Ahh – Christmas! Time for family, friends, food and gifts! I love the holidays, even if this time of year provides special challenges for those trying to live of low impact or man-, animal-, earth-friendly practices. Food and family can provide year- round challenges. Friends - hopefully none at all. But gifts – gifts can lead to awkward situations. I need to call up Miss Manners to see if there is a specified etiquette for such situations.
You wonder what challenges? Lets take me, for example.
The original goal of this blog was to limit my buying to items that are friendly to man, animal and earth. Extremely difficult, but not impossible I’m sure to the truly dedicated. Maybe one day I can be there, not there yet!
Still, as I’ve written in the past, I am more aware and have changed many buying habits - shampoos, makeup, food. I even turned down the blackberries on sale at Fred Meyer today because they were Nature’s Partner, and let me tell you I LOVE blackberries! So I know I’ve learned something. In fact, I’m way more educated that I ever thought I would be about world events. I get daily emails from organizations like amnesty international, change.org, FINCA, ACCION, Defenders of Wildlife, Farm Sanctuary, Action Aid International and on and on. I sign petitions, make donations, write letters to congress and adjust spending accordingly.
But many people aren’t aware these are priorities of mine. I don’t wear a sign indicating personal preferences. And I’m a little embarrassed to say I specifically avoid such discussions with some acquaintances just because I don’t always know the right things to say to get my point across without sounding stupid.
Being at a party or having a casual gift exchange with such people and receiving gifts on the “banned products” is undesirable but certainly excusable. If I don’t choose to educate them, then I understand this is what happens.
But what about the people that DO know this about me? What about the loved ones that witness these challenges on a daily or weekly basis? What do I say to them?
If there is a product that I feel is so bad, and the State of California even agrees enough with me to put signs on these products that say, paraphrased “use of this product is hazardous to your health” – do I accept this gift without comment?
So that’s the challenge I refer to. Sometimes people are so proud of the gift they buy it’s really hard to let them know it’s not exactly appreciated, even though the thought always is.
So I’m back blogging, really, for at least another 6 months : )
I need to look into so many products that I’ve not got to yet – dog food, toilet paper, laundry soap etc. I know I can do better.
And even though I’m not exactly blogging on vegan subjects, I’ll be attending a vegan blogging conference in Portland. Really looking forward to it – to meeting fellow like-minded people – and also to see an old friend or two in the Portland area. (So if you’re one of these Portland friends be sure to email me back to let me know you’re still around!)
I do have many projects in the works – to be blogged on later.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year Everyone!
life is good
Friday, December 24, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Palm Oil
Just when I think I’m really making progress in being animal and environmentally friendlier, someone points something out to me and whoosh…backslide.
I’ve stopped eating dairy most of the time because even on the organic farms, the male calves – a natural by product of keeping a cow in milk – are mostly worthless and sold for veal. Poor little boy calves, it’s not their fault! But it’s the same in the organic chicken and egg industry – what good are the roosters? You only need a few to keep things rolling, the rest are destroyed or raised for sub-standard food purposes.
Anyway, so in my quest to eat as I’ve grown accustomed to I continually look for vegan replacements of food staples, my mission to be able to create any dish in a vegan version. Finding the perfect butter – Earth’s Balance- was a godsend, or so I thought.
One of the primary ingredients of Earth’s Balance, and many vegan cheeses, is Palm oil.
Palm oil is found in around 50% of the products on the market today, including cosmetics and shampoos. It’s been great for the food industry because it’s not hydrogenated yet is solid at room temperature.
But lo, the communities it comes from – primarily Indonesia and Malaysia – have been seriously adversely affected by the greedy companies wanting to grow more and more. In the quest for land they destroy the equivalent of six football fields daily of rainforest. These rainforests supports more than 500 kinds of wildlife which must fight for the constantly diminishing space.
Including orangutans. The only native home for these cousins of ours.
Orangutans shot and killed on sight as their land is encroached upon. Or beaten with clubs and sticks. Retreating orangutans creating overcrowding, lower birth rates and disease.
And the elephants, poisoned by the plantations as the forests are cut.
Not to mention the livelihoods of the locals who depend on the forests or have had their own land raped by corporate greed. Or the negative overall environmental effects of the loss of these forests.
So I am brought back to reality about learning the source of my products. Doing my own homework. I can’t count on anyone else to tell me if a product is friendly to people, animal or earth because they just want my money. They won’t mention it or will flat out lie. Vegan doesn’t mean all-around good and friendly.
And of course, get back to nature. If I don’t eat processed foods I really don’t have to research every ingredient!
Some sources on Palm Oil:
http://nothoney.com/2009/06/15/vegan-cheese-is-just-as-inhumane-as-dairy-cheese/
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=89747
http://www.rspo.org/
I’ve stopped eating dairy most of the time because even on the organic farms, the male calves – a natural by product of keeping a cow in milk – are mostly worthless and sold for veal. Poor little boy calves, it’s not their fault! But it’s the same in the organic chicken and egg industry – what good are the roosters? You only need a few to keep things rolling, the rest are destroyed or raised for sub-standard food purposes.
Anyway, so in my quest to eat as I’ve grown accustomed to I continually look for vegan replacements of food staples, my mission to be able to create any dish in a vegan version. Finding the perfect butter – Earth’s Balance- was a godsend, or so I thought.
One of the primary ingredients of Earth’s Balance, and many vegan cheeses, is Palm oil.
Palm oil is found in around 50% of the products on the market today, including cosmetics and shampoos. It’s been great for the food industry because it’s not hydrogenated yet is solid at room temperature.
But lo, the communities it comes from – primarily Indonesia and Malaysia – have been seriously adversely affected by the greedy companies wanting to grow more and more. In the quest for land they destroy the equivalent of six football fields daily of rainforest. These rainforests supports more than 500 kinds of wildlife which must fight for the constantly diminishing space.
Including orangutans. The only native home for these cousins of ours.
Orangutans shot and killed on sight as their land is encroached upon. Or beaten with clubs and sticks. Retreating orangutans creating overcrowding, lower birth rates and disease.
And the elephants, poisoned by the plantations as the forests are cut.
Not to mention the livelihoods of the locals who depend on the forests or have had their own land raped by corporate greed. Or the negative overall environmental effects of the loss of these forests.
So I am brought back to reality about learning the source of my products. Doing my own homework. I can’t count on anyone else to tell me if a product is friendly to people, animal or earth because they just want my money. They won’t mention it or will flat out lie. Vegan doesn’t mean all-around good and friendly.
And of course, get back to nature. If I don’t eat processed foods I really don’t have to research every ingredient!
Some sources on Palm Oil:
http://nothoney.com/2009/06/15/vegan-cheese-is-just-as-inhumane-as-dairy-cheese/
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=89747
http://www.rspo.org/
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Pets and such
I found a white rat wandering about the back yard when I went out to work on building the chicken coop. Yes, the chicken coop should be done by now but the problem is I was building for 3 chickens. However when I got to the feed store there were so many breeds I just couldn’t decide so I brought home 6 of them! Needless to say, a 3 capacity coop was too small for 6 chickens so I’ve had to start over. I think the size of the new one will hold more like 12 – guess I got a little carried away this time!
Back to the rat- he (for the sake of not being able to determine a sex from afar) was only moderately skiddish and actually very curious about me. He hid behind some bricks while keeping an eye on me – and me an eye on him. He was very cute as rats go. Obviously not too afraid of humans.
A few days later I saw him bounding through the neighbors grass – a white rodent is pretty unmistakable in green grass. I could only watch him for a minute before he was out of site. I felt sad for him that someone would release their pet rat into the wid. How cruel was that owner, how could they? How was he supposed to fend for himself after growing up in a cage his whole life? And then it hit me, isn’t that what I want for caged animals? Is to be free?
So , while many of you may think “it’s only a rat for god’s sake’, it made me wonder – what do I want for the caged animals of the world? It’s not easy thinkin’.
Obviously many animals are so domesticated that they couldn’t fend for themselves in a reasonable way and must depend on us to do that. Hopefully owners have respect for the pets in their care. But what happens when the owner crosses the line and is cruel? And we know there are many, too many, like that. What would be the best for the animal? Shelters run at capacity most of them time
It’s really no different for humans that mistreat kids, parents and spouses. There are no easy answers.
So to follow with the animal- and people-friendly theme, I guess we do anything we can, just one being at a time. I can’t save the world, I can’t bring home all the abused and care for them, much as I’d like to. But I can care for those I in my little world now, I can speak up if I see something out of line.
I fed that rat, despite my husband’s objections, but I knew he didn’t have much time left as there are too many predators in our woods. I haven’t seen him in over a week, I guess sometimes the best we can do is just love from afar.
What do you think?
Back to the rat- he (for the sake of not being able to determine a sex from afar) was only moderately skiddish and actually very curious about me. He hid behind some bricks while keeping an eye on me – and me an eye on him. He was very cute as rats go. Obviously not too afraid of humans.
A few days later I saw him bounding through the neighbors grass – a white rodent is pretty unmistakable in green grass. I could only watch him for a minute before he was out of site. I felt sad for him that someone would release their pet rat into the wid. How cruel was that owner, how could they? How was he supposed to fend for himself after growing up in a cage his whole life? And then it hit me, isn’t that what I want for caged animals? Is to be free?
So , while many of you may think “it’s only a rat for god’s sake’, it made me wonder – what do I want for the caged animals of the world? It’s not easy thinkin’.
Obviously many animals are so domesticated that they couldn’t fend for themselves in a reasonable way and must depend on us to do that. Hopefully owners have respect for the pets in their care. But what happens when the owner crosses the line and is cruel? And we know there are many, too many, like that. What would be the best for the animal? Shelters run at capacity most of them time
It’s really no different for humans that mistreat kids, parents and spouses. There are no easy answers.
So to follow with the animal- and people-friendly theme, I guess we do anything we can, just one being at a time. I can’t save the world, I can’t bring home all the abused and care for them, much as I’d like to. But I can care for those I in my little world now, I can speak up if I see something out of line.
I fed that rat, despite my husband’s objections, but I knew he didn’t have much time left as there are too many predators in our woods. I haven’t seen him in over a week, I guess sometimes the best we can do is just love from afar.
What do you think?
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Why I'm not blogging much right now...
This has occupied most of my time lately.
This and building a chicken coop, tending a garden, watching/judging indie film submissions, signing petitions, oh, and working (really, Boss, I am!)
Press release: For immediate release
New Service Makes It Easy For Restaurants to Capitalize On Vegetarian Market
Seattle company offers vegetarian consulting to traditional restaurants in order to increase their appeal to the vegetarian market
Bothell, WA, April 20, 2010 - Good Life Consulting is delighted to announce their vegetarian and vegan consulting services are now available to the food service industry. Restaurants, caterers and others will now be able to easily expand their market to attract the growing vegetarian crowd. Good Life Consulting assists restaurants in ensuring their existing meatless entrees are truly vegetarian and can offer expanded menu options. Many chefs and cooks are unaware of the hidden items in food that don’t meet vegetarian guidelines.
