Clipmarks | Pesticide Clips

Eat Organic - But Not For Better Nutrition

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:09:09 GMT

clipped by: Allison Van Dusen
clipper's remarks: Go ahead and buy that organic apple if you want. Just don't think you're getting more nutrients out of it than an apple grown with the aid of pesticides. According to a new study by researchers out of the University of Copenhagen organic foods aren't any more nutritious. That may come as a surprise to shoppers worldwide who have grown the organic food and beverage market into a multi-billion dollar industry.
Of course, if it's pesticides you're trying to avoid, organic food is the smart way to go. For help determining which foods tend to carry the highest pesticide loads and are your best bets for buying in the organic version, check out the Environmental Working Group's wallet friendly food list: http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

Study: Organic food not more nutritional

However, one possible spanner in the works for the organic sector could be the results of a new study by the University of Copenhagen which revealed that organic foods contained no more nutrients than non-organic foods grown with the use of pesticides.

Researchers studied five different crops -- carrots, kale, mature peas, apples and potatoes -- which were cultivated both organically (without pesticides) and conventionally (with the use of pesticides) and found that there was no higher level of trace elements in the food grown organically.

Study leader Dr Susanne Bügel said: "No systematic differences between cultivation systems representing organic and conventional production methods were found across the five crops so the study does not support the belief that organically grown foodstuffs generally contain more major and trace elements than conventionally grown foodstuffs."

EPA Protecting Pesticides Not Bees

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:16:12 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: More politics warping science; suing for information? Why do we not have a public debate? Like a Democracy?

Clip Source: www.commondreams.org

Lawsuit Seeks EPA Pesticide Data

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is refusing to disclose records about a new class of pesticides that could be playing a role in the disappearance of millions of honeybees in the United States, a lawsuit filed Monday charges.

The Natural Resources Defense Council wants to see the studies that the EPA required when it approved a pesticide made by Bayer CropScience five years ago.

The environmental group filed the suit as part of an effort to find out how diligently the EPA is protecting honeybees from dangerous pesticides, said Aaron Colangelo, a lawyer for the group in Washington.

In the last two years, beekeepers have reported unexplained losses of hives - 30 percent and upward - leading to a phenomenon called colony collapse disorder. Scientists believe that the decline in bees is linked to an onslaught of pesticides, mites, parasites and viruses, as well as a loss of habitat and food.

Chile peppers' spice is a built-in pesticide

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:40:08 GMT

clipped by: Kelika

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

If you like your chile peppers hot, thank a fungus.

The spicy fruits developed their kick to ward off invading pathogens bent on destroying chile seeds before they could grow into new plants, according to a study published Tuesday. The bigger the threat from microbial invaders, the more pungent the pepper.

Chiles are native to South America, where heat and humidity nurture the toxic fungus Fusarium semitectum. The fungus enters chiles through puncture holes made by hungry insects.

Chile peppers responded by growing built-in pesticides -- capsaicinoids, the chemical compounds that give chiles their distinctive zesty taste.

Those antifungal properties may have been the reason why people first domesticated chiles more than 6,000 years ago, said Paul W. Sherman, a professor of neurobiology and behavior at Cornell University who has studied the use of spices. Without refrigeration, ancient cooks would have needed a way to keep microbes from spoiling fresh food.

Tags: spice, food

Buy Organic

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 18:02:53 GMT

clipped by: sunny1
clipper's remarks: Mercola - Food Pesticide content

Clip Source: articles.mercola.com

Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories tested, these 12 fruits and vegetables had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy or grow organic:

Peaches
Apples
Sweet bell peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Lettuce
Grapes (imported)
Pears
Spinach
Potatoes

Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories in the Guide to Pesticides, the following twelve foods had the lowest pesticide load when conventionally grown. Consequently, they are the safest conventionally grown crops to consume:

Broccoli
Eggplant
Cabbage
Banana
Kiwi
Asparagus
Sweet peas (frozen)
Mango
Pineapple
Sweet corn (frozen)
Avocado
Onion

Tags: health, information

Natural and Organic

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:50:35 GMT

clipped by: alfonso49

Clip Source: www.legalzoom.com

Natural and Organic Foods

People are concerned about how manufacturing affects the environment, and many worry about potentially harmful chemicals in common household items, including clothing. Eco-fashions made from organic dye and pesticide-free fibers (think cotton), as well as those made form sustainable fibers like soy silk and bamboo, are catching on. Even famous designers are cashing in. Maybe you can too.

