FEATURED NATURE

A collection of posts that about nature are featured on the blog. Ideas to help promote sustainability and lower your carbon footprint.

Growing Milkweed for the Monarch Butterfly

by Lisa LeCoump
October 18, 2021February 23, 2024

Monarch Populations are Declining, but Planting Milkweed Can Bring Them Back. It’s important to choose the right milkweed variety.

A Drought Tolerant Garden with a Fall Color Scheme

by Lisa LeCoump
October 16, 2021February 23, 2024

Planting with a color scheme made the garden look more about the colors and less about drought tolerance

Planting a Butterfly Garden

by Lisa LeCoump
July 22, 2021February 23, 2024

We are planting flowers to attract and benefit butterflies

Hummingbirds at the UCSC Santa Cruz Arboretum

by Lisa LeCoump
August 14, 2020April 29, 2024

Photos of hummingbirds at the UCSC Santa Cruz Arboretum.

According to the United Nations, “Our food systems right now are unsustainable. They are a major contributor to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution“. But, research done at U.C., Davis demonstrates that “soils could store enough carbon to offset a significant proportion of fossil fuel emissions”, and actually reverse climate change. This happens when farmers use ‘regenerative agriculture’ practices, which increase and keep organic matter in the soil. This blog features products that are grown this way, so you will know which brands will help reverse climate change.

While traveling the world and looking for the best quality ingredients, we found that many producers who care about quality also care about sustainability. When we used the best quality ingredients we also reduced our carbon footprint. Additionally, by buying regenerative products, we could actually help reverse climate change. So, this blog features some of those products. If everyone did this, more farmers would use ‘regenerative practices’ and it would have a big effect on climate change. Little changes add up to something big. Little things matter. We could save the world, one cookie at a time.

Professional Photographer - Food Photographer, Wedding Photographer. Lisa was previously the Deputy Agricultural Commissioner, responsible for reviewing and enforcing organic regulations and Environmental Protection Agency pesticide use regulations. She also worked for years as an Agricultural Advisor in California, a farmer in California, and an Agricultural Extension Agent in Thailand. She received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from California State University, Chico and studied Integrated Pest Management at U.C., Davis, which involved farming methods that preserve the environment.