of local interest

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."

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.

An innovative effort to bring locally-grown foods to Oregon's school children and to help them understand where their food comes from received a big thumbs-up when the Oregon State Legislature unanimously passed House Bill 2800 in July.

Here's our choice: utilize preventative measures for controlling fleas now, or, wait until those pesky, pointed headed little bloodsuckers drive us to the brink of frustration by setting off some kind of poisonous flea bomb in our homes.

The Zero Waste Alliance's Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative, SOSI (pronounced "so see") has taken a systemic approach to fostering healthy school environments by engaging, educating and inspiring individual schools, districts, and the organizations that support them.