Until now many restaurants have not had a good resource to direct them in preparing tasty and true-vegetarian meals for their customers, leaving vegetarians dissatisfied and unlikely to return to the restaurant. In today’s economy restaurants need to look outside their traditional customer base in order to thrive.
“It’s really a win-win situation, both for the restaurant and for the vegetarian diner,” says owner and head consultant Karen Mallonée, “now the diner can be confident their food has been verified as vegetarian and the restaurant has just opened up their potential customer base by about 20%”.
Recent studies show the vegetarian population has grown over 25 % in the past five years and continues to expand. Additionally about 40% of diners are now choosing meatless meals more often and taking full advantage of “Meatless Mondays” offered at many restaurants.
Good Life Consulting initially offers these services in the Pacific Northwest with plans to expand nationwide as more consultants become trained.
For more information please visit www.vegverify.net or call 206-350-0895.
About Good Life Consulting
Good Life Consulting understands that many culinary schools and nutritional advisors are unable to offer in-depth vegetarian and vegan instruction and so they are prepared to assist chefs, cooks or servers perfect those skills knowledge. Services offered by Good Life Consulting include menu verification, server and cook education and menu development, as well as individual or custom consulting.
Good Life Consulting was created to meet the growing demand of pure vegetarian and vegan food available at conventional restaurants along with helping these restaurants gain exposure to the vegetarian market.
More information can be found on the internet at www.vegverify.net ,email Karen@vegverify.net or calling 206-350-0896
###
This and building a chicken coop, tending a garden, watching/judging indie film submissions, signing petitions, oh, and working (really, Boss, I am!)
Press release: For immediate release
New Service Makes It Easy For Restaurants to Capitalize On Vegetarian Market
Seattle company offers vegetarian consulting to traditional restaurants in order to increase their appeal to the vegetarian market
Bothell, WA, April 20, 2010 - Good Life Consulting is delighted to announce their vegetarian and vegan consulting services are now available to the food service industry. Restaurants, caterers and others will now be able to easily expand their market to attract the growing vegetarian crowd. Good Life Consulting assists restaurants in ensuring their existing meatless entrees are truly vegetarian and can offer expanded menu options. Many chefs and cooks are unaware of the hidden items in food that don’t meet vegetarian guidelines.
Until now many restaurants have not had a good resource to direct them in preparing tasty and true-vegetarian meals for their customers, leaving vegetarians dissatisfied and unlikely to return to the restaurant. In today’s economy restaurants need to look outside their traditional customer base in order to thrive.
“It’s really a win-win situation, both for the restaurant and for the vegetarian diner,” says owner and head consultant Karen Mallonée, “now the diner can be confident their food has been verified as vegetarian and the restaurant has just opened up their potential customer base by about 20%”.
Recent studies show the vegetarian population has grown over 25 % in the past five years and continues to expand. Additionally about 40% of diners are now choosing meatless meals more often and taking full advantage of “Meatless Mondays” offered at many restaurants.
Good Life Consulting initially offers these services in the Pacific Northwest with plans to expand nationwide as more consultants become trained.
For more information please visit www.vegverify.net or call 206-350-0895.
About Good Life Consulting
Good Life Consulting understands that many culinary schools and nutritional advisors are unable to offer in-depth vegetarian and vegan instruction and so they are prepared to assist chefs, cooks or servers perfect those skills knowledge. Services offered by Good Life Consulting include menu verification, server and cook education and menu development, as well as individual or custom consulting.
Good Life Consulting was created to meet the growing demand of pure vegetarian and vegan food available at conventional restaurants along with helping these restaurants gain exposure to the vegetarian market.
More information can be found on the internet at www.vegverify.net ,email Karen@vegverify.net or calling 206-350-0896
###
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Lower Impact Woman
I discovered it was very difficult being green in Vegas. I think if I worked harder at it I might have had better luck, but by my second week there I just wasn’t too inspired after experiencing lights, noise, more lights and booze galore.
One thing I did do is order the “carbon offset credit” from the car rental company (and my employer even paid for it). It’s only $1.25 a rental and the idea is that the money is invested in companies that help offset our carbon footprint. I haven’t done any personal research on the corporations they feed the money to, but they sound promising. There are a lot of landfill projects and one dairy project in Outlook, Washington - George DeRuyter and Sons Dairy is an anaerobic digester project in the state of
Pearl Jam is also trying to offset their impact for their recent tour. They are planting 33 acres of trees in
Is this possible to reverse? I mean I guess it’s better than nothing, but it seems odd to go out and create a huge amount of carbon dioxide emissions and then just plant some trees to try and take care of it. I think the bigger impact would be to reduce the emissions in the first place, wouldn’t it? I’m obviously not an environmental scientist so I really don’t know the details of this, but if I’m vandalizing someone’s property on the west side of town every day and go to the east side of town once a week to help them clean up, it’s not equal or making everything better, it’s just better for one side but worse for the other.
No Impact Man seems to have a learned a lot of strategies for, well, lowering carbon impact. A great documentary about a
And I thought my project was ambitious and even part crazy at times, but he makes me look like I’m not doing anything! I mean when I start looking at toilet paper and tampon alternatives I feel like I’m going overboard, but I really haven’t even scratched the surface.
If I do an quick inventory I know I’ve made some significant personal changes that I think are in the right direction – different make-up, shampoo, mostly organic food and products, mostly vegan, have large garden in and partially planted, built chicken coop and got babies 2 days ago (so cute!), composting more – that’s a partial list, but I know I have so much more to do. It still takes research, one of my goals is the dog food, I buy a pretty expensive brand because of dog’s allergies, but I understand pet food production is horrific, so I better look into that.
I gave myself a year though too, so I have some time to look into everything. It’s good to be inspired now and then by those that have done it first – it makes it more possible and reasonable to try and be more animal, man and earth friendly.
But, kind of like Pearl Jam - If I'm doing what I can, does it offset the actions of other people in my house?
Two of the new baby chicks!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Text Dolphin to 44144?
Somehow I happened in front of the TV during the Oscars this year just in time for Best Documentary Feature. I’m not a big fan of the Oscars but if someone in the house is watching it I’ll stop what I’m doing for a few minutes to see what’s going on, and this time I was drawn in by scenes of Buddhists (movie Burma VJ) first, then the beautiful blue ocean with a haunting background music and dozens of swimming dolphins amidst a chaos of fisherman, one holding a sign “don’t take photos”. then scenes of my new favorite movie “Food Inc”, so of course I sat down to watch.
As they announced the winner “The Cove” I watched with mixed feelings. I thought for sure Food inc would take it, but what I saw of The Cove looked promising as well, it was animal-centered so I automatically approved. I got up to leave during the Thank You speech and glimpsed a sign go up behind the speaker as I walked out the door. Wait, what did that say? Thank god for DVR, I reversed the show to see the sign again.
“Text Dolphin to 44144”. What? So I had to investigate, and I’ll just say now, it’s not pretty.
The movie itself looks very good, but I’m not sure I could handle watching it as it seems I’ve become much more sensitive about watching any living creature forced to endure mistreatment by human hands.
The Cove exposes a cove in Japan, out of site and off limits to the public, where they lure dolphins in to slaughter and to catch for sale to the entertainment industry. The meat, which is not edible due of toxic mercury levels, is then sold to restaurants, usually as whale meat, and to the schools for school lunches. Pure greed is making these barbarians kill and these beautiful animals and then poison their own countrymen and, worst of all, their children.
I know it is legal to kill dolphins in Japan, and whales too, but it doesn’t make it right. It’s illegal to kill whales in all but 3 countries (Japan, Iceland and Norway), every other country agrees we shouldn’t kill them. By the way, you may have unknowingly had whale meat recently if you’ve eaten at “The Hump” in Santa Monica, they were charged with selling the endangered Sei Whale in their sushi this week.
Which brings me to another great animal issue of late – Tillicum at Sea World Orlando. Tilly grabbed on to his trainers ponytail and dragged her underwater to her death. This is not the first time Tilly has killed, but Sea World insists this was human error. Bullshit. Sea World, and all other industries that exploit animals, will tell lies so the public thinks the animals are happy confined to their tiny pens their entire life. By placing the blame on the trainer, they instill a false sense of security in the public mind that “oh, it’s okay, the whale is not unhappy, he was just confused”. If we thought it was Tilly’s fault we then might think he was acting out, and then we’d wonder why he’d do that, which would lead to all kinds of horrible thoughts that might keep us away from Sea World.
While these animals do not think and reason the same way humans do, they do have an evolved intelligence and they do know there is more out there and their nature is to move freely and swim long distances, not to be confined in pens barely twice their size, even if they were born there. A former Tilly trainer said Tilly has a mean streak, and shouldn’t he? Wouldn’t you?
If you had been born and raised and lived in a closet your entire life, you would know something more existed, your gut, your soul, your sense would tell you, It’s the same for the whales, the dolphins, the sea lions and the bears in the zoo. They all deserve more, but again it’s money driving the exploitation and suffering of these animals.
It’s great to be able to experience wildlife, but we should do it in their environment. If we want to experience them, shouldn’t we be the ones to take the risk? How selfish are we to think that animals are here to only serve our purpose?
I know it’s hard go against these things, I had a difficult time deciding whether or not to view the Lion habitat at the MGM this week. The path from my room to car took me past it daily, but always before or after they were “open”. It was heartbreaking just to see the small, glass enclosed area of fake rock and trees that was supposed to be their home.
But this is what people think we need, so now we need to think for ourselves.
“The Cove” trailer is below, you decide.
As they announced the winner “The Cove” I watched with mixed feelings. I thought for sure Food inc would take it, but what I saw of The Cove looked promising as well, it was animal-centered so I automatically approved. I got up to leave during the Thank You speech and glimpsed a sign go up behind the speaker as I walked out the door. Wait, what did that say? Thank god for DVR, I reversed the show to see the sign again.
“Text Dolphin to 44144”. What? So I had to investigate, and I’ll just say now, it’s not pretty.
The movie itself looks very good, but I’m not sure I could handle watching it as it seems I’ve become much more sensitive about watching any living creature forced to endure mistreatment by human hands.
The Cove exposes a cove in Japan, out of site and off limits to the public, where they lure dolphins in to slaughter and to catch for sale to the entertainment industry. The meat, which is not edible due of toxic mercury levels, is then sold to restaurants, usually as whale meat, and to the schools for school lunches. Pure greed is making these barbarians kill and these beautiful animals and then poison their own countrymen and, worst of all, their children.
I know it is legal to kill dolphins in Japan, and whales too, but it doesn’t make it right. It’s illegal to kill whales in all but 3 countries (Japan, Iceland and Norway), every other country agrees we shouldn’t kill them. By the way, you may have unknowingly had whale meat recently if you’ve eaten at “The Hump” in Santa Monica, they were charged with selling the endangered Sei Whale in their sushi this week.
