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A PRI L / M AY 2011 1

nektarina spaceweb magazine for cultural creatives

ISSN 1847-6694

Nektarina (S)paceweb magazine for cultural creatives

the awakenings of diversities

N EKTA RI N A SPACE2 A PRI L / M AY 2011 3

NEKTARINA NON PROFIT

EDUCATE CONNECT INSPIRE

Nektarina Spaceweb magazine for cultural creatives

April / May 2011

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www.nektarinanonprofit.com

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Caring about people Caring about environment

10:10 MediterraneanLOW CARBON AND DELICIOUS FOOD

Published by Nektarina Non Profit, 2011ISBN 978-953-56691-0-4

nektarina spaceweb magazine for cultural creatives

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Meet Nektarina (S)pace –re launched! Initially published online in a blog format from October 2009 – May 2010, the Nektarina (S)pace magazine is finally back, as an edition that is both downloadable and accessible online, having the look and feel of a printed magazine.

What’s with the brackets?Nektarina (S)pace is published by Nektarina Non Profit, and NGO from Zagreb, Croatia, active in over 30 countries in Central, Eastern and South Europe, the Mediterranean , Russia and Central Asia, and dedicated to educating, connecting and inspiring people to care about their communities and their environment.Hence the “Nektarina” part of the webzine name.(S)pace is actually “space”, as in your space, our space, community space…but it is also a “pace”, as in “choose your own pace”.Hence the brackets.

What are we all about?I would say we are about giving options. Options to improve the quality of your lives, options to make a change, options to meet new people, options to learn and experience new things.In our press release we said “we are targeting the cultural creatives”. Here is how you can find out if you are one – agreeing with ten or more of these statements puts you in the “cultural creative” category:

Yes, I love nature and deeply care about its preservation and its natural balance

Yes, I am strongly aware of the planet-wide issues (i.e. climate change, poverty, overpopulation, etc.) and I would like to see more action on them

Yes, I would be willing to pay higher taxes or spend more money for goods if that money went to improving the environment

Yes, I think it is very important to develop and maintain relationships

Yes, I think it is very important to help others and develop their unique gifts

Yes, I would volunteer for a cause that is important to me and beneficial to the society

Yes, I see spirituality as an important aspect of life, but I do worry about religious fundamentalism

Yes, I desire equity for women/men in business, life and politics

Yes, I am concerned and I support the wellbeing (and freedom) of all women and children

Yes, I would like for politics and government to spend more money on education, community programs and the support of a more ecologically sustainable future

Yes, I am generally optimistic towards the future

Yes, I want to be involved in creating a new and better way of life

Yes, I am concerned with big businesses and the means they use to generate profits, including destroying the environment and exploiting poorer countries

Yes, I dislike the emphasis of modern cultures on “making it” and “success”, on consuming and making money

Yes, I like people, places and things that are different or exotic

And here we are – caring about people and environment, sharing articles, photographs and information we find interesting and thought-provoking.Enjoy, share, participate – off we go!

Nice to meet you

By Sandra Antonovic


contents & im-pressum

NEKTARINA SPACE – WEB MAGAZINE

ISSN 1847-6694April 2011 / Issue 1

Publisher Nektarina Non Profit

Editor-in-chief Sandra Antonovic ([email protected])Art Director Ayesha GarrettProduction Manager Mikka LarsenAdvertising & Marketing Marcella Timpone ([email protected])Contributors Lana Paslovsky Sofia Pavic Svebor Larsen Daria Alexova Devlin McGovernAdministration Ivan Marinovic

Published by Nektarina Non Profit

[email protected]

All rights reservedNektarina Space is solely owned, published and designed by Nektarina Non Profit. Whilst every effort was made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time of publishing, the publishers cannot accept legal responsibility for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility of the standing of advertisers. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

Nektarina Space is published monthly.

NEKTARINA NON PROFIT

EDUCATE CONNECT INSPIRE

CONTENTS / will be done last/

Focus on3-4 topics

News & Events3-4 topics

Features3-4 topics

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Letter from the editor

Spring is here. With warmer days, with brighter sun, with April scents and May walks, with crisp evenings and clear mornings. The awakening of diversities.

Spring is the time when we celebrate the Earth Day and get in touch with nature. It is also the time when we celebrate diversities – both in the nature (International Biodiversity Day) and amongst people (World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development). One may think that just the sound of these days’ names is too serious for an “ordinary” person to deal with or think about, but I would say it is all very very simple:Accepting the nature and the world (people) around us as they are – with all their differences, things we might not understand, things we still have to learn about or things we already experienced.

Celebrating differences was one of our postulates when we first started this web magazine back in 2009, in a blog format, and it still remains one of our most important differences as we offer you today this new format and new layout. We are proud to be here, and we will do our best to serve you – providing interesting content, meaningful topics and creating an online space you can come back too when in search of a information, ideas or insights.

Enjoy!

Sandra Antonovic Editor-in-Chief


Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s natural environment. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the City of Saint Francis, patron saint of ecology.

The April 22 Earth DayGaylord Nelson, a United States Senator from Wisconsin, called for an environmental teach-in, or Earth Day, to be held on April 22, 1970. Over 20 million people participated that year, and this Earth Day is now observed on April 22 each year by more than 500 million people and several national governments in 175 countries.

