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Agricultural Revolution ![](images/quickread.gif) Sustainable farming methods can help the poorest farmers in developing nations out of poverty. A recent study of 280 farms in 57 of the world’s poorest countries, found that techniques such as crop rotation and organic farming increased crop yields by an average of 79%, without risking future harvests. The findings challenge the dominate view that industrialized agriculture is best as many farme... posted on Feb 16 2006, 1,505 reads
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Paradise Found ![](images/quickread.gif) To boldly go where no one has gone before, one group of scientists didn't have to venture into space. They found a lost world right here on Earth, specifically in the isolated Foja Mountains on the tropical South Pacific island of New Guinea. During a 15-day expeditation; they found a trove of animals never before documented, from a new species of the honeyeater bird to more than 20 new species of... posted on Feb 10 2006, 1,930 reads
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Great Bear ![](images/quickread.gif) The Gitga'at people of The Great Bear Rain Forest in British Columbia Canada have an age old myth of a raven deity that swooped down on the land and bleached a few black-bears snow-white. These "spirit bears" were to be a reminder to future generations that the world must be kept pristine. In honor of that mission government agencies, coastal Native Canadian nations, logging companies and environm... posted on Feb 08 2006, 1,586 reads
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Dolphin Telepathy ![](images/quickread.gif) Dolphins don't keep secrets. According a recent study, wild dolphins listen in on one another's echolocation clicks, which in addition to telling where food may be, also carries all sorts of complex information about whether a dolphin is pregnant, what mood it's in, and what's around it. This may be a contributing factor to the evolution of cooperative behavior in dolphins.... posted on Feb 05 2006, 2,325 reads
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Rain Garden ![](images/quickread.gif) When rain falls on impervious surfaces, such as roads, it absorbs contaminates as it drains away into waterways. UK researchers have found that rain gardens, a shallow depression in a garden containing bark much and shrubs, can remove up to 99% of these toxins. As the world's population urbanizes and cities continue to grow, rain gardens can be a viable, beautiful, and inexpensive solution to poll... posted on Feb 04 2006, 1,811 reads
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Community Supported Agriculture ![](images/quickread.gif) One of the most promising developments in farming is the deepening relationship between producers and consumers through community supported agriculture (CSA). CSA's allow consumers make an upfront financial investment in the growing season in exchange for a weekly box of veggie. The farmer receives the security of a steady cash flow, while the consumer knows where and who grew her food. ... posted on Feb 02 2006, 1,943 reads
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Nature's Time ![](images/quickread.gif) Week by week, box by box, the calendar has devolved from an eloquent representation of the year into nothing but a mechanistic productivity tool, one big numbered to-do list. Chris Hardman set to change that with the ECOlogical Calendar, designed synch its readers with the movement of time in nature. It looks nothing like a standard calendar, its long and uninterrupted, unfolding left to right, an... posted on Jan 11 2006, 1,949 reads
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Vogalonga ![](images/quickread.gif) Environmental protest meets extreme sports each year at the Vogalonga (long row) in Venice, Italy. As many as 1,000 human-powered boats take part in the 18.6-mile regatta through the famously polluted waters of Venice. Motorboats, whose wakes weaken the foundation of centuries-old buildings, and industrial pollution from mainland chemical factories are the main targets of these floating activists,... posted on Dec 27 2005, 1,531 reads
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Home Evolution ![](images/quickread.gif) Bedzed (Beddington Zero Energy Development), is the United Kingdom's most revolutionary housing. Bar none. For a start, Bedzed is Britain's first carbon-neutral neighborhood, which means that it contributes zilch to global warming. You could go crazy with the shower thermostat, switch on every light in the house, yet sleep soundly, safe in the knowledge that you're still saving the planet.... posted on Dec 19 2005, 2,080 reads
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Population Growth ![](images/quickread.gif) Despite many dire warnings about overpopulation, the world's population growth rate seems to have steadily decreased over the past 15 years. The biggest contributing factors seem to be education of women and the mass migration of people to cities. ... posted on Nov 15 2005, 1,248 reads
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