Stumbling Toward Enlightenment

By Rachel Cernansky, Planet Green

Better Nutrition
If you’re going to eat products like meat and dairy, studies have found that these foods are more nutritious when raised sustainably than when they are produced by industrial agriculture. (And just this week, it became official even in a U.S. court: hormone-free milk is better.)

If you’re vegetarian or vegan, the same is true for organically grown fruits and veggies. (This is a hotly-debated topic, but if you think about it from a basic, non-scientific perspective, it’s not hard to believe that applying chemicals to intentionally kill living organisms will also deplete the soil of nutrients necessary to grow a healthy crop.)

Better Taste, Healthier Taste Buds
There’s an increasing understanding that processed foods, many of which come from factory-farmed meat, dairy, and industrially-grown wheat or corn, are killing our taste buds, making us physically less able to taste and enjoy the naturally-occurring flavors in fresh foods. Anyone who’s tasted a home- or locally-grown tomato knows what a difference those flavors make.

For the Earth
Our readers probably already know this, but meat and dairy production are greenhouse gas culprits—even more so than flying0. There’s also the issue of the basically-unregulated sludge and other pollution that factory farms get to release into the environment.

For the Local Economy
As I’ve pointed out before, when you buy from a national chain—and for this purpose, factory-farmed food is no different than, say, Barnes & Noble—the community keeps $4.30 for every $10 spent. When you buy local (from your farmer’s market, for example, or local natural foods store), $6.80 will stay in the community. Plus, supporting local farms will probably mean supporting more green space and healthier land in your community, which means a healthier lifestyle overall.

Salmonella, Avian Flu, and Swine Flu
(Different reasons, same underlying problem.) This summer’s egg recall is the most obvious example: the overcrowded, unsanitary conditions on factory farms lead to disease. The H1N1 virus is also affiliated with factory farm conditions, as is swine flu.

Sensing a pattern here? Just some food for thought as you put your next grocery list together.

Read more…

posted by Judi Gerber

March is National Women’s History Month. For those who aren’t aware of it, National Women’s History Month was started by the National Women’s History Project, (NWHP), a nonprofit educational organization founded in 1980. The group provides educational resources, materials, and information about the roles of women in American history.

In 1981, the NWHP successfully lobbied Congress to declare a Joint Congressional Resolution for “National Women’s History Week.” In 1987, Congress expanded the celebration to an entire month.

Each year, the NWHP picks honorees to highlight during the month. This year, since NWHP is celebrating it’s 30th Anniversary, it is highlighting pivotal themes from previous years that recognize a different aspect of women’s achievements including ecology.

In fact, last year’s theme was “Women Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet.”

One of last year’s best known honorees was Alice Waters, the pioneering chef, restaurateur and food activist who created the Chez Panisse Foundation, to help students eat healthy food by bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to school cafeterias and developing organic school gardens.

But, here are some “lesser known” honorees from last year that have truly made a difference to our planet by working to preserve sustainable farms and farming:

Judi Gerber is a University of California Master Gardener with a certificate in Horticultural Therapy. She writes about sustainable farming, local foods, and organic gardening for multiple magazines. Her book Farming in Torrance and the South Bay was released in September 2008.

posted by Terri Hall-Jackson

It is now a common sight to see shoppers carrying their own reusable shopping bags to the grocery store. That is fantastic, and such an easy eco-friendly action for most of us to take. Still, there’s a ton of material we continue to schlep home when shopping — the cellophane, unrecyclable bags, plastic, and cardboard used in the packaging of many common items. Much of this packaging is unnecessary, but manufacturers know that flashy packaging translates into increased sales.

As of 1994, the European Union requires manufacturing companies to take back and recycle at least 60 percent of their packaging waste, including that used for food items, thus taking the burden off of the consumer and local communities. No such incentive for reducing packaging exists for manufacturers in the U.S. or Canada.

