Global NewsBoomers Take Up the Plow — Baby boomers are leaving regular jobs and opening small farms. It's not only a new way of life, some are making a little money, too.Sat 7 Aug 2010 12:49pm 08/05/2010 link to full article By Laura Tillman, Daily Yonder. Jack Moffitt was a high-powered attorney before he became an organic farmer. A wave of boomers is finding a compelling lifestyle and a few extra bucks farming. more here . . . GMOs Alter the Genetic Make Up of Our Healthy Bacteria Mon 26 Apr 2010 5:25pm Friday, April 23, 2010, Kim Evans (NaturalNews) link to article Although GMOs have infiltrated our food supply, the results of human feeding trials have only been published on one single occasion. Unfortunately, that occasion offered some pretty disturbing findings. It found that the genetic code of GM soy can infiltrate the genetic code of the healthy bacteria in our guts - and change the genetic makeup of the healthy bacteria inside us. Nobody knows how these mutant bacteria will function inside us - yet given the proliferation of GM soy, most of the population probably already has them inside of them ... other GM genes may also insert themselves into our healthy bacteria and keep replicating too - and some GM genes, like those in GM corn, are responsible for creating concentrated pesticides. It's very possible that they're also transferring this genetic programming into the formerly healthy bacteria inside you - and creating a living pesticide factory in your gut. more here . . . How the Top 5 Supermarkets Waste Food Mon 19 Apr 2010 12:29pm April 18, 2010, Tina Mather, Alternet link to article Grocery stores have lots of foods that need to be taken off shelves daily: stock that needs to rotate, surplus food like bananas that are starting to have brown spots, or refrigerated items that need to move for the new product coming in. Food products make up 63 percent of a supermarket’s disposed waste stream, according to a California Integrated Waste Management Board industry study. That’s approximately 3,000 lbs. thrown away per employee every year. The stores can’t sell the food, so they toss it in the compost or garbage. more here . . . Why a Big Mac Costs Less Than a Salad Fri 12 Mar 2010 6:25am This picture says it all (or at least a lot):  link to article more here . . . The Story of P(ee) in which phosphorus, a substance present in every living cell, is being used up and flushed away Wed 17 Feb 2010 10:46pm By Melinda Burns, February 10, 2010 Miller-McCune Magazine “P” is for phosphorus, the stuff of life, and “p” is for “peak phosphorus” by 2030, ecologists say, unless — presto! — pee can be turned into gold through modern-day alchemy....15 million tons of phosphorus is mined yearly to grow food, but 80 percent never reaches the dinner table: It is lost to inefficiency and waste...Farmers use too much fertilizer and it runs off the land, polluting streams, lakes and oceans. Industrial agriculture does not plow crop residues back into the soil after the harvest. In some countries, consumers throw away a third of their food, even when much of it is still edible. more here . . . How to Buy Humane Eggs: What to Know, and What You Can Forget Sun 31 Jan 2010 2:55pm By Jaymi Heimbuch, January 28, 2010, Alternet.org Cage-free. Organic. Range-fed. Humane. We know the terms, and we see them on the labels of the egg cartons at the store. But can we trust them? And just what do they mean? ... Luckily, there are two tips you can take to reduce your stress around which eggs are best for the environment, the chickens, and you. more here . . . |  Local NewsBill McKibben talks about his new book Eaarth in Lexington, Sunday Aug 29thTue 24 Aug 2010 9:23am  "for the ten thousand years that constitute human civilization, we’ve existed in the sweetest of sweet spots. The temperature has barely budged. BUT WE NO LONGER LIVE ON THAT PLANET...the earth has changed in profound ways" — Bill McKibbenOn Sunday, August 29, 2010 7:30 pm at Lexington's Cary Hall, LexGWAC is sponsoring a talk by Lexington native and climate activist BILL MCKIBBEN about his new book, Eaarth. Books will be available for sale and signing. Admission is free. Two evenings have been reserved at Cary Memorial Library for a book discussion group, July 28 and August 18. If you are interested in participating in a discussion about "Eaarth", please email info  LexGWAC.org. Seating is limited.For more information on "Eaarth" see this article in the Lexington Minuteman This talk is cosponsored with by the Lexington Community Farm Coalition. more here . . . NOFA/Mass Opposes State’s Aerial Spraying of Toxic Pesticide Sat 7 Aug 2010 12:32pm The state of Massachusetts has announced plans, starting August 4, to spray pesticide from the air over a significant area of the state in an effort to kill mosquitoes carrying the virus responsible for Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). EEE is a disease that infects birds living in freshwater swamps and can be carried by mosquito bite to horses and humans. It can be fatal, especially to the young. As of early August 2010, there have been 15 mammal-biting mosquitoes detected yielding positive results for the virus, although only one horse has been found with it, and no humans. Initial state plans call for nighttime spraying of pesticide over nearly 30 towns, centered on Middleborough, MA, covering an area of almost 300,000 acres. The state says it has mapped no-spray zones around public water supplies, coastal areas, organic farms, fish hatcheries and habitats of endangered species. The pesticide to be sprayed will be Anvil, a synthetic pyrethroid. The normal concentration is 10% of the active ingredient sumithrin, 10% piperonyl butoxide, and 80% inert ingredients. Although pyrethroids are listed among the least toxic insecticides, they are still potent nerve poisons. Inhaling them can cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest pain and difficulty breathing. Skin contact can cause a rash, itching, or blisters. Piperonyl butoxide, although not yet fully researched, can cause skin and eye irritations. more here . . . Documentary Film: Disappearing Act: A World Without Bees Wed 9 Jun 2010 4:57pm Wednesday, June 16, 7:00pm, Main Library, Costin Room Framingham Public Library and Whole Foods Market Framingham present a timely documentary from the award-winning producers of the PBS Chefs A’ Field series. This episode investigates the looming crisis of disappearing bees. Honeybees pollinate over one-third of the foods we eat and they are dying off in record numbers from something scientists call Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). In addition to exploring the profound effect of their loss on U.S. agriculture and the economy, the film also tells the ways in which these important creatures can be helped. Refreshments provided by Whole Food Market Framingham more here . . . Stearns Farm Spring Celebration and Orientation Fri 14 May 2010 9:11am Stearns Farm Spring Celebration and OrientationSUNDAY, MAY 23, 2010
more here . . . sptest0 stearnsfarmcsa.org |
Revision 41. Last edited Sat 28 Aug 2010 9:58am by NaomiSofer