I was going to write about the obesity epidemic, and the news reports that show it’s worsening across the nation, yet ... what on earth is there left to say about that? Plant a Victory Garden and eat fresh, organic whole food? Explore your walkshed every day? Enough. How many times can I beat that dead horse?

So, there I was once again, with a fistful of herbs, heading to a neighbor’s house when it hit me: Something to share. Surely it's one of the most important health benefits of keeping a garden.

Ever since I have had my garden, I have had something to share. I no longer show up empty handed. No one ever leaves my house without something, and I am never stuck needing to run to the store in rush hour rain when I want to thank someone who has done me a kindness, or want to give a little pick-me-up to someone in pain. I save jars to fill with flowers and herbs, and leave them on doorsteps like old-time milk deliveries.

The folks to whom I give these things appreciate them, but I know that I’m the one who really gets the gift.

Forget the diet benefits of gardening. There are health benefits – connections to other people – that should not be overlooked. When push comes to shove, isn’t this all we really want? A way to share?

Wouldn’t it be nice if all the energy we used could come from local, renewable resources? Here’s a great article from the San Francisco Chronicle about people who are trying to make that idea a reality. (You can also read the article here on Common Dreams.)

It explains that just as a “locavore” is someone who eats locally grown food, a “locavolt” is someone who seeks energy created from local, renewable resources. One “locavolt” idea mentioned in this article is a concept Mother Earth News readers may already be familiar with, community supported wind.

If this gets you started thinking about producing energy locally, here are a few other resources you might want to check out.

* Do you live in a good location for producing solar or wind power? Here’s an article with more information on evaluating your home’s renewable energy potential.

 * To learn more about community supported wind power, a great resource is the non-profit organization Windustry and their Community Wind Toolbox.

 * The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has state and country energy profiles with good background information on energy issues in different areas. For example, here’s the profile for my home state of Kansas. Not surprisingly, it shows that we burn a lot of coal from Wyoming, but don’t yet have a lot of wind turbines.

What are some of the energy issues where you live? You can share your thoughts by posting a comment below.