Daily Loaf

If Radiohead and the Beatles had a lovechild that grew up to kick your ass and take your girlfriend, it would be Harry Dash.

Everyone can remember one moment that he/she felt alive, where that one spark fueled a true passion. My personal catalyst was an oddly-named band called Harry Dash.

Harry Dash is a local New Port Richey band that means “flash” or “cool” in British cockney slang. I had heard of the band quite a bit growing up, since they’ve been on the local Tampa band scene since the mid ’90s. Their amazing covers of songs such as Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell” and “Muscle Museum” by Muse, and the high energy sound of original songs like “Spies.” Not to forget the soulful, powerhouse vocals behind lullaby ballads and inspirational “get off your butt and do something” anthems such as “Tank.”

I was 16 and like many teenagers, trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with my life.

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The Dunedin Wines the Blues Festival wrapped up its 18th year on Saturday with an old school blues show by John Lee Hooker, Jr., son of the legendary bluesman John Lee Hooker.  John Lee, Jr. hit the stage in true blues style, dressed in a dark hat, sunglasses and a vest, and quickly brought the at-capacity crowd to its feet. Backed by a four-piece band, Hooker started the set with “The People Want a Change,” from his Grammy-nominated release, All Odds Against Me, and continued to turn out the blues for nearly two hours. In addition to a wide variety of originals and blues standards, Hooker also managed to squeeze in a song or two by his famous father, which brought the crowd to its feet again. Caught up in the excitement, several women even felt the urge to join Hooker on stage, which John Lee seemed to enjoy. In all, this year’s blues festival set a new bar for musical quality, due largely to the inclusion of John Lee Hooker, Jr. It will be interesting to see how festival organizers plan to keep up this level of quality entertainment in the coming years.

For more Tampa area concert info, follow Jeff on Twitter.

With absolutely no idea of what to expect, I headed into the Orpheum this past Thursday night to see Captured by Robots. Now, truthfully, I did take a few minutes to check out the band’s website so I could prepare myself for the performance, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

Taking the stage in chains, a leather bondage mask with protruding eyeballs and disemboweled entrails hanging from a bloody t-shirt, robot abductee JBOT conducted his Teddy Bear Orchestra while whipping the crowd into a motivationally-charged frenzy. In addition to JBOT, the band consists of GTRBOT66 (who plays a double-neck Flying V), percussionist AUTOMATON, drummer DRMBOT0110, The Headless Hornsmen, The Ape Which Hath No Name and finally Son of Ape Which Hath No Name.  Bear in mind that JBOT is the only living creature on the stage; the rest are “real” robots. The band’s set consisted of 80’s rock and pop covers, including a decent rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.” As for JBOT himself, he was kind of like a cross between Andy Kaufman, Jim Henson and Dale Carnegie. Believe me, it’s a frightening combination. Read the rest of this entry »

4:30 p.m. – Yin

Driving into the parking lot of Ruth Eckerd Hall this past Friday for a late afternoon “meet & greet” with blues/rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Admittedly, I wasn’t that familiar with his work and I felt a bit unprepared. Beyond recent media blips about his appearance at the Royal Albert Hall, and some hasty Internet research, I was pretty sure that I wouldn’t have a single intelligent thing to ask. I resigned myself to keeping my mouth shut and taking pictures.

As I waited in the Green Room at REH with about a dozen avid fans, I noticed they’d come prepared. Most had tickets, t-shirts or magazines ready for an autograph, while one guy even clutched a limited edition Joe Bonamassa Gibson Les Paul in a case that looked as though it had never been opened. I wondered if spending nearly his entire life in the public eye would make Joe one of those rock stars who take all of the attention in stride or if it had made him intolerant of rabid fans, autograph seekers and the media. Since I wasn’t sure which way it would go, I slid my camera backpack around to the front, in order to block any crazed, Britney-like attacks on the paparazzi that might be forthcoming. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s depressing to think that much of the music I grew up with and love is now considered classic rock. The name “classic rock” evokes an image of elderly rockers, banging out overplayed tunes that can often be heard in the aisles of the local Publix. I suppose I take it a bit personally because I don’t think of myself as old. But, as my daughter once pointed out, most old people don’t. It’s a disturbing trend that goes right along with the recent revelation that my first car, a 1975 Mustang, is now considered an antique and items from my childhood show up on Antiques Roadshow from time to time. Maybe, when I finally give in to old age, these things won’t affect me so much. But don’t expect that to happen any time soon.

