“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”
Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.
The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.
Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.
“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”
Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.
The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.
Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.
“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”
Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.
The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.
Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.
“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”
Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.
The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.
Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.
“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”
Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.
The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.
Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.
“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”
Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.
The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.
Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.
“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”
Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.
The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.
Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.
“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General. “A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.”
Health insurance is a regulated financial product. Insurers operate under binding contracts, overseen by state insurance commissioners, that legally obligate them to pay claims meeting policy terms. Policyholders who believe a covered claim was wrongfully denied have legal recourse through state regulatory channels.
The New Zealand Merino Company, now rebranded as Zentera, has quietly removed the phrase “world’s leading ethical wool brand” from its website, a notable change that comes after a disturbing investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific into the company’s ZQ-certified wool supply chain, PETA reports to Green Prophet.
Somehow vegetables with short seasons excite the imagination and appetite more sharply than produce that’s available all year around. Good Middle Eastern cooks have many recipes for delicate fava beans, and this turmeric-fragrant soup is one.
The delicate, elegant ladybug makes an innocent playmate for a child – as long as it consents to wander around a little open palm. Too soon, it will open its spotted wings and take off again. It has places to go and aphids to eat.
For while the ladybug looks so charming, it actually has the appetite of an ogre. During its life of two to three years, a ladybug will eat about 5,000 aphids and other insect eggs, making it a valuable ally for the organic gardener. Ladybugs are saving Israel’s iconic sabra plants, which invasive aphids have almost destroyed.
You have to know how to get along with ladybugs. Summer heat exhausts them. At the first sign of hot, dry weather, they migrate to cooler, usually hilly regions. They stay while autumn brings winter in its train, hibernating until spring. Come the perfect, warm/cool weather, they return to the gardens and fields where juicy aphids and mites abound, and where nutritious flower pollens are there for the taking. Gardeners may be happy to notice the ladybugs’ return, but know their little buddies will eventually fly away home.
How to attract ladybugs to your garden. Plant garlic, chives, calendula, sweet alyssum, as well as cosmos, scented geranium, cilantro and parsley. Ladybugs like to eat the pollen of these plants. Ladybugs also love nasturtiums.
You may decide to buy some hungry ladybugs from an organic supplier. Assuming you’ve got a jar full of nice, healthy ladybugs, give them a cooling-down session in the refrigerator for 6 hours. They won’t die, they like it, and it makes them drowsy, which helps prevent them flying around wildly when you open the jar.
Lightly spray the garden patch where you want them to be with plain water. It helps to keep an aphid-infested plant or three there, to tempt the bugs’ appetite and convince them to stay. Gently release the ladybugs around the area during the coolest part of the day; at twilight or just before dawn.
Now let them chow down, and hope they stay around a while. Keep your ladies happy with fresh water set out in a few shallow bowls. You might even consider building a shady shelter for them to retire to in the heat of the afternoon. Pamper your ladybugs, and they’ll reward you with clean garden plants that carry nary an aphid.
We’re still hungry for homemade tomato soup – chilled. Our vichyssoise recipe is delicious, but now we’re on track of something not only cool, but also colorful, and busting out with Vitamin C to help us withstand the summer heat. Tomatoes fit the bill perfectly. And this tomato soup recipe could hardly be easier to make.
Buy the most perfect, ripest tomatoes you can find. Or grow them yourself! Either way, the quality of the tomatoes makes or breaks this soup.
Garnish each bowl with a little home-made pesto and a few fresh rocket leaves. If you can get your hands on some fresh za’atar herb, make chef Moshe Basson’s unusual za’atar pesto for a distinctive flavor twist. With good bread and a mild cheese, you’ve got a delicious summer meal that’s light but satisfying.
Homemade Tomato Soup Chilled Recipe
4 servings
Ingredients:
1 kg. – 2 lb. fresh, ripe, tomatoes, rinsed but not peeled
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped coarsely
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1-2 teaspoons salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons pesto
Chop the tomatoes coarsely.
Put the tomatoes, with all their seeds and juice, in a blender. Add the broth, garlic, and balsamic vinegar to the blender.
Blend until it’s all very smooth. Add salt and pepper. Be careful not to over-season; you want the fresh, sweet flavor of the tomatoes to shine through.
Pour the tomato puree into a large pan and cook for 10 minutes over low heat, uncovered. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Let the soup cool to room temperature, then chill it for at least 1 hour. Garnish each bowl with 1 tablespoon pesto and a few rocket leaves.
What will future archaeologists discover about how you lived when they go through your garbage? Studying societies by investigating what people threw out was established as an academic discipline back in 1973, at the University of Arizona. They named it Garbology. So what will your garbage say about you, in a generation or two?
Hopefully, you won’t have left much trash behind for archaeologists of the future to sort through.
It takes some effort to get rid of the mess; less effort to maintain a waste-free life afterward. But if the mere thought of going through crowded bookshelves, disorganized files, a pantry stacked with expired foods, and – help, the closets – makes you feel like lying down, there’s help.
Professional organizers will come to your home and help you organize. They make you look at your stuff objectively, so you decide what to get rid of to get a decluttered life. Their services aren’t cheap, but the investment pays off long-term, in a junk-free home, a lighter frame of mind, and maybe even profit from selling some of your oldies but goodies.
But what happens with the stuff that you can’t sell? Most home organizers leave that problem with you. And it’s a headache, getting rid of it all. Let’s fill up garbage bags and just dump the stuff, you might think. That’s natural; everyone seeks the easy solution. But what’s not natural is the toxic results of landfill trash to the environment.
We’ve written before, often, about avoiding waste. But, you might say, I’m only one person/we’re only one family… how much damage, can our bit of waste do?
It turns out, quite a lot. Edward Humes, investigative journalist and author of Garbology, estimated that the average US citizen produces 102 tons of refuse in his or her lifetime. Whoops! That’s a lot of landfill. Here’s what can each one of us, personally, do to reduce that number.
It comes down to the environmentalists’ watchword: reduce, reuse, recycle.
Green Prophet interviewed Rebekah Saltzman, a professional home organizer based in Haifa. She stands out among other home organizers in that when helping clients reorganize, she introduces environmental awareness and methods to prevent their stuff winding up in landfills. Or at least, how to prolong discards’ lives to avoid the landfill as long as possible. In many cases, she takes the clients’ discards away herself, donating useable things to shelters and charities.
