By Ann Lapides

Keystone plants are plants that play an outsized role in supporting wildlife. Many are host plants for caterpillars, food sources for pollinators, shelter for birds, or seed and berry producers for wildlife. When you add keystone plants to your landscape, you are not just planting a garden. You are creating a living habitat.… [click headline to read more]

The Alto Pass area offers a variety of unique lodging options, including Havisham House rentals, Cave Creek Cabins, on-site winery lodging, and others.

Enjoy exploring the village of Alto Pass, surrounded by rolling hills and the breathtaking scenery of the Shawnee National Forest. Area natural attractions include: Cedar Lake, Little Grand Canyon, Quetil Trail, Trail of… [click headline to read more]

By Dan Zarlenga, Missouri Department of Conservation

Photo caption: A gaggle of grounded geese during their annual June molt “layover”.Photo by Dan Zarlenga, Missouri Department of Conservation.

Certain first-class fliers in the bird world must settle for coach accommodations during the month of June! And there’s no shortage of irritated complaining customers either.

Even the best aircraft must… [click headline to read more]

Summer is a wonderful time to get outside, enjoy community events, travel, and spend more time with our pets. But while we may love warm weather and outdoor fun, summer can also bring hidden dangers for our four-legged family members.

As temperatures rise and festivals, vacations, and fireworks fill the calendar, it is important to remember… [click headline to read more]

By Wendi Martin; Purple Martin Coaching LLC: Horticulturist & Master Naturalist

Disclaimer: The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease or condition.

Have you heard the news? Nature now has a growing body of evidence backing its physical, emotional, and mental… [click headline to read more]

The Summer of ARTful Events

By Michelle “Mike” Ochonicky, Healthy Planet Arts Editor

Image: Window Garden by Carmon Conangelo, at Bruno David Gallery

To Avoid Drowning, Become the Ocean, an installation by Aotearoa (New Zealand) artist Sam Hamilton, opens June 26 at The Luminary, 2701 Cherokee, with a free public reception (rsvp in advance). Installed throughout the gallery,… [click headline to read more]

Father’s Day often arrives with familiar images: ties, tools, grilling gadgets, coffee mugs, and gift cards. While those gifts are appreciated, many fathers say what they truly want is much simpler—and perhaps much more meaningful.

They want time.

Time with their children. Time outdoors. Time around the dinner table. Time to laugh, talk, and simply be together.

As… [click headline to read more]

By Jean Ponzi

Clothesline Solar Power

On my clothesline, sun rays dry FREE on fine as well as freezing days. Fun Fact: stiff dry blue jeans thaw out nicely.

My original line wound around three trees. When two died, I got new lines, custom husband-made, on green metal poles over stepping-stones. Spiffy!

Line-drying is simply smart. Shrinks utility bills… [click headline to read more]

By Diane K. Wilson

As public curiosity grows around biofield science and consciousness-based wellness, online discussions have increasingly referenced government disclosures and classified research related to human energetic systems. Some claims incorrectly associate Executive Order 14119 with the declassification of a “hidden organ” or Nexus Body structure. In reality, EO 14119 addresses federal apprenticeship expansion and… [click headline to read more]

Healthy, Happy Father’s Day

By Susan Hunt-Bradford

I miss my dad. He died in 2002, and I think about him every day. I know it sounds cliché, but sometimes it truly feels like just yesterday he was making me laugh and being the thoughtful, caring, accepting dad that he was. He was also an amazing grandfather. My… [click headline to read more]

By J.B. Lester

June is the month of Father’s Day, and I want to salute all the dads out there. Fathers are often under-appreciated and under-valued. Especially retired dads and granddads. Sometimes we even underestimate ourselves. We all know about the honey-do-lists we deal with all of our lives if you are married or have ever… [click headline to read more]

By Emily Andrews, Missouri Gateway Green Building Council Executive Director

25 years ago, in 2001, Apple launched iTunes and Wikipedia came into being. A lot has changed in how we access music and information since then. In 2001, Missouri Gateway Green Building Council was one of the first six US Green Building Council chapters to be… [click headline to read more]

By Steve Davies, Healthy Planet Columnist

Sometimes, it takes a long time to get somewhere and other times, not so long. Well, after looking back at what I wrote last month on recycling plastic, I realized this is one of those journeys where it’s going to probably take a little longer. So, first up I’m going… [click headline to read more]

The Blues are Back! The early Birds Get the Prime Sushi!

By Tom & Carol Braford

As luck would have it, our fresh launch of the Arizmendi Ecovillage and Hummingbird Micro Ecovillage has happened as well. After the Great White Egrets arrived earlier than usual this year, we expected the small blue herons, night herons and snowy… [click headline to read more]

By Jasmin Acosta, Healthy Planet Staff Writer

Life has a quiet way of reshaping us when we least expect it. Oftentimes, it is the moments that feel like the end of everything, but these moments are actually the beginning of something new. A closed door, a broken relationship, a lost opportunity, or a painful goodbye can… [click headline to read more]

By Natalie R.Toney, B.F.A., C.H.Healthy Planet Food Editor

The summer season is upon us, as is the season for parties poolside, on patios, by the lake, and really anywhere else we can soak in the sun (with appropriate SPF, of course!) after long stretches indoors. This season also brings an abundance of fresh fruits such as… [click headline to read more]