Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Protect Us from Polluting Factory Farms

When factory farms pollute rivers or drinking water supplies with their waste, they should have to pay the cost to clean up the mess. That's what the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compenstation and Liability Act requires.

But now Tyson Foods, other livestock companies and some members of Congress are seeking to make a radical change: They want to take the livestock industry off the hook for paying any cleanup costs and, instead, make cities, states and drinking water suppliers pay the bill. Shifting the burden of cleanup from the polluter to the victim is completely unfair. It would remove a key incentive for factory farms to manage their waste properly and keep it out of our drinking water.
Watch Video - Cockle Doodle Doo Doo

Read more (Sierra Club)

The Deadliest Item at Your Grocery Store?

Somewhere in the northern Pacific floats a non- biodegradable petrochemical blob that's twice the size of Texas. Much of this deadly mess originated when someone innocently took home their shopping in a plastic bag.

In the U.S. alone, we throw away 100 billion plastic bags each year -- the equivalent of 12 million barrels of oil. Yikes!

Paper or Plastic?

The energy and other environmental impacts embodied in a plastic grocery bag is somewhat less than in a paper grocery bag. But paper is easier to recycle, being accepted in most recycling programs. The recycling rate for plastic bags is very low.

So, which is better for the environment? Neither! The fact is that the difference between paper and plastic RECYCLING is small compared with the REUSING bags.

Join our free Connection Club and receive two Organic Cotton Shopping Bags. Keep them with you for shopping. Be keen in their reuse and help keep our environment clean.

The Connection Club

For our regular customers we're now inviting you to join our Connection Club at no charge.

Membership will entitle you to two free organic cotton shopping bags. Plus your purchases will earn you free credits for use in the Organic Connection Deli.

Additionally, every time you shop at Organic Connection without requiring new bags, we'll donate ten cents towards equipment for the organic farming program at Green Chimneys Children's Services.

Fruity Notes

Grapes

Many home delivery customers who have ordered from us in pasy years are sure to remember the superb biodynamic grapes that we get at this time of the year.

Marian Farms in California produce these excellent little Thompson Seedless grapes that are bursting with sweet flavor. The season is has limited duration so don't be disappointed when they run out.

One of the significant differences between US organic standards and those in Europe (& Australia) relates to the use of Giberellic Acid (a.k.a. Giberellin), a plant hormone that is injected into grapevines to improve yield. The US standards allow it - hence the prevalence of large elongated grape berries.

Marian Farms, with their adherence to BioDynamic farming principles, do not use Giberellin. So, their grapes have smalled berry sizes but much stronger in flavor intensity and sweetness.

Watermelon

Are seedless watermelon manipulations of nature by people of evil disposition? No, not all. Like all commercial plants, various characteristics are specifically promoted through seed selection. Seedless watermelon are produced commercially for consumers who cringe at the thought of encountering a watermelon seed (is it true that if you swallow a seed that a watermelon will grow in our stomach?).

But, in seeking a seedless watermelon something was forgotten along the way - umm, flavor would be nice. So, we're saying goodbye to seedless watermelon. We have a bin load of deliciously sweet, ripe and juicy watermelons with seeds (let's have a seed spitting contest). And perfect for the next week of warm, sunny weather. And, we almost giving them away for 50 cents a pound. No extra charge for the seeds.

Is Sustainable Forestry Sustainable?

By George Wuerthner, Sept 22.

We hear praise for sustainable forestry from the timber industry, politicians, and even among many environmental groups. While sustainability is an admirable goal, most of what I have seen touted as sustainable practices are far from ecologically sustainable, especially when compared to wild landscapes. In nearly all instances that I have observed, the so called "sustainable" logging, grazing, farming-- fill in the blank-- is only sustainable by externalizing most of the real costs (ecological impacts) of production. That doesn't prevent people from trying to claim that they have achieved the Holy Grail and found a way to exploit nature and protect it too. Everyone wants to think they can take from nature and somehow not have to pay the full cost. It's the free lunch syndrome.

