tagged w/ Sustainable Agriculture
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Every meal offers an opportunity to connect with our food. Whether we're munching on a tart apple, dousing fries in ketchup or gobbling up a spring salad, an extra second can remind us that what we're eating grows in the ground, is harvested by a worker and brought to our homes, restaurants and coffee shops every day. What we tend to forget in our quest for fast and cheap (or slow and sustainable) foods are the people who plant and harvest the produce for us.
Today is Cesar Chavez Day. Our nation’s horrendous slave legacy continues to thrive today in our modern agricultural system.Every meal offers an opportunity to connect with our food. Whether we're munching... more
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While the Vatican’s semi-official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, recently reported that the Church has no official position on the practice of modifying the genes of produce, it appears that change may be in the air for Pope’s inner circle. The hope is that the appointment of Cardinal Peter Turkson in January as the head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace to replace the notably pro-GMO Cardinal Renato Martino would usher in a more cautionary perspective about GMOs from the Vatican.
The L’Osservatore Romano comments concerning the alleged neutrality of the Holy See’s were made shortly after the European Commission approved for commercial cultivation Amflora, a genetically modified starchy potato. Amflora, produced by the largest chemical company in the world, BASF, is currently only approved for starch production, not human consumption, but the leftover skins will be fed to cattle. It will used for industrial purposes like paper and yarn production and making spray concrete.
The controversy surrounding Amflora is that the potato contains a gene that is resistant to antibiotics including kanamycin, neomycin, butirosin, and gentamicin. When antibiotic resistance is making frequent headlines, the European Commission’s approval, and BASF’s cultivation of such crop, is, in the eyes of many, irresponsible.
Despite the Vatican’s alleged neutrality, GMO Journal, which has previously expressed an opinion that reverberations from the Pope’s inner circle suggest a pro-GMO stance, hopes that the recent appointment of Cardinal Turkson signals that the Vatican is ready to confront the GMO debate with greater objectivity and less willingness to blindly repeat the industry jingles of needing GMOs to save the world from hunger.
In fact, unlike his predecessor Cardinal Martino, as the new head of Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Turkson would urge an attitude of caution and further study of the possible negative effects of genetically engineered organisms.
Continue reading: http://gmo-journal.com/index.php/2010/03/30/vaticans-perspective-on-gmo-signaling-winds-of-change/While the Vatican’s semi-official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano,... more
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In the latest version of the Environmental Working Group's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides sweet bell peppers rank third worst (behind only peaches and apples) on the list of 47 fruits and vegetables.In the latest version of the Environmental Working Group's Shopper's Guide... more
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For months, Greenpeace publicly pressured Trader Joe's supermarkets to adopt sustainable seafood purchasing policies throughout all of their stores in order to help save the oceans. The store ranked 17 out of the 20 when Greenpeace evaluated their seafood polices along with other supermarkets. That was the worst ranking attained by any national chain.
Trader Joe's felt the heat from Greenpeace’s mock website (http://www.traitorjoe.com), relentless phone calls from supporters, and in-store demonstrations and questions to store managers from activists and shoppers across the country. Now Trader Joe’s has agreed to remove many unsustainable products from its shelves, including the highly objectionable orange roughy that it sold for several years.
Not only will TJ's remove red-listed seafood, the store has also committed to working with third-party, science-based organizations to establish strong, lasting guidelines for ocean protection throughout their entire seafood operation. You can read more about what Trader Joe's is doing here:
www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/trader-joe-greener
http://members.greenpeace.org/blog/greenpeaceusa_blog/2010/03/28/victory_trader_joe_s_gets_a_little_green
Specifically, Trader Joe’s has announced that they will:
* Offer only sustainable seafood in their stores by December 31, 2012.
* Work with third-party, science-based organizations to establish definitions and parameters for addressing customer concerns about overfishing, destructive catch or production methods, and the importance of marine reserves.
* Remove “red-listed” seafood from their shelves. Trader Joe’s stopped selling Chilean Sea Bass in 2005, Orange Roughy in July of 2009, and Red Snapper in March of 2010.
* Provide accurate information on all seafood labels, including species’ Latin names, origin and catch or production method.
* Use their buying power to leverage change in the seafood industry.For months, Greenpeace publicly pressured Trader Joe's supermarkets to adopt... more
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Downtown Cleveland gets taken over by a mall, which gets taken over by a farm.
