From current news to future prognostication to pragmatic online tools, here's this week's roundup of our favourite local-eating links:
From inspiring photos of forward-looking green roofs to practical tips for your next trip to the farmers market, here's a roundup of some of our favourite local-eating articles from the past week:
Now that spring is springing all over the place, the local food movement is spreading its roots. Here are some of our favourite articles and blog posts from the past week:
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This week's roundup of local-food-related news and opinions:
It's all over the news these days: something's up with the global honeybee population.
This may not seem like vital news in a world where we resignedly accept thousands of animal and plant extinctions per year, but consider this: with the exception of corn, rice, wheat, and grains (which pollinate via the wind) almost every plant on earth relies on honeybees for pollination.
In other words, no bees = no crops.
The culprit is a mysterious syndrome called Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD, and it's responsible for decimating the North American honeybee population by an estimated 40 percent between 2006 and now.
The crisis isn't confined to North America. Europe and the UK have reported bee population losses between 30 and 50 percent.
While no one knows exactly what causes CCD, suspects include pesticides, newly introduced viruses, fungi, and poor colony nutrition. And while nature is fairly resilient - meaning we can hope and expect the bees to bounce back eventually - the global food market can't wait years for that to happen. About one-third of the food we eat cannot exist without pollinators.
So what can we do?
To start, we can end our reliance on chemical pesticides on our lawns and gardens. There are many natural approaches to managing harmful insects. It means doing extra research, and a bit more work, but it's a worthwhile effort.
If you're feeling a bit intrepid, you can always create a haven for bees in your yard, or even install a bee colony! (The Obamas recently made headlines by putting hives in the White House garden.)
Additional links
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