Battling Health Problems with Mother Earth

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With the world in utter turmoil over health concerns, we’re all looking to how we can improve our immune systems, and look after our bodies. But, this isn’t the start of this trend. In the past few years, there’s been a push for cleaner, healthier diets.  Whether it be vegan food or less chemicals, millions of people are making better choices, and it’s having twofold impacts on both health and the environment. In fact, now more than ever we’re realizing how vital it is to have fresh, healthy nutrients in our bodies.

Medical company Mother Earth Labs understands the value in this, and has done for more than 15 years. The company crafts premium nutritional health products using the earth’s finest whole food ingredients – superfoods, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and botanicals – to help people replenish naturally.

The Company

From its founding in 2003, the Texas based company has endeavored to combine natural ingredients with science. The company is made up of experts with backgrounds in health sciences, pharmaceutical and nutritional health industries. Not only that, but it prides itself on small batch production to guarantee fresh and pure products. And, these products are free from gluten, soy, GMOs, and artificial flavors, sweeteners, and colors. The company works with like-mind suppliers and growers who share values of sustainability and traceability, and take pride in producing pure, high-quality, organic and non-GMO products. Even vegans, gym junkies and pets are taken into account…

Mother Earth Labs creates:

  • multi vitamins – single, one-ounce shots that are filled with potent natural vitamins, ionic minerals and other whole food ingredients,
  • humic and fulvic acid solutions, for GI health,
  • hormone-free, grass-fed whey or plant based protein powders, and
  • pet supplements.

The Impacts on Bodies

Every ingredient Mother Earth Labs uses, should be in an average diet. But, the key word here is ‘should’. Many people have problems getting it all into their diet, for a number of different medical or life choice reasons. Hence, the company aims to provide people with naturally stimulating products.

For example: vitamins. Vitamins and minerals are often put together, but they’re very different. Vitamins are organic substances that people get through food (i.e. from plants and animals). Minerals, however, originate from rocks, soils or water, and can be absorbed indirectly from the environment. Both are micronutrients that are vital in keeping our bodies functional, healthy and free from disease.

Fulvic acid is a yellow-brown substance that’s formed when animals and plants decomposed. It’s usually found in soil, coal and/or bodies of water (i.e. streams and lakes). Though that sounds horrible, it’s being used to alleviate a number of issues, like allergy symptoms, brain disorders like dementia, inflammation and potentially to slow the growth of cancer. It also seems to have immune-stimulating and antioxidant effects.

Macronutrients, like protein, are needed at much larger quantities. Bodies use protein to build and repair tissues, and to make enzymes, hormones, and other chemicals. It’s also important in the process of building bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood. Basically the entire body.

The Impacts on the Environment

‘Organic agriculture’ essentially means that synthetic inputs are not used in the growing process. Simply, food and nutrients are farmed without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, veterinary drugs, genetically modified seeds and breeds, preservatives, additives and irradiation. ‘Sustainable agricultural practices’ by comparison, refer to the processes of focusing on a healthy environment, economic profitability, and social and economic equity during farming. Both involve taking a proactive approach to farming. The combination of the two has massive impacts on (pun definitely intended) mother earth, such as minimized pollution (both air and water); increased wildlife biodiversity; more nutrient-rich soil and water (i.e. faster growing, better tasting produce); and, long term farming sustainability.

Mother Earth Labs is a company concerned with not only our health, but also the health of the planet. And we should be too.

Are you developing innovative health products? Did you know your work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim preparation and audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Up to $7 Million R&D Incentive for Offshore Wind R&D

offshore energy

New developments and research to America’s offshore wind energy industry will receive a significant books as the US government will provide up to USD $7 million in funding. The funding will be invested in research on new technologies aiming to reduce the costs for developing offshore projects.

Targeted projects will be looking at reducing time and cost  in the implementation of offshore projects. Strategically as this is still a new American industry the R&D Incentive will be critical to its Advancements.  

Nils Bolgen, director of Massachusetts Clean Energy Centre said “ this solicitation provides important resources that will help connect our research and testing community with industry players, driving innovation.”

Notorious Plant Killer?: Dallas-based startup OrchidBox develops terrariums for the lackluster green thumb

Flowers

If you don’t have a green thumb, growing plants can be an absolute nightmare. The day has come where anyone, anywhere (yes, this includes the person who overwatered their grandmother’s African violet) can grow a variety of plants, thanks to Dallas startup OrchidBox.

“It’s sad, I don’t think young people understand just how diverse our wildlife is, and we are losing more and more plant species every day,” Hollis said in an interview.

OrchidBox was developed by Nathan Hollis, who has a background in computer science and a love for plants. Hollis’ creation, an acrylic box that has high-power LED lights, a water indicator level, and a water level viewing window, promises that any user will never kill a plant again.

