From the Publishers

What's growing on?

by Carolyn Chase

n selecting what will be featured in ET every month, I am always present to abundance. There is never a lack of ideas, examples and advice on how to contribute to a better and more sustainable world. The three key things on my mind this month are: sustainability, politics and food.

Item 1: please patronize our advertisers. Sustainability begins at home, and if ET is to prosper, the economy of this newspaper needs your support. I'm not talking about increasing your consumption - just choosing to consume in more environmentally sustainable ways. As someone once observed, if we don't change our course, we shall surely end up where we're headed! If we don't support environmentally-oriented businesses, environmental values will not be successfully translated into economic terms. Along those lines, ET is seeking an additional salesperson. They must be an enthusiastic networker, committed to the environment and business, and thrive in a dynamic small-business culture. Please call us or send in your resume if this excites you.
Item 2: politics. Elected representatives and candidates need to know that there is an constituency for the environment. As we move along in the national election cycle, there will be more and more opportunities to let politicians know that you expect them to protect environmental and public health, and the economy. Please communicate with your elected representatives and call them regarding the importance of environmental issues.
Item 3: food. In observance of national "Organic Harvest Month," much of this issue is dedicated to one of the few truly universal areas for people: food, and more specifically, how our food is grown.

Everyone's daily food choices translate directly into environmental, health and economic impacts that are felt around the globe and in our food-cycle infrastructures including farmers, distributors, and processors. If one is looking for one single area to focus on where their daily choices can translate into making a difference, you need look no further than your own mouth, kitchen, or backyard/balcony garden.

The satisfaction that comes with consuming organic products and growing and eating even part of your own food is something that everyone can experience. This year, I managed to nurture incredible tomatoes and artichokes. My weekly collection of organic fruits and veggies from the Be Wise Ranch is a steady source of delight. These aspects of my relation with the food chain directly connects me to the sources of my sustenance and the processes of nature. It's hard to describe exactly how it feels, but everyone should try it. Really!

We are pleased to announce that a big supporter of ET is promoting sustainable local food and growing habits by taking to the radio airwaves with "The Organic Gardening Hour." Each Sunday morning beginning September 10, from 9AM - 10 AM, all-talk KCEO AM1000 will debut what is billed as "the national's most controversial gardening show." The show promises to cultivate controversy while worming it's way into your hearts!

The show's host Richard Allan is on a mission from "Mother Nature" to get the growing public to throw away their false "miracles in a box" and return to low-tech, healthy and productive organic gardening, landscaping and farming. "For the first five billion years of our blessed earth's existence, there wasn't a box of 'Miracle Grow' on the shelves and the plants did pretty well." Allan explains. "After World War II, the Acme Bomb Factory converted to the Acme Fertilizer Company and, with clever Madison Avenue hype, sold the farmer on the concept that they indeed had a miracle in a box, bag and freight car." The only thing they didn't know or tell was that the miracle has some catches: overuse and blind dependence will sterilize the soil by killing essential bacteria, the natural flora and the worms, leaving the grower with an unhealthy chemical-dependence. But this cycle can be broken.

KCEO's Organic Gardening Hour promises to address the wellness of our plants, food systems, and natural immune processes - not simply what chemicals to use to solve short term problems. Along with other organic experts, Allan will offer positive and practical solutions to many of gardener's most common problems. In addition he plans to debunk "the sacred cows of the gardening industry."

Host Allan is the founder and CEO of San Diego-based American Kelp Corporation, "the world's largest producer of horticultural and saponin products." AK advocates the elimination of all chemical additives and a return to healthy soil with the help of natural bio-stimulates and lots of "happy" worms. For more info see their ad on page 4.
Remember: everyone can do something. And it is important that you do.