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13.07.2024 - 11:25 / modernfarmer.com
As of last summer, the island nation of New Zealand was home to 6.3 million head of dairy cattle, up 82 percent over the last two decades. The country also holds 3.8 million beef cattle, 800,000 deer and a whopping 26.8 million head of sheep. That’s a lot of livestock for a country of about five million people.
That’s also a lot of methane emissions, mainly in the form of cow burps and farts. (When it comes to cattle, about 90 to 95 percent of the methane produced comes from burps.) Agriculture is responsible for more than half of the methane production across New Zealand, and methane is a huge contributor to global warming and air pollution. In an effort to cut down on the greenhouse gas emissions, the government unveiled a new tax proposal last month.
By 2025, all farms across New Zealand would have to track and manage their greenhouse gas emissions, and pay a levy according to how much they are pumping out. They could also earn credits for planting crops that sequester carbon, including trees. This tax would be the first of its kind globally.
The plan was put together by the ruling Labor government, headed by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, along with primary sector groups. The government and industry partnership was named He Waka Eke Noa, from a Māori proverb, meaning “we’re all in this together.”’
Although climate change minister James Shaw told Reuters the emissions pricing system will play a key part in how the country cuts methane emissions, the plan has some detractors—some from Shaw’s own party. While he is a cabinet minister, Shaw is also the co-leader of the federal Green party, which believes the plan doesn’t go far enough.
The Green’s
Happy Friday GPODers!
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Ever since my grandpa passed away this past May, my family has been processing our grief by sharing stories and wiping the dust off the many photo albums piled up in my grandparents’ garage. At one point, their dining room table was completely covered in photos dating all the way back to the 1930s. Most of them had multiple copies, too, and when we talked about how to best preserve and store them, I immediately thought of Amanda Titchenal, the organizing pro behind full-service organizing firm Well Organized.
There is no plant in the landscape as stunning as hydrangeas. There, I said it, and I stand by it. They're a truly show-stopping (yet surprisingly low-maintenance) option for so many different environments, from coastal to mountainous.
Hey GPODers! Today we’re getting a summertime update from Lee Miller’s garden in Long Island (check out her first submission: Long Island Garden Tour). She sent over lots of photos and great information, so I’ll let her take it away:
Header image: ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet playing with an arrival of French delicacy macaroons on the International Space Station during his six-month Proxima mission in 2017. Image credit: ESA/NASA
If you have the good fortune to travel to other countries and see how other parts of the world garden, you know that it can be inspiring. I usually return from travel wanting to incorporate what I have seen into my own garden. Often, foreign travel takes us to climates vastly different than what we experience in the Southeastern United States. Our unique combination of hot humid summers and wet winters makes this a singular place to garden. One of the best parts of gardening is experimentation. I have both succeeded and failed in many garden endeavors. This often happens when I try and replicate something I have seen during foreign travel that cannot be done in my climate successfully. Here I’ve compiled a few memorable lessons and ideas I’ve gained after visiting more than 20 countries on a quest to see the best gardens on the globe.
Mention bougainvillea to almost anyone, and their first images may be of sun-drenched stucco walls festooned in the neon colors of the tropics. From beachside to desert to lush tropics, their exotic vibe proclaims, “I love warm weather!” In the relatively small Nyctaginaceae family, Bougainvillea is likely the best-known member, with Mirabilis (four-o’clock) and Abronia (sand verbena) being runners up. With bougainvilleas, the color is provided by papery bracts that enclose a small white bloom that is the true flower. Flowering occurs in cycles: as a burst of new growth matures, a bloom cycle begins, repeating many times over the course of a long, hot season. Learn the basics of growing bougainvillea here.