Barcelona based company Arkyne Technologies have taken renewable energy to a new level: the soil and roots of a plant. They came up with a way of charging your phone via plant photosynthesis. The leaves are used like solar panels where sunshine turns carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and organic compounds. Then, there are microorganisms (or bacteria) inside the pot that break down the compounds into electrons. All you have to do is plug your device into the undercover pebble designed USB port and charge up. It can provide up to 3 full charges a day. The product is...

For thousands of years, quinoa was cultivated in the Andes by the Incas, who considered it as the sacred crop of the gods and the “mother of all grains” (hence the name Mothergrain). Launched in 2011, Quinola Mothergrain is an organic and Fairtrade brand, sourcing and producing the finest quinoa there is. Grown and harvested at 4000 meters on the Peruvian Altiplano, Quinola is produced using sustainable farming techniques. The founder, James Livingstone-Wallace, helps in the development of the cooperative through the purchase of tractors, trucks and other material to facilitate harvesting and sorting the grains before getting them to...

The Nutrition Journal published a conclusion on the benefits of getting iron from vegetable sources as opposed to meat sources in its July 2013 issue. Basically iron helps as an antioxidant in our bodies. Antioxidants help to reduce stresses and damage to cells, so generally a good thing for your health.

Today, the biggest source of protein intake in the Western diet (mainly Europe and the USA) is meat. There’s not a thought spared for legumes, pulses or vegetables, including vegetable proteins.  The problem with consuming animal protein is that it has serious consequence for both us  the planet we inhabit. If we want to continue to enjoy our beautiful planet in the future, we seriously need to rethink our diet and balance our sources of protein. Our over-consumption of meat doesn’t only have negative effects on our health but also on the planet. Our love of meat is one of...