The heart of the matter, according to Saltzman, is owning fewer things. “Organizing isn’t about storing away all your things. It’s about disposing of what remains after you’ve decluttered” she says. She adds, “This goes hand in hand with Jewish values. Use what you have, and be happy with it.” (Saltzman is referring to Ethics of The Fathers, a compilation of Jewish ethical teachings, where one text reads, “Who is happy? He who is satisfied with his part.”)
How, practically, do you get rid of objects?
“If you decide to keep things, put them in a space where the real estate is less valuable (not in your closet) If they’re still useful, you should use them. If not, examine what about them you love. Why are you keeping them? If the reason is because they’re useful, well, that isn’t true, because you’re not using them! If the reason is that they have sentimental value, then see if taking a picture will do the trick. If not, then try making them into something else that’s useful.
“My philosophy is that you cannot organize clutter. This doesn’t mean we all have to be minimalist, it just means that living with less allows us to live our best life. It allows us to focus on living, and not on our stuff. So often our stuff holds us back, it overwhelms us and it takes over our lives. If we shared things, or discarded the things we no longer need so that others can use them, more people would have what they need, when they need it.”
What about discarding things with sentimental value?
“I encourage everyone to make a sentimental box,” says Saltzman. “The point of this box is to use as a catch-all for the decluttering process. At the end of the decluttering process I encourage everyone to go back to the box, take a second pass, see what they really need from it and keep only what they feel is essential. After that I encourage people to display the sentimental items. Because frankly, what good do they do you sitting in a box, if you don’t even remember why they’re there?”
About the inevitable packaging when we buy things, Saltzman says, “The way manufacturing is, there’s always going to be waste. Even if you buy from bulk bins, for instance, the products arrive in plastic bags. Recycling packaging is great. We can’t go entirely without packaging. But there’s always some leftover waste material that ends up in the landfill. We don’t think much about what we’re consuming; we should do our best to use as few resources as possible. Ultimately,” she adds, “recycling is just a band-aid over the larger problem. We need to resist the urge to buy things, and consume less.”
There are many ways to recycle objects. Keep in mind that one person’s junk is often another’s treasure. Donate clothes and household wares to a local charity. Sell things to thrift shops or a flea-market vendor. Swap clothes with friends. Shop at second-hand stores. Join an online group dedicated to selling and swapping. Here are some tips for online resources.
Even half-used bottles of shampoo, bath soap and cleaning products are welcome to shelters. Think creatively about objects you plan to discard. Is your last child finally out of diapers? Instead of dumping the remaining diapers, pin a notice up in your building or at your bus stop: 15 Free Diapers! Upgrading your PC, laptop or printer? Most towns have someone who accept your old electronics for charity or resale. In other words, it’s not only consuming less, personally, that keeps stuff out of landfills; it’s also helping others to use and reuse things before they finally wear out. See Karin’s post about how good clothes can go around. And here’s an inspiring post about a woman in India who hand-crafts beautiful clothes out of old materials.
So what legacy are you leaving to future generations? Hopefully, it’ll be the legacy of a life well lived, not the objects that you leave behind.
Saltzman teaches an online course called Conquer Your Clutter. Find it on Rebekahsaltzman.com and on Balaganbegone.com
Having a heart attack can leave you feeling worried and overwhelmed. It is also likely to encourage you to make positive lifestyle changes and become more focused on your health than ever before.
160,000 people die from heart disease every year, and it is a condition that tends to impact men more than women. If you have suffered from a heart attack and want to promote your heart health as much as possible, so that it doesn’t happen again, then here are some top tips and lifestyle changes that you can make.
Quit Smoking
One of the most important things that every person should try to do after suffering a heart attack is give up smoking. Smoking is one of the main causes of coronary heart disease and your risk of suffering a second heart attack will fall to half of that of a smoker 12 months after giving up.
Quitting smoking isn’t easy, but there is support available. Nicotine patches and other substitutions can be particularly useful to help you stop smoking, especially in those early days when you are dealing with difficult cravings. They give your body the nicotine it craves without also filling your body with harmful chemicals. An online pharmacy can deliver these tools directly to your front door, making it easier to quit than ever before.
Attend Cardiac Rehabilitation
After your return home from hospital after your heart attack, you will be invited to attend cardiac rehabilitation. This is a 6 to 12-week course (depending on the severity of your condition and on your local NHS Trust policy) and will be held weekly at your local hospital. Whilst no one can force you to attend this rehabilitation, it is a wonderful way to learn more about looking after your heart after a heart attack, and a safe place to begin introducing exercise to your regular routine again.
Regular exercise is essential to maintaining heart health. Your heart is a muscle, and, like all muscles, it needs to be stretched in order to build vital strength. NHS guidelines suggest that you should enjoy 150 minutes of physical activity a week. Work with your rehabilitation team to build up to the level in order to promote positive heart health.
Improve Your Diet
If you eat a junk food heavy diet that is high in saturated fat, then now is the perfect time to reassess the types of food you eat. One of the easiest healthy eating rules to follow is to ensure that you get your 5 a day: that means eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. This can include fresh fruits and vegetables, tinned and frozen fruits and vegetables, and even dried fruits. Add vegetables to every meal, and you’ll quickly and easily increase the amount you eat.
The other essential diet change to make is to reduce the amount of saturated fats you eat. This will release the amount of cholesterol in your blood, lowering your risk of experiencing further heart disease. Choose leaner cuts of meat, and limit the amount of red meat that you eat. Make other small changes such as choosing lower fat dairy products like 1% fat milk over full-fat (or whole) milk. This small change will improve your overall heart health without impacting on the types of food you can enjoy.
Take Care of Your Mental Health
Finally, having a heart attack can have a hugely negative impact on your emotional wellbeing. It can leave you feeling depressed and anxious, and a certain level of health-related PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is also not uncommon. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge these negative feelings, and to take the time to process them. After all, a heart effect is a life changing and traumatic event that is likely to impact every new decision you make. The impact on your family and friends should also not be underestimated. Take time out to talk about it, share your feelings and deal with them in a healthy, rounded way. This will ultimately improve your recovery and leave you feeling confident to move forward and move on with your new life.
Drone technology is some of the most intriguing and sought-after technology out there. What was once reserved for military use has now become so affordable that people are snapping up their own personal units at breakneck speeds.
Drones are big in many countries around the world, with the Middle East being no exception. With that said there is one area that is standing out thanks to its advanced technology, and that’s Dubai. It seems as though Dubai is the place to beat when it comes to cutting-edge technology, the drone leader quality, and scope.
