The GreenRoost Blog

The Mvskokee Food Sovereignty Initiative has instituted an annual Food Sovereignty Symposium.

At this year’s event, Sally Auger and Diane Wilson presented Dream of Wild Health, a visionary program in Hugo, MN. On a ten-acre farm, youths and families are nurtured in body, mind, and spirit. Through three youth programs, kids and teens learn about responsibility, [...]

Auld Lang Syne is on my mind today, not only because it’s what is traditionally sung at midnight, but because of what it means.  Auld Lang Syne is sung at this time because it symbolizes endings and new beginnings.  The noise and bustle of the holidays is over and we are entering a hopeful new [...]

Continuing this mini blog series about everyday actions regular people can take to help create sustainable environments, here are five more tips!
1. Are you still using that old leaf blower?  Raking is much better for the planet, not to mention your health!  The same is true for a push mower instead of a gas-powered or [...]

Everyone’s talking green.  It’s on the news, in magazines, in newspapers, and on countless websites.  There’s a lot to know and a lot to be considered, but you don’t have to be a rocket scientist, have a green thumb, or let your hair grow and start giving everyone the peace sign.  It’s very easy to [...]

Last week I got to see an eye-opening program on PBS about the disappearance of bees worldwide. It was a very informative  show about a situation that everyone who’s gotten used to eating more than just a few kinds of grain should know about.

At the time of the production of this program, Silence of the [...]

Here’s an innovative approach to ‘reduce, reuse, recycle.’ Hair stylist Phil McCrory noticed how quickly otters’ fur absorbed oil during the Exxon Valdez disaster. After testing how much oil clippings from his hair salon could absorb, he created the oil remediation mat, marketed as OttiMat. He discovered that a machine designed to make carpet pads [...]

Watching the PBS front-line show “Poisoned Waters” the other day was concerning, to say the least. This excellent documentary covers a wide range of water pollution issues, from chicken farm pollution to chemicals,  as well as their consequences.  The 6-legged frogs and hermaphrodite fish found in the Chesapeake bay today mean similar trends among the [...]

Want to add some excitement to your salad without loading it up with fatty dressings, cheese and bacon? Try micro-greens.
What are micro-greens?
Any plant that can be eaten in it’s stage of full growth, can also be eaten as a micro-green. You can have micro-broccoli, micro-arugula, micro-basil, micro-cabbages, micro-beets.. and the list goes on.
Micro-greens are harvested [...]

As CFLs now account for 25% of light bulbs purchased in the US,  mercury content in CFL bulbs is becoming a common concern, and rightfully so, as mercury exposure can cause severe health consequences: brain and kidney damage, and birth defects.
 
But since mercury pollution is nothing new, and certainly didn’t start with the invention and production [...]

Lead can enter our bodies via food, water, and air. Once lead enters the body, it does not break down. Lead builds up in our bodies over time, causing a variety of learning, language, and behavioral problems, as well as anemia, infertility, kidney damage, miscarriages, and sometimes - death.
The severity and frequency of lead-related symptoms increase with the concentration of lead in our [...]