Could Steiner schools have a point on children, tablets and tech? Studies have yet to show much benefit from technology in schools, leading some to wonder whether the offline life is better for children (Tuesday June 14th, 2016 — The Guardian - UK)

Move Over, Whole Foods: Costco Is the New King of Organic Groceries The membership-based grocery chain has been leading the surge in big box going all-natural. (Monday June 13th, 2016 — TakePart.com)

Understanding Glyphosate Toxicity: An Interview with Genetic Engineer Thierry Vrain I retired 12 years ago and started gardening as a serious hobby. After gaining that hands-on experience, I realized how much damage pesticides cause to the living environment of the soil. I learned all sorts of things that I wasn’t taught in graduate school. For example, I learned that not only pesticides, but also regular fertilizers damage communities of microorganisms in soil. I became “organic,” so to speak. (Monday June 13th, 2016 — Mother Earth News - USA)

Jimmy Carter and The Carter Center 2 cases away from ending Guinea Worm Disease Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter just may see his 91st birthday wish come true. His hope is to “outlive” the Guinea Worm. Now, with only two known cases left (down from three million in 1980), the extinction of this human disease will be the first to be eradication since smallpox. (Saturday June 11th, 2016 — Daily Kos )

The Beauty of Bonterra Organic and Biodynamic Wines Bonterra Organic Vineyards has been making wine from 100% organically grown grapes since 1993, even before organic became so trendy. Certified organic, Bonterra utilizes composting, cover crops, and biodiversity to grow wine grapes, yielding pure and vibrant fruit that translates into the essence of the wines. Adding biodynamic practices to the mix, such as spraying the vines with a special “tea” of manure and quartz, helps the vineyards thrive and efficiently convert sunlight into ripened grapes. (Saturday June 11th, 2016 — Examiner.com - )

The Second-Largest City In The U.S. Is On The Verge Of Being 100 Percent Renewable Los Angeles: The City Council is going to consider a motion this month that would direct the municipal utility to determine how to move the city to 100 percent renewable energy. (Saturday June 11th, 2016 — Think Progress - USA)

The World's First Computer May Have Been Used To Tell Fortunes Researchers have decoded more writing on the 2,000-year-old Antikythera mechanism and found it may have an astrological purpose (Saturday June 11th, 2016 — Smithsonian online -USA)

Grand Canyon Turns Down Its Lights to Become a Dark Sky Park Star gazers, rejoice—the skies above the Grand Canyon will never lose their sparkle (Friday June 10th, 2016 — Smithsonian online -USA)

Biodynamic wineries in Santa Barbara County go beyond organic According to Elizabeth Candelario with Demeter USA, it’s essentially a very comprehensive form of organic farming. “Biodynamic looks at a farm as if it was a living organism—self-contained and self-sustaining,” Candelario said. “It’s the highest form of ecological farming.” (Thursday June 9th, 2016 — Santa Maria Sun - Santa Maria, California USA)

How to Build A Vegetable Bed Biodynamically, Part 2 Building A Raised Bed (Wednesday May 11th, 2016 — Mother Earth News - USA)

Joy, Creative Urge In the present moment of happiness and laughter, the daily utilitarian chatter disappears. Creative urge allows the thoughts to expand in imagination: thinking in pictures forms. A popular term nowadays is visualization. In one of his blackboard sketches, Rudolf Steiner wrote that logical thinking is the past, imagination is the present, and inspiration is the future. (Tuesday May 10th, 2016 — Huffington Post - USA)

Pupils cycle miles to school to help the environment As well as cycling, alternative means of transport included walking, running, skateboards, scooters and taking the bus. On arrival, participants were welcomed with organic pastries and a special assembly. (Tuesday May 10th, 2016 — Bournemouth Echo - UK)

Visual art: A Kilkenny collective that recognises no rules KCat – the Kilkenny Collective for Arts Talent – in Callan was founded in 1999. It is promoted by the Camphill Communities and offers artists and students from different backgrounds and with different abilities a chance to learn and work together. In the KCat Studio, artists work full time, with the support of mentors and a facilitator. Now, Galway Arts Centre visual arts curator Maeve Mulrennan has put together an exhibition by seven KCat artists, including Sinéad Fahey and Andrew Pike. (Tuesday May 10th, 2016 — Irish Times )

Innovation starts to ripple through Chinese education After enrolling her elder daughter, now aged four, in the city's first Waldorf school, she became a teacher there. (Saturday May 7th, 2016 — Nikkei Asian Review - Asia)

When in drought: the California farmers who don’t water their crops Bucklin’s Old Hill Ranch, purchased by his stepfather Otto Teller in 1980, claims to be the oldest-rooted vineyard in the area. Teller fell in love with the vineyard because it was one of the few that still “dry-farmed”. Dry farming is a method that bypasses artificial irrigation, relying instead on seasonal rainfall and working the soil in such a way that it holds on to water for the drier months. (Thursday May 5th, 2016 — The Guardian - UK)

Chad Love Lieberman Explains Anthroposophical Therapeutic Arts Renowned psychologist and art therapist Chad Love recently held a session to delve into the inner process of Anthroposophical Therapeutic artistry (ATA) and its applications to art therapy. "Established in 1921, ATA came from Anthroposophy which is a philosophy pushed by ATA founder Dr. Rudolf Steiner. The philosophy advocates for the freedom of every human being," he began by explaining that ATA was about the application of holistic treatment and approaches through artistry that draws inspiration from the processes and rhythms present in nature. (Thursday May 5th, 2016 — Digital Journal )

Art show on global tour stops in Hudson The Camphill Foundation, which has communities across the world from Scotland to Vietnam, started working on the World Wide Weave in 2014, and it has since been displayed at the Scottish Parliament, Dublin City Hall and the Winchester Cathedral. (Wednesday May 4th, 2016 — The Register Star - Hudson, New York USA)

Camphill Village Trust’s to expand its social care offering through Shared Lives Social care charity Camphill Village Trust has announced its intention to extend its support model by developing a Shared Lives care and support programme. The charity, which supports adults with learning disabilities, mental health problems and other support needs, plans a phased development of this well-established model over the next three to four years. It will complement the work of the charity’s nine existing communities and widen the support and housing opportunities the charity offers across England. Camphill Village Trust’s Shared Lives scheme will recruit, assess and approve local people to become Shared Lives carers. (Wednesday May 4th, 2016 — ResponseSource (press release) )

The Energy Revolution Is Actually Happening Right Now U.S. solar is generating the amount of electricity used by the entire state of Pennsylvania. And that contribution is only growing: By the end of 2016, there will be twice as much solar as there was in 2014. (Wednesday May 4th, 2016 — Think Progress - USA)

Beyond Our Narrow Limits Rudolf Steiner gave indications how each verse in the Calendar of the Soul is to be moved in eurythmy, the art of harmonious movement. His verse that inspired these week’s sparks, holds a special place in my heart: with four of my classmates, we performed it in July of 2014 in Dornach, Switzerland, at the gathering of the graduates from eurythmy schools world-wide. The Steiner’s form is a harmonious co-existence of a square, a triangle, circles, six-pointed and five-pointed stars. (Monday May 2nd, 2016 — Huffington Post - USA)