Senator Nelson, an environmental activist, took a leading role in organizing the celebration, hoping to demonstrate popular political support for an environmental agenda. Nelson favored a decentralized, grassroots effort in which each community shaped their action around local concerns.Nelson announced his idea for a nationwide teach-in day on the environment in a speech to a fledgling conservation group in Seattle on September 20, 1969, and then again six days later in Atlantic City to a meeting of the United Auto Workers. Senator Nelson hoped that a grassroots outcry about environmental issues might prove to Washington, D.C. just how distressed Americans were in every constituency.

On September 29, 1969, in a long, front-page New York Times article, Gladwin Hill wrote: “Rising concern about the “environmental crisis” is sweeping the nation’s campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam...a national day of observance of environmental problems, analogous to the mass demonstrations on Vietnam, is being planned for next spring, when a nationwide environmental ‘teach-in’...coordinated from the office of Senator Gaylord Nelson is planned....”Denis Hayes, a Harvard graduate student, read the NYT article and traveled to Washington to get involved. He had been student body president and a campus activist at Stanford University in McCloskey’s district and where Teach-In board member Paul Ehrlich was a professor. He thought he might be asked to organize Boston. Instead, Nelson eventually asked Hayes to drop out of Harvard, assemble a staff, and direct the effort to organize the United States. Hayes would go on to become a widely recognized environmental advocate. Hayes recruited a handful of young college graduates to come to Washington, D.C. and began to plan what would become the first April 22 Earth Day.

Nelson’s suggestion was difficult to implement, as the Earth Day movement proved to be autonomous with no central governing body. As Senator Nelson attests, it simply grew on its own:

Earth Day worked because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. We had neither the time nor resources to organize 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated. That was the remarkable thing about Earth Day. It organized itself.

The April 22, 1970, Earth Day marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement. Approximately 20 million Americans participated.

Love thy Earth

E A RTH DAY IS N OW O BSERV ED

I N 175 CO U NTRI ES


Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, Freeway and expressway revolts, the loss of wilderness, and air pollution suddenly realized they shared common values.

Media coverage of the first April 22 Earth Day included a One-Hour Prime-time CBS News Special Report called “Earth Day: A Question of Survival,” with correspondents reporting from a dozen major cities across the country, and narrated by Walter Cronkite (whose backdrop was the Earth Week Committee of Philadelphia’s logo).

Results of Earth Day 1970Earth Day proved popular in the United States and around the world. The first April 22 Earth Day had participants and celebrants in two thousand colleges and universities, roughly ten thousand primary and secondary schools, and hundreds of communities across the United States. More importantly, it “brought 20 million Americans out into the spring sunshine for peaceful demonstrations in favor of environmental reform.” Senator Nelson stated that Earth Day “worked” because of the response at the grassroots level. Twenty-million demonstrators and thousands of schools and local communities participated. He directly credited the first Earth Day with persuading U.S. politicians that environmental legislation had a substantial, lasting constituency.

Earth Day is now observed in 175 countries, and coordinated by the nonprofit Earth Day Network, according to whom Earth Day is now “the largest secular holiday in the world, celebrated by more than a half billion people every year.” Environmental groups have sought to make Earth Day into a day of action which changes human behavior and provokes policy changes.

The Earth Day nameAccording to Senator Nelson, the moniker “Earth Day” was “an obvious

and logical name” suggested by “a number of people” in the fall of 1969, including, he writes, both “a friend of mine who had been in the field of public relations” and “a New York advertising executive,” Julian Koenig. Koenig, who had been on Nelson’s organizing committee in 1969, has said that the idea came to him by the coincidence of his birthday with the day selected, April 22; “Earth Day” rhyming with “birthday,” the connection seemed natural. Other names circulated during preparations—Nelson himself continued to call it the National Environment Teach-In, but press coverage of the event was “practically unanimous” in its use of “Earth Day,” so the name stuck.

Earth Day NetworkEarth Day Network was founded by Denis Hayes and the organizers of the first Earth Day in 1970 and by other national organizers, including Pam Lippe, to promote environmental activism and year-round progressive action, domestically and internationally. Earth Day Network members include NGOs, quasi-governmental agencies, local governments, activists, and others. Earth Day Network members focus on environmental education; local, national, and global policies; public environmental campaigns; and organizing national and local earth day events to promote activism and environmental protection. The international network reaches over 19,000 organizations in 192 countries, while the domestic program engages 10,000 groups and over 100,000 educators coordinating millions of community development and environmental-protection activities throughout the year. In observance of the 40th anniversary of the April 22 Earth Day, Earth Day Network created multiple global initiatives, ranging from a Global Day of Conversation with mayors worldwide, focusing on bringing green investment and building a green economy; Athletes for the Earth Campaign that brings Olympic, professional, and every day athletes’ voices to help promote a solution to climate change; a Billion Acts of Green Campaign


which will aggregate the millions of environmental service commitments that individuals and organizations around the world make each year; to Artist for the Earth, a campaign the involves hundreds of arts institutions and artists worldwide to create environmental awareness. EDN mobilized 1.5 billion people in 170 countries to participate in these global events and programs.

Earth Day and the UNUnited Nations secretary-general Kurt Waldheim observed Earth Day with similar ceremonies on the March equinox in 1972, and the United Nations Earth Day ceremony has continued each year since on the day of the March equinox (the United Nations also works with organizers of the April 22 global event). Margaret Mead added her support for the equinox Earth Day, and in 1978 declared: “Earth Day is the first holy day which transcends all national borders, yet preserves all geographical integrities, spans mountains and oceans and time belts, and yet brings people all over the world into one resonating accord, is devoted to the preservation of the harmony in nature and yet draws upon the triumphs of technology, the measurement of time, and instantaneous communication through space.

