Scott's Miracle Gro Products Recalled

Scott's Miracle Gro had the audacity to sell pesticides and chemical fertilizers to consumers without registering the products with the EPA. This has happened in both Ohio and New York.

Scott's Miracle Gro used fake registered numbers in its labeling and distributed its products to the residents of Ohio and New York. Now the Environmental Protection Agency has stepped in and ordered a national "stop sale, use or removal" order against Scotts and three affiliates for illegal, unregistered and misbranded products.

New York:
Shake 'N Feed All Purpose Plant Food Plus Weed Preventer
SLS Halts Pro 22-0-8
SLS Halts Pro 14-2-5
SLS Halts Pro 0-0-7

Ohio:
62355-4 (garden weed prevention products)
538-304 (SLS fertilizer),

If you think you have this product please store the product in a cool, dry place such as a garage or utility shed and contact Scotts or your retail outlet. Consumers who have the unregistered pesticides should contact Scotts or their local retailer outlet.

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Food Crisis to Get Worse

The food crisis is spreading around the world, and it is being caused by rising food prices, declining outputs, decreased resources for agriculture, and biofuels. The crisis is affecting third world countries the hardest, including many women and children.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization fears that the crisis will get much worse before if gets any better.

Ann Veneman, executive director of the U.N. children's agency UNICEF, warns that rising prices "will most affect the most vulnerable, including people depending on humanitarian assistance, orphans, those affected by HIV/AIDS, refugees and poor urban families."

(-ipsnews.net)

Related Articles:

Looming World Food Crisis

Biofuels Do More Harm Than Good

Meat Is Bad For the Environment, Part:I

Livestock: Major Contribution to Climate Change

Organic Food Prices On Rise

The Food and Agriculture Organization says that food prices have gone up 83% in the last three years. Rice prices alone have gone up 141% since January of this year alone! The impact of higher food prices ultimately means that more impoverished people will suffer from malnutrition and could starve.

Here in the states, I was watching the CNN and couldn't help but notice that they kept flashing "STOCK UP", on the screen and basically perpetuating a growing food problem. Even though it is true that Sam's Club and Costco are rationing rice to 4 bags of 20 lbs each, friends that work at Costco tell me that as soon as the rice shipments get stocked that its all gone an hour later.

The food crisis in the United States may be a false scare to drive the prices of commodities up, thereby creating record profits for investors in the commodities market. The expense of these profits is the rest of the world suffering from higher food prices.

Localization of food is the only solution to a crisis in any country. Supporting local farms and purchasing produce and food from farmers markets is a great way to support your local community and to support your local farmers. If you live in a house and have a backyard, I strongly urge you to plant a vegetable garden for your home consumption. You can learn techniques on how to store your own food and partially rely on yourself for food. Check out this book: Perennial Vegetables to learn more about easy to grow vegetables. Good luck.

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Dangers of Bisphenol A

A great article over at HappyHealthLongLife.com, is warning people about the dangers of Bisphenol A and how to reduce your exposure. A quick look over at wikipedia says that BPA is an endocrine disruptor which means it acts as a hormone disruptor.

"The compound, bisphenol A (BPA), has been linked to breast and prostate cancer, behavioral disorders and reproductive health problems in laboratory animals." (-Washington Post)

Earlier this month Canada banned the use of BPA in baby bottles due to the health concerns. "Some fear the compound could leach into the liquids we drink from certain plastic containers." (-Washington Post)

Related Articles:

Toxic Algae Blooms Killing Sea Lions

Soda Ingredients Linked to Cancer

Tainted Poultry: Entered Food Supply

Aspartame: Safety Issues?

Chicken Feed Additive: Health Risk

DDT found in Penguins

A draft report from the National Institute of Health linked health concerns with BPA. California, Maryland, and eight other states are in the works to creating their own restrictions for BPA.

"As evidence mounts about the risks of using BPA in baby bottles and other products, some experts and industry critics contend that chemical manufacturers have exerted influence over federal regulators to keep a possibly unsafe product on the market."(-Washington Post)

This is yet another example of how our government is ruled by corporate interests rather than the public interest. If the precautionary principal is not employed with BPA, the United States will only perpetuate its image as Bought and Paid For by Corporations.

