The latest news on sustainable, eco-friendly living. To suggest or submit an idea for a EcoBrief or other editorial, click here.
Essential Oils for Challenging Times
In these coronavirus days, an essential oil mixture with legendary origins in the Bubonic Plague offers soothing scents for the homebound and might add...
Research-Proven DIY Sanitizers That Work
When we’re out and about, if we can’t use a sink and soap to ward off the COVID-19 coronavirus, a hand sanitizer can work, advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) —as long as it’s...
Tips for Plant-Based Living
Eating more fruits and vegetables as part of a plant-based diet is catching on. In 2019, more than one third of Americans said...
Tips for Toxin-Free House Cleaning
Cleaning the house shouldn’t be a health hazard, yet studies have linked many popular cleaning products to asthma and other respiratory ills, developmental problems in young children and...
New York State Bans Plastic Bags
On Earth Day, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags in...
Artificial Light Tied to Inflammation
Fluorescent lighting is one of the most common sources of artificial light, but new research from Texas State University suggests there may be unexpected...
Tectonic Activity Shakes Geologists
Long considered to be geologically inactive, our 4.6-billion-year-old moon is showing signs of tectonic activity via seismometers deployed between...
Catching Some Rays on the Water
Solar panels currently generate only about 1 percent of our nation’s energy needs, but new research from the federal National Renewable Energy Laboratory shows that installation of...
Farmers Responding to Climate Change
Climate change has inspired farmers to turn to regenerative agriculture, which pulls carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and stores it in their soil. Regenerative agriculture...
Natural Approaches Help Prevent Harmful Runoff
by Darla Nagel
Harmful algal blooms are a growing problem in the Great Lakes, blocking sunlight and consuming oxygen needed for plant and fish species to...
Wastewater Turned into Hydrogen Fuel
Producing pure hydrogen is expensive and energy intensive, but a research team at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, at...
Drugs Found in Rural Rivers
Researchers at King’s College London and the University of Suffolk have found a diverse array of cocaine, pharmaceuticals and pesticides in ...
Hemp to the Rescue at Detox Sites
Cannabis is enjoying a renaissance of sorts, and one new application for hemp, the no-buzz industrial variety used in fabrics, oils and foods, is cleaning nuclear radiation from...
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Antarctic Greenhouse Yields First Crop
Scientists at Germany’s Neumayer Station III, in Antarctica, have harvested their first crop of vegetables grown without soil, daylight...
Produce to Avoid
The 2019 Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce highlights increased pesticide use on up to 70 percent of...
Save Resources, Reduce Food Waste and More
Midsummer is prime time for outdoor family meals, barbecues and picnics. Selecting the healthiest food, along with eco-friendly materials in preparing for the fun feasts, can fulfill a more...
Bionic Leaf Tops Plants in Photosynthesis
Bionic Leaf 2.0, a new, artificial photosynthesis system developed by a team headed by Harvard University scientists, takes in carbon dioxide, water...
Artificial Wood Resists Fire and Water
A new, lightweight synthetic wood has been created that is as strong as wood, but without its traditional vulnerability to...
Near-Death Experiences Can Be Learned
“Meditation-Induced Near-Death Experiences: a 3-Year Longitudinal Study,” published in Mindfulness, concludes that some Buddhist meditation practitioners can willfully...
Many Benefits of Reorganizing
Spring is the season of renewal, and on the home front, that means cleaning, organizing and reducing clutter. While we apply natural, eco-friendly cleaning agents, the act of...
Translating Thoughts Into Speech
Scientists are trying to translate speech-paralyzed patients’ thoughts into speech using brain implants. The technique will potentially provide a...