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Articles from ‘July 2023’ Issue

ARTful Living

By Michelle “Mike” Ochonicky, Healthy Planet Arts Editor

Photo Caption: Caption: 23rd Annual Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase at the Hi-Point.

The 23rd Annual Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase settles comfortably into Cinema St. Louis’ new home (the Hi-Pointe Theatre) July 21-23 and 28-30 with screenings, filmmaking master classes and a closing night awards party. Built at […]

ASL Pewter Special Event July 15 and 16

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 […]

Biochemical Individuality and Functional Medicine

By Amy Davis, M.D.

Functional Medicine is focused on overall health by using personalized and system-oriented medical care. We are all truly unique in our genetic makeup and in how our environmental exposures impact us. There are two different components that contribute to biochemical individuality.

First, the genes inherited from your parents and ancestors determine physical strengths […]

Color Me Red, Color Me Blue: Red Light and Methylene Blue Therapy May Save Your Life

By Simon Yu MD

The Color Spectrum Therapy has been known since ancient times for medical incurables but not well known in the chemistry based, pharmaceutical dominant Western Medicine. When in doubt, let the patients get out of the cave or out of the dark room and expose them to sunlight, or heliotherapy and cosmic rays. […]

Compassion Fatigue: The Silent Strain on Our Community Professionals

Compassion is a beautiful and essential quality that enables us to connect with others, show empathy, and provide support in times of need. However, the very strength of compassion can sometimes lead to an unexpected consequence: compassion fatigue. A state of emotional and physical exhaustion that occurs when caregivers and individuals in helping professions are […]

Conservation Corner

July: The Flower and the Firmament 

By Dan Zarlenga, Missouri Department of Conservation 

July is when the warm nights of summer tempt us to stay out a bit later, past our normal bedtimes, drawn to the spectacle of a starry sky. It’s also the month a star of a different kind comes out—prairie blazing star. 

The name “blazing […]

Creating a Garden for the Soul

By Linda Wiggen Kraft, Healthy Planet Green & Growing Editor

Gardens are not only about the landscape outside of our homes, they were also about the inner landscape of hearts, minds, bodies and souls. Gardens for the soul are created when there is a perfect match between a person’s soul and the soul of the garden. […]

Earthworms’ Castings

By Jean Ponzi

Give Myself a W

The first one came on a Sunday in August 2020. Deep time pandemic, stuck in high anxiety. I felt like jumping out of my skin, but I jumped into my car.

I drove to a beautiful city park for emergency walking.

All I could manage was that fundamental motion: left foot, right […]

Exiting Out of Our Assigned Roles

By Jasmin Acosta, Healthy Planet Staff Writer

Our existence is often defined by labels that indicate a role for us to fulfill that showcases our humanity such as being a friend, a grandma, a grandpa, a wife, a husband, a mother, a father, a daughter, a son, an uncle, or an aunt but then the issue […]

Explore Night in the Outdoors at Nocturnal by Nature

Event Aug. 12 at Busch Conservation Area

See how the outdoors comes alive after dark at this free family event.

Photo caption: Stargazing through telescopes is one way visitors can explore nature at night during the Nocturnal by Nature event Saturday, Aug. 12 from 7:30-10:30 p.m. at Busch Conservation Area in St. Charles.

Nature spends half of its […]

Founder’s Forum: You Deserve A New Lease On Life

By J.B. Lester

Both my parents died before they reached their senior years. They both had serious health problems that cut their lives short. Now almost 72, I have had my fair share of health issues after 50. Starting with a bad heart valve that caused me to pass out on a tennis court and then […]

Fourth of July Fare

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

Independence Day is on the horizon, with grills getting fired up for BBQ’s, and celebrations in full force across the land. Where to go? What to wear? What to make, and what to bring?  Here are a few fun, healthy fare ideas for the Fourth, or for […]

High Ozone Concentrations Result in Early Surge of Poor Air Quality Days in the St. Louis Region

Article courtesy of the Clean Air Partnership

Early in the forecasting season, the bi-state St. Louis region had already seen its share of scorching temperatures and a related increase in the number of days when the air quality reached moderate to unhealthy ranges. This reinforces the need to prioritize lung health during the remaining summer months […]

Hot Town, Summer in the City

When I think of summer, the song by the Lovin Spoonful comes to mind. I have a love/hate relationship with summer. The hate part is due to the heat and humidity in St. Louis. However, I must admit some of my fondest memories have occurred this time of year. Having been a teacher for 30 […]

How Lightning Makes Grass Green

By Sarah Wilson, Healthy Planet Staff Writer

That is not a typo; lightning really does help green up the grass and every other plant. To understand how we have to start with the fact that our atmosphere is mostly nitrogen. But all that nitrogen is not in a form that plants can use.

