Free Republic

A US firm has given scientific details of its "human composting" process for environmentally friendly funerals. A pilot study on deceased volunteers showed that soft tissue broke down safely and completely within 30 days. The firm, Recompose, claims that its process saves more than a tonne of carbon, compared to cremation or traditional burial. It says that it will offer the world's first human composting service in Washington state from next February. Speaking exclusively to BBC News, Recompose's chief executive and founder, Katrina Spade, said that concerns about climate change had been a big factor in so many people expressing...

Bloomberg say he can teach anyone to farm in 5 minutes. Didn't Pol Pot say the same thing? How did that turn out for the people of Cambodia?

In 50 years, Billie Eilish will be turning 69 years old, technology will likely be unrecognizable, and the world may have lost 1/3 of all its plant and animal species. A new study has found that warming temperatures will likely cause hundreds of species to go extinct. Researchers at the University of Arizona analyzed 538 plant and animal species from around the world, 44% of which already faced local extinctions in at least one area in the world. What they discovered is that the areas that suffered from species extinctions had "larger and faster changes in hottest yearly temperatures than...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the...

An Australian woman died during an eating competition thrown to celebrate Australia day after choking on a lamington—the country’s national cake. The woman was 60-years-old and participating in a competition in the city of Hervey Bay in Queensland on Jan. 26. CTV News reported that the competition was held on Sunday at the Beach House Hotel. Australians commonly celebrate the public holiday with food festivals as well as parades and fireworks. People witnessing the event took videos that show a bar filled with cheering onlookers as the competition carried out. The woman choked while she was eating a lamington which...

That fiery ball in space does settle down every 11 years or so. It’s called the solar minimum, and the Space Weather Prediction Center indicates that this phase of low sunspot activity will continue for a few more years. During a solar minimum, the sun has very few sunspots on its surface, which some speculate could affect the earth’s weather. In contrast, a solar maximum has more sunspots on its surface and solar activity is high. “Usually a solar minimum lasts about a year or so, but then sometimes it can last for decades or even longer,” said Prof. Jason...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the...

When Jeff noticed that his garden was getting destroyed, he put out a camera to catch the culprit, a groundhog! But Chunk won Jeff’s heart over, and now he lets him have whatever he wants.

20 Master Gardener Tips to grow your best Carrots ever. Includes tips on Soil Preparation, Planting, Fertilizing, Watering, Weed Control, Insects, Diseases, Harvesting and Storing. Includes a detailed listing of State Specific Recommended Varieties and Planting Dates...WATCH THE VIDEO.

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the...

Sad news for salad fans who enjoy the peppery bite of arugula over other lettuces: there's a national shortage. The shortfall is due to the "unexpectedly cold and wet winter weather facing growers throughout the Southwest," according to the New Food Economy. Those harsh conditions "paved the way for the spread of a fungal disease called downy mildew," which has made it difficult to produce healthy crops, the article further explained. The shortage has already been felt by shoppers, purveyors and and diners across the country. In New York, the fast casual Mediterranean restaurant chain Cava posted signs Monday saying...

Garden anywhere with raised beds in 80% less space, with only 2% of the work, and using only 10% of the water required with traditional garden beds. WATCH THE VIDEO...

ITHACA, N.Y.(WENY) - The City of Ithaca is now looking for a Director of Sustainability to help launch the city into a organizational transformation initiative. This position was created to help meet the goals of the city's Green New Deal. WENY News Spoke with Ithaca City Mayor, Svante Myrick, to find out what he is looking for. "So we're looking for somebody with a particular set of skills, somebody who understands both environmental justice, as well as racial and social justice. Somebody who is capable of leading a broad community conversation around those issues, and somebody who's willing to work...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the...

Former US vice-president Al Gore has tried to mobilise the global elite to fight the climate crisis by comparing it to some of history’s greatest battles, from Agincourt to Dunkirk. Gore told delegates at the World Economic Forum in Davos that the scale of the climate emergency was much worse than people recognise, and getting worse much faster than people recognise. “The burden to act on the shoulders of the generation of the people alive today is a challenge to our moral imagination,” said Gore, during a session on protecting the Amazon and developing sustainable markets. “This is Thermopylae. This...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the...

A hemp field near Fresno, Calif., is marked with a no trespassing sign that indicates the plant growing here is hemp, not marijuana. Photo courtesy of Fresno County Sheriff's Office =================================================================== EVANSVILLE, Ind., Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Across the country, newly legal hemp plants are being mistaken for their close cousin, marijuana. And they're attracting thieves. "They thought they stumbled upon the field of dreams," said Ashleigh Baldwin, a hemp grower in Coopersburg, Pa., who experienced two people stealing hemp from her fields last summer. "It really does look, smell and feel a lot like marijuana." While a hemp is...

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is warning of potential damage to crops and the high food prices that could follow after the New York metropolitan area saw record high temperatures this past weekend. “It hit ~70° in NY,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Sunday night. “In January. This weather at this time of year can be very risky for local farmers & families they serve.” “If certain crops germinate/flower prematurely & a freeze follows, crops could fail or drop in yield. When food supply drops, prices rise,” she continued, while adding the hashtag #ClimateCrisis. Her post came in response to another tweet sent...

In 100 days exactly, we will strike again. On April 22, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, young people and adults across the United States will once again take to the streets to demand climate action. Earth Day will launch three consecutive days of massive strikes, fulfilling our promise to take the climate strike movement beyond what we achieved on September 20. Inaction is not an option. This has been the hottest decade on record and last year was the second hottest ever. Since the bushfire season began in November, fires in Australia have killed 25 people, wiped out over...

. By October, 150 of Arp’s hives had been wiped out by mites, 12% of his inventory in just a few months. “My yard is currently filled with stacks of empty bee boxes that used to contain healthy hives,” he says. On top of the threat of pesticides, almond pollination is uniquely demanding for bees because colonies are aroused from winter dormancy about one to two months earlier than is natural. The sheer quantity of hives required far exceeds that of other crops – apples, America’s second-largest pollination crop, use only one-tenth the number of bees. And the bees are...