Organic Clothing and Accessories

Eco-fashions made from organic and dye and pesticide free fibers (think cotton), and sustainable fibers like soy silk and bamboo fiber are catching on. Even famous designers are cashing in.

The Green Guide- green living

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 22:14:12 GMT

clipped by: tidbit2
clipper's remarks: interesting guide from the national geo

Clip Source: www.thegreenguide.com

Quicklinks

The Green Guide Blogs

Days 13, 14 and 15: The Bay Area and Lake Tahoe

in Two Green Girls on the Road

Good food, good clothes and staying under budget.

More Green Bloggers

Amy's Green Kitchen: Salsa Verde

The Ecopolitan: Transforming malls into lively downtowns

Green with Children: Food Fight

Staff Blog: One less pesticide in our food

Home Green Home: Green Budget Blower

Fresh Finds: Making Use of Ocean Trash

The Green Guide Summer 2008

Price: $4.95

Inside This Issue | Subscribe Now | Give a Gift | Buy Issue

How Green Pavement Fills the Water Cycle

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:15:27 GMT

clipped by: Moonowler

Clip Source: science.howstuffworks.com

During heavy storms, you can see and even hear floods of water rushing into that sewer, taking everything in its path. We call this runoff. Runoff not only contributes to flooding and erosion; it also plays a part in the contamination of our water supply.

Runoff occurs because traditional pavement is nonporous -- meaning it doesn't allow rainwater to settle back into the ground. Green pavement, a relatively new concept in green building, is a permeable and porous pavement (try saying that three times fast) that absorbs rainwater instead of repelling it. It allows water to return to the ground, which means the water doesn't wash into the sewer, along with oil, gas and pesticide residue.

Green pavement is a viable alternative for footpaths, driveways and parking lots, and one day it could revolutionize highway systems.

Tags: water, roads

אורגני-הדברה

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:26:28 GMT

clipped by: tali4444

Clip Source: www.sea-med.com

BYE BYE BUG

NATURAL PESTICIDE PRODUCT DATA SHEET:

Buzzzzzzz Kill

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:40:07 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: "Something is killing the bees, though. Some scientists suspect a virus; others mites, even cellphones. (Bees are not known to use phones, though, having their own communications system -- a dance called the "waggle.")

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

It's likely that most people have never heard of Gaucho. And no, it's not a South American cowboy. I'm talking about a pesticide.

There is increasing reason to believe that Gaucho and other members of a family of highly toxic chemicals -- neonicotinoids -- may be responsible for the deaths of billions of honeybees worldwide

So why did the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2002 grant an "emergency" exemption allowing increased use of Gaucho -- typically invoked during a major infestation --

Therein lies a tale

Most pesticides, we're told, are safe.

In 2006, Gaucho sales topped $746 million.

No independent government testing is required before a pesticide is registered for use.

"Man's attitude toward nature is today critically important simply because we now have acquired a fateful power to alter and destroy nature. But man is part of nature, and his war is inevitably a war against himself."

march 22

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:31:49 GMT

clipped by: rachaelkeriwilliams
clipper's remarks: world water day. charity & day of thanks.

Clip Source: www.globalgreen.org

Water

Like so many environmental programs, including our own parent organization Green Cross International, World Water Day owes its origin to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992. The United Nations General Assembly designated 22 March of each year as the World Day for Water.

About Water

Here in the United States, threats to our water supplies are exacerbated by urban and agricultural runoff, pesticide and toxic pollution, clearcutting of forests, and by overconsumption of aquifers, rivers and streams.

Recent federal proposals to relax Clean Water standards, including allowing increases of mercury pollution from power plants while reducing funding to domestic and international water conservation and pollution-prevention measures are only exacerbating the problem at home and abroad.

Toxin Vs. toxic

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:16:29 GMT

clipped by: pudtheduck

Clip Source: www.sciencenews.org

Toxins are poisons made by biological organisms — as in bee venom, snake venom, the damoic acid produced by some harmful algal blooms, or the blistering agents released by some insects. They are never a synthetic chemical, such as a pesticide, combustion byproduct, or flame retardant. They are never a natural inorganic chemical or element, such as lead, arsenic, or asbestos.

Tags: semantics, science, scientific semantics

battery powered eco-terrorist

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:53:51 GMT

clipped by: zadoz
clipper's remarks: dow bought union carbide , and not liable....?

