Posts from — December 2006

Our upcoming January issue is themed renew year. The theme makes me wonder what efforts will be made by those in power to make it a renew year for the planet also.

Over the past few months, with mild weather during October, November and December when people say “can you believe this weather?” I’ve said “good thing there’s no global warming.”

During this past week we’ve had drastic snow storms and rain in the Midwest and constantly shifting temperatures here in the East and all I can think is…good thing there’s no global warming.

Funny too, the other day I was in a conversation and the person said to me “this weathers unbelievable, good thing there’s no global warming,” So I can I’m not alone in wondering if there’s no global warming what’s up!

That said I hope those who can make an immediate difference take our January theme to heart and make it their mantra for the planet — it’s time for a renew year.

Ok. I have a confession to make. This time of year makes me a little teary. You may not like to admit it, but I but there are a number of you holiday softies out there too.

Maybe it’s the outpouring of good will. Maybe it’s the fact that in a season of family I’m reminded that my own parents who died when I was in my twenties never saw their granddaughter who just turned one. Maybe it’s because another year is drawing to a close, which is both exciting and bittersweet.

Even though I can’t say why for sure, the point is that come December little things make me more than a little emotional. Sometimes that emotion is sadness—like when I think about how my dad never got to taste how I finally perfected the traditional holiday rum cake made in his island of Trinidad. Or when I consider that my daughter Sophia is a miniature of my mother—especially her sparkling smile.

Often it can be silly things too. A particular rendition of a Christmas song I’ve heard a million times (well, maybe not a million, but about 1,000 times this season alone). Or a favorite childhood holiday special (The Year Without a Santa Claus gets me every time).

Another sure tear jerker seems to be watching others’ act of kindness. Every year, for example, my brother Ramesh goes to the main post office in Manhattan and gets letters from needy kids asking “Santa” for toys. My brother frets for days racing around the city trying to find them exactly what they ask for. He stands in lines that under normal circumstances would send him into a snit. He worries that the money he is spending is not enough. He wonders if he can buy for 3 kids why not maybe 5 or 6.

This side of him would come as a surprise to many people who know him in his professional and private life. When I think about my brother who only wishes he could do more, I feel like weeping with pride.

The kindness of strangers can be even more moving. Today, for example, I was standing online at a bookstore waiting for gift wrapping by a young volunteer from National Institute for People With Disabilities His learning disabled partner’s job was to recruit folks to take advantage of free gift wrapping in return for a donation.

In front of me in line was an older man I pegged as a gruff type. Heavyset and white-haired he looked like a retired drill sergeant and when he sat down at that table he abruptly asked the young man what the organization was about. He told him and pointed out the lady recruiting customers.

“She was even in Special Olympics,” he said.
To this the man nodded and sat back in his chair.
Soon the lady returned with a frothy drink from the bookstore coffee bar.
“I got a moccachino,” she announced as she sat down.
The man studied her and answered, “Did you now?”
“Yes,” she said smiling broadly.
Then he leaned over and said, “I heard you were in the Special Olympics?”
“Yes!” she said.
“Well that’s great!,” he said brightly. “What did you do?”

Then the two launched into an animated conversation about ball throwing and running and how many kids the man had and how many grandkids and oh, just about everything.

Watching this I felt a little lump in my throat. This man was not who I narrow-mindedly thought he was. This was a kind man. This was a man who listened.

So, here’s my thought: Are any of us really what others peg us for? Probably not. And it shouldn’t take the holidays for us to realize it.

What does organic actually mean?

Written by: Chandra Steele

You strive to make better choices every day: A salad instead of a burger, antibacterial products for cleaner surfaces, cotton clothing instead of a synthetic—but what you don’t know is that each of those choices are possibly exposing you to health hazards from pesticides, chemicals, and artificial growing agents.

The way to protect yourself is to go organic, says Annie Berthold-Bond. Often called the “green Heloise,” Berthold-Bond is writer and editor of numerous books and articles on green living, including the recent, Home Enlightenment (Rodale Press, 2005). She says that much of the damage to overall health and well being is through pesticide exposure from inhalation, skin contact and consumption.  Those claims have been corroborated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta.

Two recent studies from the CDC highlight the widespread effects of pesticide use.

• In October, it released the finding that perchlorate, a toxic chemical that has shown up in the water in 35 states, including New York, as well as in fruits, vegetables, beer, wine and milk, may suppress thyroid function in millions of women in the United States. That can leave them with hypothyroidism and its accompanying symptoms of fatigue, weakness and cold intolerance among others, and can cause developmental defects in fetuses.  The CDC found measurable levels of perchlorate in the urine of every man, woman and child they tested in a nationally representative sample.
• And, in its Third National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals released in 2005, the CDC said it found evidence of exposure to pyrethroids, a group of synthetic insecticides that are now the most common, in most of the U.S. population tested.  It went on to say that there is currently very limited scientific information available on the potential human health effects of pyrethroid pesticides at the levels present in the test.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Washington, D.C., is responsible for the regulation of pesticides used by produce growers to protect crops, and for setting limits on the amount of pesticides that may remain in or on foods marketed in the United States. But it also acknowledges that pesticides may cause health problems such as birth defects, nerve damage and cancer, and that there is a special concern regarding children because their development, size and consumption puts them at an even greater risk.  The EPA says that during some developmental stages exposure to a toxin can permanently alter biological systems.

