June 01, 2015

Spotlight On: Tesla's New Home Battery System

June 01, 2015/ Nicole Caldwell

The world currently consumes 20 trillion kWh of energy annually—enough to power a single family home for 1.8 billion years or supply energy to a nuclear power plant for 2,300 years (or launch the Falcon 9 rocket seventeen million times).

To begin the march away from these staggering numbers, Tesla has reinvented itself in order to change the way we look at consumption—and shepherd in a new era of renewable energy at home and businesses.

May 26, 2015

DIY Rustic Kitchen Table Design

May 26, 2015/ Nicole Caldwell

Almost six years after scoring a couple curved church pews off of Craigslist, Better Farm has a brandy-new, rustic kitchen table that follows the curves of the benches flanking it.

May 22, 2015

Spent Hens Rescue Mission of 2015

May 22, 2015/ Better Farm

Forty hens were rescued today from a nearby egg farm. The girls will be rehabbed over the course of several weeks and then rehomed or offered a cushy retirement on the Better Farm campus.

May 21, 2015

Golden-Winged Warbler Project Update: Bird Survey at the Farm

May 21, 2015/ Nicole Caldwell

Field Conservationist and Project Specialist Linnea Rowse of Audubon New York paid a visit to Better Farm last week as part of the recently formed partnership of the farm and USDA to designate acreage to Golden-Winged Warbler habitat.

May 20, 2015

Excerpt from Better: The Everyday Art of Sustainable Living

May 20, 2015/ Better Farm

As featured on WhyWhisper via Alexandra Ostrow

Last week, we interviewed Nicole Caldwell, co-founder and CEO of Better Farm, a 65-acre sustainability campus, organic farm and artists' colony serving as a blueprint for environmentally conscious living. In her interview, Nicole told us about her career path, inspirations, and personal obstacles, and gave us some background on her upcoming book release. This week, we're thrilled to share a chapter of that very book in an early preview for the WhyWhisper community. Read the chapter below and let us know what you think. Have questions? Comment below or reach out via Facebook or Twitter!

May 18, 2015

North Country Loraxes Plant 50 Trees

May 18, 2015/ Nicole Caldwell

Over the weekend, more than a dozen volunteers gathered at Better Farm to learn the importance of trees and to plant 50 Norway Spruces in areas previously overrun by invasive burdocks.

May 15, 2015

Seed Sharing

May 15, 2015/ Nicole Caldwell

Each year, Better Farm experiments with saving some seeds for the following season—but as our operation grows, we've also been contacted by outside grow operations about expanding other heirloom plant genetics. We LOVE seed-sharing at Better Farm, so it was such a treat to be contacted by Miranda Thomas in Adams, N.Y., who came into large quantities of beautiful, heirloom seeds and decided to share them with us.

May 14, 2015

First Annual Arts Celebration Day Set in Hammond May 19

May 14, 2015/ Nicole Caldwell

Hammond Central School District's First Annual Arts Celebration Day is from 3-6 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, at the school on Route 37 in Hammond. Visiting artists and arts organizations will have tables set up to display work, promote current projects, and give demonstrations of their crafts. The event is open to the public and is intended as a way to promote the arts in the area.

May 13, 2015

Nicole Caldwell Interviewed on WhyWhisper

May 13, 2015/ Better Farm

Consulting firm WhyWhisper Collective advances the efforts of socially responsible companies and organizations. To move that mission forward, the collective has kicked off a month of "Being Better", a month-long series of weekly posts related to Better Farm-inspired business practices. This week: an interview with Better Farm's executive director and CEO, Nicole Caldwell.

May 12, 2015

Introducing betterArts Resident Roeya Amigh

May 12, 2015/ Nicole Caldwell

Roeya Amigh is a visual artist staying at Better Farm until June 24 through the betterArts Residency Program.

May 08, 2015

Renew You Spa Weekend June 13, 14

May 08, 2015/ Nicole Caldwell

betterArts presents a spa weekend package featuring mani/pedis, drum circles, meditation, yoga and much much more June 13 and 14 at Better Farm in Redwood.

May 05, 2015

No-Till Mulch Gardening for the Home Garden or Small Farm

May 05, 2015/ Nicole Caldwell

If you're looking for a green thumb to get some gardening advice from, have I got a suggestion for you. I know a lady who is easily the most intimidating gardener I know: Mother Nature. She's overseen the prolific growth of forests the world over, coral reefs, open plains, feathered brush and waving grasses. A little secret about her methods: She's used a no-till, no-plow, pesticide- and herbicide-free approach for all time.

May 04, 2015

Better Radio Goes Live June 20 on WBTS 88.5 FM

May 04, 2015/ Nicole Caldwell

Better Radio launches June 20 with live coverage of Better Festival, the first of three summer festivals hosted by betterArts on the Better Farm campus in Redwood.