Humans pee! Yep, and a lot. And wastewater treatment has become BIG systems.
But the story isn't a simple one. Sewer treatment is necessary because our urine collects all the waste chemicals from our medications and foods and drinks...and it goes back into our water system.
Those New Yorkers are innovative! They are developing an open source innovation project to develop ideas on how to turn pee into hydroponic farming fertilizer.
Recently in Food Production Category
Urban farming, vertical farms...apartment gardening, these are all new techniques for urban food production in small urban spaces.
Urban food production is a necessary part of food security and reducing the 2,000 miles our typical meal travels to our mouths!
The Windowsfarms Project in New York City is putting together innovative solutions and projects for window gardening. See their videos at their Windowfarms YouTube channel.
Urban food production is a necessary part of food security and reducing the 2,000 miles our typical meal travels to our mouths!
The Windowsfarms Project in New York City is putting together innovative solutions and projects for window gardening. See their videos at their Windowfarms YouTube channel.
I've followed the honey bee crisis known as "colony collapse disorder"
because of their close connection with our food supply, with nature,
and because bees are one of the few "domesticated" insects in our
economy.
All of the bees tested showed at least 1 pesticide and pollen averaged 6 pesticides with as many as 31 in a sample.
Science is finally making headway on what is causing the die off of complete hives of bees.
Penn State researchers worked with the National Science Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Agricultural Marketing Service that already tests commodities such as milk and fruits and vegetables.
Honey has not regularly been analyzed, and bee pollen was not a commodity and so was not analyzed at all. The researchers decided to use types of screening the lab uses for milk and apples, which looks at over 170 pesticides. What they found is quite astounding to me... because of what it says about our agricultural practices.
Honeycomb may contain pesticides applied years ago.
Scientists do not know that these chemicals have anything to do with colony collapse disorder, but scientists have concluded that these pesticides are definitely stressors. Penn State's Dr. Maryann Frazier say, "Pesticides alone have not shown they are the cause of CCD. We believe that it is a combination of a variety of factors, possibly including mites, viruses and pesticides."
While beekeepers will have a difficult time controlling pesticide exposure outside the hive, the Penn State researchers tested a method using gamma radiation for reducing the chemical load in beeswax and they found that irradiation broke down about 50% of the acaricides, pesticides that kill mites.
Read all the details at the Environment News Service.
The American Farmland Trust is about more than farms. These folks are concerned about the food supply for everyone -- from rural areas to big cities.
An elaborate food distribution system has beveloped between producers and consumer that has matured into delivering inexpensive, standardized food products. But times are changing because of organic food trends, and scares about contaminated foods from afar. The US food system is evolving in the direction of delivering the "story behind the food" in response to growing consumer demand. But it has a long way to go.
Food that is identifiable as "local," including food that is organically or "sustainably" produced, is a very small fraction of both total regional agricultural production (0.5 percent) and of total U.S. retail sales (2.8 percent). This sustainable sector of the food system is growing rapidly.
Despite the challenges of locating locally grown foods for families and local restaurants and institutions such as schools, there are significant opportunities to increase "eating locally" in San Francisco and the Bay Area. The local food movement in the region has as much momentum as anywhere in the country. Strong Farmers Coops, Farmers Markets, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operations make it almost convenient!
Many public and private institutions (such as schools and hospitals) are now seeking to source food locally. As the fossil fuel era wanes, fresh, local food may gain an advantage in the marketplace over food that is processed and shipped long distances.
Read more about the growing local food trend in the San Francisco Foodshed Report.
Wild rice, peaches, avocados, brocolli, lettuce, ... the list goes on! California is the American produce center because of our wonderful year round weather, fertile valleys and access to markets. And Americans can keep this asset robust by buying and cooking American foods!
Want a cookbook that is all about California grown foods? It's free on the CaliforniaGrown.org website!
Want a cookbook that is all about California grown foods? It's free on the CaliforniaGrown.org website!