Friday night’s triple bill at the Ford Amphitheatre featured REO Speedwagon, Styx and Nightranger, all of whom qualify for the classic rock moniker. Still, despite this branding, these three bands managed to convince thousands of people to hand over their hard-earned money in exchange for a few hours of music and fun. In these tough economic times, that have seen the cancellation of many big name tours, this feat is one that should not be dismissed as a fluke or written off as a trip down memory lane. This was an old fashioned rock show that had the crowd on their feet dancing and screaming all night long. Even the weather held out and offered comfortable temperatures and a cool breeze.

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Let us assume for one moment that water was a precious commodity, as rare as gold itself. How would we treat it? Would we bathe our infertile landscape with it? Expend perfectly clean water to dispose of our waste? Throw it away after scantly using it in the sink while doing dishes?

Now let us live in reality. Realize that already this resource is such a thing. For we live way above our means at almost 500 gallons a day for the average American. Most human beings on this planet use less than 100 gallons, and by 2025 water will be a scarce resource for nearly three-quarters of the population due to exponential growth of use and depleting glaciers.

In my previous post about South Central Asia, I spoke also about the resource war that could erupt over water. With recent fires in California as well as sandstorms in Australia, more than ever resilience in a water supply will be crucial for our success in the future. We must adapt to a goal of using less water and utilizing it more efficiently.
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Some reviews are tough to write because you like the record but seriously dislike the people in the band; others are tough to write because you love the album but just can’t think of anything to say about it beyond the simple fact that you love it. And then there are reviews such as this one…

Full disclosure: I like Truckstop Coffee as people. I sent the CD to other blogs in the hopes they’d get some more press and I’ve even helped hook them up with a booking agent. If those facts make reading this a problem for you, skip to the bottom, listen to the songs and to hell with my typing about it.

For the remaining folks, yes, I consider Pete, Caleb and Larry friends, but I also consider them a terrific band. I first heard of them play back in 2006 in the infancy of Ninebullets. At the time they were doing a pretty good Lucero-meets-Drive-By Trucker’s impression in support of their debut, One Damn Thing To Redeem. Throughout the years, they’ve made it up to Tampa a couple or four times, but rarely have they strayed from the tracklisting of that first album. There were rumors of a new album one day, but, as any struggling musician knows, recording, mixing and mastering an album requires money and there ain’t much of that coming in from playing little bars and backyard parties. Eventually, Pete self-recorded a solo acoustic album and I just assumed the eventual next release, For Dear Life, would just be full band arrangements of some of the songs from that release.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. Read the rest of this entry »

For most professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters training for upcoming bouts means much more than working towards payday. It is a form of self-discovery and quickly becomes their way of life. MMA fans are usually not aware of the dedication and hard work, not to mention long hours that go into the preparation for a professional fight in the octagon.

The female MMA fighter, Caroline Portugal, reveals first-hand what it takes to get a shot at the limelight and how she prepares for her upcoming pro-debut at the Real Fighting Championships (RFC) event in Feb. 2010 in Tampa, Fla. during some Q & A as first part of a new weekly MMA training series.

Q: How has your training changed since you started getting ready for your first professional fight?
A: Before I knew I was going to fight (professionally) I just trained for (amateur) tournaments every other day. Now, five months before my first pro fight, I’m doing something everyday. I’m either working with my conditioning coach, Alan Molina, at either of my dojos, World Class or Spartan Gym. I’m doing something six to seven days a week. If I’m not at the dojo working on technique or sparring, I’m doing sprints or weights at home. I’m focusing on impact conditioning. My diet is 3000 calories a day. I try to spar with everyone while staying injury-free. Read the rest of this entry »

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

Builder goes green with their eco-friendly homes in Terrace Park, Tampa- One company, Rising Force Construction, has undertaken the task of creating affordable, energy efficient homes that promote sustainable living in Terrace Park, an established neighborhood just south of the University of South Florida.

Two more screenings scheduled for Fresh: New thinking about what we’re eating- You now have two more chances to see this new film about what’s wrong with the mega-industrial food industry.