Earth Day draws on astronomical phenomena in a new way – which is also the most ancient way – by using the vernal Equinox, the time when the Sun crosses the equator making the length of night and day equal in all parts of the Earth. To this point in the annual calendar, EARTH DAY attaches no local or divisive set of symbols, no statement of the truth or superiority of one way of life over another. But the selection of the March Equinox makes planetary observance of a shared event possible, and a flag which shows the Earth, as seen from space, appropriate.”At the moment of the equinox, it is traditional to observe Earth Day by ringing the Japanese Peace Bell, which was donated by Japan to the United Nations. Over the years, celebrations have occurred in various places worldwide at the same time as the UN celebration. On March 20, 2008, in addition to the ceremony at the United Nations, ceremonies were held in New Zealand, and bells were sounded in California, Vienna, Paris, Lithuania, Tokyo and many other locations. The equinox Earth Day at the UN is

organized by the Earth Society Foundation.

Earth Day anthemThere are many songs that are performed on Earth Day, that generally fall into two categories. Popular songs by contemporary artists not specific to Earth Day that are under copyright, or new lyrics adapted to children’s songs. Creating new lyrics that are easily translated into multiple languages, and set to a universally recognized melody in the public domain, does not appear to have been attempted.

The “Earth Day Anthem” below satisfies these requirements for a universal song associated with Earth Day. Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” melody is already the official anthem of the European Union (in that case purely instrumental without lyrics), the melody is widely recognized and easily performed, in the public domain, and originally composed for voice. Lyrics for the Earth Day Anthem set to “Ode to Joy” are provided below:

Joyful joyful we adore our Earth in all its wondermentSimple gifts of nature that all join into a paradise

Now we must resolve to protect herShow her our love through out all time

With our gentle hand and touchWe make our home a newborn worldNow we must resolve to protect her

Show her our love through out all timeWith our gentle hand and touch

We make our home a newborn world

Article abridged from www.wikipedia.org

N EKTA RI N A SPACE20

The spring of the year is a favorite season for many people, and it is certainly easy to understand why this is so. The spring is when the earth comes back to life after a long cold winter, and it is in the spring when to return after its winter slumber.The power of spring and its regenerative effects are evidenced by the fact that every major religion includes a major holiday in the spring season. From Passover to Easter, it seems that every culture marks spring with a celebration of renewal and new life. It is easy to understand how in times past ancient cultures were overjoyed by the power of spring and the beauty of new life.The spring is an important season for many hobbies, including of course gardening. For the gardener, the spring is one of the most pleasant times in the garden. The spring is the time when the bulbs that were carefully planted in the fall begin to grow and blossom, and the spring is when the first seedlings are carefully nestled in the garden. There is no doubt that the spring is one of the most beautiful, and most colorful, of all seasons for the gardener.

The spring is also a favorite time for home improvement projects that could not go forward while the weather was too cold. Whether it is a small project like installing new downspouts or a large project like building a new garage or storage shed, the spring is one of the best times to work at improving the value and livability of the home. In the spring, the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, and the homeowner has plenty of daylight in which to work. It is no wonder that the spring season is one of the busiest for home improvement stores and warehouses.For the outdoor sports enthusiast, there is nothing like the coming of the spring season. For the fisherman, the coming of spring means the first day of trout season. For the avid hiker, spring means that those favorite trails are no longer impassable due to snow, and for the horseback rider spring means being able to take a ride without first bundling up. And of course spring means the opening of baseball season, a joy for spectators and players alike.BY M I KE FREEM EN

Enjoying the beauty of the spring season


a public transport celebrityVia Loctite.nl / abridged /

Not many trams are lucky enough to acquire an online fan base. One of the lucky few is the TMK2200 low-floor tram, produced by the Croatian company Končar. The TMK2200’s most loyal fans on YouTube refer to it as “the best tram on earth” and the “the prettiest tram ever”.

The image of the blue tram also features prominently on the Croatian capital’s official website. The TMK 2200 is the first image you see when accessing the site. This clearly shows that the tram has become a landmark of Zagreb, a modern complement to the historical sights that have defined the city for centuries. A means of public transportation which inspires this kind of enthusiasm deserves a closer look. Cities in Finland, Bulgaria, Serbia and Australia are currently considering the purchase of the TMK2200.

The modern low-floor tram is a point of pride in patriotic Croatia because more than 70% of the parts are manufactured in the country, especially the sophisticated electronics.

NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE

The smart-looking tram that has generated such a following needs to have more than just a pretty face, however. In Zagreb alone the trams transport more than 200 million people a year. 500,000 of those use them every day. Končar’s trams need to be in service for up to 35 years. For each tram, only 5% of repair and maintenance time is allowed.

The company itself, established in 1921, is a good example of one of the success stories in central Europe. The group comprises the parent company Končar Electrical Industry and 20 dependent companies. Its major investor is the Croatian state through a variety of funds; the company is predominantly state-owned. 2008, the year that saw the onset of the financial crisis, has been a successful year for Končar. Sales and profit rose, along with the export of goods and services.