California’s
agriculture touches and enhances our lives in surprisingly simple ways.
This California Grown cookbook and inspiration guide helps you
experience the best our state has to offer. Whether you’re sampling one
of the featured recipes and pairing it with a glass of California wine,
arranging a beautiful bouquet of California cut flowers or taking in the
scenery around you while relaxing on a durable deck made of California
lumber, you’re sure to enjoy the Golden State’s unique agricultural
bounty.
Download the Cookbook
Within Experience California, you will find delicious recipes from some of the state’s top chefs, complete with wine pairings.
California is the leading producer of fresh peaches,
plums and nectarines in the United States producing 60% of the
peaches, 95% of the plums and 90% of the nectarines.
Most of these fruits are grown within a 50-mile radius of Reedley, a quiet California Central Valley town near Fresno. Other growing areas exist near Bakersfield, Modesto and Sacramento. Approximately 1,500 farmers, small and large, grow these three fruits commercially, hand picking them in the orchards and hauling them to packing sheds.
Most of these fruits are grown within a 50-mile radius of Reedley, a quiet California Central Valley town near Fresno. Other growing areas exist near Bakersfield, Modesto and Sacramento. Approximately 1,500 farmers, small and large, grow these three fruits commercially, hand picking them in the orchards and hauling them to packing sheds.
Guy Fieri Promotes California Grown Products
Guy Fieri is known for creating food that is as fun, fearless, and
fundamental as his larger-than-life personality. Check out a video from
his recent visit to Sacramento where he talked with local California
growers…
Remember the little fruit stands that used to be the norm along suburban and rural roads? I grew us shopping at our neighbors' farm stands...and even sold homegrown dill and apples in our own miniature version as a rural version of a kids' lemonaide stand. Can you imagine the sparse customers for dill? :-) But we actually had a few regular customers who needed dill for their pickle canning...and it gave me my first taste of agricultural marketing!
California is a big state...an agricultural state and a state with millions of potential "local shoppers". Now we just need to understand WHY that is important. My husband and I were discussing the news I read this morning about a man from Croatia flying to New York to buy clothes because they are such a bargain right now!!!!! What?!? Croatia -- that war ravaged country that is trying to recover -- they are flying to New York City -- one of the most expensive US cities in which to live? What's changing this drastically?
One word. We've lost our local manufacturing // and agriculture.
That's why shopping at local farm stands, local farmers markets and insisting that your grocery store carry locally grown produce rather than imports is important.
Barbara Steinberg recently wrote about how she's trying hard to buy local...and how it's not always easy!
There are great farm, wine, and harvest trails throughout the state.
Barbara includes a wonderful list of FARM TRAILS in California on her blog. I hope that if you live in California, or are coming to visit this summer, you'll support our local California farmers ... and treat yourself to the succulent, fresh, tasty products of our all-American soil! Barbara's list of FARM TRAILS is worth exploring!
California is a big state...an agricultural state and a state with millions of potential "local shoppers". Now we just need to understand WHY that is important. My husband and I were discussing the news I read this morning about a man from Croatia flying to New York to buy clothes because they are such a bargain right now!!!!! What?!? Croatia -- that war ravaged country that is trying to recover -- they are flying to New York City -- one of the most expensive US cities in which to live? What's changing this drastically?
One word. We've lost our local manufacturing // and agriculture.
That's why shopping at local farm stands, local farmers markets and insisting that your grocery store carry locally grown produce rather than imports is important.
Barbara Steinberg recently wrote about how she's trying hard to buy local...and how it's not always easy!
