Cascadian Farm Organic Goodness

Editor’s Note: Our Change Flows initiative may have come to a close, but here at Cascadian Farm we aim to make Earth Day every day. Here is some great information about how you can set up a river cleanup in your area!

Every year, huge quantities of trash find their way into our rivers. This garbage takes away from the natural beauty of the river and pollutes the water, wildlife, nature, and communities that it sustains. America's rivers provide our drinking water, fish and wildlife habitat, and recreation areas—making the health of our rivers everyone's priority. Clean rivers supply a healthy, vital source of water that is essential for a thriving community and environment.

You can make a difference in the health of our rivers by helping to restore a river in your local area, either through participation or organization of a river cleanup. In just a few hours of your time, tons of trash can be removed from our rivers. You can find a national river cleanup to participate in through American Rivers here. You can also learn more about organizing your own local river cleanup by watching this fantastic video from American Rivers. It gives you an outline of all the steps you need to take to make your river cleanup a success.

Sources:
American Rivers: www.americanrivers.org
Howcast: http://www.howcast.com/videos/265972-How-To-Organize-a-River-Cleanup

Photo Source: 
“MN- Mason Neck River Cleanup” by vastateparkstaff

As part of Cascadian Farm's Change Flows initiative, we are focusing our efforts on keeping our waterways clean. We know that you understand how precious water is to life, vitality, and growth—for our communities, families, and farms. Keeping our waterways clean is only part of the battle; we also need to focus on conserving water. Every drop is precious, and wasting water is something that we cannot afford to do. Wondering how you can conserve water in your own home? Read on to learn how you can start today.

1. Turn It Off

When washing the dishes, consider filling each side of the sink—one with soapy water to clean the dishes, the other with fresh water to rinse. This is always a better option than simply letting the water run. It is also a great idea to turn off the water while brushing your teeth and soaping up in the shower. Don't leave the hose running outside while gardening or washing your car—the less water you use to perform these daily tasks, the better. And if you have leaky faucets or toilets, you’ll want to fix them immediately!

2. Reuse It

Consider purchasing or making your own graywater system. A graywater system can range from a simple, low-cost system to a highly complex, very expensive one. A graywater system collects water from sinks, washers, and dishwashers that can be recycled on-site for use in landscape irrigation. You’ll want to check with your state’s guidelines as to whether they allow use of a graywater system, and remember that graywater is not suitable for drinking.

3. Capture It

In the past, we’ve talked about the benefits—both ecological and economic—of harvesting rainwater. Harvesting rainwater is an ecologically beneficial way to irrigate your gardens and flower beds, wash your car, flush your toilets, or to purify and use as a source of drinking water. The 600 gallons of water for every 1 inch of rain that fall on your 1,000-square foot roof equal a significant amount of water that you can reuse each year, thus saving you a lot of money.

4.  Xeriscape and Xerogarden It

This spring, when you start planning the gardens and landscaping for your yard, consider xeriscaping and xerogardening. Xeriscaping and xerogardening reduce and/or eliminate the need for irrigation watering by incorporating plants that grow well in your climate region. Choose plants based on the amount of water and light they require. For further conservation, use mulch and eliminate plants that require large amounts of water.

5. Don't Bottle It

If you are still purchasing water in plastic bottles, now is the time to consider an alternative. Although drinking bottled water isn't necessarily wasting water, it is wasting the resources used in its production, manufacturing, and transportation. Today, there are many fantastic stainless steel and glass water bottles available on the market that make staying hydrated quick, easy, and fashionable. Leave these refillable bottles in your car, gym bag, office desk, or any other convenient place and eliminate the need to buy bottled water.

How do you save water in your every day living? You can join us and make change flow.

Photo credits: “Clear Water” by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Northeast Region, “Leaky Faucet” by VanDammeMaarten.be, “Urban Harvest Tour – Rain Water Barrels” by jbolles, “Retention Area” by dpatricklewis

During April, we're focusing on our Change Flows initiative in partnership with American Rivers. We know that millions of people will be thinking about the environment on Earth Day (April 22), but we hope you'll join us in making every day Earth Day—support our river-cleanup initiative by "liking" your region on our interactive map. The region with the most “likes” will receive a river cleanup sponsored by Cascadian Farm.

Soil conservation is at the heart of organic farming. Organic farmers strive to keep rich, organic nutrients in the soil so they don’t have to rely on synthetic chemical substitutes. This is the way natural ecosystems work, and we believe this is the best way to grow our food.

Along with healthy soil, crops also need water to grow—water is the lifeblood of our farms. But water does not stay put; it flows from our fields into small streams, which flow into rivers and affect more than just farmland. Synthetic chemical runoff from some conventional farming is known to create algae blooms, which can ruin areas for swimming and boating, affect the taste of drinking water, and kill fish by removing oxygen from the water.⁽¹⁾ Those are just a few reasons why Cascadian Farm has been committed to organic farming for almost 40 years. No synthetic chemicals in the soil and air means no synthetic chemical runoff into nearby streams and rivers. Keeping our waters clean will protect the entire ecosystem for plants, animals, and humans alike.

Like water, Change Flows. Clean water starts with all of us, and we hope you'll join our effort to keep our waters clean. For tips on how you can conserve and protect water, check out last week's blog post, and don't forget to vote for your region on our interactive map for a chance to receive a river cleanup!

