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New vegan milk made from hummus (or chickpeas)

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improved strain chickpeas hebrew university for humous
Chickpeas to feed the world! A new protein is developed that offers an alternative to soy and highly allergenic nut milks. Hummous milk anyone?

It’s known as a wonder protein and since the launch of the Impossible Burger based on pea protein, companies around the world are looking to source and manufacture proteins that offer a healthy alternative to meat. While soy was the go-to protein for decades, health food specialists now warn over its consumption as it acts like a hormone disruptor, an estrogen mimic potentially causing other problems to vegans, vegetarians and those who do not eat meat. 

A new company is on the block and it’s called ChickP, and the Israeli-based company has launched a new chickpea protein that substitutes dairy alternatives. Yes, we are sick of drinking almond milk. The plant protein was developed by the faculty of Agriculture at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and can extract up to 90% pure protein out of the chickpea seed.

Global launches of dairy alternative products are triple the rate of new food and beverage launches overall, according to Innova Market Insights. The research group noted a 22% growth rate for the period from 2014 to 2018. Europe is leading the dairy alternative drinks market in terms of launches, accounting for 38% of dairy alternative drink launches tracked globally in 2018.

ChickP isn’t the first company using garbanzo beans for milk and protein. Israeli startup InnovoPro makes a plant-based protein powder from chickpeas used as an alternative dairy products.

US companies Nutriati and ProEarth are also making chickpea powder for use in a variety of food and beverages. ChickP is special because of its high protein content, making it easier for food companies to develop products with higher amounts of protein. 

The new chickpea isolates offer exceptional beneficial characteristics that help alternative dairy producers overcome challenges in processing as well as boosting consumer acceptance and fulfilling the demand for highly nutritious and tasty products. Thanks to its high solubility and smooth viscosity, ChickP forms an gel that helps contribute to a firm finished product.

You can sell the gel that chickpeas create if you boil them for making nutritious food staples like hummous, hummus, or humus. It’s something people in the Middle East eat for breakfast and lunch.

eating hummus dip with pita in israel
This is a couple eating hummus.

“We tested the chickpea ingredient across a range of parameters, including functionality, flavor, nutrition profile, and protein content,” says Ram Reifen, MD, founder ChickP. “Sensory parameters such as taste, color, and texture are the key factors for success in launching any new product in the marketplace. Plant-based milk alternatives that contain ChickP have been shown to mimic cow’s milk and yogurt better for taste, mouthfeel, and nutritional value.”

Key features of ChickP

Taste: While most plant-based proteins can create bitter or off flavors that require masking by addition of sugar, artificial flavors, or other masking agents in the final product, ChickP protein developers say it has a neutral flavor, mitigating the need for sugar or flavor additives in the products.

Texture & functionality: plant-based proteins often possess sandy or chalky textures that negatively affect the overall sensory experience. Most dairy alternative consumers in the US consume these products in cereal, smoothies, and coffee. These applications require a protein ingredient that creates a smooth mouthfeel and does not curdle when heated — characteristics often lacking in most plant protein dairy alternatives. ChickP protein was designed to provide a strong, smooth texture and emulsion stability, while having high solubility and smooth viscosity.

Nutritional profile: The nutritional content of dairy alternatives is usually lower than that cow’s milk when it comes to protein, and can also contain lower contents of other essential nutrients and are higher in sugar. 

ChickP powder contains 90% protein and less than 0.1% fat. The very low fat is important since high fat content decreases shelf life and can lead to off flavors.

Cleaner, shorter label: Dairy alternative products can contain artificial flavors, coloring, emulsifiers, masking ingredients, and other additives that help them mimic dairy. By mitigating the use of such ingredients, ChickP protein allows for shorter, cleaner labels.

Getting the nuts out of schools

Free-From: Dairy, soy, and tree nuts — the most common milk and milk alternative sources — are known allergens. Also, in some populations as many as 50% of consumers have lactose-intolerance. Chickpeas allergies are exceedingly rare and ChickP proteins are non-GMO, and does not contain phytoestrogens.

Ram Reifen, ChickP’s founder, is a pediatric gastroenterologist and a professor of human nutrition, as well as the director of the Center for Nutrigenomics and Functional Foods at Hebrew University, Jerusalem. He has devoted years of research to the whole chickpea and to fighting malnutrition in children and mothers.

He has served as a committee member for WHO and the European Union on issues related to food, nutrition, and health. Throughout years of basic and applicative research, Reifen led multiple studies involving chickpea cultivation, formulation of chickpea-based weaning foods in developing countries, as well as immunological studies related to the legume.

He applies his strong scientific background in health, nutrition, environment, and food-tech to continue research toward alleviating malnutrition and contributing to better nutrition and health for children and their parents.

“We scaled up our processing production in October 2019 and we are set to market the ingredient to alternative dairy companies as well as to dairy companies that are seeking high-quality protein options,” adds Ron Klein, the CEO of ChickP.

“ChickP answers the current market needs for safe and nutritious dairy products without flavors, sugars, colorants, or artificial ingredients, while addressing environmental and ethical concerns.”

About ChickP

ChickP was founded in 2016 on the basis of a patented technology developed after 20 years of research conducted at the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 

Another way around the old conundrum of what to eat and how to keep it healthy? Just stop messing with your food and make it at home, from scratch. Still want old fashioned hummous with a dash of ful? Try our ultimate recipe below:

The Ultimate Ful and Hummus Recipe

Norway: 2019 the highest Amazon deforestation rates in over ten years

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fishing man peru in amazon
We heard the news, now here are some facts to bring to the dinner table this weekend.

The take home message is don’t buy wood from Brazil. Nine thousand seven hundred (9,700) square kilometers of rainforest were lost in Brazil in 2019.

These are very alarming numbers, says Rainforest Foundation Norway.

Brazilian authorities today announced the official deforestation figures for the 2019 forest year (August 1, 2018, to July 31, 2019).

Data from the PRODES satellite monitoring system confirms that the deforestation rate is the worst in more than a decade: 9700 km² were lost.

These figures confirm what we feared, namely that 2019 has been a dark year for the rainforest in Brazil. The numbers are alarmingly high.

