Monsanto likes to frame itself as a benevolent mastermind of food production: friend to the lowly farmer, and selfless guardian of the environment. Their web site proclaims through text and video that Monsanto Company is Comitted to Sustainable Agriculture. Monsanto’s TV commercials are filled with soft-focus feel-good images of children playing in green fields, as abundant crops sway gently in the summer breeze. Riiiiiiight. A smooth and well-funded PR department, a quasi-monopoly on GM technology, and aggressive legal tactics towards farmers who resist Monsanto’s stranglehold have bought ample success for the biotech Goliath. But recent lawsuits shine a harsh and unflattering light on Monsanto’s practices, as farmers and others around the country reach for a slingshot and take aim. Two court cases deserve close attention in the coming months, from ecovoresand other conscientious consumers.

Nitro Residents vs. Monsanto: Dioxin Contamination

In West Virginia, mediation in December 2011 failed to avert a class action suit against Monsanto by residents of a town called Nitro. Residents allege Monsanto illegally burned dioxin waste at its Nitro chemical plant, covering the town with toxic soot and unsafe levels of dioxin contamination. The case was initially filed in 2004, and the trial finally began earlier this month. Anywhere from 5,000 to 80,000 residents are suing Monsanto for access to medical monitoring, to assess potentially serious health effects caused by long term dioxin exposure following unsafe disposal. They hoped to hold Monsanto accountable for cleaning up the toxic chemicals contaminating their town, but that part of the case was recently thrown out. So according to the West Virginia Gazette,

Putnam County jurors will decide only if current and former Nitro residents should receive medical monitoring to detect diseases potentially caused by exposure to Monsanto’s dioxin. They won’t be able to do anything to clean up homes and businesses, ending the toxic exposure. Lawyers for thousands of residents and property owners in the class-action suit appealed [this decision]. They say the rulings left a huge gap in their efforts to deal with the legacy of Monsanto’s chemical-making operations. “The current presence of dioxin contamination in the class area is a public-health hazard,” the lawyers argued in court documents. “It makes little sense to initiate a medical monitoring program for a population without first eliminating that population’s exposure to the toxin at issue.” Thanks to Monsanto’s maneuvering, the jury will not be allowed to consider issues surrounding the need (or cost) of environmental cleanup, to limit further exposure.

Originally the company that gave us such destructive chemical products as Agent Orange, dioxin, and PCBs, Monsanto now controls 70 to 90 percent of global food production. Monsanto has a long history of unethical and deceptive corporate conduct — a tradition that’s alive and well in their handling of the Nitro dioxin case. They clearly expect to pollute with impunity, and endanger health without consequence. Monsanto’s actions here refute their rosy PR self-portrait, and deserve consumer notice. Next>> Organic Farmers vs. Monsanto: GMO Contamination

Speaking of FUGMO (the anti-GMO mascot), genetically-modified organisms seem to be grabbing the headlines more often than usual this year.

For one, GMOs don’t have to be labeled in the United States. That’s right, your nice fresh produce just might have been invented in a lab, rather than grown in someone’s lush, neighborhood garden. But who cares? See no evil, speak no evil, right?

The Atlantic is on the case! In an article ominously entitled “The Very Real Danger of Genetically Modified Foods,” author Ari LeVaux exposes what’s lurking in our veggies. Dun dun dunnnn. Here are some very major points to take away from the article, though many implications are yet to come.

1. Ack, are we transforming? It all started when Chinese researchers found small pieces of RNA (don’t make me get out my science textbook) from rice inside organs and blood of humans. The specific type of RNA is called microRNA (MiRNAs). That’s right. ”Our bodies are absorbing information, or microRNA.”

2. The case of disease causing MiRNAs. No, not your grandma Myrna, MiRNAs “have been implicated as players in several human diseases including cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes.” How do they work? They typically turn down or shut off genes.

3. Don’t forget the GMOs. The researchers were not particularly aiming at GMOs in this study, but the concerns are obvious, according to the author: “The work shows a pathway by which new food products, such as GM foods, could influence human health in previously unanticipated ways.” (The Chinese aren’t exactly opposed to GMOs like the EU or other countries.)

4. Likely story. Right on cue, Monsanto disagrees, stating on its website ”There is no need for, or value in testing the safety of GM foods in humans.” Monsanto’s main point is that as long as the method of getting to this new protein (RNA makes protein) is safe, what does it matter how we got there?  Their website also says, “So long as the introduced protein is determined to be safe, food from GM crops determined to be substantially equivalent is not expected to pose any health risks.” The end justifies the means. And they have long purported their end is to “feed the world.” It’s totally not just to make massive global profits and have a monopoly on the food system at whatever cost. Nope.

5. It’s tricky. Basically, Monsanto’s refusal to have new plants tested – that’s what GMOs are, new plants – is ignoring the complicated world of genetics. The article says:

All of the non-GM breeds and hybrid species that we eat have been shaped by the genetic variability offered by parents whose genes were similar enough that they could mate, graft, or test tube baby their way to an offspring that resembled them. A tomato with fish genes? Not so much. That, to me, is a new plant and it should be tested. We shouldn’t have to figure out if it’s poisonous or allergenic the old fashioned way, especially in light of how new-fangled the science is.