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Ontario Bans Lawn and Garden Pesticides

Canada has proven once again that it is way ahead of the rest of world with its progressive government. Ontario has banned the use and sale of lawn and garden pesticides for homeowners. Quebec instituted a similar ban on 20 some pesticide products back in 2006.

The new ban is set to take effect by spring of 2009. Home Depot has already agreed to stop selling the pesticides by the end of 2008! This is a huge victory for anti-toxic supporters all over the continent. If only someone in the United States government could take such affirmative action we could all be spared. Ontario will basically phase out some 80 different chemicals and over 300 products that contain them.

Related Articles:

Dangers of Bispenol

Pesticides Reducing Crop Yields by as much as 1/3

DDT found in Penguins

Children will be able to play in the grass freely without ever being exposed to harmful chemicals which could lead to a variety of health problems later in life.

Of course the pesticide industry felt like the move was too drastic without relying on science to prove which pesticides were okay to use and which ones were not. However, the Premier of Ontario stated that no studies could ever determine the outcome of chronic exposure to various different products containing chemicals at once. It is simply the unknown reactions to multiple chemical exposures where the true risk is. Bravo Canada for adhering to the precautionary principal!

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Latest Research Shows Pollution Contributing to Colony Collapse Disorder

Honeybees are still disappearing! I have written on the topic several times before when the issue first starting appearing. Apparently the problem is still persisting and corporations that stand to lose money from the loss of the honeybees are trying to raise awareness about the problem.

Here's what we know:

Bees are responsible for pollinating one-third of the food we eat.

Honeybees have been abandoning their hives, never to return.

Universities in California and Pennsylvania are researching this serious issue called colony collapse disorder.

Häagen-Dazs has produced this video to create awareness and is funding research into the issue.



A recent article on Flowers Losing Their Scent suggests that due to pollution, flowers scent molecules no longer travel as far as they use to. Air pollution is literally killing the scent trail that pollinators like honeybees use to track down flowers. While it is too difficult to say whether this is the sole cause of colony collapse disorder, it certainly may be a contributing factor because researchers at the University of Virginia are confident they have shown that pollutants are killing the scent trail.

Previous links about Colony Collapse Disorder:

Colony Collaps Disorder: Honeybees Are Dying!

Honeybees Are Still Disappearing: 1/3 of the Nation's Food at Stake

Clothianidin: a neonicotinoid pesticide highly toxic to Honeybees and other pollinators

Imidacloprid: Another possible link to Colony Collapse Disorder, Bayer Corporation is a possible culprit

Millions of missing bees in Taiwan

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Green Games Bundle for Iphone and Ipod Touch

iGiki is releasing a new games bundle called Go Green. It is an artful mix of entertainment and social conscience. The bundle comes with over 40 games and software to create your own games and more. The best part about this new bundle is that it is packaged in recycled material and raw materials that originate from good forestry practices (that means no clear cutting).

Part of the proceeds from this games bundle will also go to the purchase of carbon offsets to help environmental organizations green the Earth.

So if you are looking for new Games Bundles for Apple iPhone and iPod touch...consider making the green choice by following the link. The bundle will be released on April 29th. Enjoy =)

The Corporatization of the Green Industry

In recent years, independent media as well as mass media and the Internet have all played key roles in raising awareness about climate change. Now, scientists from around the world have all reached a consensus that climate change is real and is most likely caused by human created greenhouse gases.

Since Al Gore's documentary film "An Inconvenient Truth," many people have decided to take action in their personal lives to help alleviate some of the problems that contribute to climate change. Progressive cities around the country and around the world have taken leadership roles to promote their commitment to sustainability to tackle climate change.

This ever "greening" world has most definitely spurred an interest in an emerging 'green' market. Consumers are buying non-toxic or natural cleaners, they are purchasing toilet paper made from 100% recycled material, they are buying hybrids, and organic food. An entire shift in consciousness has been made to a growing percentage of citizens that notice the importance of environmental awareness.

Almost as if the corporate world wouldn't notice, so called 'green' products and services have poured into the market to meet a growing demand of green consumers. Some of the products that have long been on the shelves of local health food stores, have now been making their way into corporate grocery stores like Safeway. In recent months, a competitive market has begun to emerge with a variety of green products seen down Safeway supermarket shopping aisles.

Safeway's own Organic brand has even been slowly creeping next to the once traditional food brands we've all grown up to recognize. People take comfort in knowing that the food they eat is organic. The trend is very clear, people want to help the planet and also help themselves by purchasing the least toxic cleaners, and the healthiest food for their bodies.

