March 1 is World Seagrass Day, which celebrates the flowering plants that look like blades of grass waving in our oceans and in Puget Sound. The United Nations created World Seagrass Day as an opportunity “to promote and facilitate actions for the conservation of seagrasses in order to contribute to their health and development.”

Jennifer Ruesink, University of Washington professor of biology, studies the relationship between the environment and marine organisms, including eelgrass, the primary species of seagrass that resides in the waters in and around Washington.

In honor of World Seagrass Day, Ruesink explains what seagrass is and what makes the seagrasses in Washington unique.

What is seagrass and why is it important? 

Jennifer Ruesink: Seagrasses are “land plants” that have moved into ocean habitats. They have roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds. There are only about 70 species of seagrasses, representing just 0.02% of all flowering plant species.

Seagrass matters to humans in many ways. It cycles nutrients and carbon, provides habitat for fish and decapods, and it anchors sediment in place, which contributes to shoreline stabilization. It’s a sentinel species for good water quality — in fact, impaired water quality from nutrient pollution, coastal building and erosion are its biggest threats.

Beyond these utilitarian values, seagrass is “wonderful” in the truest sense of that word — the way it grows, moves and shapes the environment provides a continual source of wonder.

What makes seagrass different from seaweed and other ocean plants?

JR: In addition to seagrasses, there are many other photosynthetic organisms that live in the ocean. Collectively they provide half of our global oxygen. But the others are different from seagrasses: Seaweeds, also known as macroalgae, do not make roots or flowers. Tiny microalgae live on ocean surfaces, even on the seagrass leaves themselves. Other photosynthetic organisms, such as phytoplankton, drift as single cells or small colonies in the water.

Seagrasses are colloquially called “grasses” because many have grass-like shapes with long strap-like leaves that grow from the base, and their stems move horizontally underground. From an evolutionary perspective, seagrasses do not group with the terrestrial grass family but instead have unique families or share relatives with freshwater plants.

What does seagrass look like in the ocean?

JR: If you think of a prairie on land, it is full of different plant species that grow to different heights, flower at different times, and extract light and nutrients with different efficiencies. Seagrass meadows are the prairies of the ocean, but they frequently consist of just one seagrass species. Because the number of seagrass species is so small, much of the dramatic variability occurs within single species, rather than across multiple species. Here in Washington we mostly have the same species — eelgrass, or Zostera marina — that’s found from 23-70 degrees north latitude on both sides of the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean.

Tell us about eelgrass in Washington.

JR: The remarkable thing is that there is so much of eelgrass variability present within our state. For example, some populations have shoots that replicate solely by branching, making genetic copies of themselves as they go. Other populations have shoots that never branch, but instead germinate, flower and die within a summer, overwintering as seeds. Shoots in Washington range from a diminutive 0.7 feet to nearly 6.5 feet long.

You can find eelgrass at low tide in the intertidal zone and as deep as 50 feet in the clear water along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It lives in places that have ocean salinity, but it also lives near rivers where the winter salinities drop to about 85% freshwater. The eelgrass bed protected by the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is estimated at 8,000 acres, and Willapa Bay on the coast contains nearly 14,000 acres. Eelgrass also grows in a narrow “bathtub ring” on steeper soft-sediment shorelines throughout the state.

It makes sense that this diversity within a species is a product of evolving in the varied environments of Washington’s vast and convoluted shoreline. We think this variability should confer resilience to change, but that’s an ongoing exploration.

Washington also has two seagrass species other than Zostera marina: Ruppia maritima, which is a fast-growing species characteristic of brackish channels in saltmarshes, and Nanozostera japonica, which was established in the state in the 1950s after being inadvertently introduced from Japan. You can find them all growing together in a few places.

How would you suggest that someone celebrate World Seagrass Day?

JR: There are plenty of public-access shores around Seattle — including Golden Gardens and the south side of Alki Point — where you can see eelgrass growing. At this time of year, you might see black brant nearby. These small geese feed on eelgrass to fuel their migration. To see eelgrass, you need a low tide since it can’t handle staying out of the water very long. On World Seagrass Day, good low tides occur after dark — around 9 p.m. in the Seattle area. If you do find seagrass, you can take a picture and help data collection about its distribution by uploading your information to iNaturalist.

