Sharing the Ascension Experience
The United States is the world’s largest grower and consumer of genetically-modified (GM) foods. As of 2010, the United States had 66.8 million hectares of GM crops planted, covering 16.5 percent of our total agricultural area. Because GM foods are made with proteins from organisms that weren’t previously part of the food chain, GM foods … Read more
Have the rows of organic honey jars at the farmers market got you thinking about starting your own backyard beehive? If you live in a suburban area, you may think that starting a beehive cannot be done. However a common suburban backyard can be a perfect place for beehives if done correctly and you do … Read more
Hidden hunger is a form of malnutrition that strikes both the underfed and the overfed. It affects close almost two billion people worldwide. It is caused by micronutrient deficiencies. Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals needed in small amounts in the body, and which are essential to growth and development. Children and mothers from developing countries … Read more
Ever since Monsanto developed, marketed and patented the glyphosate molecule — Roundup (®) herbicide’s active ingredient — beginning in the early 70’s, a substantial and ever-growing portion of the earth’s arable surface has been transformed into an environmental and human health experiment, of unprecedented scale. Roundup Ready (®) (glyphosate resistant) genetically modified (GM) plants (also … Read more
An affordable and effective alternative to glass greenhouses is the walipini (an Aymara Indian word for a “place of warmth”). Also known as an underground or pit greenhouse, it was first developed over 20 years ago for the cold mountainous regions of South America, this method allows growers to maintain a productive garden year-round, even in … Read more
The vault will have dual-blast proof doors, motion sensors, two airlocks, and walls reinforced with meter-thick concrete. Inside will be stored more than 3 million varieties of seed. The Norwegian government says the seeds are being stored, ‘so that crop diversity can be conserved for the future.’ Participating in this project, aside from the Norwegians, … Read more
A rich microbial ecosystem in our gut keeps us healthy. Now scientists are linking the health of our gut to the microbial ecosystems in the soils where our food is grown. Industrial food production pollutes rivers and streams, creating massive offshore dead zones. It kills off bee colonies, consigns millions of animals to inhumane confinement, … Read more
Because of the insidious way in which it works, it has been sold as a relatively benign replacement for the devastating earlier dioxin-based herbicides. But a barrage of experimental data has now shown glyphosate and the GMO foods incorporating it to pose serious dangers to health. Compounding the risk is the toxicity of “inert” ingredients … Read more
The scene was the annual conference of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. One speaker staunchly defended GMOs while mocking those who care about organics and sustainability. This presentation replaced a much-anticipated point-counterpoint debate planned by the Academy that was supposed to touch on the issue of partnerships between the private and public sectors. The … Read more
“We scaled up our novel photobioreactor design and conducted independent functionality tests that confirmed the unit’s robustness,” said Proterro CEO Kef Kasdin. “The modular photobioreactors, which are made from off-the-shelf materials, including polyethylene, can withstand category 1 hurricane winds,” she explained, adding, “Because of the materials used and the innovative design, we also have been … Read more