The Spovangelist

There are things people need, and then there are things people need on multiple levels. A garden is one of those things that will enrich the bodies, minds and spirits of generations to come. But before there was a plan to build a garden at the Salvation Army campus on Indiana, there was a motley [...]

Over the last year I’ve gotten all fired up over rooftop gardens as a means of growing nutritious food without the use of chemicals or genetically modified organisms. Rooftop farms improve food security, benefit city residents, the natural environment and the local economy in a variety of interesting and unexpected ways. Outstanding examples of rooftop [...]

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately … I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. The reasons Thoreau once gave for his retreat into the forest near Walden Pond are eerily similar to our own reasons for moving to Spokane last month after ten years [...]

Everyone knows that “Video Killed the Radio Star,” but sometimes I wonder if all the drive-thru chains on 3rd are part of what is strangling a more vibrant food cart culture in Downtown Spokane. McDonald’s should change its slogan to “Killing Customers and the Competition since 1955.” At first it might seem a little lofty to [...]

Last Friday, I took part in East Central Neighborhood’s Spring clean-up. We were headquartered right behind One World Spokane, which I’m sure you know about as a Spokanite worth your salt. The neighborhood clean-up inspired me. I’d eaten at One World before, but had never stepped out into their garden, a source for many of their [...]

Rewild what? Rewilding is the pursuit and maintenance of a sustainable way of life through hunter-gatherer social and economic systems. Basically, rediscovering the skills humans used to survive before industrialization. Portland’s infamous Urban Scout will be sharing his first book entitled Rewild or Die at a skill-share camp this week right here in Spokane. Scout’s [...]

Last night was the last night I agreed to host a fun little get-together called the Great Food Swap. On the menu was a spicy couscous with local spring herbs and cheddar from North Idaho, an Olsen Farms potato salad with a dill and lemon vinaigrette, savory red beans and rice with almonds and onion, and [...]

They say an effective communication technique is to “tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em, tell ‘em, and then tell ‘em what you told ‘em.” That is what I appreciate about Gabriel and Rimas’s proactive three-pronged approach to marketing Chicken Sh@#: Exploring Urban Ecosystems. Instead of issuing a wan invitation to an opening night event [...]

If you like the smell of the forest freshly covered in dew on a crisp morning during a camping trip, then you will like the smell of a worm bin. Yes, that is right. A bin full of slimy, wriggling little red worms is worth a whiff or two. Vermicomposting is a recent hobby of [...]

The rock star of urban farming. There she stood on the hunter green stage at Auntie’s, making the audience giggle about the prospect of slaughtering bunnies in their backyards. Behind the podium in black and a recycled sari silk scarf, she was upfront and comfortable about her urban cultural leanings, citing a hipster-driven tour through [...]