Earth Ideas, Tips & Guides

Adrienne Macartney, University of Glasgow

Header image: Purple microbial mats offer clues to how ancient life functioned. Pieter Visscher, CC BY-ND

In January 2016, Astronaut Scott Kelly wowed the world below with his space zinnias. But what happened next?

Papa Johns is launching the world’s first-space-inspired pizza – a giant leap for pizza lovers everywhere.

Header image: Asteroid Ryugu, from the Hayabusa2 spacecraft. Image credit: ISAS / JAXA, CC BY

The last episode of 2022 is here, and it’s a good one! I’ve been talking with Amy Padolf and Carl Lewis from the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden about their citizen science/education project Growing Beyond Earth® (GBE). GBE is really something special, because it allows school students to collect data that influences which plants NASA grows in space.

Header image: Growing food in space will rely on innovative agricultural technologies. (NASA)

Header image: shutterstock. Supamotionstock.com/shutterstock

Header image: Springtails (Fasciosminthurus quinquefasciatus) are found in any damp soil. Andy Murray/chaosofdelight.org, CC BY-NC-ND

Today we celebrate Earth Day for the 46th time since U.S. senator Gaylord Nelson suggested the idea for a national day focusing on the environment. After its first celebration on April 22 1970 in the US, Earth Day has grown into a worldwide environmental movement raising awareness of serious issues such as pollution, global warming, deforestation and the detrimental effect of urbanised societies on the environment.

Earth stars (Cryptanthus species) are different from most bromeliads. They are terrestrial which means they are grown in rich, organic soil. Cryptanthus means “hidden flower” in Greek because the flowers are produced between the leaves and are not easily seen. The common name, earth star, was given because of the shape of the plant. They come in a variety of different shapes, colors, patterns, and sizes.

WHEN I WENT DOWN TO MAKE TEA the other morning, there was a peace rally going on in the kitchen. This sometimes-angry guy was just waking up, too, after slumbering atop my 1970s stone peace symbol on the windowsill.

The Work Projects Administration, or WPA, was a jobs and public works program, not an environmental one, I know, but among its many projects were some that focused on water conservation and parklands. So a selection of its vintage posters (such as those above, from the Library of Congress collection, and inthis popular slideshow) speak to me with contemporary-sounding messages, though they were created just before World War II.Messages about precious water, trees, and green space.Thoughts of Rachel CarsonIFOUND MYSELF paging digitally through the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale this week, too, where Rachel Carson’s papers are housed. There she

A lot of gardening, and especially writing, is done on one’s own as a solitary pursuit, but the book brings to life a sense of community and common purpose among the women portrayed, despite their different career choices—from research scientist to floral designer to operating a seed company and more—and despite the fact that they hail from around the globe.Jennifer Jewell is author of “The Earth in Her Hands” (affiliate link) and is also the creator of the popular“Cultivating Place” podcast, produced with North State Public Radio in Chico, California. We talked about some of the women profiled in it, from seed experts Renee Shepherd and Ira Wallace, to Annie Hayes of Annie’s Annuals mail-

There's nothing like having a home garden to make you begin to appreciate the trials and tribulations of the farmers who grow our food. Between weather, weeds, and insects, not to mention the challenges of soil fertility, it can be an incredibly humbling experience to try to put food on the table with a home garden. This is true especially when adhering to organic protocols that don't rely on quick yet potentially harmful solutions, such as herbicides, pesticides, and conventional fertilizers.

When I started this project I had grand ideas of reconnecting with nature and deepening my knowledge of local wildlife and biodiversity. I daydreamed that my garden would be a haven for bumblebees and butterflies, and I would enjoy spending time there, reading, drinking wine and admiring my work. Picture me barefoot in flowy dresses ...how naive I was!

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Click here to learn more about Diatomaceous Earth!

Nobody wants to see this first thing in the morning when they head out to the berry patch.And if you’re visiting my homestead during the g

There are many ways to get a jump start on growing and to extend the season. Hoop houses, cold frames, water walls, and greenhouses are typical examples. The traditional greenhouse is usually heated using an outside source, but a more sustainable and energy efficient way is through geothermal greenhouse design. Using geothermal heat for greenhouse warming captures the energy stored in the soil and groundwater. The practice recycles solar energy and is a cost effective method of keeping plants warm.

It’s important to take care of the environment and do our part when it comes to creatively saving energy, water, and our limited resources. I’ve made a list of 14 small things that you can do to to make a difference every day – not just on Earth Day!