OrganicAuthority.com - Organic Blog » environment

Strawberries ‘n Cancer: Methyl Iodine’s Future Uncertain in California

Jill Ettinger — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:00:03 +0000

Methyl iodine, the neurotoxin chemical used to fumigate strawberry and tomato fields before planting, is at the heart of a growing debate in California just a year after former Governor Schwarzenegger approved its use.

Saving the Environment Is ‘Simple’, Cites New Study

Jill Ettinger — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:00:50 +0000

Multitaskers take note: Simple is in, at least as far as reducing global warming says a new study published in the journal Science, led by NASA scientist, Drew Shindell.

Pesticide Use Rises in California

Jill Ettinger — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:00:11 +0000

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation released data showing an extra 15 million pounds—nearly a ten percent increase—of pesticides were used in 2010 after four years of steady declines.

Food Suppliers Star in McDonald’s New Transparency Campaign

Erin Shaw — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:00:43 +0000

McDonald’s is set to launch a new ad campaign in January that features four of the restaurant’s beef and produce suppliers attesting to the quality of their ingredients.

Label It Today! GMO Salmon Up for FDA Approval, Public Scrutiny

Erin Shaw — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 08:00:25 +0000

There has never been a better time to assert your right to an informed choice in food. The FDA may be finalizing approval of genetically engineered salmon, the first GE animal for human consumption, and there is one team working hard for consumers’ rights to know. The Just Label It! Campaign is calling for support for their legal petition urging the FDA to require mandatory labeling of GE salmon and all genetically engineered foods.

Dairy Cows Produce Fewer Greenhouse Gas Emissions Than Previously Reported

Barbara Feiner — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:05:48 +0000

Much has been written about cows’ role in producing greenhouse gas emissions. (Think burps and farts.)

A 2006 United Nations report stated that livestock were responsible for 18% of these emissions. To be fair, this statistic also included land use and degradation, deforestation, pesticide use and water pollution. Cow flatulence, however, continues to incur blame (not to mention really dorky jokes).

Fear not, bovine lovers: Researchers at the University of Arkansas and Michigan Technological University have found that the dairy industry is responsible for only about 2% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Using 2007 and 2008 data from more than 500 dairy farms and 50 dairy processors, as well as data from more than 210,000 round trips transporting milk from farm to processing plant, Arkansas researchers examined the trail of carbon emissions—from dairy farms to the milk in your coffee. They concluded that total greenhouse gas emissions associated with the fluid milk Americans consume were lower than previously reported.

Can Pickles Help Save the Environment?

Barbara Feiner — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 08:00:02 +0000

By definition, organic pickles must not contain any artificial colors (nor chemical additives or pesticides, while we’re on the subject).

In contrast, mainstream pickle manufacturers often use a synthetic yellow food coloring known as tartrazine to achieve that familiar gherkin color. It’s listed as Yellow 5 on food labels, and it’s also responsible for processed macaroni and cheese’s frightening neon hue.

U.S. Department of Agriculture microbiologists have been researching why commercially packed pickles can turn red and spoil. They recently identified a key chemical culprit: an interaction between tartrazine and the normal lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacilli) that form during the pickling process.

Plant a Rain Garden

Barbara Feiner — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 07:21:25 +0000

By Kathy Bond-Borie, Guest Columnist

Storm water runoff can be a big problem during heavy thunderstorms. As the water rushes across roofs and driveways, it picks up oil and other pollutants.

Municipal storm-water treatment plants often can’t handle the deluge, and untreated water ends up in natural waterways in many areas. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates as much as 70% of the pollution in our streams, rivers and lakes is carried there by storm water.

To reduce excess water runoff, many towns are encouraging businesses and homeowners to install rain gardens in their yards: specially constructed gardens located in low areas of a yard where storm water can collect. The idea is to have the water funnel naturally to this garden, which collects runoff and stores and filters it until it can be slowly absorbed by soil.

Sustainable Swordfish Available at Whole Foods Market

Barbara Feiner — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:04:27 +0000

Swordfish has been on the eco-worst list of seafood choices for as long as I can remember. Between high mercury levels and ocean-savaging fishing practices, this protein has been banned from my shopping list for 20 years.

In January 2007, I bashed swordfish in Making Safe Fish Choices and substituted Pacific halibut in a featured recipe for Kabobs with California Dried Plums and Bay Leaves.

But the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program now rates Hawaiian, Canadian and some U.S. swordfish as “best choices,” while discouraging the purchase of imported and certain U.S. swordfish. (Click here for the fishy details.)

And just this month, Whole Foods Market introduced sustainable swordfish that has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). If you’re interested, shop quickly: The fish will be available only through August and while supplies last.

Whole Foods has been working with an “incredibly special fishery” in Nova Scotia, says Dan Rand, one of the natural/organic food chain’s port buyers. He and his colleagues hand-select and grade swordfish as it arrives on dock, and they choose fish that meets specific criteria: white meat, firm texture and bright blood lines. These requirements help ensure that the cooked fish has a mildly sweet flavor, optimum moistness and a meaty texture.

“To get this many fishermen on board 100% with the MSC fishery sustainability program is no easy task, and it is a testament to their commitment to the future of the fishery and the fish,” Rand says.

Caught one at a time by harpoon, a swordfish is targeted only when it’s mature. Whole Foods is working with the Canadian government to avoid overfishing, which means swordfish are caught over three 5-day intervals.

“As [Whole Foods] customers better understand the importance of certified sustainable seafood products and the rigor of the MSC’s independent, internationally recognized standard, the more consumers can play a role by their choices in realizing the vision of oceans teeming with life for this and future generations,” says Kerry Coughlin, MSC’s Americas Region director.

Help Director James Cameron Plant 1 Million Trees

Barbara Feiner — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:27:54 +0000

Having broken box-office records with Avatar, director James Cameron and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have partnered with the Earth Day Network to create the Avatar Home Tree Initiative—an effort to plant 1 million native trees in 15 countries (the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Brazil, Mexico and Haiti).

Each Avatar Blu-Ray and DVD has a unique code, which buyers can register here. Fans who do so can adopt one of the million trees and receive a virtual home tree that represents it. At press time, 227,713 trees have been adopted.

“We find ourselves facing the greatest challenge of our time: saving our natural world from ourselves,” Cameron says. “The time has come to stand up and be warriors for the Earth. Avatar takes place on a distant world, but it’s really about this miracle planet we have right here.”

“Climate change is a worldwide problem, and we have a universal responsibility to protect the world’s natural resources from man’s exploitation,” adds Earth Day Network President Kathleen Rogers, who calls Cameron an “environmental steward.”

Love Avatar?

Check out these official interactive sites:

Pandorama. Using a webcam, immerse yourself in the world of Pandora. Insert yourself into different movie locations, and interact with the elements. Snap postcards, and share them with friends.
Pandorapedia. Enter the official guide to the world of Pandora, with hundreds of online facts.
Immersive Trailer. With this interactive trailer, click on any part of the video to explore frame-by-frame and in-context “hot spots,” which offer meticulous information on characters and locations.