by Julie Peterson
A crop that was illegal in U.S. soil for more than half a century is now reaching for the sun. Industrial hemp, the low- or no-THC cousin to marijuana, has created high hopes among farmers, agricultural researchers, manufacturers and consumers. By 2019, America had become the world’s third-largest producer, behind Canada and China, where it’s been cultivated for 8,500 years.
by Yvette C. Hammett
Universities, sports arenas, restaurants and other businesses are taking up the call to “disrupt disposables” as part of a global effort to dramatically cut down on single-use plastics. The environmental problems caused by those ubiquitous throwaways have become a mainstay of news reporting, and studies on how best to reduce them through public policy abound. A recent Canadian research paper in the Marine Pollution Bulletin explores (read more…)
For clients of family therapist Christian Dymond, the path to wellness begins on his 10 acres of woods and meadows in Milton, Vermont, walking alongside him, sitting by a babbling brook, watching squirrels gather nuts or the sun slowly set, breathing in the piney air. “There is a sense of safety that comes from being in the forest,” Dymond says. “Safety is necessary in order for the client to open up and share themselves with another human being.” (read more…)
by Yvette C. Hammett
The heaping platters that cheerfully mark the holidays have an unfortunate downside: Americans increase their waste by 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The discarded food and packaging burden landfills with an additional 1 million tons of waste each week.
Fast food and fast fashion are common in this amped-up world. There’s also fast furniture—the kind that often comes in a box, assembly required. It’s made of particle board held together by toxic chemicals; it is often flimsy and it’s consuming forests at an alarming rate. But millennials love it. That’s why they’re sometimes called the IKEA generation.
“Your grandmother’s big sideboard and armoire are hard to sell,” says Todd Merrill, owner of the Todd Merrill Studio, (read more…)
When Yale researcher Reid Lifset began working on waste issues on a life cycle basis—from “cradle to grave”—it was mostly the world’s geeks and nerds that paid attention, he says. “Today, it’s called the ‘circular economy’ and it’s sexy. It wasn’t sexy back then.”
While many still have never even heard the term, the “circular economy” is all about rethinking the way we make stuff—designing products that can be reused and powering it all with renewable energy. It’s an alternative to the “make-use-and-dispose” mentality of the traditional linear economy. (read more…)
Plastics Peril Drives New Strategies
Daily news footage and photos capture the damage plastic is doing to the planet’s oceans: turtles ensnared in plastic nets, whales with guts full of plastics and aerial views of the burgeoning island of floating detritus known as the Pacific Garbage Patch. Tiny pieces of plastic are even showing up in our food and drinking water. (read more…)
Regenerative Agriculture Takes Aim at Climate Change
Most people have never heard of regenerative agriculture, but there’s plenty of talk about it in the scientific and farming communities, along with a growing consensus that regeneration is a desirable step beyond sustainability. (read more…)
Urban Agriculture Breaks New Ground
The average American meal travels 1,500 miles to reach its plate, according to the nonprofit Center for Urban Education About Sustainable Agriculture. Yet, enterprising green thumbs across the country are bringing the farm back to plate’s reach, growing hyperlocal food in backyards, on rooftops, through indoor farms and more. (read more…)
Extension Agents at Your Service
Many home gardeners readily list flies, wasps and beetles among the “pests” in their gardens. However, many of these are actually pollinators that help boost production of fruits and vegetables; others are beneficial insects that keep the real plant-killers at bay. A quick call to the local cooperative extension service can help sort out friend from foe—and that’s just the beginning of what this valuable, underutilized resource can offer. (read more…)
Transportation Drives Urban Planning
The Congress for the New Urbanism, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy nonprofit, has some decisive views about what makes a walkable community: “complete streets” that are designed for bicyclists, pedestrians and transit. What it doesn’t have is cars—at least not those with tailpipes. (read more…)
Discover Their Secret Language
While flowers are known to lean toward light, a growing body of research is demonstrating plants also respond to sounds and scents—and then herald the news to their neighbors. Far from being passive life forms, members of the plant kingdom are adept at interacting with their environments and with each other. (read more…)
Taking a Home Off the Grid
Jesse Stafford and Alyssa Craft quit their jobs in 2015, bought five acres of remote land far away from utilities and began building their 36-foot-by-36-foot timber frame home from scratch. Next up was a septic system, then a clean water source and, of course, alternative energy. Their rooftop solar panels are backed up by a reliable Honda generator. (read more…)
Like magic, compost can turn kitchen and garden waste into an ideal soil conditioner, rich with nutrients and organisms. While you can purchase compost at any garden center, it’s easy to make. (read more…)
On April 22, eco-conscious citizens will join together again in communities across the country to celebrate Earth Day and work for the planet’s healthy, sustainable future. This year, the Earth Day Network (EDN) is asking people to join its Protect Our Species campaign to raise awareness of the crucial roles that plants and animals play in the ecosystem and the current threats faced by many of them. (read more…)
Give Your Home the Green Light Today
Wake up walls, make over countertops … everything you need to rejuvenate your home environment is right here.
With Mother Nature beautifully transforming our outdoor environment this time of year, it’s only natural to feel inspired to rejuvenate our indoor environment, too. Given this natural source of inspiration, it makes sense to do it using green products that are better both for us and for the Earth. (read more…)
Planting an Eco-Friendly Yard
Maintaining a grassy yard or ornamental shrubs can be time consuming and less than eco-friendly. That’s why conservation-minded gardeners are turning to lush, native landscaping as an aesthetically pleasing alternative to spartan, water-free xeriscaping. (read more…)
Our Role in the Coming Water Crisis
Although climate change gets most of the attention, the international water crisis looms just as large. The World Economic Forum has ranked water scarcity as the top long-term environmental (read more…)
Stay Warm and $ave
Brita Belli
The latest edition of the Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings reports that heating costs represent the largest residential energy expense—35 to 50 percent—of annual energy bills. Fortunately, homeowners have many fueland money-saving options superior to turning up (read more…)
How to Align Money With Values
How we spend our money is important, but how and where we save it matters just as much. Today’s financial marketplace offers diverse options for values-based investing and banking, regardless of interests or assets. (read more…)
