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Thurston
Get Blog Posts As EmailsLast week Joe blogged about the health benefits of coconut, and this week we look into the health and beauty benefits of coconut oil. Skin Care/ Hair Care: Coconut oil is one of the best sources of natural nutrition for hair. It helps in healthy growth of hair and provides it with a healthy sheen. [...]
Coconut Oil
August 30th, 2010 by ManyaKnowing Your Neighbors
June 14th, 2010 by JoeColombia, Panama’s neighbors to the south, is as full of incredible resources as Panama is. We all know Colombia for its incredible coffee, but its supply of Guadua bamboo seems to be endless. I recently traveled to Armenia in the Quindío Region where it grows almost everywhere. The Colombians have become extremely resourceful using Guadua [...]
Green Walls – The Garden Goes Vertical
May 19th, 2010 by JerrodGreen Walls have been getting a lot of press lately, as in this great article by the NYtimes. They have been popping up everywhere and seem to be appearing on concepts for civic and private projects (see images) all over the world. Even this one, purportedly the largest in North America, and obviously sponsored (with [...]
Bamboozled
November 12th, 2009 by BenThe WSJ journal has an article today about the sustainability of bamboo clothing; as it turns out, bamboo clothing really isn’t sustainable once you factor in all the chemicals and processing involved in its production, and claims that it is are probably close to fraudulent. One of these days I might get around to blogging [...]
Fun with GIS
November 12th, 2009 by BenJerrod wrote an entry back in July about walking the proposed road that had been staked for us by our topographers. Walking it, and understanding the topography of the area as well as Design Workshops’s intent, I was suspicious that the stakes weren’t quite where they were supposed to be. That, combined with a few [...]
Sustainable Forestry Solutions
October 1st, 2009 by DavidLast week I discussed some of the deforestation that is happening throughout Panama. The depletion of rainforest is a very real problem with powerful socioeconomic repercussions. For instance, the deforestation of the Darien Jungle would open passage by land from Colombia, and all of South America, through Panama all the way to Alaska via the [...]
Deforestation
September 23rd, 2009 by DavidThe provinces of Los Santos and Herrera are considered the heartland of Panama. Many Panamanians trace their roots to these strongholds of Spanish settlement. It is in these areas where ranchers and cowboys tend to their cattle, where the best tipico music and food originate, where some of the greatest sense of national pride is [...]
Vertical Green
September 22nd, 2009 by FrancesRecently I read about a very interesting vision of the future. One that sees traditional “soil-based” farming as unsustainable long-term, and puts forth the idea of urban “vertical” farming, or Sky Farms. Take a look at this op-ed piece by Dr. Dickson D. Despommier in the online New York Times here. Despommier has a book [...]
Tree Climbing
September 9th, 2009 by DavidOn a trip to Costa Rica three years ago, I was taken on a jungle tour by an American expat biologist. He lived on the Osa Peninsula, not far from the Panamanian border and offered his diverse knowledge on the rainforest as his means of livelihood. I learned several interesting things on the trip and [...]
The World’s Medicine Cabinet
August 20th, 2009 by DavidThe rainforest is a curious place. To the naked eye, the monotony of green can be overwhelming. Traipsing around, looking high for monkeys and low for footholds, it’s easy to not see the forest for the trees. Externally, of course, the trees have entertaining personalities. Some are covered with large spikes. Strangler figs wrap their [...]