Food Matters. Perhaps the Most Important Eco-Step of All

Those of you who have been following my blog know that I am quite passionate about a few things--especially when it comes to our health, well-being and taking steps to do better, feel better, be healthier, etc.   I recently came across this video and I think that most of the latest books about food and how we eat are really making the point that "Food Matters."  What we eat matters.  It matters to animals, to the air we breathe, to the soil our food is grown in, and ultimately to our own health and the survival of our species.  Throw in a bunch of cliches or sayings like "You are what you eat," or "Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," and you get the point.  Take 3 minutes and check out this trailer.  I hope it gets you thinking.



There needs to be a great turning in our society-- a turning away from drugs and "magic pills" that artificially "fix" our health woes.  We need to be turning toward the root cause-- how we got to this point of sickness and disease in the first place, and start taking steps to reverse it.   We need to stop just accepting the poisons and toxins that come in brightly colored boxes on our supermarket shelves and start taking action to get better! 

For more information, you can find many resources here.

On that note, I will be exploring this topic further--perhaps in a new blog (still deciding on that).  And to reiterate one of my most favorite sayings:

“Never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”-- Margaret Mead

From Zen Habits: Simple Productivity-- Cutting the Cord To Materialism

Borrowed from Zen Habits with full credit to Leo Babauta.

How do you want to spend your life?

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from David Damron of The Minimalist Path.

Let’s start with an exercise …
1. Grab a small sheet of paper and a pen or pencil.
2. After you read the following question, please take 5 deep breaths before answering.
3. Write your response to the up-coming question on your piece of paper in one sentence.
Here is your question to answer:
If you had the opportunity to do one activity for one week without any worry about finances, cost, or other outside commitments, what would you love to do for this week?
I hope you answered that question on the piece of paper. If not, please finish following the original instructions and then continue reading.

Cruise Ship Environmental Report Card | Friends of the Earth

Cruise Ship Environmental Report Card | Friends of the Earth

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Millions of Americans take cruise vacations every year. Yet, most travelers don’t realize that taking a cruise is more harmful to the environment and human health than many other forms of travel. The 2010 Cruise Ship Report Card lets vacationers decide which cruise to take based on a cruise ship or cruise line’s environmental and human health impacts.

Phosphate Levels in Soda Speed Up the Aging Process

Phosphate Levels in Soda Speed Up the Aging Process

4/27/2010 2:51:34 PM

by Susan Melgren, Editorial Assistant

Tags: natural health, soda, phosphates, high fructose corn syrup, drinks

Despite my efforts to eat healthier in the past year, I have been loath to give up soda (or, as I call it, the “nectar of the gods”). I know that sweet, caffeinated goodness is laced with mercury-tainted high fructose corn syrup and acid that erodes my teeth, but I can’t quite bring myself to quit drinking it completely—and soda’s prevalence in our society isn’t helping me out any.

Why Does a Salad Cost More Than a Big Mac?

That's a good question, and the answer is simple: Subsidies.  But before I get into that, I must confess that I dined out at restaurants twice this past weekend.  It was Mother's Day weekend, and I guess I felt a little "entitled" to a couple of meals out.  A little beside the point of the title of this post, but still important because at least a portion of the conversation over both meals was about what's wrong with our nation's approach to food and why so many of us are literally addicted to fast food. 

Annual Mail Carrier Food Drive Saturday, May 8th

Annual mail carrier food drive Saturday

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Last Update: 3:45 pm

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U.S. Postal Service carrier Ron Comly carries parcel packages to a home while delivering mail along his postal route December 17, 2003 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Thomas Cain, Getty Images) 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The annual Stamp Out Hunger drive by the nation's mail carriers will be held Saturday.

Letter carriers collect nonperishable food donations from the public as they walk their routes, and the items are donated to local food banks.

Last year the collection totaled a record 73.4 million pounds of food, according to the National Association of Letter Carriers and the U.S. Postal Service.

The collections started 18 years ago and have brought in more than 980 million pounds of food in that time.
People who want to donate are asked to leave items such as canned goods and packaged pasta near their mailboxes on Saturday.

Another Good Reason to Step On Outta Those Hose!

Be nice to the planet and ditch those panty hose. Nylons are made out of petroleum.  Yep.   Even if you've ditched your gas-guzzling SUV and are now driving a hybrid or biking to work... you can still do just a little more to help the planet.  Here are some other things that are made out of petroleum.  You may be surprised...

Chewing gum:  It lasts as long as it does for a reason—just about all brands on store shelves today use petroleum-based polymers. According to my friends at Planet Green, Goodyear, the tire and rubber company, supplies Wrigley's with much of its gum base. Yummy!   

More from Planet Green: 

• Hair dye: As if the toxic chemicals in hair dye weren't enough reason to avoid coloring your hair. Try finding more natural alternatives, or just go au naturale.

• Asphalt : Also known as bitumen, the material used to resurface roads (as well as in roofing materials) is an oil-based hydrocarbon. Meaning—if you noticed that road construction slowed down in your area at all in the last year, rising oil costs may well have been the reason. 

   Crayons: The main ingredient is paraffin wax, a petroleum product also used in most candles.

  Ink: Ever wonder why so many companies with an eco-conscience tout their use of soy-based ink?

  Pantyhose: ...and all other nylon products. All petroleum-based.
  

  And there's more...

  Heart Valves. Pillows. Aspirin. Ammonia. Toothpaste. Toothbrushes. Guitar strings. Shoe polish. Tape. Rubbing Alcohol. Vitamin capsules. Solvents. Caulking. Insecticides. Deodorant. Glue.
  The wax layer of the packaging your frozen food comes in. (And, of course, the fertilizers that farmers used to grow much of that food.)
  
  Given the ubiquity of oil, it's not an easy thing to get away from, no matter how much bike-riding and food-growing we do for ourselves. (Though both of things are a great start—keep 'em up!) But, like other addictions, we got ourselves hooked, and with serious effort and dedication, we can get ourselves unhooked.

OBESITY CONSPIRACY: The U.S. Government Scandal that's Really Making You Fat

Had to post this...

Posted by Dr. Mercola | May 04 2010 | 44,101 views

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A decade ago, an American woman's waist, on average, was close to two inches smaller than. Eighteen year olds are 15 pounds heavier than they were in the 1970s.
One reason is federal subsidies for food production. Take a look at these numbers:

• Meat/Dairy -- 73.8 percent
• Grains -- 13.2 percent
• Sugar/Oil/Starch/Alcohol -- 10.7 percent
• Nuts/Legumes -- 1.9 percent
• Vegetables/Fruits -- 0.4 percent

That’s right – just 1.9 percent for nuts and legumes and 0.4 percent for fruits and vegetables. As a result, a salad often costs you more than a Big Mac.