A Good Earth

A village in India plants 111 trees every time a baby girl is born

plicate — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:04:42 -0400

A village in India plants 111 trees every time a baby girl is born:

While in some parts of India, many expectant parents still say they’d prefer bearing sons, members of the Piplantri village, in the western state of Rajasthan, are breaking this trend by celebrating the birth of each baby girl in way that benefits everyone. For every female child that’s born, the community gathers to plant 111 fruit trees in her honor in the village common.

This unique tradition was first suggested by the village’s former leader, Shyam Sundar Paliwal, in honor of his daughter who had passed away at a young age.

But planting trees is only one way that the community is ensuring a brighter future for their daughters. According to a report in The Hindu, villagers also pool together around $380 dollars for every new baby girl and deposited in an account for her. The girl’s parents are required to contribute $180, and to make a pledge to be considerate guardians.

“We make these parents sign an affidavit promising that they would not marry her off before the legal age, send her to school regularly and take care of the trees planted in her name,” says Paliwal.

Over the last six years alone, as population there has increased, villagers in Piplantri have planted nearly a quarter million trees — a welcoming forest for the community’s youngest members, offering a bit of shade for their brighter future.

via Micropixie / The Hindu

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plicate — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:10:29 -0400

noshtopia: A bowl of organic kohlrabi, turnips, and heirloom...

plicate — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:50:24 -0400

noshtopia:

A bowl of organic kohlrabi, turnips, and heirloom carrots I got at the SF Ferry Building#farmersmarket #vegetables

It’s Not a Fairytale: Seattle to Build Nation’s First Food...

plicate — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 18:40:50 -0400

It’s Not a Fairytale: Seattle to Build Nation’s First Food Forest

Forget meadows. Seattle’s food forest will be filled with edible plants, and everything from pears to herbs will be free for the taking.

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plicate — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:09:43 -0400

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plicate — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:31:16 -0400

lazygirlrunning: eatcleanmakechanges: LOVE every one of...

plicate — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:52:51 -0400

lazygirlrunning:

eatcleanmakechanges:

LOVE every one of these.

GO OUTSIDE!

mothernaturenetwork: Why Lake Erie is under attack from algae...

plicate — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:39:07 -0400

mothernaturenetwork:

Why Lake Erie is under attack from algae blooms

In the summer of 2011, western Lake Erie turned a noxious green, as a massive algae bloom coated the surface and lapped up in mats along the shore.

Home sweet home.

ediblegardensla: Growing sugar snap peas up a teepee. Click...

plicate — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:44:50 -0400

ediblegardensla:

Growing sugar snap peas up a teepee. Click the photograph above to find out how to build an edible teepee on Jenni Kayne’s blog Rip + Tan.

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plicate — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 11:42:40 -0400

noshtopia: A bowl of organic kohlrabi, turnips, and heirloom...

plicate — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 08:34:48 -0400

noshtopia:

A bowl of organic kohlrabi, turnips, and heirloom carrots I got at the SF Ferry Building#farmersmarket #vegetables

novh: btw Goodness.

plicate — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 13:20:50 -0500

novh:

btw

Goodness.

ginandbird: ruralgirl: (via RURAL and PROUD Screenprinted...

plicate — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:23:13 -0500

ginandbird:

ruralgirl:

(via RURAL and PROUD Screenprinted Canvas Grocery Tote Bag by Epicenter)

4 more months…

coffeeinthemountains: (via color collection / Green Beans)

plicate — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:02:44 -0500

coffeeinthemountains:

(via color collection / Green Beans)

thedailywhat: Beautiful Pipedream of the Day: U.S. High Speed...

plicate — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:50:24 -0500

thedailywhat:

Beautiful Pipedream of the Day: U.S. High Speed Rail Map

Curb your enthusiasm, this is not an actual map of the U.S. high speed rail, but a concept map designed by Alfred Twu. The artist’s vision for a nationwide high-speed rail system (220 miles-per-hour) would run across the entire country from coast-to-coast and make stops at a number of major cities and metropolitan areas along the way. In harsh reality, however, hopes for jump-starting the national infrastructure project seems to be hanging by a thread at the moment, which is already overdue when compared to other nations in the industrialized world.

architizer: Check out Holland’s Technicolor Tulip Fields from...

plicate — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 21:09:42 -0500

Photo: Normann Szkop

Photo: Normann Szkop

Photo: Normann Szkop

Photo: Normann Szkop

Photo: Normann Szkop

architizer:

Check out Holland’s Technicolor Tulip Fields from Above!

So many reasons why I want to live in The Netherlands, and so many of those reasons are in these photos.

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plicate — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 20:44:22 -0500

wnycradiolab: From Charley Harper’s wonderful Tree of Life. ...

plicate — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:57:35 -0500

wnycradiolab:

From Charley Harper’s wonderful Tree of Life. More of Charley’s work here.

npr: theatlantic: You Don’t Have to Be Superhuman to Commute...

plicate — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:55:09 -0500

npr:

theatlantic:

You Don’t Have to Be Superhuman to Commute by Bicycle

These are people who travel many miles at a pace more like 10 miles an hour. They wear regular clothes and ride the bikes that they can afford.

But everyone who bikes in New York or any other city has certain things in common. The Type-A strivers on their carbon-fiber steeds; the skinny-jeans-wearing fixie riders; the elevator repairman in work clothes on his anonymous hybrid; the fashionable businesswoman on her folder; the 82-year-old photographer on his cruiser. All of them benefit from an increased recognition that bicycles are a legitimate way to get from one place to another, and that you don’t have to be some kind of a freak to use them.

Read more. [Image: Dmitry Gudkov]

YEAH! Just last week I bought a super cute beach cruiser off Craiglist and as soon as it warms up enough, I’m parking the car and grabbing the handlebars (plus it’s got a basket for my dog, Alex). — tanya b.

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plicate — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 11:12:03 -0500