Which brings me to another great animal issue of late – Tillicum at Sea World Orlando. Tilly grabbed on to his trainers ponytail and dragged her underwater to her death. This is not the first time Tilly has killed, but Sea World insists this was human error. Bullshit. Sea World, and all other industries that exploit animals, will tell lies so the public thinks the animals are happy confined to their tiny pens their entire life. By placing the blame on the trainer, they instill a false sense of security in the public mind that “oh, it’s okay, the whale is not unhappy, he was just confused”. If we thought it was Tilly’s fault we then might think he was acting out, and then we’d wonder why he’d do that, which would lead to all kinds of horrible thoughts that might keep us away from Sea World.
While these animals do not think and reason the same way humans do, they do have an evolved intelligence and they do know there is more out there and their nature is to move freely and swim long distances, not to be confined in pens barely twice their size, even if they were born there. A former Tilly trainer said Tilly has a mean streak, and shouldn’t he? Wouldn’t you?
If you had been born and raised and lived in a closet your entire life, you would know something more existed, your gut, your soul, your sense would tell you, It’s the same for the whales, the dolphins, the sea lions and the bears in the zoo. They all deserve more, but again it’s money driving the exploitation and suffering of these animals.
It’s great to be able to experience wildlife, but we should do it in their environment. If we want to experience them, shouldn’t we be the ones to take the risk? How selfish are we to think that animals are here to only serve our purpose?
I know it’s hard go against these things, I had a difficult time deciding whether or not to view the Lion habitat at the MGM this week. The path from my room to car took me past it daily, but always before or after they were “open”. It was heartbreaking just to see the small, glass enclosed area of fake rock and trees that was supposed to be their home.
But this is what people think we need, so now we need to think for ourselves.
“The Cove” trailer is below, you decide.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Viva Las Vegas
I’m finally doing the first overnight business trip to Las Vegas, hopefully a little more eco-friendly than if I had done it a year ago. Not sure what I’ll find, but I am hopeful about many of the restaurants and stores I’ve found on happycow.net. I will coming here for the next 3 weeks (anyone want to join me?), so I hope by the end of the trip I’ve found good solutions. But then, who has the luxury of time in most situations? Not me.
My hotel is certainly not at the top of the list of environmentally friendly lodgings, but it is on the list. It’s the MGM Grand and as I looked at the criteria for it being awarded 2 green trees (out of 5) I noticed it was only slightly better than most business class hotels I’m used to – different only in that they educate staff to being green and having fresh air available. I can’t really say what they are training their staff to do, but they do have a flyer that tells guests what they’re up to- washing sheets and towels every 3 days, using organics in their restaurants, recycling, conserving energy with motion sensors. I’ve also noticed excessive use of mirrors near the lights which does lighten the room a lot for the few lights in it. However, walk downstairs into the casino or the clubs and you see money and energy being pumped into the atmosphere with amazing speed!
From a business perspective, the room sucks. I’m moving after a day just because I can’t work in this room, it’s uncomfortable and dark. Maybe it’d be ok if I were playing all night and sleeping all day, but I have work to do it’s just not conducive to that.
I’m not moving to another hotel on the list, not this week anyway. Although some of the new casinos and resorts have done a great job at green construction they are priced way out of my business budget, so I’ll need to investigate these a little more for the next two weeks. And for what it’s worth, I don’t have access to fresh air in my room, what are they talking about?
I’m relatively happy with my airline as well. I know that there is no good air travel, so I have to settle for the lesser of the evils. My research for domestic travel shows Southwest Airlines, Virgin America and Alaska Air at the top of the green-friendly list.
Southwest has slowed down planes by 1-3 minutes a route- which is more fuel efficient, and are also working on lowering the per-person weight of on-board supplies by 5 pounds, which will result in less fuel per trip. They also unveiled a “green plane” lately that has recycled carpet that can then be recycled again once it’s worn out. My biggest issue with Southwest is that I can’t take direct flights many places, which is a priority with me. That and assigned seats, I like to know I’m not sitting bitch all the way to my destination.
Virgin America with its newer fleet makes it more fuel efficient to start with, but they also employ more fuel saving techniques such as single-engine taxing and regulating cruise speed. Rumors are they are also looking into biofuels.
Alaska has recycle programs in place and uses soy-based ink in its magazines. As a corporation they do a lot of philanthropic work and encourage employees to do the same. I love Alaska, even if they’re never on-time. But then, I fly them enough that they treat me really well so I may be a little baised.
Worst on the list? United and US Air. That doesn’t surprise me, at least not United, I’ve written before about how bad they’ve been to employees. I think they also have the least amount of legroom in coach class. Legroom is bad that if the person in front of you puts their seat back, you better hope you didn’t have your computer open and on the tray because it just got smashed. There is no working on United Air, there just is no room to do anything.
So I have a silly question, maybe someone out there can answer it? While reading about Southwest’s efforts to lower per person weight I began to wonder about food and drink. So here is my question. If there is 10,000 pounds of people weight when the plane takes off, and there is 2000 pounds of food and drink. If the people eat all the food and drink, what will the collective weight then be? Does it all stay the same? Obviously you have a fixed environment when the plane takes off and when it lands, I would assume no weight would be lost or gained, but I may be wrong? Anyone out there want to tackle this?
So next week I try to find a hybrid car. I had to take an Impala this week, I figured it was the most fuel efficient than the SUV or minvan.
Seriously though, anyone want to join me in Vegas?
My hotel is certainly not at the top of the list of environmentally friendly lodgings, but it is on the list. It’s the MGM Grand and as I looked at the criteria for it being awarded 2 green trees (out of 5) I noticed it was only slightly better than most business class hotels I’m used to – different only in that they educate staff to being green and having fresh air available. I can’t really say what they are training their staff to do, but they do have a flyer that tells guests what they’re up to- washing sheets and towels every 3 days, using organics in their restaurants, recycling, conserving energy with motion sensors. I’ve also noticed excessive use of mirrors near the lights which does lighten the room a lot for the few lights in it. However, walk downstairs into the casino or the clubs and you see money and energy being pumped into the atmosphere with amazing speed!
From a business perspective, the room sucks. I’m moving after a day just because I can’t work in this room, it’s uncomfortable and dark. Maybe it’d be ok if I were playing all night and sleeping all day, but I have work to do it’s just not conducive to that.
I’m not moving to another hotel on the list, not this week anyway. Although some of the new casinos and resorts have done a great job at green construction they are priced way out of my business budget, so I’ll need to investigate these a little more for the next two weeks. And for what it’s worth, I don’t have access to fresh air in my room, what are they talking about?
I’m relatively happy with my airline as well. I know that there is no good air travel, so I have to settle for the lesser of the evils. My research for domestic travel shows Southwest Airlines, Virgin America and Alaska Air at the top of the green-friendly list.
Southwest has slowed down planes by 1-3 minutes a route- which is more fuel efficient, and are also working on lowering the per-person weight of on-board supplies by 5 pounds, which will result in less fuel per trip. They also unveiled a “green plane” lately that has recycled carpet that can then be recycled again once it’s worn out. My biggest issue with Southwest is that I can’t take direct flights many places, which is a priority with me. That and assigned seats, I like to know I’m not sitting bitch all the way to my destination.
Virgin America with its newer fleet makes it more fuel efficient to start with, but they also employ more fuel saving techniques such as single-engine taxing and regulating cruise speed. Rumors are they are also looking into biofuels.
Alaska has recycle programs in place and uses soy-based ink in its magazines. As a corporation they do a lot of philanthropic work and encourage employees to do the same. I love Alaska, even if they’re never on-time. But then, I fly them enough that they treat me really well so I may be a little baised.
Worst on the list? United and US Air. That doesn’t surprise me, at least not United, I’ve written before about how bad they’ve been to employees. I think they also have the least amount of legroom in coach class. Legroom is bad that if the person in front of you puts their seat back, you better hope you didn’t have your computer open and on the tray because it just got smashed. There is no working on United Air, there just is no room to do anything.
So I have a silly question, maybe someone out there can answer it? While reading about Southwest’s efforts to lower per person weight I began to wonder about food and drink. So here is my question. If there is 10,000 pounds of people weight when the plane takes off, and there is 2000 pounds of food and drink. If the people eat all the food and drink, what will the collective weight then be? Does it all stay the same? Obviously you have a fixed environment when the plane takes off and when it lands, I would assume no weight would be lost or gained, but I may be wrong? Anyone out there want to tackle this?
So next week I try to find a hybrid car. I had to take an Impala this week, I figured it was the most fuel efficient than the SUV or minvan.
Seriously though, anyone want to join me in Vegas?
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Are Organic Foods Worth the Price?
Don’t tell my husband, (don’t worry, he never reads this, and if he does I’ll post an apology) but our grocery bill has gone up TONS since I’ve started eating primarily organic! I used to pride myself on walking out of the grocery store with 3 full shopping bags and only $20 dollars lighter. Now I have register shock every time I fill just one or two grocery bags!
So, is it worth it? Many of you may have heard of the “Dirty Dozen”. It’s from the US Department of Agriculture and it’s the twelve pieces of produce they say you should ALWAYS buy organic. It seems that no matter how much you wash these fruits and veges, a lot of pesticides remain. So for those of you that don’t even wash your produce, you might be extra concerned!
So just what does our government recommend we always buy organic?
Apples
Cherries
Grapes, imported (Chili)(personal note-don’t buy Natures Partner either)
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Raspberries
Bell peppers
Celery
Potatoes
Spinach
Potatoes
Strawberries
Okay, that’s thirteen but who’s counting?
Strawberries. Who doesn’t love a fresh strawberry?
Strawberry Shortcake, Yum. Chocolate dipped strawberries – Yum Yum! I haven’t been able to eat a non-organic strawberry since I saw the movie “The Future of Food”. One of the final scenes is in a strawberry field, you see a man dressed in a gas mask, full suit of protective gear, carrying a small machine with a long nozzle, lifting up each strawberry leaf to get better access to the strawberry fruit that he douses with a steady stream of his chemicals – then cut to young boy popping a plump, fresh strawberry into his mouth! UGH! I don’t want to eat those chemicals, don’t want my kids to eat them, and as cheap as I am, discovered I didn’t want the guests at my last party to eat them either.
And potatoes. Wow, somehow I thought the ground would protect them, but of course that was before I knew about how the treated the dirt with synthetic nitrogen before planting, among other icky things I’m sure. Now new research is finding that the synthetic nitrogen actually destroys soil carbon instead of enriching it. An ultimate end result is more nitrates in ground water that then enters the atmosphere as nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas with some 300 times the heat-trapping power of carbon dioxide (read more here http://www.grist.org/article/2010-02-23-new-research-synthetic-nitrogen-destroys-soil-carbon-undermines-/ ). BTW, nitrogen is used for nearly all conventional crops, its just that potatoes really remind me of it.