Buy
I really took it to heart when learning about the whole "farm to table" philosophy, which promotes buying produce that's been grown within 100 miles of home. Let me tell you something...it's tough. But I try. And failing that, I tell myself, "It must at least have been grown in California." When that doesn't work...at the very least, it should be grown in the U.S. How hard could that be? Well, sometimes really, really hard. Why? Because labeling is so misleading and even with produce you to read the fine print. Haas California avocados are a great example. You see them everywhere. But many times, those buttery fruits are grown in Chile. CaliforniaInsier.typepad.com
Barbara includes a wonderful list of FARM TRAILS in California on her blog. I hope that if you live in California, or are coming to visit this summer, you'll support our local California farmers ... and treat yourself to the succulent, fresh, tasty products of our all-American soil! Barbara's list of FARM TRAILS is worth exploring!
Boulder, Colo. - (June 13, 2007) - Much more than the fate of the
multi-billion-dollar fresh leafy greens industry is at stake in the
wake of the 2006 fall's E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak linked to pre-packaged
spinach products.
Why? Because increasing daily consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is an essential first step in improving the health of the average American. Any factor that erodes confidence in the safety of fresh produce undermines ongoing efforts to increase consumption of these healthful foods.
According to a Critical Issues Report released in June 2007 by The Organic Center, the good news is that since last fall, growers and processors of fresh leafy greens, especially in California, have adopted significant, new prevention-based food safety practices aimed at preventing another outbreak.
The study, Unfinished Business: Preventing E. coli 0157 Outbreaks Caused by Leafy Greens, is authored by The Organic Center's chief scientist Charles Benbrook, Ph.D. While noting progress made, the report highlights several additional steps that are justified in light of current science and the magnitude of the issue.
The Western Growers Association led the effort leading to adoption by processors and handlers of a set of "Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) Metrics." Market leader Fresh Express has committed $2 million for research on how to prevent future outbreaks, and Natural Selection Foods has implemented a new "test and hold" program that has helped ensure that all shipped product is pathogen free.
The new report provides an in-depth discussion of the likely causes of the 2006 outbreak, and includes a dramatic series of pictures of the outbreak field and surrounding area. "One lesson learned is that cattle, manure and fresh leafy greens make for a volatile mix," according to Benbrook. Until more is known about how pathogenic E. coli finds its way to leafy green fields, the report calls for one-half mile separation between grazing cattle and leafy green fields. The GAP Metrics currently require only 30 feet.
The new report is available at no charge in .pdf form at The Organic Center's website, www.organic-center.com. Click on "State of Science" in the menu bar and then on "Food Safety" to download the report, or go to The Organic Center's website.
Why? Because increasing daily consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is an essential first step in improving the health of the average American. Any factor that erodes confidence in the safety of fresh produce undermines ongoing efforts to increase consumption of these healthful foods.
According to a Critical Issues Report released in June 2007 by The Organic Center, the good news is that since last fall, growers and processors of fresh leafy greens, especially in California, have adopted significant, new prevention-based food safety practices aimed at preventing another outbreak.
The study, Unfinished Business: Preventing E. coli 0157 Outbreaks Caused by Leafy Greens, is authored by The Organic Center's chief scientist Charles Benbrook, Ph.D. While noting progress made, the report highlights several additional steps that are justified in light of current science and the magnitude of the issue.
The Western Growers Association led the effort leading to adoption by processors and handlers of a set of "Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) Metrics." Market leader Fresh Express has committed $2 million for research on how to prevent future outbreaks, and Natural Selection Foods has implemented a new "test and hold" program that has helped ensure that all shipped product is pathogen free.
"Prevention of foodborne illness outbreaks requires innovation, attention to detail and diligence from 'farm to fork,'" says Dr. Benbrook.
The new report provides an in-depth discussion of the likely causes of the 2006 outbreak, and includes a dramatic series of pictures of the outbreak field and surrounding area. "One lesson learned is that cattle, manure and fresh leafy greens make for a volatile mix," according to Benbrook. Until more is known about how pathogenic E. coli finds its way to leafy green fields, the report calls for one-half mile separation between grazing cattle and leafy green fields. The GAP Metrics currently require only 30 feet.