Sustainable forestry as practiced today is usually more of an economic definition than an ecological one. By sustainable, timber companies and their supporters in the "sustainable forestry" movement engage in practices that ensure a continual long term timber supply, not a sustainable forest.

read more (New West Environment)

Antibiotic Runoff

New York Times Editorial, Sept. 18.

One of the persistent problems of industrial agriculture is the inappropriate use of antibiotics. It's one thing to give antibiotics to individual animals, case by case, the way we treat humans. But it's a common practice in the confinement hog industry to give antibiotics to the whole herd, to enhance growth and to fight off the risk of disease, which is increased by keeping so many animals in such close quarters. This is an ideal way to create organisms resistant to the drugs. That poses a risk to us all.

A recent study by the University of Illinois makes the risk even more apparent. Studying the groundwater around two confinement hog farms, scientists have identified the presence of several transferable genes that confer antibiotic resistance, specifically to tetracycline. There is the very real chance that in such a rich bacterial soup these genes might move from organism to organism, carrying the ability to resist tetracycline with them. And because the resistant genes were found in groundwater, they are already at large in the environment.

read more

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Help Enforce the Integrity of Organic Milk Labels!

One of the Center for Food Safety's main goals is to protect the integrity of organic food so that consumers have a dependable, safe, and environmentally sustainable alternative to food produced through industrial agriculture.

Unfortunately, the ongoing actions of one dairy company have violated the trust consumers place in the organic label. On August 29th the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that from 2003 through 2006 Aurora Organic Dairy willfully violated the federal requirements for organic milk production by illegally failing to provide pasture, and by selling milk from cows that were not fully under organic management. The end result is that you - the organic consumer - may have paid a premium to purchase "organic" milk that was not truly organic!

Companies like Aurora hurt the integrity of the organic label, and threaten the future of organic agriculture. While the USDA has partially addressed Aurora's flagrant disregard for the organic standards, Aurora been allowed to continue to operate and many consumers are left feeling duped. CFS expects that there will be legal action taken against Aurora on behalf of consumers, and we want to make sure that YOUR rights are protected.

Aurora sells some of its milk under its own label: High Meadows. It also packages the majority of all private label organic milk and butter in the country for supermarkets such as Safeway, Costco, WalMart, Target and Wild Oats.

Find out what your kids are really eating for lunch

Sneak preview of the nationally acclaimed movie, Two Angry Moms, featuring the Katonah-Lewisboro School District.

Two Angry Moms is the movie about school food that everyone is talking about. Filmmaker Amy Kalafa follows Dr. Susan Rubin of Chappaqua in their quest for better school food and to improve our children's health. Come see the movie and learn about the movement!

Katonah Public Library

26 Bedford Road, Katonah

Thursday, September 20, 10:00am & 7:00pm

Suggested donation: $10 suggested(tax-deductible)

Event Details

The Connection Club

For our regular customers we're now inviting you to join our Connection Club at no charge.

Membership will entitle you to two free organic cotton shopping bags. Plus your purchases will earn you free credits for use in the Organic Connection Deli.

Additionally, every time you shop at Organic Connection without requiring new bags, we'll donate ten cents towards equipment for the organic farming program at Green Chimneys Children's Services.

The Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Food

How can we continue America's legacy of independent farmers and fresh, healthy food in the 21st century?

Food2 is an annual series of presentations and workshops created in 2006 that sought to answer this question. The 2007 - 2008 series is underway, commencing with The Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Food.

September 24, 6:30 - 8:00 pm,

Helen Mills Theater, 137 - 139 West 26th Street, New York

In this presentation and panel discussion, Glynwood looks at the global issue of climate change in terms of its impact on the regional food economy of the Hudson Valley. Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig of NASA/Goddard will summarize current scientific projections on the likely impact of climate change on agricultural production, particularly in the Northeast. She will be joined by Jackson W. Robinson, President & Chief Investment Officer, the Winslow Management Company, a leader in the field of green investing, who will discuss how these projections are already influencing investment decisions, and Jim Hayes, a leader of the NY farm community, who will describe climate changes that farmers are already experiencing and steps they are taking to try to mitigate them.