So, in the face of those frightening facts Berthold-Bond recommends you draw that line in the sand by eating organic food, using organic cleaning agents and wearing organically produced clothing.

Eat Your Greens
Before Rachel Carson decried their use in her groundbreaking book Silent Spring in 1962, pesticides were generally seen as a happy solution to the complexities of supplying the United States with fresh food.  Pesticides increase crop yields, reduce costs, ensure a steady food supply and decrease spoilage losses during shipping and storage. But public interest watchdog the Environmental Working Group (EWG), Washington, D.C., says the toxic effects of pesticides are worrisome, not well understood and sometimes completely unstudied, and so they advise shoppers to minimize exposure to pesticides whenever possible.

Jovana Ruzicic, a spokesperson for the EWG, says that consumers can reduce their overall pesticide intake just by avoiding the “dirty dozen,” a list of the most contaminated fruits and vegetables [see sidebar page 28]. She also advises that they take a look at the food groups they primarily consume and choose organic substitutes at least for the items they are eating most frequently.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Washington, D.C., which enforces tolerances established for meat, poultry and some egg products, addressed consumer concerns about guaranteeing that some foods are pesticide-free or contain limited pesticides in 2002 by establishing standards for products labeled as organic.  The USDA regulations require that all agricultural farms and products claiming to be organic be guaranteed by a USDA-approved independent agency, indicating that they:

• Abstain from the application of prohibited materials (including synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and sewage sludge) for three years prior to certification and then continually throughout their organic license.
• Prohibit the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and irradiation.
• Employ positive soil is a vital part of re-vegetating sites where topsoil has been lost or never existed in the first place. It involves the addition of leaves, compost, manure and organic fertilizer to restore nutrients
• Employ conservation, manure management and crop rotation practices.
• Provide outdoor access and pasture for livestock.
• Refrain from antibiotic and hormone use in animals.
• Sustain animals on 100 percent organic feed.
• Avoid contamination during the processing of organic products, and
• Keep records of all operations.

The downside to this regulation is that it can be expensive for small farms to afford the USDA certification process, which costs about $535 per 100 acres per year.  However, Ruzicic says that certification from other organizations, such as the Finland, M.N.-based Organic Consumers Association and the Organic Trade Association, Greenfield, Mass. are also reliable and consumers should look for them on food labels.

Murky Waters
Want to learn more about the book that changed the way we look at pesticides?
Read more about Silent Spring

But some fear that regulations and certifications may become meaningless with the Wal-Martization of the organic supply chain.

Wal-Mart’s entry as a major player into the organic industry has brought with its factory farming and outsourced organics from countries where USDA oversight is negligible or nil, according to organic farming watchdog The Cornucopia Institute, Cornucopia, Wisc.

Further, the Institute has expressed fears that the cost-saving practices that are Wal-Mart’s hallmark put it at a distinct advantage in regard to pricing, and can put pressure on other producers to compete with Wal-Mart’s prices through similar practices.

Greening Your Cleaning
You may fear germs but the cleaning agents you use to eradicate them can be just as scary.
Conventional cleaning supplies emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when they are used and even while they are stored. The EPA’s Total Exposure Assessment Methodology studies found levels of roughly a dozen common organic pollutants to be two to five times higher inside homes than outside. Additional studies indicate that while people are using those products they can expose themselves and others to very high pollutant levels and elevated concentrations that can remain in the air long after cleaning is done.  Antibacterial agents are categorized as pesticides by the FDA. Berthold-Bond recommends making cleaners out of ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice, or purchasing green cleaning products. Details on how to make green cleaning products can be found at her site at Annie B. Bond’s Healthy Living.

“The competition in the green cleaning world is enormous and only really good products have survived so you can feel confident about what’s out there,” she says.

These cleaning products are not regulated by the U.S. government but must still adhere to Federal Trade Commission regulations that all claims need to be truthful, non-misleading and substantiated.

Hip, Not Hippie
You might think that 100 percent cotton on a label means an all-natural product.  But that cotton was likely sprayed with pesticides as it grew, then during processing and manufacture was treated with chemicals to make it wrinkle-free, moth-repellent, stain-resistant, soft and possibly flame-retardant. The only way to make sure “the fabric of your life” doesn’t endanger your life is to make sure you’re buying certified-
organic cotton.

The Organic Consumers Association says that organic cotton production involves soil that relies on compost, efficient nutrient recycling, frequent crop rotations and cover crops in place of synthetic fertilizers; weed control utilizing mechanical weeding implements, planting several crops together, more efficient use of irrigation water and mulches; and pest control that involves encouraging biological diversity to create conditions that reduce the likelihood of insects, birds and mammals doing major damage crops as well as the use of beneficial predator insects, crop rotations, intercropping, and as a last resort, biological pesticides like Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) and neem oil.

