By Zachary Shahan •
November 14, 2009
About two kilometers from the Dead Sea and two from where Jesus was christened, in the country of Jordan, Geoff Lawton of the Permaculture Research Institute and his crew created a near miracle turning desert into a lush permaculture garden.
In August in this location, Lawton says that temperatures could rise above 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). People farming there were farming under plastic strips and using tons of synthetic chemicals and fertilizers. The idea to grow a lush forest or garden of edible plants would probably make people laugh or roll their eyes. Nonetheless, the permaculture crew had exactly this vision in mind and a little funding to help them to do it.
By Nick Chambers •
October 2, 2009
As part of a National Science Foundation grant program to examine cutting edge ways to make nature work for us, a team of scientists at Iowa State University have been awarded $2 million to unravel how some plants and algae can make hydrocarbons and discover if the genes that govern that process might be isolated.
“These plants are capturing solar energy and creating something that’s chemically identical to petroleum,” said Jackie Shanks, Iowa State’s Manley R. Hoppe Professor of Chemical Engineering, in a statement.
By Julie Knapp •
September 15, 2009
Does your child’s school have plants in the classrooms? If not, they should. Plants could make going to school more enjoyable. A recent study published in the journal
HortScience found that the presence of greenery in classrooms had a significant positive impact on the level of satisfaction students felt in relation to learning, instructors’ enthusiasm and instructors’ organization.
Since many Americans spend up to 80% of the day indoors, it’s no surprise that bringing nature inside is a good thing. Previous studies have shown houseplants can help clean indoor air, reduce tension, improve coping mechanisms, boost work productivity and help increase concentration and attention.
In another addition to the “secret life” (and mysterious abilities) of plants, a recent study demonstrated that a native, perennial plant, The Great Lakes Searocket (Cakile edentula), responds to the presence of related and non-related plants differently.
By Becky Striepe •
April 28, 2009
Companion planting is a great way to deter pests without spraying nasty chemicals onto your garden.
Every Easter, I’m in charge of the veggie roast. That means my hubby and I get to hit up local Orlando farmers markets or farm stands on Easter weekend to pick out the goods. This year, we hit up a teeny stand near my in-laws’ house. We got more veggies than the seven of us could eat for under $10. Amazing! We also got to talking with the fellow who ran the stand. He was explaining that some of his onions were a little stained on one side, since the farm grows them alongside their strawberries to ward off pests. This was my introduction into companion planting.
I knew that marigolds would help keep certain bugs away from the garden, but that’s about as far as my companion planting knowledge went. Here’s a list of some other great plant pairings to help keep your garden pest- and chemical-free!
By Sonya •
April 21, 2009
Do you have a rain barrel for your home?
More and more homeowners are using rain barrels to conserve water while collecting soft, non-chlorinated rainwater to nourish grass and plants.
This weekend, in Calgary, Canada, Clean Calgary Association, in partnership with the City of Calgary, will hold its 8th Annual Rain Barrel Sale.
With spring coming, local residents there are thinking about their lawns and gardens. Water usage in Calgary doubles in the spring and summer due largely to lawn irrigation.
By Andrew Williams •
March 26, 2009
Go on, admit it - how many times have you forgotten to water your houseplants? Maybe you’ve even left some of them so long they’ve withered away to nothing. In fact, the chances are that if a plant could talk the thing they’d be most likely to say would be WATER ME!
Well, thanks to a new device, your long-suffering plants will now be able to do just that. What’s that you say - a talking houseplant? Well, not exactly, but thanks to researchers at New York University’s interactive telecommunications program plants will now be able to to tell owners when they need water or if they’ve had too much via the social networking service Twitter.
By Alex Felsinger •
February 24, 2009
Venus flytraps, the rare carnivores of the plant world, are native only to areas within 100 miles of Wilmington, North Carolina. While the plant is now grown elsewhere, North Carolina is still a prime target for poachers looking to sell the plants to nurseries.
On February 5th, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission caught smugglers with 900 venus flytraps which were soon replanted by volunteers from the Nature Conservancy. A few weeks later, 1,300 more were recovered from poachers and again replanted.
The replanting is just the latest in the Nature Conservancy’s efforts to protect the flytraps’ native habitat.
By Michael Ricciardi •
January 26, 2009
World Species Survey details gloomy outlook for many animal species.In early October of 2008, the results of a global species survey, conducted by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, were released. The numbers are startling:
- At least a quarter of mammal species are headed toward extinction in the near future.
- Nearly 80 percent of the primate species in southern and southeastern Asia are immediately threatened.
- At least 22 percent of reptile species are at risk of extinction.
- Perhaps 40 percent of North American freshwater fish are threatened.
- In Europe, 45 percent of the most common bird species are rapidly declining, and so are the most common bird species in North America.
But perhaps these figures are a bit too abstract. Here’s a more precise way to look at the present state of bio-diversity on Earth.
By Megan Prusynski •
December 12, 2008
The ocean is a powerful force that covers most of our planet. But until recently, the rugged coastline hasn’t really been considered a source of farmable land due to salinity. Saltwater crops are being more carefully by scientists as a possible source of bio-fuels, an article in Science shows that developing saltwater crops in coastal and salty areas could help open up vast new areas of land previously thought unusable.
WiredScience reports on new findings that show the biomass producing potential of salt-loving plants for use in alternative fuels:
