MTG Hawke's Bay will highlight the work of two "visionary sisters" whose lifelong love of the arts left a lasting impression on the region. Two Sisters: the lasting legacies of Ruth Nelson and Gwen Malden ... The Nelson girls attended Woodford House under the tutelage of headmistress Mabel Hodge, a liberal thinker and committed anthroposophist, who became a great influence in the sisters' lives. ... Gwen became a driving force behind the establishment of Weleda, a pharmaceutical laboratory making natural medicines based on anthroposophical principles. (Monday April 3rd, 2017 — New Zealand Herald )

Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner is regarded as the �godfather' of the so-called �biodynamic' approach to farming and gardening, encouraging large and small scale growers to look to the cosmos before planting and harvesting crops. A later advocate, who developed a gardener's lunar calendar, was Maria Thun, a German farmer who believed that the energy of plants can be affected by the energy of the moon, stars and planets. (Saturday April 1st, 2017 — the Irish News )

High school students in Cottbus are campaigning to save three new Afghan classmates from deportation. They say their new friends have become a "big part of our school community," and could be killed by Taliban back home. (Friday March 31st, 2017 — Deutsche Welle - Germany)

Late Wednesday night, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt rejected a petition from environmental groups to stop the use of chlorpyrifos, manufactured by Dow AgroSciences under the name Lorsban, on the grounds that the agency needs to “provide regulatory certainty” for the thousands of U.S. farms that rely on chlorpyrifos. (Thursday March 30th, 2017 — Think Progress - USA)

The team at Mungalli Creek Dairy spent about six months developing Biodynamic Bliss, which is proving a hit with residents after hitting the shelves in recent weeks. Available in iced coffee and iced chocolate, it is Australia’s first certified biodynamic, lactose free and probiotic milk product. (Thursday March 30th, 2017 — The Mercury - Australia)

” La Matilde, however, is an ambitious sustainable project that doesn’t just touch on wine. The complete package includes a stunning sustainably constructed, (and beautifully decorated in the most elegant of rustic elegance, I might add) 10-room lodge; a herd of Swiss Saanen goats (that receive homeopathy treatments should they fall sick) producing organic milk for a delectable range of cheese, including camembert under Las Tres Tejas label; a vast and hard-working orchard that’s home to olive groves, quinoa, herbs, chili peppers, cabbages and all kinds of fruits and vegetables; and a pulpería (rural store) whose staff harvest in accordance with the biodynamic calendar and sell the freshest of wares every day of the week. This is a whole ecological deal — and should you wish to subscribe to this lifestyle, you can snap up a plot of land and build your own biodynamic home. (Friday March 24th, 2017 — Buenos Aires Herald - Argentina)

A specialist organic and biodynamic winery from the McLaren Vale has seen demand for its sulphur-free wine grow by 500 per cent in 12 months. (Monday March 20th, 2017 — The Shout - Australia)

The records suggest that Monsanto may have ghostwritten the so-called “independent” research that was attributed to specific academics. As if potentially falsifying research isn’t sufficiently damning, the documents also indicate that a senior level official at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may have worked to bury a review of the safety of the company’s glyphosate-based products. It also appears to demonstrate disagreement within the regulatory body of its own safety assessments. (Saturday March 18th, 2017 — Care2.com - USA)

I am heartened by the amount of folks now asking for advice on wines that are produced with consideration for the health of our planet. There are three main categories: sustainable, organic and biodynamic. (Friday March 17th, 2017 — Royal Gazette - Bermuda)

While both proper organic and biodynamic farming do not allow toxic synthetic pesticides like Monsanto's Roundup and/or glyphosate, biodynamic takes things a step further by prohibiting the use of outside fertilizers. The system must produce its own fertility, in the form of compost and nutrients, making it highly sustainable and efficient. (Friday March 17th, 2017 — march-against-monsanto.com)

o encourage such creative play and to ensure that the philosophies they subscribe to are practisedat home, parents are putting more thought into the way they design their children's spaces. (Friday March 17th, 2017 — The Straits Times - Singapore)

Bees are in trouble, and Honey Nut Cheerios wants to help. The brand pulled its bee mascot Buzz from the front of cereal boxes in the U.S. this month to call attention to the alarming decline in pollinator populations around the world. Honey Nut Cheerios is also giving out free wildflower seeds so cereal lovers can grow their own home for bees and their pollinating pals to thrive. It ran the same campaign in Canada last year. (Friday March 17th, 2017 — Huffington Post - USA)

Here's a primer on natural wine: * It's biodynamic. Native yeast only is used in the process. No added yeasts, sugars or bacteria are included. (The only additive allowed can be a small amount of sulfur for bottling stability.) Basically, just "plant and squish," Bruell said. (Friday March 17th, 2017 — cleveland.com - Cleveland, Ohio USA)

Starting his project as a nine-year-old, Felix Finkbeiner aims to restore the world�s forests. (Friday March 17th, 2017 — National Geographic - Washington DC USA)

The key to the success of the program is "unstructured play" four times a day to break up the physical and mental monotony of the classroom, allowing developing minds and bodies to constructively use their energies, so that their may be more effectively applied in learning. (Friday March 17th, 2017 — http://livetheorganicdream.com)

Pyramid Valley Wines produces four wines; Earth Smoke Pinot Noir, Angel Flower Pinot Noir, Lion�s Tooth Chardonnay and Field of Fire Chardonnay. Its vineyards have been managed biodynamically from the outset, a form of agriculture that is similar to organic farming, but which includes concepts drawn from the ideas of Rudolf Steiner. Calling for the application of natural preparations to treat the soil, its practices also take cues from the lunar and astral calendar, and Weersing admits that its practices took some getting used to in the beginning. (Thursday March 16th, 2017 — The Drinks Business )

The Environmental Protection Agency official who was in charge of evaluating the cancer risk of Monsanto Co.�s Roundup allegedly bragged to a company executive that he deserved a medal if he could kill another agency�s investigation into the herbicide�s key chemical. (Tuesday March 14th, 2017 — Bloomberg.com)

Greenwood Orchards ... The biodynamic producer is using new tech to harness crowd source tech solutions to fruit fly pests. (Tuesday March 14th, 2017 — Queensland Country Life - Australia)

Archaeologists have discovered a massive statue that likely depicts the ancient Egyptian ruler submerged in the groundwater of a Cairo area slum. The sculpture, believed to be some 3,000 years old, lies in Matariya, near the ruins of the ancient city of Heliopolis. (Friday March 10th, 2017 — Huffington Post - USA)