The OrchidBox comes with built-in intelligence and is Wi-Fi enabled. This allows the box to coordinate with sunrise and sunset times, and send watering alerts straight to a smartphone. The case will also let you know when to water the plant (if you see a red light on the case, you should really water the plant). According to the company website, the OrchidBox uses over 400 lumens over a 4” x 4” x 7” area that includes light flux levels that are approximately 50% of the sun’s intensity on a sunny summer day—a design feature that cannot be found within any other growing device. The sensing technology has been designed to last, so users can grow plants over the years to come.

“While most people think of the stereotypical store-bought orchids, there are actually 50,000 species of orchids, some that are very, very bizarre. Most people don’t know that, and some don’t even know what an orchid is, so we wanted to take the opportunity to teach people,” Hollis said.

The terrarium box comes with: the OrchidBox, a power adapter, base substrate, soil of choice, watering cup, a pipette, and a fertilizer sample. The application supports Facebook and Google logins. Users can add terrariums to an account. It also allows users to view the water level remotely.

OrchidBox’s mission is to increase conservation and conservation awareness by developing microclimate-controlled devices for plants. The OrchidBox is still in its development phase.

More information about the innovative startup can be found by clicking here.

Creating an innovatiove, quirky desk accessory? Did you know that you can receive up to 14% back on your research expenses with the R&D Tax Credit? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is a Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Reducing Agriculture Footprints in Dallas: Eden Green Technology develops Crisply, an optimal plant growth process

lettuce

A Dallas-based vertical farming company is revolutionizing how food is produced. Eden Green Technology’s Crisply is flaunting its lush, emerald green produce as a cleaner and safer alternative to traditional agriculture methods.

Soil, which can contain E. coli and Listeria, both of which have had their shining moments in American headlines as of late, poses more risks and has less of a yield when producing greens. In comparison, Eden Green’s vertical farming techniques require less water and land than traditional soil methods. The company has reportedly also reduced its cooling costs by one-eighth when compared to other greenhouse methods.

Free of pesticides, herbicides and chemicals, Eden Green uses a vine system where each plant is enclosed in a microclimate bubble. “We perfected this transformative vertical closed-loop solution to flow water, nutrients, oxygen and sunlight into the plants’ microclimate at the perfect ratio, in order to optimize the natural powers of photosynthesis to maximize output for people who need it most,” the company website boasts.

The seeds used are organic and non-GMO. All plants are grown under natural light and grow year-round. Eden Green expects to grow 10 to 15 harvests a year with a crop loss of 1%. This is a massive improvement when compared to traditional soil-growing, which yields two harvests with a crop loss of 30%. With these facts and figures, Eden Green is believed to be the first vertical farm with the scalability to meet the produce needs of regional food distribution systems.

“We pick our produce, package the same-day, and stamp the date when they are harvested on the package, so consumers know exactly how fresh their salads are. We also make it possible for our retail partners to put our produce on their shelves immediately after they’ve been harvested, in some cases that same day. No other company does that,” said Jaco Booyens, Eden Green’s co-chair.

The Crisply line will debut in Texas Walmart stores come mid-July. More information about Eden Green Technology and Crisply can be found by clicking here and here respectively.

Are you developing agriculture solutions? Are you reducing environmental impacts within agriculture? Did you know that you can receive up to 14% back on your research expenses with the R&D Tax Credit? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is a Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services to the state of Texas. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Nanotech and Manipulating Light: Fort Worth’s SolGro develops material to foster plant growth

greenhouse

SolGro, a Fort Worth startup, has developed a greenhouse material using nanotech that converts sunlight from all colors of the spectrum into red and blue light, which just so happens to be the best colors to grow plants under. “What we’re able to do is convert those unused color bands into red and blue,” said Tyler Sickels, the CEO and founder of SolGro. Traditionally, other colors of light are wasted and can even be harmful to plant growth because it aids the growth of bacteria and fungi.

The SolGro technology has proven to be so effective, it has increased some crop yields from 20 to 300 percent. “We can increase food production by at least 50 percent,” said Wei Chen, a member of the four-person team, and a physics professor who specializes in nanotechnology and material sciences at the University of Texas at Arlington.

To have astounding growth numbers like the ones mentioned, the greenhouse material was developed with emphasis on nanotechnology. SolGro couldn’t give many details away, but the nanotechnology doesn’t require batteries or a power source. “It’s just the additive that we put in the plastic that’s doing all the work. It’s a great technology that doesn’t require any energy,” Sickels said.