“We must remember that the Amazon has been undergoing deforestation for decades. We are approaching a potential tipping point, where large parts of the forest will be so damaged that it collapses. A loss the size of what we’ve seen this year is terrible news,” says Secretary-General Øyvind Eggen of Rainforest Foundation Norway (RFN).

In the wake of the fires that ravaged the Amazon in August and September, it was emphasized that these fires did not represent a normal year. RFN’s Secretary-General Øyvind Eggen is clear that neither are the deforestation figures that were just published.

He continues: “This is a result of political decisions and actions in Brazil. The Brazilian government has, through its words and deeds, shown that it is not interested in prosecuting illegal logging, including by placing restrictions on the environmental police, IBAMA. That has led to a widespread belief that it is acceptable to take liberties with the remaining rainforest. We now see the results: a disaster for the Amazon.”

Eggen laments that there is no sign of any change in the policies for the Amazon.

Just last week, Brazilian minister of agriculture Teresa Cristina attacked the long-standing soy moratorium, calling it “absurd”.

The soy moratorium is the soy industry’s self-imposed ban on selling soy grown in recently deforested areas.

The soy moratorium was introduced because the soy industry was about to destroy the Amazon, and the ban has been useful.

Eggen believes Norway and other countries must react immediately to the deforestation figures presented now.

A clear message must be sent to Brazil to change its policy. For instance, no country should ratify any trade agreement with Brazil until the deforestation trend is reversed and the level approaches the goals Brazil has set for itself through national climate legislation and the Paris Agreement.

Also, foreign investors and businesses trading with Brazil must set precise requirements and demand documentation that their business counterparts’ activities do not contribute to deforestation.

Product tracing will drive pollution out of business

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china boy child labor e-waste
We hate this picture. From the West Bank in Israel all the way to China, children are picking through e-waste for pennies or dollars a day. There is no way to trace the polluters, maybe, until now.

Almost every business has promised to reduce its carbon footprint at some point in its existence. However, very few have delivered on their promises, and not even 100% of it was completed. The reason is that simply promising to deliver on those promises was enough to get the environmental activists to calm down and stop boycotting their products, so we can say that it was more of a PR stunt than an actual commitment to making something better.

Environmental activists themselves are starting to run out of ways to oppose these companies especially if they are producing daily necessities.

One strategy that was tried and tested in the past was to simply not purchase anything produced by these specific brands, but there were always mishaps and mistakes. People would accidentally purchase these products without even realizing it. Multiply that accident by a couple of million consumers and you get billions of dollars in revenue for those specific brands.

Therefore, it’s not like they will lose anything even if they outright refuse to comply with the activists.

Fortunately for everybody, there is a new technology on the block that can help activists be more attentive towards their shopping habits.

The blockchain becomes the main tool against pollution

Although it’s pretty rich talking about blockchain technology doing anything for the environment, considering how much pollution the mining farms produce on a daily basis, it’s still important to note how exactly activists can use it to boycott these companies.

You see, the blockchain is an amazing database system that allows for almost everybody involved in the industry to view any changes made within the smart contract. What this means is that should the company make any changes, everybody involved would be able to see them, thus hiding them would be almost impossible.

The blockchain technology allows people to track their products, all the way from the raw materials to the shelves in front of them. This way, the consumer is able to distinguish the brand, where it got the raw materials, where the manufacturing took place and where the products were packaged. This way, they can do additional research on the company’s activities in specific regions, and if it turns out to be not environmentally friendly, then refrain from buying those products.

In the world of capitalism, it’s best to talk with money than with words.

How the trend started in Canada

If there are people going against polluting in the world, most of them are definitely in Canada. The country has been extremely carbon-conscious in recent years as well, passing legislation which would impose hefty fines on manufacturers producing more pollution than they could potentially clean up.

However, the idea of using the blockchain was actually derived from the country’s popular gaming industry.

Canadians were starting to go deeper and deeper into gaming online, which was starting to popularize the use of cryptocurrencies. The citizens liked the idea so much that some of them even converted to regular crypto investors. Over time, the trend spread to other industries as well, and voila, we have a carbon-neutral industry based on the blockchain.

According to the general manager of Playamo Canada, the transition from gaming to heavy manufacturing industries was gradual.

“When we first introduced the blockchain on our platform, everybody was extremely excited. The culture of investing in cryptos was already very popular in Canada, so we had to do very few educational guides for our users.

Over time, we started to notice that some of our clients were introducing the blockchain to their own businesses. Things like e-commerce stores, investment companies, and various other fields.

Only recently did we find out that blockchain had made its way to manufacturers and we were very positively surprised. The moment that happened we decided to double down on our promotion and so far it’s been going great.”

What types of tracking is already available?

There are not too many options right now, but the retail industry is starting to adopt the technology due to the transparency it offers for them as well. Currently, the tech has been applied to wine and designer clothes. Hopefully, it will be applied to daily necessities that we buy all the time.

Savings Guidelines to Reduce Your Vacation Expenses in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

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south carolina bridge

Having a blast while visiting Mount Pleasant does not always mean you have to spend a fortune.

Mount Pleasant is a suburban community in Charleston County in the state of South Carolina. It is the fifth largest municipality in the state, with a recorded population of 67,843 permanent residents as of the 2010 US census. The town is 177 miles south of Charlotte, North Carolina and 4 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina. Mount Pleasant is a part of the Charleston-North Charleston Urbanized Area, separated from the city of Charleston by the Cooper River.

Mount Pleasant experiences a humid subtropical climate. It has hot summer months, with winters that are mild and short. While Mount Pleasant is a small town, it comes with all of a large city’s amenities. Its tranquil landscape, friendly residents, mild climate, and various attractions have contributed to its rapid development.

City Highlight: Mount Pleasant offers guests with exciting and sumptuous dining choices. Dining in the city does not need you to spend piles of cash. In fact, there are dozens of restaurants serving great food at very affordable prices which include the Old Village Post House Restaurant, Mustard Seed, Buddy Roe’s Shrimp Shack, and Boulevard Diner.