Hope springs from tragedy: A city rebuilds to become better, stronger and greener- Greensburg, Kansas rebuilds to be an all green city. Vote in their green home design competition!
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I got a fundraising e-mail from Charlie Crist the other day. It was a pretty good hoot the way Charlie “have it two ways” Crist is trying to paint himself as a Conservative. But hey, he’s starting to show some bravado – he’s even got the nerve to quote Ronald Reagan!Each paragraph of Chuckles’ original letter is shown below along with my version of what his letter would read like if he were to tell the truth.

What it should have said is in italics:

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Every now and then in class, I mention “the library” and look out to see rows of blank faces. Time to explain myself again.

“It’s like the Internet, only it’s printed out,” I tell my students. “It’s this big building across campus . . . surely you’ve seen it? Has a million or so books?”

Blank stares again. “Books! You know, sort of like a blog that’s been printed out?”

There are a couple of Florida writers, longtime bloggers, whose work has now been preserved the old fashioned way: in books. It’s probably not much different than the old days when writers serialized their work in popular magazines like the Saturday Evening Post and Collier’s.

But for a semi-old fashioned guy like me, it’s so much handier – and more handsome – to tote around books, rather than carrying a laptop. Because this is the kind of writing you want to read aloud to friends and a book is a lot easier than saying, “Hey, hang on. As soon as I open my laptop and link to the network and type in the URL, I got some really funny shit for you.”

In this case, the really funny shit comes from two Florida writers, both in their early 40s, with connections to the Bay Area – Lance Carbuncle from Tampa and Patrick Hughes (at left, in his younger days) from Gainesville by way of (long ago) Tarpon Springs.

Let’s start with Hughes, because his wonderful book, Diary of Indignities (MPress Books, $14.95) has been out for some time.

It’s basically his life story, from his blog, Bad News Hughes. He’s since put that blog into hibernation and now maintains The Domesticated Shithead. The change reflects Hughes’s life, so his Diary is sort of like Pat Hughes: The Early Years. Indeed, from the cover —  a disturbing photobooth portrait of Hughes at 8 (an estimate) — we see the whole catastrophe of his life laid bare.

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With committee meetings just around the corner for the Florida Legislature, the proposal to drill for oil in state waters, just a few miles off the coasts of America’s best beaches, has begun – again. 

I was recently invited to speak at the Agency on Bay Management, a committee of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council.  I was joined on the panel by a representative from Senator Bill Nelson’s office, two representatives of the oil industry, a scientist, and a representative of our local tourism industry. While video of my remarks is not available, our office uploaded the audio to YouTube, complete with photogaphs of our beautiful Gulf Coast.

Video after the jump:  Read the rest of this entry »

A great opportunity crossed my path when Jamie Trahan from the USF Clean Energy Research Center called. As a local green builder, she thought I could help her search for homes to feature on the 14th annual ASES National Solar Tour being held across the country on October 3rd.

Sadly, I informed her although I researched installing solar on our super energy efficient homes, I couldn’t find a way to make it work. Our mission is to build sustainable and affordable. We went with a gas fired tankless hot water system. Yes, it is natural gas, not a renewable, but still better than a traditional water heater sapping electricity around the clock. I know everyone can relate to waiting for water to come from the tank to your shower and up to a comfortable temp, wasting gallons upon gallons of water in our already deprived region. Tankless saves money and almost more importantly, water. Would I have preferred solar? Damn straight I would, future homeowners of our Ec0-Craftsman would have benefited from a zero energy home, but solar is caught in a conundrum of sorts. There’s not the demand to spur mass production, which leads to lower costs while at the same time, there isn’t the mass production leading to lower cost which would spur demand.
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Have Gun, Will Travel (pictured below), Matt Butcher, John Ralston, and Mike Dunn & The Kings of New England created a mini-Americana fest at New World Brewery this past Friday, September 11, a show brought to you by New Granada Presents.

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Gulf Restoration Network report reveals poor water quality protection Gulf-wide:

TAMPA, FL – Today the Gulf Restoration Network released its “Clean Up Your Act!” report card, which grades Gulf of Mexico states on how they implement the Clean Water Act and protect their state waters and public health. Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas all received disappointing and unsatisfactory grades for their failure to fully incorporate the Clean Water Act into state policies. The report grades the Gulf States on issues such as establishing water quality standards, policies to prevent Dead Zone-causing pollution, public health protection, and facilitating public participation in the policy-making process.

