Monday, November 26, 2007

Who makes sure organic means organic?

By Alan Gionet, CBS4 Denver, Nov 22

If you get a taste of ice cream from Bliss Organic Ice Cream in Boulder, you're getting the product of an entire stream of organic products and inspections.

"We have to fill out a lot of paperwork," owner Kim Troy said. "And we have to prove every year that we are organic. We have to keep track of all our lot numbers. We have to keep track of all our certifications. We have to prove that every single pint of ice cream can be followed."

That means keeping some things separate in their shop, which also sells some items that aren't considered organic.

"So we have to have separate bins, separate containers, separate shelving, separate refrigeration for all of our organics," Troy said.

Troy pays over $2,000 a year to get the inspectors from the Colorado Department of Agriculture to take a look at her operation, study it and give her the right to use the symbol that says, "Organic."

Watch excellent news article

Farmers in developing world hurt by 'eat local' philosophy in U.S

By William G. Moseley, SanFrancisco Chronicle, Nov 18.

Increasing awareness of climate change has transformed the way Americans think about organic food. While organic consumers used to focus on how food was produced, such as whether pesticides were used, they now are also concerned about how far food has traveled to arrive at their plate. The issue is that greater distances often equate to more energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

The preference for eating local has been popularized, among others, by UC Berkeley journalism professor Michael Pollan in the "Omnivore's Dilemma" and by Barbara Kingsolver in "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." This "eating local" philosophy has a huge following among those consumers who buy organic food. But what about the consequences of the local food craze for farmers in the developing world who have joined the organic and fair trade movements?

read more (SFGate.com)

Sustainability in Curitiba and Urban Acupuncture

"A sustainable city is the one that integrates housing, work and leisure, while preserving its history and investing in public transportation." With this idea in mind, Jaime Lerner has turned Curitiba, capital of the Parana State in Brazil, into one of the greenest cities in the world.

Some of his ideas were to educate children on garbage separation in order for them to educate their parents, to exchange food for recovered garbage in favelas (poor settlements) in order to encourage trash separation, and to put sheep in parks for them to take care of grass and attract children.

Now on a project to revitalize the marine coast, solve the garbage management issues and transform the road system in Luanda, Angola; Lerner is constantly consulted by governments from cities around the world on environmental issues

read more (TreeHugger.com)

Sweet Misery - A Poisoned World

Excellent documentary showing how dangerous artificial sweetener Aspartame is. From its history, to its effects this video is enough to shock anyone into really looking at there food labels next time they shop. Aspartame is a toxic food that came into the world as an investment by Donald Rumsfeld, while ignoring the deadly effects the tests showed.

Video (90 minutes)

There are many benefits to 'going organic'

By Laurie Bomba, Kansas City Star, Nov 11.

E. Thomas McClanahan suspects that shoppers who buy organic foods are doing so merely for "psychological reassurance" or as a "penance for the excesses of consumerism."

His opening paragraph seeks to alarm readers with the price of organic maple syrup compared with the store brand. If he had read the labels, he'd know that the reason the high-end organic syrup costs 10 dollars is that it's actually maple syrup, distilled from the slow-dripping sap of sugar maple trees. Organic or not, maple syrup is expensive to produce, and is therefore expensive to buy. The corn-syrup-based imitation he bought at one-tenth the price is something else entirely.

The vast majority of organic foods are not priced like delicacies, and they are rapidly making their way beyond the shelves of natural and gourmet markets and into the aisles of discount grocers and price clubs.

While not everyone is able to jump on the organic bandwagon yet, those of us who do go out of our way - geographically and financially - to buy organic foods have many legitimate reasons for doing so.

read more (KansasCity.com)

The Gullible Jennifer Garner Flu Shot Campaign

By Byron Richards, Wellness Resources, Nov 14

Flu shots remain a subject of intense controversy. Vaccinations of all types remain the centerpiece of the public health herd-mentality paradigm. Just wait until the Avian flu comes, then you will see public health at its finest. Yes, there will be police-state forced vaccinations with experimental vaccines and no right of recourse if you are injured. Thanks to our generally brain-dead Congress the laws are already on the books.

Vaccines have a long and tarnished history, along with an element of workability - which is why there is a controversy. Louis Pasteur is the grandfather of the vaccine-for-profit industry, the creator of the first vaccines (rabies, anthrax, and smallpox) with the financial backing of industry. He had his research records sealed for 50 years after his death, and when they were finally reviewed he was found to be a liar and dishonest scientist. He routinely discarded experiments that didn't prove his vaccine theory and even lied about the kind of vaccines he was using because the technical merit of his work was flawed.

read more (Wellness Resources)

Positions Available

Assistant Manager
We're looking for an enthusiastic person to join our team as Assistant Manager. Some experience required in natural food retail for this trainee position in which all aspects of natural food retail will be learned.