Budget-Friendly Accommodations for Budget-Conscious Guests

Mount Pleasant has a lot of luxurious and expensive hotels like the Homewood Suites by Hilton Charleston-Mount Pleasant for people who want nothing but the best accommodation. However, since the town wants to ensure an enjoyable stay for its budget-conscious visitors, it also offers a variety of high-quality lodging places with pleasant amenities at very affordable rates. Most of these hotels include free high-speed internet access, flat screen TV’s, indoor pools, business centers, gym facilities, in-room fridge, coffeemaker, and microwave, and others as standard amenities. Others are conveniently located near dining, shopping, business areas, and local attractions.

Some of the notable hotels in Mount Pleasant SC that offer budget accommodations include Holiday Inn Express And Suites Mount Pleasant, Hampton Inn and Suites Charleston Mount Pleasant, Sleep Inn Mount Pleasant, Best Western Patriots Point, Extended Stay America Charleston-Mt. Pleasant, and Lands End East Hotel. More discounts are available if you book your room in advance and on a weekly basis if you plan to stay longer. Diligently check the hotel rates online as they might change without notice.

Other Opportunities to Save

Mount Pleasant has an abundance of museums, historic landmarks, parks, and golf courses to entertain every member of the family at a reasonable cost. The Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum and the Congressional Medal of Honor Museum honor the naval crafts and the fighting men of World War II. Others like the Museum on the Common and the Boone Hall Plantation feature exhibits showing the history and culture of South Carolina’s low country. Avid golfers can play a round or two with their friends at the Patriots Point Golf Course, Charleston National Country Club, or the Snee Farm Country Club.

Dining out can take a lot out of your travel budget and doing this for a week with the entire family can easily outrun your accommodation expenses. The best way to save a lot on dining expenses is to go to Mount Pleasant Farmers Market on Marion Street to buy fresh locally produced vegetables, seafood, and fruits. Preparing your own home-cooked meal is a healthy and economical way to enjoy your vacation. There are also ready-to-eat dishes sold in the Market at a fraction of the price of restaurant food.

How Amino Acid Supplements Can Enhance Your Fitness Regimen

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Yoga in Jordan

Starting a fitness routine is never easy, and you are going to hit many roadblocks along the way. In fact, it might be one of the most difficult journeys you’ll ever embark on, but it’s also very rewarding. Forget appearances and fitting into that expensive shirt or beautiful dress; feeling good in your own body and being healthy enough to do the things you want are the end goals. This is why exercising can and will always lead to an improved quality of life. Still, doing it on your own might be a bit complicated, and this is why it’s often helpful if you took supplements to aid your progress. 

Some of the best and most potent supplements you can take are amino acids; here’s how they can help you. 

Better recovery 

A fitness routine is incomplete without proper recovery, which is actually something plenty of athletes suffer from. Whether it is because of lack of sleep and proper rest or bad dieting habits, a lot of people feel extremely exhausted the next day after a workout, and muscle soreness is something they get used to living with. Amino acids can help you there as they have been shown to inhibit muscle soreness and promote faster recovery. This will, in turn, make you more prepared and rested for another intense training on the following day, and so on, as long as you keep using them. 

Complete absorption by the body

You will find that there are plenty of supplements out there that contain some amino acids, but when you use branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplements, you’re ensuring your body gets all the components it needs, which helps your body absorb all those acids that it needs for muscle growth and protein synthesis as we’ll explain further down the article. This is how you fully benefit from amino acid supplements. 

Boosting performance

Any person who works out knows that it is not always easy to get that extra rep or run that additional mile. BCAAs can help you do that, and they have been shown to boost performance, which is something any athlete needs. Studies done on people working out showed that they displayed improved performance during strength training after being on amino acids. This is definitely something that can make a huge difference for a lot of athletes that often feel like they can’t make it through an entire workout without feeling exhausted. 

Enhanced muscle growth

One of the most important benefits you could get from using amino acids is improved muscle growth. As mentioned earlier, there are different acids within the BCAAs group, and Leucine is one of those. It is responsible for boosting protein synthesis after you are done exercising. This gives your muscles exactly what they need to grow and perform better over the next workouts. This is why you’ll find that a lot of professional athletes are using amino acids, so they could get that muscle mass they want for competitions and to generally get the form they need. 

Faster fat burning 

Supplementing your body with amino acids has also been shown to help you burn fat at a much faster rate. Studies have shown that regular supplementation with amino acids along with intense strength training eventually led to decreased body fat, which is basically what your entire fitness routine is all about –– losing fat and getting in better shape. One study showed that using amino acids yielded much better results in comparison to other supplements like whey protein –– because of the first point mentioned in the article and how your body needs a full concentration of branched-chain amino acids. 

Less fatigue

This is another very important reason why a lot of athletes use amino acids as a supplement. They don’t just help you get more out of your workout, but also reduce mental fatigue and keep you in the right state of mind for the duration of a long strength training. The thing is, when your body’s natural amino acids drop during a workout, tryptophan is released in your body, and that is why you start feeling fatigued. BCAA supplements combat this process and help you stay focused and sharp. 

Better endurance 

While fatigue is about you feeling taxed and mentally unable to finish the workout, endurance pertains to your physical ability to do it. This might happen because you don’t have enough carbs or fat in your body –– the fuel you use to make it through the workout. Amino acids can help you with that as they completely alter how your body deals with its fuel sources. You’ll find that a lot of athletes suffer from glycogen depletion during high-intensity training, but studies showed that amino acid supplements could protect your body’s storage of glycogen during the workout, which gives you improved endurance and pushes you to finish workout out in excellent shape. 

Boosting growth hormone production 

Another function of amino acids is successfully promoting the secretion of the growth hormone Somatotropin (STH). This hormone helps your body burn fat and build muscles, and it is mostly produced during the night. The more growth hormone your body produces, the more you’ll burn fat. This is one of the most powerful ways amino acid supplements enhance fitness routines because they help your body burn fat and build muscles while you are asleep making absolutely no effort. 

The benefits of amino acid supplements are plenty, and your body truly takes advantage of those acids to get into better shape. There are even some amino acids like glutamine, which reduce fat storage in your body while providing you with the energy you need so you don’t feel fatigued from having less stored fat. At the end of the day you want to get into better shape, and those supplements can help you get there. But you should always consult experts on what the best products to use are instead of taking some yourself, which can be bad for you in some cases. 

How is AI Reforming Future Trading?

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vertical forest
Artificial Intelligence can be used to grow vertical gardens in cities, to drive petrol-less cars, and to help us make banking decisions.