Let’s keep our eyes peeled on how this unfolds. And read the whole article for the in-depth scientific info.

Image credit: Creative Commons photo by Alexis Breaux

We’ve all seen it by now. The South’s favorite chef, and Queen of the donut burger, has copped to withholding information from her adoring fans (and critics): Paula Deen has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. And she’s known for almost three years.

This little tidbit has ensured every socially-conscious blog will have an opinion, ranging from the downright disdainful, to the sympathetic, if not chastising. It’s a fine line to toe, making an example of someone for the betterment of the nation’s health, while not making light of a serious condition like diabetes.

For vegetarians and vegans, however, this news really came as no surprise. We’ve all done our research on the links between diabetes, heart disease and extremely meat and dairy laden, highly caloric meals. But as Food Politics by Marion Nestle pointed out, much to everyone’s surprise, the American Diabetes Association didn’t jump on the “I told you so” bandwagon:

 “You can’t just eat your way to Type 2 diabetes,” said Geralyn Spollett, ADA’s director of education.

Also reported in the New York Times, there are plenty of other chefs on the Food Network who far outweighed Deen in terms of bad-for-you grub. While Deen has many “calorie bombs,” as the author described it, chef Thomas Keller’s “tasting of potatoes with black truffles,” is made with cream and butter and totals 494 calories, while a similar meal by Deen, oven-fried potato wedges made with mayonnaise, are 328 calories per serving. Not exactly a Big Mac calorie count.

However, there is no denying this glorification of non-stop eating with no signs of stopping, and no discussion of the outcome, isn’t good for America’s health. And Marion Nestle assures us you can, in fact, eat your way to Type 2 diabetes. Don’t believe the hype.

Nestle calls out Deen, not for having a disease, but for how she is choosing to treat it. Nope, no mention of weight to be found, Deen is instead a spokesperson for the drug Victoza, used to treat diabetes. Dubious, says Mother Jones. It’s certainly a conflict of interest, and not exactly the good-neighborly route to take.

And at $500 per month, that drug is a whole lot more expensive than a gym membership. Deen’s middle class, Southern constituents might have a hard time jumping on that bandwagon. Perhaps Deen will accompany this news with a little change to her menu. After all, as mentioned above, not EVERYTHING she cooks is abhorrently bad for us. But it would be nice for associations like the ADA and media companies like the Food Network to meet us halfway. (Or as Vegansaurus mentioned, maybe try a little vegan therapy). Thanks, ya’ll.

Image credit: Creative Commons photo by Tavallai.

Sources: Capitol City News and HSUS

More on ‘ag gag’ bills

 

A satisfying dish of creamy, buttery, beans with bright Mediterranean flavors is bound to add a ray of sunshine to your winter meal. This dish combines Greek beans with Italian salsa verde, which is made with fresh parsley (lucky you if you have it growing in your garden). First, a note about the beans. Gigante beans are of Greek origin (via the New World). They are very large meaty white beans that are popular in Greece. How do you know you have a gigante? One gigante bean when cooked will fill a teaspoon!  However, other white beans would be good substitutes: Italian butter bean, cannellini runner,  flageolet or even garbanzos (chick peas) will work well too. You want a bean that will hold its shape and doesn’t fall apart after cooking.

Cooking Beans 101

For a short tutorial on cooking beans, go here. Home cooked dry beans versus canned beans are worlds apart, and you’ll be a convert once you get into the habit of cooking your own. I’m spoiled in that one of my favorite farmer’s market vendors, Iacopi farms, sells last season’s dry beans, therefore they are very fresh. I’ve even planted and grown them!

Salsa verde is a versatile sauce made with fresh parsley

Gigante Beans with Salsa Verde

You will need:
2 cups cooked beans (1 cup dry beans)
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 pieces sweet red pepper, roasted and diced, about 2 inches by 4 inches each (sold in jars, packed in water or oil)
Olive oil for the pan

Plus:
Salsa verde (see recipe below) about 2 tablespoons, or more according to taste

Optional:
Broccoli florets
Parmesan cheese, shaved

Gently sauté a clove or two of garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide pan (frying pan is fine), being careful it doesn’t burn, about 2 minutes. When the garlic has softened a bit add the cooked beans and stir to coat them with the olive oil. Add the chopped red peppers and stir. Cook for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Transfer to a warmed bowl and stir in two tablespoons or more of the salsa verde. Toss well to coat.

Serve with broccoli florets and shaved parmesan cheese if desired.

For Salsa Verde:

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, more if a thicker sauce is desired
1/4 cup olive oil, more if a thinner sauce is desired
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 kalamata or other olives, pitted (you may use a teaspoon of rinsed capers instead)
2 slices preserved lemon, or grated rind from one lemon
Salt, to taste

Buzz the ingredients in a small blender, or dice all of the ingredients finely and mix with the olive oil. Let sit for a few minutes before serving to allow the favors to marry. This will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week. Use on pasta, pita wedges, or toss with vegetables.