How does nature get […]

Inspirations for Life! PEACE! Can we really have it?

By Deb Powell, Healthy Planet Columnist

Hi again! Deb here from the magazine’s Organized for Life articles.

This is the first article in a new monthly column. I love to use my gift of encouragement to inspire others to live their best life, be happy, and use their creativeness to fulfill their dreams and desires. My strong […]

Irresistible Community Builders, LLC presents: A Bamboo Revolution?

By Tom & Carol Braford

Could bamboo revolutionize the Ag and building industries and maybe save civilization and the planet in the process?

Thanks to a generous Urban Ag grant from the Missouri Department of Agriculture, Irresistible Community Builders, LLC is about to find out.

Bamboo is biodegradable, renewable, energy efficient and sustainable. It has 1/3 of the […]

Join Missouri Botanical Garden’s “Summer of Sustainability” — Green Living Festival Event Series

Monthly pop-up events planned at five cultural institutionsThe Missouri Botanical Garden’s 22nd annual Green Living Festival is back again as a series of pop-up events at institutions throughout the heart of St. Louis. 

The “Summer of Sustainability” series invites visitors to engage with experts at five events throughout the summer in a day of learning and exploring ideas for […]

Missouri Coalition for the Environment 2023 Legislative Session Roundup

By Sumbal Haseeb

The 2023 Missouri Legislative Session ended on Friday, May 12, and the Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE) wants to share where our highest priority bills landed. This year, the Missouri Legislature passed the least amount of bills in a legislative session in years. A total of 60 bills were passed out of […]

My Son is Sixteen. I Feel Like I Have Known Him All His Life

By Stephen Rutherford

PHOTO: September 2022 – YFU students Pascal from Switzerland and Arne from Germany volunteer at the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Japanese Festival.

I love my son, Pascal. He’s sixteen, loves cars and sports and wants to be a lawyer. I have only known him for ten months, but it feels like he has always been […]

Organized for Life! Summer Fun!

Recycling 101: Let’s Begin with The Recycling Bins

By Steve Davies, Healthy Planet Columnist

So, after our deep dive into pizza boxes last month, I thought maybe it’s best to take a step back and go through the actual recycling process and first talk about the bins themselves. They are an important part to this whole process for the vast majority of people. It’s […]

Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House Celebrates 25 Years with Summer Exhibition — Lights, Camera, Arthropods!

The Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House is going to the movies in honor of their silver “screen” anniversary. In celebration of 25 years, the Butterfly House presents Lights, Camera, Arthropods!a new exhibition spotlighting some of the planet’s biggest bug celebrities, open May 30 through September 3, 2023.

As guests walk the red carpet in the exhibit hall, they will see which invertebrates capture the award […]

Staycation Vs Vacation

By Susan Hunt-Bradford, Healthy Planet Publisher

This summer a lot of people are opting for a staycation instead of a vacation. I spoke with a family who recently went on a staycation.

Carolyn O’Laughlin — just finished her Ph.D. at SLURebecca O’Laughlin — works as an academic advisor at Wash UThe kids are Caleb (12) and Avery […]

Staying Cool (and Green) This Summer

By Maeve Elder,Communication & Outreach Coordinator, Missouri Gateway Green Building CouncilIt’s that time of year again in the sultry Midwest when the warm days of spring blaze into the scorching days of summer. Despite the sweltering heat, it’s one of my favorite times of year. I relish the endless opportunities to be outside – luxuriating […]

Thank You Dad

By Dr. Gail Cloud

It can be so easy, at least it can feel easy, to stay distant from our parents. This is especially true when we have a painful or difficult relationship with them; or one of them. It can also be true when we have separation from them; and with situations such as divorce, […]

The Many Benefits of Lymphatic Drainage Therapy

By Kelly McNally, Licensed Massage Therapist at Vitality Unlimited Spa

I’m sure when you first hear the words “Lymphatic Drainage”, you automatically think of treatment to help someone who has a compromised system. It is primarily used for someone who has had lymph nodes removed due to surgery or damaged from an injury. It can also […]

Will an El Niño End the Midwest’s Drought?

All those early spring rains are but a fond memory. The Midwest is in an extreme drought with a drier-than-normal April and one of the driest Mays in history. Spring is usually the wettest time of the year, so the lack of rain is even more problematic for plantings.There are signs that the Midwest is […]