Tag: plants

creativity

What a Corn Stalk’s DNA Taught Me About Solving the Climate Crisis

Christa Avampato
Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash

The urgent global challenge is feeding a rapidly growing population while fighting the uncertainty of climate change. As a storyteller and a biomimicry scientist, I often ask: How does nature solve a massive, existential crisis? The answer, it turns out, lies not in some distant super-technology, but in the subtle genius of a single plant cell.

New research from the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has illuminated a fundamental biological “master switch” in the DNA of food crops like corn, giving us an actual blueprint for creating a resilient, thriving future. This isn’t just botany; it’s a profound lesson in survival written right into the plant kingdom.

The Inner Wisdom of the Plant

Plant growth, from the deepest root to the ripest ear of corn, is governed by its stem cells—unspecialized cells that hold the potential to become any part of the plant. The challenge facing plant scientists has always been figuring out how to balance these cells: when should they grow and when should they specialize into, say, a fruit or a thick stalk?

In a breakthrough study, scientists mapped the gene expression in these cells, revealing the network of regulators that act as the plant’s precise internal control panel. This network balances growth and stress response, allowing the plant to strategically allocate its resources for survival.

This knowledge is a gift to us all because it shows how nature manages risk. A plant facing drought doesn’t just despair; it shifts resources to deepen its roots. A plant under pest attack doesn’t just succumb; it redirects energy to fortify its cell walls. It’s a marvelous, elegant system of risk mitigation through metabolic flexibility.

A Blueprint for Humanity’s Resilience

As my work focuses on biomimicry—integrating nature’s genius into the human world—I see in this discovery a direct path to solving our human challenge of food security. We are not meant to struggle endlessly against the elements; we are meant to learn from the masters of endurance.

This plant study provides us with three clear takeaways for building a better world:

  1. Precision over Force: Instead of overwhelming fields with more fertilizer and water, we can use this genetic knowledge to engineer plants to be more efficient—to use nitrogen more effectively and direct energy precisely where it’s needed most for resilience.
  2. Unlocking Latent Potential: We are now able to see and manipulate the plant’s own evolutionary solutions. We can develop crops with deep-seated, natural defenses against drought and disease, built on the plant’s own wisdom, not on chemical dependency.
  3. The Power of the Foundational System: The corn stalk teaches us that true resilience comes from perfecting the foundation. By understanding and replicating the simplest, deepest biological controls, we can build human systems that are robust and adaptable, just like an ecosystem.

A Brighter Future Ahead

This breakthrough is more than just a scientific finding; it is a fundamental shift in our relationship with nature. By finally decoding the genetic “master switch” that plants use to govern their own destiny, we are handed a powerful blueprint for survival. The challenge of global food security has never been greater, but this research proves that the solution is not an endless technological sprint, but a deeper engagement with the patient, profound wisdom of the living world. The era of resilient agriculture is not just on the horizon—it has already begun, written in the complex, hopeful language of a plant’s own DNA.

If you’re interested in learning more about how I apply nature’s genius to human challenges, check out my work on biomimicry here: Christa Avampato: Biomimicry Stories Can Help Us Build a More Sustainable World



Now, I want to hear from you: How can we apply the corn plant’s principle of ‘metabolic flexibility’ to urban planning in our own cities?

creativity

Ditch the Mower, Find the Wonder! 🌿 Your Guide to a Wild(ish) Lawn

Christa Avampato
Photo by Elisa on Unsplash

As spring flourishes in all its glory (hello, sunshine!), you might be eyeing that lawnmower with a familiar sigh. But what if I told you less work for you could mean more life in your lawn? This week, let’s talk about a trend that’s buzzing with benefits: letting your lawn go a little wild!

Forget the pressure of a perfectly manicured green carpet. In reality, that perfect lawn is nearly dead. A wilder lawn isn’t about letting things run completely rampant (unless that’s your jam!). It’s about consciously creating a more natural, vibrant, and wonderfully low-maintenance space that’s teeming with life. And that wild lawn has benefits for you, your bank account, wildlife, and this beautiful planet we all share.

