Permaculture Workshop 3/20 Dawsonville

Come stay with us Friday and/or Saturday evening and attend this informative workshop. Here at Cedar House Inn we are very interested in permaculture.

Introduction to Permaculture, a one day workshop, at Cedar Hill Enrichment Center in Gainesville, GA, with Bob Burns and Isabel Crabtree, founders of Central Georgia Permaculture Institute and GeorgiaPermaculture.com. Bob and Isabel are regionally noted Permaculture Designers, teachers and homesteaders near Milledgeville, GA.

Date is Saturday, March 20, 2010, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Cost is $60 which INCLUDES LUNCH.
They will cover how to "Think like a Permaculturist"- the basic ideas of Permaculture, including principles, ethics, designing landscapes, water catchment and concepts such as Food Forests, Home Ecosystems, and much more will be covered in first half of this workshop. After lunch do a "walk-about" with plant guru Bob Burns, and then work on an "Herb Spiral" which exemplifies Permaculture Principles at work. Lunch will be provided. Cedar Hill is located at 5735 Dawsonville Hwy, Gainesville, GA 30506.

For more information or to register, please call Kat at (770)887-0051 or email her at kat@discovercedarhill.org. Class is expected to fill up quickly, so please sign up early!

Paper & Plastic Bag Tax Is A Great Idea

On tonight's ABC World News they featured a story about the use of paper and plastic shopping bags in grocery stores. The public has been slow to adopt the usage of reusable shopping bags. You have seen them. They are made of cloth or heavy plastic.

I have mentioned on previous blog posts that I am frustrated that when I go shopping with my wife she seems to be the only one using reusable bags. The other mindless shoppers are using the free throw away plastic or paper bags.

On tonight's news they mentioned that some major cities are thinking about imposing a tax on each throw away plastic or paper bag used. San Francisco has already outlawed plastic bags. Other cities like Washington, DC are looking at a 20 cent per bag tax. The poor are crying foul saying they cannot afford the tax. At Trader Joe's last week we bought a reusable bag for about a dollar. Reusable bags are affordable so the poor need to think of another reason.

In Ireland the ABC News story went on to say that they have imposed a 33 cent a bag tax on all bags. Nine out of ten consumers in Ireland now bring reusable bags when they go shopping. Hitting the pocketbook changes consumer behavior in Ireland. Would such a tax work in the USA. I would be willing to give it a try.

I hope Americans think about the consequences of their buying habits but I know that is wishful thinking on my part.

Bring on the bag tax and lets get rid of those awful plastic and paper bags that create pollution in their manufacturing (plastic) not to mention the number of trees that must be cut down for us to use a throw away paper bag.

Go out and purchase some reusable bags next time you shop and keep them in your car so that they can be used for your next grocery shopping trip.

Next time the check out person says paper or plastic say neither, I brought my own reusable bags.