31
March
2008
Saskatchewan Farmer, Percy Schmeiser, has spent the last decade bogged down in court battles with the Monsanto Corporation. Monsanto originally sued Schmeiser for unintentionally growing the company’s patented canola seeds, even though the biotech plants that were growing in Schmeiser’s field were there due to drift and contamination. The courts originally ruled in favor of Monsanto, saying that regardless of contamination, a farmer cannot grow patented seeds. But Schmeiser recently counter-sued Monsanto, claiming the company should be liable for the damages that their property causes others. Last week, Monsanto settled out of court and paid Schmeiser what it cost to have the invading biotech plants removed. Listen to this radio interview with Percy Schmeiser shortly after the landmark settlement: http://www.cjly.net/deconstructingdinner/032008.htm
Posted: Is it really organic ?
30
March
2008
With trucking diesel fuel prices now over $4 per gallon in many locations, food prices are reaching an all time high, since the average grocery store item has traveled 1500-3500 miles.
Over the past year, alone, consumers have been forced to pay significantly more for staples like eggs (25 percent), milk (17 percent), cheese (15 percent), bread (12 percent), and rice (13 percent). This is partially due to increased costs of transportation and partially due to massive amounts of cropland being converted to biofuel production. As a result, consumers are paying more for their food and paying $15 billion in increased taxes per year for biofuel subsidies.
Fuel prices have nearly doubled the expenses of commuters over the last year. Recent polls show a strong majority of U.S. citizens are in favor of allocating a larger portion of the federal budget for mass transportation.
In contrast, the amount of federal money earmarked for mass transit projects (example: rail and bus) has been reduced by nearly 70% since the Bush Administration took over in 2001.
A record number of consumers are using credit cards to pay for increased fuel costs. Although the recession has negatively impacted employment, the New York Times reports one of the few booming occupations in the current job market is as a Debt Collector.
Since 2001, the top five oil companies have increased their annual profits by an average of 500%.
organicconsumers.org
Posted: Climate Change, Is it really organic ?
29
March
2008
As reported in the last issue of Organic Bytes, OCA’s new expose on carcinogens found in various products misleadingly labeled as “organic” and “natural” is sending shockwaves through the personal care industry. The OCA and Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap Company have now filed Cease and Desist letters with the various companies who are labeling their products as “organic,” despite the fact that a number of their products tested positive for the cancer-causing synthetic ingredient 1,4-Dioxane, including Jason’s, Nature’s Gate, and Kiss My Face, among others. The OCA is demanding that these companies reformulate their products to remove petrochemicals and 1,4-Dioxane or else remove “organic” label claims from their packaging. Offending companies who do not contractually agree by Earth Day 2008 to clean up their act will be sued by the OCA. To avoid tainted products, OCA recommends that consumers look for the “USDA Organic” seal on body care products and cosmetics. If you don’t see the seal, it may not be truly organic. To see a list of body care and home cleaning products tainted with with 1,4-Dioxane
Look for the USDA Organic Seal 
when shopping for organic personal care products
Posted: Is it really organic ?, Probiotics, Skin Care, Antioxidants
28
March
2008
Here is another good reason to take the Miessence-Mivtality Antioxidant health drink called Berry Radical…..click here to find out more
ScienceDaily (Mar. 24, 2008) — No matter how pleasant a meal is, eating causes what’s known as oxidative stress. As we digest our food, we create sometimes-harmful molecules known as free radicals. But antioxidants — healthful compounds in fruits and vegetables — can help by neutralizing the free radicals.
That’s yet another good reason to eat at least some antioxidant-rich foods at every meal, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) chemist Ronald L. Prior. To learn more about the effects of antioxidants on postprandial, or after-meal, oxidative stress, Prior and co-investigators collaborated in four clinical studies with healthy female volunteers.
The scientists found that the antioxidant capacity of volunteers’ blood plasma samples declined after eating a test meal that lacked antioxidants. But the scientists also found, for the first time, that consuming grapes with that same test meal prevented the decline in plasma antioxidant capacity of the volunteers during the first two hours following the test meal—the time digestion is the most rapid.
Posted: Antioxidants
27
March
2008
While the world’s battle against global warming has focussed on the need to cut carbon dioxide emissions, a simple and quick way to slow its progress has been largely ignored.
Presenter: Ashley Hall
Speakers: Greg Carmichael, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Iowa
GREG CARMICHAEL: This new information finds that black carbon’s contribution to global warming is more significant than originally thought and amounts to about 60 per cent as powerful as carbon dioxide as a greenhouse warming agent.
It is interesting that black carbon emissions per capita are almost the same whether it is in Australia or US or Europe or China so at least they gives us a common ground that we can all kind of come at the problem together. We are all suffering from air pollution and we are all contributing black carbon to the warming.
ASHLEY HALL: So what does that mean that we can do about black carbon that will impact on the speed of global warming?
GREG CARMICHAEL: Black carbon stays in the atmosphere only on the order of days to a week or so as opposed to carbon dioxide which is in the atmosphere for 100 years.
We have an opportunity by trying to come up with ways to reduce the amount of black carbon in the atmosphere that will allow us to mitigate some of the global warming activities over the next decade or two.
ASHLEY HALL: What sort of an impact could it have on the health of people in the areas that generate a lot of black carbon?
GREG CARMICHAEL: In India alone due to black carbon in cook stoves, we estimate, or others have estimated, that hundreds of thousands of excess deaths are occurring each year due to black carbon.
