The relatively new phenomena of nationwide pathogenic outbreaks, be they from salmonella or E. coli variants, are intimately tied to the fecal contamination of our food supply and the intermingling of millions of unhealthy animals. It’s one of the best kept secrets in the modern livestock industry.

From Mark Kastel and Will Fantle, codirectors of The Cornucopia Institute, a farm policy research group based in Cornucopia, Wisconsin.

http://www.cornucopia.org/2010/08/the-food-safety-shell-game/

While both dairies’ digesters are reducing one kind of pollution, greenhouse gases, they’re actually adding to another kind. http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2010/08/29/cow-power-not-cutting-it/

We had a good meeting at Warehouse on August 4 – great food and drinks and wonderful space – THANK YOU Richard and Ryan! The only drawback was that it was a bit difficult to hear those who needed to share information with us, and I apologize for that to Robert Pearce, who brought us up to speed on the Koppers/Cabot Superfund Site; Rick Nesbit, who told us about his run for Alachua County School Board (vote August 24!); Kevin Veach, who told us about his new business, Green Energy Options, which provides a comprehensive energy and efficiency audit and advice on cutting your carbon footprint; and Annie Pais, who told us about The Blue Path, now on exhibit at Florida Museum of Natural History. Thank you all and all others who shared your sustainability initiatives with those of us who are forging a green road to the future.

Next up, Green Drinks Gainesville will meet at The Original Pizza Palace, 604 NW 13 St., 6-8+ p.m. on Sept. 1.  Mike Amish of Indigo Green Store and the U.S. Green Building Council will share his experiences building shelters in Haiti with Barrels of Hope and Jacob Cravey of EarthGivers. Come see how they did it and who they were able to help with this innovative design!

Join us to share news about your own green projects and help us build a more sustainable community! Bring your friends, cards, brochures, fliers; wear a name tag!

See you there,
Trish*
–
Trish Riley
954-384-9466
Director: Cinema Verde: Gainesville’s Second Annual Environmental Film and Arts Festival
Publisher, www.GoGreenNation.org: Environmental news and resources to create a sustainable world
American Society of Journalists and Authors – Society of Environmental Journalists
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Living (Penguin/Alpha Books 2007)
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Greening Your Business (with Heather Gadonniex, Penguin/Alpha Books 2009)
Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and the Florida Keys (W.W. Norton/Countryman Press 2005, 2009)
The Explorer’s Guide to South Florida (with Sandra Friend, W.W. Norton/Countryman Press 2010)
www.trishriley.com
www.gogreengift.com
www.teddistails.com

Denise Robinette, owner of Healthy Living Interiors, designed this room and is helping me with the green renovation of my little cottage! Kudos, Denise!

“Merkiyah Jones can now breathe easier thanks to a Healthy-N-Green Bedroom Makeover.Jones, a fourth-grader at Watkins Elementary School in West Park, was treated to the makeover after she won the Asthma Awareness Day Poster Contest.

Denise Robinette, president of HealthyLiving Interiors, volunteered to do the project after she was approached by Adella Earle, the Broward school district’s coordinator for asthma improvement management.

“Everyone can benefit from good indoor air quality,” said Robinette, who enlisted the help of several donors and sponsors for the project.

Environmentally friendly products were donated, including a chemical-free mattress and dust mite covers for the bed, a year’s supply of hypoallergenic air filters, eco-friendly window treatments and a recycled desk worktop. The family also pitched in to help.

“They were a part of transforming their bedroom,” Robinette said. “The kids painted the furniture, and I tried to make it as fun as possible.”

via West Park girl gets room makeover after winning Asthma Awareness Day Poster Contest – Sun Sentinel.

Read more: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/08/18/1256040/cal-poly-to-end-organic-produce.html

The arthritic Bullwinkles got that way because of poor nutrition early in life, an extraordinary 50-year research project has discovered. That could mean, scientists say, that some people’s arthritis can be linked in part to nutritional deficits, in the womb and possibly throughout childhood.

via Moose Offer Trail of Clues on Arthritis – NYTimes.com.

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill still poses threats to human health and seafood safety, according to a study published Monday by the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association.

Federal officials disputed the new report and said ongoing testing is aggressive and sufficient to protect public health.

In the short term, study co-author Gina Solomon voiced greatest concern for shrimp, oysters, crabs and other invertebrates she says are have difficulty clearing their systems of dangerous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) similar to those found in cigarette smoke and soot. Solomon is an MD and public health expert in the department of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco.

via Study: Gulf oil spill still a threat to seafood safety – Gulf Oil Spill – MiamiHerald.com.

Household goods, beauty and grooming product supplier Procter and Gamble (P&G), announced on August 12 the launch of new environmentally friendly packaging for its Pantene Pro V, Covergirl and Max Factor Brands.

The new environmentally friendly packaging is made from sugarcane-derived plastic, which is a renewable source unlike traditional plastic which is made from non renewable petroleum. Sugarcane -derived plastics are 100% recyclable in existing recycling facilities.

The newly packaged products will be rolled out over the next two years with the first products expected to appear on the shelves in 2011.

The development and widespread implementation of environmentally friendly packaging such as sugarcane-derived plastics could help to reduce both oil consumption and the release of pollutants such as phthalates associated with plastic production.

via Environment Friendly packaging | Eco Friendly Products | Plastic Harmful Effects – Oneindia Living.

“The President’s Cancer Panel on Thursday reported that “the true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated” and strongly urged action to reduce people’s widespread exposure to carcinogens.

The panel advised President Obama ”to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.”

Environmental exposures “do not represent a new front in the ongoing war on cancer. However, the grievous harm from this group of carcinogens has not been addressed adequately by the National Cancer Program,” the panel said in its letter to Obama that precedes the report. “The American people – even before they are born – are bombarded continually with myriad combinations of these dangerous exposures.”

The panel, appointed by President Bush, told President Obama that the federal government is missing the chance to protect people from cancer by reducing their exposure to carcinogens. In its letter, the panel singled out bisphenol A, a chemical used in polycarbonate plastic and can linings that is unregulated in the United States, as well as radon, formaldehyde and benzene.”

Read the report by By Marla Cone, Editor in Chief, Environmental Health News: President’s Cancer Panel: Environmentally caused cancers are ‘grossly underestimated’ and ‘needlessly devastate American lives.’ — Environmental Health News.