This is unacceptable to many people – including these nine survivors. Twenty-nine-year-old Achmat Hassiem was attacked during practice for his lifeguard duties – but even though he lost his foot, he hopes to save sharks. Australian navy diver Paul de Gelder, who lost his right hand and lower leg to a shark, agrees. “Regardless of what an animal does according to its basic instincts of survival, it has its place in our world.” (See news story here)

Peter Benchley, the author of the novel Jaws,belatedly realized this and later in life became a protector of sharks, campaigning to educate people about them. An annual award is given in his name by the Shark Research Institute to the person or group that makes outstanding contributions to shark conservation.

What can you do to help? Don’t order shark fin soup.

*This story is also found on the Examiner.com

Some Massachusetts doctors are taking active steps to do just that. Realizing that low-income children are especially at risk, they are helping them adopt a healthier diet by advising patients to buy “prescription produce” at local farmers’ markets–and even giving them coupons to help them pay for it. Check out the article here.

Since obesity costs this country $14 billion in treating health problems in children, and $147 billion in adults, this seems like a sensible preventive effort. In fact, 36 states have programs to encourage women and young children to benefit from the healthful produce available at farmers’ markets. Luckily, in the US there are over 6,000 farmers’ markets, with annual sales of over $1billion, and more are opening all the time.

School lunch programs are also becoming healthier – and so is the connection between farm and table. A program called Farm to School (which has branches in all 50 states) helps schools link lessons and contacts with their local farmers. In our area, Marin, Berkeley, Hayward and San Rafael have schools that participate in Farm to School.

The beauty of the program is that it does not require a large initial commitment—a school can start by just adding one item, such as local apples, to its offerings. That’s how Dover-Eyota schools got started, and now it’s adding other locally grown foods. Check out the article, “Minnesota Schools “Digging” Their Local Farms This Week.” Carrie Frank, nutrition director for the district, says, “This excites me – the opportunity to buy local, to buy the freshest. I’ve been in schools now for 17 years, and I don’t know when I’ve been more excited to be in the industry.  The students are quite proud of it. I hear comments like, ‘My mom grew this.’ Or one child said, ‘My grandfather and I picked this.’”

*Story also found on Examiner.com

In my opinion although these instant benefits seem wonderful and easy, the long run results may turn out detrimental to other fish as well as us. There are plenty of other fish in the ocean. We can cut back  on our consumption on salmon. Honestly I’d rather not eat salmon then eat anything genetically modified. To  tell the FDA you won’t eat GMO Salmon, please sign this petition by FoodDemocracyNow!!!! There are only 48 hours left to sign!

What are your concerns with this? What are your thoughts on GMO salmon?

Picture from Fastcompany.com

1. 3 grain Lentil burger with roasted Rosemary potatoes served with chipotle ketchup and “Mayo”.
2. Veggie Enchiladas with Black beans and seasonal veggies in a house-made enchilada sauce served with Spanish Rice.
3. Greek Moussaka: Layers of Eggplant, Zucchini, Tempeh, tomato, and onion baked in a creamy potato béchamel sauce.
4. Mushroom, and Carrot Sunchoke Risotto topped with crispy dried onion rings with a side salad.
5. Baked BBQ tofu in a tangy Barbecue sauce served with Quinoa pilaf and roasted Brussels Sprouts.
6. Tofu Roulade Stuffed with a Mushroom and Spinach Duxelle served with “Caesar” Salad.

*Story also found on Examiner.com

My suggestion is to try it out by starting with one product and see how you like it. Orange TKO Cleaner was a featured at the SF Green Festival this year. I have yet to try this one in particular, but it is an organic multi-cleaner where a little bit goes a long way. Let’s diffuse the myth that green products are weaker and make this planet more sustainable!!

We want to salute those members and encourage you in the fight against DeCoster’s facilities and their bad eggs distribution at other grocery stores! There are two things you can do to participate:

1. Sign the petition to tell other groceries to stop selling bad eggs and spread the word for others to do so as well.

2. Help fund Food Democracy Now!’s Bad Egg campaign to help pay for travel and signature deliveries at Costco, Walmart, and others’ big corporate headquarters.

But be aware — growing vegetables and fruit oneself is not a dainty exercise in plucking perfect beans and strawberries after an effortless season. If you are starting from scratch, you have to dig up a foot or more of soil that may be hard and clayey, then amend it (with organic compost, of course, and possibly other materials). Unless you order a truckload of the stuff and pay others to install it, you’ll be hauling forty-pound bags from driveway to garden plot. If your area is blessed with a multitude of gophers, you’ll also need to lay down hardware cloth (which is actually wire fencing with a very tight weave) and put the soil back down on top of it. Then there’s the small matter of creating a barrier to encourage deer in your neighborhood to dine elsewhere. Planting and weeding are less onerous, but you still might work up a sweat on warm days.

Not to mention a backache.

But that’s optional. At a class a few years ago, I learned from a young student of John Jeavons (author of How to Grow More Vegetables and a pioneer in biointensive farming to make small plots produce copious amounts of food) how to make smooth, stress-free movements WHILE gardening. Digging with a spade, for instance, can be done using balance and a rocking motion to minimize back strain.

But regular yoga can help if you do end up sore after a hard afternoon’s gardening. There are free yoga classes that can be found all over the Bay Area. For example, Lululemon Athletica in Walnut Creek offers a free yoga class in Civic Park every Sunday.

Article found on the Examiner.com.

Many companies are now greenwashing cosmetics by putting “organic” or “natural” on the label. BUT this doesn’t always mean that the product contains organic ingredients! Make sure your product has the USDA organic seal so you won’t be fooled by false advertisements of products.

There is something that you can do to fight back! Please check out the Coming Clean Campaign on ways that you can make a difference by preventing toxins in your beauty products any longer!

In 2001, the US Surgeon General called for action on obesity, yet things have just gotten worse – as of 2009, not a single state has an obesity rate lower than 15%. That means one person in seven is not just pudgy, not just overweight, but seriously, dangerously fat. There are many causes of obesity, but with respect to food, our understanding is growing that WHAT you eat, not just how much, is key. You could reduce your calorie intake, but if your calories are full of fats and salt and additives, and prepared by frying, you haven’t made as much progress as you might.

You’ve read it before, and here it is again: eating more fresh fruits and vegetables can help.  Luckily, this is part of the weight loss or maintenance plan that can be pleasurable. You don’t have to shovel down mounds of those same old green beans, when the earth has given us such a spectacular variety of foods to choose from.

In Berkeley, Monterey Market and Berkeley Bowl offer cornucopias of amazing colorful delicious fresh fruits and vegetables. Even your regular grocery store probably has more food diversity than you’ve realized. When in the produce aisles, look at the higher shelves or corners of the cooler that you ordinarily walk past without noticing. Jerusalem artichokes! Jicama! Tomatillos!

Tomatillos

I personally suspect that the chemical drenching inflicted by industrial agriculture on its crops may contribute to obesity, and I can’t wait for scientific studies on the matter. In the meantime, do yourself a favor and eat food with less processing, i.e., fresh.