Americans have rightly praised the key heroes and heroines of the COVID-19 battle, notably frontline healthcare workers and first responders. And our hearts — and hopefully wallets — have gone out to the service industry, most of all restaurant workers, who have almost no safety net in a crisis like this. I applaud folks who have tried to buy to-go food and tip servers as big as possible. In … [Read more...] about The Hidden Heroines in the Coronavirus Battle — Seamstresses!
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Coronavirus, Quarantine, and the Meaning of American Life
The governor in my state, Virginia, has now issued a total stay at home order. We've gone from social distancing, travel advisements, and schools being shut down through the academic year to straight out "do not leave home unless absolutely necessary." The governor says to expect this through May. In one way the final order is good news. It's clarifying to have a leader who's not … [Read more...] about Coronavirus, Quarantine, and the Meaning of American Life
Why You Should Buy From an Etsy Shop During the Coronavirus Shutdown
You've gotten all the eggs, milk, and cheese that you can. Check. You're rationing the toilet paper, you've seen every show on Netflix, and you've cleaned out the junk drawers and finally tackled the basement. Check. Even your inbox is de-spammed and folder-organized for a bright future ahead. Check. So now what? You're bored, stir crazy, and itching for a diversion, any … [Read more...] about Why You Should Buy From an Etsy Shop During the Coronavirus Shutdown
When ‘frugal’ became a bad word in America
Two incidents recently got me to thinking about how what was once an essential American value — frugality — morphed into a cultural pariah. The first was when I posted on my Facebook page that my hubby and I had made a New Year's resolution to not buy any new clothing during all of 2015. We both enjoy nice clothes, and we purchase worthy stuff — quality over quantitiy — but it's not like we … [Read more...] about When ‘frugal’ became a bad word in America
Food not lawns
The Food: Not Lawns Movement may be one of the most perfect storms in addressing how we can simultaneously cut back on destructive practices in lawn care and centralized food production while increasing healthy and productive ones at the hyper-local level. Between fossil-fuel powered mowers and leaf blowers, heavy water use, application of synthetic — and too often toxic — herbicides and … [Read more...] about Food not lawns
The food and climate intersection
I wanted to do more with this show than just depict urban farming in action, but also to illustrate its benefits. Since food grown closer to where people live travels a smaller distance, and because growing food in proximity to large populations calls for more sustainable methods, overall urban farming results in a smaller carbon footprint, something key to the urgent case for methods — and … [Read more...] about The food and climate intersection
