I love Ryann. I really do.

I love the line because the designer loves what she does. So says her site:

“I began Ryann in the summer of 2005, with the idea to use fashion as a platform for environmental and social issues. I was not a scientist, but could use what I knew and loved to help make a difference and get a conversation going with issues that were so important to me. I wanted Ryann to be an example of a business run with love, creativity, responsibility and …

Buzzzzzzzzzz. These little pollinators are a boon to gardeners, helping edible crops and ornamental plants flourish – and while they may send you running for the house, they’re way more interested in nectar than in you.

It does take time and effort, but the rewards of keeping bees are sweet. Almost too sweet – many backyard beekeepers end up with so many gallons of honey, they don’t know what to do with it all. But who doesn’t want another excuse to make sticky baked goods like honey buns?

So, why not come …

It may appear too good to be true, but your doctor could soon be prescribing dark chocolate to bust stress levels.

A clinical trial recently published by the Journal of Proteome Research details the study, which provides strong evidence that a daily consumption of 1.5 ounces of dark chocolate during a period of two weeks is sufficient to modify metabolic changes in stress hormones.

The clinical trial was performed on 30 human subjects who were classified into low and high anxiety traits using validated psychological questionnaires. Biological fluids (urine and blood …

In his State of the Union address, President Obama praised the millions of Americans who are helping strangers in Haiti with quake relief efforts that extend from high profile celebrity telethons to boxes of first aid supplies. Our sister company, eco-retailer VivaTerra, has joined in the effort by donating up to $10,000 in profits from the sale of its Haitian-made products to aid 500 artisans and their families.

The money will be sent directly to Caribbean Craft, an organization set up to employ and give assistance …

First our gardens stretched horizontally (quite popular, that technique) – and then we had the vertical variety. What’s between the two?

If Chicago decor designers Unison have their way, diagonal gardening is the next big thing, and very clever it is, too. Riffing wildly on the millenia-old designs of terraces and ladders, the Kiikku Planter is a tiered walnut frame you prop against one wall and fill with pots of your favourite foliage. It uses your room’s vertical space, but keeps each plant separate from its …

National Super Bowl ads have been universally fun or relatable through the years, making up for their glib materialism with some entertainment value and giving fans of pop culture but not the sport a reason to watch. Cute frogs croaked for beer (“Bud-wei-ser!”) and babies sang off-key (eTrade) in memorable campaigns.

But this year, CBS and the Super Bowl – which drew more than 95 million viewers in 2009 – are kicking up political dust allowing an anti-abortion ad in the national broadcast. The first religious-political ad CBS has …

The gray of winter calls for warm and hearty soups, but what about ones that aren’t made with animal stock? We’ve rounded up some of the best vegetarian soup recipes on the web, full of delicious flavors and packed with great ingredients that are good for your body. They’re sure to warm up your kitchen with wonderful aromas and keep you feeling healthy and full of energy. If you’re feeling extra creative, we even added in some tips on concocting your own veggie soup recipes at the bottom. Bon appetit!

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Raccoon dogs are bred, tortured, smashed to the ground and skinned alive in China. The unspeakable methods used amount to animal abuse in the most inconceivable way possible and you might be unwittingly endorsing it by simply buying a so-called faux fur jacket at Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Burlington Coat Factory and dozens of other stores that simply ignore the Federal Fur Products Labeling Act.

It seems it’s easy for retailers to slide by the labeling clauses of the act, despite the fact unsuspecting …