Dear MOTHER: December 2009/January 2010

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Treska Stein’s firsthand report, “My Introduction to Self-reliance,” inspired many MOTHER EARTH NEWS readers.
Treska Stein’s firsthand report, “My Introduction to Self-reliance,” inspired many MOTHER EARTH NEWS readers.
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Reader Stephen Risker suggested industrial breeding practices as a cause for the honeybee decline after reading “Are Potent Pesticides Killing Our Honeybees?”
Reader Stephen Risker suggested industrial breeding practices as a cause for the honeybee decline after reading “Are Potent Pesticides Killing Our Honeybees?”
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“Growing Garlic” drew praise from reader Haley Tuner for both Barbara Pleasant’s informative writing and Keith Ward’s elegant illustrations.
“Growing Garlic” drew praise from reader Haley Tuner for both Barbara Pleasant’s informative writing and Keith Ward’s elegant illustrations.
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Reader Eve Otto wrote to say that she will “never again put plastic in my microwave oven” after reading “Plastics: What’s Dangerous, What’s Not.”
Reader Eve Otto wrote to say that she will “never again put plastic in my microwave oven” after reading “Plastics: What’s Dangerous, What’s Not.”
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A few readers were irked by the size of the home plan featured in “You Can Build This Energy-efficient Solar Home,” but just as many complimented the overall design.
A few readers were irked by the size of the home plan featured in “You Can Build This Energy-efficient Solar Home,” but just as many complimented the overall design.
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Reader Rose Elliot wrote in to warn of some of the downsides of keeping guineas.
Reader Rose Elliot wrote in to warn of some of the downsides of keeping guineas.

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.

  • Published on Nov 3, 2009
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