Innholdsfortegnelse for August/September 2023 i MOTHER EARTH NEWS

In March of 2023, the Biden administration approved the Willow project, a massive oil-drilling project set to take place on Alaska’s North Slope. Over the course of its 30-year lifetime, the project is estimated to extract more than 600 million barrels of oil, making it the largest oil development on U.S. public lands. According to supporters of the project, including the Alaska Federation of Natives and the Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat, it’ll generate economic stability in the region and more than $1 billion in tax revenue to fund local education and other services. The Alaska State House voted unanimously in favor of the Willow project. However, many other groups, such as Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic (SILA), have voiced their concerns over the project’s disruption to local communities,…

You asked, we answered! Last canning season, a reader reached out and expressed frustration that he couldn’t find information on how the canning process affects food’s nutrition. So, we assigned Rebecca to the task! If you have article requests, send them to Letters@MotherEarthNews.com. —Mother People grow gardens for a multitude of reasons. Some do it to connect with nature and unwind. Others garden to save money on produce costs or to reduce their trips to the store. I enjoy walking into the backyard and picking veggies for dinner based on what’s ripe and ready to eat, rather than having to plan meals ahead for an entire week. My husband helps in the garden because fresh, sun-ripened produce just tastes better. Health-conscious people grow gardens to optimize the nutritional quality of…

With tick-borne illnesses on the rise, you may be looking for ways to prevent your furry friends from picking up these unwelcome parasites and bringing them into your home. Not only can ticks spread disease, but they can also cause skin problems and even anemia in cats and dogs. I spent most of my time as a veterinary technician advising clients on how to prevent and treat flea and tick problems. No wonder flea and tick products make up a multi-billion-dollar industry in the U.S. Even when something is advertised as “natural,” always check the label for ingredients—some products do include “herbal” ingredients, such as sage, rosemary, lemongrass, or geranium, but when they’re combined with loads of other chemical ingredients, they’re not a safe (or particularly effective) solution. Thankfully, several…

In the U.S. alone, the disposable diaper industry has become a $7 billion behemoth—and growing. And while disposables have had a foothold in the market since the mid-20th century, cloth diapering is still a viable option and has been growing in popularity again in the past couple of decades. This option may appear too difficult and time-consuming amid child-rearing, but for those looking for alternatives to disposables—whether to potentially save some money or trips to the garbage can or to find a comfier material for your baby’s bum—cloth diapering can be an accessible solution once you know the basics. Choosing a Type of Cloth Diaper Although you can still use extra-absorbent cloths with safety pins as cloth diapers, most modern cloth diapers consist of two main pieces that are fashioned…

What comes to mind when you hear the words “self-sufficiency” and “homesteading”? Acres of pasture? Livestock? Solar panels on top of the quintessential red barn? These can be part of homesteading, but they aren’t requirements. Homesteading is, more than anything, a lifestyle focused on self-sufficiency. We can become more self-sufficient regardless of where we live. If you live in an apartment or townhome, or if you answer to a homeowners association (HOA), you’ll have to think outside the box. You won’t have a herd of goats, for example, but you can participate in a goat share. As you become comfortable homesteading within city ordinances, your confidence and skills will increase and you’ll find yourself becoming an ambassador of urban self-sufficiency. The following 10 areas are just the beginning. Pickling,…

In March of 2020, a rabbit-specific virus began to spread throughout the United States. Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus Type 2 (RHDV2) has spread to nearly half the states in the country and has been observed in both wild and domestic rabbits. The virus can be difficult to detect, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports the only signs are often sudden death or a bloody nose due to internal bleeding. Highly contagious, the disease spreads to rabbits through contact with an infected rabbit or by coming into contact with materials an infected rabbit has been exposed to. Emergency-use authorization has been granted for the import and manufacturing of a vaccine that can significantly improve a rabbit’s chances of overcoming the virus. RHDV2 is the first disease veterinarians are actively working…

Elderberry. Some praise it; others caution against using it. But elderberry is full of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, and is a tasty addition to your apothecary and pantry. Elderberry has been used by Native Americans for thousands of years. The berries are unsafe to consume raw but edible once cooked. You can freeze or dry elderberries or turn them into jelly, juice, or syrup. Gather Those Berries! You can gather elderberries from the wild or grow your own. In our area, they’re so prolific that we gather gallons of berries in late summer by clipping off wild clusters. The easiest way to harvest the berries is freezing clipped clusters in large plastic bags. Then, gently hit the clusters over a large bowl or bucket, knocking off the berries. Alternately, you…

In the early part of the 20th century, New York City was filled with cars. Electric cars. To power the electric cars, there were charging stations. So many charging stations that maps could be purchased or obtained to find them. According to www.TheHenryFord.org, the website for the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, “Americans still drove electric cars in the 1920s. The New York Edison Company’s Automobile Bureau published this booklet for electric-car owners. It included a map and address listings for local charging stations in New York City. Stations outside the immediate area, as far as Boston and Philadelphia, were also listed.” Most people may be surprised to learn that electric cars aren’t a new idea. One hundred years ago, it was actually a close race in some areas…

Whether you’re clearing weeds from your vegetable plot, pruning perennials, or potting herbs for your kitchen window, precautions will ensure a successful experience. Any gardener with a season under their belt can attest to the importance of planning and proper protection for the variety of outdoor unknowns. I’ve learned the hard way from many hidden gardening hazards, and I’m not the only one. A well-kept lawn or garden means spending time in the sun. Agricultural workers and farmers have higher rates of skin cancer. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, “One in five Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70. [And] having five or more sunburns doubles your risk for melanoma.” Melanoma is when pigment-producing cells grow out of control and, unless caught early, can spread to…

About 10 years ago, Bryan Deans, head of OLCERI, helped build the first walipini on the Pine Ridge Reservation after years of tornadoes and high winds destroyed large parts of the area. After stumbling upon Earthship technology, Deans had an epiphany: “We live on the poorest county in the nation. How do you create self-sustainability with that? You focus on the things that you do have.” And what the people who live on the reservation do have is abundant sunlight and the capacity to build underground. Since then, Deans has been working on constructing walipinis that are highly durable and aren’t too labor-intensive to build, using polycarbonate materials for the tops of the greenhouses and upcycled tires to stabilize the walls. So far, at least eight of these underground greenhouses…

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We love hearing how folks from all over find inspiration, practical advice, and community through our publications and our Fairs. Enjoy this story from a longtime Mother earth News reader and fairgoer, and perhaps we’ll see you at our next Fair! — Mother Years ago, when I first started farming, I discovered Mother Earth News magazine. I always found the articles interesting but not always pertinent to my activities at the time. As time went on and my life changed, I stopped reading Mother Earth News. But around 2000, I saw a copy on the newsstand, and after purchasing it and reading it cover-to-cover, I decided to subscribe again. Fast-forward to 2016. I’d retired and decided to travel from Pennsylvania to California via Route 6. I purchased a camper to…

In the past few years, the canning world has been rocked by a combination of supply-chain shortages and a massive uptick in the number of people interested in home food preservation. The result, has been that supplies, notably lids, have become less available. I’ve canned for decades, but always in the back of my mind was a concern: What if I ran out of canning lids? What if none were available at the store? Can disposable canning lids be reused? I’ve had some success with scalding and reusing disposable lids, but can’t recommend this tactic. Disposable lids are manufactured for single use only, and going against manufacturer recommendations is just inviting failure. Most canners are familiar with the disposable lids put out by Ball or Kerr. However, alternatives now on…

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