FDA to Reconsider Plastic Bottle Risk

What are they thinking????



"WEEKS after its own advisory board accused the Food and Drug Administration of failing to adequately consider research about the dangers of bisphenol-A, found in many plastic baby bottles, plastic food containers and metal can linings, the agency has agreed to reconsider the issue.

The F.D.A.’s draft risk assessment in August, finding the chemical safe as it is now used, stood out against a tide of recent scientific opinion. The National Toxicology Program, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, has said there was reason to be concerned that BPA, as the chemical is called, could harm the brain, behavior and the prostate gland in fetuses, infants and children. Canada added the chemical to its list of toxic substances this year and has said it will ban BPA from polycarbonate baby bottles.

In September, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that adults with high levels of BPA in their urine were more prone to heart and liver disease and diabetes."

For more on the article see EWG link below:

NYT: F.D.A. to Reconsider Plastic Bottle Risk | Environmental Working Group

California To Residents: Don't Flush Your Meds Into Our Rivers

The state of California has a warning for its 36 million residents: Do not flush pharmaceuticals down the toilet or drain, or they may end up in a river near you.

Or, it turns out, even in the drinking water.

State and local officials are teaming with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a "No Drugs Down the Drain Week," starting with events Oct. 2. The program recommends that drugs be dropped at special collection sites or tossed in the trash.

California To Residents: Don't Flush Your Meds Into Our Rivers

Organic food to be cheaper than other produce - Telegraph

This is exciting, I would love to see the prices of organic food drop! Organic food to be cheaper than other produce - Telegraph

Picking strawberries at the farm

Right now, strawberries are a win-win fruit. They're in season, they're bursting with sweetness, and they're low-cal. One way to jump-start eating healthier and more pleasurably, while burning fewer fossil fuels: Pick your own. Buying from a local farm eliminates the carbon costs totted up in "food miles," the distance food is trucked or flown from farm to plate. Locally grown produce travels an average 56 miles from farm to institutional markets, while conventional produce travels an average 1,454 miles, or almost 27 times as far, according to a study by the Iowa State University Leopold Institute for Sustainable Agriculture. When you go to the farm, you're getting the fruit at its freshest; while it's true that you've travelled, and not the food, well...you've still supported a local farmer, which strengthens the local food system.

Another reason: Strawberries are among the most pesticided crops, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG); in their 2003 produce study, 90% of strawberries tested had residues of 36 different pesticides, including nervous-system-damaging organophosphates. EWG advises that, particularly if you have young children, you choose organic rather than conventional strawberries.

The same would go for picking, of course; you wouldn't want your kids exposed to pesticides in the strawberry rows. If you can't find a certified organic local grower, ask the farmer if they avoid or reduce pesticides. Some may be in transitional organic mode, others may practice integrated pest management (IPM), which uses pesticides only as a last resort. To find farms nearest you, go to PickYourOwn.org, and look for the word ORGANIC next to the names.

If you've got children, whether they're toddlers or teenagers, picking strawberries is a great activity for family bonding and burning off steam. Pick bushels, make shortcake and pies, and start putting up preserves.

Picking strawberries at the farm — Plenty Magazine

Things You Should Never buy

I'm always finding ways to be more "green" in my daily life. When I see Styrofoam take-away containers at food-joints, it just irks me.

Here's a great list of eco-sin items that we all should never buy.

Things You Should Never buy - Greenopolis.com