Vintners Jean Orens Ferraton and his son Michel have known winemaker extraordinaire Michel Chapoutier for more than two decades. In the mid-1990s, they brought organic farming to Rhone Valley vineyards when the term was still obscure. The Ferratons, whose winery was launched in 1946 by Jean, have relied on Chapoutier’s guidance to allow the land and vines to control the destiny of the grapes grown and the wines produced. Since 1998 they’ve implemented stricter biodynamic practices and eliminated all pesticides and chemical fertilizers. While they are no longer alone in setting a modern, eco-friendly course, they deserve credit for being among the early pioneers. (Wednesday January 22nd, 2020 — Boston Herald - Boston, Massachusetts, USA)

The almost 50 individuals who live, learn and work at Plowshare Farm are a diverse group. The farm is associated with the worldwide Camphill movement, which was founded by a group of Jewish refugee doctors from Austria who relocated to Scotland and were looking for a way to do good. They decided to work with children with special needs and integrate them into the daily life of the farm. Today, there are more than 100 such communities worldwide, including Plowshare Farm. (Monday January 20th, 2020 — The Keene Sentinel )

Scientists analysing a meteorite have discovered the oldest material known to exist on Earth. They found dust grains within the space rock - which fell to Earth in the 1960s - that are as much as 7.5 billion years old. (Monday January 20th, 2020 — BBC online - UK)

Non-degradable bags will be banned in major cities by the end of 2020 and in all cities and towns by 2022. The restaurant industry will also be banned from using single-use straws by the end of 2020. (Monday January 20th, 2020 — BBC online - UK)

Meeting technology with sustainability, the Copper Horse vinyard also has a prototype robot from France called WALL-YE, which mows the grass in the vineyard on its own using two cameras and a GPS to guide itself. (Wednesday January 15th, 2020 — Willcox Range News - Arizona, USA)

Newton Dee Camphill Community is home for up to 93 adults with varying special needs, letting them live semi-independently. An almost self-sustaining place, those with learning difficulties get the chance to do work and have opportunities for personal development. On location there are two farms, metal and wood workshops, a cafe and a bakery. Now it has applied for a building warrant to change an out-of-date former store into residential accommodation for 10 people. (Monday January 13th, 2020 — Aberdeen Evening Express - UK)

Rivetto has become the first winery in the zones of Barolo and Barbaresco to be certified biodynamic by Demeter. (Wednesday January 8th, 2020 — decanter.com - )

The house of Louis Roederer, known for Cristal champagne, has been in business since 1776, and would argue yes. In fact, that glass of bubbly could be part of the broader challenge with climate change and farming. Led by the seventh generation Frédéric Rouzaud, they’re bringing organic and biodynamic Champagne to the forefront by releasing their first organic and biodynamic Champagne, the 2012 vintage of Cristal, in the coming year, 2020. (Monday January 6th, 2020 — Forbes - USA)

Sustainable farming practices that use natural materials, soils and composts are taking root in the Ningxia region, thanks to the arrival of European and Western-educated Chinese winemakers (Friday January 3rd, 2020 — South China Morning Post )

While extinction is a natural phenomenon, scientists estimate that species are being lost at up to 1,000 times the background rate, with dozens disappearing every day, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. However, multiple animals thought to be lost for good have resurfaced this year to the delight of biologists and animal lovers alike. Here are the animals that scientists rediscovered in 2019 (Saturday December 28th, 2019 — abc news - USA)

The birth of the yet-to-be-named male calf marks a milestone for conservationists trying to save the critically endangered species (Friday December 27th, 2019 — Smithsonian Magazine online - USA)

The Camphill Community Mourne Grange in Kilkeel is a community where people with special needs work and live together. They have been working away collecting tools to repurpose and send to tradespeople in Africa. Refurbishing tools and sewing machines gives the residents at Mourne Grange a chance to learn new skills. (Wednesday December 25th, 2019 — BBC News - Ireland)

The renowned Ontario based Waldorf Academy Toronto recently published a report discussing the importance of arts education, and the positive impact it can have on young children. The private school, which has been providing children with a superior education for over 30 years, is now working to raise awareness of a subject that is thought to improve different aspects of a child’s education. The Academy states that, whether it is painting, math, or science, all subjects should be treated equally. (Thursday December 19th, 2019 — StreetInsider.com - Canada)

In a decision filed Thursday by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., a three-judge panel declared the U.S. Forest Service "abdicated its responsibility to preserve national forest resources" when it issued permits for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to build through parts of the George Washington and Monongahela National Forests and a right of way across the Appalachian Trail. ... The judges cited Dr. Seuss' The Lorax: "We trust the United States Forest Service to 'speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.'" (Saturday December 14th, 2019 — NPR - National Public Radio USA)

As part of their applied art curriculum, eighth graders at Tamarack Waldorf School on Milwaukee's east side learned how to use a sewing machine to make backpacks, and then filled those backpacks with donated items. The school partnered with Pathfinders, a local group that supports young people in crisis, including some who experience homelessness. (Friday December 13th, 2019 — WDJT Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA)

Participants will spend time in contemplation and meditation viewing, by candlelight, 15 images of Madonna and Child. Thirteen of the 15 images were created by Italian painter Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520). The adoption of Raphael’s Madonna images as part of a healing therapy came after a meeting between philosopher Dr. Rudolf Steiner and a physician, Dr. Felix Peipers. Peipers arranged Raphael’s Madonna images in a sequence that formed a five-pointed star, or pentagram. (Wednesday December 11th, 2019 — The Sopris Sun - Carbondale, Colorado USA)

Bangor University researchers are working with leftover farming materials to create trays for fresh fruit, vegetables and eggs. They say the research could also provide an extra source of income for farmers in African countries such as Uganda. Plant fibres are being mashed up and pressed into shallow trays similar to plastic ones already in use in supermarkets. (Wednesday November 13th, 2019 — BBC online - UK)

The Olive Tree of Vouves, located in Ano Vouves on the island of Crete in Greece, is over 3,000 years old and shows no signs of heading into retirement anytime soon. The ancient plant still produces olives. And yes, you can get olive oil made from the fruit of this tree. (Monday July 29th, 2019 — Daily Good)

As scientists like Ricketts and Nicholson are discovering how incredibly valuable wild pollinators are to our food supply, we are also seeing early signs of a worldwide collapse in pollinator numbers, and industrial agriculture — including commercial beekeeping — is largely to blame. There’s a desperate need for alternative models that work with wild bees .... (Wednesday July 24th, 2019 — Huffpost)

... the absence of pesticides in a successful organic system is the result of how we farm, not the definition of it. The organic movement has long believed that food grown in a healthy soil is the foundation of human health. ... The inclusion of hydroponics in organic certification is thus not an example of innovation and improvement. It is an example of conquest and colonization. It is simply a hostile takeover of organic by economic forces. (Monday June 24th, 2019 — independentsciencenews.org)