In the year 1924, Steiner gave eight lectures on agriculture that were the basis of the biodynamic method. According to the anthroposophical interpretation, the land and plants are not isolated, but are in tune with the rhythms of the cosmos and linked to their environment, animals and human activity. In this way, to the good traditional agricultural practices based on organic design, crop rotations and the use of legumes, Steiner added the influence of terrestrial and cosmic forces. Agricultural tasks focus on restoring lost vitality to the soil, to the landscape in general and to man in particular. (Sunday May 1st, 2022 — Zyri.net)

Less than 9% of plastic in the U.S. is recycled each year, according to the EPA. The rest ends up in landfills, is burned or released into the environment. (Friday April 29th, 2022 — Huffpost)

Officials estimate this will cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over 30 years and will save Americans $3 million per year on utility bills (Thursday April 28th, 2022 — Smithsonian Magazine - Washington DC USA)

Organic, biodynamic, and PIWI are terms more and more commonly associated with Italian wine, but what’s behind them? (Wednesday April 27th, 2022 — Italics Magazine)

The pawpaw is in the same family as the custard apple, cherimoya, sweetsop, soursop and ylang-ylang. It's a subtropical fruit that migrated north from Central America, and it is atypical; the only member of the family not confined to the tropics. (Tuesday April 26th, 2022 — BBC online)

Childhood experts like Madame Montessori, Froebel and Rudolf Steiner (of the Waldorf Schools) anticipated modern psychology which accepts that the child who does not conform to accepted patterns from the beginning is not backward at all. Unfortunately education, until now, had rather rigid frameworks. (Sunday April 24th, 2022 — The Island)

Cherokee Nation citizens will be able to gather plants that have cultural and medicinal significance along the Buffalo National River in Arkansas under a new agreement with the National Park Service (NPS), reports Bill Bowden for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. (Friday April 22nd, 2022 — Smithsonian Magazine - Washington DC USA)

In a typical year, the glass factories here power down only once, for maintenance in August. But with Europe in the midst of an energy crisis, facing a 400 percent increase in natural gas bills, the gas-fueled blazes needed to produce Murano’s richly colored, ornate creations have become a luxury the glassmakers can scarcely afford. (Thursday April 21st, 2022 — Washington Post - Washington DC USA)

Winemaking is hard work, period. Biodynamic winemaking is next level—intensive, expensive, and non-stop. (Thursday April 21st, 2022 — Forbes)

The prestigious award recognises the 95-year-old's commitment to telling stories about the natural world and climate change. Accepting the award, Sir David said the world must take action now to protect nature and the planet. (Thursday April 21st, 2022 — BBC online)

The history of color theory is a story we tell based on available facts. Like many histories, it has mostly been a story by and about men. Isaac Newton’s experiments with optics inspired the broader inquiry. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s 1810 Theory of Colors set a standard — visually and philosophically — for books about color in the following centuries. A series of lesser-known names surround them, to the founders of color monopolist Pantone and beyond. (Thursday April 21st, 2022 — Open Culture)

Mushrooms on a log may each seem like quiet, standalone organisms, but they're actually the above-ground, sporing fruit belonging to a fungus, connected to the large organism by a root network called mycelium. Although fungi may not seem very talkative either, a new study shows electric signals traveling through their mycelium network could help the organism communicate. (Tuesday April 12th, 2022 — Smithsonian Magazine - Washington DC USA)

The Camphill movement was started in the 1900s to build communities where people with all abilities can find purpose and belonging. There are more than 100 Camphill locations worldwide, but only two communities are for elders. One is located in Scotland and the other is located in Columbia County. Located on 110 acres, Camphill Ghent is a vibrant residential community for elders that offers a meaningful quality of life and a rich, active social program designed to support residents in maintaining their independence and joy of living. The average age of residents in the community is 80. Of the 70 people who live there, 16 of them are disability different. (Thursday March 17th, 2022 — NEWS10 ABC - USA)

Organics and biodynamics are becoming increasingly popular and being taken increasingly seriously in New Zealand winemaking, something that was made clear when vintners who farm according to those practices were recognised in Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine’s recent New Zealand Winemaker of the Year Awards - including Brown, who took the top prize, Winemaker of the Year. (Wednesday March 2nd, 2022 — Stuff.co.nz)

JR: How does this approach differ from that of traditional schools? YR & CS: It is precisely this, the holistic approach to educating the child, that differs most from traditional schools. Also, the natural environment and emphasis on outdoor play and movement. For example, our daily curriculum includes yoga, ballet, organic gardening, and an hour nature walk. (Tuesday March 1st, 2022 — Psychology Today)

I was seven years old when I started to learn to read, as is typical of the alternative Steiner school I attended. My own daughter attends a standard English school, and started at four, as is typical in most British schools. Watching her memorise letters and sound out words, at an age when my idea of education was climbing trees and jumping through puddles, has made me wonder how our different experiences shape us. Is she getting a crucial head-start that will give her lifelong benefits? Or is she exposed to undue amounts of potential stress and pressure, at a time when she should be enjoying her freedom? Or am I simply worrying too much, and it doesn't matter at what age we start reading and writing? (Tuesday March 1st, 2022 — BBC online)

Guinea pigs have long served us as charming and cuddly pets, but until presently, their ability for changing over weeds into manure has been to a great extent ignored by the horticulture industry. ... Biodynamic rancher John Gargan has come up with a novel arrangement, including 50 weed-busters of a completely diverse stature to his operation at Mutchilba, west of Cairns. (Monday February 28th, 2022 — The Australian Business Journal)

Art, for Lucien Dante Lazar, is a deeply introspective, spiritual process. ... Lazar grew up in an artistic household and said he was shaped by a Waldorf education. (Friday February 25th, 2022 — The Daily Northwestern)

Moss Valley Market Garden is an organic and biodynamic market garden producing fruit and vegetables on a 1.3 acre site based at the Sheffield Organic Growers site near Norton. (Monday February 21st, 2022 — Now and Then, Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK)

Invented by the region's Moorish rulers 1,200 years ago, Valencia's irrigation system is now a model for sustainable farming. (Monday February 21st, 2022 — BBC online)