“...a point of pride in patriotic Croatia because more than 70% of the parts are manufactured in the country, especially the sophisticated electronics.”


two more pages about tram two more pages about tram


FORWARD THINKING FORWARD THINKING


CUT CARBON CHOOSE A TRAIN AD CUT CARBON CHOOSE A TRAIN AD

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Clean VacationingNumerous studies prove that tourists return to an area primarily for its cleanliness and greenery. Lillian and Dave Brummet discuss the issue of bringing rubbish into the vacation environment and leaving places cleaner than when you found them.


By Lillian and Dave Brummet

Clean Vacationing

Admit it. When the sun is out and you are at your favorite campsite or cottage on the lake the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time cooking a meal. Often, when vacationing, the lure to purchase instant foods is strong. Unfortunately, these convenience foods often come over packaged usually including some type of plastic. As we can see when we come across trash in the wilderness, the plastics tend to linger the longest - other than maybe glass and metal. Nothing ruins the feel of a pristine, natural area more than a bunch of garbage. Numerous studies prove that tourists return to an area primarily for its cleanliness and greenery. In this era where the economy has come to rely more on tourism, cleaning up is truly a benefit for the community.

We soon realized that walking by these messes and complaining over such disrespect, we were behaving not much better than the polluters who left it. Now when we hike we pack a supply of plastic bags (grocery bags work well) to clean up as we go. Often we earn up to $10 in returnable bottles and cans in the process. When you take a bit of time to clean up some trash not only do you have a better trail or beach to come back to, you have helped to make it safer and nicer for the next user. This simple measure just might influence others to keep it clean, as well.

When on the water with the canoe we also clean as we go by diving for garbage below the surface using a mask and snorkel. It is amazing the finds we have from these excursions under water. One of the first times we did this, we found an expensive diving mask in about 30 feet of water – enough incentive to continue this practice! We have found antique bottles, jewelry, fishing lures and reels.

It feels very good to clear up a beach of shards of broken glass hiding just below the surface before an unwary swimmer splashes into it. It does not, however, feel as good to find a large fish hook by imbedding it in the bottom of your foot. Take heart in knowing you have done a good thing as your expletive echoes off the far mountainside. Imagine an innocent child stepping on that hook instead of you and decide if it is worth taking the time...

About the Author-- Written by Dave and Lillian Brummet based on the concept of their new book Trash Talk. The book offers useful solutions for the individual to reduce waste and better manage resources. A guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment.

“When you take a bit of time to clean up some trash not only do you have a better trail or beach to come back to, you have helped to make it safer and nicer for the next user. This simple measure just might influence others to keep it clean, as well.”


CO2, Global Warming, and Pollen-Allergies

by Thomas Ogren

The benefits of added organic matter to the soil have long been known and are usually attributed to increased nitrogen, greater water-holding capacity and an increase in activity of soil earthworms and microbes. But experiments have shown that the increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) release that accompanies added organic matter is certainly one of the main reasons why adding organic matter to the soil increases plant growth.

Greenhouse owners have long understood that plants consume CO2 and release oxygen. In a greenhouse packed full of plants, through the process of photosynthesis, the plants can quickly use up most of the available CO2 and then their growth slows down or stops. To compensate for this, old time growers used to place boxes or flats of fresh manure underneath their greenhouse benches. As the manure decomposed it released CO2 into the greenhouse air and the plants grew faster as a result.

In today’s modern greenhouses, especially those with concrete floors, lack of CO2 is always a concern. Most of the newer greenhouse ranges are now equipped with automatic CO2 regulators that monitor the amount of CO2 in the air inside the greenhouse and then release more as needed.


cultivars (clones) of trees and shrubs. These modern landscape trees result in surrounding air with unnaturally large amounts of allergenic pollen. Because the “messy” urban female trees are now so rare, almost none of this pollen is now trapped, removed from the air and turned into seed. (Female trees produce no pollen, ever, but they do make seeds, pods, and fruit.)We have tidy sidewalks but pollen-filled air.

Under normal carbon dioxide levels these male cloned trees will always produce abundant amounts of pollen. Under increased levels of carbon dioxide, they produce considerably more. The increase in temperature itself also results in increased pollen production, and in pollen production that starts earlier in the spring and lasts further into the fall. There is research that shows that under stress conditions male plants are able to take up more water than are females. Under stress conditions, such as drought, male trees are also able to hold onto the water they already have better than are female plants. Where there are abundant water and soil nutrient sources the increases in carbon dioxide levels in our air will result in larger urban trees, which if they’re allergy trees, will be capable of producing ever more pollen.

Increases in carbon dioxide increase plant growth but only if there is enough available extra water and nitrogen in the soil to support this additional growth. When the supplies of water and nutrients are not adequate to support this added CO2-induced growth interesting physiological things happen in plants. Foremost, it is an added stress on the plants and stress often results in an increase in unusual reproduction factors.

A stressed lemon tree, for example, will often produce a huge crop of tiny, very seedy lemons. This is simply the lemon tree’s way of preparing for it’s own imminent demise and also it’s own legacy of possible seedlings. Another stress example: In daily pollen collections taken by biology professor Dr. Lee Parker and his students from the top of the Fisher Science Building at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, California, taken during the middle of a severe seven year drought, all-time record oak pollen count levels were recorded.

In these greenhouses with their gas growth CO2 generators the plants don’t just grow bigger-- they also mature earlier.

So, what has all this to do with global warming and allergies?

