EcoHearth: Come Home to the Earth

When I was 20, I worked as a nanny for a family in Toulon on the French Mediterranean coast. In exchange for working as housekeeper, babysitter and granny-sitter for three boarding mémés (grandmothers), I learned French. But the greater compensation was the opportunity to encounter plant foods that were treated with reverence—and to experience local food as an art form and cultural celebration. Read on…

Ever wondered why the Sahara desert hasn’t been converted into a giant solar panel by now? DESERTEC, a syndicate of engineering and construction firms, must have read your mind. Its ambitious plan is to power 15% of Europe and a sizable portion of the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) area by 2050 using the Saharan sun. Read on…

The massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a reminder of the toxic substances that continue to threaten our oceans, sea creatures and us. As engineers achieve success at containing the leak, the public has begun to contemplate the disaster’s long-term effects. Besides the future of the area’s ecosystem and economy, many wonder about the advisability of consuming animals from the Gulf. Sadly, oil contamination is just one of many pollutants fouling our sea-based food supply. There are many others. Read on…

Imagining a closed system within which everything is reusable isn’t too difficult; it’s nature at its finest. What rises from the Earth takes an exact measurement of nutrients from the soil, water and sky, plays its part in the composition, then tumbles down and gives its materials back to the ground. Nothing is wasted, misplaced or abandoned. But transposing this sustainable cycle to modern commerce is another story. Read on…

With the new school year soon upon us, there’s no escaping the sales, the shopping and the seemingly endless list of “needed” supplies.

It’s a good time to ask some fundamental questions, such as: Is all this consumption critical to my child’s success? Can we create a more sustainable (and sane) approach to preparing for the academic year? Just what do we want to be teaching our kids, anyway? Let’s go back to the environmental ABCs for some guidance: Read on…