Enjoy!

Photos: Urban Artichoke

When I was about Sally's size, my mother used to call me her puddle duck. I had no idea that this was a real term until the other day, when I started researching duck hunting.

(Photo courtesy Chris Benesh)
It's duck hunting season, and that up there is a black duck, a type of puddle duck. Puddle ducks are also called dabbling ducks, and they spend most of their time feeding in shallow water. They're also local hunters' favorite, because they're the best ducks for eating. 
The other kind of ducks you can hunt around here are sea ducks. Hunters don't like these as much. Why? They're divers, which means they eat lots of fish, and so their meat tastes fishy. My friend Dave Townsend, who's been hunting and eating ducks around here for years, says he's ruined a lot of perfectly good spices and herbs and sauces trying to mask the taste, and the sea birds just aren't worth cooking.
Not everyone agrees. Some people say they don't mind the taste of sea ducks. I suspect this has something to do with the fact that they shot the duck and therefore feel compelled to come up with a tasty way to eat it, but hey, I understand. Unsurprisingly, most sea duck recipes come from hunting websites (there are some good-looking ones over here and one hilariously titled Keith's Practically Edible Sea Duck over here), or chatrooms where experienced cooks and hunters share their tips (this thread on Chowhound is especially good).
When it comes to the better-tasting ducks—puddle ducks like blacks or mallards—the recipes sound much more appealing. Dave says he would soak his black duck breasts in milk before pan-searing them, which seems to be a common technique. Hank Shaw of Hunter/Angler/Gardener/Cook has a great basic tutorial for how to cook wild duck breasts, which you can find over here. 
But the best-looking recipe I've found is for duck breasts with orange sauce. Duck and orange are a traditional pairing—think Duck a 'lOrange from the sixties—and this recipe from ducks.org for Duck Breasts with Grand Marnier Sauce seems in line with the recommendations I've read. Most people who've cooked wild duck say to add plenty of fat (note the 3/4 cup butter) and to not to over-cook the meat (this recipe says to sear it medium rare). 
I've never shot a duck, but Alex has his license, and every year, he says he's going to go hunting. Shotgun season is over for the year—you can find the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife regulations for migratory bird hunting over here—but falconry season goes until February 9th. Maybe, just maybe, one of these days he and Fisher will bring home a bird.

The 2012 USDA plant hardiness zone map has been released. The niftiest thing about this latest release is the interactive online aspect.

The USDA plant hardiness zone map shows the average lowest temperature in an area over time and is mainly used by gardeners and growers to determine which plants will be able to survive a winter. It’s also used to set crop insurance standards and model the spread of exotic weeds and insects.

Zones have shifted north a little due to warmer average annual temperatures. Two zones have also been added on the warmer end of the scale – 12 and 13, both of which occur only in Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

Making the 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

The USDA used a more sophisticated algorithm to produce the 2012 plant hardiness zone map than they used in the 1990 map. The algorithm interpolated zone boundaries between weather station readings by taking into account changes in elevation, proximity to large bodies of water, and positionon the terrain, such as valley bottoms and ridge tops.

In addition, information from the years 1976-2005 – a thirty-year time span – went into the calculations. The 1990 map used only the years 1974-1986. Data from more weather stations was also used.

Using the 2012 Map

The USDA has no plans to publish any posters of the new map, like they have in previous years. The map is freely available on their web site.

Users can print out as many copies as they want on their own printers.

To find your plant hardiness zone, enter your zip code in the box on the upper left. Immediately underneath the zip code, you’ll see your zone in blue letters.

The map itself is clickable. Click on your state to open up a static version of the map and print that off for your own use.

2012 USDA plant hardiness zone map, courtesy of USDA

I have finally put together a recipe archive for you. My sister has been urging me to do this for months, maybe even years, and at long last, it's here. You get there via the tab up top that says Recipe Archive, all the way to the right.


I discovered a few strange things along the way. Apparently, I have a serious thing for roasted beet salads. Also, I noticed I don't post many seafood recipes, even though we eat a lot of seafood! This is probably because Alex is so good at these that I often let him do the fish cooking. I'll try to work on that. Lastly, I make an absurd amount of dessert. But who am I kidding? That's been going on since I was at least twelve. 
At any rate, I hope you'll find this new archive useful. It's there for you, after all. Happy cooking!

Our friends over at Uji Films are working on a new documentary about our food system, and it sheds light on an issue that’s really close to my heart: antibiotic abuse on factory farms.

Resistance is still in pre-production, and it explores the emerging pandemic of antibiotic-resistant infection – what’s causing it, why it’s a problem, and what’s being done to combat it. We’ve talked about the problems with farm antibiotic abuse before. Farmers use antibiotics for more than just treating disease. They abuse them to grow larger animals and they also give what’s known as a “subtherapeutic” dose to animals at all times to prevent the diseases that come from the extremely confined living conditions on factory farms.