“Florida’s economy and future depends on our waters, and Florida’s failure to successfully implement the Clean Water Act continues to hurt our environment, public health, and our economy” stated Joe Murphy, Florida Program Director of the Gulf Restoration Network. “It’s time for Florida, and for Governor Crist, to step up and protect the lifeblood of our state’s future.”
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Here are two upcoming lectures on environmentalism, sustainability, and conservation, one presented by a St. Petersburg College professor, the other hosted at St. Petersburg College.

The first presentation will be held Tuesday, September 8, 2009, 7:30 until 8:30pm at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve’s Lake Maggiore Environmental Education Center, and led by SPC Professor Christopher Nichol.

During the talk Professor Nichol will discuss the Tampa Bay Estuary, the largest open-water estuary in Florida.  He will present the multitude of unique habitats and their inhabitants, threats to the bay, and some of the things that people are doing to ensure that this beautiful resource will remain productive for many years.

Lake Maggiore Environmental Education Center is located at 1101 Country Club Way South in St. Petersburg.  For more information, please call Boyd Hill Nature Preserve at (727) 893-7326.

The second lecture, sponsored by the SPC Friends of Florida Environmental Club will be held Thursday, September 10th 2009, 12:30 until 1:30 pm in the Natural Sciences Building, room SC236 of SPC’s St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus (6605 Fifth Avenue North, St. Petersburg).
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It all happened so quickly. After I heard the first gunshot, a liquid heat consumed my body; my inner ears were on fire and a tingling sensation ran from my head to my toes. Is this real? There was screaming and panic. My tunnel vision kicked in and I turned to the right and started sprinting. My boyfriend Jason’s hand was on my back, pushing me, silently urging me to run faster. The shots didn’t stop. I shoved everyone in my path out of the way — there was no way I was slowing down. I waited for a bullet to hit my calf, my thigh, my back, my head. For a few moments, frozen in time, I was sure I was going to die. It was just like a nightmare. Except it was real. It was Friday night. And it was at BayWalk in downtown St. Petersburg. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve lived in Florida for most of my life and aside from killer sunsets or the splendor of seeing dolphins frolic in the bay, being able to actually witness the launch of the Space Shuttle — the fire of the engines and the vapor trail, from nearly any corner of the state — has always been one my favorite things.

Ever since I took residence in the Sunshine State way back in 1987, I’ve always wanted to witness a launch from the Kennedy Space Center, but could never seem to make it happen.  Whether it be… well, the weather, my schedule or an unwillingness to wager a three-hour drive for a 60% liftoff probability, I just couldn’t find my way over there.

Well, that all changed this past Friday. (Video after the break.) Read the rest of this entry »

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

Finding an emotional connection with our planet- Doing so allows us to look at what our needs are in life and what is of the highest and greatest importance to us and our environment.

Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll 2009: The race for Greenest Politician has Linda Saul-Sena in the lead- Who do you think should take the title of this year’s Greenest Politician in the Bay?

Clean energy and anti-offshore drilling rally in Ybor this Thursday- Thursday, August 27th, join Sierra Club, 1Sky Florida, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and other environmental groups for a real grassroots rally outside Big Oil’s staged gathering.
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George LeMieux (right) will be Florida’s next (un-elected) United States Senator, following the announcement of Florida Governor Charlie Crist yesterday.

As readers of my column know, in February I predicted Mel Martinez’ resignation and expected Crist to appoint himself to the position — given his decades-old yearning for the U.S. Senate. I held onto this minority view until the end. Readers may remember I pledged to eat a can of Star Kist Tuna (you know, the brand with the “Sorry Charlie” moniker) if he didn’t pick himself.

I maintain picking himself would have been a brilliant move because Chuckles could have gotten out of Dodge before any bad hurricanes hit this season (which have the potential to bankrupt the state), and before the state of our economy and real estate markets further tank.

I think he picked LeMieux because he didn’t want me to be right! (Just kidding, of course.) Read the rest of this entry »

Are you like me in the way of feeling left out when a band or songwriter goes on tour and doesn’t come to Florida? You get their bulletin on MySpace announcing their tour and then you discover Florida is nowhere on the list of dates.