So, is it all worth paying more for organics? I know this is just a small, small argument for a very large topic, but yes, it is. Not only for me, but for all the current and future residents of the earth. All these pesticides are terrible for our health, it’s no wonder we have “grown” so many more diseases since the 1970’s when pesticides, herbicides etc started becoming so widespread. Innocent residents near fields of sprayed crops are adversely affected from drift, so much that the EPA is considering increasing buffer zones around fields (more info http://action.ufw.org/page/s/epadrifts or see below).
Bottom line, we’re all worth the few more dollars it’s costing to fill my grocery bag. Aren’t you worth it?
Friday, February 19, 2010
Catchin' up
I’ve had a hard time finding time to sit down and write lately, so this is just a little catch-up on some things.
I’ve started getting my gardens ready. I’m increasing the size of last years garden by about 3-4 times, I hope to have plenty of fresh, organic veggies this summer! And maybe some to can/pickle etc too. But this has taken a lot of time. I’ve had to establish the new locations, which has involved a lot of horse manure and incoming dirt, as well as planning what goes where. I want to use the rotation method to help fight pests year after year, which means planting like items together and following them next year with other specific groups of veggies. I’m tracking everything on a spreadsheet too, just so I know year after year what does or doesn’t work. I’ve never spent so much paper time on a garden! I’m hoping for a great payoff…
Rain barrels are sitting on the back patio, husband says he’ll get the reservoir area ready for me so I’ve not worked on that, I figure he easily has until at least the end of April before I even want to start using them, so I won’t rush him yet.
I’ve been trying to be aware of where my food comes from and who picks it. I’m following United Farm Workers issues regularly, among others, and it was recently brought to my attention the overall state of a county might affect my food-buying decisions. What do I mean by this? I was completing a survey for a college student about being a vegetarian and one of the questions, along with how I feel about animals, was “Do you buy food from countries that violate human rights?” I had honestly never thought about it in those terms before! I mean, I now know to avoid grapes and anything from Giumarra / Natures Partner because of their terrible treatment of their pickers, (curious? See http://www.ufw.org//_board.php?mode=view&b_code=org_key&b_no=14&page=&field=&key=&n=) but it never occurred to me to boycott a nation as a whole. Well except
And the chiropractor? Feedback says to switch, and I likely will, I just have a hard time breaking up with her since the rest of the family sees her. I will eventually do it though, and I have a great referral already to make an appointment with.
I’m also launching a vegetarian/vegan consulting business aimed primarily at the food service/restaurant industry -another thing to keep me busy, but it’s so necessary for people like me! Me- a mostly vegan vegetarian. While I understand the reasoning behind vegan choices I’m simply about the ethical treatment of said animals. I’ve decided being 100% vegan is not for me – that horse manure in my garden? Not vegan. My chicken eggs? So not vegan.
I hope to have more useful information next post, and sooner too! I do appreciate all feedback and ideas, so keep them coming!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Is Lifestyle Imprtant?
One of my goals is to look at everywhere I spend money and ask myself if I agree with how the purveyor of the product or service conducts themselves or business. Money is about the only tool I have to cast a strong vote, and if I think your product or service is worth it, you can have my money. I’ve already written a lot about my new practices of buying primarily organic, or at least non-gmo food products, even though I still have a long way to go with every purchase I make.
Services are a little different though. We often take for granted the people we pay to fix our bodies, our cars, our TV’s etc. Typically we don’t really care what they do in their off time as long as they are good at what they do. I’m beginning to think this another way though, similar to products. I don’t’ really want to support someone that has completely different ethical practices than I do.
And this brings me to my current dilemma.. I really like my chiropractor; she’s a very nice person and has very nice staff. She appears to be very knowledgeable, although I have to take that at face value as I have nothing to judge it by, and she’s very professional and has been a good doctor to every member of my family. But, I just don’t feel right gong there anymore. My body cries when I’m there, not in true pain of course, but just in the “this isn’t right” way. And I know she has some lifestyle habits that are completely against my personal priorities, but then so does my husband and most of my family. So does this justify finding a new chiropractor?
I wonder to myself – am this going too far? Firing someone just because they do things differently than you seems rather intolerant and brings on a superiority issue. I hope that’s not what’s going on in my head, some underlying belief that everyone must be like me. But on the other hand, shouldn’t I want to support people that do have the same beliefs as I do?
I’d love to hear feedback on this, on the blog or in person, feedback either way. Just wondering if I am going a bit overboard!
Services are a little different though. We often take for granted the people we pay to fix our bodies, our cars, our TV’s etc. Typically we don’t really care what they do in their off time as long as they are good at what they do. I’m beginning to think this another way though, similar to products. I don’t’ really want to support someone that has completely different ethical practices than I do.
And this brings me to my current dilemma.. I really like my chiropractor; she’s a very nice person and has very nice staff. She appears to be very knowledgeable, although I have to take that at face value as I have nothing to judge it by, and she’s very professional and has been a good doctor to every member of my family. But, I just don’t feel right gong there anymore. My body cries when I’m there, not in true pain of course, but just in the “this isn’t right” way. And I know she has some lifestyle habits that are completely against my personal priorities, but then so does my husband and most of my family. So does this justify finding a new chiropractor?
I wonder to myself – am this going too far? Firing someone just because they do things differently than you seems rather intolerant and brings on a superiority issue. I hope that’s not what’s going on in my head, some underlying belief that everyone must be like me. But on the other hand, shouldn’t I want to support people that do have the same beliefs as I do?
I’d love to hear feedback on this, on the blog or in person, feedback either way. Just wondering if I am going a bit overboard!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Not-So Pure-Cane Sugar
I’ve always wanted a reason to not eat sugar. I mean a really good reason, not because it’s not good for me, because that reason just hasn’t worked very well, I’ll gladly harm my own body for a moment of heaven. No, I needed a good animal- or earth-friendly reason
So this falls under my commitment to “let no animal suffer” in my name, which by the way, is getting more and more difficult as I read more and more.
But back to sugar –
The white refined sugar Americans love so much is white because it is run through a bone char filter during the processing. What is a bone char filter? Well, it’s created from the most dense bones of a cow. Of the 82 pounds of bone from a cow, only about 20 pounds are load-bearing bones, mostly the pelvis, which are used for the bone char.
The bones, almost exclusively from non-USA sources, are baked for 12 hours at temperatures over 700 degrees to remove bacteria etc and thus create a char. You then have 9 pounds of char from one cow source.
An average sugar processing plant runs a filter processing 30 gallons of sugar per minute for 120 hours, each requiring 70,000 pounds of bone char. So doing the math, that’s almost 7800 cow bones being used for just one filter. Of course some plants run multiple filters at a time. That’s a lot of dead cow. Mind you hey only have to change the char every 5 years or so, but it’s still a lot of dead cow.
Cane sugar is the only kind of sugar run through these filters. Beet sugar is not, however it is common for cane and beet sugar to share the same post-filter vats, so you really can’t say for sure that it’s char-free. There is one plant in New York that is using an ion filter, but until now it’s been more expensive than bone char. But even the sugar from that plant is indistinguishable to you and I at the grocery store because it’s not packaged any different than the other plants as they’re all sold under the same names.
Organic sugar, however, is always char free. I’ve been eating almost exclusively organic and vegan for the last few weeks anyway but there have been occasional bits of candy and cake finding their way to my mouth. Again wondering to myself, why do I need a reason other than personal good health to not eat sugar?? Now I have the cow gross-out reason.
Enough of that, now a quick tip about genetically modified and organic produce. If your produce item code starts with a “9”, it’s organic. If your produce item code starts with an “8”, it’s genetically modified. Now, just run out to your supermarket and try and find an “8”, chances are you won’t. You see, they thought we’d PREFER genetically modified food, but the opposite proved true, we avoided it. So shortly after this was instituted the “authorities” decided we really didn’t need to know if it was genetically modified, so they took the “8” off. That’s how much they care for us, the big corporations and government, they care enough to mislead us into buying what we otherwise wouldn’t. .Baaa
Now where'd I put those organic cookies?
So this falls under my commitment to “let no animal suffer” in my name, which by the way, is getting more and more difficult as I read more and more.
But back to sugar –
The white refined sugar Americans love so much is white because it is run through a bone char filter during the processing. What is a bone char filter? Well, it’s created from the most dense bones of a cow. Of the 82 pounds of bone from a cow, only about 20 pounds are load-bearing bones, mostly the pelvis, which are used for the bone char.
The bones, almost exclusively from non-USA sources, are baked for 12 hours at temperatures over 700 degrees to remove bacteria etc and thus create a char. You then have 9 pounds of char from one cow source.
An average sugar processing plant runs a filter processing 30 gallons of sugar per minute for 120 hours, each requiring 70,000 pounds of bone char. So doing the math, that’s almost 7800 cow bones being used for just one filter. Of course some plants run multiple filters at a time. That’s a lot of dead cow. Mind you hey only have to change the char every 5 years or so, but it’s still a lot of dead cow.
Cane sugar is the only kind of sugar run through these filters. Beet sugar is not, however it is common for cane and beet sugar to share the same post-filter vats, so you really can’t say for sure that it’s char-free. There is one plant in New York that is using an ion filter, but until now it’s been more expensive than bone char. But even the sugar from that plant is indistinguishable to you and I at the grocery store because it’s not packaged any different than the other plants as they’re all sold under the same names.
Organic sugar, however, is always char free. I’ve been eating almost exclusively organic and vegan for the last few weeks anyway but there have been occasional bits of candy and cake finding their way to my mouth. Again wondering to myself, why do I need a reason other than personal good health to not eat sugar?? Now I have the cow gross-out reason.
Enough of that, now a quick tip about genetically modified and organic produce. If your produce item code starts with a “9”, it’s organic. If your produce item code starts with an “8”, it’s genetically modified. Now, just run out to your supermarket and try and find an “8”, chances are you won’t. You see, they thought we’d PREFER genetically modified food, but the opposite proved true, we avoided it. So shortly after this was instituted the “authorities” decided we really didn’t need to know if it was genetically modified, so they took the “8” off. That’s how much they care for us, the big corporations and government, they care enough to mislead us into buying what we otherwise wouldn’t. .Baaa
Now where'd I put those organic cookies?
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Earth Friendly Practices
I haven’t don’t much research on the RR cotton lately like I’d hoped, my time has been spent on other research that I would say falls under the personal “earth friendly” category. Home gardening.
Because of my newly acquired knowledge about the many questionable farming practices around the world, whether its GMO’s or worker mistreatment or non-sustainable practices, I am expanding my home vegetable garden considerably, implementing a rain-waiter storage system and raising chickens.
Buying organic is a start but even that’s not perfect. The USDA organic board states that to be organic, fruits and vegetables need to be grown without using most conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineer seed or plants; or ionizing radiation. I still see room for improvement there.
So my latest research has been into rain barrels. I’ve collected seven 55 gallon drums and am just figuring out the best way to utilize them, I thought I had it all figured out on how to best collect rainwater from my downspouts, pump it to the reservoir and then gravity water my existing and new(in-planning-stage) gardens, when I hear “You shouldn’t use that rainwater for vegetables”.