Any time you’re at the beach, you might find eelgrass washed up on shore: Keep an eye out for the leaves — green, flexible rectangles — especially if they’re connected to chunky brown cylinders — the stems, or rhizomes. Each node on the rhizome is the scar of a former leaf. This is fun to think about because it helps demonstrate the dynamic lifestyle of this plant: Each leaf lasts a couple of months before it’s left behind on the rhizome and decays. Meanwhile the production of a new leaf every couple of weeks both turns over the biomass and moves the shoot along the sediment.

The post Celebrate International Seagrass Day appeared first on Green Prophet.

Editor’s introduction: This review is written in the first person by Raven, who spent months living with the Air Tea Kettle before sharing her experience. Her words reflect a personal learning process rather than a technical evaluation.

The Air Tea Kettle—another gadget for the countertop, or something I would grow to love?

It took me months to digest the information. I realize now I was resisting seeing the Air Tea Kettle’s true value. I didn’t want to write something that just repeated the company’s language. I needed to feel it for myself.

Honestly, if the ebook I subscribed to (twice!) had arrived earlier, the learning curve would have been gentler. Once I finally emailed my how-to questions to Jeremy Krause and received the ebook, something shifted. I could relax into it.

This is a very different feeling than drinking tea. More euphoric. More aromatic. More immediate.

What caught my attention is that at lower temperatures, plants release scents they don’t give up at higher heat.

What caught my attention is that at lower temperatures, plants release scents they don’t give up at higher heat. I’m not a herbalist, so I can’t fully explain the chemistry, even though I can feel the results.

I can’t remember exactly what’s in my current blend (it’s in the ebook), but it’s heavenly. I’ve learned that mixed herbs are more pleasant than single herbs on their own.

The ebook includes guidance for herbs that support the nervous system, with precise temperature recommendations. That precision matters.

Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.

Watch: Air Tea Kettle demonstration video

I grow gardens full of herbs, but I am not a trained herbalist. Reading the ebook is essential. It explains the color-coordinated temperature system and how specific plants respond to heat.

The clearest and most grounded instructions I found were from herbalist Amanda Crooke, especially her Vaporization Masterclass (Part 1).

The device itself is surprisingly simple. There are only three buttons. The center button does most of the work. Plus and minus let you manually change the temperature.

Originally, I couldn’t locate the tweezers. They are a small square tool that slides in and out of the base. These are important for removing the hot stainless steel pod unless you want to burn your fingers.

One small but useful trick: if you prefer Celsius, hold the center and minus buttons together for about three seconds.

Even though it appears simple, I still needed time to understand the different components. Today I feel a real sense of relief about the effort I put into demystifying the Air Tea Kettle.

It sits on my countertop, and confidence makes me want to use it.

And I have to say, the presentation and packaging are ingenious.

Editor’s Notes: about the herbal guidance behind the Air Tea Kettle

The Air Tea Kettle places strong emphasis on education around temperature and plant preparation. Herbalist Amanda Crooke provides instructional material focused on safe, plant-specific vaporization, particularly for users who are not formally trained herbalists.

Why this works as a Valentine’s Day gift

Editor’s note: This is not positioned as a fast or flashy product, but as one that rewards patience, curiosity, and ritual—qualities often associated with meaningful gifts. Herbalism and working with herbs can be a life journey.

::Air Tea Kettle

The post The Air Tea Kettle creates a new way to meet plants and herbalism appeared first on Green Prophet.

In a key moment for global nature policy, the world’s governments have sketched the roadmap for the first collective review of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) — the landmark pact adopted in 2022 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

At the 27th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-27) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), held in Panama City, Parties agreed that the upcoming global review must be “facilitative, not punitive” — designed to build momentum and accountability rather than impose sanctions. The organization has used the acronym CBD, one of the key molecules in cannabis. Don’t be confused.

The meeting, attended by 800 delegates from around the world, focused on shaping the outline of the global progress report on the KMGBF’s 23 targets for 2030 — the targets which all 196 Parties to the CBD approved in 2022. The session also emphasised tighter coordination across climate, biodiversity and desertification treaties — underscoring a growing recognition that nature-loss, greenhouse-gas emissions and dry-land degradation are interlinked crises needing unified solutions.

As Panama’s Environment Minister, Juan Carlos Navarro, stated: “science-based decisions that deliver concrete results for people and life on Earth.” The agreed blueprint will guide the review process towards measurable outcomes and meaningful policy shifts rather than box-ticking.

