The Beef With Beef Labels: Do You Know What They Mean?
Here’s how to make sure you’re buying beef that was raised the way you think it was.
Local ecoApples – part 2 – “Nostalgia"
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In the lovely town of Hancock, NH you can walk from the village green along Main St., past the Hancock Inn, past the library and historical society and up a steep hill to an apple orchard. There you will find a little red fruit stand and big sign that reads "apples”. Mrs. Peg McLeod will give you a bag and direct you through the rows of trees to find the best picking. Peg and her family, starting with her late husband Ken, have owned and operated Norway Hill Orchard for almost 70 years. Each year the orchard welcomes families, tourists and local school children to pick apples and take in the view of Mount Monadnock.
I have been visiting Norway Hill each season with my girls for more than a decade to pick and collect “drops” for apple sauce. We love to roam around the paths and climb the granite boulders sprinkled among the trees. As many times as I have visited however, this is the first year I have taken the time to shoot a visual essay and document some of the details and unique places within the orchard. more…
MA bottle bill vote: Sans CO2 = go ahead and litter!
Does this make sense:
In the progressive state of Massachusetts, only bottles containing carbonated liquids include 5 cent deposits at purchase. Question #2 asks to amend this 30 year old arcane law to include all other bottles (water, fruit juice, sports drinks and all other flat sugary crap). According to the Mass Audubon – only 23% of containers without deposit are recycled, versus 80% of those with deposits.
Litter is an ecological and societal epidemic:
Remember this?
We may have come a longway in cleaning-up our impact, but what we’ve not fully materialized is the global ripple effect we imprint from the Northeast, and how our efforts now will fundamentally be mirrored to save ecological and environmental health through-out the planet. I often get the question, I’m just one person, what can I do? Effectively, we must all realize “we” in the Northeast represent the future of our planet whether you like it not. Your role is to help define a successful proof case for everyone else to use at a later date. It’s scale, both population and lifestyle, that needs our help – and we begin by cleaning-up our own backyard.
What to do:
Immediately (next Tuesday), we Commonwealth folks need to vote YES on #2. Longterm, we need better bills. Updated with incentives and context for a modern world. The millions spent to stop this bill has been footed by bottling and producers, those who don’t want the added consumer friction of a “carbonation tax” (deposit) on their flat-line products, and from grocers who don’t want to deal with cleaning up the deposit waste stream that this proposed bill would intensify in each of their stores. The lack of foresight when constructing this very important bill, again with much larger implications that just Massachusetts, is what truly gets my goat! Updating to a transactional based incentive program that would take advantage of increasing the bottle bill deposit to a dime (curator suggestion) – grocers could reap the benefit of revenue instead of reimbursements for operational expense, and potentially support instead of oppose through better utilization of environmental advocacy outreach to their increasingly aware customers.
Take a deep breath; then, we all share accountability:
I once received some great advice that I aspire to implement daily. When dealing with your kids, no matter their age, you must find a way to level with them. Empathy to a person or a situation is the only way to move minds and mountains. In the case of the bottle bill, the vote-no-ads canvasing news outlets infuriate me – like us all. Getting the cheap, low hanging vote by dropping aggregated dollars volumes and inaccurate starts sourced by intrinsically corrupted data – how dare they!!! But, after drinking some of my own sugary Kool-aid, I realize – I’m the fool to expect anything different. The grocers and producers of this liquid-corn-sugar and bottled tap-water are spending millions to keep the current cash-flow of status quo. Instead, for us, currently trying to “change norms” with only conflict – we must have better foresight to appreciate possible friction through showing empathy to move these mountains. More of that crazy Kool-Aid talk, but in order to enact change quickly, both ecological and societal, we must take accountability through attaining a seat at the table that can influence status quo to fight with us, instead of against.
Vote YES on #2
Question 2asks Massachusetts voters whether to expand the state’s existing 30-year-old bottle deposit law and require deposits for non-alcoholic, non-carbonated beverage containers. The measure The expansion of the Bottle Bill is a sensible evolution of the original law. It would address the proliferation of plastic bottles and discourage litter. Voters should approve it. #yeson2MA
Trouble with (farm) Antibiotic resistence – Swann Report revisited – FRONTLINE
For nearly 40 years, public health officials and scientists have been pushing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to limit the use of antibiotics fed to animals raised for meat, a practice many worry is contributing to the rise of potentially deadly, drug-resistant infections.
Now, the agency is trying a different approach: asking companies to do so voluntarily.
The new policy comes at a time when the global health community has watched with alarm as many common antibiotics developed to fend off human illness have been rendered either ineffective or obsolete due to overuse. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 20,000 people die each year due to antibiotic-resistant infections, and as many as 2 million get sick. The FDA’s worry is that antibiotics used on the farm may be partly to blame.
