a replacement set of his favorite bamboo/cotton sheets at Target recently, he left empty-handed. Target no longer carried them. Neither did Kohl’s, Macy’s, Wal-Mart or Lands’ End stores.

“I thought bamboo was supposed to be so versatile,” he said. “What happened?”

Once described as the perfect raw material, bamboo has many desirable properties. It’s strong and versatile. It also grows much faster than trees, requires little water and fertilizer, and doesn’t require replanting after harvesting.

By 2006, consumers …


Eco-Luxury

Can it be? Eco design/product connected with the luxury?

It seems it can, especially when taking – yachts 🙂 Bellow is an excerpt from an article in this subject

Eco-Friendly Luxury Yacht: OrganiK

Rarely do the words organic and luxury come together as elegantly as they do with the new OrganiK yacht design from Sylvain Viau which was created with the objective of providing a high standard of comfort with eco-friendly undertones. …

Read the whole article here Posted By Alison Agudo on January 9th, 2010 on Hauteliving.com