Pumpkins are not only the most important symbol of Halloween; they are the star vegetable when it comes to the fall season in terms of decoration (装饰) and cooking uses. Often, we overlook how many different ways it can be used.

The pumpkin has a long list of nutrients, including vitamins A, C, E, fiber, potassium, manganese, copper and so on. It is also low in salt, cholesterol and saturated (饱和的) fats. In its raw state, the pumpkin is a great source of nutrition.

When buying your pumpkins, always get them from your local farmers to support their business and the environment, plus you will be guaranteed (保证) that they are freshly grown. If you are feeling interested, you can grow your own pumpkins!

When carving your jack­-o'-­lanterns, don't throw away the seeds! They make a tasty baked treat that is healthy for you.

When your jack­-o'-lanterns has lived its last day out in the doorway, refuse the usual practice of throwing it away at once. Instead, create a compost heap (堆肥堆) and let nature do all the work. Be sure to remove the candle and all of the wax inside, and cut the pumpkin into pieces. Those leftover nutrients will help your soil.

Make a pie—a great way to bring family and friends together. If you are feeling even more adventurous, try cooking something new with the pumpkins and see what wonderful delicious dishes you can produce in your very own kitchen. And don't think of the pumpkin just around holidays—it's great all year round. Don't let any part of the pumpkin go to waste this year. Turn them from orange to green this Halloween!

Twenty years ago, crises like the California’s wildfires and Hurricane Laura that occurred last year could have been described as “natural disasters”. Thanks to climate change, this is no longer the case. Around mid-August last year, the temperature in Death Valley once reached the highest ever recorded on Earth. A hotter, drier California is much more likely to burst into flames. The Gulf of Mexico too is heating up. Hurricanes draw their energy from the warmth of the surface waters and so are becoming stronger and more likely to increase. Perhaps we should call these events in a new term, “man-made natural disasters”.

People now play such an important role on the planet. By cutting down forests and digging mines and building cities, we’ve changed half of the ice-free land on Earth. With our advanced tools, we move around more earth than all the world’s rivers and streams. As a result, all sorts of disasters extend across the line between man and nature. Many earthquakes, for example, are now caused by human activity. Meanwhile, as the climate continues to warm, wildfires will grow even larger and storms more damaging.

What’s to be done? According to some scientists, the best way to deal with human intervention in the natural world is to intervene better. Old technologies got us into this situation; new ones will get us out. Supporters of this view note the striking advances that are being made all the time, in fields ranging from computing to material science. To prevent climate change, engineers have built machines that take CO₂ out of the air. Today the numbers are limited, but perhaps one day they’ll be as common as telephones.

As for me, I think that the choice we face is not whether to change the world; that decision unfortunately has been made. The decision going forward is how are we going to change it. Over the years I’ve interviewed scores of scientists, inventors, and industrialists, and I’m continually impressed by how clever humans are as a species. But then the wind blows in smoke from 3,000 miles away, and I’m reminded of how dangerous we are as well.

Urban gardens are valuable property to communities. They provide green spaces to grow sustainable food, build community cohesion (凝聚力) make new friends, connect with the earth, and much no re. So, let’s check out our list of four inspiring urban gardens in the US.

Got ham Greens

Where: New York & Chicago

What: Got ham Greens first started in Brooklyn and now has four locations in New York City and Chicago. Their flagship farm in Brooklyn produced over 100,000 pounds of greens per year. But it doesn’t just produce healthy local vegetables. It is using high-teach green houses with solar panels to make sure the food grown is healthy and sustainable.

Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students

Where: Baltimore, Mary land

What: The Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students (BUGS) program encouraged students to get their hands dirty and plant vegetables through their after-school and summer programs. Many of these kids don’t have access to green spaces, and have never had the opportunity to grow food.

ReVision Urban Farm

Where: Boston, Massachusetts

What: ReVision Urban Farm in Boston works in partnership with the ReVision Family Home——a shelter for 22 homeless parents and their kids. The farm provided these families with information on healthy eating, and access to the farm’s fresh vegetables. The organization also provided job training to help families escape the cycle of poverty.

Swale

Where: New York

What: scale, a floating food forest located on a large boat, is an innovative project meant to inspire citizens to rethink the relationship between our cities and our food. This urban garden serves as both a living art exhibit and an educational farm, Food forests are sustainable gardens that include vegetables, fruit, nut trees, bushes, herbs, and vine——each one complementing the other in a symbiotic (共生的) relationship.