The most advanced drones at the moment in Dubai are not for military purposes at all, rather, they are meant for photographers and hobbyist who are looking to get a drone that performs like a high-tech piece of technology.
What’s Driving Drones?
So, what’s the reason behind the advancements and high-tech gadgets in Dubai? Well, a lot of it can be explained by the implementation of regulation in Dubai regarding drones, as well as various programs such as “Drones for Good”. It’s really a multi-tiered approach that is helping drones to catch on with the public, with everyone demanding the best of the best.
There is also the fact that the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority has been giving out hobbyist licenses, which has led to an increase in the number of people using them for fun.
Take a look at Sky Vision, which offers a Dubai drone like no other, well maybe dji can do better. High-tech microdrones are ideal for aerial work on film production and can cut down on the costs significantly. What this means is that the technology is not just for hobbyists; rather, it’s also spilling over into professional industries such as film and television production.
It Also Happens to Be Some of the Most Picturesque Landscape
It can also be said that another driving force behind this need for the latest and greatest in technology is the fact that Dubai features some of the most picturesque landscape in the world to catch on a drone.
From the ground, Dubai is stunning, but aerial images and videos take the landscape, both natural and manmade, to a whole other level of wonder. There’s no better way to capture the incredible winds of the UAE that are so talked about around the world. As well, Dubai’s city center is nothing short of awe-inspiring from an aerial standpoint.
Drone hobbyists can take in all that Dubai has to offer, and then travel just a few miles out of the city and enjoy a desert landscape instead. It makes for unique footage, to say the least.
Fighting to Stay at the Top
So while Dubai enjoys its title for offering the most advanced drone technology in the Middle East at the moment, there is no doubt that other countries are working their hardest to de-throne the UAE and take the title for themselves.
Update 2020: Turkey’s drone war is taking things to a scary place. We’d rather see drone footage of flamingos overwintering.
IRENA study shows world market for corporate sourcing of renewable electricity reached 465 terawatt hours in 2017 – enough to power a country the size of France
Companies in 75 countries actively sourced 465 terawatt hours (TWh) of renewable energy in 2017, an amount close to the overall electricity demand of France, according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). With the continued decline in the costs of renewables, the report suggests, corporate demand will continue to increase as companies seek to reduce electricity bills, hedge against future price spikes and address sustainability concerns.
Corporate Sourcing of Renewables: Market and Industry Trends, the first global assessment of trends and policies in corporate sourcing of renewables, shows that renewable energy sourcing by private sector companies, made possible with the right policy framework in place, can be a key factor in the world’s pursuit of a sustainable energy transformation in line with the objectives set out in the Paris Agreement.
According to the report, environmental and sustainability concerns, social responsibility and reputation management and economic and financial objectives are the three primary drivers of corporate sourcing.
“Renewable energy sourcing has become a mainstream pillar of business strategy in recent years,” said IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin. “While environmental concerns initiated this growing trend, the strengthening business case and price stability offered by renewables can deliver a competitive advantage to corporations, and support sustainable growth.”
The findings of the report, presented today at the Ninth Clean Energy Ministerial in Copenhagen, show that half of the over 2,400 large companies analysed are voluntarily and actively procuring or investing in self-generation of renewable electricity for their operations. Of the companies in the study, more than 200 source at least half of their power from renewables. Electricity self-generation is the most common sourcing model, followed by unbundled energy attribute certificates (EACs) and power purchase agreements (PPAs).
“Corporations are responsible for around two-thirds of the world’s total final electricity demand, making them central to, and key actors in, the energy transformation,” continued Mr. Amin. “As governments all over the world recognise this vast potential, the development of policies that foster and encourage corporate sourcing in the electricity sector and beyond will inject additional needed investment in renewable energy.”
The report finds that the corporate sourcing trend is widespread and dynamic, with companies participating in the practice coming from various sectors. By volume, the majority of renewable electricity was consumed in the materials sector while the highest shares of renewable electricity consumption are found in the financial (24 per cent) and information technology (12 per cent ) sectors. Countries in Europe and North America continue to account for the bulk of corporate sourcing.
Of the companies analysed in the report, only 17 per cent have a renewable electricity target in place. Three-quarters of those targets will expire before 2020, representing a significant opportunity for corporates to develop new medium to long-term renewable energy strategies and targets that factor in improvements in renewable energy technology and cost declines
The report is a contribution to the Clean Energy Ministerial “Corporate Sourcing of Renewables” campaign, co-led by China, Denmark and Germany and co-ordinated by IRENA.
View and download the Executive Summary of the report here.
As the world prepares for the start of beach season, the Washington, DC-based Ocean Conservancy has released a series of infographics depicting some of the weird items collected during its 2017 International Coastal Cleanup.
“You would be amazed at what volunteers find every year along beaches and waterways,” said Allison Schutes, associate director of Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas® program. “No matter where you are in the world, chances are you’ll see plastic bottles, bottle caps, straws, packaging… then you get items where you just have to wonder, ‘how did this get here?’”
First launched in 1986 on a beach in Texas, the International Coastal Cleanup mobilizes hundreds of thousands of volunteers in more than 100 countries all over the world to remove trash from local beaches, waterways, and parks. In addition to removing trash, volunteers contribute to the world’s largest database on marine debris by logging each trash item using data cards or in real-time using Ocean Conservancy’s Clean Swell app. Scientists, researchers, industry leaders and policymakers rely on Ocean Conservancy’s Ocean Trash Index to inform policy solutions to the growing marine debris crisis.
In years past, volunteers have recovered wedding dresses, washing machines, mattresses, and more. Notable items this year included three hot tubs, a unicycle, an entire car, a paper shredder, and a children’s slide, among others.
Did this vintage dress end up in the sea?
“There’s this idea that the ocean is so vast that it can just swallow up anything,” said Nicholas Mallos, director of Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas® program. “But the reality is that trash, specifically plastics, can have a serious impact on ocean health.”
Every year, millions of tons of trash—including an estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic waste—flow into the ocean, entangling wildlife, polluting beaches, and costing coastal municipalities hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. Cigarette butts, plastic beverage bottles, food wrappers, plastic bottle caps and plastic straws are among the most-commonly collected items. They are also among the most deadly to wildlife like seabirds and sea turtles. Plastics—which never fully biodegrade but rather break up into smaller and smaller pieces called microplastics—are of particular concern. Scientists predict that without concerted global action, there could be one ton of plastic for every three tons of fin fish in the ocean by 2025.
