Growing your own garden may seem daunting for those who have never tried it. But with the new book, the "Beginner's Illustrated Guide to Gardening" by your side, you'll have the answers to your many questions right at your fingertips.

Dear EarthTalk: I know that there are many issues with personal care products being unsafe for our health, but where do I look to find out what's safe and what's not?

I spotted "The Cloud Collector's Handbook" in a bin of shamelessly disregarded books near my editor's desk.

In what may be interpreted as a backlash against the Oscar-nominated environmentalist film "Gasland," a new production titled "FrackNation" received an eye-popping $22,000 in donations during its first two days on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter.

Note to reader: This column addresses the "100 Days of Real Food" mini-pledge series, which details 14 weekly steps for cutting out highly processed food.

Lead is in many lipsticks. But is that OK?

Take a minute to think about your favorite book from childhood. Do you envision lots of furry animals? A wise old tree? Kids in the forest? With environmental issues so prominent in the American mindset, one would think that the natural environment would play a larger role now in children's books than it did several decades ago. But a new study has found a steady decline in the number of children's books that depict the natural environment.

For students at a University of California, Irvine gym, it might be the ultimate in multi-tasking: working out, generating electric power while they're doing it, and social networking for a bit of friendly competition.

The organic movement in recent memory has made it more important to understand what went into your food and where it came from. If the authors of "Label It Now: What You Need to Know About Genetically Engineered Foods" had their way, the entire food industry would have that same transparency.

Wind farms could soon be on the horizon for much of the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Coast, both figuratively and literally. The Interior Department has completed a study examining how offshore wind development would affect the region, announcing Feb. 3 that it threatens "no significant environmental and socioeconomic impacts."

California now gets about 5 percent of its electricity from wind power, according to data released Tuesday by the California Wind Energy Association.

Dear EarthTalk: I was horrified to read recently that our oceans are actually becoming acidic, that the continued burning of fossil fuels is changing the chemistry of our seas. What's going on?

Imagine a space borne instrument that measures the nation's air quality in five-square-mile grids every hour.

If you're planting a spring garden in the U.S. this year, you may want to set aside some extra seed money. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has updated its plant hardiness zone map for the first time since 1990, reflecting how some crops are moving north as winter grows warmer.

How easy is it to recreate nature? When it comes to wetlands, the answer seems to be "not very."

It's true that hotels, motels and inns have made efforts to lessen their impact.

The makers of the popular Brazilian Blowout line of hair-straightening products - which can cost up to $500 per salon treatment - have agreed to change their labeling to warn consumers that the treatments can release formaldehyde gas, which is considered a carcinogen and can cause irritation of the eyes and skin, according to a report from USA Today.

Note to reader: This column addresses the "100 Days of Real Food" mini-pledge series, which details 14 weekly steps for cutting out highly processed food.

Meet McKay Jenkins, University of Delaware professor, who's feeling just fine but one day goes to the doctor and learns he has a tumor the size of a navel orange growing in his abdomen.

The average American goes to the supermarket twice a week and is exposed to bacteria from a variety of sources - from the grocery cart handle to the melons in the produce aisle. Even when your groceries are safely at home, you still have to contend with food-borne illnesses. More than 70 million people get sick from food-borne illnesses in the U.S. each year, and roughly 5,000 of them die as a result of it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And if you're pregnant, diabetic, HIV-positive or over the age of 65, then it's even more risky for you to sample the grocery store's cheese display or skip the produce bags.