One of the biggest modern myths about agriculture is that organic farming is inherently sustainable. It can be, but it isn’t necessarily. After all, soil erosion from chemical-free tilled fields undermined the Roman Empire and other ancient societies around the … Continue reading
In humanity’s battle against man-made climate change, the Earth itself provides one of the most important weapons, a natural system that breathes in Earth-warming CO2 and exhales oxygen. Yes, I’m talking about plants, engineered by nature itself over the course … Continue reading
Biological pest control is the way of the future using biomimicry to emulate what nature does. Why genetically modify when we can just learn from nature how it’s already being done, and has been doing it for millions of years. … Continue reading
San Antonio Area 2019 Planting Calendar – and below our Companion Planting Guide Join our newsletter for reminders on upcoming sales & seminars Here is your San Antonio Area Planting Calendar in pdf format suitable for printing. We’ve been giving … Continue reading
A small San Antonio family business is trying to combat the dangers of decaying banana peels and the gaseous gore of yesterday’s lunch scraps. Betsy Gruy and daughter Kate Gruy Jaceldo started Compost Queens to keep food waste out of … Continue reading
Editor’s Note: I stumbled across this piece by Graham some time in 2013, not long after it was published, and it set off more than one lightbulb moment for me. Up to that time I’d considered permaculture an intriguing subculture. … Continue reading
In 2015 the bees are still dying in masses. Which at first seems not very important until you realize that one third of all food humans consume would disappear with them. Millions could starve. The foes bees face are truly … Continue reading
What if building codes actually required new projects to enhance a certain number of ecosystem services — such as sequestering carbon, building topsoil, enhancing pollination, increasing biodiversity or purifying water and air? Is it possible that a city could be … Continue reading
This may be some of the most important information we ever share here. What you are about to read holds tremendous potential to radically change the entire world in many positive ways. In 2006 a patent was granted to a … Continue reading
According to one recent study, there’s at least 5 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean. That’s more than 250 tons. So what to do with mountains of plastic waste with nowhere to go? Katharina Unger thinks we should eat … Continue reading
This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. While the majority of the population now lives in urban areas, the vast majority of our food still comes from far distant rural farms using … Continue reading
It is easy to forget that once upon a time all agriculture was organic, grassfed, and regenerative. Seed saving, composting, fertilizing with manure, polycultures, no-till and raising livestock entirely on grass—all of which we associate today with sustainable food production—was … Continue reading
The chemical makeup of wastewater generated by “hydrofracking” could cause the release of tiny particles in soils that often strongly bind heavy metals and pollutants, exacerbating the environmental risks during accidental spills, Cornell researchers have found. Previous research has shown … Continue reading
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) released its annual Shopper’s Guide today, including the latest iteration of its “Dirty Dozen” list – a ranking of produce most likely to be contaminated with pesticides. The guide ranks 48 popular fruits and vegetables … Continue reading
Jess Mayes opened a plastic container filled with soil — and worms. He showed Tobin Hill neighborhood leader Carolyn Kelley the fruits of the labor he and other volunteers have put toward composting, worm harvesting and other organic gardening techniques … Continue reading
What if there was a way to purify contaminated water in developing countries with a cost-effective method that’s both resourceful and effective? What if there was a way to provide clean drinking water to every thirsty mouth on the planet? … Continue reading
Research breakthroughs have been pretty great for Mother Earth lately: We’re on the cusp of treating polluted water with little more than apple and tomato peels, and now Professor Edward Cocking from the University of Nottingham has created a new … Continue reading