globalbriefs


News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.


Botanical Breakthrough Oregano Oil Proves a Safe Antibiotic for Poultry


In many large commercial chicken farms, the animals are fed antibiotics to keep them healthy and fight off in- fections. But due to consumer demand, McDonald’s has eliminated antibiotics used in human medicine from its entire restaurant chicken supply. Meanwhile, a farm in Pennsylvania


owned by Scott Sechler is among the first to rely solely on a mix of oregano


oil and cinnamon in the treatment and care of its chickens. In addition to being completely natural, oregano oil supplies the chickens with health advantages, producing a much higher quality of natural chicken in a far more humane method than that attained using antibiotics. Like antibiotics, the oil assists the chickens in battling any infections, reducing the number of birds lost to disease. Bob Ruth, president of another Pennsylvania farming business, has been testing oregano on his pigs for six months to see if it can outperform prescription antibiotics. Related problems arise when animals live in dirty conditions, making them more susceptible to infections and viruses, which can also be triggered by insufficient cleansing of slaughterhouses that must be hosed down and completely sanitized after each act of butchery. He thinks that drugs should not be a requirement if the farmers keep things tidy.


Raw Hide A Veggie Leather Alternative


Researchers from Iowa State University have developed a new form of synthetic leather using cellulose fibers taken from kombucha tea, along with vinegar and sugar, made in shallow plastic tanks. When a colony of bacteria and yeast is added, the material grows on the top of the liq- uid’s surface, where it can be harvested and dried. The researchers have successfully used the material to make prototype garments, including shoes and a vest. It’s 100 percent biodegradable, so when the fabric gets wet, it softens and becomes less durable; in very low temperatures, it can become brittle. Young-A Lee, Ph.D., associate professor of apparel, merchandising and design


at Iowa State University, in Ames, says, “Fashion, to most people, is an ephemeral expression of culture, art and technology, manifesting itself in practical form. Fashion companies keep producing new materials and clothing, from season to season, year to year, to fulfill consumers’ desires and needs. Think about where these items eventually go. They will take up tremendous underground spaces of the Earth, like other trash.”


Spanish designer Carmen Hijosa has created Piñatex, another faux-leather product made from pineapple leaf fibers as a more sustainable and cruelty-free alternative. She acted after seeing how leather tanneries operate.


Source: News.iastate.edu


Clean Jeans Laundry Machines Boost School Attendance


Kids in middle schools with atten- dance problems may simply lack clean clothes to wear. An experi- ment by the Whirlpool company has taken on the issue with signifi- cant results. The Whirlpool Care Counts


Program donated 17 pairs of wash- ers and dryers to school districts in St. Louis and Fairfield, California. Kids with attendance problems were asked to bring their laundry to be cleaned while they were in class. Each student had approxi- mately 50 loads of laundry done at school during the year, and more than 90 percent increased their attendance, with at-risk students attending almost two more weeks in class. Whirlpool is now expanding the program.


Compared to factors such as economic opportunity, unemploy- ment and institutional racism, laun- dry might seem inconsequential, but for a 10-year-old facing stacked odds, having nothing clean to wear could be the deciding factor in whether or not they want to face their classmates that day. Seventh-grade teacher Alison


Guernsey, in Fairfield, says, “One of my students had more or less with- drawn from school completely. After we started the program, he was more excited about coming and started to actively engage in class. He didn’t feel like an outsider anymore.”


natural awakenings March 2017 11


Bukhanovskyy/Shutterstock.com


Igor Gorelchenkov/Shutterstock.com


Jessie Eldora Robertson/Shutterstock.com


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