As we become more and more reliant on burning petroleum products and as our global temperatures continue to rise, carbon dioxide levels in our air are rising. Before the last election we in the US had assumed, incorrectly, that no matter which candidate won the election, new controls were going to be placed on CO2 emissions. We know better now.

The US with its huge consumption of fossil fuels, (the U.S. produces nearly 25 percent of man-made carbon dioxide emissions worldwide). also is experiencing the greatest increase in CO2. Actually, CO2 accounts for 80-85 percent of the heat trapping (greenhouse) gases contributing to global warming.

The idea that is now called the “Greening Theory” holds that all this extra CO2 is good. It will result in increased plant growth and thus in resulting increases in food supplies. There is some merit to this theory but there are numerous downsides too.

Pollen-Allergies

There are many negative effects from global warming but let’s just consider one here, pollen production and it’s affect on allergies.

Since 1959 allergies have dramatically increased in the US from 2 to 5 percent of the population affected, to a whopping 38 percent now.

Largely because of the huge horticultural “success” of the much over-simplified theory of “litter-free” landscaping we already have vast urban landscapes that are heavily loaded with wind-pollinated dioecious male


Great increases in the already excessively high rates of urban pollen, combined with further compromised immune systems, may well be the recipe for allergies of true epidemic proportions in the not too distant future.

Dr. Robert C. Stebbins, renowned biologist from UC Berkeley, told me recently in a phone conversation, that the planting of all these cloned male dioecious and compromised monoecious trees, “is a classic example of how they just didn’t think about the ecology involved.”

If we don’t start paying closer attention to how we landscape our cities, and we don’t start getting serious about alternative clean energy sources, rampant allergies and other pollen-related illnesses may well be the end result.

This article first appeared in New Scientist Magazine, in London.

About the Author Thomas Ogren is the author of Allergy-Free Gardening, Ten Speed Press. Tom does consulting work on landscape and allergies for the USDA, county asthma coalitions, and the Canadian and American Lung Associations. He has appeared on HGTV and The Discovery Channel. His book, Safe Sex in the Garden, was published in 2003. In 2004 Time Warner Books published his latest book: What the Experts May NOT Tell You About: Growing the Perfect Lawn. His website: www.allergyfree-gardening.com

In the past twenty years in particular there has been a huge increase in this planting of male cloned street trees. These trees can not produce pollen until they mature but with the increases in CO2 levels, we can predict that they will mature earlier than expected. Shannon L. LaDeau, a researcher at Duke University found that pine trees grown with elevated levels of CO2 produced three times the normal amount of seeds and also matured prematurely.

Lewis H Ziska, Ph.D., a USDA researcher, recently found that increased CO2 resulted in huge increases in the pollen production of ragweed and other weeds.

David Karowe, a researcher at the University of Michigan, found another interesting factor about increased CO2 levels and plants: their leaves contain fewer nutrients than normal.Nancy Tuchman, biology professor at Loyola University in Chicago, is also researching the feed value of CO2 enhanced leaves on microorganisms and insects. She found that they all grow slower when fed these “enhanced” leaves. “If all the plants are altered on a global level, then it’s certainly going to affect all the organisms on Earth,” she said. “No one is going to escape.”

Compounding all of this is that excessive burning of fossil fuels and the resulting pollution may well be compromising our very endocrine and immune systems. Theo Colburn explored this well in the very interesting book, “Our Stolen Future.”

Largely because of the huge horticultural “success” of the much over-simplified theory of “litter-free” landscaping we already have vast urban landscapes that are heavily loaded with wind-pollinated dioecious male cultivars (clones) of trees and shrubs.


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Understanding an ecosystemBy Charles Kassotis

No one lives in a vacuum, we might say, and the same is true of nature. Just as people need other people to get connected and learn to survive, so do other natural elements in the universe and on planet Earth. While it may be difficult for most of us to comprehend the universe with the naked eye, we can go out and study the world around us without the use of even a microscope as long as we have some idea of what we’re looking for. Studying a microcosm, or smaller world of organic activity, can help us to understand larger principles and systems at work on a major scale.

As schoolchildren, we study the basic physical sciences, including biology, physics, chemistry, and geology. College students will learn even more about some of these topics in fulfilling the general education requirements for just about any diploma. Yet, because few of us study all the sciences at length, we often do not understand very much about the way the natural world works. That’s why personal study of a nearby ecosystem may help to expand our knowledge base in useful ways.

Start by reading an introductory lesson on the type of system you want to study. It might be about a woodland area, a bog or marsh, a river or pond, or a plain or meadow. You could study a farmer’s crop of corn or beans, or a neighbor’s trickling stream. Wherever you look in the rural outdoors, you can find a mini-system of natural principles operating to support a variety of life forms. If you have kids or grandchildren, or teach school or children’s church, you may even want to arrange a field trip for an hour or so to let them learn about nature the experiential way. Go over the basic guidelines for identifying an ecosystem and how the parts work together to create a system that supports living creatures and plants.


Choose a good-weather day for the expedition. If you plan to investigate a neighbor’s property, get permission first. Be sure there are no safety hazards like swampland, ditches, or gas lines that someone could stumble over. Let everyone know the boundaries for the study project, along with an idea of what to look for. Then it might be a good idea to pair everyone in two’s to keep anyone from wandering off or getting lost. Another advantage to twosomes is they can check their impressions with each other to clarify findings.