The review – scheduled for 2026 in the lead-up to COP 17 (Yerevan, Armenia, October 2026) – will be anchored around five core axes:

1. Assess how countries are developing and implementing biodiversity plans, how inclusive and regionally representative they are, and how coordination, support and capacity-building are working.
2. Measure collective progress toward the KMGBF’s 23 global targets, comparing national and global goals, assessing successes, challenges and contributions from non-state actors.
3. Evaluate progress toward the Framework’s four overarching goals: summarising data and indicators, linking to targets, and offering science-based, non-binding options to address obstacles.
4. Examine means of implementation: identifying gaps in finance, institutional capacity, and specific challenges faced by developing countries, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women and youth.
5. Review global cooperation: how multilateral agreements, institutions and non-governmental actors contribute to advancing the Framework’s vision for nature.

In the words of CBD Executive Secretary Astrid Schomaker: “This review is a vital checkpoint for the world’s commitment to nature. It allows us to see, with evidence and transparency, how far we’ve come … and where we must accelerate.” Still, she cautioned: “We’re running out of time … We must speed up our efforts and move towards taking action.”

Why This Matters for CleanTech, Finance & the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) Region

For the cleantech and sustainability sector — especially in the MENA region and emerging markets — this review sends critical signals that nature-positive investments will increasingly be measured not just by carbon outcomes, but by biodiversity, ecosystem service, and community outcomes as well.

Trade-offs between climate mitigation, land use and biodiversity are under scrutiny — meaning renewable energy, agritech, restoration and finance innovations must integrate biodiversity risk and opportunity. Developing countries, women, youth and Indigenous or local communities are now front and centre in measuring progress — policy, finance and technology must align accordingly.

Regional collaboration across climate, biodiversity and land-degradation architectures is gaining traction. Firms and funds operating in the MENA region should watch how cooperation, data-sharing and financing evolve.

For investors and entrepreneurs, the 2026 review offers a milestone for aligning new business models, green bonds or nature-based finance with emerging global biodiversity standards and expectations.

The upcoming KMGBF review is more than bureaucratic box-checking. It is a strategic inflection point: whether countries will shift from ambition to delivery, whether the private sector and civil society scale nature-positive business models, and whether global architecture for biodiversity, climate and land degradation will evolve toward coherence.

For the MENA region — facing climate stress, rapid land-use change, water scarcity and ecosystem vulnerability — this means stepping up. Governments, investors, start-ups and NGOs must align to the emerging agenda: biodiversity as a core pillar of sustainable development and climate action, not a side-note.

If we seize this moment, the 2026 review can catalyse a new wave of finance (see Green Finance mechanisms in the UAE), innovation and policy coherence — and move us closer to the vision of a nature-positive world by 2050. If not, the checkpoint risks becoming another missed opportunity while ecosystems, livelihoods and economies continue to degrade.

Biodiversity primer articles on Green Prophet

Where is the world’s most biodiversity? Follow the rain

How plants buffer against climate change (drylands biodiversity)

Yemen’s Socotra is the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean

How SPNI is Rewilding Cities and Rebuilding Resilience

A Guide to Rewilding Your Cities

Coral reefs and light pollution

Forests can bounce back after acid rain

Tropical forests are chemical factories

Sinkholes and Shrinking Shores: The Race to Rescue the Dead Sea

When greenwashing overwrites ecology at the superadobe Majara Residence, Hormuz Island

The post Biodiversity Blueprint Set for 2026 appeared first on Green Prophet.

We tend to think of forests as quiet places—but beneath the soil, there’s a bustling network of chemical conversations taking place. It’s part of what some scientists call the “wood wide web”—a vast underground communication system that connects plants, fungi, and microbes in complex, symbiotic ways. It’s been shown that plants can speak. This new study might help us decode what they are saying.

Now, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have uncovered new insights into this hidden language. By studying the molecular “words” that tree roots send into the soil, they’ve created one of the most detailed maps yet of underground plant communication—one that could revolutionize how we grow food and bioenergy crops.

As plants grow, their roots don’t just absorb nutrients—they release a rich array of organic chemicals into the soil, a process known as rhizodeposition. These secretions act like messages or invitations to microbes and fungi, encouraging cooperation, support, or sometimes defense.

“Plants form relationships with microbes like bacteria and fungi that help them survive tough conditions like drought or poor soil,” said Dr. Paul Abraham, co-lead of the study at ORNL. “But we’re only beginning to understand the full vocabulary of these underground interactions.”

