RIP Dr. Jane, concrete battery, water bottles

Happy Friday my friend,

In honor of the late Jane Goodall, read 11 of her most inspiring quotes about the future of our planet.

ECL TRIVIA: Which tiny insect is responsible for pollinating one-third of the food we eat? (Answer below)

🦍 RIP to a Legend

Here at ECL we’re pausing to honor Dr. Jane Goodall, who passed away this week at 91. Few people have changed how we see our place in nature as profoundly as she did. From the forests of Gombe to stages around the world, she carried a message of curiosity, compassion, and responsibility that inspired generations.

In 1960 she set out for Tanzania and quietly rewrote science by watching, listening, and living alongside wild chimpanzees. She documented tool-making and rich social lives, named individuals rather than numbering them, earned her Ph.D. at Cambridge, and founded the Jane Goodall Institute to protect great apes and their habitats. Eventually, she moved from fieldwork to full-time advocacy, later serving as a UN Messenger of Peace and receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her focus was always on safeguarding forests, biodiversity, and the web of life that sustains us all.

If you only know Jane as the wise elder on a lecture stage, I highly recommend the documentary JANE. It’s an intimate window into her early years in Gombe, drawn from long-lost National Geographic footage, and a beautiful reminder of how patience and presence can change the world. It’s currently available on Disney+.

🌎 Earth Conscious News

RAPID AGING: Can poor sleep accelerate your biological age? Scientists say there is an association between poor sleep health and older brain age, connected to systemic inflammation. "Since sleep is modifiable, it may be possible to prevent accelerated brain aging and perhaps even cognitive decline through healthier sleep,” the study authors say.

WATER BOTTLE TOXICITY: Drinking water from plastic bottles “is not something that should be used in daily life. People need to understand that the issue is not acute toxicity— it is chronic toxicity,” says Sarah Sajedi, author of this new study about the understudied effects of micro and nanoplastic particles released from single-use water bottles. She says their presence “may contribute to chronic inflammation, cellular oxidative stress, hormone disruption, reproductive issues, neurological damage, and some cancers.”

CONCRETE BATTERIES: MIT prototype developments are revealing that the concrete all around us could one day power our world. Combining cement, water, ultra-fine carbon black and electrolytes, researchers are creating “nanonetwork” conductivity inside concrete. Learn more about the advances in concrete “batteries” here.

🌱 Most Nutrient Dense Food on Earth

The Simplest Superfood You Can Grow at Home.

If there’s one food I wish more people knew about, it’s sprouts. These tiny greens are among the most nutrient-dense foods on Earth.

They’re packed with enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that your body can actually absorb. A handful of sprouts can deliver more nutrition than most supplements, and they’re an easy addition to salads, smoothies, or even sandwiches.

I’ve owned a lot of sprouting systems over the years (even made some myself), and most are messy or complicated. But my friend Doug Evans (a genuinely wonderful human) designed a sprouting system that made me think: why didn’t someone invent this sooner?! 

It’s brilliantly simple, and now I use it regularly in my own kitchen. Within just a few days, you can grow your own living, healing food. Right on the counter.

For the ECL community, code EARTH is automatically applied at checkout to reduce 10%.

👉 Check it out here and get sprouting!

Photo of the week

Trivia Answer:

Bees are essential pollinators, supporting the growth of fruits, vegetables, and nuts that make up much of our diet.

To a healing future,

— Rob

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