You see Atlanta and then Charleston, S.C., and for that split second you don’t see a Florida show nestled in between those two cities, all your dreams are crushed. We are neglected because of our place on the map. It’s not because of the people, it’s because of the dollar sign at the gas pumps. But I’m not here to be political and complain about it. I’ve always try to be a glass half-full kind of person who appreciates whatever life does or doesn’t offer to me. Such is the life of a music fan living in West Central Florida.

However, we have much to celebrate. Neko Case, the red-haired Virginian songstress who has ruled my iPod this year (and probably many others’) with her album Middle Cyclone, is coming down to Florida! (Video and info after the jump.) Read the rest of this entry »

In Fearsome Creatures of Florida, Tampa author John Henry Fleming serves as taxonomist of Florida folklore, producing a wildlife handbook that could have been published by National Enquirer. This book breathes new life into real creatures and popular myths like the Skunk Ape and the Chupacabra. However, the beasts that stay with readers long after finishing the book are Fleming’s creations, like the ghost of the monkeynaut, Gordo, trouncing along the Space Coast in his shiny suit.

From David Hazouri’s sketched illustrations, I expected a Disney World version of swamp monsters. Instead I was confronted by Swiftian creatures that prey on the book’s true monsters: humans. These unnamed locals and tourists are lazy drunks more concerned with stocking their liquor cabinets than evacuating from a hurricane. Read the rest of this entry »

Let your voice be heard! Who is your favorite professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, promoter, event and venue? Please make your selection from the choices listed below. Read the rest of this entry »

Attending Mini MegaCon this past weekend was like walking into a different world than the mundane one I tend to inhabit. Stormtroopers, mystic elves, movie stars and a few renaissance festival holdovers invaded Orlando and The Rabid One and Hopp were at the center of it all.

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Progress Energy announced that it applied for $200 million in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) federal infrastructure funds for the development of an electric Smart Grid in the Carolinas and Florida.  The DOE grant would be shared equally between the two states.

A “Smart Grid” is a modernized digital electric transmission and distribution system that delivers detailed, real-time energy use information to customers. Read the rest of this entry »

Charlie Crist’s delicate task of making everyone in the GOP happy and yet finding someone to appoint to a caretaker role in the US Senate now that Mel Martinez has quit in mid-job continued yesterday, with one fewer candidate for the position: Congressman C. W. Bill Young, a Republican from Indian Rocks Beach.

The Times reports:

Young was among 10 people, including former U.S. Rep. Mike Bilirakis of Palm Harbor, the governor had summoned for interviews about being appointed to fill out the remaining 16 months of Mel Martinez’s Senate term. But in this case Young, a Tampa Bay political icon who has been Crist’s U.S. representative for most of the governor’s life, was clearly the man in charge.

Surprising the governor, Young told Crist he’s not interested in applying to be appointed as an interim U.S. senator.

“I have the best job in the world now, and I work for the best people in the world. I would not want to leave in the middle of a term. I’m not a quitter,” Young, 78, said after emerging from a private meeting with Crist at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport. “Truth of the matter is, I can do far more for Florida and Pinellas County where I am than if I took a different job.”

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

Fixing sprawl and redesigning suburbia- Grant Rimbey CNU explores a possible strategy towards improving existing sprawl. Fixing the sprawl that we have, along with sprawl demolition and recycling, are strategies that could be employed in the future as a new green industry.

Nation’s largest solar facility to be in DeSoto County by next year- Florida Power and Light is currently building the nation’s largest photovoltaic plant in DeSoto County, a $173.5 million, 25 megawatt solar generating facility.

Fresh: New Thinking About What We’re Eating screening – What’s wrong with the mega-industrial food industry- Struggling small farms, problems with food safety rules and the mega-industrial food industry, and a film about all of the above.
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The town of Arcadia in DeSoto County is currently building the nation’s largest photovoltaic plant.

According to Florida Power & Light (FPL) the $173.5 million, 25 megawatt solar generating facility should be operating by the second quarter of 2010.

