November 2006

by Michael Abelman

Not long ago lettuce came only in heads and spinach in bunches. For a salad, someone else might do the growing, but you still did the trimming and washing. You had some control -- and responsibility -- over the process. Now salad comes prewashed and bagged. You just pour it on a plate, dress it, put it in your mouth and chew.

This convenience adds risk. You give one more job over to someone somewhere else, trusting that they are concerned as much about product quality and your health as about the bottom line on the quarterly report.

June 2006

by Kevin J. Anderson

There's a new community group in town, OUT-GMOs (Olympian's United for Truth about Genetically Modified Organisms) that's working to spread awareness of the health and environmental dangers of GMOs. We're launching a free monthly movie/ conversation series this month, starting with the film Unnatural Selection. Catch it on June 9th at 7:00 PM at Traditions Café downtown. Please join us and our efforts!

March 2006

by Abid Aslam

Water, water everywhere and we are duped into buying it bottled.

Consumers spend a collective $100 billion every year on bottled water in the belief--often mistaken, as it happens--that this is better for us than what flows from our taps, according to environmental think tank the Earth Policy Institute (EPI).

For a fraction of that sum, everyone on the planet could have safe drinking water and proper sanitation, the Washington, D.C.-based organization said this week.