“By highlighting what gets left behind on shorelines and river banks, we inspire people to take action for trash-free seas and identify trash items for which innovative solutions are most needed,” said Mr. Mallos.
Global peeps can do their part by deciding to skip the straw, carrying reusable water bottles and signing up for a beach or waterway cleanup. Governments and businesses also play a critical role in trash free seas, by ensuring their products are recyclable and working to improve waste management and collection in countries where the flow of plastic and trash into the ocean is greatest.
Final numbers for the 2017 International Coastal Cleanup, including how many items and pounds of trash were collected, the number of volunteers, and other data will be available to the public in June 2018.
Just because summer is already full on, it doesn’t mean you have to stop eating soup. If you’re craving a soothing, savory dinner in a bowl but don’t want to raise a sweat eating it, vichyssoise is just the ticket.
The recipe is based on a traditional French leek and potato soup, and was first introduced to diners at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in 1917. The chef, Louis Diat, had been feeling nostalgic for the delicious cool, creamy soup his mother and grandmother would serve when he was a child. While the original recipe calls for chicken stock, a well-flavored vegetable stock works just as well.
Use a large pot for this soup. Part of its cool charm is it’s white look, so be sure to peel the potatoes and use ground white pepper, not black.
It’s one of those recipes that keeps the customer satisfied – for generations to come.
Vichyssoise Soup
Serves 6
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
White part of 8 large leeks
2 medium potatoes, peeled
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons white wine (optional)
Salt and white pepper
For garnish:
2 tablespoons chopped chives or parsley leaves, or 3 tablespoons small croutons
Clean the leeks and slice thinly.
Peel the potatoes and chop into large dice.
Melt the butter in the soup pot and add the leeks. Stir over low-medium heat 5 minutes.
Add the potatoes. Cook another 2 minutes, stirring.
Pour the vegetable stock in. Raise the heat and bring to a boil.
Now reduce the heat so that the soup only simmers. Cook 35 minutes, covered.
Remove the soup from the heat and let it cool for 5-10 minutes.
Blend the soup slowly with an immersion blender. If using a stand blender, blend it in several small batches to avoid getting burned from hot liquid bursting out.
Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the cream, salt and white pepper.
Bring the soup to a boil again, then lower the heat. If using white wine, add it now. Cook at a simmer for 5 minutes.
Allow the soup to cool to room temperature. Cover it tightly and chill it in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
You may also chill it overnight; the flavors will deepen. In that case, remove it from the fridge half an hour before serving to let the flavors re-assert themselves.
Garnish each serving with chopped chives, parsley, or a few croutons. Enjoy!
Google recently announced that it got the blessing from the State of Georgia to fuel a new energy program that will allow the major corporate giant buy renewable energy. The source to power their Georgia facility will come straight from Georgia Power, a major utility provider in the state.
The newly inked approved partnership will be the first of its kind and has some major corporate players in on it. Besides Google, the the deal will include Walmart Inc., Target Corp., Johnson & Johnson, and Alphabet Inc. in a program that will allow companies to go straight to the state’s largest utility provider to directly buy renewable energy.
Solar Access Increases with Big Company Initiatives
Using this program, Google will be able to obtain 78.8 megawatts of solar power for their Douglas County, GA data center. This is part of Google’s efforts to use as renewable energy sources wherever possible in every market it operates.
Corporate buyers will be picking up the tab for the costs of the renewable energy infrastructure, while adding low-cost, renewable electricity to the state of Georgia’s energy profile. The California based company said that their new partnership with Georgia Power, a subsidiary of the Southern Company, and other big corporate energy buyers was a major step in the right direction and a testament to the major role businesses can play in expanding access to renewable energy. The partnership is a deal more than two years in the making as the tech giant has long wanted to work with the state of Georgia.
“Solar is abundant and cost-competitive in the region, but until now the market rules did not allow companies like ours to purchase renewable energy,” said a Google rep in the announcement. “This shows that providing a cost-competitive, fixed-price clean power option is not only good for the environment, it also makes business sense,” Google continued.
Google’s new project will give the green light on construction of two solar energy projects that will total 177 megawatts of power. The supply will be part of their Commercial & Industrial Renewable Energy Development Initiative. These projects are set to be completed by 2019 and 2020, and at this time Google and other participating customers will be able to substitute part of their electricity bill with a fixed price. The price will be determined by the production of renewable energy generated.
This is a type of partnership that is happening in other parts of the United States as Google already broke ground on a new data center in Alabama, and are planning to scout a new wind and solar project through the Tennessee Valley Authority for their electrical grid.
Meanwhile, In Solar News Around the World…
“Many companies are feeling the rise of the solar industry growth. In that list you can find inspection technology companies and we happen to be very close to one, which is SPI Borescopes. Representative from SPI noted that solar panel industry growth is developing higher demand also for inspection technology tool use, most popular ones being borescopes. Interestingly, besides the installation of solar panels, maintenance of ones are much needed as well, and when it comes to that borescope use is number one go to for solar panel engineers.”
The Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2018 report was released earlier this month and shows a surge in investment into renewable energy. Solar energy attracted investment dollars at a higher rate than any other energy source last year — yes, that includes coal, natural gas, wind, and nuclear. This is mostly due to the fact that solar power costs much less to install and maintain than most other forms of energy generation.
“The extraordinary surge in solar investment shows how the global energy map is changing and, more importantly, what the economic benefits are of such a shift,” says head of UN Environment, Erik Solheim. “Investments in renewables bring more people into the economy, they deliver more jobs, better quality jobs and better paid jobs. Clean energy also means less pollution, which means healthier, happier development.”, he continued.
More than $160.8 billion was spent on solar energy than other sources, and that number was up 18% over 2016. The total spent on all renewable energy sources was $279.8 billion, more than doubling the $103 billion invested for coal and natural gas.
China has done a tremendous job in new solar investments during 2017 by adding 53 gigawatts of solar power last year, with a whopping $86.5 billion in investments. Australia is up 147% in solar investments in 2017, with Mexico and Sweden also seeing significant increases in solar power developments.
Since 2004, the investment of renewable energy worldwide now reaches about $3 trillion, but the energy market still has a long way to go. Solar and other renewable sources included only make up a measly 12% of global power production, with some countries actually pulling back on its use.
There are many challenges facing new business entrepreneurs today, and one of these is being able to make their business stand out from the competition – and grow. In these times, it’s particularly difficult for start-up entrepreneurs to expand their business when they have to compete on a broader stage. So what can you do to make your small business grow? How can you effectively meet your goals and make sure that your business becomes adequately recognized by your target customer base? Here are some simple but effective ways through which you can really help your small business grow.
