The ecological impact of raising cattle—and by extension, of eating beef—has become a fraught topic. One frequent concern is that meat production uses a lot of water and creates water pollution. What often gets lost, however, is that the impact varies greatly depending on how cattle are reared.

Where wildflowers bloom, the honey tastes better, the pheasants cackle, and the farmer’s soil holds its own against erosion! That’s the experience of Iowa farmer Eric Hoien, as he described to BioScience in 2023.

There are no cornfields in the Arctic, no acres of soybeans or wheat. It’s just caribou, polar bears, resilient human communities, and some of the most remote wilderness on Earth.^{1 2 3} So why are agricultural pesticides turning up in the air here?

“Housework can’t kill you, but why take a chance?”
— Phyllis Diller

Happy Earth Month to our friends and neighbors!

To celebrate our beautiful planet and the people who inhabit it, this edition of Think Wisely is focused on brands that are deeply committed to sustainable and regenerative values. Enjoy!

Spring is here, and we’ve finally been released from winter’s long, cold grasp. But while we may feel energized by the warm sun, our bodies may be in a vitamin D funk. After months of little-to-no sun exposure, our vitamin D levels are often at their lowest this time of year.

“Two roads diverged…” Robert Frost wrote in his famous poem “The Road Not Taken.” But side-stepping from Frost’s grand metaphor for life, let’s imagine two streets in a neighborhood: One is familiar, lined with look-alike lawns and shrubs; the other, a dazzling array of colors, shapes, and textures.

It’s Earth Month, neighbors!

We're excited to honor and bring awareness to the importance of our planet's health! It's a natural fit for us, because caring about the environmental impact of the products we sell is in our DNA—and we don't limit our care to just one month.

The coffee machine whirrs gently, roasted aromas waft through the kitchen, the mug warms your hands as you watch whisps of steam float upward—and then there’s the decadent flavor of this drink that enlivens the senses. It’s no wonder coffee is one of the most beloved beverages in the world.

The most widely used class of insecticides in the U.S., neonicotinoids (“neonics” for short), will “jeopardize the continued existence” of more than one in 10 endangered species in the country, according to a recent analysis.^{1 2} If that doesn’t surprise you, perhaps this will—although the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted the analysis, the agency believes the most commo

“Why should we tolerate a diet of weak poisons…?”
— Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

Dear Earth Watch Readers,

We’d like to close out another year with a review of positive happenings involving people and the planet. May we all be inspired to do the best we can with what we know, and nurture hope rooted in action and evidence!