Have everyone describe the terrain, the climactic and environmental conditions, and the dominant weather cycles for the region. They can do this afterward in discussion or take notes while in the field. Then they should look for typical life forms in the area, including species and genus, if they know how to classify organisms. Otherwise, a simple list by common names is fine. They should at least be able to separate insects from mammals, and so on. Animal tracks can be used as evidence in lieu of seeing the actual creature, like deer, for example.

The next step is to find water, air, and food sources that support the living things. Applying known rules or principles to actual observations will provide a rich and personal learning experience. In the notes or via discussion, explain how everything in the area works together to support an environmental life chain.

This type of activity makes a great family excursion or a fun hobby for an individual. Try it sometime to see whether you enjoy reading physical history in the great outdoors.


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GRASS ROOTS ARTICLE GRASS ROOTS ARTICLE

N EKTA RI N A SPACE74 A PRI L / M AY 2011 75Baricco: SILK


Silk, the novel by the contemporary Italian author Alessandro Baricco, manages to tell the extraordinary story on a hundred or so pages. The main character is Hervé Joncour, a silk merchant who lives in the small town in the south of France, happily married to his wife Hèléne. The story line is set in the first half of the 19th century, and the tale begins with the expansion of a dangerous silk worm disease affecting the whole Europe. In order to get a healthy silk worm larvae, Hervé takes a trip to Japan. At that time Japan seemed “at the end of the world” to most Europeans, and Hervé finds himself in a country with completely different culture. He is welcomed by a wealthy silk merchant, Hara Kei, whose “ only visible sign of power was a motionless wife, lying next to him, head resting in his lap, eyes closed”. That “woman with a face of a girl and whose eyes did not have the oriental contours” fascinates Hervé. Not knowing her language is not an obstacle in subtle non-verbal

BARICCO: SILK

BARICCO: SVILA

(Seta, Silk)

communication between Hervé and woman-girl, so Hervé decides to return to Japan the following year. That is the beginning of Silk, even Baricco refers to it as a “tale”. If we were to categorise it in a genre sense it would be a novel, but a very unusual one. The topic

is on one side a historical one- the story line is set in the 19th century and on the other a love story and thus timeless. With such setting one might think that it is just

one in the long line of historical love novels, a story that has been told hundreds of times and therefore simply boring. Baricco, however,

By Vesna SolarNapisala: Vesna Solar

Svila, djelo suvremenog talijanskog pisca Alessandra Baricca, roman je koji na stotinjak stranica uspijeva ispričati sasvim izuzetnu priču. Glavni je lik Hervé Joncour, trgovac svilom koji živi u malom mjestu na jugu Francuske u sretnom braku sa suprugom Hélène. Radnja se događa u prvoj polovici 19. stoljeća, a zaplet počinje pojavom opasne bolesti dudova svilca koja zahvati čitavu Europu. Kako bi nabavio zdrave svilcove ličinke, Hervé kreće na put u Japan. U to je doba za Europljanina Japan «na kraju svijeta», pa se Hervé nađe u zemlji potpuno drugačije kulture. Ugošćuje ga tamošnji veliki i bogati trgovac svilom, Hara Kei, čiji je «jedini vidljivi znak moći bila nepomična žena, ispružena pored njega, glave naslonjene na njegovo krilo, sklopljenih očiju». Ta «žena s licem djevojčice i očima koje nisu istočnjačkog oblika» očarava Hervéa. Nepoznavanje njenog jezika nije prepreka u suptilnoj neverbalnoj komunikaciji Hervéa i žene-djevojčice, pa se Hervé sljedeće godine ponovno odlučuje na put u Japan…

To je početak Svile, djela koje sam Baricco naziva «pričom». Žanrovski bi ga točnije bilo nazvati romanom, no radi se o vrlo neobičnom romanu. Tema kojom se bavi s jedne je strane povijesna – radnja se dešava u 19. stoljeću

– a s druge ljubavna i time izvanvremenska. Tako postavljeno, moglo bi se učiniti kako se radi tek o još jednom u dugom nizu povijesnih ljubića,

o priči koja je već ispripovijedana tisuću puta i stoga naprosto dosadna. Baricco, međutim, nježnu i poetičnu priču o ljubavi uspijeva

“UT AC URNA D UI. PR AESENT ELE M ENTUM N ISI Q UIS LIGUL A L ACI N IA ULTRICES. CR A S EGET RHONCUS N EQ UE. “


N EKTA RI N A SPACE78 A PRI L / M AY 2011 79Nam egestas aliquet risus

non auctor metus mollis commodo

manages to separate a mild and poetic story about love from triviality and over-romanticizing , which usually mark such novels. He manages to do this by special narration technique. It has been determined that the novel is small in volume, a hundred or so pages divided into 65 short chapters. Still, a lot is said, far more than in novels ten times that size. Baricco’s writing technique is dense, style is compact and he manages to create a poetic effect. Therefore Silk in so many ways resembles a poem. Even though it was written in prose and follows the story line, the key feature is creating an atmosphere and expressing the inexpressible,

which is the characteristic of poetry. Frequent repetitions, syntagmas, even sentence sequences puts this novel somewhere between prose and poetry, thus creating a moving and original writer’s expression.

držati daleko od trivijalnosti i sentimentalizma, koji obično takve romane neizbježno prate. To je u prvom redu postigao osobitim načinom pripovijedanja. Već je rečeno kako je roman obujmom malen; stotinjak stranica podijeljenih na 65. kratkih poglavlja. Ipak, rečeno je izuzetno mnogo, daleko više što nego većina uspijeva u desetak puta dužim romanima. Baricco piše zgusnuto, stil mu je sažet, a time se postiže jak dojam poetičnosti. Tako se Svila u mnogočemu približava pjesmi. Iako je napisana u prozi i slijedi radnju, ključno je stvaranje atmosfere i izražavanje gotovo neizrecivih osjećaja, što je odlika poezije. Česta ponavljanja riječi, sintagmi, pa čak

i nizova rečenica postavlja to djelo na razmeđe između proze i poezije, a time se stvara dojmljiv i originalan piščev izraz. Njegova je osobina i zahtjev za čitateljevim «sudjelovanjem».




