Happy Friday {{first name | my friend}},

As you know, I’m passionate about telling stories through film, so how wonderful to discover THIS online Field to Film Festival featuring films about agroecology and female farmers… made by rural youth around the world! 🌍🎬

ECL TRIVIA: What is the symbiotic algae inside corals that provides much of their energy through photosynthesis? (Answer below)

🐆 CONSERVATION FRAMEWORK: “There are potential bright spots” in mapping intact habitat areas for species conservation around the world. Act Green is a new project dedicated to “predicting potential habitats for restoration and rewilding efforts,” using updatable maps and remote sensing frameworks. DISCOVER how it works and the four species they’re mapping first.

🎶 THE LOST SONG: Since a steep drop in population of a rare Australian songbird, scientists discovered the birds’ special song lost its complexity— reduced to just “half” the number of “syllables.” With the help of wild “song tutors,” learn HOW their original wild call is being restored from 0% to 42% in just 3 years.

🐳 COMMUNITY SCIENCE PROJECT: Nearly 500 volunteers gathered across 46 shore viewing sites in the Hawaiian Islands last week to observe individual counts of humpback whales! Researchers say the data collected improves public awareness about whale activity and populations, and it’s “one of the world’s longest-running community science projects.” Find out HOW MANY whales were spotted!

🚫 BABY FOOD ADDITIVES: Ingredient list examination is more important than ever for infant and toddler foods. A new study revealed 71% of baby food sold in the top 10 U.S. grocery stores is classified as “ultra-processed food,” noting prevalent “additives” like added colors, sugars, sodium, flavor enhancers, thickeners, and emulsifiers. Read more HERE, and learn TIPS to find less processed food for kids.

🧘‍♂️ MEDITATION MISCONCEPTIONS: You don’t have to sit and meditate for 20 minutes for it “to matter,” like some wisdom advises. “5 minutes a day (most days) is more likely to keep you meditating and accruing greater mindfulness and mood results,” says Psychology Today, and consistency is more important than the length of time spent meditating. LEARN ALL THE BENEFITS this research found HERE.

🚰 HYDRATION STATION: Did you know not drinking enough water can bring on more than just thirst? Researchers found that “under-hydrated individuals had cortisol levels more than 50% higher during stressful situations.” Find out how dehydration is connected to the brain’s stress-response center and the recommended daily water intake HERE.

We talk a lot about light, light health, and circadian rhythm in this newsletter, and one of the simplest (and surprisingly affordable) ways to move closer to nature’s pattern is to use red light at night as you wind down toward bed.

For me, the biggest no-brainer has been a motion sensor red night light. Because let’s be honest – we’ve all had that “I gotta go” moment at 2:00 a.m., and blasting your eyes with a bright overhead light while your brain is trying to stay in slower nighttime rhythms is a terrible idea.

This turns on automatically when you walk in. Bathroom, hallway, bedroom closet, kids’ room, wherever you need it. It’s obnoxious that homes aren’t designed this way by default. Once you have it, you can’t go back.

Riana and I literally bring ours with us when we travel, so hotel nights can be as functional as possible for our health.

And if you read in bed at night, their clip light is another underrated life hack – a focused little red light that won’t flood the whole room and won’t wake a sleeping partner (or your own biology).

If you want to see the motion sensor light, clip light, plus the full suite of circadian-friendly bulb options, click HERE and browse the BLUE LIGHT BLOCKING lighting collection. Use ECL20 at checkout.

Zooxanthellae. When corals lose these algae under stress, the result is coral bleaching and weakened reefs.