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Decades Later, Toxic Sludge Torments Bhopal

BHOPAL, India — Hundreds of tons of waste still languish inside a tin-roofed warehouse in a corner of the old grounds of the Union Carbide pesticide factory here, nearly a quarter-century after a poison gas leak killed thousands and turned this ancient city into a notorious symbol of industrial disaster.

It was here that on Dec. 3, 1984, a tank inside the factory released 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas, killing those who inhaled it while they slept. At the time, it was called the world’s worst industrial accident. At least 3,000 people were killed immediately. Thousands more may have died later from the aftereffects, though the exact death toll remains unclear.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

“There are more children like this in the neighborhood,” she said, “who cannot walk, who cannot see.”

To compound the tragedy, there is no way to know to what extent the water is to blame. The government suspended long-term public health studies many years ago.

Tags: bhopal

Much of the Food We Eat Contains Pesticide Residues Part 8

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:48:35 GMT

clipped by: SenorCoconut

Clip Source: www.newint.org

W is for Water
Pesticides inevitably leach into the environment and can poison rivers, streams and even groundwater. The tap water of more than a million Californians, mostly in the Central Valley, is contaminated with a banned pesticide that is also a potent carcinogen. The contamination is 300 times the 'safe' dose for infants and children. 3, plus carbofuran, 2-4D, 1,2,DCP, diquat, glyphosate, pentachlorophenol, terbuthylazine

x (GM food)
Genetically modified (GM) food is promoted as a way to decrease pesticide use. Many GM crops have been genetically modified to resist pests - so when an insect takes a bite of a leaf or flower it also gets a bite of poison from the plant itself. Unfortunately this applies to anything that samples the plant. Some insects develop resistance, becoming 'superbugs' which have to be destroyed by new and stronger pesticides.

Y is for Yam
Yams come mainly from countries with few controls over pesticide use.

Z is for Zucchini

Tags: food, pesticides

Much of the Food We Eat Contains Pesticide Residues Part 7

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:45:05 GMT

clipped by: SenorCoconut

Clip Source: www.newint.org

Under-standing
As with GM food, information and labelling is important to help consumers choose what they want. Washing, scrubbing and peeling food can also help reduce some pesticide residues.

V is for Vegetables
Pesticides are used at many stages in the life of a fruit or vegetable. Some are used on seeds, others to kill pests while the vegetable is growing and different ones again post-harvest. Some pesticides are used simply to ensure that a vegetable looks good for the supermarket shelf. And because we want to eat food out of season, pesticides are used in the transport and preservation of vegetables to avoid insect or fungus attack.

Much of the Food We Eat Contains Pesticide Residues Part 6

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:39:42 GMT

clipped by: SenorCoconut

Clip Source: www.newint.org

R is for Rice
In the major rice-producing countries rice commonly accounts for 25 to 50 per cent of pesticide use. Asian rice-producers consume 13 per cent of global pesticides. Many of the pesticides used on rice are extremely or highly hazardous. And only a small proportion of those who spray the chemicals wear protective clothing. A recent survey in the Philippines indicated a high frequency of eye, skin and respiratory disorders among rice farmers.

S is for Soyabean
75 per cent of all herbicides used in the US are sprayed on corn and soyabeans. The soyabean has been at the centre of the debate on genetically modified (GM) food. Soyabeans are found in 60 per cent of our processed food from margarine to tofu.

T is for Tomato
Fifty-three countries export tomatoes. In 1993, 10,223 cases of serious pesticide poisoning were registered in Brazil's Northeast where tomatoes are one of the main crops. Tomatoes were one of the first vegetables to be genetically modified.

Tags: food, pesticides

Clipmarks | Pesticide Clips

Eat Organic - But Not For Better Nutrition

Study: Organic food not more nutritional

EPA Protecting Pesticides Not Bees

Lawsuit Seeks EPA Pesticide Data

Chile peppers' spice is a built-in pesticide

Buy Organic

Natural and Organic

The Green Guide- green living

Quicklinks

The Green Guide Blogs

Days 13, 14 and 15: The Bay Area and Lake Tahoe

More Green Bloggers

The Green Guide Summer 2008

The Green Guide To Go

How Green Pavement Fills the Water Cycle

אורגני-הדברה

BYE BYE BUG

Buzzzzzzz Kill

march 22

Water

About Water

Take Action

Toxin Vs. toxic

battery powered eco-terrorist

Much of the Food We Eat Contains Pesticide Residues Part 8

Much of the Food We Eat Contains Pesticide Residues Part 7

Much of the Food We Eat Contains Pesticide Residues Part 6