Its characteristic is also a request for reader’s ‘participation’. As the characters and the action are only described by the narrator from ‘the outside’ , never directly revealing hero’s thoughts and feelings to the readers, it is up to them to draw conclusions “what is it all about”. Similarly, it was not directly stated that Hervé was enchanted by the oriental beauty, but we can figure it out from his actions. The focal point of the novel is a love triangle between Hervé, Japanese woman and Hèléne, but their mutual relationships are very complex. It is obvious that Hervé has fallen in love with the Japanese woman, who enthralled him with a single glance. It was not explained how and why, but love matters are obviously mysterious, so Baricco is not even tempted to offer trivial explanations. It also remains unclear whether Hervé loves Hèléne all along and how did she find out about her rival. The communication between these three characters is especially interesting. Hervé and Hèléne converse, share a home, come from the same town , the same culture. However, the communication between Hérve and the Japanese woman is far more complex. Hervé does not speak Japanese and the

“Ut ac urna dui. Praesent elementum nisi quis ligula lacinia ultrices. Cras eget rhoncus neque. “

“Ut ac urna dui. Praesent elementum nisi quis ligula lacinia ultrices. Cras eget rhoncus neque. “

Kako likove i događaje pripovjedač uvijek opisuje samo «izvana», odnosno nikada izravno ne otkriva čitatelju osjećaje i misli junaka, na čitatelju je da sam izvede zaključke o «čemu se tamo zapravo radi». Tako, recimo, nigdje nije rečeno kako je Hervé očaran istočnjačkom ljepoticom, nego se to može shvatiti tek na temelju njegovih postupaka. U središtu romana ljubavni je trokut između Hervéa, japanske žene i Hélène, no njihovi su međusobni odnosi vrlo složeni. Očito se Hervé zaljubio u japansku ženu, a ona ga je osvojila jednim jedinim pogledom. Kako i zašto, nije objašnjeno, ali odnosi ljubavi su očito neobjašnjivi, pa Baricco ne zapada u pokušaje trivijalnih objašnjenja. Ostaje također nejasno voli li Hervé čitavo vrijeme i Hélène, te kako je ona saznala za suparnicu. Posebno je pak zanimljiv način komunikacije između ta tri lika. Tako Hervé i Hélène uglavnom razgovaraju, dijele dom, potiču iz istog mjesta i iste kulture. No, komunikacija između Hervéa i japanske žene mnogo je složenija. Kako Hervé ne govori japanski, a žena ne govori francuski, oni ne mogu razgovarati, a razgovor im priječi i čitav niz kulturnih konvencija Istoka: kako

je ta žena konkubina Hara Keia, ona je zapravo njegova svojina, te nema pravo izbora ni u ljubavi niti u životu uopće. Ipak, Hervé i Japanka ipak komuniciraju; nešto putem prevođenih pisama, ali uglavnom putem simbola, poput zatvorenih ptica u volijeri (velikoj nastambi za

ptice), i tih istih ptica koje slobodno lete nebom. Ključno mjesto simbola i metafora u Svili još je jedan element koji taj roman povezuje s poezijom. I sam se naslov može shvatiti i doslovno i metaforično. S jedne strane, roman govori o trgovcu svile i o putevima nabavke dudovih svilaca. Na metaforičkoj razini svila je poveznica između svijeta Zapada i Istoka. Kako se često navodi da Japan ima najfiniju svilu, ona je i metafora za lijepu Japanku i njezinu kožu, ali i za žensku kožu općenito. Svila se može shvatiti i kao metafora ljubavi same: japanska je svila tako

woman does not speak French, they can not converse and their interaction is obstructed by numerous oriental cultural conventions, as this woman is Hara Kei’s concubine she is therefore his property with no freedom of choice in matters of heart or life

itself. Still, Hervé and the Japanese woman do communicate, partially via translated letters, but mainly through symbols, like caged birds in a big aviary and those same birds flying free. Positioning of symbols and metaphors is another key element that connects this novel with poetry. Even the title itself could be observed literally and metaphorically. On one side, the novel tells the story of a silk merchant and his trails in order to purchase silk worms. On metaphorical level the silk is the connection between West


and the East. It is often said that Japan has the finest silk, it is also a metaphor for a beautiful Japanese woman and her skin, actually woman’s skin in general. Silk can be perceived as a metaphor for love itself: Japanese silk is so fine and delicate you can barely feel it under your finger tips, and true love is a tender but also powerful feeling that drives Hervé, the Japanese woman and Hèléne. Other important symbol is the birds. They can also be viewed as a symbol of love, which lifts us above the mere existence. There are interesting differences in perception of birds from western and eastern cultures, and Hervé notices this on his travels. In Japan, rare and beautiful birds are the only gift rich gentlemen give to their mistresses. Birds are kept in aviaries, and that tells about the status of a woman there. Even the aviary is a double symbol: in Japan it symbolises captivity, but aviary that Hervé is building at the end of the novel has completely different meaning. On one side, the building of the aviary employs almost all of his fellow-citizens in a crisis year and therefore saves them from famine, for them the aviary is salvation. On the other hand, the

aviary has, as a construction no concrete use but only aesthetic purpose. By building it Hervé rises above himself, above silk merchant and enters into realm of sheer beauty. Every reader of Baricco’s Silk also enters that realm. It is because a lot has been said about people, love and beauty using not so many pages, that a reader stays mesmerised by the novel, just like Hervé was mesmerised by a beautiful Japanese woman “with a face of a girl and whose eyes did not have the oriental contours”.

