Did you know that the National Football League (NFL) is preparing to plant thousands of trees in Arizona's wildfire-damaged forests to offset the 350 tons of greenhouse gas emissions expected to be produced by the upcoming Superbowl? In addition, they will turn to wind, solar and geothermal energy sources for the event's location, the University of Phoenix Stadium and the adjacent NFL theme park. This is the fourth year they've taken action to compensate for their carbon emissions.

Whether you approve of carbon offsets or not, the fact that the NFL is taking notice, and taking responsibility, is a step in the right direction.

Fewer than 50 percent of Americans are getting adequate levels of five important nutrients, according to the updated Community Nutrition Map (CNP), hosted by the USDA Agricultural Research Service.

Searchable by state, the CNP also lists nationwide statistics. The following intake levels show the percentage of the U.S. population that gets adequate quantities of these nutrients:

Vitamin A: 45.7%
Calcium: 44.1%
Potassium: 23.4%
Fiber: 21.4%
Vitamin E: 18.6%

Nutrient deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of chronic disease. To find out which foods contain the highest amounts of these nutrients, search the USDA's National Nutrient Database.

Garlic (allium sativum) is packed full of health-promoting power. It's famous for being one of our most powerful natural health allies. It can be used in poultices and teas or in direct applications. Or you can enjoy more of it in all your favorite foods. In fact, nearly everyone would benefit from a generous boost of garlic in the daily diet, because it...

• is a potent antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal and immune-boosting herb
• can be used to treat wounds, infections and sties
• improves circulation
• treats ulcers
• attacks cold germs and flu viruses
• prevents and treats respiratory and throat problems, such as chronic bronchitis, sinusitis, sore throat, tonsillitis and pneumocystis pneumonia
• alleviates allergy symptoms
• retards inflammatory reactions
• can be used directly to treat burns and insect bites and stings
• treats earaches and ear infections
• helps prevent altitude sickness
• is effective at treating breastfeeding-related mastitis with the added bonus of not introducing antibiotics into baby's milk
• helps babies nurse better
• reduces high cholesterol levels
• helps control blood sugar levels
• lowers high blood pressure
• helps prevent ischemic stroke (If you're concerned about hemorrhagic stroke, avoid anti-clotting herbs.)
• helps prevent heart disease and heart attacks
• helps prevent angina and congestive heart failure
• reduces ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation of cardiac arrhythmia
• treats athlete's foot and other fungal infections
• treats vaginal yeast infections (candidiasis), thrush and vaginitis
• helps prevent some types of cancer
• helps prevent migraines
• helps treat both types of herpes virus
• treats pinworms, roundworms, giardia (an amoeba) and other parasitic infections
• contains more blood-thinnning anticoagulants (9) than any other herb
• may help slow physiological aging and age-related memory loss
• helps prevent opportunistic infections of AIDS, and may inhibit spread of HIV in the body
• helps reduce the leg pain associated with peripheral vascular disease
• fights tuberculosis and enhances the action of standard antibiotics in fighting off tuberculosis bacteria

Learn more about how and why garlic is such a nutrition powerhouse in the following resources:

Basic garlic nutrition info

Really in-depth garlic nutrition info (from James A. Duke, Ph.D.)

Keep Cholesterol in Check (from the Mother Earth News Amazin' Archive)

The Green Pharmacy by Dr. James A. Duke, Ph.D. (Rodale, 1997; available at Mother Earth Shopping)

Dr. Duke's Essential Herbs by James A. Duke, Ph.D. (St. Martin's Paperbacks, 2001)

Garlic: The Science and Therapeutic Application of Allium Sativum and Related Species by Heinrich P. Koch, Ph.D. (Williams & Wilkins, 1996)

10 Essential Herbs for Lifelong Health by Barbara Heller (E-book available from Mother Earth Shopping)

Growing and Using Garlic by Glenn Andrews (E-book available from Mother Earth Shopping)

Who said computer games are mind-numbing and counterproductive? We've stumbled across one that helps you hone your vocabulary skills while providing food aid to those in need.

