environment

Lots of Summer Ramblings: Strawberry Moon to Strawberry Festivals

Several years ago the bulb in our yard light burned out. It was one of those dawn-to-dusk lights set high on a line pole and even though my husband’s job is to regularly climb such poles, he just never got around to climbing ours.

At first, when I’d go out at night it seemed unnervingly dark. We don’t have immediate neighbors so nothing but the celestial sky lit our yard. Oh, but let me tell you, there’s no going back. The event of that burned-out bulb has totally heightened my appreciation of the night sky and I’m now a moon-gazing habitué.

Given that, here’s to a happy Strawberry Moon (Tuesday night) and upcoming Summer Solstice (Friday night). I love them both. With the full days of summer ahead, it’s a wonderful time of festivity and adventure.

Speaking of Strawberries…

They’re finally here! We live on a windy hill and it seems my patch is always a bit behind. But they’re here now and as delicious as ever. Just look at how red and juicy they are, unlike those so-called “strawberries” you find in the grocery store.

Hey folks, shop your local farmers! Eat real food!

Strawberry Festivals and More

One of my tastiest childhood memories is of a strawberry festival we attended while camping in northern Michigan. If I recall, it was a community church serving shortcake piled mile-high with strawberries and cream. Oh, so good!

Quite often such festivals are benefits for a specific cause (like these upcoming festivals here and here). Joining the celebration not only creates fun memories but also supports grassroots working together at its finest.

Food festivals have become one of the fastest growing forms of tourism and there’s a good reason why. They offer a sensory overload of the landscape, ethnicities, history, and food cultures of their given community.

Food lovers love food festivals; ask me how I know!

Which Leads Me To…

When it comes to festivals, I’m proud to help promote two Wisconsin biggies: The Soil Sisters in August and Fermentation Fest in October. These are annual celebrations that each draw thousands of people and have great social and economic impacts on their rural communities. Needless to say, a lot of organizing and marketing goes into these events.

Do you know of a festival looking to grow in its success? I’d love to help. Let’s talk about what makes a good festival and how to get the word out to all those fun-loving, destination travelers!

Earth Day and Double Duty Composting

Today, on Earth Day 2019, I’m thinking back to the roundtable discussion I was honored to lead at the MOSES Organic Conference. It was on marketing and it overflowed with interesting conversation. Today though, two particular points come to mind: composting and responsibility.

As we discussed innovative ideas to promote our farms, a woman whose name I missed (someone help me, please, I’d love to contact her) mentioned the composting campaign they’re doing for their CSA farm. They give buckets to their members and encourage them to bring food scrap compost to the farm each week where it will help to create fertile ground for next years’ crops. And I, whose marketing brain spins 24/7, suggested she be sure to put her farm name and website on the buckets.

Seriously though, isn’t a composting campaign a great idea in so many ways?

Full Circle of Sustainability

This year’s Earth Day theme is Protect Our Species and from bees to trees, good soil is vital for sustaining all of God’s creation. Composting is a small way to make a big impact on the enrichment of our soil. When we return scraps of food to the very soil from which it was taken, we complete a full circle of sustainability.

How cool is that for CSA members to participate in this full circle!

Responsibility + Ownership = Good Marketing

Marketing gurus tell us that allowing customers a sense of “ownership” is proven for building customer loyalty. We discussed this in our roundtable and how responsibility enables that sense of ownership.

The CSA farm’s composting campaign allows members to share in the responsibility of improving its soil for more nutrient-based produce. The result? These members become proud owners of the vegetables they helped to grow and they talk about them with their friends. Word of mouth marketing at its best!

What About You?

I’ve been composting for years and, gee, it’s such an easy way to put food waste to good use. Now, after touring the facilities of my newest customer, The Farmory, I’m inspired even further—maybe composting with worms?

What about you? Are you a business looking to heat up your environmental stewardship? Or a gardener wanting healthier soil? Earth Day is a great time to start composting—actually Earth Day celebrations last all week so you have time to find yourself a bucket.

So let’s get going and may the joyous rotting begin!

Want to learn more?
Soil health is a big conversation these days. Two recent and interesting articles are Compost, like the Earth Depends On It, from the Willy Street Co-op Reader and the Dirt Issue (Spring 2019) of Yes!

Why Christians Should Celebrate Earth Day 2014

Moss growing on log in Glacial Drumlin Bike Trail, Jefferson Co., WisconsinToday is Earth Day and here’s why Christians should be part of this annual celebration. And even though our main focus is eternal life in heaven, we should still be practicing mindful stewardship during our time here on earth—not just on Earth Day, but every day.