The new report is available at no charge in .pdf form at The Organic Center's website, www.organic-center.com. Click on "State of Science" in the menu bar and then on "Food Safety" to download the report, or go to The Organic Center's website.
Organic Plant-Based Foods ARE More Nutritious, and Provide on Average a 25% Nutrition Premium
BOULDER, Colo. - March 18, 2008 - A comprehensive review of 97 published studies comparing the nutritional quality of organic and conventional foods shows that organic plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, grains) contain higher levels of eight of 11 nutrients studied, including significantly greater concentrations of the health-promoting polyphenols and antioxidants.
In this first comprehensive review of the scientific literature comparing nutrient levels in organic and conventional food completed since 2003, a team of scientists conclude that organically grown plant-based foods are 25% more nutrient dense, on average, and hence deliver more essential nutrients per serving or calorie consumed.
Magnitude of Differences Heavily Favors Organic Foods
Several methods were used to place the magnitude of the differences in nutrient levels between organic and conventional foods into perspective. In two-thirds of the matched pairs favoring the conventional food, the differences in favor of conventional were under 10%, compared to 26% of the matched pairs in which the organic food was more nutrient dense by a margin under 10%.
The premium in favor of the conventional food was 21% or greater in just 15% of the matched pairs in which the conventional food was more nutrient dense, whereas in the more nutrient dense organic food matched pairs, 41% favored organic by 21% or more, and 24% of the pairs were 31% or more nutrient dense.
The largest differences were in the case of the flavonoid quercetin, where the organic foods were 2.4-times more nutrient dense on average, and nitrates, where levels were 1.8-fold lower in organic foods (a desirable nutritional feature).
The consistency of the differences observed, the relative importance of the nutrients for which the organic samples tended to be markedly higher, and the sizable advantage in many of the organic foods within matched pairs lead the team to conclude -
"Yes, organic plant-based foods are, on average, more nutritious in terms of their nutrient density for compounds validated by this study's rigorous methodology."
Commenting on the results, Dr. Neal Davies, a professor in the School of Pharmacology at Washington State University, and a study co-author, said "We have carried out many careful comparisons of both nutrient levels and biological activity of antioxidant polyphenols in organic and conventional foods over the last five years. Not only are we seeing a general trend in favor of the nutrient density of organic food, but also evidence that nutrients are often present in organic foods in a more biologically active form."
SOURCE: The Organic Center
BOULDER, Colo. - March 18, 2008 - A comprehensive review of 97 published studies comparing the nutritional quality of organic and conventional foods shows that organic plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, grains) contain higher levels of eight of 11 nutrients studied, including significantly greater concentrations of the health-promoting polyphenols and antioxidants.
In this first comprehensive review of the scientific literature comparing nutrient levels in organic and conventional food completed since 2003, a team of scientists conclude that organically grown plant-based foods are 25% more nutrient dense, on average, and hence deliver more essential nutrients per serving or calorie consumed.
Magnitude of Differences Heavily Favors Organic Foods
Several methods were used to place the magnitude of the differences in nutrient levels between organic and conventional foods into perspective. In two-thirds of the matched pairs favoring the conventional food, the differences in favor of conventional were under 10%, compared to 26% of the matched pairs in which the organic food was more nutrient dense by a margin under 10%.
The premium in favor of the conventional food was 21% or greater in just 15% of the matched pairs in which the conventional food was more nutrient dense, whereas in the more nutrient dense organic food matched pairs, 41% favored organic by 21% or more, and 24% of the pairs were 31% or more nutrient dense.
The largest differences were in the case of the flavonoid quercetin, where the organic foods were 2.4-times more nutrient dense on average, and nitrates, where levels were 1.8-fold lower in organic foods (a desirable nutritional feature).