What? Don’t use rainwater for vegetables? Well, maybe not. It depends on many factors and it’s not conclusive, but it makes you think. It will partially depend on the kind of roof you have for one. If you have cedar shake roofs, then No, don’t use it, because the cedar oil in the water is too strong for the vegetables. Asphalt shingles like I have are iffy. Also depends if you have herbicides or fungicides on the roof for moss and weed control. Do birds or raccoons frequent your roof? Their feces can contaminate the run-off.
There does not seem to be one definitive answer either way if it’s safe to use or not.
The best guidelines I’ve seen indicate to use collected rain water only
-at the root level of vegetable
-do not get it on the edible part of the plant
-do not use this water shortly before harvest
I think it might be wise to expand to this
-do not use for root vegetables.
And don’t use it for watering the animals. Of course, you can always use it for your grass, shrubs and flowers, and this might be enough to offset the amount of tap water you use for your vegetables.
I’ll continue with my rain harvesting and storage plan because I know we’ll be able to use the water somewhere. I’ve also seen homemade sand filters for your rainwater that might be worth further research.
I knew I saved all my old “Organic Gardening”, “Sunset” and “Mother Earth”’s for a reason! I have to go dig them all out so I can peruse them while I plan my new gardens, chicken coop, and irrigation system. I have to start scavenging off Craigslist soon if I want all this in place by spring!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
RoundUp Ready Alfalfa Comment
I know I talked about this once but I think I'll repeat it. Below is a letter I received from the Center for Food Safety encouraging people to comment to USDA about RR alfalfa. I encourage you to comment if you haven't already. The rest of this post is their letter with sample comment you can use.
Use this address for the easiest way to comment
http://ga3.org/campaign/alfalfaEIS
"In 2006, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) sued the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its illegal approval of Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) Roundup Ready alfalfa. The federal courts sided with CFS and banned GE alfalfa until the USDA fully analyzed the impacts of the plant on the environment, farmers, and the public in a rigorous analysis known as an environmental impact statement (or EIS).
USDA released its draft EIS on December 14, 2009. A 60-day comment period is now open until February 16, 2010. This is the first time the USDA has done this type of analysis for any GE crop. Therefore, the final decision will have broad implications for all GE crops.
CFS has begun analyzing the EIS and it is clear that the USDA has not taken the concerns of non-GE alfalfa farmers, organic dairies, or consumers seriously. USDA’s preliminary determination is to once again deregulate GE alfalfa without any limitations or protections for farmers or the environment. Instead USDA has completely dismissed the fact that contamination will threaten export and domestic markets and organic meat and dairy products. And, incredibly, USDA is claiming that there is no evidence that consumers care about such GE contamination of organic!
USDA also claims that consumers will not reject GE contamination of organic alfalfa if the contamination is unintentional or if the transgenic material is not transmitted to the end milk or meat product, despite the fact that more than 75% of consumers believe that they are purchasing products without GE ingredients when they buy organic.
USDA claims that Monsanto’s seed contracts require measures sufficient to prevent genetic contamination, and that there is no evidence to the contrary. But in the lawsuit requiring this document, the Court found that contamination had already occurred in the fields of several Western states with these same business-as-usual practices in place!
USDA predicts that the approval of GE alfalfa would damage family farms and organic markets, yet doesn’t even consider any limitations or protections against this scenario. Small, family farmers are the backbone and future of American agriculture and must be protected. Organic agriculture provides many benefits to society: healthy foods for consumers, economic opportunities for family farmers and urban and rural communities, and a farming system that improves the quality of the environment. However, the continued vitality of this sector is imperiled by the complete absence of measures to protect organic production systems from GE contamination and subsequent environmental, consumer, and economic losses.
Tell USDA That You DO Care About Genetic Contamination of Organic Crops and Food!
Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Docket No. APHIS-2007-0044
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Docket No. APHIS-2007-0044
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
Docket No. APHIS-2007-0044, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238
In USDA's Environmental Impact Statement (Docket No. APHIS-2007-0044) on genetically engineered alfalfa, USDA claims that there is no evidence that consumers care about contamination to organic alfalfa and alfalfa-derived foods from Monsanto's GE Roundup Ready alfalfa. As an organic consumer, I can tell you that I DO care.
Prohibition of genetic engineering (GE) is a fundamental tenet of the Organic Standard. In fact, the organic rule's failure to exclude GE from its first version was one of the main reasons why 275,000 people like me filed public comments in 1997, at the time the largest outpouring of public participation in the history of U.S. administrative procedure. Consumers care deeply about organic integrity, and GE is fundamentally not organic. Polls show that more than 75% of consumers believe that they are purchasing products without GE ingredients when they buy organic.
USDA also claims that consumers will not reject GE contamination of organic alfalfa if the contamination is unintentional or if the transgenic material is not transmitted to the end milk or meat product. The Organic Standard requires that livestock feed for animals used for meat, milk, eggs, and other animal products is 100 percent organic. As the Court found in the lawsuit that required this EIS, to "farmers and consumers organic means not genetically engineered, even if the farmer did not intend for his crop to be so engineered." Whether or not the end product is impacted is not the issue. Farmers' fundamental right to sow the crop of their choice is eliminated when it is contaminated with transgenes, and so is the public's ability to support meaningful organic food and feed production. Consumers like me will reject GE contamination of organic by any means or at any stage of sustainable food production.
USDA claims that Monsanto's seed contracts require measures sufficient to prevent GE contamination, and that there is no evidence to the contrary. In the lawsuit requiring this document, the Court found that contamination had already occurred in the fields of several Western states with these same business-as-usual practices in place! In general, where other GE crops were approved without restriction, contamination of organic and conventional seeds and crops is widespread and has been documented around the world. A recent report documented 39 cases in 2007 and more than 200 in the last decade. The EIS itself acknowledges that GE contamination may happen and includes studies that honey bees can cross-pollinate at distances over 6 miles, and Alkali bees at 4-5 miles, much further than any distances under Monsanto's "best practices."
As a consumer, I care about the contamination of organic foods and crops, and I expect USDA to do everything the agency can to protect organic farmers and consumers. The organic industry provides many benefits to society: healthy foods for consumers, economic opportunities for family farmers and urban and rural communities, and a farming system that improves the quality of the environment. However, the continued vitality of this sector is imperiled by the complete absence of measures to protect organic production systems from contamination and subsequent environmental, consumer, and economic losses. USDA must include in its decision adequate protections against this grave harm.
Sincerely, "
Use this address for the easiest way to comment
http://ga3.org/campaign/alfalfaEIS
"In 2006, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) sued the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its illegal approval of Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) Roundup Ready alfalfa. The federal courts sided with CFS and banned GE alfalfa until the USDA fully analyzed the impacts of the plant on the environment, farmers, and the public in a rigorous analysis known as an environmental impact statement (or EIS).
USDA released its draft EIS on December 14, 2009. A 60-day comment period is now open until February 16, 2010. This is the first time the USDA has done this type of analysis for any GE crop. Therefore, the final decision will have broad implications for all GE crops.
CFS has begun analyzing the EIS and it is clear that the USDA has not taken the concerns of non-GE alfalfa farmers, organic dairies, or consumers seriously. USDA’s preliminary determination is to once again deregulate GE alfalfa without any limitations or protections for farmers or the environment. Instead USDA has completely dismissed the fact that contamination will threaten export and domestic markets and organic meat and dairy products. And, incredibly, USDA is claiming that there is no evidence that consumers care about such GE contamination of organic!
USDA also claims that consumers will not reject GE contamination of organic alfalfa if the contamination is unintentional or if the transgenic material is not transmitted to the end milk or meat product, despite the fact that more than 75% of consumers believe that they are purchasing products without GE ingredients when they buy organic.
USDA claims that Monsanto’s seed contracts require measures sufficient to prevent genetic contamination, and that there is no evidence to the contrary. But in the lawsuit requiring this document, the Court found that contamination had already occurred in the fields of several Western states with these same business-as-usual practices in place!
USDA predicts that the approval of GE alfalfa would damage family farms and organic markets, yet doesn’t even consider any limitations or protections against this scenario. Small, family farmers are the backbone and future of American agriculture and must be protected. Organic agriculture provides many benefits to society: healthy foods for consumers, economic opportunities for family farmers and urban and rural communities, and a farming system that improves the quality of the environment. However, the continued vitality of this sector is imperiled by the complete absence of measures to protect organic production systems from GE contamination and subsequent environmental, consumer, and economic losses.
Tell USDA That You DO Care About Genetic Contamination of Organic Crops and Food!
Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Docket No. APHIS-2007-0044
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Docket No. APHIS-2007-0044
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
Docket No. APHIS-2007-0044, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238
In USDA's Environmental Impact Statement (Docket No. APHIS-2007-0044) on genetically engineered alfalfa, USDA claims that there is no evidence that consumers care about contamination to organic alfalfa and alfalfa-derived foods from Monsanto's GE Roundup Ready alfalfa. As an organic consumer, I can tell you that I DO care.
Prohibition of genetic engineering (GE) is a fundamental tenet of the Organic Standard. In fact, the organic rule's failure to exclude GE from its first version was one of the main reasons why 275,000 people like me filed public comments in 1997, at the time the largest outpouring of public participation in the history of U.S. administrative procedure. Consumers care deeply about organic integrity, and GE is fundamentally not organic. Polls show that more than 75% of consumers believe that they are purchasing products without GE ingredients when they buy organic.
USDA also claims that consumers will not reject GE contamination of organic alfalfa if the contamination is unintentional or if the transgenic material is not transmitted to the end milk or meat product. The Organic Standard requires that livestock feed for animals used for meat, milk, eggs, and other animal products is 100 percent organic. As the Court found in the lawsuit that required this EIS, to "farmers and consumers organic means not genetically engineered, even if the farmer did not intend for his crop to be so engineered." Whether or not the end product is impacted is not the issue. Farmers' fundamental right to sow the crop of their choice is eliminated when it is contaminated with transgenes, and so is the public's ability to support meaningful organic food and feed production. Consumers like me will reject GE contamination of organic by any means or at any stage of sustainable food production.
USDA claims that Monsanto's seed contracts require measures sufficient to prevent GE contamination, and that there is no evidence to the contrary. In the lawsuit requiring this document, the Court found that contamination had already occurred in the fields of several Western states with these same business-as-usual practices in place! In general, where other GE crops were approved without restriction, contamination of organic and conventional seeds and crops is widespread and has been documented around the world. A recent report documented 39 cases in 2007 and more than 200 in the last decade. The EIS itself acknowledges that GE contamination may happen and includes studies that honey bees can cross-pollinate at distances over 6 miles, and Alkali bees at 4-5 miles, much further than any distances under Monsanto's "best practices."
As a consumer, I care about the contamination of organic foods and crops, and I expect USDA to do everything the agency can to protect organic farmers and consumers. The organic industry provides many benefits to society: healthy foods for consumers, economic opportunities for family farmers and urban and rural communities, and a farming system that improves the quality of the environment. However, the continued vitality of this sector is imperiled by the complete absence of measures to protect organic production systems from contamination and subsequent environmental, consumer, and economic losses. USDA must include in its decision adequate protections against this grave harm.
