Food and the Environment

Oranges have long rolled around in kids’ and adults’ lunch boxes, been a breakfast staple in their juice form, and even donned cloves around the holidays. They’re beautiful and fragrant, sure, but are they good for us and the world? Here’s what you need to know about this wildly popular citrus fruit when it comes to your health and the environment.

Food and climate change: Which foods are the most damaging to the planet? And which foods could help save it? Check out the current state of climate change and see what research says about the impact of certain foods.

Community gardens are a great way to increase food security, improve public health, and even reduce crime rates. With a variety of setups, locations, and goals, they can play an important role in making healthy, ethical, and sustainable food available to ever more people.

Inga tree alley cropping has transformed the lives of 300 subsistence farming families in Honduras. Its replication across South and Latin America can make a major impact on people and the planet by improving food security, protecting wildlife habitats and water sources, and improving soil quality for years to come.

Internal company records show both Monsanto and BASF knew crop damage from their weed killer would be extensive. They sold it anyway. Read on to find out about their alarming campaign of denial and greed, all at the expense of farmers, food, animals, the environment, and consumers like you.

Also called the “Miracle Tree” and “Tree of Life,” moringa has been heralded as a superfood even more amazing than kale. Research confirms its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and cancer-preventive powers. And it’s great for the environment, and can even combat world hunger! Here’s all you need to know about this little-known, yet nutritious, superfood — and superplant.

Every day, we have more people on planet Earth — and less topsoil, water, and land with which to grow food. Which leaves us with the question: how will we sustainably feed future generations of humans? Some researchers believe that hydroponics — a method of growing food with water, nutrients, and light, but no soil — could be part of the solution. But does it work? Is it safe? Is it really sustainable? And does it produce food that is as nutritious as soil-grown food?

Ocean Robbins sits down with Darin Olien, author, entrepreneur, and sustainability and wellness advocate. They discuss Darin’s journey to improve the sovereignty and livelihoods of Indigenous populations; how he’s working to combat deforestation with his company Barùkas Nuts; and his work with Footprint to eliminate single-use plastics. Despite all the environmental challenges we’re faced with, it’s people like Darin who are leading the charge for a healthy, ethical, and sustainable world for all. Watch, read, or listen for a healthy dose of inspiration and empowerment to use your gifts for good.

For hundreds of years, Indigenous peoples in the Americas (and across the world) have faced genocide, land theft, and in many cases, forced relocation, all of which have deprived them of their ancestral foodways. Today, many Native peoples are grappling with the devastating health consequences of these ancestral traumas, along with grinding poverty and a diet of highly processed foods. But despite this grim reality, a growing number of Indigenous Nations are working towards an Indigenous foods movement as a means of cultural renewal, environmental sustainability, and a way to reclaim food sovereignty and personal health. Find out what’s being done — and what you can do to help.

Recycling is a good thing. It keeps garbage out of landfills, keeps raw materials in the earth, and reduces energy consumption. But recycling can be inconvenient and confusing. And not everything put in the recycling bin actually gets recycled at all. In fact, some environmentalists even see recycling as a form of “greenwashing,” distracting us from the serious problems caused by our wasteful lifestyles. So what’s the deal? Should we recycle? If so, what are the rules? And what are the best ways to process our stuff to contribute to a cleaner, healthier planet?

Grass-fed beef is often marketed as a healthier, more eco-friendly, and more ethical option for red meat-eaters. But how true are these claims? Is grass-fed really better than conventionally-raised beef? And can it be good for your health or the planet?

Plastic is a great example of a technological solution that created an even bigger problem. Plastic is cheap, versatile, useful, and convenient. And over the past hundred years, it’s changed our lives in ways almost too fundamental to register. But what are the costs to our health and to the environment? If you want to reduce the amount of plastic in your life (and in your body), where do you start, and how do you go about it?