BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Many city residents have come to rely on small urban farms to put fresh crops on their tables as they supplement what they buy at the grocery store.
“Right now we’re in the fall season so we’ve got lots of greens, you’re looking at lettuces, kale, collards, mustard greens, cabbage, radishes, all that fun stuff,” said Charlotte Haase, with Civic Works.
READ THE FULL STORY AT: “Baltimore.CBSLocal.com“
“Eco-consciousness is a hot trend. It’s become a common occurrence to see shoppers with reusable grocery totes at the supermarket. Bamboo straws are flying off shelves as people opt for eco-friendly products. Urban gardening and composting, too, has taken root as consumers try to minimize their carbon footprints.
These small actions are encouraging first steps, but they’re not enough when it comes to tackling agricultural contributions to climate change. Strong-worded warnings from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) detail the potential for climate disasters to worsen if modern consumption patterns don’t change — and soon.
There’s evidence that reimagining urban environments’ food systems might help reduce carbon emissions. With more than 60% of the global population expected to live in cities by 2030, urban agriculture might be one piece of the puzzle for reducing strain on city resources. The practice typically involves growing food in smaller, city environments such as on rooftops, apartment balconies, or even walls.”
READ THE FULL STORY AT: “Mashable.com“
“The Apprentice sent its remaining contestants into the brave new world of urban gardening in last night’s (November 14) episode, with the not-so-green-fingered candidates being asked to make London a little bit brighter.
The task saw the teams set up their own urban gardening businesses, where they carried out commercial and domestic jobs for their (often not very happy) clients, which included laying some astroturf, popping a few plants along a wall and forgetting to tell the driver of the van that contained everything they needed where he should be going.”
READ THE FULL STORY AT: “DigitalSpy.com“
After his discharge from military service, Sales went to college and began exploring urban agriculture and its therapeutic qualities. He attending school in Florida when Milwaukee Growing Power founder and CEO Will Allen recruited him.
After arriving in Wisconsin, he founded Green Veterans to help veterans find healing and a way to reconnect with their communities while teaching them about sustainability and entrepreneurship. Green Vets initiatives include food production, waste remediation, wastewater treatment, water conservation, renewable energy and affordable housing.
“The military is very good at turning citizens into soldiers, but not very good at turning soldiers into citizens,” said Sales. “I learned firsthand that urban farming and sustainability as a whole gave me a purpose again after the military.”
READ THE FULL STORY AT: “MilwaukeeIndependent.com“
“In the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, locals stroll through Greensgrow Farms. A couple picks up baby spinach and collard greens grown on site, while a few teenagers greet Milkshake, the farm’s resident pet pig. Neighbors ask each other for recipe ideas as they reach for bundles of fresh herbs. Looking in on this lively urban farm, it is hard to believe that just over 20 years ago this space was nothing more than a vacant lot in a forgotten space.
The chances that more urban farms will grow in the city’s empty lots improved dramatically with the recent launch of the Philadelphia Land Bank, which makes it much easier for the city to transfer its 8,700 vacant lots into private ownership. How easy? It costs about $1 to acquire the vacant lot next door, plus closing fees. Says Mayor Michael Nutter, “We would have liked to have had this about a decade ago.”
Vacant lots, which account for roughly 16.7 percent of large U.S. cities’ land area, have long been perceived as eyesores. Many are unkempt, empty hunks of land between buildings that all too often become sites choked with litter, contaminated by asbestos, lead, and arsenic, and breeding grounds for disease-carrying animals like rats. But more cities are seeing in vacant lots an opportunity to revive neighborhoods.”
READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT: “AlterNet.org“
“Horticulture and red wine were served up the other night at the Sill, a boutique on Hester Street, as Christopher Satch, a botanist wearing a T-shirt that read, “Plants Make People Happy,” the company motto, led a workshop on carnivorous plants.
It was plant stand-up — slightly blue patter with quick takes on Linnaeus and Darwin; binomial nomenclature (note the shape of the Venus fly trap for cues to how it got its name); detailed care instructions (carnivorous plants evolved in acidic bogs, which means they need distilled water, not tap, and lots of it); and a show-and-tell of Mr. Satch’s collection of butterworts and sundews.
Among the rapt attendees were Madison Steinberg and Lindsay Reisman, both 23 and working in public relations, and Brayan Poma, also 23, who works in construction; afterward they each took home an attractive tropical pitcher plant. “I like plants, but I kill so many of them,” said Mr. Poma, who wore a green hoodie and a goatee. “Maybe that’s why I find them so alluring.””
MEET THE PLANTFLUENCERS HERE: “NYTimes.com“
Hair loss, thinning hair, and male or female pattern baldness are no fun! It can happen to anyone, at any time, and there are numerous potential causes.