tanka i fina da se čini je uopće nema, a prava je ljubav nježan osjećaj koji je ipak moć što pokreće Hervéa, Japanku i Hélène. Drugi su bitni simbol ptice. One se također mogu shvatiti kao simbol ljubavi, koja nas uzdiže iznad pukog postojanja. Zanimljiva je razlika u shvaćanju ptica između zapadne i istočne kulture, a s time se susreće Hervé na putovanjima. U Japanu su rijetke i lijepe ptice jedini pokloni kojima bogata gospoda obasipaju svoje ljubavnice. Ptice su zatvorene u volijerama, a time govore i je kakav je tamo položaj žene. No, i volijera je zapravo dvostruki simbol: u Japanu on znači zatvor za ptice, ali volijera koju Hervé gradi na kraju romana u svom mjestu ima sasvim drugačije značenje. S jedne strane, sama gradnja zapošljava gotovo sve stanovnike gradića u kriznoj godini i spašava ih od gladi; ona je za njih doslovno spas. S druge strane, volijera je – kao nastamba za ptice – građevina koja ne služi ničemu osim ljepoti samoj. Njezinom gradnjom Hervé se izdiže iznad samoga sebe, iznad trgovca dudovim

svilcima, ulazeći u carstvo čiste ljepote. U takvo carstvo, danas tako rijetko, ulazi i svaki čitatelju Bariccove Svilu. Upravo zato što je sažetim izrazom na malo stranica izrečeno tako puno o ljudima, ljubavi i ljepoti, čitatelj ostaje očaran romanom, baš kao i Hervé lijepom Japankom «lica djevojčice, s očima koje nisu imale istočnjački oblik».


Low Carbon and Delicious Explore the Mediterranean


COOKBOOK ARTICLE COOKBOOK ARTICLE


A Sicilian dish consisting of spaghetti made from kamut, with asparagus, porcini mushroom, and pistachio sauce.

INGREDIENTShalf a pack of spaghetti (or half a box) kamut spaghetti4 asparagus1 cup dried porcini mushrooms1 tbsp of pistachio sauce1 slice of garlic

METHODPut the dried porcini in warm water for half an hour till they become soft. In the meantime cut the asparagus and put them in hot, salty water. Transfer them into a dish. Using the same water, soak the Kamut spaghetti for about 8 minutes. Put a couple of tablespoons of oil in a pan, together with a slice of garlic. After a minute add the drained asparagus and the drained mushroom. In a separate pot, mix a tablespoon of pistachio sauce with a little soy milk until you have a creamy sauce. After draining the pasta put it in the pan with the asparagus and the mushroom, and add the pistachio sauce. Serve it with fresh pepper.

Kamut Spaghetti

S E R V E S 2 4 0 m i n u t e s t o p r e p a r e

4 tbsp of olive oilA little soy milk Salt and pepper


text text


Carrot SaladINGREDIENTSAbout 6 large carrots3 garlic cloves¼ cup extra virgin olive oilAbout ¼ cup parsleyAbout 1 full tsp of paprikaAbout ½ tsp of cuminPure sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

METHODPeel and core carrots and cut into small cubes. To core carrots, cut carrot in half and then cut each piece in half lengthwise. Using a small sharp knife, cut along both edges of the lighter colored core and snap out the core using the knife under to pull it out if needed. Proceed to cube into smaller cubes.

Put carrots and whole garlic cloves in a pot, fill with water and cook just until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and remove garlic.

Heat olive oil in frying pan, add carrots and parsley and mix well. Add all remaining spices and mix. Taste and adjust spices to taste. Serve at room temperature.

When making ahead I cook the carrots the day before and keep in the fridge. Then about an hour before serving I saute with parsley and spices and leave outside to be served at room temperature.

S E R V E S 2 1 0 m i n u t e s t o p r e p a r e 0 m i n u t e s t o c o o kS E R V E S 4 4 0 m i n u t e s t o p r e p a r e


Pea Soup

INGREDIENTS1 yellow onion, chopped2 cloves of garlic, finely pressed3 carrots, chopped2 tbsp of vegetable oil8 cups of vegetable broth2 cups peasSalt and pepper to taste

METHODHeat oil in a large stock pot and add onions, garlic and carrots. Saute until soft. Rinse the peas. Add all other ingredients.

Heat on high until you reach a boil. Reduce heat to medium or med-high and simmer for about an hour and a half or until peas are very soft (stir every 10 minutes or so).

Use an immersion blender and chop up all the ingredients until soup is a consistent texture. Taste and add salt or pepper as desired.

Serve with toasted French bread and a large green salad.

S E R V E S 4 1 h o u r t o p r e p a r e

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