It’s a bright, cool morning in the valley between Portela de Unhais and Pamphilosa da Serra when the barking of eight dogs wakes us up.  The windmills perched on the ridges above have been spinning since around six, pumping energy down into the valley, past our little organic farm.  A friend and I were WWOOFing here in Portugal, a volunteering agreement between farmers and volunteers.

WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) – and thus the term WWOOFing – was born in 1971 in Britain, when Sue Coppard put an ad in her local newspaper looking for people interested in helping out on a farm.  Coppard had grown up in the country but had since moved to London and was missing her rural roots.  (more…)

• T-Bird plant recycled…Ford Plant Expected to Shift to Solar Panels – msnbc
• Save paper…Stop Clipping and Start Clicking! Top Grocery Stores Go Online With Coupons in Northeast – earth times
• Sustainable avian pest control…Beware the Attack Bird: Vineyards Turn to Falcons – npr
• Luckily, I’ve only got 6…7 Thoughts That are Bad for You – livescience
• Inquiring minds want to know…Are Tigers ‘Brainier’ Than Lions – sciencedaily
• Road rage…Celebrity Macaw Attacks Police Officer – ananova