To decode this chemical language, ORNL researchers focused on poplar trees, which are being studied as future bioenergy crops. They grew two types of poplar under different conditions—some with extra nutrients, some without—and collected samples from their roots at different growth stages.

Instead of looking for specific molecules they already knew, scientists used a technique called untargeted metabolomics, which allowed them to capture everything the plants were saying, so to speak.

“This approach lets us detect a much broader range of chemical diversity,” Abraham explained. “We’re finding unexpected or previously unrecognized compounds that may play critical roles in soil and plant systems.”

A molecular treasure trove

What they found was a treasure trove of compounds—some never identified before. Each plant produced different chemical profiles depending on its genes, environment, and age. These findings suggest that plants tailor their messages depending on who they’re talking to—whether they’re calling for help, warning of threats, or optimizing partnerships.

“This kind of insight helps us breed or engineer crops that are not only higher-yielding, but also more resistant to climate stress,” Abraham said.

Mushrooms, microbes, and machine learning?

Why does this matter? The underground networks built by fungi and bacteria are essential for healthy ecosystems—and for our ability to grow resilient crops in a changing climate. Fungi, in particular, act as “middlemen”, connecting roots across distances and helping move nutrients, water, and even chemical signals between plants.

To better understand this complex web, ORNL is now looking to AI and machine learning. “The chemical space we’re measuring is vast,” Abraham said. “Most of the molecules we detect can’t be confirmed using existing reference standards.”

In other words, there are too many molecules and not enough names. That’s where artificial intelligence will step in—to help identify unknown compounds and unlock new insights into how plants and microbes interact.

The ORNL team’s research, published in Plant, Cell & Environment, could eventually lead to crops that communicate more efficiently with beneficial fungi and bacteria—reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers and helping build a more sustainable agricultural system.

“Nature already has a smart underground network,” says Karin Kloosterman, editor of Green Prophet who founded an AI company Flux to listen to the language of plants: “Our job is to listen, decode it, and learn how to work with it.”

The post The hidden chatter beneath our feet – how trees, mushrooms, and microbes speak appeared first on Green Prophet.

Italians have grown fruit trees in containers for centuries, keeping them protected in special sheds during the winter.

Come spring, the trees are wheeled out to the sunshine again. While we can dream of owning an olive grove like the one we visited in the Galilee, olive trees successfully grow in pots too.

Assuming your climate suits the olive, you should acquire a sapling from a nursery or buy one online. Olive trees grown from pits revert to the original wild olive, and if they produce fruit at all, it will be wizened and not very good to eat. So don’t do it. Consult the nursery manager and choose the variety you’d like best. To maximize fruiting potential, you should actually have two of the same variety in the area. This may be impractical where there’s limited space, of course.

When to plant an olive tree in a pot?

Spring is the best time to re-pot the sapling into its permanent container. Tender saplings suffer under frost or harsh winter weather, so it’s best to transplant after all danger of frost has passed. When the temperature threatens to dip under 50°F/10ºC, the tree should be brought indoors. It may be taken out to enjoy the sunshine on warmer days. A trolley, on which the container stands permanently, is useful there.

Choose a spot that gets plenty of full sun and only partial shade. Have a clay pot about  2 feet/61 centimeters deep and the same width at the ready. No need for pebbles or other drainage device at the bottom. Pour enough soil in to cover the bottom thickly.  Knock the sapling out of its original container and place in the new pot. Fill the pot with soil  around the tree and make sure it stands stable. Water thoroughly.

Soil and watering olives trees in a container

Ordinary potting soil; no special fertilizers or compost at first. Wait until there are signs of growth in the following spring to add compost or concentrated fertilizer to the soil. Keep the soil lightly moist, but not over-watered. A mature tree can withstand drought, but until a sapling is established and thriving in its new environment, it needs light moisture.

Care of the tree

We recommend pruning with caution for the first four years: remove branches under 3 feet/91.5 centimeters as well as suckers. Others recommend watching for flowering and then pruning off the tips of the branches, above a pair of leaves, as well.

Plant hygiene

Watch out for scale infestation. Buy a natural insecticide product from the plant nursery. Traditional Mediterranean farmers whitewash the bottom half of the trunk to keep ants away. Weed out any wind-born seedlings the minute you notice them.