Why Let Your Lawn Loosen Up? More Buzz, Less Fuss!

  • Become a Local Wildlife Hotspot: Think of it — your very own mini-nature reserve! Longer grasses and native “weeds” (I prefer “wildflowers-in-disguise” like clover and dandelions) become a five-star restaurant and hotel for bees, butterflies, ladybugs, and songbirds. You’ll be amazed at who shows up!
  • Kick Back & Relax (More!) and Save Money: Less mowing, less watering, less fertilizing… need we say more? A wilder lawn means more time for you to actually enjoy your outdoor space, not just work on it. And it also saves you money.
  • Better For You, Better for the Planet: Wild lawns are surprisingly powerful. Their diverse plant life helps soak up rainwater (reducing runoff), improves soil health, and even captures more carbon. You’ll also naturally reduce (or eliminate!) the need for chemical pesticides and fertilizers, which is a win for everyone. And again, it saves you money.
  • A Feast for the Senses: Swap out the monotonous green for a shifting tapestry of textures, colors, and gentle movement. Watch wildflowers bloom and seed, listen to the hum of happy pollinators, and discover the intricate beauty of a natural ecosystem right outside your door.

Ready to Embrace Your Lawn’s Wild Side? It’s Easier (and Less Expensive) Than You Think!

Going wild doesn’t mean your yard needs to look messy. It’s about intentional choices that welcome and embrace nature. Here’s how to get started:

  1. Start Small, Mow Tall: You don’t have to go all-in at once. Designate a section of your lawn — maybe the back corner, or a strip along the fence — to let grow longer. Even raising your mower blades to 3–4 inches on the parts you do mow makes a big difference for tiny critters and plant health.
  2. “No Mow May” (and Beyond!): You might have heard of “No Mow May” — it’s a fantastic initiative by Bee City USA, a nonprofit that connects communities of people and pollinators in mutually-beneficial ways, to give emerging pollinators a head start! Why not extend the idea? Try mowing less frequently throughout the growing season. Every two weeks? Once a month for certain areas? Experiment and see what works for you.
  3. Love Your “Weeds”: Those dandelions? Early spring food for bees! Clover? It’s a nitrogen-fixer, meaning it naturally fertilizes your soil, and pollinators adore it. There’s a lot to love about these volunteer plants.
  4. Sprinkle Some Native Charm: Consider overseeding parts of your lawn with native low-growing wildflowers (spread wildflower seed over an existing lawn without disturbing the soil) or a “bee lawn” mix suitable for your geographic region. These plants are adapted to our climate and provide the best resources for local wildlife. A quick search for “bee lawn” mix or a visit to a local native plant nursery can provide great options.
  5. Create “Cues to Care”: Worried about what the neighbors might think? Keep the edges of your wilder areas neatly mown. This creates a look of “intentional wildness” and shows your landscape is cared for, not neglected. A small, friendly sign explaining your lawn is a “Pollinator Paradise” or “Wildlife Life” area can also work wonders and tell your story, raising awareness, advocating for wildlife, and encouraging your neighbors to give it a try, too.
  6. Patience is Your Superpower: Transforming a conventional lawn into a mini-meadow takes time. Don’t get discouraged. Enjoy observing the changes each week and season. You’re creating a living landscape, and every small step is a win.

Wild Fact: Allowing your grass to grow taller encourages deeper root systems, making your lawn more drought-tolerant. Less watering for you, less money spent, fewer resources used, and more resilience for your yard!

Ready to trade some mowing time for more butterflies and birdsong? Letting your lawn go a little wild is a simple, rewarding way to make a big difference for your local ecosystem and your own well-being.