Learn more about your customers
This may already be obvious, but you don’t know how advantageous it really is if you can get to know your customers and their needs and wants. By learning more about your customers, you can develop your products and services to cater to their precise needs. One way through which you can get to know your customers more is by making your services more personalized – focusing more on customer service – and asking your customers to give feedback about your products or services. In this age when everything has already become so impersonal (even consumers’ shopping experiences are more impersonal, with online shopping and automatic email responses), providing your customers with a highly personalized service can work wonders for your business. Remember to go the extra mile whenever you can. Customers are more likely to remember your business – and recommend your business to friends – if you make it a point to give them personal care and attention.
Build on existing clients and be open to more opportunities
When you already have a customer base, it also pays to build on your relationship with them. You should nurture your relationship with your existing clients; you can do this by presenting them with updates through email newsletters or social media networks and letting them be part of various promotional discounts or offers. In the same vein, you should keep your eyes open for opportunities to get more customers, especially through events, social media interactions, and so on. Social media is particularly important for any business since it is where you can learn what your customers think about you and gain more insight into what they want. Through social media, you can also identify trends which may be appealing to your clients, and you can build up your business image and profile.
Think about developing a loyalty program for your customers
Another way through which you can help your small business grow is by developing a loyalty program for your customers. Did you know that it can cost 3 times more for you to get new customers compared to successfully selling something to an existing customer? But if you build and develop a loyalty program for your customers, you can retain their interest and increase your sales at the same time. Also, people love being part of a ‘group’ or a ‘club’. By having your own loyalty program, you may even be able to pique the interest of new customers who are curious about your program and may want to join in and be included.
Form a good partnership
If you want your business to grow, you have another option: form a good partnership with a company or business which complements yours. If you can form an alliance or partnership with a good business, you can reach a wider customer base. It may not be that easy to find a good partner, but be on the lookout, and find out what’s going on in your community. Once you find a business which can become a good partner and which complements your own products and services, contact them and make a partnership proposal. You have nothing to lose, but you have everything to gain.
Prioritize your cash flow
One aspect which many small business owners fail to pay the right amount of attention to is cash flow. Remember this: cash flow is your lifeblood. Proper cash flow allows you to run and operate your business even if you haven’t received your accounts receivables yet. This is why it’s important to keep your records updated and make sure you invoice promptly and correctly. You need to have a precise idea of what you spend and what you earn every month and establish a budget which allows you to meet your various expenditures.
If you’re having trouble with your cash flow, it’s best to address it from the beginning – find ways to save money and lessen your expenses, or, better yet, find ways to increase your income. You can also take advantage of small business funding options such as factoring, small business loans, lines of credit, merchant cash advances, and invoice financing. Invoice financing is particularly attractive to many small business owners because the amount you borrow is based on your actual invoices, and the process of approval is often quick and painless and the fees are often transparent as well.
A refreshed approach to your financial management can make a significant difference in maintaining steady cash flow. Creating proper business bank statements allows you to track your revenue and expenses effectively, making it easier to identify areas where adjustments are needed. Regularly reviewing your financial records helps you anticipate potential cash shortages and plan accordingly. With a clearer picture of your finances, you’ll be in a better position to secure funding and make informed business decisions. A refreshed approach to your financial management can make a significant difference in maintaining steady cash flow.
Know the value of networking, events, and trade shows
The value of networking cannot be denied, especially if you are just starting out. If you want the right exposure for your business, one thing you can do is network. Network as much as you can – after all, it’s not always what you know, but who you know. When you attend networking events, you may be able to meet like-minded business owners, prospective business suppliers, and so on. Another thing you can do is create your own unique event. Think about a kind of ‘meet and greet’ event where you invite your existing customers and prospective customers and give them an opportunity to get to know your business. Don’t forget the freebies – but just consider it an investment that will pay off as well.
You should also keep yourself informed about what’s going on in your industry. Joining a trade show is a great way of staying in touch with your industry and learning about some new trends. The good aspect about trade shows is that often, the visitors are already open to what you may be selling or offering – that’s why they are there in the first place. Since they are already interested, it may be easier to sell your wares and offerings to them.
There are many other ways through which you can help your small business grow, but by starting out with these key strategies and aspects, you can give your business the boost it needs.
Sabras – prickly pears – opuntia ficus-indica. The reddish-purple sabra fruit is ripening in empty lots and gardens all over Israel and the Levant. But you have to know how to pick them. As one who ignored the warning cries of experienced foragers and grasped a ripe sabra with my bare hand, I know. The innocent-looking fuzzy patches on the fruit are actually clusters of minuscule, barely-visible needles that embed themselves in the skin, and sting and itch like crazy. It was days before the torment stopped.
So I learned to gather sabras the right way. Cut the fruit off the cactus with a long-handled knife, or pick it with tongs. Let it drop into a shallow basket with handles, so you don’t touch it. There are also those who nail a tin can to a stick and nudge the fruit off.
To remove the needles, put on gloves and scrub the fruit with a stiff brush. Or impale the fruit on a fork and burn the needles off over a gas flame.
It’s a good idea to wear gloves to skin the fruit, even after processing it, just in case you missed a cluster of needles. Make a slit in the peel and work your knife around the fruit to slip it off entirely.
Is it worth all that trouble? Well, if you love the thrill of foraging – harvesting what you did not sow – yes. If you’re diligent, there’s lots of free fruit out there to harvest, as sabras grow in abundance wherever they take root. On the other hand, many supermarkets sell sabras already de-fanged. If sabras are common in your part of the world, you too may find them cleaned for sale.
It’s said that the cactus was brought to other parts of the Levant from Spain, by the Moors, centuries ago. Israel’s sabras are wild descendants of ornamental Mexican plants that someone brought over for his or her garden.
It’s true that the plant is easy to grow: just slice off one of the leaves, or paddles as they’re called, and let it dry, upright, until a scab forms on the cut part. Depending on the weather, this will take from a few days to a few weeks. Plant the paddle, cut side down, in sandy compost. It won’t need watering right away, as it provides its own moisture at first. When the paddle stands up by itself, it has made roots. Then water it, but only once a month afterward.
A plague of aphids from Lebanon appeared in Israel’s north, destroying many of these iconic plants. But there’s hope. In June of 2017, the Volcani Institute in the Arava imported Mexican ladybugs that eat the aphids. The BioBee farm on kibbutz Sde Eliyau raised them, and the Keren Kayemet LeIsrael set them loose to feast on the pests. The plan is apparently working; infected sabra plants treated with ladybug therapy have recovered and returned to good health.
