The Live Healthy Expo provides the opportunity to learn first hand about effective, alternative approaches to health and wellness. The three day expo will offer the latest in nutritional guidance, interactive fitness demonstrations, how to save energy and go green, healthy cooking demonstrations as well as free massages and product samples. General information is here , and the speaker schedule is here. This NY Times Article includes examples of cities trying to bring back the corner grocery in underserved areas. In Pennsylvania, the Fresh Food Financing Initiative has been particularly successful and has begun encouraging similar programs throughout the country. New York City has expanded its licenses for carts selling fruits and vegetables, provided $2 bonuses for people using food stamps at greenmarkets, and encouraged bodegas to offer healthier items. You can read the full article here. Per Environmental Leader, a key finding of “The Greening of HR Survey,” indicates that 54 percent of respondents incorporate environmental management into their business operations. Other survey results show that 78 percent of respondents use Web or teleconferencing to reduce travel; 76 percent promote the reduction of paper use, and 68 percent implement wellness programs to foster employee’s proper nutrition, fitness and healthy living. (photo Environmental Leader) The April 19 'Going Native Garden Tour 2009' is a free tour of native gardens in Santa Clara Valley and the Peninsula. Registration information is here. A Sausalito CA-based team created a design of interconnected gardens with names of “Honeycomb Hideout” and “Pollinator Patch” to win the international bee-friendly garden design competition. More information can be found here. There is also a second gift for honeybee research and education into Colony Collapse Disorder. The honeybees I've seen love Rosemary, and it's a drought-tolerant, edible, and nutritious herb. Do you have a plant that honeybees love? Tell us about it. Image: Sibbett Group, Sausalito Farm Sanctuary is holding an online auction to help support it's mission. See their Charity Buzz Site for more details. On March 17, Ken Cook of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) spoke at an event in Marin County called “10 Americans” telling the story of 10 people whose blood was tested in 2004, for 413 chemicals. The results were astonishing. On average, more than 200 of these chemicals were found in their systems. Note – these were only the chemicals tested for, more may have been present. The make up of the chemicals found in the blood samples was: 28 waste bi-products, 47 consumer bi-products (Teflon) , and 212 industrial chemicals. These chemicals did not come from their drinking water, their workplace, or their homes. The blood samples were taken from the umbilical cord. Their mother’s provided these chemicals – you see, they were all babies still in the womb – they came to the world pre-polluted. Some of the chemicals had been banned thirty years prior to the testing! The results were all the more disturbing when you think that at this age these babies do not have a blood brain barrier to keep these toxins from entering their brains, this apparently develops in their first year of development. Join VegNews for their March 31 Speakers Series with Jeffrey Moussaieff Mason at the Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco starting at 7pm. Register here. Greener By Design, May 19-20 in San Francisco, is the conference where hundreds of brand managers, business strategists, sustainability officers, marketing directors, product designers, material sourcing experts and many others go to get the tools, insight and inspiration to improve their company’s bottom line through product innovation and green design techniques. This year’s theme is Greener Products for Leaner Times – How Smart Companies Innovate in a Recession, where the focus will be on the many ways green product design and innovation can cut costs, improve efficiency and quality, reduce risk and retain customers in this economy. Loews Hotels recently announced its 'Adopt-a-Farmer' initiative to promote local farming while providing customers with locally-sourced, organic and sustainable food. Loews hotels in San Diego, CA, Tuscon, AZ, Miami, FL, and more have begun sourcing their food from local brands. Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tuscon uses food from local Native American farmers, including wild amarinth, native squash, and saguaro fruit. Loews Miami Beach Hotel has turned to a Florida farm for all of its fruit and vegetable needs. David Pimentel and his colleagues at Cornell University in New York set out a number of strategies which could potentially cut fossil energy fuel use in the food system by as much as 50 percent. By just reducing junk food intake and converting to diets lower in meat, the average American could have a massive impact on fuel consumption as well as improving his or her health. Stanford Association of International Development (SAID) is having a major conference on the topic of food and agriculture on April 11. The topics will include economics, ethics, technology, the environment. The Environment panel is: Environment: The Impact of Climate Change on Agricultural Production Systems. Conference speakers include: Dr. Gurdev Khush, one of the heroes of the Green Revolution, Dr. Peter Timmer, the former chief advisor to USAID and panelists from the WTO, Carnegie Endowment, the International Food Policy Research Institute, CARE International, and many other major institutions. Register at http://foodforthought.stanford.edu/index.html The USDA Agriculture Secretary states "It is essential for the federal government to lead the way in enhancing and conserving our land and water resources". The USDA has announced the goal of creating community gardens at each USDA facility worldwide. The official USDA announcement here. This is a timely NY Times article from the Curious Cook on how much water is really needed to cook pasta. Here's a perspective to save water, energy, cost, and time. (image NY Times) The 3rd Annual San Francisco International Chocolate Salon will have 30,000 square feet of Chocolate, Wine, and Confections. I'm looking forward to trying Amano Chocolate and TCHO's dark chocolate is vegan. More information can be found here. Reuters reports Austria and Hungary reaffirmed their sovereign right on Monday to ban growing genetically modified maize after EU environment ministers squashed more attempts by the European Commission to lift the restrictions. There is an IPhone application for those searching for vegan and vegetarian restaurants in a variety of cities. It's sponsored by Happy Cow. Check it out and let us know if you like this application. Small does of pesticides can affect people. The Environmental Working Group's latest study shows people can lower their pesticide exposure by almost 90% by avoiding the top 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the less contaminated instead. Eating the 12 most contaminated will expose a person to about 14 pesticides per day. Eating the 12 least contaminated will expose a person to less than 2 pesticides per day. Some vegetables listed here have the highest pesticides, therefore, it is recommended you only buy these organic: Peaches, Apples, Sweet Bell Peppers, Celery, Nectarines, Strawberries, Cherries, Lettuce, Grapes (Imported), Pears, Spinach, and Potatoes. The lowest in pesticides are: onions, avocado, sweet corn, pineapples, mango, sweet peas (frozen), asparagus, kiwi, bananas, cabbage, broccoli, and eggplant. Below is testimony given in Washington, DC by IVU International Council Deputy Chair Saurabh Dalal to the Advisory Committee for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Farm Sanctuary's California Country Hoe Down is coming up soon and they need talented volunteers to help make it a smashing success! To be held on May 16and 17, the Hoe Down at the Orland, Calif. Shelter can use the aid of: |