This film delves into the issues surrounding antibiotic abuse and how we can stop it. The producers were kind enough to point us to some video snippets from the film, and I wanted to share them with you guys! In this first clip, Rep. Marsha Blackburn talks about the danger of MRSA infections:

Microbiologist Dr. Lance B. Price explains the danger of antibiotic abuse:

The final clip is Dr. Brad Spellberg talking about one woman who lost her life because of antibiotic resistance:

To keep up with these issues and news about Resistance, you can follow their Facebook page! We’ll also keep you posted on what’s new with Resistance right here.

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Alex E. Proimos

Writers, Bloggers, Photographers, Cartoonists, please feel free to place the FUGMO seal of disapproval on any of your anti-GMO work. Readers, you are invited to add the seal to your avatar. (Warning: FUGMO may be offensive to some readers)

FUGMO says: “F U, GMOs!”

More on why you too should say F U to GMOs:

From Grist: The next generation of GMOs could be especially dangerous
From PlanetSave: Hungary Destroys All Monsanto GMO Maize Fields
From Organic Consumers Association: Millions Against Monsanto
From Cornucopia Institute: More on GMOs

Joe’s cartoon archive, twitter ramblings and StumbleUpon page…

Corn field photo via Shutterstock

Listen, laugh & learn with the Green Divas (and Green Dude Scott) anytime - Podcast here!

You are going to hear us talking a lot this year about “gettin’ local wherever you are.” It’s kind of our 2012 theme. We’ve always believed strongly in supporting our local communities, but we’ve also always had a very national and international audience. This year, we’re working more closely with our own awesome local organizations, municipalities and media to not only share and grow within our own region, but also to share with other communities that we reach some of what is working here in terms of local sustainability and greener living.

Does your local city or town hall have an Office of Sustainability? Ours does and Paul Miller, as its coordinator, is in the middle of EVERYTHING sustainable, local, green and community-based in Morristown, NJ. He’s done a lot to learn and draw on the experience of other cities and towns around the country and has been a trail blazer too. He’s been busy building an amazing model for any community to follow from getting the city to buy 50% of ALL its municipal energy from green, renewable sources; to rallying local businesses to promote more sustainable practices and join in buy-local campaigns.

Plus, he’s just fun.

If you don’t know already, we are passionate about food and love to support local, sustainable agriculture. We were thrilled to hear from our favorite local renaissance green dudes, Ben Walmer, who is an architect at Limn Architects, chef and Co-Founder of the Highlands Dinner Club, and designer of Flocktown Farm a new 50-acre, sustainable organic farm in Long Valley, New Jersey.

The Sleeping Naked is Green segment: No More New Plastic - of course, this led to a memories of GD Meg’s personal revelations about participating in Plastic-Free February last year and some enlightened ideas of why we need to be more aware of how we interact with this man-made material. Listen to this week’s 5-min segment on the perils of plastic.

We also announced the winner of last week’s Eco Friendly Printer KNOW YOUR GREEN Quiz - Laureen Marston, who won a $50 Gift Certificate to the Eco Friendly Printer! This week’s Eco Friendly Printer KNOW YOUR GREEN Quiz will be about VOCs – What are they exactly? Please go to our facebook page and find this week’s quiz and play to win!

As always, please visit our website for LOTS of relevant links & resources from the show - Green Divas website.

Hope you’ll listen to this broadcast!

Listen to the show here!

Source: Food Safety News and Compassion Over Killing

Take Action: Urge your representative to support the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendment of 2012.

According to a study published in the January 2012 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a diet rich in plant-based compounds reduces risk of death from heart disease and stroke.

The study focused on compounds called flavonoids, found in a wide variety of plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, tea, wine, and dark chocolate– apples, berries, citrus fruits, leafy greens, broccoli, avocados, and almonds are common examples of flavonoid-rich foods.

Flavonoids are considered to be beneficial due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, limiting cellular damage that can cause chronic disease. These plant-based compounds are known to play a role in reduced cancer risk, as well as in the reduced risk of heart disease for women with type 2 diabetes.

Nearly 100,000 mature adults participated in the study, with an average age of 70. Participants filled out questionnaires on diet, lifestyle, and medical history, and then researchers tracked their health status for seven years. Researchers accounted for relevant risk factors such as high cholesterol, obesity, hypertension, and family history of heart disease.

Research participants were divided into five groups based on flavonoid consumption. The group consuming the most flavonoid-rich foods ate about 20 servings of fruit and 24 servings of vegetables each week. The lowest flavonoid eating group consumed about 11 servings of fruit and 18 servings of vegetables per week, with one medium-sized fruit or 1/2 cup of vegetables counted as one serving.

Overall, those consuming the most flavonoids demonstrated an 18% reduced mortality rate from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, compared to those consuming the least. Mortality from heart attacks plummeted even further: risk of fatal heart attacks was reduced 25% (men) to 40% (women) among those eating the most flavonoid-rich food. Men with the highest intake of flavonoids were 37% less likely to experience a fatal stroke.

Lower risk of cardiovascular death was also observed in the groups between the highest and lowest flavonoid consumers, suggesting that even moderately increased consumption conveys measurable health benefits.