There are many ways to enjoy the fruit. One, and maybe the best, is to put several ready-to-eat raw sabras in a bowl of ice water and eat them raw and chilled. You can also make jam from the fruit, or a fruity syrup that makes a delicious base for mojitos. The paddles, also known by their Mexican name, nopales, are edible too, but that’s a topic for another post.
Sabra Jam
Weigh the peeled fruit.
Weigh out the same quantity of white sugar.
Cook the fruit with the sugar over low heat, until the sugar is dissolved.
Place into a large saucepan with the same weight in sugar.
Add the juice of one lemon or one lime.
Bring the jam to a boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium and continue cooking until you have obtained a thick gel.
Strain the jam through cloth or a fine sieve to remove the seeds.
Store in sterilized jars.
Rosy Sabra Syrup
A base for cocktails and sorbets.
Ingredients:
12 large sabra fruits
2 cups white sugar
Juice of 1 large lemon
Chop the fruit and scrape it into a large saucepan. Cover it with water.
Bring the fruit and water to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook another 15 minutes.
Strain the liquid. Lacking cheesecloth or a jelly bag, a large, clean kitchen towel with a loose weave works too.
Measure the liquid. Rinse the saucepan out and pour the sabra liquid back into it.
Add the sugar and lemon juice to the sabra liquid. Bring the mixture to a boil; reduce heat when the sugar has dissolved.
Skim off any foam that forms on the surface of the syrup.
Pour the syrup into clean jars while it’s still hot – make sure to place a metal or wooden spoon in the jars before pouring the syrup in.
Fig trees on the southern side of Jerusalem Boulevard. Their days are numbered.
Tel Aviv is a relatively new city, but its older sister city next door, to which it shares the same municipality is home to dozens of hundreds of ancient trees, some which the city of Tel Aviv is hellbent on cutting down.
Since 2002, the city has proposed a light rail train to traverse the sister cities of Tel Aviv and Jaffa and to connect them to the suburbs. It’s a great idea, but there is a slight problem. How will passengers get on and off the train with the old trees in the way?
Why cut them down of course!
The trees in question grow on the main artery road Jerusalem Boulevard in Jaffa. There are at least 29 trees from 70 to 102 years old, all historical, and selected to be cut down to make space for train train stations. The city has already starting marking the trees destined for removal, arguing that they are sick anyway, says Vered Navon, activist and photographer working on a book about the trees. She helped found a group called Save the Trees, of which there are 500 members. And they are fighting to save the trees.
A boy on a fig tree in Mikve Israel
A meeting next Tuesday night in Jaffa is set up to inform the public about what the city plans to do. Professors and activists will explain the situation and propose alternatives.
Says Navon, “They in the city, they don’t think about the trees. They only consider the electricity and water it will take to maintain them. They don’t understand that they give us shelter, shade, clean air. It’s Jaffa’s green lung.”
The trees slated for removal are 102-year old spindly Washington palms and 70-year old sprawling fig trees with arms hugging in every direction. The figs were planted when Israel became a state 70 years ago. The figs give enormous amounts of shade and are home to birds and bats that eat berries and bugs. The vision is to turn the boulevard, or at least part of it, into a pedestrian only area, with the train connecting people to shops, cafes and their homes.
Instead of the dozens of buses that run down the street every few minutes, a smooth and easy electric train will traverse the city in speed and style. Activists say that the trees don’t need to be cut down. That one of the city planners that is on the side of the trees says that the stations can be moved 20 meters and the trees can be spared. But the city isn’t listening.
The activists propose that the company the city hired, Netta, can carry out the engineering work and simply move the three stations along the boulevard to spots where the doors of the trains can open with ease.
The palm trees are a common variety, the Washington palm. But they are uncommonly tall, and have some history: “The ancient palms were planted by the students of Elihau Krause, the founder of Mikve Israel,” says Vered, citing Israel’s first agriculture college located in Holon. Funded by the Rothschilds and other prominent figures, it is this school that in the 1800s already was growing cultivars tolerant to desert climates. It is this school and its researchers that gave Israel the ability and spirit to transform the country into an agriculture dynasty.
Fig trees on Jerusalem Boulevard
Jaffa resident Yisrael Borochov who lives on Dr. Paul Erlich Street, one of the proposed train stops said that the city has a history of doing what it wants, without regard for the environment or what’s right for the future. He tells Green Prophet: “They cut down two Washington palm trees on Erlich without asking anyone, and when I turned to Nitza Smoke, in charge of preserving the environment for the city, she didn’t even reply. The trees were about 120 years old. From that moment I lost faith in the establishment because I understood they do whatever they want to do, whenever they want to do, and it’s going to happen today with the train.
“There are not too many ancient trees in Jaffa or Tel Aviv. The city of Tel Aviv should be proud of every single tree and not looking for a reason to cut them down.”
Navon says that the same trees, the fig trees, were not cut down on the wealthier established part of Tel Aviv along Rothschild Boulevard. She insinuates that the reason the city is marking the so-called “sick trees” is because the weaker demographic of Jaffa won’t resist what the city wants to do.
We wrote the city for feedback and will post in the comments or update the article when we get their reply.
Meanwhile, want to fight for the trees? Join the Tuesday evening event in Jaffa. Details here.
As per a survey conducted by ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India), it has been found that approx. 53% of corporate firms have enrolled for yoga sessions to increase productivity of their employees and reduce the attrition rate. Apart from these two attributes, workplace wellness programs also increase the employees’ loyalty and overall work performance.
These days, companies are spending a good amount of money on buying the best health insurance policy for their employees; however, by signing up for a wellness program, they can significantly reduce the cost involved in health insurance premiums.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a small business owner, self-employed, or a corporate mogul, your business as well as your employees will benefit from yoga if incorporated into the organization’s wellness programs and daily work culture.
If you still don’t think that yoga is important for your business, these 5 benefits of yoga will definitely change your thoughts:
Beats Stress:
The ASSOCHAM survey has also revealed that more than 40.5% of the employees sleep less than for 6 hours a day. The reason for so is mostly recognized as high stress levels.
Both mental and emotional stresses are considered as the top factors affecting employees’ health and productivity for the obvious reason. They are also responsible for aggravating ailments and several medical conditions, such as cold, allergies, heart diseases and diabetes.
