Tag Archives: California

Weekend Postcard: vineyard in the Alexander Valley

This is another picture of a vineyard in the Alexander Valley, just east of Healdsburg, in Sonoma County of California. Agriculture is amazing. Long ago, we humans domesticated (formerly) wild plants and animals for our purposes, and changing what they do radically in the process. This scene looks peaceful, bucolic, and natural. Well, two outContinue reading “Weekend Postcard: vineyard in the Alexander Valley”

Weekend postcard: Alexander Valley

This weekend’s postcards were taken in the Alexander Valley area in Sonoma County near Healdsburg. They were taken last year in May so the grass on the hills had begun turning brown in the shallower and more exposed soils. The grapes were in full leaf. It was one of those perfect California days. I hadContinue reading “Weekend postcard: Alexander Valley”

Preserving California’s old growth

On Wednesday you read that private landowners conduct the majority of timber harvesting in California. This is due to the de facto moratorium placed on timber harvesting within national forests (state and national parks do not allow harvesting except for reasons of public safety). And, perhaps you wondered if old-growth timber could be removed. Well,Continue reading “Preserving California’s old growth”

If California’s timber industry falls, will anyone hear it?

Lands owned by state and federal government now contribute little to California’s wood supply (see the graphic below). Private landowners (the green area) now carry nearly all the burden for California’s timber harvesting and its wood demand. (Source: California Forestry Association CA Timber Harvest Statistics 1978-2009.) As previously noted on this site: Our California forestsContinue reading “If California’s timber industry falls, will anyone hear it?”

For Mice and Men, Dose Doth Make the Poison

My latest Green Chain column in today’s Lake County Record-Bee: Every day, I make my wife and myself a cup of coffee. Should I be arrested for spousal abuse? I am serving her a phenol-laced liquid, containing 826 volatile chemical substances, 16 of which are known by the state of California to cause cancer. OneContinue reading “For Mice and Men, Dose Doth Make the Poison”

California’s AB 88-something fishy this way comes

Humans have been messing with life-changing technology for millennia. For instance, fire allows humans to cook their food. Though our ancient ancestors didn’t know it, heating food changes the food’s molecular structure; cooking gelatinizes starch and denatures protein, making calories more accessible to the human body than raw food does. While no one would sayContinue reading “California’s AB 88-something fishy this way comes”

Weekend Postcard: Lake County, Clear Lake

What a gorgeous weekend in northern California. The temperature was around 67F (19C for our metric folks). The lilac are in bloom and Mount Konocti looked very photogenic. And, every road invited you to amble along and see what lay around the next bend. How was the climate in your neck of the woods?

Self-sufficiency = poverty

In a recent letter to our local paper, a fellow wrote in that we should buy American products: “Americans all want to make top dollar for their labor but insist on buying the cheapest goods that they can find often made by countries with very low wages and lax environmental protections…We should always try toContinue reading “Self-sufficiency = poverty”

Making money out of thin air

What do the South Seas Company and carbon exchanges have in common? A desire to make money from an idea.