ASHLEY HALL: So to cut the emissions of black carbon, what are the simplest measures that can be taken?
GREG CARMICHAEL: We really don’t have a lot of good strategies in the near term related to carbon dioxide but we feel that the black carbon strategy is one that can really have immediate impact and buy us a little time while we still keep our eye on the bigger picture of carbon dioxide.
In India, much of the black carbon is coming from these domestic cooking where they use animal dung and agricultural residues in their stoves to do their cooking.
While certainly one way to improve that would be to move to what we call improved solar stoves where we then could eliminate the use of these very dirty materials and use a much cleaner and also not only a black-carbon-free but a carbon-free source for their cooking.
In other places it is, China which is also, relies a lot on coal for domestic heating, if they were to move to something like natural gas, is an example where the black carbon emissions would be much reduced.
Posted: Climate Change
26
March
2008
These are the faces of the new farmers. A wonderful trend for so many reasons; young people have been leaving the farms for years, small towns have been devastated and farms grown over; now it is comeback time. According to the New York Times: “Steeped in years of talk around college campuses and in stylish urban enclaves about the evils of factory farms, the perils of relying on petroleum to deliver food over long distances and the beauty of greenmarkets, some young urbanites are starting to put their muscles where their pro-environment, antiglobalization mouths are. They are creating small-scale farms near urban areas hungry for quality produce and willing to pay a premium.”
Posted: Climate Change, Is it really organic ?
25
March
2008
First San Francisco banned it. Then Chicago started taxing it. Now, the city of Seattle is taking action against bottled water; last week, Mayor Greg Nickels signed an executive order to stop the city from buying bottled water. That means no more bottled water at city facilities and events, which may sound like a small step, but it’ll make a big difference; last year, the city spent $58,000 on the stuff (and that’s not including the true cost and carbon footprint of bottled water). We’re willing to bet that the city’s taxpayers can probably think of about 58,000 ways to better spend that money.
The move isn’t just an issue of saving money, though that is a nice ancillary effect. It’s also a strong vote of confidence in the city’s municipal water supply and treatment systems; in light of the fracas about prescription drugs in our water last week, it’s good to see the city standing behind its tap water and encouraging its employees and citizens to drink up.
Further, “This is a matter of leading by example,” Nickels said. “The people of Seattle own one of the best water supplies in the country, every bit as good as bottled water and available at a fraction of the price. When you add up the tremendous environmental costs of disposable plastic bottles clogging our landfills, the better choice is crystal clear.”
According to the city’s press release, “The mayor’s order — which applies only to city departments — is the first step in an effort to promote Seattle’s water and get people to consider kicking the bottle habit.” What else does the Emerald City have up her sleeve? Grab a glass of tap water, take a sip and stay tuned for more. ::City of Seattle and ::Seattle Times via ::Greenline
Posted: Climate Change
25
March
2008
Swedish investigative program Uppdrag Granskning (UG) figured out a curious fact: for all its squeaky-clean posture on climate efforts (oil-free by 2020, yeah) Sweden has left out of its position papers one very large emitter - beef cows. In UG’s reckoning, each Swedish car, driven an average of around 10,000 kilometers, puts out the same amount of CO2 as the average cow does in methane (100 kilo). No political party leader is ready to subsidize less meat eating…at least not yet. Approval of a climate label for food in Sweden will start to give shoppers an idea of the climate effect of what’s in their carts. (first round of approvals will go by the Minister of Agriculture next month).
Posted: Climate Change
24
March
2008
ONE of the world’s leading economic think tanks has said Australians must start paying more for water.
The OECD’s Environmental Performance Review of Australia says water is being wasted because it is too cheap. It says the move would help conserve water and encourage investment in alternative supplies.
The recommendation is one of 45 made by the OECD’s Environment Directorate in the first such report about Australia in a decade.
“Water prices for urban consumers remain low and thus do not encourage conservation or investment in new sources of supply,” the report says.
“The potential for water reuse and recycling has yet to be fully exploited.”
OECD Environment director Lorents Lorentsen said the agricultural sector accounted for two-thirds of water use and could be better managed. He said the national water plan introduced last year could go further.
“Water is a scarce resource and it should be priced at the cost of distributing and supplying water,” he said.
“You could say that God is providing enough rain and water but somebody has to pay for the pipes and pay for the supply of water.”
The report also calls for stronger enforcement of environmental laws and responses to the degradation of natural resources.
Mr Lorentsen said the Federal Government’s overhaul of environmental programs last week under the Caring for Our Country banner had addressed many of the OECD’s concerns.
He said Australia’s significant achievements included protecting nature and biodiversity, creating the “innovative and ambitious” National Water Initiative in 2004 and its new climate change policies.
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett said Caring for Our Country, a $2.25 billion program, supported the report’s recommendation that the capacity of regional natural resource bodies be expanded.
“Many of the shortcomings this report identifies are those that we highlighted in opposition,” Mr Garrett said.
Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said the timetable she released this week for the introduction of an emissions trading scheme answered the report’s call for a market price to be put on carbon.
Posted: Climate Change
23
March
2008
One Group and Miessence
Announces 2 NEW Travel Sizes:
Shine Herbal Hair Conditioner
40ml/1.35fl.oz
Mint Toothpaste
50g/1.8oz
Perfect for your backpack, overnight bag or hand luggage,
and perfect for zipping through airport security with your
essentials intact.
Also great for your guest room!
to shop online click here
Posted: Climate Change, Is it really organic ?