With the progress of technology, great opportunities are coming up for people who are ready to benefit from it. Decades ago, selling and buying shares was a convenient process and was available just for a few people. However, in the present times, the internet and computer have turned out to be more accessible around the world. Thus, there is a great opportunity for everyone to buy and sell stocks quickly and conveniently with just a few clicks. 

Algorithm Trading: What is it?

This is a brand new system of trade offers decision making and transactions in the financial markets that uses advanced mathematical techniques and tools. This uses advanced programming methods to make transactions and decisions. 

The strict rules have been introduced for determining the optimal time for placing an order which can have the least impact on the trading price. The large blocks of shares are purchased by segregating large share blocks to smaller blocks to allow complex algorithms to decide as to when small blocks have to be bought. In systems like these, human interference is eliminated and making decisions is faster and accurate. Also, it helps in spotting the large possibilities for tracking the market profit. 

When it comes to the commercial market, there are many are plans for selling and buying stock as there are tradesmen and investors. Exchanges have turned out to be more accessible in an electronic way. This leads to more opportunities for trade growth operations. With this Algorithm trading, it is upon the computer to decide on your behalf and can sell and buy stocks. Use of advanced high-quality alphanumerical models helps in delivering decisions and actions in financial exchanges or trading Bitcoin. Many companies are using this technology, particularly in investment banks. 

Strategies for Algorithm Trading

Several strategies look for constant and safe profits. Nevertheless, algorithm trading plans might be perfect as it can eliminate human interference and increase strength and speed when it comes to rolling your cost. Here are some algorithm strategies that you can benefit from. 

  • First is momentum investing which is largely dependent on profit in business. This has a positive appeal and also a timeless motion which helps in increasing the success efficiency and success rate. 
  • Statistical Arbitrage is strategies aiming to recognize the differences in cost between various devices quoted in different markets, distributing predictable and known connection with one another. 
  • Performance-Based Strategy is a kind of trading strategy which deals with execution based plans. These plans are mainly employed by institutional investors when they produce in bulk. 

Benefits of AI in Trading

  • Being automated, it enables in automating effective algorithm for the trading opportunities. 
  • It will help in analyzing and monitoring the market and take action against it immediately with a great market division. 
  • With the help of AI, it is easier to look for associations based on historical information to identify the developing trends. 
  • It gives more opportunities to perform effectively. 

Author Bio

Jovia Adams is a Financial Coach and Financial Market Trader. She is a professional Forex Trader who has traded account at great speed and profit using various strategies.

When home swaps are not worth it, rent a villa instead

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green design, Oxygen Villa, prefabricated house, eco-design, House, Egypt, mashrabiya
House swaps are cool. But when you have a short time, rent a “green” villa instead.

I am a fan of house swaps and I have done it 4 times – in Costa Rica, New York, Paris and most recently in Sicily, Italy. There are loads of great reasons why you should swap homes with another family and some conditions when you should not. One reason, is well it’s really the most eco friendly way of travelling, save from staying super local. 

Take this advice from an experienced traveller who loves budget deals and who also loves travelling to exotic destinations. 

Home Exchanges Pros and Cons

Staying at a decent hotel in places like Spain, France and Italy will cost you a pretty penny. Think about the places where people want to go. 

When you swap a home (plenty of sites offer options like Home Exchange and People Like Us or CouchSurfing) you will save lots of money. There is a sweet spot of where the hassle is worth the exchanges and a sore spot where it is not. Consider the following details when you are swapping and when it might be better to consider just splurging for a private no hassle hotel and enjoy one of many villa holidays in Spain

Your time invested in finding a place: one summer we wanted to go to Manhattan, NYC for a month. It took me a few weeks to find a place and it ended up sort of being less than the value of our home. The effort was probably not worth the savings. Many people who have homes they want to open to other people today often just rent their homes on AirBnB. They don’t bother exchanging. So it takes a very specific person like you. And it might not be easy finding the right match with a similarly valued home. 

Your time cleaning the house: When people come to our house in Tel Aviv it’s important that we remove all our personal items, and professional instruments and then the kids’ toys and most of their books. This means putting all the stuff in a bedroom with a lock, and a few days worth of cleaning and the expense of a cleaning helper. We’ve stayed in places where we barely have a shelf to put our underwear so do this as a courtesy. Do to others as you would like it for yourself. 

Hassles when you are away: ever get a call in the middle of the night that your dog has escaped and gone missing for 2 days? It has happened to us when we were doing a house swap. Even though we went into great detail and made sure to give them a personal tour of the house, a door in the side yard was left open and the dog escaped twice. 

No control over who the families bring: they might say a family of 4 then show up with an entourage. This means extra stains and strain on your personal space. 

Managing times/flights around other people: If you are doing a simultaneous swap (them at yours, you at theirs at the same time) you will need to book flights for about the same days/times. This can be a challenge if neither of you live in urban areas. Consider that you might need to spend some nights in hotels anyway as you transfer through to your destination. I spent $1000 in Rome for 2 days during my last swap to Sicily. This was for a family of 4, but most of the money went to the AirBnB which wasn’t so hot. 

Unexpected costs of flights: So you have a home in Istanbul and they have a home in Sevilla. But after you get excited and sell the idea to your husband you find out it’s not exactly in the famous city in Spain, but a 3 hour drive away. So this means you need to rent a car. Another expense. And in some countries like Europe you might be barred from doing so unless you have an international driver’s license. It happened to me. Or, in Costa Rica car rentals cost more per day than a decent hotel. We were at a home there in the middle of nowhere. We had no choice but to rent a car. 

When Home Swapping is Totally Worth It

Home swapping is worth it when you travel for more than 2 weeks. Like, let’s say a month. It’s great when you travel with your parents or extended family because you can find large comfortable homes. 

But for me giving the cons of house swapping and the hassles cleaning, teaching people about our pets (yes, we have a dog walker also) and how not to kill my plants (they died anyway) it is only 100% worth it when you are going for one month or more. When you travel this way you give yourself time to get to know the place where you are staying, the people’s family and friends around you in the new swap, and you know the time you invested in finding the swap, preparing your home, and the worry was sort of worth it. 