Researchers emphasize that flavonoids are found in foods known to have other health benefits, so it’s difficult to state with certainty that the flavonoids themselves produced the beneficial results. For example, another recent study also linked consumption of magnesium in leafy greens and other plant foods to reduced risk of ischemic stroke. Past research has shown negative cardiovascular effects from high levels of meat consumption, so perhaps some of the benefits from plant-rich diets come from ‘crowding out’ less healthy foods.

The precise mechanism of benefit may be unclear, but the results are consistent and unmistakable. When it comes to debility and death from cardiovascular disease, plant foods do a body good.

Pass it on!

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and that means sustainable foodies are talking a lot about the link between chocolate and child slavery.  The chocolate-slavery connection is an important one, and one we’ve talked quite a bit a out before, too.

What I haven’t seen folks making much noise about are the labor practices surrounding vanilla production. This is something that’s been on my mind since the holidays. I ordered a big bag of vanilla beans from Madagascar online to make my own bitters as holiday gifts. When I mentioned hunting for vanilla beans in bulk, a friend mentioned that she suspected that vanilla had some of the same issues as chocolate. Of course, I was in denial about it and didn’t get to researching until the holidays were well over. What I found was depressing at best.

Vanilla and Child Labor

While I didn’t find anything about a link between slavery and the vanilla industry, I found an eye-opening piece on Change.org about what goes on in the vanilla industry. The quote from the article that really drove things home for me was this one, from an eight-year-old worker named Noary:

We work for six to seven hours a day from dawn.  Many of my friends work in the fields around here. We don’t go to school. I work with my family. Close to the harvest time we all have to sleep alongside the plants to protect them. Ants cover our bodies.

Madagascar vanilla has its problems, and Uganda’s vanilla is on the U.S. Department of Labor’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (pdf alert).

What You Can Do

Luckily, not all vanilla is produced at the expense of young children. Sticking to fair trade vanilla is your best bet to make sure farmers are making a fair wage for their work and that child labor is out of the equation. You can find products made with fair trade vanilla, and there are even companies that make fair trade vanilla extract. I had a tough time finding fair trade vanilla beans, but you can find fair trade vanilla bean powder to use in their place.

Ethically-minded companies are starting to take notice of this issue, too. Ben & Jerry’s is planning to use fair trade vanilla (and other fair trade ingredients) in its products by the end of next year.

Have you guys seen other fair trade vanilla out there? This is an issue where your wallet casts a powerful vote.

Image Credit: Vanilla photo via Shutterstock

Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute’s Nourishing the Planet.

By using biogas collection tanks, farmers in Rwanda are already helping to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. (Photo credit: Bernard Pollack)

Many of us are thinking about the changes we want to make this year. For some, these changes will be financial; for others, physical or spiritual. But for all of us, there are important resolutions we can make to “green” our lives. Although this is often a subject focused on by industrialized nations, people in developing countries can also take important steps to reduce their growing environmental impact.

“We in the developing world must embark on a more vigorous ‘going green’ program,” says Sue Edwards, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD). “As incomes rise and urbanization increases, a growing middle class must work with city planners to ensure our communities are sustainable.”

ISD’s Tigray Project recently received the Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development 2011, shared with Kofi Annan, Chairman of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). Since 1996, Tigray has worked to help Ethiopian farmers rehabilitate ecosystems, raise land productivity, and increase incomes through such practices as composting, biodiversity enhancement, the conservation of water and soil, and the empowerment of local communities to manage their own development.

Broadening sustainability efforts is essential to solving many of the world’s challenges, including food production, security, and poverty. The United Nations has designated 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.

Hunger, poverty, and climate change are issues that we in the developing world can help address. Here are 9 simple steps to green your food and water consumption in 2012:

1. Recycle

Urbanization is on the rise throughout the developing world. According to the United Nations, the highest urban-area growth is 3.5 percent per year in Africa. But waste management is not keeping up with population growth. It is inefficient in urban areas and virtually nonexistent in rural areas, resulting in the pervasive unloading of waste in unmanaged dump sites and bodies of water and endangering public health.

 What you can do:

• Collect your household’s waste in two separate containers—-one for organic waste like scraps of food and one for other waste like plastic, glass, metal, and paper. You can compost the organic waste (see #11).
• Cities such as Johannesburg have recycling drop-off sites. If your city doesn’t, look for neighbors who are interested in salvaging and reselling items like cans. Brazil, for example, boasts a 96.5 percent aluminum can recycle rate due in large part to the 180,000 Brazilians who collect and resell cans for profit.

2. Reduce fossil fuel consumption

Over the last two decades, roughly 75 percent of human-made carbon dioxide emissions were produced by fossil fuel burning. Coal and other environmentally polluting fossil fuels can be replaced by renewable resources, including biofuels. Globally, some 25 million homes convert biogas into energy for lighting and cooking, including 20 million households in China and 3.9 million in India.