Sincerely, "
Monday, January 11, 2010
Unfriendly skies and seeds
Just as I thought, researching into the airline industry has proven to be a large task. It’s hard for me to know when to stop looking sometimes, so I try to remember my original goal is “not harming people, animal or earth”. However finding all the safety issues is a little alarming and I wonder if I shouldn’t include “personal safety” on my list!
I’ve read stories about disabled workers being pushed out of their jobs and not compensated for them, or on-the-job-injured employees having their medical coverage denied and then being fired as well. And these sound like completely legit claims, of course it’s hard to know when you have just one side of the story but based on the quantity of these types of stories, I do believe them. There is even a United Airlines website set up for employees to voice their unfair treatment by management as well as several lawsuits in action.
But the safety part is really scary! People getting fired for doing the right thing and for not doing the wrong thing. I don’t know if one airline is really worse than another, but I read many complains against regional airlines, namely Gulfstream. You can go to http://www.airline-whistleblowers.org/ and read all the stories you want! This is a website set up specifically for whistle-blowing on the airlines. And why should a website like this even need to exist? Obviously passenger safety is not first with the airline industry and so the employees must anonymously voice their concerns for fear of retribution.
I’m not sure what I can do about this, I can’t stop flying major airlines – I guess I could hire my own plane ? Sure, I’ll put that down as a goal! But in reality it boils down to letter-writing.
I’ve written many letters this past week. It’s one of the only ways we have a voice in this country, let the decision-makers know what the people want! I’ve written to the Texas Board of Education asking them NOT to remove Cesar Chavez and other leaders of the farm movement from the school textbooks. I’ve written to my senators about several issues this past week, including several letters about GMO (genetically modified organism) products. I’ve asked Traders Joe’s to stop selling “red list” seafood and promoting unsustainable fishing practices. I’ll be writing to Health Valley organics and Amy’s organics thanking them for specifically labeling if they’re products contain GMO’s or not.
It’s real easy to write a letter, ask me if you need help.
I’ve been following the GMO world closely the last week, although I don’t want this to turn into an anti-GMO blog, nor anti-Monsanto blog, I’m getting increasingly frustrated. I’ve set a little personal goal to not support Monsanto or DuPont/Pioneer, but it’s tough/
As I look for organic seeds for my personal garden, I find that Seeds of Change is now owned by Monsanto, although you’ll not find that on any of their packaging. It’s increasingly hard to know just what we’re getting or where it’s coming from.
Two news items to note this week:
1. RR crops are getting more herbicide than ever before – over 30% more in the last two years. Can I get you some soymilk with your herbicide??
2. Gates Foundation has named a former Monsanto man as Agriculture Director ( I’m still figuring out my letter to send Bill.)
If you’re bored have a look and see what Gates, Monsanto, Rockefellers, DuPont and others are up to for controlling our future: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=7529 - I know it seems a little like “conspiracy theory” but there is truth to it, then watch the movie “Zeitgeist” for fun.
For my journey this week – just where is all the RR cotton going to? It’s not an edible product so it could be easy to let this slide, but it’ll endanger other products and people from it’s bio-engineered DNA and heavy herbicide use.
My wish of others – write letters! Go to change.org if nothing else and sign petitions
I’ve read stories about disabled workers being pushed out of their jobs and not compensated for them, or on-the-job-injured employees having their medical coverage denied and then being fired as well. And these sound like completely legit claims, of course it’s hard to know when you have just one side of the story but based on the quantity of these types of stories, I do believe them. There is even a United Airlines website set up for employees to voice their unfair treatment by management as well as several lawsuits in action.
But the safety part is really scary! People getting fired for doing the right thing and for not doing the wrong thing. I don’t know if one airline is really worse than another, but I read many complains against regional airlines, namely Gulfstream. You can go to http://www.airline-whistleblowers.org/ and read all the stories you want! This is a website set up specifically for whistle-blowing on the airlines. And why should a website like this even need to exist? Obviously passenger safety is not first with the airline industry and so the employees must anonymously voice their concerns for fear of retribution.
I’m not sure what I can do about this, I can’t stop flying major airlines – I guess I could hire my own plane ? Sure, I’ll put that down as a goal! But in reality it boils down to letter-writing.
I’ve written many letters this past week. It’s one of the only ways we have a voice in this country, let the decision-makers know what the people want! I’ve written to the Texas Board of Education asking them NOT to remove Cesar Chavez and other leaders of the farm movement from the school textbooks. I’ve written to my senators about several issues this past week, including several letters about GMO (genetically modified organism) products. I’ve asked Traders Joe’s to stop selling “red list” seafood and promoting unsustainable fishing practices. I’ll be writing to Health Valley organics and Amy’s organics thanking them for specifically labeling if they’re products contain GMO’s or not.
It’s real easy to write a letter, ask me if you need help.
I’ve been following the GMO world closely the last week, although I don’t want this to turn into an anti-GMO blog, nor anti-Monsanto blog, I’m getting increasingly frustrated. I’ve set a little personal goal to not support Monsanto or DuPont/Pioneer, but it’s tough/
As I look for organic seeds for my personal garden, I find that Seeds of Change is now owned by Monsanto, although you’ll not find that on any of their packaging. It’s increasingly hard to know just what we’re getting or where it’s coming from.
Two news items to note this week:
1. RR crops are getting more herbicide than ever before – over 30% more in the last two years. Can I get you some soymilk with your herbicide??
2. Gates Foundation has named a former Monsanto man as Agriculture Director ( I’m still figuring out my letter to send Bill.)
If you’re bored have a look and see what Gates, Monsanto, Rockefellers, DuPont and others are up to for controlling our future: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=7529 - I know it seems a little like “conspiracy theory” but there is truth to it, then watch the movie “Zeitgeist” for fun.
For my journey this week – just where is all the RR cotton going to? It’s not an edible product so it could be easy to let this slide, but it’ll endanger other products and people from it’s bio-engineered DNA and heavy herbicide use.
My wish of others – write letters! Go to change.org if nothing else and sign petitions
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Traveling Friendly
It’s time for me to start planning my next few business trips, dates yet to be determined but definitely in January sometime. And to where? Sin city of course- Las Vegas! off-hand I’d think it’s probably the hardest city for healthy living, but after thinking about i ta minute, there are probably enough people there that they might have some very good options. It’s the travel to po-dunk towns in the Midwest or South that I can’t find anything decent. Nothing. Sometimes not even a vege-burger (my least favorite vegetarian meal).
Let me first say that I love loyalty programs, so much so that I bought two nights out of my own pocket at the end of December just so I didn’t lose my elite status with the Hilton group. I like the special treatment and I love the free nights. But now I am thinking - I may not be staying with the Hiltons much anymore, I just don’t think of them of being that “green” or eco-friendly. Although I must admit, the new Hilton in Vancouver, WA is getting good reviews on their “green” program from many of the websites I visited, so there may be hope.
Regardless, I think my upcoming trips to Las Vegas won’t be so Friendly, but lets take a look.
Airline: Southwest or Alaska. Again, love the loyalty program and those free First Class upgrades, plus Alaska has several non-stops to Vegas. Most of the Southwest options include connecting flights, which to me means more fuel wasted going out of the way and for the extra touchdowns. I’ll look deeper behind the scenes at the airlines, but for now it is my job and I don’t have a lot of choice on this right now. I’ll be going AlaskaAir.
Car Rental: I can usually get a hybrid from National. I do need a car, the places I go to are rarely easily accessible by public transportation, especially hauling all my stuff around.
Hotel: At http://www.environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com/ they do have a number of listings for Las Vegas hotels that appear to be Friendly. My deciding factor will include location and price, for business it’ll need to be the price of a Hampton or less. The hotels on environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com are rated by users, so these ratings could change from time to time, but I see some great possibilities there. If you’re interested, the judging criteria are listed below this blog.
The other thing I like to do is stay at Bed and Breakfast’s or find some other local treasure. I found a fabulous B&B in Mt Shasta called Shastao (www.shastao.com) . The hosts are vegetarian, raw-foodists I believe, and have deep interests in philosophy, sustainability and spirituality among many, many other interests! I always hope to find another treasure like this in other cities.
Food: I always visit www.happycow.net before I go to a new city to find out my vegetarian options. It’s a great website for finding stores and restaurants and I have had some great meals this way. I see 3 vegan and 1 vegetarian restaurant listed for Las Vegas, now to find out if they tend towards organic or not.
I’ll stay away from the casino buffets, it’s likely there is little food a vegetarian can eat there anyway, as there is so much chicken or beef base in everything. If nothing else, I’ll find an organic store and buy my own supplies, I’ve gotten used to doing this a lot anyway. I really don’t want to support the big chain restaurants anymore and well, they aren’t organic anyway!
The other travel website I always check in with is TripAdvisor to get other travelers input on the best things to see, do and eat.
I’m thinking there must be a website similar to TripAdvisor or HappyCow that green users must put travel reviews on? I haven’t found it yet, so if you know of one please fill me in!
My goal for now: look into airline wastefulness. Alaska does recycle but that is just one small thing, I’m curious just how bad the airline industry is.
Links from this post: www.happycow.net, www.environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com, www.tripadvisor.com, www.shastao.com
The judging criteria for Environmentally Friendly Hotels:
Towel Program
Sheet Program
Cotton Towels/Sheets
Alternative Energy
Maintenance for Conservation
Energy Conservation
Bulk Soap & Amenities
Bonus
Newspaper Program
Composting
Organic Food Served
Eco-friendly Food Served
Promote "greenness" in PR
Educate Guests to "green"
Educate Staff to "green"
Participate in Green Program(s)
Fresh Air
Allergies
Non-Smoking Rooms
Environmental Cleaning
Water Conservation
Xeric Garden
Gray-Water Recycling
Recyclable Disposables
Compostable Disposables
Durable Service Items
Guestroom Recycling Bins
Hotel Recycling Bins
Donating to Charity
Conference Center/Rooms
Transportation
Fitness Center
Internet
Let me first say that I love loyalty programs, so much so that I bought two nights out of my own pocket at the end of December just so I didn’t lose my elite status with the Hilton group. I like the special treatment and I love the free nights. But now I am thinking - I may not be staying with the Hiltons much anymore, I just don’t think of them of being that “green” or eco-friendly. Although I must admit, the new Hilton in Vancouver, WA is getting good reviews on their “green” program from many of the websites I visited, so there may be hope.
Regardless, I think my upcoming trips to Las Vegas won’t be so Friendly, but lets take a look.
Airline: Southwest or Alaska. Again, love the loyalty program and those free First Class upgrades, plus Alaska has several non-stops to Vegas. Most of the Southwest options include connecting flights, which to me means more fuel wasted going out of the way and for the extra touchdowns. I’ll look deeper behind the scenes at the airlines, but for now it is my job and I don’t have a lot of choice on this right now. I’ll be going AlaskaAir.