Glynwood.Org

Late Night Shopping - every Thursday

In an effort to better accommodate the needs of our customers, Organic Connection will be open for late night shopping every Thursday until 9pm. (First late night this Thursday).

Our deli and hot food bars will also be open late to provide you with the option of a casual, eat-in our take-out organic dinner.

How the Food Industry Deceives Us

Now deceased TV newscaster Peter Jennings explores how the food industry spends billions of dollars to sabotage your health. Jennings also takes a critical look at our government's agricultural subsidy programs, and the consequences of misguided government policies on our diet and health. For example, sugar and fat receive 20 times more government farming subsidies than fruits and vegetables. The food industry spends $34 billion per year marketing their products, $12 billion of which is spent marketing unhealthy foods to children. Learn how misleading advertising, food additives, and a corrupt subsidy system have undermined public health.

Watch Video #1

Farmworker Kids and Pesticides

Latino farmworker children ages 1 to 6 in North Carolina were found to have, on average, four pesticide metabolites in their urine, according to a just-published study in Environmental Health Perspectives.

Almost 90 percent of the 60 children had three or more pesticide metabolites in their urine, one-third had five or more, and only one child had none.

Metabolites of the highly toxic organophosphate (OP) parathion were found in 90 percent of the children, and chlorpyrifos was found in 83.3 percent. About 2.5 OPs were found, on average, in each child's urine, indicative of active exposures to each of these pesticides within the last few days, and evidence of the need for cumulative risk assessments of the OPs taking into account all active ingredients in the class and all routes of exposure.

The ubiquitous exposure of farmworker children in North Carolina to highly toxic OPs documented in this study occurred in the summer of 2004, two or more years after the regulatory actions taken by the Environmental Protection Agency against parathion and chlorpyrifos under the Food Quality Protection Act. Clearly, use of these OPs remains widespread and continues to expose children to heightened risk of developmental abnormalities, especially those impacting the brain and central nervous system.

read more....(Environmental Health Perspectives)

The Little Things At Dinner

If you attend a Dinner Night at Organic Connection, obviously you'll be eating organic (exception: seafood), but there are other 'little things' we do or use that make these dinners different.

Some examples:

  • Compostable Dinnerware made from Palm Leaves
  • Candles on the tables made from Soy Oil or Beeswax (no petroleum parrafin)
  • Organic Flowers

Little Things Can Make A Difference.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Senator Pushes Organic Farming

Montana Senator Jon Tester is trying to use his Montana farming expertise to get more Americans to switch to organic farming. On Wednesday the Big Sandy farmer outlined his newest legislation which provides assistance to producers who want to start farming *without* any fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides.

Sen. Tester says making the transition to organic farming ultimately saves producers time and money.

"Organic agriculture is the fastest growing sector of agriculture today, and if we want to increase prices at the farm gate, this is one of the ways to do it. And it will help Montana producers meet the needs of the organic sector for those who chose to use it."

read more (Montana's News Station)

Study Points to Virus in Collapse of Honeybee Colonies

By Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post, September 7.

Scientists yesterday identified a virus as one of the likely causes of the recent wave of honeybee colony collapses across the country.

The study, co-authored by researchers at Pennsylvania State University, Columbia University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and several other institutions, suggests that the Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) helps trigger the mysterious condition known as colony collapse disorder, which destroyed about 23 percent of U.S. beehives last winter. The paper is being published today in the journal Science.

Beekeepers, scientists and public officials have been searching for the cause of the disorder, which surfaced in 2004 and was formally recognized last year. Unlike other diseases that strike hives, the collapse disorder leaves a colony without most of its worker bees despite the presence of plentiful food, a queen and other adult bees. It has devastated an industry that produces honey and pollinates lucrative crops such as almonds, oranges and apples.

read more (Washington Post)

Norwegian prisoners do organic porridge in world's first 'green jail'

By Claire Soares, The Independent, September 4.

From Alcatraz to Robben Island, offshore prisons are nothing new but Norway's version has a special claim to fame. It bills itself as the world's first ecological jail.

