Senator Booker Is Right about Factory Farming

Should we pass legislation to end factory farming? Contrary to common belief, Senator Cory Booker’s best idea wasn’t dropping out of the 2020 presidential race. That was his second-best idea. His best idea was introducing the Farm System Reform Bill … Continue reading

Healthy soil is the real key to feeding the world

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

Fungus provides powerful medicine in fighting honey bee viruses: Mycelium extract reduces viruses in honey bees

A mushroom extract fed to honey bees greatly reduces virus levels, according to a new paper. In field trials, colonies fed mycelium extract showed a 79-fold reduction in deformed wing virus and a 45,000-fold reduction in Lake Sinai virus compared … Continue reading

San Antonio to Combat ‘Climate Emergency’ with New Action Plan

One of America’s highest Latino-populated cities now has a strategy to address the climate crisis. Earlier this month, the San Antonio (64% Latino) City Council passed Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) by a 10-1 vote. It outlines objectives that … Continue reading

Moss-growing concrete absorbs CO2, insulates and is also a vertical garden

Sustainability has always been a game of catch up. The current energy production and construction trends mean that sustainability researchers have to come up with clever ways to lower emissions. Researchers at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Barcelona have … Continue reading

The Plan to Grab the World’s Carbon With Supercharged Plants

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

Plastic Packaging Alternatives

Tired of plastic pollution? There are many alternatives. Why should we and brands care about plastic pollution? Plastics is one of the biggest challenges the world is facing right now. Thanks to David Attenborough’s Blue Planet, consumers are suddenly aware … Continue reading

An Open Letter To Be the Change and Lead the Change

Whale blubber and buggy whips were once fine industries, but progress moved us away. And today we know the days are over of a false choice between environmental protection and economic growth. Since when did the simple concept of leaving … Continue reading

In the Deepest Ocean Trenches, Animals Eat Plastic

Alan Jamieson remembers seeing it for the first time: a small, black fiber floating in a tube of liquid. It resembled a hair, but when Jamieson examined it under a microscope, he realized that the fiber was clearly synthetic—a piece … Continue reading

Why Detroit Residents Pushed Back Against Tree-Planting

Detroiters were refusing city-sponsored “free trees.” A researcher found out the problem: She was the first person to ask them if they wanted them. The residents Carmichael surveyed understood the benefits of having trees in urban environments—they provide shade and … Continue reading

Biological Pest Control, Biomimicry & Mycology

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

Planting Calendar & Companion Planting Guide

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

Figuring out how climate change affects the fungi that feeds trees and absorbs carbon

Despite aspen’s ability to grow from the northernmost reaches of Canada to the highest altitudes in Mexico, the tree is on the run. The southern part of the aspen’s range is drying up, while the northern edges are warming up … Continue reading

Designer Talks About Eco Positive Environmental Impact

Elegant design and engineering goes beyond being sustainable to being eco positive. New vocabulary, additional data collection and working with scientists is needed to most effectively stimulate and manage a circular economy, making the means by which we live to … Continue reading

Polyface Farms – The Future of Farming is Holistic

Polyface Farms – How our food is farmed is what matters most, as in biomimicry, study ecosystems and mimic ecosystems, rather than just blaming meat eaters. Animals can be good for the land and have an ecopostive affect. Regenerative farming … Continue reading

SIXTY DAYS A YEAR ABOVE 100° – San Antonio

Climate change debates aside, the raw numbers show San Antonio is becoming much hotter, much more often. What does this mean to our city, and to a state where nearly 40 percent of the labor force is working outside? Most … Continue reading

A victory for Texas trees — and for local control

When Gov. Abbott issued his call for a special legislative session this summer, he only included one environmental issue: eliminating local tree protection ordinances in over 110 Texas cities. This gave Texas environmentalists a unique opportunity to organize an all-hands-on-deck … Continue reading