God’s Creation

In the Bible book of Genesis, chapters 1 and 2 tell us the earth and everything in it were created by God. The earth is God’s masterpiece, both in form and function. We wouldn’t dream of littering an artist’s work in a museum with garbage or toxic waste. Certainly God’s work—his earth—deserves this same respect.

Granddaughter looking up to a beautiful blue skyGod’s Assignment to Us

I realize we humans can’t determine the fate of our planet any more than we can the length of our lives. But we can take responsibility for both their quality and care. After all, this is what God entrusts to us when, in Genesis 1:28, he commands “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.”

I think of this as my husband and I enjoy nature with our granddaughter. Shouldn’t she and every other precious child be able to lay in God’s green grass and look up to his beautiful sky without fear of chemicals and pollution? Shouldn’t they have natural food to eat that won’t harm them or the children they may someday bring forth?

God has given us the job of being caretakers of his earth—for ourselves, for our children and for their children. Such a high calling this is!

Spring blossoms against Fachwerk BarnAppreciation to God

When God offered us his gift of salvation, he precursored it with a temporary stay here on earth. Given the state of our sinfulness, we certainly deserve accommodations much worse. Yet our Lord, in his great love, lets us live in this beautiful world. Wow, we are so blessed! The more I travel, the more I learn of the environment and our human body, the more I strive to live naturally—the more I do any of these things—I am so much more amazed by the graciousness and intelligence of God’s design.

In Psalm 139:14, David writes, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” We owe God this same appreciation. We can show this by caring for everything and everyone he has created.

Sunset on Georgian Bay, Ontario, CanadaGlory to God

Some people are worried Earth Day has taken a paganistic twist. Others feel we’ve allowed “saving the environment” to become our modern day idol. Well, instead of automatically denouncing this annual celebration, why don’t we Christians just speak out? On Earth Day and every day, let’s praise God with our voice and glorify him with our actions. Let’s be good stewards of his earthly masterpiece.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God,” 1 Corinthians 10:31.

Wednesday Webs: Earth Day

Earth Day garden plant

I think we should make Earth Day a weeklong event. One day a year simply is not a big enough nod to the importance of taking care of our Earth. Our very beautiful Earth!

So I’m extending my Earth Day celebrations all week.

Congrats to My Earth Day Client!

JWR Inc, Johnson Creek, WI

It’s been online for a while, but there’s no better time than the week of Earth Day to congratulate JWR Inc. on their new website! And how fitting, considering JWR and its sister company NewWay Global are innovative leaders in the waste and recycling industry. They are my 2013 Earth Day clients!

Last year, the JWR marketing team came to me wanting an updated website. I did their site five years ago and it has served them well. It’s helped them earn recognition and they’ve built a reputation based on their quality products and reliable service. With this company image well established, JWR now wants to emphasize its forward thinking. As owner Dave Wolf says “JWR has always been successful with niche products. We’re always trying to be a year or two ahead of the game.”

What better way to communicate such eco-moxiness than a new website!

JWR’s team had a list of ideas of “must-haves” for their site. Earlier this year they were featured on The Environmental Report so they wanted a way to showcase this and any future videos. They wanted a responsive layout for a variety of communication devices. And they wanted to maintain their own content. Thanks to Ben Seigel, of Versa Studios, we came up with a great Expression Engine framework that allows easy CMS capabilities. JWR is doing a super job with it.

So congratulations JWR! And happy Earth Day to you!

Earth Day and the Ultimate Designer

Do you ever do mood boards? Graphic designers often do them. So do interior designers and fashion designers. They put together these collages of images, type, color, texture and anything else that helps them visualize a sense of style for the project they’re working on.

So it being Earth Day and all, I couldn’t help thinking of mood boards as my husband and I hauled wood. I’m always amazed how the elements of design actually are elements of nature. Even in this monochromatic, pre-spring time of year, there is artistic beauty everywhere I look.

God, the Creator of our Earth, is truly the ultimate designer!

colors of split wood

It’s fascinating how the colors of nature naturally go together. Here, I loaded my photo in Photoshop and touched the eyedropper tool to various points. Eureka! A very Arts and Crafts color scheme.

 

split wood shows color scheme

Historically, brown is considered to be down-to-earth, wholesome, stable and of substance. Yet, combined with black and near-white hues, these browns takes on a luscious and upscale image. Think ambrosial chocolates or a richly-paneled law firm.

