If not for your own health, you should buy organic for the farmers—here’s why
Maybe you doubt whether organic food would serve your health. However, a new U.N. report shows 'catastrophic impacts' of pesticides on human health and environment. An average of about 200,000 people die from the toxic exposure of pesticides per year across the world, the report says, calling for Read More...
With this simple device reforesting the planet becomes easy
We urgently need to repair the soil of our planet. Here’s a simple invention that protects seedlings from harsh arid climates and reduces the amount of water they need to thrive—and boosts their survival rate by as much as 80 Read More...
You can train your brain to become a super memorizer—and what that means
New research shows that we can train our brains to become memory champions. You may not get to the world record of Alex Mullen, who was able to memorize more than 550 digits in under five minutes. But the more important message of this new study seems to be that our bodies can do amazing things Read More...
Pssst…wanna get a cheap solar energy loan?
If the US Department of Energy goes down, it will go down swinging. The agency is facing massive budget cuts but this week it still managed to push out funding for a seed grant that will enable the San Francisco-based solar organization RE-volv to bring its unique crowdfunded solar financing Read More...
Platform makes it easier to donate essentials to local homeless people
A new crowdfunding application, StreetChange, provides homeless people in the streets of Philadelphia with a bluetooth beacon which allows app users to donate basic necessities to them. Those with the bluetooth beacons make a wish list of basic necessities, and as soon as a StreetChange client Read More...
Vegans are making wine that's organic and gluten free
If you think wine is just made of some crushed up grapes fermented in a barrel, think again. Fish bladder protein, crushed crustacean shells, egg whites, gelatin, and casein milk protein are all commonly-used in wine-making process, from your bottom-shelf rose to a vintage Read More...
7 free ways to relieve stress
Every day it seems there's no shortage of things to worry about, whether it's politics, your own well-being and that of your loved ones, the predicaments of strangers around the world or countless other troubles. All that worry can affect your peace of Read More...
What would a community-owned food system look like?
In 2012, the Sustainable Economies Law Center along with numerous active partners successfully advocated for the passage of the California Homemade Food Act, also commonly known as California’s “cottage food law.” Thousands of small food businesses formed under the law during just its first Read More...
Semi-autonomous wheelchair could help mobilize people with severe paralysis
For someone with advanced Lou Gehrig’s disease or severe paralysis, a motorized wheelchair can be very hard to use. That’s why engineers have put together a self-driving wheelchair to help people with severe disabilities get around. The wheelchair isn’t exactly self-driving because the people Read More...
Your next set of tires could be made of tomato waste and egg shells
One of the key elements of a tire is carbon black, a filler that adds durability to the rubber. The substance isn’t very eco-friendly. It's made from petroleum, which is why researchers are experimenting with a “greener” way to replace carbon black. Using egg shells and tomato skins Read More...