Car Rental: I can usually get a hybrid from National. I do need a car, the places I go to are rarely easily accessible by public transportation, especially hauling all my stuff around.
Hotel: At http://www.environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com/ they do have a number of listings for Las Vegas hotels that appear to be Friendly. My deciding factor will include location and price, for business it’ll need to be the price of a Hampton or less. The hotels on environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com are rated by users, so these ratings could change from time to time, but I see some great possibilities there. If you’re interested, the judging criteria are listed below this blog.
The other thing I like to do is stay at Bed and Breakfast’s or find some other local treasure. I found a fabulous B&B in Mt Shasta called Shastao (www.shastao.com) . The hosts are vegetarian, raw-foodists I believe, and have deep interests in philosophy, sustainability and spirituality among many, many other interests! I always hope to find another treasure like this in other cities.
Food: I always visit www.happycow.net before I go to a new city to find out my vegetarian options. It’s a great website for finding stores and restaurants and I have had some great meals this way. I see 3 vegan and 1 vegetarian restaurant listed for Las Vegas, now to find out if they tend towards organic or not.
I’ll stay away from the casino buffets, it’s likely there is little food a vegetarian can eat there anyway, as there is so much chicken or beef base in everything. If nothing else, I’ll find an organic store and buy my own supplies, I’ve gotten used to doing this a lot anyway. I really don’t want to support the big chain restaurants anymore and well, they aren’t organic anyway!
The other travel website I always check in with is TripAdvisor to get other travelers input on the best things to see, do and eat.
I’m thinking there must be a website similar to TripAdvisor or HappyCow that green users must put travel reviews on? I haven’t found it yet, so if you know of one please fill me in!
My goal for now: look into airline wastefulness. Alaska does recycle but that is just one small thing, I’m curious just how bad the airline industry is.
Links from this post: www.happycow.net, www.environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com, www.tripadvisor.com, www.shastao.com
The judging criteria for Environmentally Friendly Hotels:
Towel Program
Sheet Program
Cotton Towels/Sheets
Alternative Energy
Maintenance for Conservation
Energy Conservation
Bulk Soap & Amenities
Bonus
Newspaper Program
Composting
Organic Food Served
Eco-friendly Food Served
Promote "greenness" in PR
Educate Guests to "green"
Educate Staff to "green"
Participate in Green Program(s)
Fresh Air
Allergies
Non-Smoking Rooms
Environmental Cleaning
Water Conservation
Xeric Garden
Gray-Water Recycling
Recyclable Disposables
Compostable Disposables
Durable Service Items
Guestroom Recycling Bins
Hotel Recycling Bins
Donating to Charity
Conference Center/Rooms
Transportation
Fitness Center
Internet
Monday, January 4, 2010
Out Goes The Popcorn!
Okay, so I thought I wasn’t going to throw anything out, but after reading up on microwave popcorn I couldn’t allow it in my house anymore.
Somehow, I think, a lot of Americans assume our government is somehow going to look out for us, that they wouldn’t intentionally bring us harm. Now, I hear almost daily from my husband about the corrupt and broken banking and finance system in our country, so I’m well aware the government is working for the elite few with money, but I still get a little shock when I find another case of their blatant disregard for our health.
There is an actual “popcorn workers lung” disease that first showed up in people working microwave popcorn factories, and now also appearing in the candy industry. People die from this while waiting for their lung transplants. It’s caused by the chemical diacetyl becoming airborne, that’s the yummy buttery taste, . And although there has been plenty of litigation and discussion, it’s not actually illegal, and while some popcorn makers say they don’t add diacetyl anymore, they add a diacetyl starter which is later converted to diacetyl. Oh, did I mention there are even cases of people becoming fatally sick from this in their own homes just from microwaving popcorn?? If I do decided to eat microwave popcorn again, it will be organic and have no ‘artificial flavoring”.
But that’s not the only bad news for my beloved popcorn. Popcorn is on the top ten list of contaminated foods from the USDA! Crazy.
For your information, the top ten:
butter
cantaloupe
cucumbers
meatloaf
peanuts
popcorn
radishes
winter squash
summer squash
spinach
Oh, my lovely butter. My sister told me years ago it contained a lot of contaminants, but it was a piece of information I tucked away in my head and pretended I never heard it. I can see where this is going for my food – only buy organic.
I have been researching Organic dairies. Here is what it takes for a dairy to be organic:
• Require preventative health care practices such as adequate feed, nutritional supplements, sanitary housing and freedom of movement.
• Prohibit withholding medical treatment in cases of animal illness.
• Require access to outdoors and calls for conditions that accommodate the natural behavior of the animal.
• Require appropriate clean and dry bedding.
There is a lot of wiggle room in there. Outdoor access can mean for only a very short time each day.
For me, dairy is the only animal product I consume so I will personally make sure my dairy supplier does more than the minimum required to be labeled organic. I’ve looked into several locals on the internet but I’m going to pay some live visits as well. It is that important to me that both the harvesters and the animals are good.
One last thing I must do is urge everyone to comment on the USDA regulation regarding RoundUp Ready Alfalfa, or genetically modified seed from Monsanto. The comment period is open until mid February 2010, and I read many of the comments posted already, and, gasp, they were pro RR Alfalfa! I know the farmers just need to make money easy, I’m sure thats why they want it, so if you feel as I do that we don’t want genetically modified food for any of the following reasons, please leave a comment at:
http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#documentDetail?R=0900006480a6b7a1
My reasons:
We don’t need the monopoly of Monsanto intimidating even more farmers and suppliers
Increased allergic reactions to GM foods
Increased Superweeds and SuperPests from uncontrollable cross contamination
Long term consumption and exposure risks still unknown.
You can read more here:
“Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use: The First Thirteen Years"
November 2009 Author(s): Charles Benbrook, Ph.D,Chief Scientist,The Organic Center
http://www.organic-center.org/science.pest.php?action=view&report_id=159
My goal for this week: Be willing to pay more for my food. We’ve become a nation of cheap food, and I’ve fought paying more for organics for a long time. I think I’m ready to change. I vote with my money, so I’ll make my money count.
Current resources and links: There was probably way more, I forgot to record all of them. www.mindfully.org, www.farmersteve.com, www.popcorn.org, www.kycorn.org, http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/desktop/pesticides.html, www.sustainablog.org, www.coldtruth.com, www.theorganicpages.com, http://www.cspinet.org/-
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated"Mahatma Gandhi
Somehow, I think, a lot of Americans assume our government is somehow going to look out for us, that they wouldn’t intentionally bring us harm. Now, I hear almost daily from my husband about the corrupt and broken banking and finance system in our country, so I’m well aware the government is working for the elite few with money, but I still get a little shock when I find another case of their blatant disregard for our health.
There is an actual “popcorn workers lung” disease that first showed up in people working microwave popcorn factories, and now also appearing in the candy industry. People die from this while waiting for their lung transplants. It’s caused by the chemical diacetyl becoming airborne, that’s the yummy buttery taste, . And although there has been plenty of litigation and discussion, it’s not actually illegal, and while some popcorn makers say they don’t add diacetyl anymore, they add a diacetyl starter which is later converted to diacetyl. Oh, did I mention there are even cases of people becoming fatally sick from this in their own homes just from microwaving popcorn?? If I do decided to eat microwave popcorn again, it will be organic and have no ‘artificial flavoring”.
But that’s not the only bad news for my beloved popcorn. Popcorn is on the top ten list of contaminated foods from the USDA! Crazy.
For your information, the top ten:
butter
cantaloupe
cucumbers
meatloaf
peanuts
popcorn
radishes
winter squash
summer squash
spinach
Oh, my lovely butter. My sister told me years ago it contained a lot of contaminants, but it was a piece of information I tucked away in my head and pretended I never heard it. I can see where this is going for my food – only buy organic.
I have been researching Organic dairies. Here is what it takes for a dairy to be organic:
• Require preventative health care practices such as adequate feed, nutritional supplements, sanitary housing and freedom of movement.
• Prohibit withholding medical treatment in cases of animal illness.
• Require access to outdoors and calls for conditions that accommodate the natural behavior of the animal.
• Require appropriate clean and dry bedding.
There is a lot of wiggle room in there. Outdoor access can mean for only a very short time each day.
For me, dairy is the only animal product I consume so I will personally make sure my dairy supplier does more than the minimum required to be labeled organic. I’ve looked into several locals on the internet but I’m going to pay some live visits as well. It is that important to me that both the harvesters and the animals are good.
One last thing I must do is urge everyone to comment on the USDA regulation regarding RoundUp Ready Alfalfa, or genetically modified seed from Monsanto. The comment period is open until mid February 2010, and I read many of the comments posted already, and, gasp, they were pro RR Alfalfa! I know the farmers just need to make money easy, I’m sure thats why they want it, so if you feel as I do that we don’t want genetically modified food for any of the following reasons, please leave a comment at:
http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#documentDetail?R=0900006480a6b7a1
My reasons:
We don’t need the monopoly of Monsanto intimidating even more farmers and suppliers
Increased allergic reactions to GM foods
Increased Superweeds and SuperPests from uncontrollable cross contamination
Long term consumption and exposure risks still unknown.
You can read more here:
“Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use: The First Thirteen Years"
November 2009 Author(s): Charles Benbrook, Ph.D,Chief Scientist,The Organic Center
http://www.organic-center.org/science.pest.php?action=view&report_id=159
My goal for this week: Be willing to pay more for my food. We’ve become a nation of cheap food, and I’ve fought paying more for organics for a long time. I think I’m ready to change. I vote with my money, so I’ll make my money count.
Current resources and links: There was probably way more, I forgot to record all of them. www.mindfully.org, www.farmersteve.com, www.popcorn.org, www.kycorn.org, http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/desktop/pesticides.html, www.sustainablog.org, www.coldtruth.com, www.theorganicpages.com, http://www.cspinet.org/-
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated"Mahatma Gandhi
Saturday, January 2, 2010
A "quick" shopping trip
I decided to make myself some potato soup last night, some comfort food to match the cool rainy night. Having most of the ingredients already, I only needed to hit the grocery store for a few items.
First le me digress, I’m not in a position to replace everything I already have – food or otherwise. Not only would it be a waste, but it seems like it would be just as disgraceful to purchase something from someone who labored over it, only to waste it. Or is that just me rationalizing? I’m also not in a financial position to clear out my cupboards, this project is just one step at a time.
So all I needed was celery, milk, eggs and orange juice for breakfast, teriyaki marinade for my non-vegetarian husband, and if I could find some bacon that looked like it met my standards I’d buy some for husband since it’s his birthday.
This proved to be more of a challenge than I realized. The celery was easy, pulled some great looking stock from the organic section.