The company is currently focusing on smaller projects, specifically grow-ops in states where marijuana is legal. This is great news for producers of marijuana products since growing marijuana indoors requires more energy consuming features, such as lights and electricity. The technology allows for more effective outdoor growth and with less infrastructure, thus reducing production costs. An innovation like this could completely revolutionize how food is grown and how much of it can be produced–particularly important since the world population is expected to hit 8 billion by 2025. “It’s more expensive than traditional greenhouse plastics, but your payback is very quick so it’s an easy sell,” Sickels said. Sickels also wants to sell smaller applications in hardware stores. It will be a material that can be used by everyday people who have access to a rooftop garden or to a space that can accommodate a greenhouse.

Are you improving food production techniques with nanotechnology? Did you know that you can receive up to 14% back on your research expenses with the R&D Tax Credit? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is a Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services to the state of Texas. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

“It’s not easy being green”: Georgia-based AgVoice to foster sustainability, environmental goals

farmland

The world’s population is at 7.6 billion and growing. With more mouths to feed than ever before, agriculture needs to keep up with the demands. Bruce Rasa, CEO of a program development called AgVoice, wants to help with the demands; after all, he has been in agriculture for some time. “I want to bring the power of technology to the farms and ranches to solve simple problems, enabling ag professionals to produce healthy food for the needs of a growing global population,” said Rasa in a statement from the AgVoice website.

To summarize, AgVoice is a mobile voice-interaction service that uses proprietary analytics and processing of raw voice files to capture insights via Bluetooth. The voice data that is collected can later be used for note-taking and analytics purposes. The recordings are also time-stamped and geolocated, which comes in handy when customers want to know about the origin, treatment and quality of their food.

“Agriculture is Georgia’s largest sector by number of workers. However, it is the least digitized sector, according to a recent study,” said Rasa in an interview with Hypepotamus. “We see an amazing global opportunity to serve not only our core customers, but have our data make a positive impact down the food chain. We want to champion the individual and help them get more productive.”

The program aims to optimize the use of resources in crop and animal production, which translates to positive impacts on the environment and helps users to achieve sustainability goals; AgVoice can also improve workflow management and documentation accuracy.

AgVoice is designed for use across the food and agriculture ecosystem, including livestock and crop production, agronomy, animal health and wellness, and machinery repair. The program is set to launch sometime in 2018. More information about AgVoice can be found by clicking here.

Are you developing a program that will help sustainability and environmental efforts in the agriculture sector? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is a Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services to the state of Georgia. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Georgia, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Saving Lives—with Wallpaper?: Researchers design wallpaper that detects fire

fire kitchen safety

If you’re redecorating your home, consider wallpaper; it may save your life.

At the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Ying-Jie Zhu and a team of researchers have developed a wallpaper that is made from environmentally friendly, non-flammable materials. On top of this impressive feat, the wallpaper can also prevent the spread of a fire and set off an alarm when there is a fire present. This development is great news for those who wish to be a bit more conscious of their interior surroundings. Traditional wallpaper is highly flammable because it is made up of plant cellulose fibers–not exactly something you want to line your walls with should you wish to prevent a fire from spreading.

The flame retardant paper is thanks to the same component that is found in bones and teeth: hydroxyapatite. The nanowires that are within the paper are coated with the hydroxyapatite substance. In an interview with Phys.org, Zhu said “the fire-resistant wallpaper has a white color, mechanical robustness, and high flexibility, it can be processed into various shapes, dyed with different colors, and printed with a commercial printer. Therefore, the fire alarm fire-resistant wallpaper has promising applications in high-safety interior decoration to save human lives and reduce the loss of property in a fire disaster.”

The nanowires that connect to the alarm are dependent on the burn off of graphene oxide–the material that, when completely burned off, cannot complete the circuit and set off the alarm. The researchers found this substance burned off too quickly, thus only set the alarm off for three seconds–not long enough to awaken a sound sleeper. To overcome this problem, the researchers modified the graphene with polydopamine, a natural polymer, which reduces the thermal response of the compound, thus allowing the alarm to sound for over five minutes. Graphene oxide also acts as an insulating material for electricity at room temperature, and when exposed to heat, becomes highly conductive–perfect for a sensor to set off an alarm.

The researchers hope to expand and increase production of the wallpaper while remaining environmentally conscious.

For a more information on the wallpaper, please click here.

 

Are you developing a technology or material that can save lives? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:
Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes.
Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s. For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Garbage to Luxury Fashion: Parley creates sunglasses made from recycled ocean plastic

oceanplastic

Riddle time! What circles the Earth four times in the run of a year, uses eight percent of the world’s oil production and takes 500-1000 years to degrade? Answer: plastic.

Image: Dezeen

The world’s oceans are being smothered by plastic; billions of pounds are circling in the waters (called gyres), and currently 40 percent of the ocean’s surface is covered. That number is also modest. If these facts aren’t concerning, feel free to read a few more by clicking here.