Bastoey Prison, located on the island of the same name about 50 miles south of Oslo, has solar panels, heats its buildings with wood-waste rather than oil, operates a strict recycling policy and is almost self-sufficient in terms of food.

If inmates at this prison do porridge, it is organic porridge. For it is not only recreational drugs that are banned, pesticides are too. All the potatoes, beans, grains and berries grown in the prison garden are 100 per cent organic. The prison receives grants from environmental groups, and any food that doesn't get used in its own kitchen is sold to other jails.

"You can either make prison pure punishment or you can try to make inmates into good neighbours, to do something positive. Our main objective is to prove we are a prison that reduces recidivism and the ecological approach is part of that strategy," said Mr Per Eirik Lund, the prison's deputy governor.

read more (The Independent)

What happens when it's always sunny?

















Click to enlarge.

The Connection Club

For our regular customers we're now inviting you to join our Connection Club at no charge.

Membership will entitle you to two free organic cotton shopping bags. Plus your purchases will earn you free credits for use in the Organic Connection Deli.

Additionally, every time you shop at Organic Connection without requiring new bags, we'll donate ten cents towards equipment for the organic farming program at Green Chimneys Children's Services.

Worthwhile Magazines

There are a growing number of periodicals that we offer for sale at Organic Connection. Magazines that provide excellent articles and information about health, environment & social issues. Some examples follow.

E - The Environmental Magazine. Now in its 18th year, E/The Environmental Magazine is a bimonthly "clearinghouse" of information, news and resources for people concerned about the environment who want to know "What can I do?" to make a difference. A 13-time Independent Press Awards winner and nominee, E is chock full of everything environmental -- from recycling to rainforests, and from the global village to our own backyards.

Townsend Letter, the Examiner of Alternative Medicine, publishes a print magazine about alternative medicine. It is written by researchers, health practitioners and patients. As a forum for the entire alternative medicine community, we present scientific information (pro and con) on a wide variety of alternative medicine topics.

Founded in 1984 by Eric Utne, UTNE READER reprints the best articles from over 2,000 alternative media sources bringing you the latest ideas and trends emerging in our culture... Provocative writing from diverse perspectives... Insightful analysis of art and media... Down-to-earth news and resources you can use... In-depth coverage of compelling people and issues that affect your life... The best of the alternative media.

Late Night Shopping - every Thursday

In an effort to better accommodate the needs of our customers, Organic Connection will be open for late night shopping every Thursday until 9pm. (First late night this Thursday).

Our deli and hot food bars will also be open late to provide you with the option of a casual, eat-in our take-out organic dinner.

Home Delivery Fee

Please note that due to ever increasing costs of fuel and other delivery expenses, that all home deliveries will be charged a $10 delivery fee.

Feedback & Suggestions

We'd love OC to develop by fulfilling the needs of our customers, we, therefore, appreciate your comments and suggestions. Please let us know about your suggestions for improvement.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

The Farm Bill Food Battle

The Current Farm Bill: Farm Bill subsidies mainly benefit a small number of the nation`s largest farms, with nearly two-thirds of all farmers receiving no subsidies at all.

Fact: A history of discrimination in farm program delivery has meant many African-American, Hispanic and Native American farmers have been prevented from benefiting from these programs, like credit and crop insurance, in part leading to the loss of 97 percent of African-American-owned farms in the past century.

The Fair Farm Bill: Would support all of Americas farmers and help build local food systems to ensure farmers get a larger portion of each dollar we spend on food.

