Ditch the Lawn, Grow a Garden!

At most, fruits and vegetables cause 2% reduction in disease

(NEWSER) - Eating your fruits and veggies has many health benefits, but a dramatic reduction in the likelihood of cancer isn't one of them, a new study finds. The results dispute claims made by nutrition authorities that increased vegetable intake could slash cancer rates by 50%. In fact, Mount Sinai researchers found that an extra two portions of fruit and vegetables would, in the best case, prevent 2.6% of cancers in men and 2.3% of cases in women. More»

President bans beets from veggie plot

(NEWSER) - Michelle Obama and kids from a Washington elementary school got their hands dirty today, Newsday reports, breaking ground for a vegetable garden on the White House lawn. The garden, the first on the grounds since World War II, will feature many veggies—but not beets, at the president’s request. The first family intends to cook some of the veggies and donate the rest to a local soup kitchen. More»

Going outside would be a good first step

(NEWSER) - Summer is the perfect season to turn your rugrats into ecomaniacs, as warm weather and school vacations collide. Grist lists some basic steps to green up your family’s summer:

1. Get outside: The best way to commune with nature is to experience it first-hand, but the time kids spend outdoors has shrunk by half over the past 20 years.

Thanks to subsidies and surplus, going green is paying off

(NEWSER) - Sunny days are here to stay for solar homes with roof-top panels, Forbes reports. Such green abodes can cover electricity costs in warm months and store enough to sell solar power to the grid for profit. Installation is expensive but viable thanks to government subsidies, especially in California, New Jersey and Tennessee; California offers a 30% tax credit for installing the “photovoltaic” panels. More»