What you can do:

• Instead of burning coal or wood, use biogas converted from the methane produced by either livestock manure or weeds such as water hyacinth. In Rwanda, the government is working to make biogas stoves more affordable—-by the end of 2011 they had hoped to see them being used in 15,000 households, and in Ethiopia, the target is 14,000 biogas digester plants with rural households by the end of 2013.
• Use an environmentally friendly solar cooker to utilize solar energy instead of fossil fuels. The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is committing $50 million to advance the goal of securing 100 million such stoves in developing countries by 2020. 

3. Re-use water bottles

Worldwide, 900 million people do not have access to safe drinking water, and more than 4,000 children die each year from preventable diseases. As a result, many consumers use bottled water. We consume 200 billion bottles of water globally. It takes 1.5 million barrels of crude oil to produce these bottles and 2.7 tons of plastic, 86 percent of which ends up as garbage or litter.

What you can do:

• Stainless steel reusable water bottles are the best solution, but you can also reuse plastic bottles every time you encounter a clean water source. When it is time for a new bottle, recycle the old one.
• The Life and Water Development Group Cameroon has partnered with Thirst Relief International USA to bring clean water to those without access. One filtration unit uses layers of crushed rock, sand, and naturally forming bacteria to remove 99 percent of harmful bacteria from drinking water.

4. Conserve water

Each of us requires 3,000 liters of water a day to meet our dietary needs. Yet half of people worldwide live in countries where water tables are falling. Because 70 percent of water is used to irrigate agriculture, it is important that we better conserve water as we grow our food.

What you can do:

• Growing one ton of grain requires 1,500 tons of water, but many crops indigenous to the developing world require much less. In Asia and Africa, the pigeon pea is drought-resistant and can grow in low-nutrient soil with little water while still producing a yield that is 20 percent protein.
• Rainwater Concepts in India is working to popularize simple rainwater harvesting techniques, successfully recharging 90,000 wells.

5.  Support food recovery

Each year, roughly a third of all food produced for human consumption—-approximately 1.3 billion tons—-gets lost or wasted, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. In the developing world, this often happens because of premature harvests or a lack of proper storage facilities, sufficient infrastructure, or appropriate preservation methods. Every metric ton of food waste sent to landfills emits 4.5 times the amount of carbon dioxide, and decomposing food in landfills produces methane, a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

What you can do:

• Farmers in Pakistan have saved 70 percent of their harvest by switching from jute bags and containers constructed with mud to more durable metal containers.
• In West Africa, farmers use solar dryers to save the 100,000 tons of mangos that would otherwise go to waste annually. This technique can be used with other fruit to save them from perishing after harvest.

6. Buy local, indigenous crops

Rice, wheat, corn, and soy are the crops that modern agriculture focuses on most. Reliance on so few crops is dangerous. The 2010 drought in Russia decimated a third of the country’s wheat harvest, and the developing world felt the shock as food prices skyrocketed. Indigenous and traditional crops, however, are often hardier and more resistant to pests and disease. 

What you can do:

• Find out what crops are indigenous to your area and which farmers are growing them. Buy directly from those farmers or ask your local market to carry their products.
• Grow indigenous crops in your own garden (see #10) and share with your neighbors.

7.  Plant a garden

Fourteen million people in Africa migrate from rural to urban areas each year, and studies suggest that by 2020, an estimated 40 million Africans living in cities will depend on urban agriculture to meet their food requirements. Home gardens helped families in Kibera, Nairobi, survive when unrest after the 2008 elections shut down roads and prevented food from coming into the city. And the sale of garden surplus is an excellent way to supplement family income.

What you can do:

• If your access to land is limited, you can create a “vertical garden.” Fill tall sacks with soil, poke holes on different levels, and plant seeds in the holes. Use waste water from your home and compost (see #11) to keep your soil rich and healthy, improving the quality of your food. If you live in an urban area and don’t have access to land, reuse old tires or buckets to create portable planters.

8.  Compost organic waste

The World Bank estimates that 50 percent of an average developing country’s solid waste can be composted. By repurposing compostable waste such as food scraps, wood waste, and paper and cardboard products, we can reduce landfill space and add reclaimed nutrients to our agricultural efforts

What you can do:

• Work within your family to compost your own organic waste, or work with your community to establish a collective compost site.
• To make the most of your compost, use it to nourish local gardening efforts.

9.  Eat meat that is raised right…and eat less of it

Livestock are raised on a third of the Earth’s land, accounting for approximately 18 percent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. In the developing world alone, 1 to 2 trillion cubic meters of water per year is needed to raise crops for these animals. Global meat production has increased 20 percent since 2000, and nearly 90 percent of additional growth is expected to occur in the developing world, predominantly on large, industrial farms.

What you can do:

• Think about where your meat comes from. Giant, industrial farms pollute the environment through heavy use of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and other harmful inputs. Pastoral farms can help reduce pollution and supports the livelihoods of local farming families.
• If you’re a farmer, consider building a biodigester so that you can convert the organic waste from your animals into a nutrient-rich fertilizer and biogas, a renewable energy source that you can use for heating and electricity.

