Save Water! Grow Your Own Food!

Because of the drought conditions we are facing, we at Ventura Cooperative encourage everyone to:

• Grow edible and water-wise gardens in your yards and communities
• Mulch, Mulch, and Mulch those gardens!
• Deep watering grows stronger roots, so water well and less frequently
• Support your local community gardens and farmers markets
• Stop eating cheeseburgers.
• Get active and aware

Cheeseburgers: Did you know that a typical cheeseburger takes 660 gallons of water to get to your plate?  Yes, six hundred and sixty gallons!

Check out the water footprint of some of your favorite food items here.
http://waterfootprint.org/en/resources/interactive-tools/product-gallery/

Get active and Aware:  California is using 80% of it's water supply to grow water intensive crops in near desert conditions.  Of that 80%, nearly 100 billion gallons of water is being used to grow alfalfa to feed cattle in asia.  Think about that when you get your water rate hikes this summer.  The same government that is demanding you to take shorter showers is subsidizing the export of water intensive crops to Asia.

Read the LA Times Article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/08/opinion/meat-makes-the-planet-thirsty.html?_r=0

A good friend of ours shared this quote recently:

"The sad reality is that we are in danger of perishing from our own stupidity and lack of personal responsibility to life. If we become extinct because of factors beyond our control, then we can at least die with pride in ourselves, but to create a mess in which we perish by our own inaction makes nonsense of our claims to consciousness and morality.."
− Bill Mollison

To this we add one of our favorite new quotes:

“It’s time to put away our fairy tales, all of them, and assume our responsibilities, the adult responsibilities that begin with adult knowledge. Our planet needs us. She needs us to think like healers and act like warriors. And if you think that’s a contradiction, then get out of the way.”
-Lierre Keith, Deep Green Resistance

It's not just a backyard garden anymore.  It's a beautiful and responsible way to be the change you wish to see in the world.  So mulch it, and mulch it good!