Shopping malls haven’t shown any sign of slowing down in their rampant development since the first one opened near Kansas City, Mo., in 1922. The economy, on the other hand, has shown woeful signs of slowing down to the extent that many retail centers are closing their doors due to the traumatic hit consumer confidence has taken in recent years.
Such was almost the case with the Galleria at Erieview in Cleveland, Ohio but it took the bright idea of Vicky Poole, their marketing and events director to do more than just drop the cost of rent.
I started, again, reevaluating the space and when this idea came for urban growing and I got, again, more involved in the local food movement, I realized that there was no reason why we couldn’t implement growing and still be a business center and an events center. We could still remain a community and yet benefit from the plants and the local food.
Vicky says the businesses will take time to come back, just as the plants will take time to grow. For now, the visibility and good feeling the greenhouse gives to the community is a solid foundation for a sustainable future.
For the full interview with Vicky Poole, click here.
Photo by T-FIZ.Downtown Cleveland gets taken over by a mall, which gets taken over by a farm.... more
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Nestle has anounced its commitment to using (CSPO) Certified Sustainable Palm Oil, after a campaign and great commercial from Greenpeace( If you have not seen it please do a current member has it up), Although Nestle has stated they no longer use Palm Oil from Sinar Mas, they will still get it from other companies who are ravaging the rainforest all for some of their disgusting little chocolate products.
Nestle is trying to convince themselves and us that they do no harm to the environment, they have posted a letter on their website basically ridding themselves of all blame, check it out its pretty frustrating.
http://www.nestle.com/MediaCenter/NewsandFeatures/AllNewsFeatures/Nestle_commits_to_using+certified_sustainable_palm_oil_by_2015.htmNestle has anounced its commitment to using (CSPO) Certified Sustainable Palm Oil,... more
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I’m assisting a permaculture relief team in Haiti currently with The Permaculture Guild, a group of six permaculturists who were first responders for the earthquake – five who are still there. They have saved lives by putting in sanitation systems and low tech water filtration, which were the key areas where lives were at risk when they arrived. They have been educating Haitians on how to do this sustainably, for themselves.
They have moved into the next phase of “teaching the teachers” focusing on teaching permaculture techniques for growing food, sustainable shelters, water filtration, etc, to a number of local organizations in several cities. They are working in coordination with the Haitian government and local organizations to meet real needs.
We are seeking funding for this effort. All donations go directly to Haiti to support these efforts and will multiply exponentially by teaching the teachers. If you’d like to support this historic effort, please donate through the Permaculture Guild donation website. (This is our partner non-profit for this project).
(See the original post for more info.)I’m assisting a permaculture relief team in Haiti currently with The... more
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Urban NYC farmers have set their eyes on a new prize: transforming privately owned backyards into lush, fruitful farmlands.
By signing up to share your yard with a urban farmer, you can eat fresh from your own personal farm during the harvest months, and even sell produce to your neighbors - growing a community built around fresh local food. The best part is, you don't even have to lift a finger, BK Farmyards does all the farming for you...
Find out more at bkfarmyards.com
http://vimeo.com/6137263Urban NYC farmers have set their eyes on a new prize: transforming privately owned... more
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The Nolan family dairy farm in Southern Ohio is returning to the basics. Nick and Celeste Nolan, along with their five children, are determined to help people reconnect with the food they eat and the land it comes from.The Nolan family dairy farm in Southern Ohio is returning to the basics. Nick and... more
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Hey everyone! I'm honored to be the Member of the Month on Current.com's Sustainable Agriculture group. I really enjoy everyone's posts and I hope to continue spreading the good word about organic and sustainable food, farming and living.
-Dorothee Royal
Here's my profile on Current.com: http://current.com/users/Dorothee.htm
OrganicNation.tv is an exploration of the American sustainable food landscape featuring original videos, a daily blog, community map and lots of ways to connect online and off. Learn more: http://www.OrganicNation.tv
This video was recorded on February 11, 2010 using a Flip Video camcorder.Hey everyone! I'm honored to be the Member of the Month on Current.com's... more
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An often misunderstood technique due to it's roots in Rudolph Steiner's esoteric spiritual philosophy, biodynamic agriculture treats farms as unified organisms and emphasizes the relationship of soil, plants and animals.
For more videos, visit: http://www.OrganicNation.tvAn often misunderstood technique due to it's roots in Rudolph Steiner's... more
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