I get many requests from New York to all over Europe to swap homes for 3 days or a week. For me — not worth it. Better to rent a family villa, go on a booking site for homes or condos or just shell out some cash for a pampering, non personal stay in a hotel with room service. This was you do everything your way. Hope this helps.

Can CBD Gummies Help With Sleep?

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CBD helps with sleep. Gummies are one way to self-medicate.

We’ve all heard the hype around CBD, but what do CBD gummies really do for the body? Can they help you sleep? With so many CBD products coming about with the rising market, it can be difficult to sift through all of the information and get to the bare truth; whether or not CBD is actually helpful or not. Keep reading to learn more about CBD and whether or not the gummy form can actually help you get a better night’s sleep.

What is CBD?

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is one of 113 cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. To be clear, hemp, from which we commercially derive CBD oils from, is a variety of cannabis that contains 0.3% or less of the psychoactive compound Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). While both marijuana and hemp are essentially cousin plants of the same genus, it’s important to make the distinction between CBD and THC.

CBD does not give you the “high” you’ll feel from inhaling or ingesting THC. And, while THC and marijuana are still illegal on a federal level, Hemp (and therefore, CBD) has been removed from the national list of controlled substances as of last year’s farm bill and is now legal to grow and cultivate; though some states still enforce their own laws regarding the plant. In order for hemp to be cultivated, it must contain less than 0.3% THC. Anything over this amount is considered to be marijuana, which is still listed as a Schedule 1 Drug.

With this new legislation has come a budding industry with a predicted value of somewhere around $22 billion in the next decade or so. While some estimates are seen as too high or some too low, what is clear is that CBD is making the climb to becoming one of the fastest-growing industries in the country.

CBD Gummies

Among the many varieties of CBD products, there is one that users seem to enjoy quite a bit: CBD gummies. These gummies are easy to ingest and provide a longer-lasting effect due to the digestive process. While you may not feel the effects for an hour or longer, the slow digestive process will keep the CBD absorbing into your system for hours afterward.

Thousands have already benefited from the long-lasting effects of CBD gummies, and with the market booming, we’re sure to see a greater selection of varieties in the future. Companies like Verma Farms are churning out some of the best CBD gummies on the market, and customers are loving the high level of quality in both the CBD and the gummies themselves.

Benefits of CBD

While the health benefits of CBD are still being discovered, preliminary research has shown that the compound may help reduce anxiety, stress, and even assist with relaxation and mental health conditions. Often, poor sleep can be attributed to such causes as anxiety and stress, so there’s a good chance that CBD could help improve sleep patterns by reducing such stressors.

With so many companies advocating for CBD products, sometimes it can be difficult to discover companies that focus on quality and customer service. If you’re looking for great CBD recommendations and more info on CBD itself, Forbes has some great articles you can refer to.

Disturbing Sleep Patterns

Did you know that 35% of American adults report getting less than 7 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period? That’s nearly half of the population that doesn’t get enough sleep! This troubling statistic shows just how badly the American public needs better sleep, and there’s a chance that CBD gummies can help with this problem.

An adult should get anywhere from 7-9 hours of sleep per night for proper mental and physical function, and when poor sleep occurs, it can seriously affect the following day’s activities. Have you ever woken up feeling unrested? It makes for a seriously challenging day! Often, the stress of the day can be the cause of poor sleep, making CBD gummies the perfect remedy. CBD gummies are available from many providers, but Entrepreneur has some awesome recommendations if you’re in the market.

Why a Good Sleep Matters

So, why does good sleep matter so much, anyway? Besides the obvious (being tired throughout the day is just awful) there are hundreds of benefits one can gain from a good night’s sleep. Among these are improved focus, more energy, improved memory, and cognitive abilities, and many more.

Sleep is a vital part of life, so why spend your time in the bedroom tossing and turning? If you have a stressful life, your first step is to work on reducing the stressors keeping you awake at night, but you can also help ease your mind with CBD gummies or other products. As the research improves, we’re certain to learn more about how CBD can benefit the body, but for now, CBD gummies are the perfect remedy for those who don’t sleep well.

Conclusion

The short answer is that yes, CBD gummies can help you sleep by reducing stress and anxiety, which are usually the causes of a poor night’s sleep. Try CBD gummies today and see how they can help you get a more restful night’s sleep.

Bedazzled fruits twist your perception of decay

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Kathleen Ryan“Bad Lemon (Creep)” (2019)

New York-based artist Kathleen Ryan creates small glittering sculptures that conjure up conflicting emotional responses. Stay with me on this.

She encrusts common fruit forms in precious and semi-precious stones, meticulously curating placement, texture and color to produce realistic versions of rotten molding flesh. The result is grotesque and stunningly pretty.

Kathleen Ryan“Bad Peach” (2019)

Ryan creates coated polystyrene bases, larger than real fruit, onto which she paints her desired extent of surface decay.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2ekksLBx-2/?utm_source=ig_embed

Her extensive palette of gemstones includes opal, malachite, onyx, quartz, rhodonite, jasper, unakite, amazonite, sesame jasper, olive jade, fluorite, lodolite, amethyst, lapis lazuli, agate, Russian serpentine, marble, ruby in zoisite, abalone shell, bone, coral, freshwater pearl, petrified wood, and glass.

Kathleen Ryan“Bad Lemon (Sour Sparkle)” (2019), detail

She places each stone individually, securing each with steel pins and occasionally mastic. The finished pieces ranging from 6 to 29 inches.

“The sculptures are beautiful and pleasurable, but there’s an ugliness and unease that comes with them,” the artist told The New York Times. Ryan artist studied Studio Art and Anthropology at Pitzer College and received a Master’s of Fine Arts from U.C.L.A.

This reminds me of a long-ago Green Prophet story about a French artist who employed insects to craft spectacular “jewelry”. Hubert Duprat uses adolescent caddisflies to create gorgeous tubular forms out of gold leaf, pearls and gemstones. 

Impeccable craftsmanship reinterprets decay. Creepy insects create fine jewelry. Often our most evocative experiences involve a straddling of contradictory concepts and incompatible emotions. 

hubert dupratAre these pieces monstrous of amazing? That’s yours to decide.

Ryan is represented by London-based Josh Lilley, and Los Angeles-based François Ghebaly and explore her work on their gallery websites. See more of Ryan’s wide-ranging artistic practice on Instagram.

