After a week of celebrating Andi's escape to Wanderlust, green summer beauty products, and, um, health care (!), we're ready for to see what else happened in the world this week.
LET THEM EAT CHIA SEEDS When it comes to turning the country’s diet problems around, we can talk about “food desserts” and “food choice” all we want—but maybe it’s more nuanced than that. (Slate)
TESTING THE WATERS Just when we thought it was safe to go back to the beach, a new report finds that contamination problems have caused a spike in U.S. beach closings. (The Wall Street Journal)
THE LAST STRAW We know, we know: Plastic is in everything from chewing gum to cell phones to the packaging we just pulled off that free-range chicken. And yet, somehow, one family in Austria has learned how to live without it. (Spiegel Online)
A CRACK IN THE FRACKING If your state hasn’t banned fracking yet (we heart Vermont), here’s hoping Osorb—an organosilica “sponge” that expands to absorb wastewater produced in the drilling process—will eventually hit the big-time. (The New York Times)
100 YEARS OF SOLITUDE Lonesome George, the last surviving giant Pinta Island tortoise, lived for a century but was unable to reproduce. He passed away at the Charles Darwin Research Station in Galapagos on Sunday. (National Geographic)
CO-ED CO-OP College community gardens are so 2010. A group of students at UCLA has just opened an entirely student-owned food cooperative market on campus. (GOOD)
PASS THE RANCH A fattier salad dressing might be the key to unlocking the full potential of nutrients in your veggies. (The Atlantic)
I DON’T SWEAT, I CHILL OUT The outdoor clothing company Columbia is releasing a sportswear line next year that, instead of wicking away sweat, uses it to create a cooling sensation. (Co.DESIGN)