The eggs I thought would be easy, but as I reached for my usual “grain fed, cage free” two things stuck me. Grain fed? That means corn fed. Are chickens okay to eat corn as a staple? I didn’t know. And just what does “cage free” really mean? Some are marked “cage free” and some “free roam”. I had investigated eggs long ago but can’t really remember any of it.. I skipped the eggs for now until further research. We’ll be getting chickens later this year anyway, both for the eggs and for the fertilizer, then I’ll know just what I’m eating.
The orange juice threw me too, I thought I’d just grab a bottle of organic, but there was no organic orange juice available.
I have limited organic options close to my home, but QFC usually has the basics. I live about 15 minutes from any real organic or natural store so I usually just pick and choose from the small selections at QFC, Safeway or Fred Meyer. Since I work from home I don’t even drive close to any large stores on a regular basis, so I can see I’ll have to be more organized with weekly menus and shopping lists so I can rationalize using the gas going to PCC or Whole Foods.
For milk, well I typically grab an organic, any but Horizon. I’ve heard that Horizon Organics farms don’t treat the animals humanely. Although after talking with a vegan he informed me that cows at organic dairies may suffer more because they don’t receive the antibiotics to treat wounds on the udders. I think I need to look into this deeper and maybe find a local dairy I can trust. Having my own dairy cow isn’t really on option! (though I’d love to have one, they’re so cute).
Teriyaki marinade – I hope Paul Newman brand is as good and wholesome as it appears, it was my only option not full of corn syrup.
The bacon was as expected for a traditional grocery store. As I looked at the few brands available I had visions of pigs being crushed on Food, Inc. No bacon today, sorry dear. We’ll go out for breakfast anyway. I’ve told him this may be my last visit to a non-organic/vegan/natural restaurant.
As I find the answers to my questions above I’ll share, I just didn’t’ realize such a short trip to the grocery store would bring up questions for nearly every item on the list. Links to reliable sources for above questions are appreciated, anything to make my research less labor-intensive.
My other goal for this week: Investigate dairy practices and popcorn. Yes, popcorn. Popcorn is a staple for me and I’ve realized this is probably in direct conflict with my goals. .
Wishful thinking for others: Simply to think about what you’re consuming.
Current resources and links: Food, Inc(www.foodincmovie.com)
First le me digress, I’m not in a position to replace everything I already have – food or otherwise. Not only would it be a waste, but it seems like it would be just as disgraceful to purchase something from someone who labored over it, only to waste it. Or is that just me rationalizing? I’m also not in a financial position to clear out my cupboards, this project is just one step at a time.
So all I needed was celery, milk, eggs and orange juice for breakfast, teriyaki marinade for my non-vegetarian husband, and if I could find some bacon that looked like it met my standards I’d buy some for husband since it’s his birthday.
This proved to be more of a challenge than I realized. The celery was easy, pulled some great looking stock from the organic section.
The eggs I thought would be easy, but as I reached for my usual “grain fed, cage free” two things stuck me. Grain fed? That means corn fed. Are chickens okay to eat corn as a staple? I didn’t know. And just what does “cage free” really mean? Some are marked “cage free” and some “free roam”. I had investigated eggs long ago but can’t really remember any of it.. I skipped the eggs for now until further research. We’ll be getting chickens later this year anyway, both for the eggs and for the fertilizer, then I’ll know just what I’m eating.
The orange juice threw me too, I thought I’d just grab a bottle of organic, but there was no organic orange juice available.
I have limited organic options close to my home, but QFC usually has the basics. I live about 15 minutes from any real organic or natural store so I usually just pick and choose from the small selections at QFC, Safeway or Fred Meyer. Since I work from home I don’t even drive close to any large stores on a regular basis, so I can see I’ll have to be more organized with weekly menus and shopping lists so I can rationalize using the gas going to PCC or Whole Foods.
For milk, well I typically grab an organic, any but Horizon. I’ve heard that Horizon Organics farms don’t treat the animals humanely. Although after talking with a vegan he informed me that cows at organic dairies may suffer more because they don’t receive the antibiotics to treat wounds on the udders. I think I need to look into this deeper and maybe find a local dairy I can trust. Having my own dairy cow isn’t really on option! (though I’d love to have one, they’re so cute).
Teriyaki marinade – I hope Paul Newman brand is as good and wholesome as it appears, it was my only option not full of corn syrup.
The bacon was as expected for a traditional grocery store. As I looked at the few brands available I had visions of pigs being crushed on Food, Inc. No bacon today, sorry dear. We’ll go out for breakfast anyway. I’ve told him this may be my last visit to a non-organic/vegan/natural restaurant.
As I find the answers to my questions above I’ll share, I just didn’t’ realize such a short trip to the grocery store would bring up questions for nearly every item on the list. Links to reliable sources for above questions are appreciated, anything to make my research less labor-intensive.
My other goal for this week: Investigate dairy practices and popcorn. Yes, popcorn. Popcorn is a staple for me and I’ve realized this is probably in direct conflict with my goals. .
Wishful thinking for others: Simply to think about what you’re consuming.
Current resources and links: Food, Inc(www.foodincmovie.com)
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Year, New blog
So here it is already, 2010. I’m not the kind that usually makes resolutions for I know I tend to not keep them, which makes me normal I guess. I was reminded on the last day of 2009 that the single resolution I made last year was completely forgotten sometime around April. Oops.
But this time it feels a little different. I seem to be moving in the direction of this Years resolution anyway, so it seems natural to step it up a notch by telling world and actually documenting the progress (or lack thereof).
And what would this New Years Resolution for 2010 be?
I resolve to move towards living cruelty-free in all areas of my life.
I’d like to be 100% cruelty-free, but I think that would be nearly impossible. I do have a demanding full-time job, I do have a husband and family, and I do have other obligations that prevent me from devoting all of my time to research and personal manufacturing of products.
So what do I mean by cruelty-free? I mean using products and services that don’t treat fellow humans badly in the process, for I am no better than them; using products and services that don’t do animal testing or otherwise bring harm to animals, for they do feel pain and I am no better than them; and using products and services that are sustainable and don’t have a negative impact on the earth. My original reason for going vegetarian was that I didn’t want anything to die in my name, and now I’m expanding it to include - I want nothing to suffer in my name.
I’m pretty sure that most Americans have no idea where there food really comes from, and if they did I don’t think they would eat it. I hope the same would be said of them if they knew how workers were being treated that made their cheap toys or most anything else they buy.
I’m afraid I will become overwhelmed, that the amount of research required to pass the cruelty-free test or to find an alternative is impractical or cost prohibitive. I’m afraid of how the information will affect my psyche- I want to be happier, not sadder! For this reason, I will remove the word “cruel” from my mission and simply use the word Friendly Living to imply cruelty-free. Saying “friendly” makes me smile, saying “cruelty-free” does not.
I know this could be a battle. I travel for a living and the whole travel industry is not, shall we say, green-friendly? From the airplanes to mini shampoo bottles to three meals a day in restaurants – I suspect these don’t live up to my new standards, so some things like this will just have to fall to the bottom of the list while I work on others. Of course if a Friendlier job offer came along…
I hope to research new products or services at least 2-3 times a month and report on my progress. Every product or service is open to scrutiny. When you think about all the products in your home, do you really know how they are made and if the workers are treated fairly? I already wonder about the items I’m buying now, but I’ll go one step further to find out instead of just living in ignorance.
So thank you for staying with me this far! I’m open to informative links, good ideas and humor! By the year 2011 I expect to be a much friendlier person, and have hopefully helped someone else become friendlier as well.
My goal for this week: To not eat anymore high-fructose corn syrup. I easily quit this before but it somehow found it’s way back into my body with a vengeance over the holidays. Much of the corn and corn-by product industry is terrible to its workers. Quick fact - over half of the corn industry is made into sweeteners.
Wishful thinking for others: To not eat any corn-fed beef, only grass-fed. Tied to my personal goal, the corn industry is not sustainable and there are too many issues to get into here. I’ll just say that cows are not meant to eat corn and it would significantly reduce the antibiotics they’re fed, the e-coli contamination rates and the ammonia being blended with nearly all beef sold
Current resources and links: Food, Inc(www.foodincmovie.com), King Corn (www.kingcorn.net), www.leapingbunny.org, www.naturewatch.org
But this time it feels a little different. I seem to be moving in the direction of this Years resolution anyway, so it seems natural to step it up a notch by telling world and actually documenting the progress (or lack thereof).
And what would this New Years Resolution for 2010 be?
I resolve to move towards living cruelty-free in all areas of my life.
I’d like to be 100% cruelty-free, but I think that would be nearly impossible. I do have a demanding full-time job, I do have a husband and family, and I do have other obligations that prevent me from devoting all of my time to research and personal manufacturing of products.
So what do I mean by cruelty-free? I mean using products and services that don’t treat fellow humans badly in the process, for I am no better than them; using products and services that don’t do animal testing or otherwise bring harm to animals, for they do feel pain and I am no better than them; and using products and services that are sustainable and don’t have a negative impact on the earth. My original reason for going vegetarian was that I didn’t want anything to die in my name, and now I’m expanding it to include - I want nothing to suffer in my name.
I’m pretty sure that most Americans have no idea where there food really comes from, and if they did I don’t think they would eat it. I hope the same would be said of them if they knew how workers were being treated that made their cheap toys or most anything else they buy.
I’m afraid I will become overwhelmed, that the amount of research required to pass the cruelty-free test or to find an alternative is impractical or cost prohibitive. I’m afraid of how the information will affect my psyche- I want to be happier, not sadder! For this reason, I will remove the word “cruel” from my mission and simply use the word Friendly Living to imply cruelty-free. Saying “friendly” makes me smile, saying “cruelty-free” does not.
I know this could be a battle. I travel for a living and the whole travel industry is not, shall we say, green-friendly? From the airplanes to mini shampoo bottles to three meals a day in restaurants – I suspect these don’t live up to my new standards, so some things like this will just have to fall to the bottom of the list while I work on others. Of course if a Friendlier job offer came along…
I hope to research new products or services at least 2-3 times a month and report on my progress. Every product or service is open to scrutiny. When you think about all the products in your home, do you really know how they are made and if the workers are treated fairly? I already wonder about the items I’m buying now, but I’ll go one step further to find out instead of just living in ignorance.
So thank you for staying with me this far! I’m open to informative links, good ideas and humor! By the year 2011 I expect to be a much friendlier person, and have hopefully helped someone else become friendlier as well.
My goal for this week: To not eat anymore high-fructose corn syrup. I easily quit this before but it somehow found it’s way back into my body with a vengeance over the holidays. Much of the corn and corn-by product industry is terrible to its workers. Quick fact - over half of the corn industry is made into sweeteners.
Wishful thinking for others: To not eat any corn-fed beef, only grass-fed. Tied to my personal goal, the corn industry is not sustainable and there are too many issues to get into here. I’ll just say that cows are not meant to eat corn and it would significantly reduce the antibiotics they’re fed, the e-coli contamination rates and the ammonia being blended with nearly all beef sold
Current resources and links: Food, Inc(www.foodincmovie.com), King Corn (www.kingcorn.net), www.leapingbunny.org, www.naturewatch.org
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