biodiversity - Our Green Health

What is Permaculture Farming, and Why can it Save Biodiversity?

26/10/202117/05/2021 by Tom van Oosterhout

What is permaculture farming? Although permaculture is often associated with the replication of nature, design principles are at the heart of permaculture farming. It’s one of the most challenging types of farming we know.

If only because permaculture farming contrasts highly with conventional, industrial farming in which non-renewable resources are used, air, land, and water are poisoned, biodiversity is destroyed, and the soil eroded.

Sustainable and organic farming is closely related to permaculture: the continuation of all life systems is supported (the earth component), as well as community life (the people component), and a fair share for everybody (the economic component).

Protect the 1.000.000 Endangered Species of the World

10/05/2021 by Tom van Oosterhout

Endangered species of the world. Hardly a day goes by or we talk about only one endangered species of the world: humans. It’s as if the pandemic totally closed us off from the rest of the world.

Biodiversity declines at an unmatched rate. Only fundamental changes can protect the 1.000.000 endangered plant and animal species of the world. Vested interests must be overturned.

We tend to forget that the survival of species, including us humans, depends on the ecosystems in which biosystems live. The most vulnerable species are threatened the most severely. This includes all of the poorest humans who live on this planet.

Attract Wildlife to our Garden to Promote Biodiversity in a Diverting Way

10/10/202130/04/2021 by Hannie Mommers

Global biodiversity is in decline. Apart from all the major culprits of this decline, the way we want our gardens to look is also contributing. So even when this is just a small share, why not attract wildlife to our garden to help biodiversity?

In narrow-occupied areas in the Netherlands and Spain, and probably in other countries as well, the owners tile their small stamp of a garden with ceramic tiles or even concrete slabs. There will certainly be insects and birds in such a bare area from time to time. However, they will be gone in no time.

Go for a Green Lifestyle and Invest in Powerful Future Generations

28/04/202128/04/2021 by Tom van Oosterhout

Why go for a green lifestyle and invest in future generations? Perhaps the more important question is, how to go for a green lifestyle. And why for future generations?

The answer to this second question is fairly simple. When we want to go for a green lifestyle, this can only be achieved with major disruptions to our personal lives. This is why we have to start to dream about our green future, and with this dream in mind make small steps to get there. But where do our dreams start?

Citizens Devoted to the Conservation of Biodiversity

01/03/202222/03/2021 by Tom van Oosterhout

The conservation of biodiversity appeals to many citizens. In this article, I introduce 2 examples of citizens initiatives, committed to the conservation of biodiversity: GREFA, a wildlife biodiversity initiative, and RMDS, an agricultural biodiversity initiative.

Because we live in Spain, the examples are Spanish. We’re convinced, however, that these types of citizen initiatives can be found everywhere.

GREFA is a citizens’ wildlife conservation intitiative: Grupo de Rehabilitación de la Fauna Autóctona y su Hábitat (Group for the Rehabilitation of Autochthonous Fauna and its Habitat).

Healthy Lifestyle: What are the Lifetime Benefits of Organic Food

28/01/202208/02/2021 by Tom van Oosterhout

The benefits of organic food are numerous. We buy and eat organic food, because it’s better for our environment, for biodiversity, for our food supply, for our health, and for farmers as well. How to explain all these advantages?

For us, to buy organic food is a way to contribute to a better world. With this in mind, we have no problem with the extra price we pay for organic food. It’s an investment that pays off immediately.

Organic food is in fact cheap because we hardly spend money on doctors or medication. We also enjoy investing in the devotion and enthusiasm of the organic farmers and shopkeepers we know. We admire their craftsmanship and their courage for going against the conventional farmers and food industry.

Unlock the Benefits of Reducing Food Waste with a Personal Food Plan

06/04/202204/01/2021 by Tom van Oosterhout

The best way to start to reduce food waste is by developing a Personal Food Plan. This plan helps you to reduce food waste by reflecting on why, what, when, how, and where you eat.

Your Personal Food Plan has many more advantages, but for now, I stick to the benefits of reducing food waste. Write your Personal Food Plan down on your laptop or mobile, or by hand in a journal.

I will explain the details of the plan in this article. At the bottom of the article, you find a link to an example of a Personal Food Plan.