The consistency of the differences observed, the relative importance of the nutrients for which the organic samples tended to be markedly higher, and the sizable advantage in many of the organic foods within matched pairs lead the team to conclude -
"Yes, organic plant-based foods are, on average, more nutritious in terms of their nutrient density for compounds validated by this study's rigorous methodology."
Commenting on the results, Dr. Neal Davies, a professor in the School of Pharmacology at Washington State University, and a study co-author, said "We have carried out many careful comparisons of both nutrient levels and biological activity of antioxidant polyphenols in organic and conventional foods over the last five years. Not only are we seeing a general trend in favor of the nutrient density of organic food, but also evidence that nutrients are often present in organic foods in a more biologically active form."
For More Information Contact:
Dr. Charles Benbrook, The Organic Center: cbenbrook@organic-center.org, 541-828-7918SOURCE: The Organic Center
Forty New Studies Published in Last Six Years Provide a Firm
Foundation for Some Clear-cut Answers: Yes, Organic Plant-Based Foods
ARE More Nutritious, and Provide on Average a 25% Nutrition Premium
BOULDER, Colo. - March 18, 2008 - A comprehensive review of 97 published studies comparing the nutritional quality of organic and conventional foods shows that organic plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, grains) contain higher levels of eight of 11 nutrients studied, including significantly greater concentrations of the health-promoting polyphenols and antioxidants.
In this first comprehensive review of the scientific literature comparing nutrient levels in organic and conventional food completed since 2003, a team of scientists conclude that organically grown plant-based foods are 25% more nutrient dense, on average, and hence deliver more essential nutrients per serving or calorie consumed.
Nutrient levels were studied in 236 matched pairs of foods with scientifically valid results on the levels of 10 nutrients, plus nitrates (high levels are undesirable because of food safety risks). Each matched pair contains, for example, an apple crop grown organically and another apple crop from a nearby conventional farm with similar soils, climate, plant genetics, irrigation systems, nitrogen levels, and harvest practices.
The new report is published as a "State of Science Review" by The Organic Center and is entitled "New Evidence Confirms the Nutritional Superiority of Plant-based Organic Foods." The co-authors are Charles Benbrook, the Center's Chief Scientist, Xin Zhao of the University of Florida, and three Washington State University (WSU) scientists Jaime Yanez, Neal Davies, and Preston Andrews. Dr. Andrew Weil, a Center board member, wrote the "Foreword."
The full report and its executive summary are freely accessible on the Center's website (http://www.organic-center.org/science.nutri.php?action=view&report_id=126).
BOULDER, Colo. - March 18, 2008 - A comprehensive review of 97 published studies comparing the nutritional quality of organic and conventional foods shows that organic plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, grains) contain higher levels of eight of 11 nutrients studied, including significantly greater concentrations of the health-promoting polyphenols and antioxidants.
In this first comprehensive review of the scientific literature comparing nutrient levels in organic and conventional food completed since 2003, a team of scientists conclude that organically grown plant-based foods are 25% more nutrient dense, on average, and hence deliver more essential nutrients per serving or calorie consumed.
Nutrient levels were studied in 236 matched pairs of foods with scientifically valid results on the levels of 10 nutrients, plus nitrates (high levels are undesirable because of food safety risks). Each matched pair contains, for example, an apple crop grown organically and another apple crop from a nearby conventional farm with similar soils, climate, plant genetics, irrigation systems, nitrogen levels, and harvest practices.
The new report is published as a "State of Science Review" by The Organic Center and is entitled "New Evidence Confirms the Nutritional Superiority of Plant-based Organic Foods." The co-authors are Charles Benbrook, the Center's Chief Scientist, Xin Zhao of the University of Florida, and three Washington State University (WSU) scientists Jaime Yanez, Neal Davies, and Preston Andrews. Dr. Andrew Weil, a Center board member, wrote the "Foreword."
The full report and its executive summary are freely accessible on the Center's website (http://www.organic-center.org/science.nutri.php?action=view&report_id=126).
