Visitors should be able to enjoy impressive golden displays for viewing and photography again this summer.

Photo Caption: A large field of sunflowers is seen from above with a number of people scattered in and around it taking photos. Columbia Bottom staff has planted additional sunflower fields for viewing and photo opportunities again this year. MDC… [click headline to read more]

By Dr. Amy Davis, MD

I am commonly asked from my patients, “Can I get all the nutrients I need from food?”

In an ideal world, eating organic, whole, fresh food, would provide all the nutrients our bodies require to function optimally. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we still fall short. Some of the reasons for the… [click headline to read more]

Article courtesy of the Clean Air Partnership

The more researchers learn about the health effects of particle pollution, the more dangerous it is recognized to be. In the years covered by the American Lung Association’s latest “State of the Air” report (2018-2020), findings reveal close to 63.2 million people lived in the 96 counties that experienced… [click headline to read more]

By Teresa Garden, DVM

Pawspice care, hospice care for pets, is a relatively new concept in veterinary medicine.  Dr. Alice Villalobos, a well-known and respected veterinary oncologist, practices medicine with an emphasis on compassionate care for terminally ill pets.  Dr. Villalobos coined the phrase and integrates the philosophy of pawspice care on a daily basis in… [click headline to read more]

Original Recipe by Julie M. Hale and Matt Allen

(Serves 6 people)

Preheat oven to 350°f

Ingredients:

3 Honey Crisp Apples 6oz Blackberries 6oz Raspberries 1/2 pint Blueberries 9 Tbsp Unsalted Butter1 ½ cups All Purpose Unbleached Flour2 tsp Cinnamon1 tsp Nutmeg1 ½ cups Baking Stevia

Method:

Apple Berry Filling:

Melt 3 tbsp of unsalted butter in a medium sized saucepan, then add 1/2 cup of… [click headline to read more]

By Susan Hunt-Bradford, Publisher

As publisher of a monthly magazine, I try to be aware of each month’s theme or topic.  This gives me an opportunity to have specific articles.  When I think about August, what jumps out to me is “back to school!” which can be exciting for students craving something new,  teacher’s eager to… [click headline to read more]

By Dr. Gail Cloud, DC

Being able to be present to ourselves and our bodies is a learnable skill, one which takes practice and work. I will be offering an 8-week class which can also be taken virtually. I call this class BodyPresencing™.  Through this 8-week process, we will learn exercises that take us into our… [click headline to read more]

By Sarah Wilson

Photo caption: Caterpillars are baby bird food. It takes 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to raise a single family of Chickadees. Caterpillars can’t survive on Bradford Pear leaves.

These trees are bullies.

Bradford pears (aka Callery pears) are not native to the US. Most everything that eats them lives back in Asia, too, so these trees… [click headline to read more]

By Sarah Wilson

After a summer of love (and attention and everyone being home), is Buster ready for school to start? Is Sparky ready for more time alone?While some pups may take this sort of major shift in stride, others stress out and, well, if the shift hits the fan, they may chew, bark, make potty… [click headline to read more]

By Paul MacFarlane and Bill Grivna

You’ve probably seen people practicing T’ai Chi on TV, in a movie, or even locally, in a park or at the botanical garden. You know it’s a slow moving, graceful exercise that is supposed to be beneficial. You may have heard that at advanced levels it is a formidable martial… [click headline to read more]

By Susan Hunt-Bradford, Healthy Planet Publisher

August marks the unofficial end of summer and you haven’t gotten to a beach yet. You don’t have time to make a quick trip to the Gulf Coast so what can you do? Stay right in the St. Louis area where there are plenty of great beaches to choose from… [click headline to read more]

By J.B. Lester

Democracy Served. The January 6 committee has done its job and is showing a flagrant attempt to obstruct the counting of electoral votes and confirming Joe Biden as president. Donald Trump stood by and did nothing to stop the attack on the US Capitol and he should be held accountable for his dereliction… [click headline to read more]

By Jasmin Acosta

The waves of the ocean move swiftly through the air, and the sun reflects its rays off the top of the waves. Where the waves glisten from the brightness of the sun, sparkling as if the stars have sunken into the waves.

The grainy warm sand captures the heat rays from the sun, and… [click headline to read more]

By Tom Braford

We can try to remain hopeful on our own in the face of a barrage of seemingly endless bad news, but without some personal or community North Star, it is hard to stay motivated, healthy and happy.

What keeps hope alive, as Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone so elegantly demonstrate in their newly revised book… [click headline to read more]

By Rae Miller

Known & Grown, a program from the Missouri Coalition for the Environment that works to certify and promote eco-friendly farmers, is initiating a new process for transitioning farmers where we provide one-on-one assistance to farmers that want to implement more climate-friendly practices on their farms. This process is for farmers that currently use… [click headline to read more]

By Dan Zarlenga, Missouri Department of Conservation

Photo Caption: A moth hard at work pollinating the night away. Photo by Dan Zarlenga

Just because people go to sleep at night, doesn’t mean nature does. One of nature’s busiest nocturnal creatures of summer are the moths. You’d be forgiven if you were to mistake a moth for a… [click headline to read more]

By Jean Ponzi

The first time was surprising.I keep my shoes in the same place, on the bedroom floor. I put most things in the same place, to remember where the heck I put whatever-it-is. But that day, those shoes had been right where I left them … and a day or two later they reappeared.

The… [click headline to read more]

By Linda Wiggen Kraft, Healthy Planet Green & Growing Editor

My gardens seem loveliest at this time of year, in a wabi sabi kind of way. The Japanese term “wabi sabi” is defined as “a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of appreciating beauty that… [click headline to read more]

By Nicky Althoff, USGBC-Missouri Gateway Volunteer

As many in the green building industry know, working in the field can be quite nebulous. It often entails quiet and unseen work, from writing grants to pushing legislation, and it never looks the same from one job to the next. As such, defining what it means to be a… [click headline to read more]

By Susan Hunt-Bradford, Healthy Planet Publisher

I know some people stay away from the carbs in potatoes but potatoes are actually quite healthy and low in calories. I don’t eat them every day but a baked potato can become a tasty side with a salad or a light main entrée depending on what you top them… [click headline to read more]

by Michelle “Mike” Ochonicky, Healthy Planet Arts Editor

“Hot, August night, with the leaves hanging down and the grass on the ground smelling sweet.” Neil Diamond’s lyrics accurately described August. It might be hot, but there’s a LOT of ARTful things to do this month, to keep you ‘way cool!

Performances continue through the month, as the… [click headline to read more]