Tag: Florida
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EDITORIAL: Do the Math (but not the Science)!
Editorial Do the Math (but not the Science) There are at least 164 voucher-eligible schools in our state teaching Creationism, according to Brandon Haught’s recent op ed in the Tampa Bay Times. Haught is communications director for Florida Citizens for Science. He explains that FCS takes “a strong, determined stand for sound science education in…
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FEATURE: Key West Votes “NO” to Sanctuary Dredging
Key West Votes NO to Sanctuary Dredging by Lynn-Marie Smith Residents of Florida are used to battling developers and businesses that threaten the environment and quality of life in their communities. Key West is certainly no exception. Even if the City Commission tries to pass laws to protect things of value here, some with deep pockets…
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EDITORIAL: We Can Do Better Than California Broccoli
Happy New Year, 2013. Good news is not always easy to find in America’s Industrial food system. Recent articles highlighted in Ecology Florida News have focused on the relative scarcity of local farmers’ markets and CSAs in the state, knotty issues associated with GMOs, and a critique of the dominance of our food culture by…
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EDITORIAL: Corporations are People and The Earth is the Center of the Universe
Citizens in a few select states are being inundated by advertisements and phone contacts (many of them robo-calls) on behalf of Presidential candidates. Florida is one of those states. They are called battleground states because the polls indicate that neither candidate has a significant lead – so there is a battle for voters’ support. Others…
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The Birdhouse: from Club to Co-operative Food Distribution
As reported recently by Strolling of the Heifers, an organization focusing on local food issues, and covered in an Ecology Florida Feature, Florida is dead last among all states in local food systems. Since finding out Florida is one of the top five agriculture producing states in the Nation and living in one of the…
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FEATURE STORY: Surprise! Florida Dead Last in 2012 Locavore Index
Well, maybe it is not such a surprise after all. In a new national assessment of local-sourced food opportunities, Florida comes in at the very bottom. The assessment was developed by Strolling of the Heifers, a Vermont-based sustainable food community, which is dedicated to protecting family farms and promoting locavorism. It is kind of a…
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Congratulations City of Largo on LEED Platinum Certification
We’re very excited about this recent news out of the City of Largo. Creative Contractors Inc. has just completed construction of the City’s first LEED Platinum certified community center. It is so important that local government set the stage for private development of alternative and sustainable building methods. Which is why we want to give…
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America’s New Farmers From Oregon to Florida
Are you young and want to be farmer? If so, you are not alone. Although the majority of farmland in the United States is owned by farmers over 55, there is a growing trend of younger farmers making an effort to revive old school farming techniques. We are seeing this same trend in Florida, and…
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Seeking Balance in the Oyster Beds of Florida and Beyond
Oysters can certainly be a tasty treat and their purported side-effects are legendary, but increased libido is not the only reason to be interested in the future of these little creatures! Because oysters are big money makers and because we live an era of rampant irresponsibility, these mollusks are facing the very real dangers of…