FreeRice is a nonprofit Web site where visitors can play a vocabulary game. Each time a player selects the correct meaning for a given word, 20 grains of rice are donated to the United Nations World Food Program, which works with more than 1,000 organizations in more than 75 countries. Revenue gained from advertising sales pays for the rice.

The game automatically adjusts to your vocabulary level, then allows you to advance as your skill level improves. It's fun — give it a try!

Some estimates predict that Americans will generate 5 million tons of Christmas garbage this year, including all those greeting cards that get tossed out once the new year has arrived. So why not go the paperless route with your holiday greeting cards? You can send a fun, friendly and free holiday e-card to all your friends and family, courtesy of Mother Earth News magazine.

To view the animated electronic greeting, click here.

To send the greeting to your friends and family, click here.

Happy Green Holidays!

In lieu of federal regulations banning toxic chemicals from consumer products, several states recently made headlines for their own efforts.

News broke earlier this week that Minnesota passed a ban on mercury in personal care products, such as mascara, that's slated to take effect Jan. 1. As we've previously discussed, personal care products in America often contain ingredients linked to cancer and hormonal problems. And while the European Union passed the REACH law regulating unsafe chemicals, many U.S. manufacturers still make chemical-laden products for domestic customers, and cleaner versions for European sales.

This week, the governor of Maine said he plans to include task force recommendations in his 2008 legislative package that call for reducing toxic chemicals in consumer products. Maine's government is also opting for greener cleaners and less pesticides in state-owned buildings.

In 2007, California began a green chemistry initiative to reduce hazardous substances in products. And last year the state passed a bill to create a biomonitoring program, designed to establish baselines levels of environmental contaminants among its citizens, that can guide future decision making.

While these efforts should be heartily applauded, one can't help wonder whether nationwide regulations would be easier for companies to comply with, and also be easier to enforce?

If you're like many American for whom the holiday season has become more stressful than merry, maybe you could use a good dose of laughter.

A healthy chuckle may be good for your heart by increasing blood flow, according to a study by the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Another small study conducted at Loma Linda University in Southern California showed that laughter actually altered participants' blood chemistry and pumped up their immune systems. While not many studies on laughter have been done, presumably because it can't be bottled and sold, caring clowns have long extolled the virtues of a good belly laugh.

That said, my favorite site to visit when I need a chuckle was introduced to the MOTHER staff by one of our awesome interns, Jamie. Do you have a favorite clean joke site? Post a link below!

Every year, on December 13 and 14, you can count on some spectacular (and free) entertainment from Mother Nature. It's the Geminid meteor shower, and it's a definite must-see.

According to NASA, you will begin to see them after 10 p.m. Thursday night, and the shower will accelerate as we approach dawn on Friday the 14^th.

This is my favorite meteor shower of the year, because cold December temperatures usually make for clear, crisp skies. Plus, it's different than the others. Did you know that most meteor showers spawn from comet debris trails? Not the Geminids — this is a highly unusual circumstance in which the particles shooting through Earth's atmosphere actually belong to an asteroid named 3200 Phaethon. Asteroids usually don't have debris trails, and no one is certain why this one does.

The differences don't stop there. The asteroid is classified a 'potentially hazardous' near-Earth-asteroid that comes within 2 million miles of Earth's orbit. That doesn't mean you should start looking for fallout shelters from the Cold-War, just that it may be visible from backyard telescopes.

Click here for more information.

It seems like only yesterday.

When that fuzzy little polar bear emerged into the world (of captivity, but a miracle no less) he was immediately adored by all. This week, he turned one year old. Even though he celebrated in Germany, you all can join in the fun through this great set of photos.

The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a proposal to list the polar bear as 'threatened' on the federal register under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, the decision for which will be determined in January 2008.

Ever wonder why more people catch the flu in wintertime? Well you're not alone. The pesky flu virus is more stable in cold air that contains low levels of humidity, according to the study conducted at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. And since the flu virus spreads through the air, unlike colds which are spread through direct contact, more people are likely to catch the flu bug during winter.

See the New York Times article for an interesting discussion of how modern researchers found clues to aid their study design in a paper published after the flu pandemic of 1918.

And read Natural, Effective Remedies for Colds and Flu in the current issue of Mother Earth News for more on warding off winter illnesses.