IMAGES:: All images courtesy the artist and Josh Lilley, London. Photographs by Lance Brewer.

 

Take a Lazy Day to Clean Out You and Your Friends’ Closets

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ziad ghanem clothing runway
This is upcycled clothing. We aren’t all that creative when it comes to unwanted clothes.

Though it isn’t spring yet, you do have the chance to get ahead of the game before winter and get rid of some things you no longer need. It can be difficult to let things go — there is sentimentality in keeping items that you might no longer need but you want. Understanding the line between necessity and desire for your items is an essential part of cleaning out your closet.

Everything you learn about cleaning out your own closet you can then use on others’ overflowing ones! Sometimes all we need is a little extra help. Before you start cleaning out your friends’ closet though, you’ll want to make sure that your own is in tip top shape.

If you live by certain rules with not only buying clothes but getting rid of them, your closet will probably transform just by doing these simple things. Moving forward, you’ll probably have to clean out your closet less frequently than ever because you’re not buying as many items, and you have an easier time getting rid of them when you really need to.

If you want to be an expert closet cleaner, save money and potentially make money, and you want to do some good for your community, just follow this advice. Once you’re done, reward yourself with https://www.foodpanda.pk/restaurant/s3jr/burger-lab-smchs.

Do You Love It?

Before you purchase an item, it’s always worth it to ask yourself this question as you examine it in the mirror: ‘do I love this?’ If the pieces of clothing you buy, you love, then you’ll want to keep them for a long time and take better care of them because they’re special. Imagine if you had a closet full of things you loved?

You might be asking how do I know I love it? There’s a pretty quick way of answering this question. For example, if you try something on in a store and are not sure if you want to buy it or not, leave it at the store and continue elsewhere. If you don’t want anyone else to buy the item or it’s the last one in your chosen size and color, then put the item on hold. If you find yourself thinking about the item as you walk around, go back to the store and purchase. If the item isn’t holding your attention, then you probably don’t love it.

When is the Last Time You Wore it?

We like to keep strict rules about how long you should keep a piece of clothing if you haven’t worn it in ages. If you haven’t worn an item in a year, it’s probably best to get rid of it (unless it’s a family heirloom or other very important item not to be disposed of unless you have moths!).

Donate or Make a Buck

Once you’ve cleaned out your closet, donate the items that could still be used by the community, and try and sell any clothes in really good shape to thrift stores, consignment stores, or online.

Is Your Internet Use Destroying The Environment?

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internet and the environment
The internet has changed our lives for the good, but think about the ecological impact.

With our interaction with the internet being often superficial or surface-based, the environmental impact of the internet can easily be ignored. After all, we never have an opportunity to see what makes the internet run, beyond the devices that use it and the routers and modems that support it.  

As the concern over environmental change ever increases, it is important to ask if the tool that we use without thought is impacting the environment, as well as what we can do to help improve our own carbon footprint.

Modems and Routers

To begin with, let’s take a look at the devices that you use within your home that already are present. A modem is a device used by your internet provider to supply your home with internet. If you have a fiber connection, you will have an ONT box instead. The router is what directs your internet throughout your home. Most of us use a wireless router so that we can easily access the internet on our wireless devices.

The easy answer here is no. The modems and routers present in our homes are not causing any adverse environmental effects, outside of the plastic and production of them. The amount of radio output that these devices have is 100,000 times less than using a microwave. So you can safely peruse the list of best routers for Comcast or Spectrum without guilt.

Servers

The use of servers is essential to the operation of the internet and, unfortunately, they can be harmful to the environment. It is not that a server by itself is dangerous or harmful, but instead, the amount of electricity that is required to power the thousands of servers all around the world is harmful. It is estimated that the internet use causes the CO2 equivalent of 1.6 million petrol cars driven around the world every year.

Servers are the only way that we have that the internet can operate. They are essential to the process and cannot be ignored or dropped. 

The Positive

While we have so far focused on all of the negative impact that comes from the internet, let’s also look at the positive. The internet has eliminated the use of paper in many forms. Correspondence, either personal or work-related, is now done electronically, without the use of ink and paper. This cuts down on the impact to trees as well as the production of ink itself.

Additionally, we no longer have to physically travel somewhere to see something or learn something. Much of what we need to know about can be discovered through the internet. We do not need to drive to the library to see if a book is in. We can look it up online first or can even download it digitally.

Solutions

There are some steps that we can take to improve our overall environmental impact without losing the usefulness that comes from the internet. Working from home a day or two a week is one possibility. Not driving into work will reduce the greenhouse gases produced by your car. 

The other big help that we could do is to confirm where our power is coming from. Through the use of alternative energy sources, even for servers, we can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that are currently being produced from the sheer volume of servers. Sustainable energy solutions such as solar and wind are excellent options.

Going Forward

For now, all we can hope is that technology will produce servers that do not require the amount of power that is needed to work the internet. In our constant desire for faster, better internet, there is always a struggle to maintain the status quo. With that, servers of the future should hopefully be smaller and more energy efficient.

Until this kind of progress is made, however, we need to focus more on our carbon footprints beyond just the internet. Buying electric cars instead of petrol cars is one way, recycling is always necessary, and purchasing items second-hand rather  than new can help reduce your carbon footprint overall. This is a universally team effort, however, and it is going to take all of us to succeed. 

Ways to Clean Indoor Air At Home

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how to clean air in our home
Plantware plants grow with the home. But in the real world we need to intervene with technology that doesn’t take 20 years to grow.

When we think of cleaning our home, we often think about the walls, the floor, and the furniture. But what we don’t think about is what surrounds us every single day and influences everything about us: the air we breathe. What we take into our bodies is not limited to the food we eat and the liquids we drink. What we breathe in has a direct link to our bloodstream via the alveoli of our lungs. And if it gets past our internal filters–things like microorganisms and viruses, then we can be looking at some nasty illnesses that we don’t want around our pets, our children, and ourselves. In order to combat this potential contaminant situation, here are some good ways to make sure the air in your home stays clean and crisp for you to breathe. 

