Chelsea Green Blog
Business & Economy
Herbal Medicine: Knowledge Rooted in Connection
Using herbal medicine to heal the body is an ancient practice. It has since become a worldwide industry. Today, modern-day doctor’s visits and industrial medicine have displaced common knowledge of herbal medicine. Some still remember the ancient practice. In her book Following the Herbal Harvest, Ann Armbrecht interviews one such person, Phyllis Light, a fourth-generation…
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Mass Layoffs: Destructiveness and Doubt
Addressing the pressing issues affecting everyday Americans is essential—and one of our nation’s most profound challenges is the devastating impact of mass layoffs. Layoffs upend people’s lives, cause enormous stress, and lead to debilitating personal debt. The societal harm caused by mass layoffs has been known for decades. Yet, we do little to stop them.…
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Designing Leather Goods: Cutting & Shaping
In a personal investigation into ethical and traceable leather, fashion designer Alice Robinson begins a ground-breaking journey into the origin story of leather and its connection to food and farming. Keep reading to learn more about her process of cutting & shaping leather to create handbags, shoes, clothing, and more! The following is an excerpt from…
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About Time: What Makes Time Such A Valuable Resource
We’ve all heard of the phrases “time flies” and “time heals all wounds,” but what really is time, and how does it impact our lives? The concept of time may be even more powerful than we think, especially when it comes to the money we save and spend. The following is an excerpt from The…
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History of The Seed Sovereignty Movement: Reclaiming the Seed
Vandana Shiva has been described in many ways: the “Gandhi of Grain,” “a rock star” in the battle against GMOs, and “the most powerful voice” for people of the developing world. For over four decades she been at the forefront of seed saving, seed sovereignty, and connecting the dots between the destruction of nature, the polarization…
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Making the Great Resignation Even Greater
People are quitting their jobs and retiring at an alarming rate all over the country. Dubbed “the great resignation,” this change in the American workforce is causing shortages and supply chain issues in many sectors, from healthcare to retail. The following is an excerpt from Scanned by Nick Corbishley. It has been adapted for the…
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The BIG Difference Between Small Farms and Big Business
In the herbal medicine industry, due to a lack of quality checkers, it’s easy for any business to be certified “organic”. There is a big difference between small farms and big business, though, as author Ann Armbrecht discovers. The following is an excerpt from Following the Herbal Harvest by Ann Armbrecht. It has been adapted for…
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Want to Become an Herbalist? Drawbacks of the Herbal Renaissance
From tulsi to turmeric, echinacea to elderberry, medicinal herbs are big business—but do they deliver on their healing promise—to those who consume them, those who provide them, and the natural world? If you’re interested in become an herbalist, check out this insight to get started. The following is an excerpt from Following the Herbal Harvest…
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Medicine as a Process, Not a Product
What do you picture when you think of medicine? Pharmacy shelves filled with plastic bottles promising cures to your every ailment? A doctor’s office? Whatever you think of, you probably don’t picture fields of medicinal herbs or bookshelves covered in jars of amber-colored liquid or trained hands drying leaves and cutting roots. What if, at…
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Big Bang 2: The Debtonator
(Photo: The ‘debt in transit’ van, filled with paper notes representing £1.2 million of toxic debt, mid-explosion: Big Bang 2. Credit: Graeme Truby.) Art hacks life when two filmmakers launch a project to cancel more than £1m of high-interest debt from their local community. Bank Job is a white-knuckle ride into the dark heart of…
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Abolishing Debt
In May 2019, in the shadow of London’s financial district, Canary Wharf, a golden Ford transit van explodes. After years of planning, this is the final act that cancels $1.5 million of high interest ‘toxic debt’ for one London community. This ‘Big Bang 2’ was the culmination of an art project by filmmaker and artist…
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The Money Machine of the 1% — How to Break Free
“Breaking free of the 1% and their constructs is not just possible, it has become necessary. It is a human necessity because participating in a world of limitless greed, profit, violence and power robs us of our humanity.” —VANDANA SHIVA We can seed another future when we deepen our democracies, reclaim our commons and regenerate…
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A Conversation with Paul Hawken
Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, author, and activist who has dedicated his life to environmental sustainability and changing the relationship between business and the environment. He is a member of Ray Anderson’s original EcoDreamTeam. The following is an excerpt from Mid-Course Correction Revisited by Ray C. Anderson and John A. Lanier. It has been…
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Hemp Can Do That: The Forgotten History of Hemp Cultivation
The stat sheet on hemp sounds almost too good to be true: its fibers are among the planet’s strongest, its seed oil the most nutritious, and its potential as an energy source vast and untapped. Our extensive use of hemp may seem like a hot new trend, but hemp is actually inextricably intertwined with human…
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American Hemp Farmer: An Interview with Doug Fine
Investigative journalist, farmer, and goat herder Doug Fine has been writing about hemp for 26 years. Author of Hemp Bound and Too High to Fail, he believes that hemp can lead the way toward a new, regenerative economy. In this interview with Chelsea Green, Fine gives us the straight dope on one of the world’s…
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A Dictionary for Our Times
How would you define the word “Empowered”? Before you run to the dictionary, we’re not talking about the straight definition; what we mean is, what does it mean to be empowered in today’s society. Read on for short extracts from Lean Logic that speak to these times of crisis. The following is an excerpt from…
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Oil, Power, and War: Our Complicated History
When we reflect on the history of the world and the progress of human society, it’s incredible to think about where we started and where we are today. We’ve innovated, we’ve discovered, we’ve grown, we’ve developed. But at what cost? Oil, Power, and War to be released in paperback February 4, 2020. The following is…
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Our Top Blog Articles of 2019: A Look Back
Ah, 2019 – how the time flies! The end of the year is always a little bit nostalgic, and as the year comes to an end, we’re taking stock of what our community has found most useful. If there’s one thing (or two) we know about our readers, it’s that they love growing food and…
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We Become More Human as We Become More Mindful
Connections drive our society forward. When we connect with others we come to a better understanding of what it means to be human. It’s important to take a moment, slow down, be mindful, and look inward, especially during times of great stress. The following is an excerpt from The Art of Leading Collectively by Petra…
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Soil to Soil: Our Environmental Impact
When you think of the impact you have on the environment, your first thought may be the waste you produce or the emissions from your car; but have you ever taken a step back and thought about the clothes you wear? A lot of the clothing produced in today’s society is just as harmful to…
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The Importance of Carbon Farming
To get a sense of how carbon farming could positively affect global warming, imagine ten ranches, approximately three-hundred acres each, implementing carbon farming and achieving a conservative per acreage carbon sequestration rate. At this scale, the net gains of CO2 removed from the atmosphere (over 20 years) is equal to the emissions that 25,532 passenger…
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The Cost of Our Clothes
Clothes cost more than the number on the price tag. Some clothes contain toxic ingredients that are harmful to manufacturers, consumers, and the environment. The textile industry produces billions of products annually which are often worn few times then discarded improperly, resulting in massive amounts of resource wasting. The following is an excerpt from Fibershed…
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The Future of Sustainable Fashion: A “Farm-to-Closet” Vision
Rebecca Burgess has coined a new term for sustainable fashion that represents a not so new idea: fibershed. Centuries before the advent of fast fashion and the multimillion-dollar fashion industry, functional fibersheds were everywhere. As a means of protection, spiritual identity, gender, adornment, societal rank, personal style, and modesty, people sourced their fibers from the…
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The Story and Legacy of a Radical Industrialist and his Quest for Authentic Change
Ray C. Anderson’s Mid-Course Correction, originally published 20 years ago, became the definitive case study for sustainable business. Now fully updated and expanded for the twenty-first century, Mid-Course Correction Revisited includes new chapters penned by Anderson’s grandson, John A. Lanier. The following is an excerpt from Mid-Course Correction Revisited by Ray Anderson & John Lanier.…
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Cool It Down: Using Fire to Cool the Earth
Albert Bates is one of the founders of the intentional community and ecovillage movements. A lawyer, scientist, and teacher, he has taught village design, appropriate technology, and permaculture to students from more than sixty countries. Kathleen Draper routinely collaborates with biochar experts from around the globe as a board member of the International Biochar Initiative…
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