Read More & Watch Video (FoodBattle.Org)

Green Basics: Organic Cotton

Organic cotton is the version of its conventional counterpart grown without pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, chemical fertilizers or any other chemicals, and that makes it hugely different, especially considering that cotton (organic or otherwise) provides about half of all the world's fiber needs. Conventional cotton is one of the most chemically-dependent crops, sucking up 10% of all agricultural chemicals and 25% of insecticides on 3% of our arable land; that's more than any other crop per unit. That adds up to 1/3 of a pound of chemicals to produce enough cotton for a t-shirt, and 3/4 of a pound for a pair of jeans. And that's just not bad for the planet; 20,000 deaths occur each year from pesticide poisoning in developing countries, many of these from cotton farming, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Organic cotton, on the other hand, uses agricultural methods designed to help sustain the land it grows on, the people who grow and harvest it, and the planet in general. Organic farming really starts with the soil. Compost, frequent crop rotations and cover crop strategies replace synthetic fertilizers to keep the soil healthy and productive. Weeds are controlled by innovative farm machinery, hand labor or flame devices rather than herbicide applications. Rather than attempting to eradicate all insects with chemicals, organic farmers cultivate a diversity of natural enemies which prey on insect pests, and lure pests away from cotton by planting trap crops. Insect pests can be effectively kept in balance with well-timed introduction of beneficial insects to fields. In warmer growing regions, where the cotton plants must be killed or defoliated to pick a quality crop before the onset of winter rains, organic growers shut off water early, and apply certified materials to promote cotton boll opening and leaf dropping, readying the fibers for harvest. In the US, both conventional and organic cotton are mostly machine-picked; in some developing countries, cotton is still harvested by hand.

[Note: Organic Connection offers a nice selection of organic cotton clothing].

FrankenSteer - The Passionate Eye

Frankensteer is a disturbing documentary that reveals how the ordinary cow has been turned into an antibiotic-dependent, hormone-laced potential carrier of toxic bacteria, all in the name of cheaper food.

Watch Video (45 minutes)

Organic Dairy Agrees to Alter Some Practices

By Andrew Martin, New York Times, August 30, 2007

A huge Colorado organic dairy agreed yesterday to stop applying the organic label to some of its milk and make major changes in its operation after the Department of Agriculture threatened to revoke its organic certification for, among other problems, failing to provide enough pasture to its cows.

The dairy, Aurora Organic Dairy, which supplies private-label organic milk for many supermarket chains, must also remove some animals from the organic herd at its Platteville, Colo., farm, according to a Department of Agriculture statement released late yesterday that outlined the terms of a consent agreement with the dairy.

While the U.S.D.A. has taken action against other organic producers, the consent decree with Aurora represents a rare show of force against a leading supplier of products to the rapidly expanding market for organic foods.

Late Night Shopping - every Thursday

In an effort to better accommodate the needs of our customers, Organic Connection will be open for late night shopping every Thursday until 9pm. (First late night this Thursday).

Our deli and hot food bars will also be open late to provide you with the option of a casual, eat-in our take-out organic dinner.

Dinner Night at Organic Connection - American Summer Season Menu

The next dinner night at Organic Connection is scheduled for this Saturday, September 8th.

All inclusive dinner price is $40 (includes taxes, tips & non-alcoholic drinks). BYO Wine. We also have a selection of organic beers for sale.

Seating from 7:00 to 7:30.

Reservations are required.

Phone: (845) 279-2290.

Community Table Seating Available (very popular with people coming alone).

Menu - featuring American dishes and local produce:

  • Chilled Raw Cucumber and Avocado Soup (VV)
  • Manhattan Style Seafood Chowder
  • Miami Black Beans (VV)
  • Assorted Salad Bar (VV)
  • BBQ Chicken
  • BBQ Pork Ribs
  • Bison Short Ribs
  • New Orleans Seafood Ettouffe
  • Local Vegetable Sautes (VV)
  • Fresh Fruit & Dessert Table

All ingredients are organic with the exception of seafood. VV = Vegan. Plenty of dishes to meet gluten, dairy, & sugar restricted diets.

Jazzy Sundays at OC

The Second Sunday of the month brings the Diamond Jubilators to Organic Connection.

Come along between 2:30 & 5pm to be entertained, amused and uplifted by their jazzy style of music.

Home Delivery Fee

Please note that due to ever increasing costs of fuel and other delivery expenses, that all home deliveries will be charged a $10 delivery fee.

Feedback & Suggestions

We'd love OC to develop by fulfilling the needs of our customers, we, therefore, appreciate your comments and suggestions. Please let us know about your suggestions for improvement.