Category — News

Many of my friends have started to use Sigg bottles. From Switzerland and made to last, these bottles exceed FDA requirements on preventing harmful chemicals from getting through and have been thoroughly tested to ensure 0.0% leaching.

They are also recyclable, made of alunimum, and trendy, a great combination. But most importantly, Sigg alunimum bottles provide an alternative to the toxic Lexan plastics that Nalgene is made out of. A Canadian outdoor gear company, Mountain Equipment Co-op has pulled all of its Nalgene bottles off its shelves for that reason. The claim is that Nalgene bottles have the chemical, Bisphenol A in the plastic behind it is made out of. I think I’ll start putting my Nalgene bottles away.

According to the The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, organic tomatoes are twice as high in flavanoids as conventional tomatoes. Flavanoids are used as a deterrent against heart disease. In this study, organic and conventional tomatoes were compared over a ten year period. The organic tomatoes’ flavanoid levels increased over time. Scientists attribute the higher quality of organic foods to the healthier soil on organic farms. Go organic tomatoes!

Unbelievable. The New York Times has reported that the head of Whole Foods, John Mackey is being investigated by the FTC for creating a fictitious alias on Yahoo Finance, called Rahodeb. Under his alias the last seven years, he insulted the Wild Oats Market, a natural foods retailer that Whole Foods wants to acquire, and made other very strange comments. Check out what John Mackey wrote in Yahoo Finance. If this is true, there is potential that Whole Foods can get in a lot of trouble.

Warning! This is unfortunate news, but a local San Francisco yogurt company, Whole Soy, is recalling its products after some customers had allergic reactions to its products. Specifically, they are recalling all Blueberry Soy Yogurt with UPC code 664372600086 and all Mixed Berry Soy Yogurt with UPC code 664372600222 in six-ounce containers with “best by” dates of June 22 and June 29. They are recalling the products because of they may contain trace amounts of milk, casein or dairy derivatives. Whole Soy has posted a phone number if you have any questions: (877) 569-6376.

You may have heard of the two whales that swam all the way from the Pacific ocean via the San Francisco Bay into the Sacramento River delta. Now scientists and crews are on a mission to make sure the two wayward whales are heading back to healthier ocean water in the Pacific. The whales have made some progress returning towards the ocean. Below is a map from the San Francisco Chronicle which details the whales’ journey. Let’s hope for their safe return back into the ocean!

According to a Washington Post article, at least 2.5 million broiler chickens from an Indiana producer were fed pet food scraps contaminated with the chemical melamine and subsequently sold for human consumption, federal health officials reported from the FDA. Although the article doesn’t mention any human deaths caused by the consumption of this harmful chemical, it is still alarming. Even though I am vegetarian, it makes sense for omnivores to find meats that are organic and locally farmed that contain as few chemicals as possible or try to decrease meat consumption.

What happens when you mix the founder of Burning Man, the founder of Odwalla, scientists, techies, organic farmers and JP Morgan as a sponsor? You get Digital Be-In: an artsy event with speakers, organic food and a party. Over 10 speakers came, with booths, drinks, and later a big party. It was definitely an eclectic mix; I couldn’t see that well in the dark, but about 200 people came to hear the speakers, and more were entering. Urth.tv did a live broadcast of the event on the internet. Here were some interesting things I saw:

• The first public unveiling of Wiser Earth, a nonprofit social networking site focused on activism and issues, very similar to Care2.com. It already has a community going and active membership.

• Urban Alliance for Sustainability, a nonprofit that focuses on environmental sustainability and building communities, was selling the Green Zebra, SF based coupon book. I took a look inside the book, and it was full of coupons from green businesses like natural food, yoga, spas, and travel. Here’s an example of a coupon inside from one of my favorite places to shop for groceries:

I bought the book for $25, and I know that I’ll already use several coupons inside that payoff the initial fee. If you’re in San Francisco or go often, I recommend buying this. But if you live outside of the city or don’t come often to the city, it won’t be worth it for you.

Other interesting talks included Autodesk’s sustainability design consulting, a group that helps design large scale things like buildings and PAX Scientific, a green research and development tech group.

To be honest, I’m not sure whether I’d go next year, I think the Green Festival and other conferences are a little more organized, but this is definitely a good attempt to get more people in the Bay Area aware of environmental issues by making it fun.

I had a friend, Justin, forward me this article from today’s Wall Street Journal on buying organic food. It’s very similar to what I have read in the past from Consumer Reports and other consumer groups. Below is a set of buying guidelines the article recommends.

To buy…

• Apples, peaches, bell peppers, strawberries, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce, potatoes, carrots:
• Conventional versions have higher levels of pesticides than other produce, although still well within safe limits.
• Milk and dairy products: Free of the growth hormones that are given to conventionally raised cows.
• Meat and poultry: Free of growth hormones and antibiotics. Baby food: Free of pesticide residues found in vegetables and fruits.…
• and foods you eat a lot of.

