The Green Men!

Maybe some of you are similar to my family and your Canadian culture not only shines through your dedication and interest in agriculture but also in the "good ole hockey game"? If so you are most likely watching the playoffs and keeping track of some sports center top news! All the rage today is about the Canucks Green Men! Apparently Nashville has some problems with two guys dressed in spandex green suits doing hand stands and banging on the glass at their games.... who would have thought! Since the green guys are such a hit I decided to let you all know the story behind them. Ok so apparently the two guys originally planned on wearing their green suits to the Seattle Seahawks game but when that didn't work out one of them got his hands on a pair of Canucks tickets and they thought "why not wear them there?". Since no one could see them and had no idea who they were they acted crazy and started up a whole bunch of antics to get into the heads of the penalized players on the opposing team! Since they were such a HUGE hit they were pulled aside for their information and rumor is Mike Gillis then contacted them personally! He supposedly gave them FREE tickets beside the penalty box and have also been offered other endorsement style deals. I think it is such a cool story and can show how awesome things can happen out of pretty much nothing!

Oh and for everyone wondering if they can even see out of the suits it's said that it is hard to see a lot of on ice details but the players are recognizable.

If your interested in more about them check out their official fan page: http://thegreenmenfanpage.com/

The Green Men reminded me of an article that I read in the March/April 2011 Hobby Farms magazine and their article on one of the most well-known sustainable-agriculture advocates in the U.S. today, Joel Salatin. He is a full time third-generation farmer in Virgina's Shenandoah Valley. His family farm services more than 3,000 families, 10 retail outlets, and 50 restaurants. When asked about how he found himself becoming a voice for sustainable and pasture-based agriculture he had this to say:

"It really started in about 1989 when our family hosted a Virginia Association for Biological Farming field day on our farm and Roger Wentling, a columnist for The Stockman Grass Farmer magazine, attended. He wrote a column about the day, and it stimulated Allan Nation, editor/co-owner of the magazine to come to the farm for a visit. He asked me to write a monthly column for his new and bankrupt magazine, and I agreed. A year later, he convened the first national grass-farming conference in Jackson, Miss., and asked me to speak. The rest is history."

That just shows once again how awesome things can originate out of hardly anything!

I think it's so cool for him to be speaking out about how we can all promote sustainable agriculture and educate our communities! When Hobby Farms asked him "How can small- scale and sustainable farmers educate their community about their practices and their community's food sources?" he had this to say

"I think awareness is really a matter of successful prototyping and leadership. My dad always said, "Lead by example." Although it's easy for us to think about being victims and point fingers at them and they, really it's just us. We've put ourselves in the situation we're in, and we're going to have to create the environment to get us out. That means that we need to do a great job at what we do.
If you have a dirt chicken yard, for example, that won't bring people to your cause. An overgrazed sheep pen or horse paddock won't endear you to the neighborhood. Our practices need to be more attractive, more vibrant, aromatically romantic. A backyard pig pen, stinking and dirty, is not the way to lead. If I could say one thing to hobby farmers, it would be that as a group, we cannot chastise industrial agriculture when we have dirt livestock yards and odors emanating from our few animals—or weedy gardens and dirty kitchens, for that matter. Small can still be stinky, unsightly and unsanitary.
We have to get our own act together so that neighbors and acquaintances can't help but be drawn to our farms for their sensual appeal and to our families for their vibrant independency and captivating kitchens. We must look inward first before we can ever hope to change our communities."

To read the full interview with Joel Salatin visit www.hobbyfarms.com/JoelSalatin!

I hope today's post has made you think a little about cheering for the Canucks and alot about sustainable agriculture and how you can promote it in your communities! :)