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School Built By Thai “Solar Monk” Is Lighting Souls And Lighting Communities

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Brian Berletic – What if school not only taught you the basics like reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also how to build a community from the ground up? With these skills, you could specialize in any field from the humanities to science and technology, and apply them directly to improving your community and your country. That is precisely the concept driving Sisaengtham School (Facebook here), also known as the “Solar School.”

Sisaengtham School is open for high school-level students and was founded in 2010, focusing on self-sufficiency, the environment, and the principles and philosophy of Buddhism. Its founder, Prakruwimolpanyakhun (Monk-Teacher Wimolpanyakhun) also known as “the Solar Monk,” looked for the best way he could make an impact on both his community and his nation and decided founding a school would be the solution.

A good community starts with good people, and that is what Prakruwimolpanyakhun’s Sisaengtham School sets out to create. So dedicated to this goal, Prakruwimolpanyakhun sold his own home to raise money to build the school.

The school is situated near the temple he is the abbot of, located in the forest of Thailand’s northeastern Ubon Ratchathani province.

The first task the school set about accomplishing was improving literacy. Prakruwimolpanyakhun believed that no progress at all could be made in other areas if something as simple as reading and writing was still a challenge.

Solar Power, Organic Agriculture

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Why Should You Use Zucchini in Salads Like Its Famous Sibling, The Cucumber

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zucchinis
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Vineetha Reddy – We are all aware of the health benefits of cucumber. It has calorific value as low as 15 calories per 100g and hence does not contribute to weight gain. It has high fibre content and helps solve digestion problems. Cucumbers have high water content, so it helps detoxify your body as well as does not let you feel hungry. There is, however, one other fruit that resembles cucumber both in its nutritional values as well as its appearance. You guessed it correctly! It’s Zucchini! are a relative of the cucumber and belong to the Cucurbitaceae family. They are also called Courgette and are found in various shapes and sizes. Their colour ranges from light green to dark green and yellow! The peel of zucchini is dry and rough, unlike that of cucumber which is soft and waxy. Zucchinis have more nutritional value than cucumbers and are a great addition to salads. Here are some reasons why:

  1. High Folate Content: Folates or folic acid is a water soluble vitamin B essential for cell division and DNA (Deoxy-Ribonucleic Acid) synthesis, and zucchinis contain moderate amounts of folates. If you increase your daily intake of zucchinis during pregnancy, it can help reduce chances of birth defects of the central nervous system. Zucchinis also help your body metabolism, aid protein and nucleic acid synthesis. The proteins and nucleic acid helps in tissue formation and maintenance. Zucchinis are responsible for 6% of your recommended dietary allowance (RDA).

  2. Low Calorie And High Fibre: Zucchinis also have very low calorific value. They contain only 17 calories per 100g. So, if you are on a weight loss diet, you should think of zucchinis as your new best friend. They have no saturated cholesterol that can get deposited in your blood vessels and aggravate high blood pressure symptoms. Also, the peel has 3.2g of fibre per 100g, making zucchini a rich source of dietary fibre like fibre present in cabbage. Zucchinis, therefore, help reduce irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation and also minimises risks of colon cancer.

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Sustainability On Steroids: Organic Farmer Grosses $100K An Acre

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“3 main rules of soil health: Keep roots in the ground as much as possible, keep the soil covered as much as possible, and disturb the soil as little as possible.” – C Sarich

We need GMOs to feed the world like a fish needs dry land. A controversial farmer in California is proving that a veritable bumper crop can be had using new farming methods that don’t require GMO pesticides, herbicides, or even weeding, and require 10 times less water than the average farm. The best part – he earned $100K per acre last season without even harvesting all of his land.

What kind of super-fertilizer allows Paul Kaiser to grow so much food on a mere 8 acres? Lot’s of rotten food scraps and rotten plants – otherwise known as compost. And he uses loads of it.

He uses farming practices (both old and cutting-edge) so well that agricultural specialists from University of California at Davis who have tested his top soil can drive a four-foot steel pole all the way through his fields. This, as opposed to most parts of California, where it would hit infertile hard-pan in less than 12 inches.

Last year, Kaiser’s farm located in Sonoma Valley, CA grossed more than $100,000 an acre, too. This is ten times the average for most farmers of this area, even in lucrative wine-country. Continue reading →