Throw Away Your Garbage 

The first thing you want to do is to keep garbage disposed of and not let it sit. There are situations in which we may not be able to take the trash out multiple times a day. But leaving it there for long periods of time can attract flies and maggots. Once we hear the buzzing, that’s a sure sign to take out the garbage. Flies and other insects can serve as vectors for diseases. There are bacteria and amoebas that can get caught in their foot and end up in your food. Taking out the trash is a good and easy way to keep the air and your entire surroundings free from certain unwanted organisms. 

Ozone Generator 

If you’re trying to bring out the big guns for odors, you can get an ozone generator. An ozone generator is used primarily for older and more worn spaces with potential mold growing on the outer surface of the floor or walls. If you’ve ever smelled a moldy carpet, this is your best bet. If you check out ozone generator reviews, the top tier ones are usually under $100. That’s less than professional carpet treatments that will only scratch the surface of the issue. Be sure to treat your home when nobody is in it and air the place out after you’re done. As much as ozone is considered safe, it is still a generated gas that you’d want dissipated after it gets the job done.

In order to avoid the occurrence of mold growth in your home, check out this guide on the best home air dehumidifier to prevent the mold and mildew that can appear in high humidity within your home.

Air Purifier 

If you’re looking to get into the habit of actively cleaning the air in your home, you can get an air filter. An air filter simply traps particulates from the air to make sure it doesn’t get into your lungs. They’re simple, easy, and low cost. You can get them at almost any major department stores, or even online at your favorite vendor. Having one is more than easy. All you have to do is keep it on and change the filter every once in a while. You’ll be surprised at the pillows of black and gray dust that gets caught in, all of which was going to end up in your lungs if you didn’t actively do something about it. 

And there you have it! Some good ways to clean your air at home, ranging from passive to heavy duty. But rest assured that either way, you’re making the right choice in actively making sure your home is free from all the nasty things that can fly through the air. 

Going Green: How to Make Your Los Angeles Property More Eco-Friendly

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biodome house desert
What if we all treated our homes like its own environment, a little biosphere. Would we be kinder to the planet?

Many people from across the globe are becoming more aware of the environment we live in and what we can do to help save the planet. If you’re looking to live a greener lifestyle, you should start by making changes to your property. Being eco-friendly will not only help you contribute towards a sustainable environment, but it can save you money in the long run too. If you’re serious about doing your bit for the environment, here are a few things to consider to make your Los Angeles property more eco-friendly.

Install a Smart Meter

None of us want to open our utility bills to find a nasty surprise, so to help save on your energy consumption, you may want to consider having a smart meter installed. In the winter months in particular, it can be all too easy to leave your heating on for longer than intended, which can lead to a lot of wasted money and energy. Installing a smart meter can give you more control, meaning they only turn on at certain points of the day e.g. beginning to heat up before you arrive home. If you’re serious about decreasing your energy bills and want to reduce your carbon footprint, installing a smart meter is a no-brainer.

Get Serious About Water

When we think of the word ‘sustainability’ we tend to only relate it towards energy consumption, however, if you’re wanting to be truly eco-friendly, you need to be just as serious about saving on your water. To begin, you should go around your property to make sure there aren’t any leaks. Even if you find no leaks in your home, there are tons of lifestyle changes that you can make to help save water. For instance, make sure not to leave the faucet running while you’re brushing your teeth or shaving. It’s also advised to install a low-flow showerhead, which has been proven to save close to 160,000 liters of water for families of four.

Use Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs

You may not realize it, but the light bulbs you use in your home can have a massive impact on how much energy you use. While energy efficient light bulbs have been around for a long period, it’s only been in recent years where people have taken more notice of the benefits that they can bring. One of the main advantages of energy efficient light bulbs is that they use less electricity, as well as last longer, meaning you don’t have to shell out money on replacing them frequently.

Embrace Natural Cleaning Products

We all like to keep our homes spick and span, however, if you’re prone to using harmful chemicals to clean, you may not realize the damage you could be doing for the environment. When you wash it all away, you’re simply putting all the harmful chemicals into the water supply, meaning that the water will need to undergo more purification before it’s safe to drink and use again. The good news is that you don’t need to purchase expensive and toxic chemicals to get household chores done. For most day-to-day cleaning tasks, using natural products like citric acid, bicarbonate of soda, and vinegar can work just as well as help you live a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

Install Solar Panels

Known as an essential component for any eco-friendly home, solar panels can help save on your energy bills and provide you with completely clean electricity which you can sell back to the grid if you make enough energy. While they may be pricey to install, you need to think of them as a long-term investment, especially as it can take up to 20 years for you to break even – however, this will depend on where you live.

For those living in Los Angeles, the weather may be glorious and sunny all year round, but constant heat goes hand in hand with rising energy bills. With that in mind, you may want to consider contacting a reputable solar panel company like Semper Solaris who can install solar panels on your property. Semper Solaris also provide roofing services, heating and air conditioning, as well as battery storage for your solar panels. If you have any problems with your solar panels, the company also provide solar repair.

Speak with a Sustainability Consultant

Each property is different, so if you’re serious about improving the green credentials of your home, but you’re unsure what route to go down, you’re best engaging with a sustainability consult who will be able to give you more advice and guidance on the best changes that you can make to your property.

Create Your Own Compost

Whether you live alone, with friends, or a family, it’s important not to waste any of your leftover food and kitchen scraps. Instead, why not turn it all into compost? You would be amazed at how much of the food that you throw in the trash can be recycled and transformed into compost. To do this effectively, all you need to do is place a compost bin in your backyard and fill it with any waste.

Insulate Your Home

One of the best ways to improve your property’s eco-friendliness is to make sure that you consume as little energy as possible. A great way to do this is by investing in insulation, which can help trap in the heat, meaning you do not need to burn energy reheating your home all the time. There are lots of areas that can and should be insulated, such as your living area, kitchen, and attic. It’s also advised to invest in double glazing for your windows if you’ve not done so already.

Cook Intelligently

For those who love to cook up a storm, there are tons of tips and tricks that you can use to your advantage as a way to live more eco-friendly. For example, when leaving the oven door open, you may not realize how much heat you could be losing. Even if it’s only open for a brief period, your oven will need to use a significant amount of energy to heat it back up. Another huge problem is coffee pod waste, which could be contributing towards a global environmental disaster. If you love your cup of joe, consider switching to a conventional drip coffee maker, rather than relying on plastic and sleek aluminum capsules that end up in landfill every year.

