BY MARY-ELIZABETH HARMON
Founding Mother, Chard & Stripes
Have you ever fallen hard for a newspaper piece?
I did recently for this visual guide to helping the planet in the Washington Post.
Some lines I loved:
“Don’t worry about the whole earth. … Worry about the piece of earth you can influence.”
“A planter on an apartment balcony can be a life-staving stop [for a pollinating butterfly].”
“But a lawn is a desert.”
What’s more… “Lawns are the largest irrigated crop in the United States — greater than corn.” And besides drinking lots of water, lawns require fertilizers and pesticides that don’t stay contained but pollute other places.
Native plants, in contrast, require much less fertilizer and water, while providing food for insects that help propagate the food we eat.
Check out the guide for tips on turning your lawn into a garden and picking the right plants. Mother Earth (and the butterflies, birds and bees) will thank you for it.
Now a tip for slowing cognitive decline
A study found that folks 65+ who took a multivitamin for 3 years slowed their cognitive decline by 60% (1.8 years). And that was with Centrum Silver, which isn’t the best quality multi on the market.
I’m not crazy about the plastic packaging, but I’ve been giving my Mom this multivitamin and mineral supplement since she was about 88 (she’s 92 now), and she swears it helped her memory and recall.
And sistergirl is probably better at complex puzzles than any of us.
Though the study didn’t check this, I’m imagining the benefits of taking a multi regularly pre-65.
Me, I forked over for a fancy multi in a glass jar but my pockets are in talks with me about that, so I may return to SmartyPants Vitamins. I took the one for chicks 50+.
(I don’t mess with gummies because of the sugar content.)
When my money flow picks up, I’m going for Bio-Avail Multi (in glass).
Finally, for my extra shot of minerals, I take this from Upgraded Formulas.
Alright y’all. Stay sharp.
Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Harmon is a scientist turned storyteller and Founding Mother of Chard & Stripes, a “school” of prosperity making and word-of-mouth marketing platform for kind people, products and businesses in food, fashion & more. Subscribe to her newsletter here.