Organic Made Easy
Sorting out the truly organic products on store shelves can be an exercise in frustration. To clear up the confusion, here’s a handy guide you can take with you to the supermarket.

Those guidelines have been set up and are enforced by the United States Department of Agriculture. If the product is labeled:

• 100% Organic: contains 100% organically grown, produced and processed ingredients.
• Organic: contains between 95% and 100% organic ingredients.
• With the USDA Organic Seal: contains between 95% and 100% organic ingredients.
• Made with Organic Ingredients (written on the front): contains at least 70% organic ingredients.
• Specific Organic Ingredients (Listed on the side): contains less than 70% organic ingredients

Organic wool is another good choice. According to the Organic Trade Association, in order for wool to be certified as organic, it must be produced in accordance with federal standards for organic livestock production:

• Livestock feed and forage used from the last third of gestation must be certified organic;
• Use of synthetic hormones and genetic engineering is prohibited;
• Use of synthetic pesticides (internal, external and on pastures) is prohibited, and
• Producers must encourage livestock health through good cultural and management practices.

Silk is a long-lasting, durable and natural fiber that despite its thin appearance can offer warmth and breathability.

Linen is derived from flax and uses less water and produces fewer pollutants in the dying process than cotton. Hemp is similar to linen but its cultivation is illegal in the United States due to its being a member of the cannabis family like marijuana although hemp does not contain THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Hemp for U.S.-made products is legally brought in from outside countries.

After you’ve made a fabric choice, examine it to find out how it was dyed through inquiries at the point of purchase, whether it is a retail store or website. Conventional dyes pollute waterways and are often chemical-based.

Hearing the words “hemp” and “organic cotton” applied to clothing can conjure up images of rough, shapeless oatmeal-colored garments. But there are many companies producing attractive casual and dress clothing that won’t leave you looking green but style-less.

Companies like Earth Speaks and Cool Not Cruel offer plenty of stylish, work-friendly options as well as clothing appropriate for formal occasions. And you won’t have to give up wearing the latest in jeans either thanks to Loomstate’s designs and others like eLuxury.

Spreading the Green
Remember, when going organic, you’re not the only one benefiting. Farm workers and others involved in growing and production suffer many ill effects when they work with pesticides. Plus the support you lend to producers through your purchases encourages the popularity of an organic lifestyle. Maybe it’s easy being green.

The Dirty Dozen
According to the Environmental Working Group, a public interest watchdog based in Washington, D.C., you can reduce your chemical intake by consuming the organically grown versions of the following 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Pears
• Grapes (Imported)
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes

By now you’ve hopefully perused the pages of canvas—both in print and online—and perhaps you’ve read our winter solstice coverage. What you may have come away with is the fact that most winter holidays have their basis in the ancient tradition of the solstice.

Take Christmas, for example. Once upon a time Christmas wasn’t the biggest of Christian holidays. Some scholars say that, if anything, the day of Christ’s birth would be sometime in spring—the only point in the calendar when the Star of Bethlehem is visible in the Nazarene’s part of the world.

So how did Christmas come to be December 25th?

Here’s my thought: Converting the pagan world to Christmas was really all about the feast.
It was Pope Julius I who, in the 4th century AD, got the brainstorm that the best way to convert Romans still practicing their ancient pagan religion would be to meld their major holiday with a Christian one. That holiday was held on December 25th during the month-long Saturnalia feasting and honored the child-god Mithra, who represented the all-powerful sun.

Soon enough the new holiday spread to Egypt where the Coptic priests readily adopted it. Slowly, it made its way to Europe where it was celebrated alongside traditional winter harvest festivals such as the Yule, ultimately usurping them.

This bait and switch would mark just the beginning of food influencing Christianity and vice versa. In fact, were it not for the strong and often-violent evangelical theme of the new religion, many of the foods we enjoy today would not be with us. It was the crusades, for example, that brought European Christians into the Middle and Far East where they encountered the bounty of foods, spices, and drink that had already been traded for centuries along that great trading route—the Silk Road–as well as other smaller spice tributaries stretching from Asia to the Near East and eventually to Europe.

For these religious expeditions, modern day organizations like Starbucks should get on their knees in thanks because those crusaders brought the west, among other things, coffee and tea.
Fast forward some four hundred years and it was Christianity that brought the first intrepid settlers to the New World where they encountered things like potatoes, tomatoes, corn, and chocolate, all of which was dutifully shipped back to the European continent for great chefs to turn into delicacies.

So, I guess religion is not just about what you put in your soul but what you put in your mouth as well.

With that food for thought I’m making a holiday plea to canvas readers to think about what you put in your mouth this holiday season. Does it support sustainability? What about local farming? Is your holiday table an environmentally friendly one? Let me know by commenting below.