Education

Importance of Posture and Stretching for Graceful Aging

Submitted by abuzz on Thu, 06/10/2010 - 12:24

We are more than we eat. We are an ever-evolving product of what we put in, what doesn't come out, and what we do with what we've got.

I live in a home with a 104 year old matriarch. She was a musician in her time, & goes by the name of a character she played in San Francisco of the late '30, so she's more erudite and cultured than most people no matter their age. She has had a remarkable life, and the 4 generations of women who make up this family, quite extraordinary each and every one of them, are great teachers that I am learning and my life being enriched from.>>Read more »

Half measures won't cut it! Business as Usual is out.

Submitted by C Robb Worthington on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 10:57

At the 2009 Gaining Ground Summit in Vancouver, speaking on the topic "Planning Down; What if Can Do... Can't? " Bill Rees the co-creater of the Ecological Footprint had much to say about the challenges we face. I paraphrase his main takeaway points below;>>Read more »

Abundant Neem Harvest at the Farm

Submitted by aquarianbath on Tue, 10/27/2009 - 11:19

I spent another Saturday at Maggie's Herb Farm in St. Augustine teaching an advanced soapmaking class for Creating Shampoo Bars and Spa/Salt Soaps. The class itself when very well. I had some mild anxiety on the way up that I had maybe not packed all the ingredients that we needed, but everything was packed and it was a very smooth class. >>Read more »

A Tasty Thyme at Maggie's Herb Farm in St. Augustine: Sharing a Cough Syrup Recipe from my Weekend Class

Submitted by aquarianbath on Mon, 10/12/2009 - 06:51

I spent national Herb Day yesterday at Maggie's Farm in St. Augustine teaching a class on seasonal recipes for cold and flu. We had jam packed day full of herbal activities including preparation of fire cider, an herbal chest salve, Holy Basil tea, and an excellent cough syrup. I know there were some of you who wanted to go, but couldn't make it. So I'm posting a recipe from class that you can try at home.>>Read more »

How to Become a Master Herbalist in 30 Years or More

Submitted by aquarianbath on Thu, 10/08/2009 - 10:41

In the last few years I've come across a number of people taking or teaching "Master Herbalist" programs. It always makes me cringe to hear the phrase. It is counter intuitive to me that one can become a master by taking a year long program. To me a master herbalist is someone who has had many years of practice. One of my herbal heros is Hua Tou. Even though he was the most famous herbalist in China during his time, he disguised himself to learn from other herbalists anonymously. I now tell the students in my classes, some of whom are in Master Herbalist programs, that I am a Junior Herbalist. Hopefully after reading this article, you can understand why. >>Read more »

Limits to Growth, Half measures, and the consequences

Submitted by C Robb Worthington on Fri, 09/25/2009 - 09:56

Many of us try to live a more sustainable lifestyle. We must acknowledge however that living a western consumerist lifestyle is fundamentally not sustainable. At best we have only so much ability to personally close the resource loops attached to our consumption; growing our own food, conserving and recycling water, producing our own energy, reducing if not eliminating automobile transport, and contributing to the development of a local more sustainable economy. These are all necessary steps towards a more sustainable life and when coupled with vigorous involvement in the process of government and a commitment to public education regarding the excesses of the growth paradigm can have a significant impact. But is it enough? Enough to do what exactly?>>Read more »

Relocalisation

Submitted by C Robb Worthington on Wed, 09/16/2009 - 09:37

As I listened to the BBC World Service this morning I heard a story about the Chinese economy and efforts to stimulate consumerism to keep the economy growing. Aside from the obvious futility of a continuing to rely on the infinite growth paradigm, a physical impossibility in a finite ecosystem, the commentator was discussing efforts to get the Chinese public to consume more locally produced goods thus double stimulating the economy. As western economies have tried to rebound from their self inflicted wounds which led to the recent recession, there have been repeated warnings about falling back into protectionism and abandoning globalization.>>Read more »

Hopeful signs of progress on Climate Change but still missing the low hanging fruit.

Submitted by C Robb Worthington on Tue, 09/15/2009 - 03:30

While Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) works with other senators from the coal states to get more money allocated to carbon capture and storage, a move that may save the Waxman Markey bill in the senate if all these senators beholden to dirty coal vote for the bill, and research by the New York University School of Law’s Institute for Policy Integrity shows that the bill will benefit the economy to the tune of $1.5 trillion between 2012 and 2050 while only costing $660 billion to implement, where is the debate surrounding population and it's effect on Climate Change?>>Read more »

Inner Work at Transition Training

Submitted by C Robb Worthington on Wed, 09/09/2009 - 06:05

I've just returned from the Transition Training weekend in Totnes. As I've posted here before, Transition is a movement designed to assist communities make the transition from oil dependence to local resilience.

The training was good. We covered many techniques to use in developing a Transition Initiative as well as went through some inner work that was surprising in it's intensity. What I'd like to talk about here is that inner experience rather than the nuts and bolts of piecing an initiative together.>>Read more »

Cotton Incorporated Cashes in on Celebrity Endorsement

Submitted by Green Cotton on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 22:29

Zooey Deschanel, star of the just-released film 500 Days of Summer, is the latest in a slew of celebrities to lend her voice to ad campaigns for Cotton Inc.>>Read more »