Green Diary Rescue: A weekly series of what's happening on the eco-front

A little more than six years ago, frustrated that environmental diaries got too little attention at Daily Kos, I began a weekly series called Eco-Diary Rescue. It was a round-up with excerpts and links, sometimes with and sometimes without my own commentary, of the hard work so many Kossacks put into bringing matters environmental concern to the community. In February 2009, the series became the Green Diary Rescue. Over the years, I put together 216 of them. You can read the first one here.

In August 2011, I took a three-and-half-month hiatus from Daily Kos. When I returned, I didn't bring the Green Diary Rescue with me.

But today marks its return, in a similar but slightly different format that doesn't require so much time to produce but still provides a sorted collection of such diaries. Usually, but not in this first edition, I'll be starting out with some commentary of my own on an issue related to the environment, a word I take in its broadest meaning.

Before launching into this first of the new series, let me put up a disclaimer: Just because I select a diary to include doesn't mean I agree with all or even part of it. I may even think it's a crock, and sometimes I'll say so. But eco-advocates don't always agree with each other, and it doesn't do us any good to hear only one side of an argument whatever the subject.

Last week, in his usual thoughtful, informative style, citisven told us how The Good Food Revolution Goes Vertical. Here's how he started off:

This is a story about something that is right in this world. It's a story of inspiration and real world solutions, a down to earth celebration of the most basic yet profound connection we have to the planet that sustains us ' its soil and crops. It's also a simple appeal for support of a transformational project that combines human ingenuity, ecological healing, and more widespread and equitable access to life-enhancing nutrients for everyone.

Farmer and MacArthur Fellowship recipient Will Allen has been a giant in the urban farming and food justice movement for years. His organization Growing Power is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary of connecting inner city residents with the land they live on, developing community farms and food centers that provide access to high-quality, safe, healthy, affordable food for everyone.

One of the biggest challenges of growing enough healthy local food in dense urban areas is to secure enough acreage to run a viable farm, so Growing Power's most recent endeavor is the realization of a state of the art, 5-story Vertical Farm in the middle of Milwaukee.

The five-story Vertical Farm will expand Growing Powers greenhouse and aquaponics
 operations currently spread over a two-acre site in the City of Milwaukee. For more green diaries excerpts and links, please continue reading below the fold.