The next step is to enjoy the lovely sight of the  tree’s silvery-green foliage moving while the breeze rustles through it. Because it may take up to five years before it produces any fruit for you. You’ll need to discuss when you can expect fruit with the gardener at the nursery. But by then you and the tree will have become good friends, and the fruit will be a nice bonus.

If you can’t find local, search online for olive tree sapling delivery to your home. Once you get one growing you can grow clones from the original using patience or a rooting hormone.

What kind of olive tree to plant in a container?

Barnea, suri, kalamata? Your supermarket or farmer’s market usually offers a good variety of olives. Juicy green, black, brown or purple olives glistening in their own oil. Olives seasoned with chilies, lemons and herbs; olives pitted and left empty; olives stuffed with red pimentos; olives in brine or in wine marinade – enough olives to make your senses reel.

And like grape varieties for wine, there are more kinds of olives in the world than you’ll ever know. Every region where olives are grown yields a particular variety, each with its unique shape, size, and flavor. Get the low down on olive varieties here. Having problems? Check out the olive tree guide to longer-term

More about olive trees and olives:

• The World’s Oldest Olive Trees Are Lebanese
• Preserving Olives
• Olive Trees Have Kurdish Roots
• Olive Trees Go Hi-Tech And SMSFarmers When Thirsty

The post How to grow an olive tree in a container appeared first on Green Prophet.

Kelp forests are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth. We might know kelp as a superfood but in the sea it provides shelter, food, and breeding grounds for countless marine species. Unfortunately, these vital underwater habitats are in decline due to factors like climate change, pollution, and overfishing. With millions of divers exploring the world’s oceans, there’s a unique opportunity to engage the dive community in protecting these ecosystems. And we want to show you how by interviewing a leading expert in the field who also dives! Meet Dana Janke from Canada!

Dana Janke, Seaforestation Coordinator, B.Sc, B.I.T. from Ocean Wise, tells us that divers can help by participating in citizen science programs, joining underwater clean-ups, and following sustainable diving practices to minimize disturbance to fragile kelp habitats.

Engaging divers in kelp forest preservation not only aids conservation efforts but also fosters a deeper appreciation for these underwater forests and the roles they play in ocean health. Through education and responsible diving, divers can contribute to the restoration and preservation of kelp forests, safeguarding these incredible ecosystems for future generations.

1. There are millions of divers worldwide, many traveling to remote locations with extensive kelp forests. Can you list the top 10 most important kelp forests that intersect with recreational diving? For example, are there kelp forests in places like Egypt, where many US and European divers go? How can they get involved?

North Vancouver Island, especially Port Hardy, has beautiful kelp forests that attract divers globally. In my opinion, it’s some of the best diving in the world. Other top kelp forest diving locations include Monterey Bay and the Channel Islands in California, the Cape Town region in South Africa, Tasmania and Southern Australia, Norway, Japan, New Zealand, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca (BC and Washington).

Kelp is generally associated with cold waters, so it’s unlikely you’d find kelp forests in Egypt that resemble those in the Ocean Wise and Kelp Forest Alliance’s “Monitoring Kelp Forest Ecosystems” guidebook.

2. How can divers help kelp forests if they lack a background in marine biology?

The first step is to learn a bit about local marine life! One of my favorite parts of diving is discovering underwater critters and algae, then searching for them in ID books after the dive. I love Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest: A Photographic Encyclopedia of Invertebrates, Seaweeds, and Selected Fishes by Andy Lamb and Bernard P. Hanby, as it covers a lot of marine life in the Pacific Northwest. I recommend asking your local dive shop for ID book suggestions for your area.

Participating in clean-up dives is also helpful. Pollution significantly impacts ocean health, so any opportunity we, as a dive community, can take to care for the ocean is essential.

3. How can dive centers create training material to add kelp forest preservation to their sustainable travel practices?

A great start is hosting educational workshops—virtual or in-person—that teach divers about the importance of kelp forests and the stressors causing their decline. Helping divers understand the many benefits of kelp forests is the first step.

Next, hands-on experience and training are key, starting with how to ID kelp species underwater (it can be challenging!). Ocean Wise and the Kelp Forest Alliance’s Monitoring Kelp Forest Ecosystems Guidebook offers step-by-step instructions on monitoring various metrics. Dive centers can use it to create training materials on dive monitoring techniques and recognizing signs of kelp health decline.

