SLICES OF SUSTAINABILITY
The recent wave of news, books, increasing dialog around food and all the inter-connected issues involved from seed to table brings a cheer from those of us who have been supporters of being “green” and”“organically and locally grown” for years. The leading voices in the sustainability movement offer us and those new to this perspective from the general public more reasons to “vote with our dollars” and echo many of the messages shared for consideration in past TLC issues. Following are some recent highlights in the news:
I've been an admirer of Michael Pollan best-selling author, contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine and the Knight Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley for years. His most recent book The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals , is fascinating “food for thought” and action, clearly showing that the way we eat represents nothing less than “our most profound engagement with the natural world”. He has been the source of much education and inspiration for the increased awareness about the impact of our food choices.
As Regina Schrambling's August article in The L.A. Times states: “…Pollan summarizes them most succinctly. In an e-mail, he says Americans are starting to understand “just how important the food issue is — how it is linked to energy and global warming (17% of our fossil fuel use goes to feeding ourselves); to environmental pollution (farming is the single biggest source of water pollution); health (obesity and diabetes turned attention to the way we produce food); world trade, the federal budget and the welfare of animals.” “Increasingly,” Pollan adds, “people recognize that the industrial food system is failing us — it is not keeping us or our world healthy. And there are alternatives.”
Can Organic Farming Feed Us All?
Two recent studies reveal that a global shift to organic farming would yield more food, not less, for the world's hungry, writes Worldwatch Institute Senior Researcher Brian Halweil. Organic farming tends to raise yields in poorer nations, precisely those areas where people are hungry and can't afford chemical-intensive farming. Where there is a yield gap between conventional and organic crops, it tends to be widest in wealthy nations, where farmers use copious amounts of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in a perennial attempt to maximize yields. “In poorer nations, organic farming techniques like composting and green manuring and biological pest control may be farmers' best hope for boosting production and reducing hunger,” writes Halweil.
Beyond this yield advantage, organic farming has proven benefits for wildlife, water and air quality, and food safety. And while analysts on the two sides of this issue are constantly at odds, some experts are starting to advocate a middle path that uses many of the principles of organic farming and depends on just a fraction of the chemicals used in conventional agriculture. Such an integrative system, they believe, would have great benefits for farmers, consumers, and the environment. “The lack of widespread support for organic farming from governments, industry, and farmer organizations is short-sighted and may ultimately be contributing to world hunger,” says Halweil. The article appeared in “World Watch, and is available on-line for purchase www.worldwatch.org/node/4060
SEE The NATION'S magazine Sept. issue “Wake Up America! Pay Attention to What You Eat!” for an insightful compilation of voices, articles and a myriad of issues surrounding food. It is slated to feature Alice Waters, Eric Schlosser, Marion Nestle, Michael Pollan, Wendell Berry, Troy Duster, Elizabeth Ransom, Winona LaDuke, Peter Singer, Dr. Vandana Shiva, Carlo Petrini, Eliot Coleman, Jim Hightower and more!
Eat Local
One respected resource is Brian Halweil's book Eat Here: Reclaiming Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket. More details at www.eatlocalchallenge.com/area_specific_west_coast/index.html
10 Reasons to Eat Local Food
1. Eating local means more for the local economy-a dollar spent locally generates twice as much income for the local economy. 2. Locally grown produce is fresher. 3. Local food just plain tastes better. 4. Locally grown fruits and vegetables have longer to ripen. 5. Eating local is better for air quality and pollution than eating organic. 6. Buying local food keeps us in touch with the seasons. 7. Buying locally grown food is fodder for a wonderful story. 8. Eating local protects us from bio-terrorism. 9. Local food translates to more variety. 10. Supporting local providers supports responsible land development = more open space
Wal-Mart - The green machine?
Many have been worried about Wal-Mart's entry into organic products and how that might dilute organic standards and compromise organic farmers and suppliers. Lee Scott their CEO saying he wants to turn the world's largest retailer into the greenest. Can their leverage change suppliers for the better?
“Wal-Mart's campaign has already turned the small world of organic cotton upside down. They learned about the environmental risks posed by conventional cotton farming, which uses more chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizer than any other crop. Their purchases of organic cotton have eliminated millions of tons of chemicals, Scott says.” See Fortune Magazine's August article for more
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/08/07/8382593/index.htm
BOOKS
Your Right to Know : Genetic Engineering and the Secret Changes in Your Food by Andrew Kimbrell , executive director of both the Center for Food Safety and the International Center for Technology Assessment. New in September by Earth Aware / Ten Speed Press.