Happy wilding!

creativity

Digging Deep: How Healthy Soil Can Help Heal Our Planet

Christa Avampato
Photo by Steven Weeks on Unsplash

We often look to the skies, the oceans, or technological innovations when discussing climate change solutions. But what if a powerful tool lies right beneath our feet? Healthy, living soil is an unsung hero in the fight against climate change and a cornerstone of a truly healthier planet.

To educate myself on soil health, I watched the documentaries Kiss the Ground and Common Ground on Amazon Prime Video. After watching them, I immediately visited their resources website filled with free ebooks and guides that can help all of us advocate for this climate solution and immediately take action in our everyday lives.

For too long, we’ve treated soil like dirt – an inert medium to hold plants up. In reality, healthy soil is a complex, dynamic ecosystem teeming with billions of microbes, fungi, insects, and worms. This underground world plays a crucial role in regulating our climate and supporting life on Earth.

How Does Soil Fight Climate Change? The Carbon Connection

The key lies in carbon sequestration. Here’s how it works:

  1. Photosynthesis: Plants pull carbon dioxide (CO2​), a major greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere.
  2. Carbon Transfer: Through photosynthesis, plants convert this carbon into sugars to fuel their growth. Some of this carbon builds their leaves and stems, but a significant amount is channeled down into their roots.
  3. Soil Storage: Plants release carbon compounds through their roots (exudates) to feed soil microbes. When plants and microbes die and decompose, this carbon becomes part of soil organic matter (SOM) – a complex, dark material rich in carbon.
  4. Locking it Away: In healthy, undisturbed soil with a thriving microbial community, this carbon can remain stable and locked away for decades, centuries, or even millennia, effectively removing it from the atmosphere where it would otherwise trap heat.

The Problem with Degraded Soil

Unfortunately, many modern agricultural and land management practices have degraded our soils worldwide. Practices like intensive tilling, overuse of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, deforestation, and leaving soil bare disrupt the soil structure, kill beneficial microbes, and lead to erosion.

When soil is degraded:

  • It loses its ability to store carbon. Tilling, for instance, exposes SOM to oxygen, causing microbes to rapidly consume it and release the stored carbon back into the atmosphere as CO2​.
  • It can release other potent greenhouse gases like nitrous oxide (N2​O) due to synthetic nitrogen fertilizer overuse.
  • Its capacity to absorb and hold water diminishes, increasing runoff, erosion, and vulnerability to both droughts and floods.

Beyond Carbon: The Ripple Effects of Healthy Soil

Improving soil health isn’t just about carbon. It creates a cascade of benefits for a healthier planet:

  • Improved Water Management: Healthy soil with good structure absorbs more water, reducing runoff, preventing erosion, and recharging groundwater. This makes landscapes more resilient to both floods and droughts.
  • Enhanced Biodiversity: Thriving soil ecosystems support a vast array of life, from microscopic bacteria and fungi to earthworms and insects, forming the base of terrestrial food webs.
  • Reduced Pollution: Healthy soil filters water and can break down certain pollutants. By reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, soil-friendly practices also decrease chemical runoff into waterways.
  • Increased Food Security & Nutrition: Healthy soils produce more resilient and nutrient-dense crops, contributing to a more stable and nutritious food supply.
  • Reduced Need for Inputs: Soils rich in organic matter and microbial life naturally provide more nutrients to plants, lessening the dependence on synthetic fertilizers, the production of which is energy-intensive and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Reduced Erosion: Strong soil structure, held together by roots and microbial glues, resists being washed or blown away, preserving our precious topsoil.
  • Cleaner Air: By reducing wind erosion, healthy soils contribute to cleaner air with less dust and particulate matter.

How Can We Improve Soil Health?