Or not to buy…

• Broccoli, bananas, frozen sweet peas, frozen corn, asparagus, avocados, onions: Levels of pesticides are low even in conventional versions of these.
• Seafood: No USDA organic certification yet exists for seafood. Even seafood raised in the wild can contain mercury, PCBS and other contaminants.
• Some processed foods such as breads, chips, pasta, oils: They often do have whole grains or other healthful ingredients, but processed foods may also contain non-organic ingredients, and processing in general removes many nutrients
• and foods you eat only occasionally.

Source: When Buying Organic MakesSense — and When It Doesn’t, BETSY MCKAY, January 16, 2007

See here for an interesting article from the New York Times on why consumers are paying for local, not just organic produce.

From Mark Moford’s column in the Chronicle today: “I was a little unprepared. The commercial came on and I heard the familiar ukulele strums of the late Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s famous and famously beautiful version of “Over the Rainbow” (I know, but it really is quite lovely) and my first reaction was merely to cringe and wince as yet another exquisite and plaintive song was whored out to the advertising demons, just one of thousands. “

I had the same reaction as this San Francisco Chronicle’s columnist when I saw the Kellogg’s advertisement on TV for organic cereal. Read more about this in today’s Chronicle on organics here.

Stoneyfield Farms founder Gary Hirshberg struggles to be true to his organic cause while growing into a huge enterprise. I thought this article in Businessweek illustrated well the dilemma that some companies go through in order to scale organic food. Is it possible to stay local? Why are firms going to China for strawberries? I was a little turned off by some of the sourcing that Stoneyfield had to do. Check this out.

From the Organic Trade Association:

1. Organic products meet stringent standards
   Organic certification is the public’s assurance that products have been grown and handled according to strict procedures without persistent toxic chemical inputs.
2. Organic food tastes great!
   It’s common sense – well-balanced soils produce strong, healthy plants that become nourishing food for people and animals.
3. Organic production reduces health risks
   Many EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research linked these chemicals to cancer and other diseases. Organic agriculture is one way to prevent any more of these chemicals from getting into the air, earth and water that sustain us.
4. Organic farms respect our water resources
   The elimination of polluting chemicals and nitrogen leaching, done in combination with soil building, protects and conserves water resources.
5. Organic farmers build healthy soil
   Soil is the foundation of the food chain. The primary focus of organic farming is to use practices that build healthy soils.
6. Organic farmers work in harmony with nature
   Organic agricultural respects the balance demanded of a healthy ecosystem: wildlife is encouraged by including forage crops in rotation and by retaining fence rows, wetlands, and other natural areas.
7. Organic producers are leaders in innovative research
   Organic farmers have led the way, largely at their own expense, with innovative on-farm research aimed at reducing pesticide use and minimizing agriculture’s impact on the environment.
8. Organic producers strive to preserve diversity
   The loss of a large variety of species (biodiversity) is one of the most pressing environmental concerns. The good news is that many organic farmers and gardeners have been collecting and preserving seeds, and growing unusual varieties for decades.
9. Organic farming helps keep rural communities healthy
   USDA reported that in 1997, half of U.S. farm production came from only 2% of farms. Organic agriculture can be a lifeline for small farms because it offers an alternative market where sellers can command fair prices for crops.
10. Organic abundance – Foods and non-foods alike!
    Now every food category has an organic alternative. And non-food agricultural products are being grown organically – even cotton, which most experts felt could not be grown this way.

My boyfriend Vivek and I went to a wedding over Labor Day weekend, where my old housemate Angela got married to Justin. It was a very lovely wedding in Los Gatos and I was very happy for the newly married couple.

This was the tenth wedding of the year that Vivek and I attended: including four Indian weddings, a Mexican Roman Catholic wedding, a Jewish wedding, a Hawaiian - Japanese wedding and a Chinese - Korean wedding. Phew!

Then it hit me; I began to wonder, with so many wonderful friends getting married, could there be a more sustainable, and organic way to create these special occasions? Check out this article in the San Francisco Chronicle on organic weddings and vendors in the Bay Area.

Thanks to my new iPod, I’ve found some cool free podcasts to listen to. Here are some that relate to organic, sustainable living and the Bay Area:

KQED’s California Report

Recently Michael Pollan, author of his new book, “Omnivore’s Dilemma,” has sparked a debate on the definition of organic foods in this Podcast from the California Report .

Commonwealth Club of California

Featured a podcast through the Commonwealth Club of California in May on Eric Schlosser’s new book for children, “Chew on This” which teaches kids the truth about fast food restaurants and food.

BeyondOrganic

Some of the better podcasts include an interview on comfort foods with Eric Tucker of Millenium Restaurant in San Francisco Unfortunately, it seems like this site hasn’t created new podcasts in the last few months, but their archive is still worth checking out.