EcoHearth Ecology Portal

In the 1970s, the alternative agriculture movement was limited to a small group of idealogues among the more affluent members of society. Over the past three decades, it has slowly moved into the mainstream, and by 2002—the year the federal guidelines for organic production and certification were created—a set of universal norms was established that greatly facilitated the mass marketing of organic goods to an already thriving market. Read on…

Deciding to purchase a house is one of the biggest financial and emotional decisions of anyone’s lifetime. As an eco-conscious consumer, in addition to making a sound fiscal choice, you’ll also want your purchase to reflect your environmental convictions. Factors to weigh as you begin your quest include types of green features most important to you, best locations for an eco-home, green home financing and choosing a realtor who knows about the green home market. Read on…

As a convenient, affordable way to conserve energy and lower electricity bills, compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) have gained increasing popularity. That’s no surprise, considering that they consume approximately 75% less energy and last 10 times longer than incandescent ones.

Unlike incandescents, which create light by running electricity across a wire filament, CFLs send electricity through a tube containing argon and a small amount of mercury vapor. Because they contain mercury, when burnt out or accidentally broken, CFL bulbs must be properly handled and disposed of. Read on…

One spring day a couple of years ago, I noticed an unusual gray haze screening Santa Fe’s typically unspoiled skies. It could not be attributed to wood fires that many residents use to heat their homes in colder months. I looked at the weather satellite maps; there was no system moving our way. I later learned that a dust cloud from Mongolia had parked itself over northern New Mexico. Read on…

Milking goats, painting sunscreen on baby trees, tanning animal skins, bottling tomato sauce, harvesting wild greens, fermenting wine, gathering acorns, coagulating cheese, raking hazelnuts, hunting mushrooms, freezing goat gelato and doing the dishes: a few experiences you wouldn’t expect from your typical study-abroad program. Opting out of taking the university’s offer to politely go to class and do my homework while outside the country, I instead joined the ranks of “WWOOFers. Read on…