The most successful and lasting new year changes are those that are practiced regularly and have an important goal. As we embark on this new year, let’s all resolve to make 2012 a healthier, happier, and greener year for all.

A few weeks ago, my friend Tracy gave me three dozen eggs and a tart pan. Today I repaid her the best way I know how: with a Breton Buckwheat Cake baked with six of her eggs in my brand new pan.


The cake is a stunner. I made my first one a few days ago in an effort to work my way through some of the buckwheat flour in our freezer from last year's grain CSA, and it certainly did the trick. We worked through our cake FAST. The fact that it was only vaguely sweet and very eggy and moist and made with whole grain flour meant that we justified a little sliver after breakfast and two more in the wake of dinner and lunch. 
The recipe comes from David Lebovitz, via 101cookbooks. I believe it is French. If it's not, it's everything French cakes tend to be—not overly sugary, simple to make, and deeply satisfying without being too rich. There's also no frosting—it feels very much like an every day peasant cake.
The excitement is in the sea salt that you sprinkle into the batter and then on the top just before you bake. It brings out all the nuances of the flavors that go into the cake—the undertones of dark rum, a hint of vanilla, the toothsome, earthy taste of buckwheat. I used light brown sugar in place of granulated, which I think gave it even more depth. 

After we devoured ours I made it again and delivered it to Tracy, still warm in a greasy paper sack. Thank you Tracy, again.
BRETON BUCKWHEAT CAKE WITH FLEUR DE SEL


adapted from David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris


We got buckwheat last year with our grain CSA, and I milled it all into flour. For reasons I don't fully understand it is much lighter than most buckwheat flours—in color at least—but otherwise, it seems the same. Either way, it's delicious in this cake, which is moist, eggy, and only a little bit sweet. Think of it as a snacking cake.
for the cake:
1 scant cup buckwheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/3 teaspoon fleur de sel
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
4 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons dark rum 


for the glaze:
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon milk


Grease a 9- or 10-inch tart pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
In a small bowl, whisk together the buckwheat flour, the all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the cinnamon.
Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smooth. Beat in the egg yolks one by one and then add the whole egg. Add the vanilla and rum in a slow dribble, beating the whole time. Beat on high speed until the mixture is very airy.
Finally, mix in the dry ingredients until the batter just comes together. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top as flat as possible (it is a thick dough so this takes a few swipes).
Make the glaze by whisking together the egg yolk and milk in a small cup. Brush it generously across the top, then take a fork and rake it across the batter to create three parallel lines in one direction and three in another to make a criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 teaspoon of salt over the cake. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the inside of the cake is still moist. 


Note: be careful not to overcook, as the cake seems like the type to dry out.

Source: Politics of the Plate

There are times when you get stuck trying to make yourself a meal without access to a kitchen. When you’re traveling and staying in a hotel or camping, or living in college residence, you either have to eat restaurant or cafeteria food or fend for yourself.

If you can’t find a vegan restaurant, want to save some money, or are just sick of eating out and want something really healthy, here are some easy vegan meals you can make for yourself.

A few eating essentials are really helpful for vegan travel or kitchen-less living. A paring knife, along with a small cutting board, and a fork and spoon come in very handy. If you don’t have cutlery with you, you can find plastic ones at the deli counters of grocery stores, or in fast food restaurants.

Reusable plastic containers make great dishes to eat out of, and also store leftovers. A can opener is an awesome piece of equipment that you will be so happy to have at certain moments.

Salt and seasonings (herbs and spices) are things you might not think to pack when you travel, but if you want to make your own food they can make a big difference in the flavor.

1: Hummus: (or other bean dip) with carrots, peppers, cucumber, lettuce and crackers or bread. Most grocery stores sell prepared hummus in the deli section, and sometimes you can find other bean dips. This meal can go one of two ways. You can enjoy your hummus as a dip, or as a spread and make it into a sandwich with whole grain crackers or bread.

Carrots and peppers make good dipping sticks, while cucumber, tomato and lettuce make an excellent sandwich. A sprinkle of salt and pepper will elevate this sandwich to new levels.

2: Stuffed Vegetables: One way to make vegetables more interesting is to stuff them with other vegetables. For instance, sliced tomato stuffed in green peppers is actually pretty delicious. A bit messy, but delicious.

Try adding some almonds or pumpkin seeds to make it more of a meal. Avocado and cucumber stuffed in a red pepper is amazing.

3: Lettuce or Cabbage Wraps: Make up a plate of sliced vegetables – cucumber, tomato, green onion, pickles. Assemble a sprinkling of vegetables in the leaf and roll it up.

A spread – hummus, olive tapenade, etc – is a great addition to these wraps. You can also make these with whole grain wraps, and put the lettuce inside.

4: Salad With Beans: All you need is some greens, a few vegetables and a can of cooked beans to make a great vegan meal. Drain and rinse the beans, then toss them together with the rinsed greens and chopped vegetables.

You can often buy small packets of salad dressing from the salad section of a grocery store, and sometimes they’re even free. If you can’t find any, or don’t want any of them, just buy a lemon or a lime and squeeze it over your salad for an easy dressing.

