A support group and a lab in the St. Louis area provide resources for people with the allergy to mammal products — and evidence that its effects can be reversed.
Our partners at Reasons to be Cheerful explore challenges and collaborative, forward-thinking solutions transforming the Mississippi River Basin today.
Through stories of hope, rooted in evidence, Reasons to be Cheerful aims to inspire us all to be curious about how the world can be better, and to ask ourselves how we can be part of that change.
Hope your summer is going well and that you're getting out on your favorite lake or river – especially if it's the Mississippi or its many tributaries.
This week, we're sharing the first two stories of a new reporting project in the Mississippi River Basin. Our friends over at Reasons to be Cheerful are embarking on this series, called "Waterline," which will include a few familiar faces from the Ag & Water Desk. They share:
"At Reasons to be Cheerful, we report on smart, proven, replicable solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. Over the next six months, we’ll be exploring — across 12 stories — the many challenges and the collaborative, forward-thinking solutions transforming the Mississippi River Basin today.
We’re drawn to the basin as an ideal case study for solutions of all kinds. A place where commerce and conservation collide, it’s one of America’s most iconic natural features as well as one of its most threatened. In these stories, we’ll examine efforts to eradicate invasive species, convert grazing land into wildlife habitat, and make the region’s farms more welcoming to migratory birds."
The Mississippi Delta is full of fertile farmland, but the vast majority of it has long been devoted to commodity crops like soy and corn. Now, a number of new projects are emerging to support smaller farms and expand the market for locally grown produce, as a way to make more locally grown food available while giving the farmers a much-needed leg up.
At the Mississippi River Open School’s seasonal harvest education camps, students, academics and community organizers learn about traditional ecological knowledge that sustains local communities. This education is about more than just experiencing the beauty of the outdoors; it enables students to build a real-world relationship with the environment, which in turn stirs a sense of responsibility to protect it.
Michael again. We're excited to see where this project goes, and the Desk will be contributing some resources through the process. More to come there later this summer!
That's it for now. More next week from across the Basin.