The good news is that we know how to regenerate soil health. These key practices, often grouped under the umbrella of regenerative agriculture or soil health management systems, have proven benefits for soil health:

  • Minimize Soil Disturbance: Reducing or eliminating tillage (plowing) keeps the soil structure intact, protects soil organisms, and prevents carbon release.
  • Keep the Soil Covered: Planting cover crops or leaving crop residue on the surface protects the soil from erosion, suppresses weeds, and adds organic matter.
  • Increase Plant Diversity: Rotating diverse crops and integrating cover crops feeds different types of soil microbes and improves soil structure.
  • Keep Living Roots in the Ground: Continuous plant cover ensures the soil microbiome is consistently fed via root exudates.
  • Integrate Livestock (Managed Grazing): Well-managed grazing can stimulate plant growth, add manure (nutrients and organic matter), and improve soil health.
  • Reduce/Eliminate Synthetic Inputs: Minimizing chemical fertilizers and pesticides allows the natural soil ecosystem to thrive.
  • Composting: Adding compost to gardens and farms directly increases soil organic matter.

What Can You Do?

  • Support Regenerative Farmers: Look for food grown using soil-healthy practices. Ask questions at farmers’ markets.
  • Compost: Turn your food scraps and yard waste into valuable soil amendments for your garden or community garden.
  • Garden Smarter: Practice no-dig gardening, use mulch, plant cover crops, and avoid synthetic chemicals.
  • Advocate: Support policies that incentivize farmers to adopt soil-healthy practices.
  • Learn & Share: Learn more and spread the word about the critical importance of soil health. Watching Kiss the Ground and Common Ground on Amazon Prime Video, and visiting their resources website are great ways to start!

Conclusion

Healing our planet requires looking down as much as we look up. By focusing on regenerating the health of our soils, we can actively draw down atmospheric carbon, enhance water cycles, boost biodiversity, improve food security, and build resilience to climate extremes. Healthy soil is a powerful, natural climate solution hiding in plain sight – it’s time we recognized its potential and started digging deep for a healthier future.

creativity

Lavender — soothing for the mind and saving the clean energy revolution

Christa Avampato
Lavender field in Provence, France. Photo by Antony BEC on Unsplash.

Soon, lavender’s scent won’t be the only reason it causes you to take a deep inhale. In addition to soothing your mind, it’s about to revolutionize the way we store clean energy.

Lithium-ion batteries are often used to store clean energy and power electric vehicles because they are cost-efficient and have a large storage capacity. However, they require lithium and cobalt, two elements that lead to mining operations that can pollute land and water, and often utilize child labor. Additionally, they’re difficult to recycle, often leading to landfill waste, and they require significant amounts of energy to produce.

Sodium-sulfur batteries are an alternative to lithium-ion batteries. Unlike lithium and cobalt, sodium and sulfur are abundant, easily obtained, and relatively easy to recycle. However, these batteries can’t store nearly as much energy as lithium-ion batteries, and their storage capacity is degraded even further after a few charging cycles. The challenge for scientists has been how to create a battery that has the benefits of lithium-ion batteries and sodium-sulfur batteries without the downsides of either. Lavender, or more specifically linalool, to the rescue!

Linalool is the compound responsible for lavender’s calming scent. (Linalool is also found in other plants such as basil, bay laurel, some cannabis strains, mint, cinnamon, citrus fruits, rosewood, guava, peach, plum, pineapple, and passionfruit.) A research team at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces led by Paolo Giusto found linalool interacts with sulfur to help sodium-sulfur batteries deliver more power and hold a better charge over hundreds of charging cycles.

“By taking a creative look at nature, we are finding solutions to many of the challenges posed by the energy transition, “ said Paolo Giusto.

Nature to the rescue, again. As a society, we need to recognize that nature is not something to by dominated by our egos, but rather a wider guide, teacher, and partner to help us improve the lives all beings while caring for the one planet we all share.

creativity

How the Rose of Jericho survives a drought

Christa Avampato
Rose of Jericho. Photo from https://www.bachari.gr/en/herbs/rose-of-jericho

Do you know the story of the Rose of Jericho, also known as resurrection plant and flower of stone?

When subjected to drought, the plant curls inward into a tight ball. It can survive in this state for several years, losing 95% of its water. As it dries out, it produces a type of sugar to protect its cells from damage. It looks as if it’s dead, but it’s not. It’s just conserving its energy and waiting for more favorable conditions to arise.

