What do the soil under our feet, the pets in our homes, and the microbes in fermented foods all have in common? They are all part of the same vast microbial web, and they all help shape your gut.
Through the Farm to School program, schools get grant money to obtain fresh, local food, send students on field trips to farms and send cafeteria workers to culinary academies.
This article now describes specific interactions. For example, contact with nature from an early age can have a positive influence on microbial diversity in the gut. Growing up in a rural environment, as well as playing in nature-based day-care centres, is beneficial in this regard. A study from 2025 also demonstrates such an effect in adults, where even brief stays in green spaces had a positive impact on the gut microbiota. The method of food production also plays a role.
The Rodale Institute, pioneers of organic and regenerative agriculture, has broken ground on its $24 million Center for Regenerative Organic Innovation in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. Opening in Spring 2028, this international hub will advance research and education to transform the food system.
Amy Westervelt pulls back the curtain on the machinery that has helped powerful industries shape public understanding for more than a century. From early corporate PR to modern think tanks, greenwashing campaigns, captured university research, and strategic legal influence, she shows how the information ecosystem itself has been bent in service of fossil fuel profits.
I faintly heard a single Russet-backed thrush in the ravine behind the farmhouse this week. Late at dusk and then again this morning. In June, her melodious spiraling melody is one more sign of hope and promise for the growing season before us.
If you're active on social media, you've probably seen posts about "survival gardens." The idea's not new, and the definition varies, but they generally refer to gardens that can grow enough food to help you get by for a while, whether you're laid off and can't afford produce or something like a pandemic causes major supply chain disruptions.