As consumers, there are a number of items we can use or purchase in order to reduce our consumption of excess packaging:

1. Bring a travel mug whenever you go to your favorite coffee shop. Many cafes will fill your mug at no additional charge, eliminating the need for those one-use styrofoam cups with plastic lids.
2. Use a reusable, stainless steel drinking bottle instead of individual drink boxes or bottles.
3. Buy fresh fruits and vegetables instead of produce in cans, frozen boxes and bags.
4. Buy in bulk, using your own containers from home to eliminate the use of can, carton, and plastic bag packaging.
5. Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.
6. Buy big boxes of cereal instead of individually packaged cereals.
7. Never buy individual “snack-sized” boxes or bags.
8. When washing non-bagged greens, use a salad spinner. That way you won’t have to use paper towels to blot the greens dry.
9. Buy quarts of yogurt instead of eight-ounce or smaller cups.
10. Use cloth or a gold coffee filter rather than paper filters.
11. Buy bulk cheese instead of individually wrapped slices.
12. Make your own popsicles using reusable molds, rather than buying boxed popsicles. Be sure to use BPA-free molds.
13. Use metal and ceramic baking pans instead of aluminum disposable pans.
14. Use loose tea instead of one-use tea bags.
15. DIY, green cleaning products instead of commercial cleaning products. Care2 is a great resource for recipes for these easy to prepare recipes, from window cleaner to furniture polish.

Personally, I’ve sewn together some cloth bags, the same size as the plastic bags from the grocer, and take them with me when I go shopping. They’re inside my canvas bags and I use them just like the plastic ones, only I can wash them and reuse them many, many times. The folks at the Farmer’s Market smile when they see them, the folks at the grocery store scratch their heads.

That cuts down on some of the plastic, but I’m still getting some of it when I buy things, which is annoying. When I ask about that, I’m usually told that the packaging is for sanitary or health reasons. Which points us back to buying local, fresh foods and baking our own bread and other baked goods. Lots of time, I know, but, I believe it’s worth it for us, our health, and our planet.

Do you have any tips to reduce packaging? Leave a comment below.

Celebrate Your Local Farmers’ Market During National Farmers’ Market Week
Judi Gerber

This week, August 2 through 8, 2009, marks National Farmers’ Market Week, a week that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated to encourage consumers to visit their local farmers’ market.

This year the USDA in cooperation with the Farmers Market Coalition, launched a special “Markets are Up!” campaign to “help farmers markets and farmers markets associations communicate the vital role that these markets play in improving consumer health, local communities, and economies.” They have put together resources and materials that you will find at many local farmers’ markets for the occasion.

Farmers’ markets are one of the easiest ways to not only buy locally, but to support the economic viability of our farmers and to help individuals eat more healthfully.

The USDA estimates that there are now 4,900 farmers’ markets throughout the United States and over 3 million consumers shop there, buying the fresh fruits and vegetables grown by the 60,000 farmers who sell there. The USDA estimates that these markets generate more than one billion dollars in consumer spending each year.

If you haven’t shopped at a farmers’ market yet, you might be wondering what the big deal is. The biggest benefit to shopping at a farmers’ market is that you get the freshest produce available. Often, farmers pick their fruit or vegetables just a day, or even hours, before the market. Not only does this make the produce taste better, it is better for you because it does not lose any vitamins or minerals sitting in a warehouse or traveling thousands of miles.

You will also find dozens of different fruit and vegetable varieties at a single market, compared to the two or three varieties typically found at most grocery stores. Another great thing about a local market is that it serves as a community-gathering place, where you can meet your neighbors and friends to catch up and they often feature local entertainment and artists.

And, don’t forget to vote for your favorite local farmers’ market in the Care2.com and LocalHarvest.org “Love Your Farmers’ Market” contest.

You can find your local farmers’ market via several web sites including the USDA site, or at Local Harvest.

Judi G. is a University of California Master Gardener with a certificate in Horticultural Therapy. She writes about sustainable farming, local foods, and organic gardening for multiple magazines. Her book Farming in Torrance and the South Bay was released in September 2008.