File Under: Ridiculous
July 3rd, 2008 / No Comments » / by CB
This one made me laugh. Gotta be the link of the week.
Wigs…for your cat.
Seriously.
NYC Beer Database
July 1st, 2008 / No Comments » / by CB
This is some good stuff. What Beer would you like to drink = here is your NYC (mostly manhattan) restauraunt.
Sustainable Urban Gardening is badass
July 1st, 2008 / No Comments » / by CB
When my Grandpa Behnke was getting back from World War II Americans grew 25% of their food.
That is impressive.
I read this article by Tracie McMillan back in March in the New York Times. I was initially fascinated by the New York urban gardening that was happening all over the city. But this sentence grabbed my attention
In Milwaukee, the nonprofit Growing Power operates a one-acre farm crammed with plastic greenhouses, compost piles, do-it-yourself contraptions, tilapia tanks and pens full of hens, ducks and goats — and grossed over $220,000 last year from the sale of lettuces, winter greens, sprouts and fish to local restaurants and consumers.
$220,000 dollars. Seriously? I am a firm believer in the value of the American Entrepeneur when it comes to techniques that have economic value. Add in the sustainability factor and it’s a win-win. Needless to say I was intrigued.
I found the Growing Power website which has some good articles but doesn’t really explain how the farm is run. By reading this article 2 things were really striking:
1. Fish poop in water - water feeds plants - plants filter water (harvest fish, plants)
2. The compost piles in the cold WI winters kept the Greenhouses at an optimal temperature with no additional heating. We’re talking Wisconsin winter here. Cold.
All of this is really cool except unless I visited I couldn’t get an idea about the details of how they farm at Growing Power. So then I found this Treehugger.com article by Sami Grover and the following videos.
This may be one of the biggest issues facing our generation. How do get what we need to sustain human life within the smallest footprint possible in order to achieve the greatest amount of Biological Diversity?
This video has Tilapia. I think I hear them say they have Perch too. That would vibe more with Wisconsin if you have Perch. Helping out those populations. Perch is probably 2nd on the list of best tasting native Wisconsin fish.
Finding ways to eat invasive species
June 29th, 2008 / No Comments » / by CB
So here is a link to a great article by Tara Grescoe, in the op-ed section of the New York Times.
Being a huge fan of sportfishing in Northeastern Wisconsin I know there are plenty of invasive species that have changed Lake Michigan - zebra & quagga mussels, alewife, different species of Goby, Rainbow smelt, spiny water fleas, sea lamphrey…the list goes on.
It’s very interesting to me what fish are considered valuable to human consumption. Take for instance the Sheephead, found in Lake Winnebago. My Uncle claims to have eaten it- but to most fisherman it is considered “garbage” and released back into the lake.Then there is also the argument by some scientists that making an invasive species part of human diets also ensures it’s survival. And with Sea Lamphrey populations at a quarter of their peak, (according to this interview) maybe having fresh Sea Lamphrey Sashimi at your local Green Bay Sushi Restaurant is not such a great idea.
Either way both articles talk about the Asian Carp. I wonder how long before Lake Michigan Salmon goes the way of the Atlantic Salmon in Lake Michigan.
