By Linda Wiggen Kraft, Healthy Planet Green & Growing Editor
2021 is a year of new beginnings and hope as we start to leave behind the horrors of Covid, political unrest and so much more. January is traditionally the time of envisioning what we want to come into being. This January we can let gardens inspire […]
By Stacey “Parker” Parker, Missouri Green Schools AmeriCorps VISTA & Sierra Shields, Missouri Green Schools AmeriCorps VISTA
Educating the next generation on sustainable practices is one of the most important efforts we can make to ensure the future of our planet. Missouri Green Schools (missourigreenschools.org), a new tracking and recognition program for PreK-12 schools across the […]
By Michelle “Mike” Ochonicky; Healthy Planet Arts Editor
Gerry Brooks is an elementary school principal in Lexington, Kentucky. He knows firsthand about teaching and has spot-on insight about the challenges to staying safe in COVID-time. His 3-minute videos, usually recorded in his car, have made me double-over with laughter on dark days during the past year […]
By Dan Zarlenga, Missouri Department of Conservation
We humans often ring in the New Year with a roar, whether it’s dropping a giant ball or a spectacular fireworks display. But if you listen closely on a cold January night, you could hear a much stranger sound welcoming in 2021. Perhaps an unusual barking; but it might […]
Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will not host Eagle Days events this year but encourages people to watch eagles on their own.
Did you know that thousands of bald eagles visit Missouri each winter and eagle watching in Missouri can be spectacular? From late December through early February, watch for eagles perched in large trees along […]
By Jean Ponzi
Resolvo Verde
Father Time has turned his pageThe calendar is cleanNow resolute upon Life’s stageI vow to grow more Green!
To set direction yearlyI must do a self-assessmentSo I can focus clearly And sustainably on YES-ment
Let’s see, in terms of daily stuffWhat habits can I tweak?I already wash my clothes in cold,My windows do […]
By Anna Weber
Starting off the new year, there’s never been a better chance to start making a positive impact in your community and help Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE) make our state a better place. Ranging from issues with our food system to local environmental concerns, MCE has been advocating, educating, and organizing to […]
By Amy Davis M.D.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to make many changes in our daily lives. We are experiencing pandemic fatigue, social isolation, anxiety, anger, sadness and loss. Because long-term stress is more constant, the body never receives a clear signal to return to normal functioning. This has real impact on our emotional and […]
By Tom Braford
How do we create the critical mass that it takes to establish breakthrough community?
Critical mass is the minimum amount of something required to start or maintain any project or venture.
There are 4 levels of critical mass in successful community building. When we achieve critical mass at one level, the next one becomes possible.
According […]
Enjoy weekly online programming January through March 2021
December 15, 2020, Columbia, MO — The Missouri Prairie Foundation (MPF) and its 20-year-old Grow Native! program have hosted 22 virtual webinars and master classes since May 2020 with more than 4,200 live participants.
Now to kick off 2021, MPF announces a new series of virtual learning opportunities with […]
By Pat Tuholske
Scent of the Sacred
Incense has been with us since ancient times. Our ancestors burned incense to affect a positive change to the atmosphere of a place. Ancient Egyptians used fragrant smoke to neutralize foul odors, drive out demons and please the gods. During the Middle Ages, European cities suffering from the plague were […]
New Beginnings Bridge Old EndingsI think of holidays as bridges. As the river of time rapidly flows, holidays can bridge happy memories of the past to future moments of joy. Although 2020 was a very difficult year, it may be helpful to edit our memories. It is healthier to remember your moments of happiness and […]
Don’t Let The Door Hit You 2020
There is little doubt that 2020 was a bad year. Horrific in so many ways. So if there was ever a time to throw out the old and welcome the new, 2021 is the year to do that. The bar has been set very low so 2021 already feels […]
By Paul MacFarlane and Bill Grivna
Like everyone else, the St. Louis T’ai Chi Ch’uan Association has found itself having to change its usual class schedule in response to the corona virus. We hope to have in person classes again in mid-spring 2021. We will limit class size, may live stream classes, or some combination of […]
How to Stay Healthy the Year of Covid-19
By Dr. Gail Cloud, DC
Recently, by zoom of course, I was speaking with my cousin and he referred to 2020 as the year of the dog. This made me laugh, but the more I thought about it I realized how true a description it is. First of all, […]