Buy Recycled

Another great idea to try out is purchasing recycled products only. Whether it’s kitchen roll or toilet tissue, the more you go down the recycled route, the more you will be doing to benefit the environment. When you’re next out grocery shopping, make sure that you check whether there is a recycled option on the packaging. There are lots of electronic devices that you can buy recycled too, such as gaming consoles, and cell phones.

These are just a few key tips to help make your Los Angeles home more eco-friendly. If money is no issue, you may want to consider making big changes to your home, such as insulating your property, or installing solar panels which can help you save money on your utility bills.

5 Tech Investments That Are a Must For Your Startup

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eddy flux biodome grow food on mars
Artificial Intelligence is used in this biodome to grow bio-organic food with zero waste using the Eddy robot by flux.

For startups everywhere, there a few tech tools that simply aren’t negotiable; these are must-haves for your success in business. As technology continues to evolve, we’ll likely see new tech taking the place of these items, but for now, these are the five tech investments that are a must for your startup. You’ll want to set aside some money to ensure you’re getting the best technology to help make your startup a success!

1. Website/Mobile App

If you aren’t considering a mobile app and mobile app development costs for your startup, think again. The majority of US adults access the internet through a mobile device; the days of using computers to access the internet are (sadly) in decline. Having a mobile app, or at the very least, a mobile-friendly site, is no longer an attractive extra; it’s a requirement.

If your customers can’t access your site via their smartphones and other mobile devices, there’s a good chance you’ll lose out on sales and potentially productive interactions. Mobile devices, such as smartphones, are used by around 42% of the world’s population! Let that sink in for a moment; how much business could you be missing out on by not appealing to this market?

Setting up an attractive and practical website and/or mobile app is going to require some help. You’ll need a professional designer/developer to get it right, and it’s best to steer away from those DIY sites like Wix or Weebly; especially if you’re running an eCommerce store.

2. AI 

AI, or artificial intelligence, is on the rise as the tech continues to evolve, and it’s quickly becoming a must-have for businesses everywhere. From the ability to automate social media accounts to managing billing and payments to more effective marketing techniques, AI is limitless in its potential; and it’s still only in its infancy!

Imagine a world where you can let a computer run your business. This computer uses machine learning to improve sales, market research, customer reach, and much more. While the tech certainly has its drawbacks, developers are continuously working to improve and perfect this amazing tool every year.

Pretty soon, you won’t even have to reach out to customers, the AI will do it for you! Once a connection is established, you’ll then be able to take over the interaction, but with an AI system, your reach will be further than ever.

3. Digital Conferencing Services

Remote meetings are becoming the new standard for businesses all over the world. No one likes those long in-person meetings if we’re being honest, and digital conference software has provided just the escape we needed from the bland conference rooms of the past.

Digital conference services take the worry out of multi-caller and long-distance calls and completely slash the price of such services. Traditional landlines charge an arm and a leg for long-distance calls, but with digital conferencing, you won’t pay long-distance fees. Anyone with an internet connection can join your call anywhere in the world!

Ditch the old landlines and upgrade to a digital conference tool for a completely revolutionized conference experience. With extras like video conferencing and screen sharing, you can take your calls to the next level; making them even better than those boring in-person meetings.

4. Cloud Storage

Don’t settle for simple hard drive storage for your startup. Cloud storage is the new standard for business, as it provides a secure and shareable network that you can pretty much save anything to. The more storage you need, the higher the cost will be, but somewhere around 1TB of storage is usually enough for most startups.

Google Drive offers up to 15GB of cloud storage for free with a Google account, but you can also opt for something like Microsoft’s OneDrive; which provides Microsoft Office and 1TB of storage for just $7/month! How’s that for affordable storage?

5. A Good Network

A good network for employees to work on is essential. Fiber optic internet is about the best you can currently get, but there are other options like satellite and hotspot. Whichever option you choose, you’ll want to sign on with a reputable company and be sure you’re providing enough bandwidth for daily tasks.

Good networks can make all the difference in the productivity of your startup, as faulty internet connections can leave projects unfinished and team members frustrated. It’s irritating enough when a home connection is spotty, but imagine working in an office where the internet constantly goes out!

The Take-Away

These tech tools will help your startup flourish and reach the goals you’ve set for the year. From improving conference calls to internet connections and utilizing AI, these five tech investments are well worth the cost in the end. Don’t be afraid to enlist technology to help with your success!

Creating a World Seed Bank? Meet the UN in Rome

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emmer or emer wheat from Israel being sifted by a woman
Emer wheat is one of the world’s oldest cultivated grains. What about plant diversity in this species and thousands of others? How can we hold onto the past for our future? We need a world seed vault.

Emer wheat from the Levant. Pest resistance to crop disease located only in Syria. How often do you stop to ponder about where the food on your plate came from? Chances are that everything on your dinner plate either started as a seed, or used or needed seeds. And likely it all started from the area of the Near Middle East, and countries including Israel, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon. The bread basket of the world. 

Plant genetic resources form the basis for all our food from plants. They are a precious resource that most of us take for granted, but we should not. Why? Because the diversity of these valuable resources has been either diminishing or disappearing.

Thousands of varieties of food plants have vanished in our lifetime alone. That means that the diverse sources of our food from plants are being depleted, while our numbers are increasing. This is an untenable situation.

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which this year turns 15 years old, has been working around the world to stop the loss of agro-biodiversity.

Through this global pact, member countries work together to conserve and sustainably use the world’s precious plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

From 11-16 November at FAO’s headquarters in Rome the Treaty’s governing body will hold its 8th Session, bringing together delegates from 146 member nations, plus experts, observers, non-governmental organizations, scientists, farmers’ representatives and other international organizations.

Together, Governing Body delegates will be making a series of decisions for the future work and activities of the International Treaty.

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu will deliver an address at the GB-8 Opening Ceremony that will commence at 10.00 hours on Monday, 11 November 2019 in Rome.

Key people meeting there include:

 Qu Dongyu, Director-General, FAO

Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, India

Robert Watson, chemist, UK

Evalyne Adhiambo Okoth, smallholder farmer from Kenya

Christine Dawson, Governing Body Chair USA