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 […]
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 […]
My dogs stay indoors most of the summer, neither of them, Jazzy or Kiba like to be outdoors for long. I take them out more in the summer since they drink more water but they don’t stay out long when they do go out. My big boy, Kiba, 86 lbs. was adopted from Los Angeles […]
By Dr. Amy Davis, MD
When intestinal flora is healthy, it favorably impacts your overall health and vice versa. Understanding how to rebuild your flora is key to improving your digestion, ability to fight infections and a healthy weight for starters.
The flora (trillions of microbes that inhabit your intestines) is important for many reasons.
DigestionVitamin production – […]
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 […]
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 […]
By Michelle “Mike” Ochonicky, Healthy Planet Arts Editor
Caption: Interior of Spring Church, a renovated area for art.
(NOTE: While we all hope to stay healthy and well this summer, please verify any restrictions due to unexpected Covid-19 changes on the provided websites).
Just around the corner from The Pulitzer and the Contemporary Art Museum, on Spring Avenue, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
By Dan Zarlenga, Missouri Department of Conservation
Photo Caption: An adult eastern pond hawk dragonfly rests on a blade of grass.Photo credit: Dan Zarlenga
There truly are dragons in nature. Instead of breathing fire from their mouths like the creatures of myth, these “dragons” expel water from the rear ends.
If there’s an insect that is even […]
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 […]
By Jared Opsal, Executive Director, Missouri Coalition For The Environment
MCE has worked on nuclear and other hazardous waste issues throughout Missouri for decades, and recently we have been engaged with addressing the public health disaster at West Lake Landfill and Coldwater Creek. In partnership with Just Moms STL, we were successful in receiving a record of […]
by Sarah Wilson, MA
With dogs and overheating, their tongue tells the tale. Once you know what you’re seeing, you can keep them safer. Here are the four signs of overheating:
Mouth wide open.Your dog’s mouth and tongue are their AC system. The wider the mouth is open while panting, the more cool air they are trying […]
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 […]
By Jean Ponzi
Photo caption: Team EarthWays: Nature Noodlers Rally for Action.
This summer husband Dale and I celebrate 26 fabulous years — of the FunNoodle in our circle of friends.
We were newlyweds on a steamy midnight date — to our neighborhood Schnucks market — stocking up together for a big annual summer party. Cruising the store […]
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 […]
By JB Lester
By the time you are 70 years old, you have plenty of memories to keep you going. Some are great and some are, well, better forgotten. And yet, we can’t forget our faux paws. Being in the publishing business, I have had a common nightmare over my 44 years in this business. My […]
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 […]
July 9 at St. Louis Science Center
Help your family, friends and coworkers live green! The Missouri Botanical Garden’s annual Green Living Festival is back in person and will be hosted in a series of pop-up events during a “Summer of Sustainability” at institutions throughout the heart of St. Louis.
Ready for the “Summer of Sustainability”? Join […]
By Linda Wiggen Kraft, Healthy Planet Green & Growing Editor
If bees, butterflies, birds, bats and other pollinators could put an advertisement out for the help they need, it would read: “help wanted – desperately needed pollinator gardens”. Pollinators need us now more than ever to help them thrive and survive. In response to this need, […]
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 […]
Original recipe created by Julie M. Hale and Matt Allen
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.Prep time 15 minutesCook time 20 minutes
Ingredients for blueberry muffins:
1 cup plain yogurt½ cup honey½ cup olive oil2 eggs¼ cup fresh lemon juiceSave some lemon zest for on top1 tbsp vanilla2 ½ cups All Purpose Flour1 tbsp baking powder¼ tsp salt2 […]
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 […]
By Tom Braford
The term ‘terraforming’ usually describes how we can utilize the science of biomimicry to make other planets more Earth-like and habitable to human beings.
A friend, Peter Fiekowsky, an MIT-trained physicist and engineer and climate activist, shares my concerns about climate change and has been researching mostly hard science solutions for years, while I […]
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 […]
Article courtesy of the Clean Air Partnership
According to the American Lung Association’s latest “State of the Air” report, the three years covered by the report (2018-2020) ranked among the seven hottest years on record globally. With June already having seen some of the hottest days in years in the St. Louis region and the prime […]
By Abby Lapides
A charming shade perennial, Twinkle Toes Lungwort, Pulmonaria, will make you want to frolic with joy with its periwinkle-blue spring flowers and unique foliage. Starting in mid-spring dainty blue flowers cover its fascinating silver-speckled foliage. After the flowers fade, you’ll be mesmerized with its stunning mounds of gorgeous ornamental leaves. Named the 2022 […]
By Simon Yu MD
Skin care is a big business for cosmetic industries, anti-aging medicine, dermatology and pharmaceutical giants. New psoriasis and eczema treatments called Biologics are leading many TV commercials. Skin is the largest outer surface sensory organ in the body, metabolically active with the sophisticated immune complex system to protect your body. Changes in […]
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 […]
By Mitch Leachman, Coordinator, St. Louis Open Yards
Native plants are simply plants that naturally occurred in an area prior to human settlement. Gardening with natives, instead of traditional ornamental non-native plants, seems straightforward. Fortunately, native plants are quite readily available these days, thanks to efforts like Grow Native! which generates public awareness of the value […]
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 […]
As I have gotten older, I have found that gratitude can be a very healthy attitude to adopt. I can get myself out of a slump very quickly by feeling grateful. I always thought about keeping a gratitude journal and writing down 5 things every morning I’m grateful for. I’ve done that throughout the years, […]
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 […]
By Paul MacFarlane and Bill GrivnaYou’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 […]
By Jasmin Acosta
We all have our faults as human beings since we cannot be perfect, and we are prone to make mistakes in life. It is only natural that we trip over life’s unexpected events that occur in our lives, but it is essential how we react to life events that are rooted in […]
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 […]
Thomas and Patricia Hooper own and operate ASL Pewter in beautiful, historic downtown Ste. Genevieve, MO, where we handcraft traditional, functional pewter pieces. All our pewter is 100% lead free and food safe. We use a large selection of antique molds from as far back as 1650, as well as designing and making our own […]
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 […]
By Sarah Wilson, MA
It’s long been known that female Northern Cardinals prefer the reddest males around. What hasn’t been understood until recently is why?
The first clue to this mystery is that what birds eat impacts how they look. It does for us, too. If we consistently binge on carrots, overtime we can turn ourselves a […]
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 […]