5: Gazpacho: A can of diced tomatoes is the perfect base for a chunky version of gazpacho. Add chopped cucumber, peppers, parsley, and some onion or green onion. Sprinkle in salt and pepper, and other seasonings if you have any.

Gazpacho is traditionally made with some olive oil and vinegar, but if you aren’t lugging them around with you, you can just leave them out. Let the soup sit, to let the flavors combine. You can add a can of beans to this meal to make it more substantial.

These 5 simple meals can be made in a whole bunch of different ways with different vegetables and seasonings, and inspire other ideas of meals you can make without a kitchen.

Image Credit: Heather Nauta of HealthyVeganRecipes.net

A new study finds more methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in retail pork products than previously measured.

The study published in PLoS One found that staph was isolated from nearly 65% of the pork products purchased at grocery stores in Iowa, Minnesota, and New Jersey.

The MRSA form was found on nearly 7% of the pork products. Previous studies had found MRSA on only 1% of pork samples.

The recent study was done using the entire pork product as a sample, while earlier studies had used swabs and likely missed small colonies of the bacteria.

Conventional vs Alternative Pork Products

The study further categorized the pork products into conventional and alternative, where alternative pork products were those labeled “raised without antibiotics” or “raised without antibiotic growth promotants”. According to study author Tara C. Smith, very few USDA-certified organic products were available in the markets as fresh meat, rather than frozen.

No statistically significant difference was found between the percentage of conventional pork products carrying staph of any kind and that of alternative pork products.

What Does This All Mean?

Another recent study found that antibiotic-resistant bacteria linger on farms for several years after the use of antibiotics is halted.  This study was small – ten pigs on one farm – but the continued existence of the bacteria on the farm needs further investigation on a larger scale.

It’s also possible that the contamination of the pork products occurred mostly at the meat processing plants. Yet another study found no cattle from a feedlot harboring MRSA , but beef at the stores did have the bacteria.

For the home cook, using safe food handling practices remains a necessity. However, industry practices need to improve to prevent the spread of food borne pathogens.

Source:  O’Brien AM, Hanson BM, Farina SA, Wu JY, Simmering JE, et al. (2012) MRSA in Conventional and Alternative Retail Pork Products. PLoS ONE 7(1): e30092. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030092

Photo by The Pug Father/Creative Commons

Add Sunshine to Your Meals with These Mediterranean Flavors

In this series I’ll give you my simple, basic recipes for a few versatile preparations that you can use to add flavor to a myriad of dishes.

Winter is great for making warming soups and stews, but to brighten your meals don’t forget these standard Mediterranean ingredients that are available during the chilly months of winter. I was raised on meals that combined the flavors of the old world and the new, and when winter sets in I can still indulge in the sunny flavors that I crave: fresh parsley, roasted sweet red peppers, olives, lemons and legumes, such as gigante or garbanzo beans (chick peas). Combined with kitchen standards like olive oil and garlic, you can make Mediterranean inspired dishes that will add zest to your menu.

The Key Ingredients

The following ingredients pair well together. Try them in different combinations to create your favorites:

Fresh Parsley

Flat leaf or curly, parsley is a cool season crop that I always make sure to have in my garden over the winter. Okay, so not everyone can have a winter garden, but you should be able to find it in your grocery store produce section, from your CSA or farmer’s market. Parsley can be used to make a pesto or an Italian salsa verde, besides being chopped to garnish soups, pasta, or vegetables. The spicy, fresh green flavor really adds a spark to almost any dish.

Sweet Red Peppers

Find jars of roasted, peeled, sweet peppers in water or oil at your market. They can be puréed with parsley, garlic and olive oil to make a lovely sauce, or simply chopped and tossed with pasta, vegetables or beans.

Olives

Available cured all year round. One of my favorites is the Greek kalamata for its sharp, deep flavor. Chop up to add to dishes or purée with capers and olive oil to make a tapenade, typical of the Provence region of France.

Lemons

Winter is citrus season and lemons are abundant; use the juice, and grated rind in an array of savory dishes, including risotto, stews, and vegetables, besides making salad dressing. If lemons are expensive where you live, here’s a fantastic way to preserve a few for cooking. There are lots of recipes on the internet for making preserved lemons, but I have to heap well-deserved praise on Chef Mourad Lahlou for his gorgeous book, New Moroccan, for details on a couple of ways to preserve lemons and loads of delicious recipes. (His restaurant, Aziza in San Francisco showcases organic and sustainably grown produce and meats.)

Fresh lemons are salted to make preserved lemons

Making Preserved Lemons- the Simple Method

The traditional way to make preserved lemons is to cut them in wedges, salt them and pack them into a sterile jar covered in lemon juice. You keep this at room temperature for at least 3 weeks. This softens the lemons and ferments them. To make an alternative quick and easy version, go here.  This is not the same as the fermented recipe, but I found it’s great for many uses.

Watch for the next post in this series: Gigante beans with salsa verde and sweet red peppers.

 Photos: Urban Artichoke