Dear MOTHER: December 2009/January 2010

Readers’ letters about Joel Salatin, Treska Stein, colony collapse disorder, overpopulation and more.

December 2009/January 2010
Letters from our readers 
Treska Stein
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Treska Stein’s firsthand report, “My Introduction to Self-reliance,” inspired many MOTHER EARTH NEWS readers.
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A few readers had a beef with the size (2,600 square feet) of the home plan in You Can Build This Energy-efficient Solar Home. We don’t think the only option for the future is to demand that everyone live in small homes. Our goal is to bring you a range of options, from tiny homes such as the 480-square-footer featured in Making the Most of a Small Home, to the solar prairie home. Some readers can afford and build larger homes; we want to offer them designs that are as energy-efficient and green as possible.

Consuming less will help, but conservation alone isn’t going to get us where we need to go. We must adopt a broader, more positive vision of how to create a more sustainable future. Stay tuned for more about what we think that vision can be in our next issue, which will mark MOTHER’s 40th anniversary!

Salutes to Salatin and Stein

I just finished reading the August/September 2009 issue, and I loved it (as usual)! I especially loved Joel Salatin’s (Everything He Wants to Do is Illegal) and Treska Lydia Stein’s (My Introduction to Self-reliance) articles.

I am a young aspiring farmer, and I agree with Mr. Salatin that “overcoming the cultural prejudice against splinters and blisters” is a huge obstacle for the next generation of farmers. I loved what Ms. Stein shared about getting back the love she gives to her garden! These articles reminded me of The Greenhorns, a documentary about “America’s young farming community.”

Annie Gowan
Oakland, California

Reinvigorating Firsthand Report

I just finished Treska Lydia Stein’s My Introduction to Self-Reliance. Wow! This 13-year-old girl just reinvigorated my passion for my garden and self-reliance. It was very much needed. I spent yesterday in a bit of a bad mood because I let the pressures of my garden get to me. I’m doing it pretty much alone, and everything needs attention right now. I was canning and pickling into the wee hours and was a bit grumpy. Treska refocused me with her pure love of the plants and of the miracle of growing her own food.

Lisa Rizer
Fieldbrook, California

Honeybee Inbreeding?

Regarding Colony Collapse: Are Potent Pesticides Killing Honeybees?: An article in the October 2009 Discover magazine discusses this issue. It says, “The bees are succumbing to a long-ignored underlying condition: inbreeding. Decades of breeding practices meant to maximize pollinating efficiency have limited honeybees’ genetic diversity at a time when they need it most.” The author does not exclude pesticides and other causes, but does discuss the overlooked genetic aspect as a factor in the plight of the honeybee.

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