4. Can individual divers make a difference? How? What’s the biggest impact?

Yes! Individual divers can significantly impact by collecting data, raising awareness, and promoting responsible diving. Citizen science is critical in expanding scientific knowledge, as data collection is time-consuming and costly. Data from citizen scientists is becoming increasingly valuable for research.

Many organizations utilize citizen science in kelp forest research. Kelp Tracker 2.0, a web-based platform by The Nature Conservancy Australia, allows divers to map and record kelp observations along the Tasmanian and Australian coasts, informing local restoration projects. The Puget Sound Restoration Fund’s All Eyes on Deck project, in partnership with Reef Check Foundation, trains volunteer divers on species identification and survey protocols to collect data on kelp forest health in the Pacific Northwest. Platforms like iNaturalist also allow users to record species observations and validate identifications, providing invaluable data for science and conservation.

I suggest finding citizen science dive programs in your area and getting involved. Knowledge gaps on kelp status and health exist, and programs like these help close them over time.

5. Can divers be harmful to kelp forests? Are there places they should avoid?

Divers can be detrimental to kelp forests. These forests are often dense and challenging to navigate, so it’s easy to disturb or damage them, especially if you’re new to diving. Diving lets us explore often-overlooked underwater worlds, but it’s essential to dive respectfully. If you’re a beginner or haven’t mastered skills like buoyancy, I suggest avoiding kelp forests until you’re more experienced. Also, consider diving with a local guide who knows the sites well and can guide you through a safe, low-impact dive. Remember to take only photos, leave only bubbles, and respect the underwater flora and fauna (no touching!). Know your limits and stay within them.

6. Could universities partner with dive centers to train divers who are also biologists?

That’s a fantastic idea! While we don’t currently have a specific program, we are exploring a volunteer-driven program for 2025 and beyond. We’ll keep you in the loop!

The post How cold water divers can save kelp forests appeared first on Green Prophet.

Medical marijuana growers swear by it: that music from different styles enhances the growth of their plants. This is the reason why parents in the 80s played Mozart to their embryos.

There may be something to it:

Soil microbes enjoy bouts of white noise finds scientists in a new research project. Fungal soil microbes that promote plant growth seem to get a boost from white noise. Researchers say it’s like hosting an underground rave.

When scientists periodically played a noise similar to radio static to Trichoderma harzianum, the fungi grew bigger and produced more spores than other samples grown in a soundproof booth. The vibrations might stimulate mechanoreceptors in Trichoderma’s cell walls, which alters the expression of genes involved in growth, suggest researchers.

The post Play your cannabis plants some white noise? appeared first on Green Prophet.

This common potted plant can now become part of your daily diet. Naomi offers 4 recipes for taking advantage of this healthful plant, which offers more than just sunburn relief. 

Growing up, my mother was always interested in natural remedies to mild health issues, whether it was burns, cuts or the flu. Aloe vera being so versatile was one of her favourites, but as much as we used it externally, aloe vera juice was never on the menu, it turns out that it can be a great addition to your diet.

There are many plants, like roses, which can be used in more than just one way and aloe vera – native to the Mediterranean region where it grows like a weed –  is one of them. We discussed previously some of the uses of aloe vera (like in ice-cream!) however the next step, beyond buying the potted plant, is to be able to make your own aloe vera drink. Granted this doesn’t sound very palatable but the benefits are significant to one’s health.

Your body has the tendency to hang onto food residues, various toxins and bacteria all of which block the intestinal lining of your digestive tract and prevent nutrients from being absorbed properly. Drinking aloe vera juice regularly can help get rid of all the junk your body no longer needs which in turn prevents various digestive problems such as indigestion, colitis, ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Some recipes for aloe vera juice: Your aloe vera drink will actually turn out different colours depending on the fruit you use, since the pulp of the plant itself is colourless

Recipe 1 – virgin juice

The most effective way to get the medical benefits is to drink the pure juice, so if you are game, this is the recipe for you:

1. You take a few leaves of aloe vera and cut them into pieces of a few centimetres long and put this in a pot to boil.
2. Let it boil for a few minutes, but make sure it doesn’t boil over.
3. Take it off the flame and let it cool for about an hour, sitting in the water.
4. Then take out the plant pieces and drink only the liquid.