If the drought goes on for an extended period of time, the plant may detach its roots and physically tumble to a new location. Once it comes in contact with even a small amount of water, the sugars and accumulated salts dissolve, it re-roots in its new location if it’s traveled, and the plant revives itself, carrying on with life as if nothing has happened.

What fascinates me most is that it produces that sugar to protect itself so it can flourish when the hard times pass. Also, it doesn’t force itself to stay put during difficulty. It takes action. It detaches its roots in search of nourishment and resources elsewhere.

As we look to the days ahead, what resources do you need to take care of yourself so you can flourish in the future? Can you make them? Can you get them from where you are? If not, where can you go to get what you need? These are crucial questions to ask now so we’re able to buffer ourselves during hard times and also be ready to revive ourselves during more favorable times. More tomorrow…

creativity

Mine for metal with plants

Christa Avampato
Metalplant co-founders Laura Wasserson, Eric Matzner and Sahit Muja with the Albanian farming team.
Image: Metalplant

Plants like sunflowers are viable nature-based solutions that remove heavy metal from polluted soil through the scientific process of phytoremediation. The term is a combination of the Greek phyto (plant) and Latin remedium (restoring balance). Simply, brilliantly, and quickly, the plants take up the heavy metal in large quantities and store them in their fatty tissues. This causes no harm to the sunflowers, nor to the land. They also thrive in hot, dry climates. What a wonder for a world wracked by pollution and climate change impacts. 

Now imagine taking this incredible adaptation even further. What if we extracted the metals from the plants and use these metals in our technology so we didn’t need to mine for them? 

This is exactly the mission of Metalplant, a startup in Albania transforming some of the most degraded land in the world into a lucrative venture. This idea of phytoremediation isn’t new. Many have tried. Metalplant added another step to their process. While mining with plants (a process they call phytomining), they also remove CO2 from the atmosphere by spreading large volumes of rock dust on their farms. That rock pulls carbon out of the air. This process is known as enhanced rock weathering.

I worried about the impact of the rock dust on the soil and the life within that soil. Thankfully, enhanced rock weathering is a regenerative practice, using mycorrhiza and other fungi fostered by the roots of the plants absorbing the metal from the soil. 

Curious and want to learn more? Metalplant would love to hear from you. Get in touch with them at https://metalplant.com/contact/.

creativity

What tree saplings teach us about potential

Christa Avampato

This is a photo of pure potential and a crazy dream. 12 tree saplings in their youngest and most vulnerable state: 3 eastern redbuds, 2 sargent crabapples, 2 washington hawthorns, 3 white flowering dogwoods, and 2 crapemyrtles. They all begin as a single twig with wispy roots.

The next time you’re looking at a fully grown tree, consider all the energy, effort, and time they took to transform themselves. If you’re thinking of doing something new or growing in a new direction, think of a tree. If they can grow from a fragile shoot into a towering figure who provides shade, clean air, food, and a home for so many species, who stands tall in the face of difficulty, then you can grow into who you want to be.

Over the next few months, I’ll be looking after these little ones in the hopes of giving them to my Brooklyn neighbors to plant in their yards when they’re a bit bigger and stronger. I’m sure there will be many lessons in this botanical endeavor. For now, these are the words they’re speaking to me: surround yourself with love and nourishment, and see how you flourish.

creativity

What we can learn from Eastern Redbud trees

Christa Avampato
Eastern Redbud. Brooklyn, NY. Photo by Christa Avampato.

My Brooklyn neighborhood is in full bloom with flowering trees putting on a colorful show for all of us. One of the trees that always catches my eyes this time of year is the Eastern Redbud. They grow bright pink, purple, and red buds directly from their trunks. Known as cauliflory and found mostly in the tropics in species such as cacao, jackfruit, and papaya, the evolutionary purpose of this adaptation has a few hypotheses.

