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I had heard about Flora Grubb through several un-related people. She's created a native, drought-tolerant beautiful oasis that has become the city's crown jewel of plant shops. One friend mentioned she'd been profiled in Vogue, another that he buys his fruit trees from her and that his kids love going there. While attending our good friends Kestrin Pantera and Jonathan......read more
With the economy still sputtering, Corporate America hasn't put the shears away yet. Jobs are still being cut, pay is still getting sliced. Shrinking budgets are making some forward-thinking companies look for other, non-monetary ways to benefit employees. One such response are workplace gardens, which are a perfect fit for companies with large office spaces and plenty of unused land on......read more
The grass lawn is as conventionally American as the white picket fence. Most homes in this country are surrounded by green grass. To stay healthy and green, grass requires large amounts of inputs, including water, fertilizer, and energy. Sure, grass lawns have some aesthetic and recreational benefits, but so do parks. Considering the state of the climate, it may be due time to reconsider the idea......read more
Taking a slight left turn at Albuquerque now, folks, so please remember to keep all arms, legs, and capes inside the vehicle. Today we’re going to change it up a little and forgo the usual cooking and talk a little about growing things that will be cooked at a future date uncertain. As you may have learned from previous posts on this very Web log, I have the amazing fortune to be......read more
It is a rare occasion that you'll find a post on SHFT commending the fast food industry, which gets a general fail for its heavy footprint and for pushing products of dubious nutritional value. In Japan, a busy Subway location in Tokyo is making a move in the right direction, with a new, enclosed hydroponic garden for growing lettuce. Adding truth to the Subway tagline "Eat Fresh,"......read more
The horizontal garden game was stepped up on the weekend when the largest green wall in North America was unveiled in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The fern-lined wall is located in the newly constructed East Conservatory Plaza at Longwood Gardens. At 4,072 square feet, it's more than twice the size of North America's second largest living wall (also in Pennsylvania). Designed by GSky,......read more
Matthew Levesque is on a crusade to prove that landscape design doesn't have to be boring or expensive. In his new book, "The Revolutionary Yardscape: Ideas for Repurposing Local Materials to Create Containers, Pathways, Lighting, and More," Levesque offers inspiration and tips on using unexpected materials to spruce up the area around your home. The book is filled with images and......read more
Leafy greens get a bum rap. You're not going to find many die-hard fanatics of kale or chard. Mention to your household that you're cooking turnip, mustard, collard or beet greens for dinner, and you're likely to be met with a scrunched up face or two. At the Portland Farmers Market Blog, we stumbled on a great post from Jane Pellicciotto, who offers some convincing arguments in......read more
Homesteading is broadly defined as a lifestyle of simple, agrarian self-sufficiency. The sustainable, back-to-the-land movement is gaining popularity in urban areas, where applicable rural homesteading elements are being applied to city living. In theory, most people are into the idea of producing everything needed for survival on one's own land. While this isn't realistic for most of......read more
Gordon Matta-Clark was an eco-art O.G.. In the 70s, Matta-Clark's conceptual projects included recycling glass bottles, digging out a basement to create a “guerrilla” garden, and turning a dumpster into an open house. An exhibition centered on Matta-Clark's time at 112 Greene Street, one of the first artist-run venues in New York, opens this weekend at David Zwirner in NYC. In a......read more