Store Assistant
Part-time retail position that includes some weekend work - entry level position for a person with a keen interest in organic foods.

Chefs Assistant
We have a part-time opening in our kitchen - ideal for a chef trainee assisting with all aspects of food preparation. Daytimes and weekend work involved.

Food for Thought - Food for the Future

Climate Change, Agriculture, & Community Planning:
A forum for community leaders, farmers, and local officials in the Hudson Valley

Saturday, December 1, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Glynwood Center, Cold Spring, NY

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Thanksgiving Turkeys

It's not too late to order your organic turkey for Thanksgiving.
We're offering fresh organic turkeys at the exceptionally special pre-order price of $3.45/lb. Turkeys can be picked up fresh Sunday to Wednesday.

We also have organic duck available.

We will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving Week Delivery Schedule

Delivery Day
Usual - Thanksgiving
Tuesday - Monday
Wednesday - Tuesday
Thursday - Wednesday
Friday - Wednesday
Please order by 12 midnight day before delivery.

Target Joins Wave of Other Retailers & Companies Moving Away from PVC

After a national campaign by the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) and a coalition of health and environmental organizations, Target has agreed to systematically reduce its use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, commonly known as vinyl. The company is reducing PVC found in many of its owned brand products including infant products, children's toys, shower curtains, packaging and fashion accessories. PVC commonly contains toxic additives such as lead and phthalates.

Support Amendment to Stop Animal Cloning in the Farm Bill!

The FDA will soon make a final decision on whether food from cloned animals is safe to enter our food supply. They released their preliminary risk assessment in December and received over 145,000 public comments opposing the unlabeled introduction of meat and milk from animal clones.

We need to know more before the FDA releases cloned animals into our food supply. The health risks associated with the consumption of food products from cloned animals is not well documented or available to consumers. Denmark has already banned food from cloned animals and the entire European Union is examining this closely.

Why corn-based fuel isn't our miracle cure for oil dependency

By Cameron Scott, Mother Jones, Nov/Dec 2007.
"Everything about ethanol is good, good, good," crows Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, echoing the conventional wisdom that corn-based ethanol will help us kick the oil habit, line the pockets of farmers, and usher in a new era of guilt-free motoring. But despite the wishes of Iowans (and the candidates courting them) the "dot-corn bubble" is too good to be true. Click here to see image.

The American Green House

Mass-market retailers are offering more eco-friendly home furnishings

by Ernest Beck, Business Week, Nov 5.

Eco-conscious consumers can buy their organic milk at mass-market retailers like Target, and now, they can pick up an eco-friendly bookcase there, too. As the greening of the American home continues, major retailers are betting that sustainable home furnishings, will be next on the green shopping list.

Bill Maher - Anti-Pharma Rant

Bill Maher ends one of his shows with a rant about big pharma.

Positions Available

Assistant Manager
We're looking for an enthusiastic person to join our team as Assistant Manager. Some experience required in natural food retail for this trainee position in which all aspects of natural food retail will be learned.

Store Assistant
Part-time retail position that includes some weekend work - entry level position for a person with a keen interest in organic foods.

Chefs Assistant

We have a part-time opening in our kitchen - ideal for a chef trainee assisting with all aspects of food preparation. Daytimes and weekend work involved.

Grassroots Healthy Lawn Program

Now in its fourth successful year, GHLP, a program of Grassroots Environmental Education in cooperation with Westchester County, is an award winning two-day intensive training and certification course in natural lawn and turf care. Learn about soil biology, how and when to use natural turf amendments, how to brew and apply compost tea, and revising horticultural techniques for natural lawn care.

Thurs, Nov. 15, 1:30 - 5:00 p.m. and Fri, Nov. 16, 9:30 - 4:00 at Wainright House in Rye.

Rags, Blues, And All That Jazz!

The Center for Performing Arts, Rhinebeck
Sunday, November 25, 2007, 3 PM
Peter Muir returns with the Diamond Jubilators Jazz Band and a fantastical, musical journey through ragtime, blues, and jazz. Join us for this post-Thanksgiving treat - a show perfect for the whole family!

Food for Thought - Food for the Future

Climate Change, Agriculture, & Community Planning:
A forum for community leaders, farmers, and local officials in the Hudson Valley

Saturday, December 1, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Glynwood Center, Cold Spring, NY

Danbury native changes food habits overnight

By Donna Christopher, Danbury News-Times, October 29.

A "switch went off" for Philip McCluskey when he started eating a raw vegan diet a year and a half ago. Ultimately he lost 130 pounds, down from his "max weight" of 400, and now feels "happier and lighter" inside and out.