You might haven’t thought about it but the stress factor alone accounts for a loss of billions of dollars every year due to absenteeism, reduced productivity, employee turnover, medical fees, etc.
Following yoga routine can be helpful in regulating your stress level by gently releasing tension and hence, it can be of paramount help to both employers as well as employees.
Reduces Fatigue
As per a study, sitting in the same position for more than 5 hours can easily make you feel fatigued and result in reduced productivity. Also, working non-stop can easily lead to stress. Just standing up from your seat or doing some physical activity, such as stretching, etc., every thirty minutes or so can increase the blood circulation in your body and efficiently avoid fatigue.
Alleviates Physical Ailments
Any form of pains or aches can easily affect your productivity in the workplace. If you are suffering from any type of ache, it’s quite natural that your work concentration and productivity will be affected, as you would be constantly thinking about the physical discomfort you are facing.
You would be surprised to know how effective yoga can be to help you relieve even the most severe aches like those related to traumatic brain injury. Now, if it can be so effective in dealing with such severe aches, just imagine how effective it is going to be for regular headaches, neck strain, arthritis, shoulder stiffness, etc.
Improves Focus & Concentration
Endless meetings, stressful deadlines and the general harshness of a workplace create mental chaos that affects your power to make good decisions and your concentration power as well. Meditation activities in yoga along with breathing exercises help employees clear their mental clutter and silence the surroundings, making them more alert and focused.
With better concentration and focus, your creative energy flows in a better way, eventually blessing you with creativity to think outside the box.
Promotes Team-Building Capabilities
Regular yoga sessions are a great way to increase team building as well as capabilities of individual employees.
Due to a stressful lifestyle and long commuting hours, one hardly gets time to engage in any personal wellness program, which results in stressed workers at different level affecting the overall productivity of your organization.
You can conduct special Yoga training programs in your workplace or any other venue and help your employees get a productive break from their hectic lifestyle.
Final Thoughts!
If you are feeling physically, emotionally and mentally well, your morale will automatically be high. As a matter of fact, healthy and relaxed employees are always better to work with rather than a lethargic and demotivated bunch of people. Being an employer, it’s your duty to keep your employees motivated, and then you can easily do the job by encouraging your teammates to take just 10 minutes of break every day and follow some simple yoga exercises.
One can easily perform stretches and breathing exercises at her/his working desk, in the fresh air or in a conference room. Thus, providing your employees with free yoga classes is certainly one of the most cost-effective ways to get them motivated and achieve productivity from them.
Soy has been touted as a source of perfect protein for decades. It was believed that soy prevents breast cancer and heart disease. Women built soy into their diets as a nutritional shield against breast cancer. Soy-based baby formula was hailed as a convenient and healthy alternative to mother’s milk. In 1999, the FDA authorized a claim that soy protein reduces coronary heart disease.
But newer studies have reversed those theories. What we are seeing now is that soy, and especially unfermented soy and its derivatives, inhibits absorption of vital minerals and protein, disrupts hormone function, and actually increases the risk of cancer. Green Prophet has been pondering the effects of soy in human diet for years (see our article Oy! Soy! and watch us shudder at Soylent).
So what’s wrong with soy?
The FDA is now proposing to revoke the soy health claim authorization. Susan Mayne, director of the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, stated in October 2017,
“We are proposing a rule to revoke a health claim for soy protein and heart disease. For the first time, we have considered it necessary to propose a rule to revoke a health claim because numerous studies published since the claim was authorized in 1999 have presented inconsistent findings on the relationship between soy protein and heart disease.”
Make your own oat milk at home!
Oat milk may the only option after milk and soy has let us down. We tried almond milk but that was killing the bees. Read here for our recipe
Soy and its derivatives can cause mineral and protein deficiencies. Lignins and phytic acid are substances present in all grains and pulses, but soybean has the highest levels of them. These substances are known as anti-nutrients, because they decreases the body’s absorption of vitally important minerals and vitamins, like zinc, copper, and magnesium; iron, calcium, vitamin D and the B vitamins.
Soybeans also contain enzyme inhibitors that can block absorption of the proteins in food. The Western diet, so often dependent on industrially prepared foods, is already deficient in minerals and high-quality proteins. Consuming soy reduces your body’s ability to absorb nutrients and puts your health even more at risk.
Soy is proven to inhibit thyroid function. In children, this can block normal growth. In adults, low thyroid function causes fatigue, irritability, weight gain, and problems throughout women’s reproductive and post-menopausal life. Iodine deficiency is known to weaken thyroid activity; given that 1 billion people worldwide are iodine-deficient, one wonders how at much additional risk a diet high in soy puts them.
Soy is rich in phytoestrogens, which are substances with weak estrogenic or antiestrogenic activity. Phytoestrogens mimic, or in some cases suppress, the body’s natural hormone production. Soy overload makes the body produce more estrogen. Consequently, girls raised on soy hot dogs, soy ice cream, and the myriad varieties of soy in their food, are attaining puberty earlier every year. It used to be unheard of for a 9-year-old child to have adult breasts and to menstruate. In industrially developed countries, it’s common now. Consider that these young children are exactly that – young children who are not prepared to cope with sexual maturity in any way. This potentially has far-reaching consequences not only in their personal lives, but in society as a whole.
As for soy overload in boys, it’s now suspected of disrupting normal male hormone production, leading to delayed adolescence.
Most soy is genetically modified and treated with pesticides
More than 80% of the world’s soy crops are genetically modified. Monsanto, the world’s largest agricultural corporation, modified soy to survive repeated exposure to pesticides in 1994. Monsanto now sells GM soy paired with Roundup pesticide, whose main ingredient (glyphosate) is proven to be carcinogenic. Roundup also destroys valuable organic compounds in soil, so crops grown on that soil are less nutritious.
Soy also is a common allergen
Allergies and food sensitivities are rising dramatically, worldwide. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations includes soy in its list of the eight most significant food allergens, and has identified at least 16 potential soy protein allergens.
Baby formula should never be made with soy
The darkest side of soy consumption lingers in what should be the most innocent of foods: baby formula.Natural nutritionist Dr. Eric Osansky states on his blog,
“Infants on soy formula consume approximately 6–9 mg of isoflavones (one of the phytoestrogens) per kg. of body weight per day, an amount, when adjusted for body weight, that is up to seven times higher than for adults meeting the FDA soy consumption guideline (our italics)…
Just about all animal studies have demonstrated that the manipulation of estrogen during specific critical windows of development throughout gestation and early infancy leads to a myriad of adverse health outcomes.