1.) Foster as many partnerships as possible
With the ability to grow flowers on the trunk, the Eastern Redbud can produce more flowers, allowing for more seed dispersal and pollination opportunities. Additionally, more animals can act as pollinators. For example, small mammals climbing onto the tree trunks wouldn’t normally play a role in pollination when the flowers are on delicate branches that cannot support the weight of these mammals. However, with flowers growing on the main trunk that can support them, they act as pollinators for the redbuds just as much as birds and small insects.

For us, emulating a redbud means considering all of the potential partnerships we have around us. How can we change what we’re doing to help them help us? Even if someone doesn’t normally play a certain role, could they fill that role if we altered the system in a way that allows them to participate?

Eastern Redbud. Brooklyn, NY. Photo by Christa Avampato.

2.) Energy and resource savings
Without the need to grow a network on many delicate branches, flowering directly on the trunk saves the tree energy, water, and food. These resources can be poured into creating more flowers and therefore greater pollination and seed dispersal. The redbud certainly takes advantage of this, and in full bloom appears to explode with flowers.

There is nothing worse in nature than waste. Wasted energy can and often does mean the difference between life and death. Are we using all the resources we have in the most optimal way? Can we change how we operate to make better use of the resources we have to meet our ends goals?

3.) A matter of physics
In the case of trees such as cacao, jackfruit, and papaya, the fruit is too heavy for small delicate branches to bear. The weight of the fruit requires a sturdier structure so they grow directly from the trunk. This also allows the fruit to grow to a larger side, and again, allows for greater seed dispersal.

Sometimes we’re forced to do things a certain way for the sake of practicality and to best meet our end goal. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but practicality is the agent of adaptation, moving us along to do exactly what needs to be done.

Eastern Redbud. Brooklyn, NY. Photo by Christa Avampato.

creativity

Life lessons from my house plants

Christa Avampato

I’m a bit ashamed about something: though I grew up on a farm, I’ve been unable to keep house plants alive. Until now! After moving in June to a new apartment with loads of natural light and a steady breeze, my house plants are thriving, sprouting new shoots, and happily reaching up and out. I literally danced around and clapped my hands at this new life growing on my windowsill this morning. What an incredible metaphor for life.

In the words of Taylor Swift, with plants, I always thought, “It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem. It’s me.” Turns out it was the environment the plants and I were in that needed to change. Sometimes, a change of scene is the key to a change of self.

I love new beginnings of all shapes and sizes—new jobs and projects, new adventures and travels, new relationships, new friendships. Even something small like these new shoots from my plants and learning to care for them, starting a new book, or walking through a part of town I’ve not been to in a while (or ever, as I’m learning with my new home in Brooklyn!) gives me a whole new lease on life. There’s energy and inspiration in the new. A beginner’s mindset is a wondrous thing.

To help my plants thrive, I let them tell me what they needed. Water. Lots of light and fresh air. Some music. Room to grow, change, and evolve. We’re not so different.

Perhaps the most important bit I’m thinking of today while looking at my plants is that new growth needs extra support. “The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends,” as Brad Bird wrote. I don’t know what it is about that new that’s so threatening that some will try their best to stamp it out. I’m always happy to befriend and learn from the new. We need the new now more than ever. In a world where we can be anything, let’s be kind, particularly to those just starting a new journey and especially the natural world. We need each other.

creativity

Joy Today: American Eden and a NYC secret

Christa Avampato

Screen Shot 2019-01-02 at 8.50.31 PMDid you know that Rockefeller Center now rises on a plot of land in the middle of Manhattan that once served as the site of the country’s first public botanical garden? I had no idea about this New York City secret until yesterday when I listened to an episode of the Science Friday podcast.

Author Victoria Johnson wrote about it in her gorgeous book, American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic. New York City will never stop amazing me because there will always be new stories to discover here, histories and achievements and inspirations literally buried underground, waiting to be unearthed by a curious soul.  What a joy! What a gift!