If you are looking for something a little tastier, we have some other options:

Recipe 2 – light and lemony

Ingredients:
1 Cucumber
1 Apple
1 Lemon
2 tbsp Aloe vera pulp

Method:
1. Blend the apple and the cucumber
2. Add the lemon juice
3. Cut open an aloe vera leaf and scoop out 2 tbsp of the pulp and add it to the mixture

Recipe 3 – health

Ingredients:
2 Carrots
2 Green apples
1 Orange, peeled
1 tbsp of aloe vera pulp

Method:
1. Cut the apples, carrots and orange into pieces
2. Blend them into a juice
3. Then add the aloe vera

Recipe 4 – exotic aloe vera

For something a little more exotic you can try this one.

Ingredients:
1-2 cup Fresh pineapple
1 Carrot
1 Green apple
1 tbsp Aloe vera pulp
A few tbsp of coconut milk is optional

Method:
Basically blend all the ingredients together, adding the pulp of the aloe vera leaf. The coconut milk more than being a tasty addition, will actually increase the anti-bacterial and anti-viral qualities of this drink.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DTtQaLIJc8[/youtube]

All of these recipes are simple and quick, but remember the same doesn’t apply to the results of drinking aloe vera. Like most things natural, it takes time until you see and feel the benefits of adding this to your diet, but it will be well worth the effort.

Read more on natural health remedies:
Natural Remedies for Late Pregnancy
Feel Better with Herbs of Kedem and Ancient Hebrew Medicine

The post 4 Unique Aloe Vera Juice Recipes for Summer and Health appeared first on Green Prophet.

A green roof is a beautiful idea for cities. They feel good, look good, they clean the air and reduce temperatures inside in the summer, increase them in the winter. They are good for the birds and the bees. But green roofs are cut off from the great web of information and possibilities found in soil attached to the earth. Scientists have a new idea: Mycorrhizal fungi.

In the US green roofs are typically planted with non-native plants in sterile soils, and their effectiveness declines over time. A Dartmouth-led research team set out to determine if managing green roof soil microbes could boost healthy urban soil development, a methodology that could be applied to support climate resilience in cities.

The team created an experimental green roof in Chicago to test how enhancing soil with native prairie microbes would change the soil microbial community over time. They were particularly interested in tracking the presence of beneficial mycorrhizal fungi.

Mycorrhizal fungi are well-known to live in roots and support plants in a symbiotic underground relationship, delivering nutrients and water to them in exchange for plant sugars. Mycorrhizal fungi could be particularly helpful to plants in green roofs that have to endure high temperatures, intense sun, and periodic flooding.

The researchers added soil rich with native mycorrhizal fungi obtained from a local restored prairie, referred to as “inoculum,” to the experimental green roof’s soil. They planted inoculated and untreated soil with native prairie plants and green roof succulents. Over two years, the team tracked changes in the mycorrhizal fungal community of the green roof. They also compared the green roof fungal species identified to those present in the inoculum and in the air.

Their findings demonstrate that active management of green roof mycorrhizal fungi accelerates soil development faster than if mycorrhizal fungal communities are left to passively reestablish on their own. Green roofs treated with mycorrhizal fungi foster a more diverse soil community that is more likely to support long-term green roof sustainability, according to the results published in New Phytologist.

“In this urban rooftop setting, we saw more diversity in the fungal communities of the inoculated soil,” said lead author Paul Metzler, soil ecology lab manager in the Department of Environmental Studies at Dartmouth. “The long-term and consistent effects of the inoculum were quite surprising, as it’s not necessarily something you would expect when working with such small microorganisms.”

Using a molecular technique called “DNA metabarcoding,” which enables the identification of multiple organisms in one sample, the researchers could identify fungi present in the green roof soils as well as potential sources of these fungi. Many fungi came from the inoculum while other species got there through some other vector such as wind.

The co-authors state that their study was different than most of its kind, as few studies track mycorrhizal community shifts over time post-inoculation and even fewer attempt to track the sources of species pools. The team also had a number of species in their green roof that likely arrived via unmeasured vectors such birds, insects, or even rats.

Still, the most diverse fungal communities were those that had been treated with the inoculum, illustrating how mycorrhizal fungi could be used to improve soil health in green roofs. The results suggest that active management of soil microbial communities is effective and worth the effort and resources in cities.

“Green roofs have a shelf life and they’re not always the self-sustaining ecosystems that we think they are,” says senior author Bala Chaudhary, an associate professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth. “They can be beneficial to urban areas but tend to lose their efficacy over time.”