Source: (1) EPA http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/upload/2005_4_29_nps_Ag_Runoff_Fact_Sheet.pdf

During April, we're focusing on our Change Flows initiative in partnership with American Rivers. We know that millions of people will be thinking about the environment on Earth Day (April 22), but we hope you'll join us in making every day Earth Day—support our river-cleanup initiative by "Liking" your region on our interactive map. The region with the most “likes” will receive a river cleanup sponsored by Cascadian Farm.

We would also like to share some tips to help you conserve and protect water within your home. If you have any tips you’d like to share, we’d love to hear them. Leave them in the comment box below.

Follow these 10 simple tips to help make a difference:

1. Did you know that it can take approximately three liters of water to produce one liter of bottled water? Consider drinking tap water.²
2. Collect the water you use for rinsing fruits and vegetables, then reuse it to water houseplants.
3. A full bathtub can require up to 70 gallons of water, while taking a five-minute shower uses only 10 to 25 gallons.³
4. Use mulch wherever possible to keep moisture from leaving the soil and to minimize weed growth.
5. A leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water every day. To tell if your toilet has a leak, place a drop of food coloring in the tank; if the color shows in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak.⁴
6. Wash your hands with a soap that is made from natural ingredients so that you aren’t transferring those chemicals down your drain and onto the food you prepare.⁵
7. Baking soda, vinegar, and boiling water make a good alternative to store-bought drain cleaners.⁶
8. During winter months, use as little salt and other de-icing materials as possible on your driveway and sidewalks. ⁷
9. Some regular laundry detergents contain phosphates, inorganic chemicals that damage nearby lakes and rivers. Consider using a biodegradable powdered detergent. ⁸
10. Leave your grass clippings on the lawn. They provide your grass with all the natural nutrients it needs. ⁹

Sources:

American Rivers www.americanrivers.org ¹ ; Pacific Institute http://www.pacinst.org/ ² ; WaterSense – An EPA Partnership Program epa.gov/watersense/pubs^3,4 ; http://www.seventhgeneration.com/learn/guides/guide-creating-healthy-home ⁵ ; http://www.seventhgeneration.com/natural-alternative-drano ⁶ ; http://www.cheltenhamtownship.org/stormwater/solution%20to%20pollution06.pdf ⁷ ; http://video.about.com/greenliving/Go-Green-With-Your-Laundry.htm ⁸ ; http://watoxics.org/healthy-living/healthy-homes-gardens-1/factsheets/cleanwater ⁹

Photo by fox_kiyo

Last month, I wrote about the benefits both ecologically and economically of harvesting rain water. Ecologically, harvesting rain water to irrigate your gardens or flower beds and to wash your car, flush your toilets or to purify as a source of drinking water is a great way to recycle rain water. Economically, using the 600 gallons of water for every 1 inch of rain that falls on your 1,000 square foot roof can equate to thousands of gallons of water that you can reuse each year, saving you a lot of money.

However, many of you had questions about rain harvesting. Today, I am going to answer some of these questions such as; is the rain water that washes off my regular roof contaminated? Where can I buy a rain harvester? How do I set it up? How do I use it, once it is installed? And how to keep mosquitoes from breeding inside the rain harvester?

Hopefully, this will answer some more of your rain harvesting questions and give you more information as to what you will need to start harvesting your share of the rain.

Question: Is rain water that washes off a roof contaminated, will it hurt my gardens?

Answer: The water that washes off of your roof may be contaminated with chemicals, moss or even bird droppings. You can filter the rain water that comes off of your roof with a "floating extractor". A floating extractor floats in the water in the rain harvester, it intakes water from the middle of the tank where the water is at it's purest. The floating extractor is attached to the spigot, so when using the water, you will always be using the cleanest part of the water. You can also purchase a downspout filter that will capture any larger debris that finds its way into your downspout. Many rain harvesters that purchase from your local garden center will come with a built in filtering system. Just make sure to clean the filters on a regular basis.

Question: Where can I buy a rain harvester?

Answer: You can purchase a rain harvester from many local gardening stores. Garden stores typically sell 55 to 75 gallon rain barrels with leaf screens and built in spouts for $50-$250 dollars. It depends on how large and what type of a system you are looking for. You can also make your own rain harvesting system for a fraction of the price. This DIY Rain Harvesting Video shows you exactly how to make one.

Question: How do I set up the rain harvester?

Answer: Setting up a rain harvester is simple. First, decide which rain gutter you want to use for rain harvesting. Position the rain harvester directly below the downspout on level ground, I suggest using concrete blocks to raise and level it. Set the rain harvester on top of the concrete blocks with the spigot facing the garden. Cut the downspout to fit directly above the rain harvester and wait for a good rain storm. Here is a great video on How to Install a Rain Harvester.

Question: How to I get the water out of the rain harvester?

Answer: Gravity is the simplest and most budget friendly way to remove the water from your rain harvester and into your yard. All you need is a spigot at the bottom of the tank. Unless you need the water to move up to a higher level than where the tank is situated, if so, you will need a pump. You can purchase a pump from your local gardening store as well.

Question: How do I keep mosquitoes from breeding in the barrel?

Answer: To prevent mosquitoes from breeding in the barrel, make sure that the barrel is always covered or has a screened top.

I hope this helped to answer some of your rain harvesting questions.

If you have other questions, please leave them below and I will answer them for you!

Photo Via wwarby.