Most antibiotics aren’t used by humans. Data compiled by the Pew Charitable Trusts, which advocates to limit antibiotic use on farms, shows that in 2011, 7.7 million pounds of antibiotics were sold to treat sick people, while a whopping 29.9 million pounds were sold for use in food animal production. In 2012, that figure grew to 32 million pounds, according to a report released earlier this month by the FDA.
How food & nutrition can impact breast cancer patients
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Over 2.8 million women in the U.S. have a history of breast cancer, including those getting treated now. Aside from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis. especially for women (and, yes, men to get it too). And the foods we eat could play an integral role in potentially fighting cancer and keeping the body as healthy as possible during treatment.
Why Eat Healthy? “A nutritious diet will fuel the immune system by providing important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that nourish healthy cells,” say nutritionists Jane Schwartz, RD, and Stephanie Goodman, CNC. “A nourishing diet also provides lots of fiber, which feeds the beneficial bacteria that are critical for immune health.”
Cancer-fighting foods, like leafy greens, berries, and mushrooms, can also help you manage your weight. That keeps your body healthy in many ways, including reducing excess body around the waist, which can trigger cancer cell growth due to increased insulin production.
Whether you snack on carrots and oranges or eat salads and drink tea, healthy dietary choices could have a big impact on your body’s ability to prevent and fight cancer.
“Upgraded nutrition has been found to reduce cancer cell growth, boost treatment efficacy, diminish side effects of treatment, improve quality of life, and provide a great source of energy that is much needed during treatment,” say Schwartz and Goodman.
Foods to Avoid: Sugars are big no-no, since the sweet stuff suppresses the immune system and can interfere with the absorption of vitamins and minerals. “Cancer cells consume sugar at a rate double to triple that of normal cells,” say Schwartz and Goodman. They urge breast cancer patients to limit, if not outright avoid, sugar, honey, high fructose corn syrup, and brown rice syrup, as well as sweets like candy, doughnuts, and sodas.
Breast cancer patients should also avoid alcohol and highly processed foods, like those with sugars, white flour, and oils. Hever calls these processed foods “disease-promoting” and explains that they “crowd out calories” that should be used on healthy foods. From good-for-you greens, to soy, to colorful fruits, read on for the cancer-fighting food tips that nutrition experts suggest. more…
Calling All Farmers: You Can Help Save the World! – Maria Rodale
Maria Rodale: If we truly want to feed the world – to change the world – we need both big and small farmers to go organic. In other words, we need all farmers. Everywhere. Switch to organic. People and producers are willing to pay you well and help you succeed.
In my recent travels across America, one thing has become abundantly clear: Demand for organic food is soaring. The current organic market has grown to more than $35 billion in annual sales, and with companies like Walmart and Target making organic widely available, its growth is expected to continue. Supply, on the other hand, is not growing fast enough to meet demand. There’s just not enough organic food to go around in the U.S., so producers are now going overseas to help meet America’s increasing call for organic foods.
American farmers, this is a big opportunity!
5 ways to improve MOOD with REAL FOOD comfort foods
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Here are 5 ways to improve mood with real foods that help to fight stress and overcome bouts of depression without weighing you down or defeating their initial purpose.
Now, it will take more than just a bit of one of the following comfort foods to completely dissolve you of all your worries, but they will contribute to you keeping your cool. Better yet, all of the following 5 comfort foods are vegan! Sit back, relax and enjoy.
1. Asparagus – I love when asparagus season is in full swing, and it takes very little effort to enjoy them. A dash of salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and a stint in the oven later, you have yourself the perfect side dish. And that’s exactly what asparagus is good for – ease. According to one study, asparagus attenuated the elevated weight of adrenal glands and increased the reduced weight of the spleen induced by stress, making it a fit anti-stress food. One cup of cooked asparagus contains 67 percent of the RDA of the B-vitamin folate, which, when deficient in the body, induces oxidative stress, increased blood pressure and insulin resistance. A diet rich in folate can prevent this from occurring.
2. Chocolate – It’s true. Women’s intuition has outpaced scientific revelations when it comes to chocolate. A recent study has shown that dark chocolate lowers blood pressure due to the antioxidants polyphenols and flavonols.
3. Cashews – I always pick the cashews out of any nut mix I encounter, mostly because they taste the best, but maybe I was fishing for comfort, too. Cashews are rich in zinc, containing more than 50 percent of the RDA in a 100-gram serving. Zinc deficiency has been linked to mood disorders, anxiety and depression. Just be sure to limit your serving size, as cashews are high in calories and fat. A handful is enough.
4. Blueberries – When life gets tough, it’s not like we run to the refrigerator and feast on berries, hoping to chill out, but maybe we should? Blueberries are exceptionally high in antioxidants and vitamin C, an anti-stress warrior. Vitamin C lowers blood pressure and attenuates the adrenal stress hormone, the anti-inflammatory polypeptide response to prolonged exercise and circulating cortisol.
5. Avocados – creamy and full of healthy fats. They also contain a power antioxidant called glutathione, which blocks intestinal absorption of certain fats that cause oxidative damage. Because avocados are largely fat, they also fill you up and keep you satiated, which is its own form of comfort.