While green roofs are marketed as “set it and forget it,” the co-authors explain that ecological thought should be incorporated into their design, construction, and maintenance to maximize the benefits and role that green roofs play in the climate resilience of urban areas.

“Our cities could be a window into the future,” says Chaudhary. “They are experiencing the impacts of climate change—warming temperatures and increased drought and flooding—in an intensified way, which make them a great microcosm to study some of these impacts below ground.”

The post Adding Mycorrhizal fungi to green roofs appeared first on Green Prophet.

Darwin asked, and science answered. Now we should be praying for rain to keep diversity.

An international research group wanted to answer the centuries long question that Darwin asked: why there are more animal and plant species in the tropics?

In the most comprehensive study to this date on species richness of land vertebrates, the researchers explored patterns in the number of species – all across the world – using comprehensive data for tens of thousands of species of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles.

The scientists highlighted again the dominance of tropical regions, close to the equator, as centers of high biodiversity. When investigating the reasons behind these patterns, they found that the combination of climate and topography was key in explaining them.

However, while larger amounts of rainfall contribute to higher richness for amphibians, birds, and mammals, more reptiles are found in warmer regions, regardless of rainfall. Patterns are even more complex as species numbers increase with rainfall almost everywhere in the world – but in cold regions temperature has a more dominant effect.

Prof. Uri Roll, involved in the study says: “We live in an age of the biodiversity crisis! If trends continue as they are, many of the plants and animals that share the Earth with us will not be here by the end of the 21^st century due to destruction of their habitats, climate change, and other human effects.

“A better understanding of where biodiversity is found, and why we find it there, is fundamental for our efforts to conserve it. Moreover, works such as this highlight how life on Earth is a truly miraculous phenomenon, and should serve as a call to action to everyone to protect it.”

The research was led by PhD student Tal Raz and Prof. Shai Meiri from Tel Aviv University’s School of Zoology at the Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, along with Prof. Uri Roll from the Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The research encompassed 5,983 amphibian, 9,630 avian, 5,004 mammal and 8,939 reptile species and was published in the Journal of Zoology

“Until recently, we didn’t have enough data on where land vertebrates are found and thus on how many species are actually found in different areas of the world. Now, we have detailed data for reptiles, which we made available, along with publicly available data for other land vertebrate groups,” says Raz.

“This allows us to accurately study global patterns and how they relate to the environment. The relationship between temperature, precipitation, and topography in shaping ecosystems is fascinating. In regions where environmental factors are diverse, they tend to have a more pronounced influence on the number of species.

“In Africa, for instance—where temperatures are quite high all over, the varying rainfall plays a crucial role in determining the number of species. In Eurasia, both temperature and rainfall are highly diverse, making them both influential for species richness. But with all that, amphibians never forget their connection to rainfall, and reptiles hold onto their affinity for warmth”, said Tal Raz.

The researchers found that reptiles have a slightly different species-richness pattern that is more influenced by temperature and less by rainfall.

Prof. Shai Meiri from Tel Aviv University explained that “reptiles can do with very little water, because their metabolism is much slower compared to birds and mammals and because, unlike amphibians, they have highly efficient mechanisms to prevent water loss.

“But reptiles are highly sensitive to temperatures and cannot readily function in cold regions. Therefore, we see relatively high numbers of reptiles in deserts worldwide, where mammals, birds and, especially, amphibians, are scarce.” Prof. Meiri added “in recent years we have made tremendous efforts to map the global distributions of about 12,000 species of reptiles (as part of the Global Assessment of Reptile Distributions). Such efforts enable us to ask such broad-scale fundamental questions regarding the ecology and evolution of life on our planet.”

Which environmental factor explains most of the variation in the number of species?

Here you can see whether rainfall, temperature, or height determines the number of species in different places in the world. The size of the circle depicts the importance of the factor. The two most important factors are presented for each animal group. The dragon represents all land vertebrates together (birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles combined). For example, temperature explains most of the variation in the number of species in North America for all animal groups, while rainfall and range of heights are the most important in South-East Asia.

Patterns of the number of species worldwide. Red means many species, yellow means an intermediate number, and blue means few species. The top map (a) represents all land vertebrates together (birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles combined). The bottom maps (c-e) are species-richness patterns of each group individually. For example, for all animal groups there are many species in the Amazon Forest, and few species in the Sahara Desert. You can also see some differences among group like in Australia – where there are many reptile species but few amphibians and mammals.

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