Despite the alarming statistics, one company has taken advantage of the plastic mayhem. Parley for the Oceans, in partnership with Corona (yes, the beer company), is taking ocean plastic and turning it into limited-edition sunglasses—high-fashion ones, might we add.

The glasses come in White Flag, Coral Sand and Reef Camo. The textures are made from low-quality grades of plastic, such as polypropylene and upcycled marine debris, i.e., plastics that have been more difficult to recycle in the past. “The sunglasses are the first produced with a new technology, which transforms low-quality types of plastic waste into high-performance materials, providing a unique look,” said Parley for the Oceans in a statement.

For every 100 pairs that are sold, the project will add a new island to the existing island network that Parley has committed to protect. The project is called Clean Waves, and you can find more information on the glasses, as well as the product waitlist, by clicking here.

“Parley for the Oceans addresses major threats towards our oceans, the most important ecosystem of our planet. We believe the power for change lies in the hands of the consumer – given he has a choice – and the power to shape this new consumer mindset lies in the hands of the creative industries.”

Are you developing a production method that turns trash into treasure? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

 

Surviving Hurricanes and Hopelessness: App to ‘rescue’ those in need, post-natural disaster

phone

The frequency of natural disasters is on the rise in the United States. From Hurricane Katrina, to the more recent Hurricane Irma, the need for efficient, temporary resettlement for displaced persons will, arguably, also rise. The good news? There may be an app for that!

Adam Huminsky and Brian Hilinski, founders of the Charlotte-based startup, Harmany, were tired of watching evacuees struggle to find places for temporary shelter in the wake of catastrophic events, such as hurricanes. Huminsky said, “People have grown tired of watching disasters unfold, with no way to help until much later […] Harmany was created to give everyone the ability to make a difference in the moment.” The application connects the profile of an evacuee (person with needs) with a host (person with offerings). In an article featured on techstartups.com, “After completing a series of security measures, profiles are visible on an interactive map. Harmany believes secure matches can be made in as little as two hours.

The app will offer other benefits, such as less crowding on roads, specifically evacuation routes, which translates to safer highway conditions. There is hope that the application will also reduce surge pricing for essential needs, such as hotel rooms.

Developing an app that will improve the lives of others? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative

 

Turning compost into compostable bioplastics: the startup that’s changing the cycle of waste

plastic pharmaceutical recycling

Plastic. We use it in virtually everything from our toys, cooking ware, food packaging, and all else in-between. But proper disposal of oil-based plastics  is an ongoing challenge, especially given its harmful effects on the environment. Not only does plastic production take up energy and resources, the product itself does not biodegrade but simply breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, making it poisonous for wildlife consumption and our ecosystem by extension. In recent years, scientists and entrepreneurs have explored developing bioplastics as alternatives to oil-based ones. While the bioplastic industry currently only accounts for 1% of global plastics production, it is quickly expanding and is expected to grow to a worth of $7.2 billion by 2022.

Bioplastics are made from polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) which are produced in nature by microorganisms, such as by bacterial fermentation of sugars and lipids. When disposed, these plastics degrade faster than plastic. However, there is still confusion among consumers about the limits of bioplastics and what constitutes as “biodegradable”. For many, there is a misconception that “biodegradable” means these plastics degrade quickly and can be disposed anywhere. As Rob Opsomer from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation told The Guardian, “It is important that any claims made for these products are really clear, so people won’t be throwing things on the street because they think it will degrade. It won’t.” Jo Ruxton, co-founder of Plastic Oceans, asserted that some of these bioplastics are as harmful in the ocean as oil-based plastics: “They can be mistaken for food and ingested. They can entangle animals. They can do everything that plastic does – they just don’t last as long.”

One company in California, Full Cycle Bioplastics, is working to improve bioplastics. Twin brothers Jeff and Dane Anderson has successfully tested a PHA technique to convert organic waste like food scraps into fully compostable material. In other words, not only is it able to biodegrade, the bioplastic is literally made from compost. Jeff Anderson, the COO of the company, said, “PHA [plastic] is extremely compostable and it’s also marine degradable. Meaning if it ever falls into the ocean it actually acts as fish food and has no toxic effects.” While not yet in full-scale production, Full Cycle Bioplastics presents an improvement to a common problem posed not only by oil-based plastics but also bioplastics. It is cheaper than other bioplastics because it’s made from organic waste and not more costly sources like algae or shrimp. While bioplastics are a good start, there still needs to be a shift in the culture.  According to The Guardian, these bioplastics “may simply help to perpetuate the disposable culture at the root of our waste crisis.”

Are you experimenting with ways to improve bioplastics or to change how plastics are disposed? Your experiments, even the unsuccessful ones, could qualify for the R&D Tax Credit and you could receive up to 14% of your research expenses. To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE credits as well as CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.