Archive for the ‘organic’ Category
At Chews Wise, Lisa M. Hamilton writes that the numbers show “the ethanol boom has been a boon for genetically engineered corn.”
Craig MacIntosh makes the case for organic farming at Celsias Blog: “The agribusiness justifications for their war on the earth is beginning to be seen for what it really is – pure propaganda.” Read the rest of this entry »
In Corporate Organic and the Beast That Devoured Itself, I had detailed the story of last month’s organic decertification of Case Vander Eyk, an industrial-scale dairy producer of both organics and conventionals who had been shipping 50 loads of organic milk per week.
Vander Eyk is claiming that it will re-apply for organic certification, but instead of re-applying to their previous certifier, Quality Assurance International (QAI), Vander Eyk hopes that a change in referees will bring the desired result. This from the Capital Press:
“We’re working with another certifier now and expect to be back in a couple of weeks,” said Vander Eyk. “This is not uncommon, and it is very disruptive to our operation.”
Organic, Inc. author Samuel Fromartz, who originally broke the decertification story at Chews Wise Blog is dubious. Read the rest of this entry »
In an extraordinarily rare move, an industrial-scale dairy has been stripped of its organic certification due to serious violations of organic standards. Organic, Inc. author Samuel Fromartz broke the story at Chews Wise blog:
In a sign that pressure is mounting on big confinement organic dairy farms, Quality Assurance International, a major organic certification agency, has yanked certification for the Case Vander Eyk organic dairy in California, an operation with an estimated 3,500 cows.
This dairy in the central valley of California has been the subject of complaints by the advocacy group, Cornucopia Institute. But QAI’s decision marks the first time a certifier has suspended a big confinement dairy, though these farms have been criticized for years.
Reasons for the drastic measures include insufficient record-keeping in terms of verifying that Case Vander Eyk’s cows were managed in compliance with the USDA’s National Organic Program’s livestock standards, which apply to animals used for meat, milk, eggs, and other animal products represented as organically produced. Read the rest of this entry »
The Glenn Reynolds Retraction Watch now stands at 19 days. Perhaps fact-checking is a bit cumbersome for Mr. Reynolds?
Gristmill reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev), recipient of more than $100,000 in donations from the mining industry, shows that shilling for lobbyists is not a partisan issue.
Lighter Footstep gives some useful advice for dealing with mosquito season, sans toxins.
Oregon will be gaining an eco-convenience store according to Sustainable is Good. No word yet if they’ll be selling the Lobo – Greatest Hits CD for $1.99.
And finally, here is a Bill Maher clip which is worth 3:34 of your time.
Wal-Mart’s legal council has been warned by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection regarding repeated improper labeling of non-organic foods as “Wal-Mart Organics”. The driving force behind the complaints appears to be governmental and corporate organic industry watchdog The Cornucopia Institute, who had filed complaints with Wisconsin regulators and the USDA. The complaints allege fraudulent labeling incidences in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin.
I asked Jamie Arms, Spokeswoman for Wal-Mart Corporate Communications for a statement. Here are some significant excerpts (in the interest of fair reporting, I’ll post the statement in its entirety at the end of this article):
For additional convenience in helping our customers identify the organic item displayed alongside the conventional counterparts, organic signing can be found throughout our store. In many cases, customers may find a green organic shelf tag directly in front of the organic item to help identify that an organic alternative is available.
Okay, no problem there. A green organic shelf tag directly in front of an organic item doesn’t seem problematic.
Wal-Mart has more than 2,000 locations with organic food selections and many offer more than 200 organic items in addition to thousands of non-organic offerings. We realize it may simply be an execution signing issue should a green identifying tag/sign be inadvertently or mistakenly placed by or accidentally shift in front of the wrong item.
Here are photos from the shelves of Wal-Mart stores which show examples of what are described as perhaps being “mistakenly placed” tags, or tags that may have “accidentally shift(ed)”. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that given a choice, a majority of the public would prefer to ingest less pesticides. This is of course one reason for the growing popularity of the organic food market, but the reality is that access to organics remains somewhat limited to the consumer and the products generally wear a higher price tag.
Here’s something that may be useful. TheEnvironmental Working Group, a public interest watchdog, has released a list of 43 popular fruits and vegetables ranked by pesticide load. Read the rest of this entry »
HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? NOT LAZY ENOUGH! Get off your feet; it’s time for another edition of Lazy Weekend.
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Human Science Project and Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Carribean inspiration Keith Richards is said to have switched to organic…vodka. The idea to indulge in pesticide-free liver destruction came as a result of encouragement from Jo Woods, wife of fellow Rolling Stone axe wielder Ron Wood.
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It’s time for the staff at Lazy Weekend to break out the blogging stick while you assume the lazy position. Here goes.
1. Just for argument’s sake, let’s say that you own the world’s largest laundromat, with 153 washers, 148 dryers and 15 flat screen televisions. Where do you go from there? You go solar.
2. Just for argument’s sake, let’s say that you don’t actually own the world’s largest laundromat, yet you’re still wanting to scratch that solar itch in your own home but the up-front money isn’t in your pocket (this of course would not have been an issue if you’d only had the foresight to build the world’s largest laundromat, but I digress). This may be the solution.
3. Buying a home is in your future. Interested in one that’s green? Look here and here.
4. Hey San Francisco – Organic wine! Organic food! Environmentally friendly! On your marks, get set, go!
5. And finally, the staff at Lazy Weekend have said it before and we’ll say it again. If a river contains chemicals that actually change the sex of the fish that swim in it, that’s not good. In fact, we’ll go out on a limb and say it’s bad.