“the lonely voice of youth cries what is truth!”
Earth has a reset button; but, not quite sure we’re part of the next reboot? | Adbusters article: ’Our Earth has endured five mass extinctions“
from curator: I’ll admit it – I like reading counter-culture magazine Adbusters. The creativity piping through that publication is second-to-none. Strong ecological understanding, deep-thinkers, and excellent visual storytellers.
But, the obvious disdain for capitalism underpinning nearly every-aspect of this unique publication can seem challenging – IMO. I would argue, leveling the playing field with "those” currently doing business in-poor-order can be accomplished quickest with success. When constructed by the proper hands, a resilient business isn’t a bad thing at all. Integrity and values of business leaders is what formulates corporate culture – good & bad. So, instead of focusing on the idea that companies are inherently evil, the focus should instead be – whose hand has a firm grip on the tiller? And, how accountable they are!
I hope we can all find common ground in encouraging a new breed of businessman (person) to sphered us through this most recent iteration of these “corporate robber baron leaders” who show little concern with their global impact. As consumers increasingly express interest in spending on accountable leaders, and their products & companies in tow – those who continue to hide behind the cloak of a Brand instead of jumping on the opportunity to best present their personal mettle will soon be a major part of their own extinction…
To be successful, the impetus to save planet will have to be capitalism!
Proper economic incentives and uncompromising ethos alike, social entrepreneurs, many that I’ve personally come across (here at INNOVATEBoston), can successfully translate appeals from all sides to come to mutually-beneficial terms. As motivated diplomates driven by passion & resolve, social entrepreneurs get conscious people thinking business, and business people thinking consciously. In the long run, both sides need each other to survive.
Fundamentally, increasing consumer demand is the backbone that will drive solutions of change and fund needed harmony with our surroundings. For this to work, social entrepreneurship is a pillar in all resolutions to address natural resource management concerns and climate change.
Risky Business: Concerned with the lasting effect of unlocking the energy from a billion years of ecological residue so quickly, and afraid we’ll be the basis for the 6th mass extinction – just doing nothing will prove increasingly problematic. We must understand and utilize regenerative design to reduce and better manage our wastes! We must close energy production gaps and begin to tighten loops that can deal with our growing carbon issue. We must re-focus, to begin natural resource management at a micro-level; the preservation of the biological life that keep soils fertile & water cleaned is no longer a foregone conclusion. AND, WE MUST FIND ECONOMIC INCENTIVE TO INTENSIFY SOLUTIONS OF CHANGE. According to the high-power cats at Risky Business, so pervasive is the need and opportunity for change & refinement in each & every industry – businesses and capital backing supporting natural ecological innovation will lead to a next rev of a tech boom! We must move quickly with a pragmatic plan of financial solutions led by innovative leaders.
In this new world of success – we must take a seat at the table: If we don’t step-up to demonstrate how business can be done better – who will? It begins simply by demonstrating proper culture and values within a company you believe in, or even passionate enough to begin. So, empower yourself, your impact can be much greater than you’d expect. AdBusters will continue to do great work in presenting the voice of tomorrow. As social entrepreneurs, we must interpret this language, and integrate it into today’s world to discover what is truth. Funny enough, based on the mantra of their publication – I hope AdBusters would be proud of this suggested disobedience.
Business can be a genius tool with nearly immediate results – let’s use it better to allocate resources to clean up our mess, and return to accountability through presenting ourselves as roll models that make good things happen – now!
Well done! Whole Foods new produce rating system
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Sourcing layers deeper, Whole Food continues to build trust into their buyer’s purchasing decisions through transparency & traceability.
As stated on their site –
Our ratings for produce and flowers are based on standards you won’t find anywhere else. In order to earn a Good rating, a farm must take major steps to protect human health and the environment. A Better rating indicates advanced performance, and a Best rating indicates exceptional, industry-leading performance.
I would expect this to be an iterative process, but what a huge step forward in empowering your consumers from the 800 lb. gorilla of higher quality food.
The local eco-apple – A Northeast Powerhouse!
– from Ripe foodblog (October 1):
A little (regional) apple history. The colonists who settled in Massachusetts in the 17th century were most likely the first ones to grow apple trees in New England. Records from the Massachusetts Bay Colony indicate apples being grown as early as 1625 and farmers from all over the region, including New Hampshire, soon started planting orchards. Orchards were often planted as soon as a new farm was cleared since the fruit was used to make cider, the most common drink of colonial times (well water was generally thought to be unsafe). A farmer might make 20 – 50 barrels of cider each autumn and the whole family drank hard cider all year round.
from curator: Organic apple production isn’t too practical in the Northeast, but other SAFE methods are… Integrated Pest Management (IPM) most noticeably. The local certification seal for IPM is “eco-apples” – additional details:
- eco-apples: http://www.ipminstitute.org/ecoapple.htm
- IPM: Integrated Pest Management video overivew