Oil spill could be among worst ever - Americas, World - The Independent
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could already have leaked 8 times the amount of oil as the Exxon Valdez spill. Oiled animals and chunks of oil are STILL washed up on the shores of Prince William Sound in Alaska to this very day. The oil spill has no end in site and the most viable solution, a relief well, will take 3 months to complete. The only solution to this problem is to get rid of oil drilling altogether. I love my car just as much as the next person does. My 1980 VW Rabbit is my pride and joy, one of my most prized possessions and yes of course I use oil to drive her. Why do I use oil? Because I have no other option! There is public transit and my bike and walking... I do all of these things, but sometimes I have to use my car and even public transit uses oil. The problem is that remedies for oil are out there and the technology is there and has been used before, but the government won't give it to us because it just wouldn't be good for big corporations and it wouldn't be good for the ever important, FAILING monatery system. People have invented AIR powered cars that take air into the engine from outside and the only emission is cold air, which can actually be used to air condition the car itself. There are solar powered cars, ammonia powered cars that emit nothing but nitrogen that are already being used in Canada, hydrogen powered cars that work in almost the same way as gasoline, and many other options like ethanol and battery operated which would in the end cause other problems... My point is that the alternatives already exist but they are being withheld from us. It's absolutely disgusting that we keep mining and drilling for these outrageously horrendous world altering substances that are causing so much damage that we are basically fucking up the ENTIRE PLANET!!!
5.13.2010
Todo frodo.
(I heard bats today. I love bats.)
1. Finish pomegranate tree painting... add words or no? "Harvest your fruit before it's too late." Thinking thoughts of wonder.
2. NORMAL HEIGHTS TOMORROW - bring paintings before 4pm - Under the Sun
3. Print Harvesting San Diego signs and put them up around O-side and C-bad
4. Has mama E sent off for the CSA? Suzie's Farm rules! We'll get some CSA experience before we start our own.
5. Pack bag of jewelry TOMORROW so I don't forget to bring shit Saturday.
6. FIND PLANNER
7. Make food Saturday to bring to potluck. Easily transportable and perhaps be able to eat cold. Our harvestables - broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, green onions, basil, oregano, summer savory, rosemary, lavender, lemon thyme, creeping thyme, sage... MMM something with lemon and herbs, yes please.
9. Make more earrings before Sunday!
5.05.2010
Yam Patties
Yam (or Sweet Potato) Patties
serves 3-4 people
Ingredients:
2 large yams or sweet potatoes - I used yams [from the only potato grower in San Diego county]
Bunch of green onions [from our backyard]
Lemon thyme [note to self: prune a bit more, getting a little woody]
1/3 cup Coconut Milk
Large fresh lemon [from a guy in Ramona who sells rad veggie starter plants from his backyard and gave us a bag of lemons from his tree]
Cheese [Tillamook because they're a co-op of small dairy farmers who take care of their cows]
Olive oil
Sea salt n Pepper
Cooking instructions:
1. Bring water to a boil with some sea salt
2. While you're waiting for the water, rinse your yams and cut the smooshy end bits off, peal the skin off if you prefer but it is very nutritious so I prefer it left on, and slice into thinnish pieces
3. Throw them in the boiling water for 10-15 minutes, til they get soft enough mash
4. Drain them, then mash with coconut milk and...
5. Cut off the roots of the green onions and the end part of the long green whispy leafers that are limpy.. leave the rest, it's all good. Dice them up small and mix about 2/3 of them into the yam mash
6. Add salt, pepper, lemon thyme, a slice of lemon juice
7. Form into patties, fry in a skillet with a lot of olive oil so they don't stick
8. Flip in about 7-10 minutes and on the new face up side, sprinkle remaining green onions, some lemon zest (use a potato peeler), and cheese
FIN.
Badass Gardening Ideas
Succulent Art [take it to the next level]
step one: Build frames!
step two: soil
step three: cuttings, let callus
step four: create!
remember - don't hang til well rooted
Save space by growing up! Squash, melons, cucurbits, peppers, grapes!
Gardening is my favourite thing. When I get a job or my jewelry/art takes off, I'm going to invest in getting all the certifications I need to sell our food to people through CSA membership and farmers markets or stores or even small restaurants. It would be a dream to make a living from farming and art. I would still have so much time to volunteer, set my own hours, take trips, constantly delve deeper into permaculture... I'm going to make this happen.
4.30.2010
Off-shore oil drilling... really Obama?!
What is going on with this country?
above: Gulf of Mexico oil spill (space view)
In 1896 the first oil rig was put in salt water, off the coast of Santa Barbara, CA. According to the US government, about 1.3 million gallons of oil are spilled into the ocean each year by vessels and oil rigs. Right now there are roughly 210,000 gallons of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico daily and it's only been spilling for a little over a week, started April 20th I believe, so that totals about 1.68 million gallons. Math is the shit! But oil spills are not the shit at all! They're actually really shitty. The people trying to fix it are looking for some switch to turn it off or something but can't get to it. Waaay nuts. And this is happening in a place that is incredibly rich in amazing wildlife like sea turtles, brown pelicans, and Arctic peregrine falcon which are all endangered or threatened, soon to be endangered. There are 400 species of endangered plants and animals in the Gulf of Mexico and 31 are off the coast of Louisiana where this is happening, but it will spread all over. Of course there are tons of people out there trying to clean it up, we're in the middle of an oil economy with a new puppet who just opened more coastline to offshore drilling on the eastern coast from Delaware all the way down to Florida, also in northern Alaska in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.
above: Walruses chillin in the Chukchi Sea... or trying to.
What a shame. There are so many fragile creatures out there that are struggling so hard for their lives right now with the sea ice receding more and more every year. Walruses! Definitely my next painting. I could so use beans for my little brown walrus. Engage...tomorrow. I've drifted away from my point a little - what in the hell is this president thinking?!? There have always been problems with offshore oil drilling and it's not different now. There is no safe way to do it, no fool proof way whatsoever and when the things blows up or sinks there is no easy way to turn it off. Clearly there are some kinks and this planet shouldn't be a testing ground for crazy human obsessions, especially dangerous ones like fossil fuels.
Solar and wind are fully capable of getting the job done efficiently and far cleaner, it's renewable, the technology is there, it would provide jobs in turn help the local and national economy, local communities, and it's far safer! We have a voice and we need to tell the government what we want. Let's not just think about ourselves, but the future of the human race and especially the planet which has no voice.
TAKE ACTION! Because you care.
Sign a petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/6/continue-the-fight-against-offshore-drilling
or 2: http://takeaction.oceana.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=45
3...: http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/1488/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1522
Join the facebook group: 1,000,000 Strong Against Offshore Drilling - http://www.facebook.com/dontdrill
Blog about it, tell your friends, write letters, call your representatives, make paintings, write it on walls, take pictures, tattoo it on your face... anything you can think of! And send me pictures. greenearthalive@gmail.com People rule when they come together.
My references:
http://www.healthygulf.org/our-work/species-at-risk/species-at-risk-home
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Eco/bp-oil-spill-national-significance-obama-administration/story?id=10509844
http://www.livescience.com/environment/oil-spill-faq-100423.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/science/earth/31energy.html
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