This includes malformations in the ovary, uterus, mammary gland and prostate, early puberty, reduced fertility, disrupted brain organization, and reproductive tract cancers… A 2008 study consisting of 694 girls in Israel found an increased prevalence of breast buds in 2-year old girls who were fed soy formula as infants.”
What about soy versus breast cancer?
A study done at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in 2014 cautiously concluded that soy protein could potentially speed up the progression of breast cancer in certain groups of women, and certainly reduce the effects of certain cancer medications.
The myth of the Japanese diet
You might hark back to outdated beliefs that insist, “The Japanese eat lots of tofu and soy, and their cancer rates are low.” Neither assumption is true. The traditional Japanese diet includes a great variety of foods; tofu and other soy-derived foods account for no more than a daily ounce. In recent decades, though, Japanese youngsters have been eating less traditional and more Western-style processed foods. According to the Japanese Cancer Society, one in three deaths in Japan is due to cancer. How much is due to soy overload? An open question, but it’s reasonable to assume that increased soy consumption is among the factors.
Soy in our daily foods
Snack foods and deep-fried foods, baked goods and industrially manufactured products like mayonnaise and cheap ice cream depend on soy oil. Soy cooking oil, so cheap, and available in every grocery store. Soy milk, soy cheese, soy yogurts. Veggie-burgers.
Tofu hot dogs and tofu ice cream. Those are products where you’d expect to find soy. But frozen ground beef often incorporates soy – it says “vegetable protein” on the label, but you know it’s soy; a cheap way to stretch the meat.
Soy flour finds its way into baked goods too, in cookies and crackers as in your daily bread. Look at the label on that package of cookies in the pantry: I’ll bet it reads “soy flour,” “lecithin” and “hydrogenated vegetable oil.” What’s the cheapest source of lecithin (an emulsifier) and oil for manufacturers to use? Soy.
Soy protein is the mainstay of intensive beef, dairy, poultry, fish and pig farming. It’s a cheap way to bulk out animal feed and helps deliver animal products to supermarkets at cheaper prices.
So even if you never touch tofu, you’re probably getting soy compounds in your meat.
Babies are most at risk for soy
Babies surviving on soy-based formulas are being cheated of nutrition and getting filled up potentially dangerous phytoestrogens – not to mention getting a soy overload that drives allergies. Vegans and vegetarians who eat a lot of soy products are mistakenly assuming that their protein needs are being met. They’re not. Women who have been told to increase their soy intake to avoid menopausal problems are finding that lots of soy not only doesn’t help, it makes things worse.
With all of that dire information, can you still cook with fermented soy products like soy sauce, miso, tempeh and natto? Yes. If you’re clear of soy allergies and don’t have thyroid or other hormone health issues, a little of those fermented foods won’t hurt. Even a few cubes of organic tofu tossed into salad, soup, or a stir-fry won’t hurt. But stay clear of dishes heavily based on soy, like soy milk shakes and tofu-based desserts.
What can you do to keep soy out of your life?
First, check labels. Reject foods that contain soy. Eat organically raised meat and fish if you can. That bowl of edamame you love to snack on? Think twice. Being organic doesn’t take away the natural anti-nutrient properties of the soy bean.
And those processed chicken nuggets and fish fingers, made of scraps and soy pressed together with meat glue – just give them a miss.
We realize that sources of organic protein aren’t always available or affordable. But if you dedicate some time every week to home cooking, you and those you cook for will still come out ahead. Making your own mayonnaise takes minutes if you have a blender, or even a wire whisk. Mineral-rich soups, roasts, stews, beans and grains need only minutes of preparation. Put on a timer to remind you when to take your pots off the heat, and you’re free to do other things while your food is cooking.
And for new mothers, do the wise thing and resist those formula ads promising your baby adorable glowing health. Soy milk doesn’t do it. Give your baby the best milk for babies in the world – her mother’s.
Hiring outside help to complete your assignment doesn’t seem like the ideal thing to do. But in certain situations, it can save your skin. Following, we will debate on this topic and decide whether you should invest in assignment writing services or not. So stick with us.
Can You Trust A Writing Service?
It’s a risk trusting someone else with your assignment, but is it a risk that pays off? Professional writers are naturally better at their wordplay. They take less time, yet curate far better content. They do help students to secure better grades.
These writers know how to put content in a more presentable way for teachers. Once the document is completed, and the writer is paid, students get completed ownership of the respective work, and the writer is forbidden to use them ever again. These writers assure high-quality work and check for plagiarism.
The service makes sure students, and writes are in direct contact so they can convey necessary instructions and make changes as needed. Every University Program requires its student to produce high-quality work. These papers are very important as they mean the difference between a successful and unsuccessful career.
Professional Essay writing services are well aware of this, and they assure you impress your superiors with the assignment.
Is It the Right Thing to Do?
Everyone a student looks forward to buy essay UK, they think about this for a moment. We are not going to give you a long interpretation of your actions, nor will we jump to a conclusion. Instead, we will try to clarify some important things.
Teachers hardly get past the fact that students use grammar tools to proofread their work. Therefore they will never forgive once they have learned that you had some help with your assignment. We know of this notion, and we assure by our work that things don’t come to it. The risk appears much greater when it’s your degree on the line.
Unfortunately, teachers never cut the students a break. Students have bombarded assignments; they are never assigned. Therefore, they do take whatever help is available. We understand the gravity of this situation, and we make sure our writing has the same flair as yours, and it will make it extremely difficult for your
The crux of This Situation
The hard truth is, you cannot disregard the benefit of these writing services, they help students to a great extent, but they do require help now and then. With the teachers not showing any soft corner, students are forced to take these drastic measures.
Unless the teachers are willing to soften, students will be forced to use such services as it takes some load off their backs. Besides, these services can produce better thesis as compared to students, and they are willing to pay the price.
Hire these services to prove to be a great learning student and learn how to structure, proofread, and add the final touches to craft a perfect assignment.
Sabras – prickly pears – opuntia ficus-indica. The reddish-purple sabra fruit is ripening in empty lots and gardens all over Israel and the Levant. But you have to know how to pick them. As one who ignored the warning cries of experienced foragers and grasped a ripe sabra with my bare hand, I know. The innocent-looking fuzzy patches on the fruit are actually clusters of minuscule, barely-visible needles that embed themselves in the skin, and sting and itch like crazy. It was days before the torment stopped.
