I love the purse that is on Abas’ homepage: the Ella handbag in indigo patent python is seriously stunning and would be sure to catch anyone’s eye.  If you go for any of the company’s handbags, clutches, wallets, notions, travel items, or paper refills, however, you probably couldn’t go wrong.  Abas is proud of being able to produce its leather accessories right here in the United States.  Click on the appropriate link and you’ll be led to a page that gives you a glimpse into the workings of Abas’ Worcester, Massachusetts factory.  I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen such a transparent site before.  Amazingness.  Shop local, shop American, shop Abas.

-Serena

“Women leading a farming revolution in Iowa” heralds one of The Christian Science Monitor’s latest entries on the environment.  However, reading further, I learned that not only does the gender own half of the productive land in the state but also that this apparent equality does little to even out the male/female disparities that exist within this particular economic sector.  Female landowners, when stressing conservation upon their own property, are often laughed at or ignored altogether for their sensitivity towards sustainability.  The more that people in the area become aware of the need for land to be preserved in the way that such women are advocating, though, the more that these women’s views are being respected.  Says one local, “…these women have a strong view of land as community – as a source of food and water for animals, birds, as well as people – rather than just producing a commodity.”  Who could question the importance of that?  Sounds like it’s about time that the testimonies are heard, in Iowa and beyond.

-Serena

Bundoran Farm is more than just a vegetable patch.  It’s a 2,300-acre site in North Garden, Virginia that is planned to contain homes, community centers, protected landscapes, and—you guessed it—a working farm.  In opposition to the type of sustainable development that applauds compact, vertical cities that are surrounded by untouched natural space, Bundoran Farm looks to precise land-use planning as its guiding principle.  By first taking into account where the existing roads, best views, forests and waterways, and productive farmland is, the project’s leaders are able to determine where new homes and other structures can most responsibly be placed.  One of the great things about the development is that all of the houses will be built in a way that is almost completely undetectable from public roads, leaving scenic Virginia virtually alone.  Each homeowner will also have partial rights to hundreds of preserved acres as well as a say in how the farm is operated without even having to lift a finger.  Sound like a place that you’d like to live in?  Check out Bundoran Farm’s website today— there are still lots available for the eco-conscious country lovers out there.

-Serena

I just came across a New York Times article entitled “House Passes Spending Bill, and Critics Are Quick to Point out the Pork” that I can’t help but comment on.  When the details were being released last month on how, exactly, the stimulus package was going to be divvied, there was of course plenty of controversy to go around.  What I’m still concerned with now, over a month later, is the pure ignorance of the author of this critical piece.  
In trying to make the point that Obama basically financed loads of lawmakers’ pet projects with the bill, he attacks what could potentially be some of its small but finest points.  As prime examples of Obama’s political-based wastefulness, he cites “$1.7 million for a honey bee laboratory in Weslaco, Tex.; $346,000 for research on apple fire blight in Michigan and New York; and $15.6 million for work on grapes and grape products.”  How uninformed could this author be?!  First of all, if he had done any research whatsoever, he’d know that bees in this country are dropping off like flies and that without some sort of drastic turnaround, we’re in danger of losing hundreds of thousands of acres of productive farmland and yes, our food, because of it.  And what’s so wrong with spending what equates to chump change on learning more about specific fruit afflictions across our nation?  I’ll bet you anything that even Mr. Critical enjoys a slice of Red Delicious or a glass of wine every so often.

-Serena