Climate Change and Personal Responsibility

...en so much positive change on this front, even just in the last few years. Urban homesteading, slow food, organics, bikes, car share, DIY, all of it — it’s blossoming. It’s very hopeful. I’m going to put the next part in italics because it’s so important: The pleasure and satisfaction that we all receive from living this way is the positive counterspell to the dark enchantment of consumer culture. When we live this way, we become positive examples...

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The Root Simple 2016 Holiday Gift Guide

...ht I’d offer some suggested gifts, mostly obtainable online, for the urban homesteady types in your life. Most of the links are to Amazon, and we get a small cut of the proceeds, which helps keep our webmaster in kibble. But First . . . Charity Of course, rather than buying unneeded crap that will only clutter our already messy houses, we could agree to give to a charity instead. This season, due to our national “orange swan” event, Kelly is favor...

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So Cal Alert: Polyphagus Shot Hole Borer

...two or three feet. That’s no quick sprinkle with a hose! Visit the Inland Urban Forest Council to download a PDF about how to properly water your trees. Also, we might suggest that this is a great time to install a laundry to landscape graywater system. Many thanks to our excellent arborist, Nick Araya of Tree Care LA, who came out yesterday to look at our drought-stressed avocado tree (no beetles yet, thankfully!) and gave me the 411 on the Poly...

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Saturday Tweets: Danes and Their Garbage, Big Food and #BlackCatAppreciationDay

...15 Check out @NatGeo and their #rat story. https://t.co/PYnA7ARjmJ — SoCal Urban Wildlife (@SCUWMCouncil) August 20, 2015 Spectacular, swirling custom-built stone walls and furniture via @BoingBoing http://t.co/duIaDhKwPo — Root Simple (@rootsimple) August 21, 2015 Scientists study the impact of the drought on California's giant sequoias http://t.co/xduhylrmol via @SFGate — Root Simple (@rootsimple) August 21, 2015 Latest Video: how to grill s...

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