Photo: ThinkstockBy Rachel Mount

While politicians debate regulations for labeling and researchers explore the safety issues, there are a few things you can do now if you want to reduce your exposure to GMOs.

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Buy organic. Certified organic producers are not allowed to use GM seeds. (Bear in mind, though, that there are no guarantees: There is a slight possibility that organic crops may have been contaminated by nearby GM crops through cross-fertilization.)

RELATED: 6 Mistakes That Busy Cooks Make (and How to Avoid Them)

Look for the "Non-GMO Project Verified" seal. This stamp means that the producer uses best practices to avoid GMO ingredients. Nearly 6,000 products already carry the seal, and Whole Foods has committed to certifying all its store-brand products (called 365 Everyday Value) with the Non-GMO Project.

RELATED: 7 Superstar Potato Dishes

Check supplement and vitamin labels. Coatings and fillers are often sourced from GM

Native plants support local pollinator populations and have bright, beautiful blooms.















By s.e. smith, Networx

Gardening with native plants has a number of advantages, but gardeners are often intimidated or overwhelmed with myths about native plant gardening, so they're afraid to take the plunge. I talked with Ania, a researcher at the University of California, to get the scoop on working with native plants in the garden; such plants are indigenous to an area and not introduced by humans, although in some regions "native plants" include those that may have been cultivated and introduced by Native Americans, but not Europeans.

I asked Ania to elaborate a bit more on the different types of native and introduced species, because yes, there is a hierarchy, and it's important for gardeners to think about it whether they're planning a garden installation or prioritizing the management of existing plants. She explained that some introduced species are invasive, having a tendency to spread rapidly and aggressively, while others thrive primarily only in cultivation; the

By Sayward Rebhal, Networx

Can you hear that? It's the sound of the world waking up. It's the sound of springtime, and boy howdy friends, does it sound fantastic.

Spring is all about curbside daffodils, warm and friendly drizzling rain on the concrete, birdsong and baby squirrels, opening windows and airing out the winter musties. Spring is such a hopeful time of year!

And perhaps my very favorite sign of the changing season, is the start of the Farmer's Market. Spring means fresh food again: the tender greens and the precious asparagus, lazily leading into strawberry season ... which means all-the-other-berries season is right around the corner. Before you know it, there will be heirloom tomatoes and juicy peaches, and just when you're starting to feel overheated, the weather will shift again and the greens will return for their second showing. That will mean the glorious gourd days are right around the corner, with butternuts, acorns, and kabocha. Pumpkins everywhere, slowly

By Jacquelyn Smith

The San Francisco Bay Area is number one on the list.If you're a job seeker in Boston, Chicago or L.A. with experience in energy efficiency, environmental compliance or sustainable supply chain, you may be in luck.

Those are three of the top cities for green jobs right now, according to job aggregator site SimplyHired.com. Gautam Godhwani, the site's chief executive, says he's seeing an uptick in these types of jobs everywhere. There are approximately 45,000 green job listings on SimplyHired.com right now, and 2,215 of those are in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In Pictures: The Top 10 Cities For Green Jobs

"Although conventional wisdom suggests that 'green' hiring would be the slowest to recover from an economic downturn, we think this upward trend represents recognition of the role these kinds of jobs play in cutting costs," Godhwani says. "We see this as further proof of the inroads sustainability has made as a legitimate business value for the modern organization no matter the economic climate."

The Bureau of Labor

Whole Living

1. Organic Is Always Best
Wait one minute. The organic supply keeps proliferating (ice cream, salsa, peanut butter … ) and so have the places that sell these foods; mainstream retailers now account for nearly half of all organics sales. But along with growth comes change -- and often confusion. We dug up the facts, stats, and expert opinions to answer the burning questions about this important issue.

Read more in our Organic Foods 101

2. Buying Organic Is Always More Expensive
Not so. Growing consumer demand continues to drive down the price of organics, but many conventional foods remain cheaper. To help balance out the extra cost, consider these tips.

3. Eco-Design Equals Expensive
Here are some ideas for stylish, sustainable decorating.

4. Eating Better Can't Really Help the Planet
That's false. The choices you make at every meal have real and extended effects on the Earth.

Try Our Farmstand Dinner

5. Natural Cleansers Aren't Enough
Think again. If

Whole LivingHelping to change the world isn't that hard. It begins with small acts that become habits. As they gain momentum, soon you're not doing just one thing; you're revolutionizing your life in a way that can, in fact, save the planet.

1.Turn Off the Lights
Two-thirds of all the electricity used in the residential sector of the United States powers lights and appliances. Considering that electricity production generates more than 1.9 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year, a simple flick of the switch is a good start.Plus

Plus: See Our Favorite Eco-Bulbs

2. Eat More Veggies
While a meat-centered diet deepens our ecological footprint and contributes to pollution, a plant-centered diet requires fewer resources and supports long-term health. But you don't have to go completely veggie to reap the benefits; try gradually shifting the emphasis of your meals from animal-based proteins to plant-based ones, such as soy foods and beans.

3. Use Greener

Don't shave your legs with this.















By Noah Garfinkel, Networx

The fact that you can use peanut butter for purposes other than eating is one of those things you've probably heard about from a "fun fact" person at a terrible party. It usually comes right after they tell you that an avocado is a nut and a peanut is a legume, but before they inform you that a banana is technically a berry. Rightfully, we all try to ignore this type of person, so most of us have never actually tried out any of the alternative uses for peanut butter that they might suggest. To see if our prejudiced unwillingness to heed annoying peanut butter advice is warranted or not, I tested a few alternative uses. Let's begin, though, with one use I didn't test.

Everyone has heard that peanut butter can help get gum out of your hair. That may or may not be true. But, what I can tell you is absolutely true is that peanut butter does not at all help get Silly Putty out of your hair. When I was around 12 years old, I tried spreading Silly Putty over my

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By K. Emily Bond

Plants are wondrous creatures, especially for our homes, after all, they remove indoor air pollutants and they smell nice. A spider plant can make all the difference in the world, insomuch that it will save a blasé room from itself without offending the outspoken minimalist. An herb garden in the kitchen and azalea in the bedroom are also exemplary of ways we're incorporating mother nature into the great indoors - but both merely hints of the plant decorating madness that follows.

privacy wall

Tall houseplants used as a privacy wall, via Dwell.

oldbrandnew

From the always gorgeous Old Brand New, a lush alter: perfect for tapping into your inner green goddess.

staging company

This staging company decorates with live plants whenever possible because of the negative ions they give off, as in the tasteless, odorless, and invisible molecules we inhale in "fresh" environs like the mountains or at the beach.

crawling ivy

Bring the outside in with crawling ivy in a sun-drenched room.

verandah

Or liven up an enclosed patio