By Amanda Bancroft Anyone can live in an eco village, except Elvis Presley (despite what witnesses may say). But that doesn’t mean everyone wants to. There are benefits and drawbacks to living in an eco village, and it’s good to see both the pros and cons before making a life-altering decision. Depending on the community,…
By Amanda Bancroft Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could feed hungry people with unwanted household junk? No, not by feeding them junk, of course! By recycling your odds & ends, you can do a great many more things than just de-cluttering the house. Not only can recycling prevent waste from going to a landfill,…
By Amanda Bancroft The chickadee in the picture eluded my camera for over two weeks until I finally caught it with its beak in the cookie jar. Our native and migrant populations of birds offer endless hours of entertainment, especially if given a reason to fly right up to your kitchen window for a snack….
By Amanda Bancroft People Making Ripples: John Remmers, of the Fayetteville-based Himalayan Village Fund, works on issues of education and water access. Their two projects include scholarships for Nepalese children of the untouchable caste (Dalits) so they can attend private school, and water filtration systems for Tibetan refugee children in Dharamsala, India. As climate change…
People Making Ripples: Quinn Montana, author of Worship Your Food, loves red wigglers. She recently held an inter-generational workshop, pictured here, as part of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fayetteville’s Religious Education program. She has also taught workshops and classes in Fayetteville and at Heifer Ranch as Director of the Cottage Industry Program. By Amanda…
By Amanda Bancroft Recycling water with fish and plants is pretty splashtastic; but is it feasible? There are some downsides, but practically speaking, sustainable water filtration systems are doable and exciting opportunities to reduce our H2O footprint. Greywater filtering planters reuse water from the sink and bathtub/shower, eliminating the need to water the plants in…
“Brad Volz is an avid reader, photographer, and writer living sustainably by shopping locally and bringing his own bags to the Farmers’ Market. He also grows a backyard garden, among other pursuits. He began his blog, Writing to Freedom: a Place to Connect, Inspire, and Thrive, as a way to share exciting and inspirational stories…
By Amanda Bancroft “People Making Ripples” is a series of photographs and short captions about what local residents in Northwest Arkansas are doing to live sustainably. Some future Making Ripples columns in The Free Weekly will be including these photos and featuring stories from your neighbors, friends, organizations, and maybe even yourself! Whether it’s gardening,…
By Amanda Bancroft If you’re empathizing with Bambi and his twitter-pated friends, now is the perfect time to try sustainable dating and spread the love to Mother Nature, too. Most dates are relatively harmless when it comes to our carbon footprint or environmental impact. But consider that candles are sexier than electric lights, and greener,…
Making Ripples Creed: If I see a need, I will seek to meet it. If I have an opportunity, I will follow it. If I have a problem, I will innovate a solution. By Terrah Baker The oil spill in Mayflower has made the movement against the Keystone XL Pipeline even stronger with photos spreading…