“One of my biggest concerns is the unannounced, unlabeled, and untested introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the nation's food supply.” - Nell Newman, co-founder and president, Newman's Own Organics.
This is a definitive and accessible how-to primer is for concerned parents and the buying public who want to know more about health risks, organic options, shopping choices, and the ways we can fight the corporate agro-industrial takeover of the food we eat. The deluxe hard-cover edition includes Nell Newman's Shopper's Guide DVD.
Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children By Ann Cooper, Lisa Holmes
Schools are actually feeding the American crisis of childhood obesity and malnutrition. Most cafeterias serve a veritable buffet of processed, fried, and sugary foods. 78 percent of the school lunch programs in America do not meet the USDA's nutritional guidelines.
Chef Ann Cooper has emerged as one of the nation's most influential and most respected advocates for changing how our kids eat. They explain the basics of good childhood nutrition and suggest dozens of tasty, home-tested recipes and it's packed with recommendations on how to eliminate potential hazards from the home, bring gardening and composting into daily life, and how to support businesses that provide local, organic food.
Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen by Anna Lappe and Bryant Terry
In Grub, best-selling author Anna Lappe ( Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet ) and chef Bryant Terry dish up the answers for you.
Through stories of innovations in ecological farming, the local food revival from Missoula to Manhattan, and the fair food movements here at home and around the world, Grub showcases one of the most hopeful developments of the new century: a revolution in food and farming that is healthy for all of us. Readers will also learn how the anti-Grub diet furthers the alarming consequences of an industrial food system that creates hunger amidst plenty, the disappearance of the family farmer, toxic pesticides blanketing the environment, and skyrocketing diet-related diseases.
Grub helps us become a part of the positive revolution in our food choices through dozens of hands-on suggestions, an extensive resource guide, and Terry's delectable dishes.'Bryant Terry is an award-winning chef, food justice activist, and founding director of b-healthy! Visit www.eatgrub.org for more info.
ECO-PRODUCTS:
Preserve Jr.
http://www.recycline.com/products/preservejr.html
Recycline is helping with their new line of Preserve Jr's Endangered Species toothbrushes to introduce kids to the importance of good oral health and efforts that preserve our Earth, like their partnership with the National Wildlife Federation. Featured facts and animal info come with each toothbrush.
The Preserve Jr's handle is made from 100% recycled plastic. Through their special partnership with Stonyfield Farm®, they've recycled more than a million discarded yogurt cups to make Recycline products.
LED Solar Address Numbers:
Each solid aluminum fixture absorbs energy from the sun to power two high output white LED's during the night. The aluminum is anodized to prevent any oxidation. The entire unit is sealed and completely weather resistant, with quick and easy installation. $20 each. www.matterinc.com .
Back-to-school
Lunch Box Bottle:The Earth Policy Institute reports American water bottle consumption totaled over 26 billion liters in 2004, and 86% of these water bottles were sent to landfills as garbage! Help reduce lunchbox waste by using a refillable bottle. The non-porous polycarbonate material avoids the bad taste regular plastic bottles leech into the water. By New Wave.
Reusable Bags! For lunch, shopping and more…
Al Gore's new book An Inconvenient Truth mentions tips to help solve the climate crisis – “Consume less, conserve more” (pg. 314). An estimated 500 billion to one trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide every year. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 12,000,000 barrels of oil are required to produce the 100 billion consumed annually… furthermore, paper bags are no better than plastic (forests lost). You can learn more bag facts, find actions you can take, and purchase at www.reusablebags.com
FYI - NEWS :Pesticides Linked To Parkinson's Disease
Exposure to pesticides is linked to a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease; say researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, USA. People with low level exposure to pesticide sprays have a 70% increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease when compared to people with no or very low exposure.
This suggests that any type of pesticide exposure, be it occupationally related or not, may raise a person's risk. Exposure to home or garden pesticides probably raises a person's risk accordingly, say the researchers. www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=45961
Unions Say E.P.A. Bends to Political Pressure
Unions representing thousands of staff scientists say the agency is bending to political pressure and ignoring sound science in allowing a group of toxic chemicals to be used in agricultural pesticides.
Jennifer Joe is an advocate of Organics, non-profits, sustainable practices and values, as well as a food enthusiast originating from her long-time S.D. restaurant family background. She can be contacted via imagineerit_jj@yahoo.com
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