7/19/24: 🌊 Deep-sea ban, hydrogen hope, chia breakthrough

Happy Friday my friend,

We’re in the hottest time of the year here in North America, and if you’re curious about unique ways to cool off without air-conditioning, learn about these methods some people swear by. (Wearing wet socks to bed is one! 🤷‍♂️ Have you ever tried?)

🤔ECL TRIVIA:What underwater creature can throw a 50mph punch? (Answer below)

🌎 Planet Health

🌴 MINING BAN: Hawaii will be banning deep-sea mining "to protect the region’s marine life and tuna fisheries," according to a statement regarding the new law from Hawaii's governor. 27 countries globally have "called for a ban or pause" on the extraction of minerals from the sea floor, citing the possibility of "irreparable harm" to the marine environment.

🌊 NEW BOUNDARIES: Scientists warn that declining oxygen levels in certain bodies of water should be classified as a new "planetary boundary," or tipping point. This would help focus global attention on monitoring, researching, and addressing the issue. Related studies reveal our oceans are under triple threat from oxygen loss, extreme heat, and acidification, endangering marine life and, by extension, human well-being.

🛳 HYDROGEN FERRY: San Francisco’s long-awaited hydrogen-powered ferry, the Sea Change, has finally launched. This 75-passenger vessel, a six-year project by tech startup Switch Maritime, marks a significant step towards cleaner maritime transportation. Powered entirely by hydrogen fuel cells, the ferry emits only heat and water vapor, producing no carbon dioxide or toxic air pollution.

🧑‍⚕️ Human Health

🌱 CH-CH-CH-CHIA: Oregon State scientists just sequenced the chia seed genome, unlocking its potential for human health. They identified genes linked to nutrition and pharmaceuticals, paving the way for developing healthier chia varieties and potential treatments for diseases like cancer and high blood pressure. This research could also boost chia farming in Oregon, as "they can often grow on marginal land unsuitable for many traditional grain crops," according to the article.

🧘‍♂️ MEDITATION STUDY: Can meditation help people in their 80s deepen their psychological well-being? "Our findings suggest that meditation is a promising non-pharmacological approach to support human flourishing in late life,” says the University College London lead study author. This 18-month meditation training study of people ages 65–84 is the longest randomized, controlled clinical study of its kind to date.

🏔 ATTENTION RESTORATION: Does exposure to nature provide cognitive benefits to kids? Published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, this meta-analysis of 34 nature exposure experiments revealed that "extended exposure to nature has the potential to restore and enhance attention and executive functioning in children and adolescents." Time to get outside!

👩🏼‍🌾 Growing in any season

Ready to master winter gardening? Come join the Seedtime Winter Garden Challenge!

During this free event you’ll discover:

• How to plan your best winter garden ever from scratch in 3 simple steps

• The “Winter L+R vs. Summer S+F” formula to easily know what grow best in the winter vs. the summer

• The #1 factor for having a fresh harvest during winter months

• How to create your own planting schedule in just minutes (complete with a checklist of what to do each week)

• How to build a “quick hoop” from scratch without breaking your pocketbook

• And more…

It’s all happening July 28 - August 1.

Click here to join the event [for free]

And to top it off, you’ll get to hear from over 14+ guest speakers/expert interviews including Eliot Coleman, Luke Marion, Kevin Espiritu, Justin Rhodes, Melissa Norris, Josh & Carolyn Thomas, Michael Kilpatrick, and many more…

Come learn what to plant, when to plant, and how to tackle the winter gardening challenges head-on without losing your shirt doing it.

Creature Feature

🐵 MYSTERIOUS FACE: The 2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year recently spotted and captured the most stunning images of an extremely endangered and unique primate with a cute blue face and a fluffy beard, native to Southeast Asia. "Managed to only get a few shots of this super shy beauty after 3 days of searching for them," he said on social media. See the perfectly framed photo he took here.

Nutrition 101

🥦 GLUCOSINOLATES: Can you lower your risk of ovarian cancer by eating broccoli and other crucifers? Thanks to the hyper-nutrient phytochemicals in glucosinolates (found in collard greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower) research has shown "an inverse relationship between cruciferous vegetable consumption and various cancers including breast, colon, lung, prostate, and bladder." Click here to learn more about powerful glucosinolates. And use THIS home-sprouter for the easiest way to get this compound into your life daily.

💬Poll

⬅️ Last poll’s results

Have you ever seen a sugar glider in real life?

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Yes, so cute! 🐭 (26.9%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 I have not 😕 (73.1%)

To a healing future,

— Rob

P.S. Starting July 28, my friends at Seedtime (you may remember our the live event I held with them a few months ago) are hosting this year’s free Winter Garden Challenge where they will “hold your hand” and walk you step-by-step through planning your best winter garden ever. Learn more HERE.