At 5-foot-10 he wants to slim down to 200, but conquering obesity is only part of the story, says McCluskey.

The Danbury native changed his diet overnight, leaving behind a regimen of "highly processed food" that often consisted of "dollar meals" from a fast-food restaurant. A typical order was "a couple of chicken sandwiches, large fries and a milk shake," items he now considers "fake foods." These days he prefers to savor only raw fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and seaweed for every meal.

McCluskey, 30, is thrilled with the transformation and wants to help others feel as good as he does. Obese or not, he claims the average American diet is a disaster. Processed, cooked foods, he said, leave people feeling dissatisfied and unenergetic. He keeps a daily blog on his Web site, lovingraw.com, to inform others on his becoming a "raw foodist," and presents the subject in a 5-minute video on YouTube. The video has already drawn over 2,700 viewers.

Organic Salmon?

COALITION SIGN LETTER URGING THAT "USDA ORGANIC" STANDARDS BE UPHELD FOR AQUACULTURE

A coalition of concerned advocates from 44 organizations have sent a message to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), urging caution as that body considers whether or not to weaken USDA Organic Standards, it was announced today. The NOSB is meeting in late November of this year to consider the report of their Aquaculture Working Group. If acted upon, their recommendations would allow fish to carry the USDA Organic label - despite being raised under conditions that fail to meet basic USDA Organic principles.

In their letter, the groups comment on the Aquaculture Working Group's recommendations to allow use of fishmeal from wild fish (which has the potential to carry mercury and PCBs) and open net cages (which promotes pollution from fish waste, can spread disease and parasites killing wild fish and allows escapes of farmed fish into the wild).

The co-signing organizations conclude that while the farming of herbivorous finfish may be conducted within organic regulations, farming carnivorous finfish (including salmon) in open net cage systems is an inherently flawed farming practice, incompatible with organic principles.

Farmers & Rural Residents Call for Shutting Down "Organic" Factory Dairy

By Andrew Villegas, The Greeley Tribune (Colorado), Oct 25
Aurora Organic Dairy near Gill, CO will be allowed to continue operations despite a substantial fly problem bothering neighbors.

The Board of Weld County Commissioners decided on a split vote Wednesday to continue a hearing until August 2008 that could revoke the dairy's special permit to operate the dairy with 4,500 cows.

Of central concern to dairy neighbors is a substantial fly problem that they say has inundated their properties and homes. Commissioners are giving the dairy until August to absolve the pest situation.

"I would like this dairy to disappear," said Wendy Rogers, who owns a farm next to the dairy. "The dairy is too big to manage naturally."
[Note: Aurora provides milk that is sold as organic and packaged as private label, store-brand products for some of the nation's biggest chains, including Wal-Mart, Target, Costco, Safeway, Wild Oats, and about 20 others.]

USDA lets "Organic" Factory Farms off the Hook

The USDA informed Cornucopia today that it had closed its investigation into Dean Foods' Horizon dairy in Paul, Idaho and another corporate-owned facility in Kennedyville, Maryland. The USDA investigation was in response to a formal legal complaint filed by the Cornucopia Institute in 2006.

"We know from our visit to the Idaho facility that they had no functional pasture meeting legal requirements and were unable to graze their huge dairy herd," said Mark Kastel, codirector of the Wisconsin-based Cornucopia Institute. Cornucopia's legal complaint included interviews with the veterinarian and with livestock professionals associated with Horizon's Maryland dairy indicating that they were not pasturing the animals there, either.

Prep Cook Position Available

We have an opening for a part-time or full time experience chef's assistant to help with food preparation in our kitchen. Daytimes and weekend work involved.

Can Indian Point be attacked by terrorists? asks EPA

By Abby Luby, North County News, November 1.

The Environmental Protection Agency wants to know just how vulnerable the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plants are to a terrorist attack. They want the information to be part of the decision in the license renewal process for the Buchanan based plants.

The EPA's comment is based on a court decision ruling against the NRC last year in the case San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace v. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (June 2006) where the Ninth Circuit court decided that the NRC was wrong in not considering public and industrial projects as terrorist targets.

Change of Delivery Days

Heavy customer demand for our Home Delivery service in lower Westchester has created some pressure on us being able to make all deliveries on a timely basis.
So, in an effort to provide timely Home Delivery service to all our customers in Westchester, we are changing the delivery day for some towns.
Effective this week, the towns of Croton & Ossining will now be provided delivery every Tuesday.

Food for Thought - Food for the Future

Climate Change, Agriculture, & Community Planning:
A forum for community leaders, farmers, and local officials in the Hudson Valley

Saturday, December 1, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Glynwood Center, Cold Spring, NY