By Dr. Heather Stein - Dr. Wallace S. Broecker, an eminent geologist at Columbia's Earth Science Institute, may challenge the oft-cited claim that the world's rainforests are responsible for 20% of the global oxygen supply, but there is no doubt that the loss of our rainforests to deforestation threatens all of us. Broecker points out that the "extra oxygen" produced by these ecosystems with year-round humid and warm conditions is offset by the other life forms in the environment -- animals, insects, fungi, and of course bacteria. The biodiversity of...

By Dr. Heather Stein - "If I couldn't, three times a day, be allowed to drink my little cup of coffee, in my anguish I will turn into a shriveled-up roast goat." -- Bach, "The Coffee Cantata" (c.1735) We've come to think of coffee as the quintessential modern drink. Fancy machinery, precise measuring, and long-distance supply chains are characteristic elements of one of today's most popular beverages. Indeed, although it may not be the “second-most traded commodity after oil” as one coffee shop chain’s CEO recently told Congress, global trade...

By Dr. Heather Stein - Over 4000 species of bees are native to North America. Bumblebees, digger bees, carpenter bees -- to name but a few -- pollinate not only as many as 75% of the plants that grow on our hillsides and in our forests, but also many of the crops that grow in our fields and home gardens -- like pumpkins, tomatoes, and blueberries. The imported honey bee, however, is responsible for the bulk of our agricultural needs. Indeed, California's almond crop alone relies on over 2 million colonies...

  -By Dr. Heather Stein-  Easy Aromatherapy Plants have always played an essential component in healing and medicine across cultures and eras.  Aromatherapy is just one of the many branches of such ancient and established methods of curing both mind and body of ailments, and essential oils are they basic building block of an aromatherapist’s toolbelt. Because the olfactory receptors in our noses transmit information to our hypothalamus – the part of the brain that controls, among other functions, feelings of hunger, anger, and sexual desire -- aroma allows us...

   -By Dr. Heather Stein-  When midsummer finally arrives and my neighbors’ gardens begin producing mountains of tomatoes, zucchinis and other fresh yummies, I inevitably regret not having invested more in my outdoor space. Herbs to the rescue! Whether you’re an amateur chef, DIY beauty product chemist or just want to enjoy the fruits of the long, hot days, it’s not too late to acquire some already sprouted aromatic greens for a flower box or containers on your balcony. What to Grow Parsley, thyme, basil and chive will grow happily...