Our Monday green news bring you the latest on nutrition, good causes and child education:
Photo courtesy of Narva3 via Flickr
- Not all herbal supplements are what they claim to be: Canadian researchers recently tested 44 bottles of popular herbal supplements such as Echinacea, St.Johns Wort and others sold by twelve different companies in stores and outlets in Canada and the United States, using a test called DNA barcoding. They found that many were far from what they claimed to be: the capsules labeled as medicinal herbs were often diluted or even entirely replaced by cheap fillers like soybean, wheat or rice.
- Over one million American K-12 students are homeless: The latest report on homeless students released by the Department of Education showed a concerning number: for the 2011-12 school year more than 1.2 million K–12 students were reported as homeless. This estimate is even considered lower than the actual number since many children try really hard to hide their homelessness due to embarrassment among others, and parents do their best so they don’t lose their children. Most states reported an increase in the number of homeless students from the previous year, making this jump nearly 75 percent nationwide since the recession began. These shocking numbers are evidence that whatever improvements are happening within the economy, they might not be reaching the poorest families.
- Valuable lessons we can learn from animals: There are many valuable lessons we can learn from our animals friends and incorporate these lessons into our own lives. These lessons are especially important for children who are just beginning to learn about important life values, such as forgiveness, generosity, trust and unconditional love. Animals can be truly inspirational role models so it’s important to have children exposed to animal friendship and love.
