Newsletter #34
We are stardust / Billion-year old carbon / We are golden / Caught in the devil's bargain / And we've got to get ourselves / back to the garden" —Joni Mitchell “Woodstock”
Hello Friends!
Welcome to my latest Newsletter and to all new subscribers! An especially big thank you to all paid subscribers! The words from Joni Michell’s song are more profound than ever, as we become increasingly aware of how flawed our food system is. It’s not just an act of resilience to grow your own food but also an act of resistance. We the people will not support food that is grown in unhealthy conditions, for people and for the planet. I am dedicated to growing as much food as I can and share it with my loved ones and with my local food pantry. This month, I’m excited about introducing a few new things to my climate resilient garden River’s Edge Farm in the Hudson Valley: asparagus, flax seed and fava beans! In this issue, you will learn why eating asparagus is good for your health and how to plant and grow it; a great bit of news from Washington State; learn what TOAST Renewed is about; you’ve seen them in the news, but what are the aims of the Extinction Rebellion and two movies to see. Enjoy!
#1-Asparagus
Asparagus are in season at the moment and available at your local farmer’s market or… you could grow your own. I just planted 2 large bundles of asparagus crowns. It was a lot of work planting them and I’m grateful for my friend Agnes Baddoo’s help. Now, I have to wait 3 years before I can start harvesting!
Why we should be eating Asparagus: they contain a blend of nutrients that help boost energy, cleanse the urinary tract and neutralize excess ammonia in the body. It is high in anti-inflammatory properties from its high amount of antioxidants, including vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin E as well as glutathione, which has been shown to slow the aging process and protect our skin from sun damage and pollution.
This is how I store asparagus in the fridge. Stand them in a water filled glass container helps to keeps them fresh.
Learn from one of my favorite garden experts, Charles Dowling on how to plant asparagus crowns:
#-2 Great News!
Following my post in Newsletter #32 about the toxins in skin care products, I’m thrilled to read that the State of Washington has jumped ahead of Vermont, California, Colorado and Maryland and now has the nation’s strongest law against toxic cosmetics.
The Washington state Legislature has passed some of the country’s strongest legislation to protect residents from hazardous chemicals in cosmetic products. Starting in 2025, the Toxics-Free Cosmetics Act will ban the manufacture, sale, and distribution of cosmetics containing nine chemicals and chemical classes, including formaldehyde and “forever chemicals.”
The act, passed last month and expected to become law later this month, puts Washington “at the bleeding edge” of state-level efforts to clean up the cosmetics industry, said Laurie Valeriano, executive director of the nonprofit Toxic-Free Future. Compared to similar policies elsewhere in the country, she said, it covers more chemicals and does more to foster the transition to cleaner alternatives. “It’s a huge success,” she said.
To read the whole story, click here
#3-TOAST Renewed
-creatively repaired pieces for increased longevity-
Several clothing companies are making it possible, as well as encouraging customers, to bring their used clothes in to be repaired or, lightly worn ones to be shared with others. This is absolutely wonderful as it’s a great way to reduce textile waste that is contributing to overfilled landfills around the world.
TOAST hosted an event in Hudson, New York recently, curated by Kate Orne of Upstate Diary, where they showed a selection of pieces mended by TOAST.
The TOAST Renewed collection extends their longstanding approach to cherishing materials and honoring the hands that make their pieces.
With each one-of-a-kind item, TOAST demonstrates how the act of mending can give clothing and soft textiles a new lease of life, shifting our perspective that tears, holes and other flaws diminish the beauty of well-crafted pieces.
Their in-house repair team of six specialists carefully mend each garment, taking fabric, color and texture into consideration. The unique stitching on each piece prolongs its use.
TOAST Repair
They offer a free mending service, breathing new life into your worn garments, and have repaired 3,442 garments, which 36% have visible mends.
TOAST Exchange
Their clothes swapping initiative (formerly called TOAST circle), launched in 2019. Now, it has evolved into a series of swapping events. To date, they have found new paths for more than 2,600 much-loved pieces.
