Welcome to Green Living

Bamboo's natural range includes every continent except Europe and Antarctica.

We once had 5 million acres of an American native bamboo know as Canebrake or Arundinaria gigantea growing in our Southeastern quarter. This bamboo and its ecosystem were soon greatly diminished in area by the migration of settlers in the early 19th century. The bamboo grew in good soil and was cleared for farmland. Unbelievably, a new species was described for the USA in 2006. Its name is Hill cane, or Arundinaria appalachiana.

Biodynamic® farming is receiving more attention every day and for good reason. As a sustainable practice with the smallest carbon footprint of any agricultural method, this farming method is also producing lush, robust, nutrient-rich plants whose health and vitality are surprising even the farmers growing them. "It's really remarkable," says Randy Buresh, founder of Oregon's Wild Harvest in Sandy, Oregon. "We've been certified organic for more than fifteen years, but it's only in the process of becoming Certified Biodynamic® that I've seen plants the size of these. The roots are strong; the soil is richer than ever, and crops are easily 20% bigger than ever before. It's amazing."

Information of interest in the Portland, Oregon region, Autumn 2009

This is the first in a series of articles by individuals who have, for the last 30 years or more, been actively engaged in building a more sustainable lifestyle for themselves and for their community. John Patterson, founder and owner of Mr. Sun Solar, has stepped up to the plate and volunteered to be our first "Pioneer" and share some of his thoughts with us.

In 1979, I put a solar water heating system on my home and was very impressed with how well it worked. I thought solar made good investment sense.