If you know me, then you know that I like to investigate the root cause of symptoms and not just manage them. The same can be said for hair loss.
I’ve worked with many clients who have experienced hair loss or thinning hair as a symptom. Yes – it is a symptom, a sign of something deeper going on. The downside is that it can take some time and patience to figure out the root cause. And it can take some time for your hair to start growing back.
Poor diet, digestive issues, and low enzyme or stomach acid production can cause nutrient deficiencies in our bodies.
It may not simply be enough to take a multivitamin. If your body can’t properly break down and absorb nutrients from a vitamin, then taking a multivitamin may not do much for you. So if your experiencing digestive symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, bloating, excessive and painful gas, reflux, anxiety, depression, or eczema, then you NEED to address that first. I use a comprehensive stool test and GI MAP with my clients to look for pathogens and customize a protocol to improve gut health. Improving gut health will help improve nutrient deficiencies, which can help hair loss.
2. Hormone imbalancesImbalances can involve numerous different hormones: cortisol, estrogen, testosterone, or thyroid hormones.
If you are under stress or have inflammation (even in the gut) your cortisol levels have likely been impacted. When your body is under stress, it prioritizes resources that help you deal with stress instead of helping you make hair.
Excess estrogen can lead to thinning hair. For example, during and after pregnancy estrogen levels peak and then dip, causing sudden hair loss for many women. But your estrogen can be high or low at any time for a number of reasons. Are you experiencing PMS, heavy periods, painful periods, breast tenderness, irritability, or fibroids? This could be due to altered estrogen levels.
Elevated testosterone is also problematic for your locks – and not just for men. Too much testosterone can cause hair growth on the face, neck or chest, but hair loss on your head. It may not be enough to simply test testosterone via blood. You also want to know which pathway testosterone is going down: the 5 alpha or beta pathway. If you have “normal” or even low testosterone levels, but the testosterone in your body is going down the wrong 5 alpha pathway, then your testosterone is becoming three times more potent. This can still cause symptoms such as hair loss. How do you know which pathway yours is going down? A urine test, such as a DUTCH hormone test, is the key to finding out.
Hypo- or hyperthyroid can also contribute to losing hair. When your body is under stress due to hormone imbalances, like fluctuating thyroid levels, it redirects resources from noncritical processes in your body like hair growth. Just like it does with cortisol.
Since hair loss is a common symptom in those who have a hormone imbalance, it’s important to do a few simple tests to see what’s really going on in your body. Addressing the underlying issue of an imbalance can improve the symptom of hair loss, and many other symptoms you may be experiencing.
3. Low iron or iron deficient anemiaIron deficiency can cause your body to channel oxygen to support vital functions instead of keeping your hair intact. Hemoglobin carries oxygen for the growth and repair of cells in your body, including the cells that stimulate hair growth. Anemia can be caused by a decrease or loss in that hemoglobin.
The interesting thing is that iron deficiency isn’t just caused by not eating iron-rich foods or by a bleed. Low iron can also be a symptom of copper toxicity or gut pathogens. Copper deficiency, as well as excess, can impact iron metabolism. Copper deficiency leads to anemia while copper excess can cause a different type of anemia, hemolytic anemia. Birth control (pills, patch, ring), copper IUDs, copper pipes, or getting copper passed along to you inutero can all contribute to copper issues.
4. Blood sugar issues, insulin resistance, and diabetesSugar is very sticky (even when floating around in your blood) and can essentially clog hair follicles, which can prevent healthy hair growth. Diabetics often lose hair all over their bodies because of circulation issues. This prevents much-needed nutrients from even getting to the hair follicle, causing a lack of the necessary resources to grow hair.
The first step you can take if you suspect blood sugar imbalances would be to take a look at your diet.
5. Infections in the scalp (less common)If you have tried everything else and still don’t see improvement, then it might be time to visit your doctor to see if something else is going on, like a scalp infection.
If you are dealing with hair loss or thinning hair, address the ROOT CAUSE. Hopefully now you know a little more about WHAT could be causing this symptom. It is absolutely possible to address the issue in a natural, healthy way. Get proper testing and work with a practitioner that knows what to look for and how to help you find YOUR cause.
WANT TO WORK WITH ME? SCHEDULE A COMPLIMENTARY, NO-OBLIGATION DISCOVERY CALL WITH ME. WE’LL USE THIS TIME TO MAKE SURE WE’RE THE RIGHT FIT BEFORE COMMITTING TO WORK TOGETHER.Schedule Your FREE 30 Minute Discovery Call
As a Registered Dietitian certified in Stress and Hormones by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition, I help clients get proper testing, assist in the process of reading those results using clinical correlation (treating the patient and not just the test results), and give them the proper tools (diet, supplements, and lifestyle) to start the healing process.
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