In February, FPL broke ground on its DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center: Florida’s first commercial solar energy facility.  The facility is projected to produce an average of 42,000 MWh of electricity annually.  This enough to meet the needs of over 3,000 homes or over 7,000 people; nearly 20% of DeSoto County.
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Julie Rowe is one of the Bay area’s most talented (and acclaimed) actors, and now she has a new gig: She’s going to be director of education at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, an Equity house (known once upon a time as the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre) in Jupiter, FL.

The news was cause for some alarm in local theater circles. No more performances by Julie like her most recent tour de force? But, as she tells CL theater critic Mark Leib in her interview for an ArtsSpeak podcast, she’s not “leaving” exactly — she’s just “expanding.” Podcast after the break. Read the rest of this entry »

UK alt rockers Coldplay have postponed their Tampa show (and only stop in Florida) for unexplained medical reasons. Here’s the official release from Ford Amphitheatre:

COLDPLAY
POSTPONES SHOW
AT FORD AMPHITHEATRE – TAMPA

Coldplay have been forced to postpone their show in Tampa on Sunday, August 9th for artist related medical reasons. Details of the rescheduled date will be announced as soon as they are available.

For more information go to www.livenation.com

I’m embarrassed to say I was actually looking forward to this show. Dratted balladeering Brits!

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

The Earth Charter: How ethics can change the world (video) – The Earth charter was created by thousands of people representing hundreds of countries aiming at a universal ethical code of conduct for human beings. How do we treat each other? How do we treat the world? These questions were raised and answered.

City of Tampa Green Business Designation Program- As of this week, the City of Tampa became one of just a handful of cities nationwide to start a green business designation program.  Outside of the West Coast (California and Washington state), Tampa will join major metropolitan areas like Philadelphia and Knoxville in rewarding private businesses that have become or want to become more environmentally-friendly.

Why buying recycled, repurposed products is so important- Preserving the Earth’s natural resources is vital to the future of the planet and all of its inhabitants. Buying recycled and repurposed products is a great way to make a positive impact on the environment by cutting back on waste and the resources needed to make new items.
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Zora Neale Hurston: January 7, 1891 (Nostasulga, Alabama) – January 28, 1960 (Fort Pierce, Florida)

Zora Neale Hurston was a novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist whose fictional and factual accounts of black heritage are unparalleled. Her autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road, begins with the words: “I have memories within that came out of the materials that went to make me. Time and place have had their say.” Zora’s “place” was the frontier wilderness of Florida. She grew up in Eatonville, the only incorporated all-black town in America. Playing in the pine barrens and oak scrub, she unconsciously absorbed impressions about the wild flora and fauna. The memory of these sights, smells, and sounds inspired her curiosity and creativity.

Zora explored and understood all parts of her home state of Florida. She traveled its every mile gathering folktales. Mules and Men, a collection of Hurston’s folklore from Florida, is rich in the magic of the natural world. The lyrical descriptions of settings, the realistic dialogue, and the haunting simplicity of symbols demonstrate her knowledge of real Florida.
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When I seek out ingredients, I make an effort to find good-quality local items. Sometimes that means eggs and greens that travel fewer than 20 miles to get to me in the Florida panhandle. Other times, when something is not available on a truly local level, I try to find it regionally (usually Florida, Georgia and Alabama).

It isn’t always possible, but when I have a choice I buy local. That helps the local economy and uses fewer resources to go from farm to table. It also makes me focus on buying items that are in season, which is when they are the least expensive and taste the best.

For me, local buying is easy when it comes to seafood. It’s abundant in the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay. Local buying has also worked well with cheese, honey, vegetables and meats. One of the meats I buy are ranch-raised rabbits from Seely’s Ark in Ocala. Read the rest of this entry »

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

Living with the land: Florida’s first Earthship (video) – Eric Stewart gives a firsthand look at Florida’s first Earthship in Manatee County, and gets his hands dirty while helping out.

Not getting a million-dollar bonus this year? Think local stimulus- Scott Milinder shows us a real stimulus package that will work for us: we all commit to “Buying Local First.” According to recent economic studies, shifting your buying habits to locally owned businesses creates more circulation of money, more economic activity and more jobs in the local economy.

Eco-friendly summertime fashion accessories- Are you searching for a unique and beautiful purse to enhance your summer wardrobe? Then why not consider one of these recycled handbags that are made from recycled items that help to promote a cleaner and healthier world, reports Jen Meier.
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