 

natural rock shows complimentary colorsCheck out this rock from one of my gardens. The pinks and greens are opposite each other on the color wheel, meaning they are complimentary colors. Such a demure and romantic color scheme, yes? Perhaps a women’s clothing boutique or a hotel master suite.

 

lichens growing on a cut of wood

Aren’t the lichens growing on this slice of wood beautiful? So delicate and interlaced. And then there’s the blue with brown, a color scheme that’s rather ubiquitous these days.

So, here you have it. Mood boards straight from nature! This week, in celebration of Earth Day, take a walk outside and really open your eyes. Check out work of the ultimate designer!

Art Nouveau for Earth Day

[Abstract design based on curv... Digital ID: 1553695. New York Public Library

Abstract Design, Public Domain, New York Public Library

With today being Earth Day, what better day to feature one of my favorite design styles—Art Nouveau.

Art Nouveau (French for “new art”) was a very organic and naturalistic period celebrated in the late 1800s-early 1900s. It’s considered a “total art,” meaning the style was adopted in architecture, interior design, glass, ceramics, jewelry, clothing…you name it.

I absolutely love Art Nouveau in graphic design!

Clémattes. Digital ID: 818620. New York Public Library

Clémattes, Public Domain, New York Public Library

“The essence of Art Nouveau is a line, a sinuous extended curve found in every design of this style,” describes William Hardy in his book A Guide to Art Nouveau Style.

In layman’s terms, curved lines are the quintessential characteristic of Art Nouveau. Free flowing swirls, motifs of flora and fauna, muted colors—you got those and you’ve got Art Nouveau.

[Original soft front cover.] Digital ID: 96814. New York Public Library

Original soft front cover, Public Domain, New York Public Library

Interestingly, many Art Nouveau artists were literary figures as well. The expressive way they integrated text and imagery was a forerunner to graphic design as we know it today.

Mucha Exhibition Brooklyn Muse... Digital ID: 1259223. New York Public Library

Mucha Exhibition Brooklyn Museum, Public Domain, New York Public Library

To know Art Nouveau is to love Alphonse Mucha. He’s the ultimate representative of the period and his work is awesome.

Paul Greenhalgh, a leading scholar of the Art Nouveau period, describes Mucha’s depiction of women as “one of the most enduring of the style.”

Glamorous. Feminized, with long flowing hair. Mucha used emotion to capture the power of the female consumer, a successful theory used in advertising still today.

Ideas. Emotions. Image. Want these for your business? Email me today!

Earth Day at 40

Happy Earth Day!

Forty years ago today, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin inspired millions to celebrate our beautiful earth. Now, every year on April 22, people throughout the world are doing just that.

I’ve done my own bit of celebrating, as well.

Preserving heritage trees

Last weekend, my husband and I took a fun trip to the Seedsavers Exchange in Decorah, IA. We’ve always been avid gardeners and food preservationists, but lately we’ve developed a growing interest in heirloom varieties (note the pun). This is partly a result of recognizing that our original fruit orchard, once populated with 8-10 old-time trees, is quickly dying away. We want to preserve these cultivars before they’re lost forever.

And so, we went to the Seedsavers’ Heirloom Grafting Seminar. We learned to take a cutting from one variety and graft it to the rootstock of another, more available variety. We came home with the six heirloom trees you see in the photo above, plus we now know how to do the same for our own trees. (Actually grafting is pretty simple and we could have figured this out ourselves. But it’s more fun to learn hands-on and the Seedsaver’s Farm is really cool.)

So that was one of our Earth Day celebrations. Yesterday was another.

A Caring Upcoming Generation

Yesterday we went to the Nelson Institute Earth Day Conference in Madison, WI. We went specifically to see the awards presentation for the Climate Leadership Challenge. Wow, talk about talented and innovative young people. You have to admire this generation’s creative impact on our social and environmental world.

Sustainable Design

And lastly, in the evening I attended AIGA’s Green Salon seminar on sustainable design and business solutions, held at the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee.

Okay, I have to admit, yesterday I put a lot of miles on my car going between Madison and Milwaukee. That’s definitely not an efficient use of a non-sustainable fuel, something we Wisconsinites don’t often consider, but should (when is that high speed rail coming to our dairy state?). But the venue was definitely great and the presentation by John Harris, of a5 group, from Chicago, was interesting.

All in all, I had a fun celebration of Earth Day—lots of things to think about and put into practice.

This is God’s earth, after all. And we are his caretakers.