(This service is currently limited to the UK)
In the United States, Ace and Jig, offer a take back of their clothes in order to divert textile waste from landfills.
With Dôen’s Hand me Doen, a program meant to assist you in finding joy and value in wearing and sharing pre-loved garments.
#-4 Extinction Rebellion
Do you know about Extinction Rebellion? They are a UK-headquartered global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and social and ecological collapse.
Offices of Citibank in New York and Wells Fargo in San Fransisco targeted by Extinction Rebellion activists urging shareholders to act
Citing inspiration from grassroots movements such as Occupy, the suffragettes, and the civil rights movement, Extinction Rebellion aims to instill a sense of urgency for preventing further “climate breakdown”, as well as the ongoing sixth mass extinction.
Extinction Rebellion has been criticized as “environmental fanatics” who risk alienating thousands of potential supporters by blocking traffic, disrupting roads and public transport to get the public’s attention.
3,000 Extinction Rebellion activists turned out to the A12 highway in The Hague, March 2023
Their aims are:
1- Government must tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.
2- Government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.
3- Government must create, and be led by the decisions of, a citizens’ assembly on climate and ecological justice
Protest in London
When the movement expanded to the United States, a further demand was added to that group’s list: “ We demand a just transition that prioritizes the most vulnerable people and indigenous sovereignty; establishes reparations and remediation led by and for Black people, Indigenous people, people of color and poor communities for years of environmental injustice, establishes legal ecocide to prevent extinction of human and all species, or order to maintain a livable, just planet for all.”
What do you think about their tactics? Do you feel there may be more effective ways to get the public’s attention regarding Climate Change issues? Please share your thoughts as I would love to know what you think.
I support the Extinction Rebellion movement and agree with their demands. I do wish there was a more effective way to get people’s attention instead of making them angry because the road is blocked by a protest. Reading articles about the various protests over the past few years, it seems at times that some of their tactics are hurting their message rather than helping it and alienating the public, which is a huge shame.
Read more about Extinction Rebellion here
#-5 Movie to Watch: River
Throughout history, rivers have shaped our landscapes and our journeys, flowed through our cultures and dreams. RIVER takes its audience on a journey through space and time; spanning six continents and drawing on extraordinary contemporary cinematography, including satellite filming, the film shows rivers on scales and from perspectives never seen before. Its union of image, music, and sparse, poetic script creates a film that is both dream-like and powerful, honoring the wildness of rivers but also recognizing their vulnerability.
Premiers May 31st on Apple TV+ —and I will be watching it!
Watch the trailer:
#-6 Another Movie to Watch: Wild Life
From Oscar-winning filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, WILD LIFE follows conservationist Kris Tompkins on an epic, decades-spanning love story as wild as the landscapes she dedicated her life to protecting. After falling in love in mid-life, Kris and the outdoorsman and entrepreneur Doug Tompkins left behind the world of the massively successful outdoor brands they'd helped pioneer -- Patagonia, The North Face, and Esprit -- and turned their attention to a visionary effort to create National Parks throughout Chile and Argentina. WILD LIFE chronicles the highs and lows of their journey to effect the largest private land donation in history.
I had the privilege of meeting Doug Tompkins in Anchorage, Alaska in September 2005. We were attending the 8th World Wilderness Congress. I shared with him my dream of opening a “green” version of the Woolworth store my family had started generations ago and he thought it was a fantastic idea; I launched it online four years later.
Wild Life may be playing in a theater near you. Find out here and it should be streaming soon on the National Geographic channel via Disney+.
If you wish to browse my new store on Amazon, here is the link , or check my latest posts on Instagram or follow what’s happening at my climate resilient River’s Edge Farm, click here and visit my own online store, where you can also subscribe to this newsletters or share it.
…and starting with the next issue, this newsletter will only be available to paid subscribers. I hope that you will stay with me as I have lots of great stories, resources, news and much more coming up.
Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful rest of the month,
All the best,
Priscilla