Corporations like Clorox have capitalized on the green industry by introducing a brand called Green Works. It is 99% natural, and is basically competing with already established green companies like Seventh Generation. The fact that a major cleaning brand such as Clorox has entered the green market with the approval of the Sierra Club, says that we can expect to see more greening with all the products we have come to know.

A quick look at the commercial lineup on CNN, and you will notice that nearly 1 in 3 or more of the commercials are about something to do with being environmentally friendly. Out entire society is being green-washed! I believe we are on the right path to a greener world, and people must remember that it is the consumer demand that creates the market and not the other way around. The fact is, a greener world can put the green in your wallet as well as stand for environment we all inhabit.

Something I learned from Safeway corporation this last Saturday (during the celebrated Earth Day) was that they annually purchase 87 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy. They currently have two dozen renewable solar projects under development with a projected output of more than 7,500 megawatt hours per year. It's great news to hear that corporations are finally taking notice of issue's that obviously mean a lot to a lot of people.

I still urge most people to shop at your local grocery stores, health food stores, and farmer's market if possible. The impact on the environment is considerably less due to the fact that the products haven't been shipped from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. But if your local stores and community aren't available, it's nice to know you can stroll over to your 24-hour Safeway and still buy green.

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Looming World Food Crisis

Paul Krugman, an op-ed columnist at the NY Times, has a very thought provoking analysis of an issue that has been getting put on the back burner...a world food crisis. The issue has to do with a few different factors but all of it is related to a world living in unsustainable standards.

The problem has been getting worse over the past few years with grains doubling or tripling in price. American's may not feel the pinch as much as third world countries where half of a person's income can go towards food.

The 2005 Energy Policy Act mandated that 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol be produced by 2012, of which we are now producing a record 6.6 billion gallons per year. The Energy Act of 2007 increased the mandate to 9 billion gallons by 2008, 22 billion gallons per year of advanced biofuels by 2022, and total of up to 36 billion gallons by 2022!

Facts and Figures (2006):

17% of the U.S. corn crop went to ethanol

26% of the sorghum crop went to ethanol

As of October 2007, there are 131 ethanol plants in operation

10 are being expanded

73 more are under construction

200-300 are being proposed currently

Problems:

73% of all corn grown in the U.S. is genetically engineered

The corn itself is designed to be sprayed with chemicals, insecticides, and herbicides, and natural gas based fertilizers.

A study conducted by scientists from the Nature Conservancy, Santa Clara University, and Harvard University concluded that:

About 50 percent of the world's surface area has been converted to grazing land or cultivated crops

And only 17 percent of the world's land area in 1995 was untouched by the direct influence of humans

Related Articles:

Food Crisis to Get Worse

Biofuels Do More Harm Than Good

Meat Is Bad For the Environment, Part:I

Livestock: Major Contribution to Climate Change

Organic Food Prices On Rise

The decline of ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean region, Pre-Columbian southwest U.S. and Central America is believed to have been strongly influenced by natural resource degradation from non-sustainable farming and forestry practices. This is what makes this issue so important. We are running out of arable land and too much of it is made for animals, in which it takes 700 calories of animal feed to produce 100 calories of beef.

Some of the problem lies with China increasingly demanding a Western style diet by consuming more and more beef and other meat products. This alone creates a greater squeeze on remaining resources.

Biofuels increases pesticide use, is inefficient, does not prevent climate change, and competes for land that could be used to grow food for HUMANS. If farmers are lured to grow corn for ethanol instead of a crop for human consumption, especially because the government subsidizes it, then prices for food go up in the U.S. and around the world. One major byproduct of corn is high fructose corn syrup which is a sweetener that goes into soda pop and other sweet drinks. Price hikes may seem small for us, but once again these increases are literally starving the rest of the world. As an environmental blogger, I thought I would argue why I am completely against biofuel production from corn ethanol while highlighting a major global threat to the food supply.

_______________________________________________
Federal Energy Bill Summary
Vertical Farm Essay by Dickson Despommier, Department of Environmental Health Sciences from Columbia University
Factsheet From: EnergyJustice.net

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Alternative Vehicle Sales at 1.8 Million for 2007

The Environmental Blog was asked to join a conference call with the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to discuss sales and figures for alternative vehicles before the press release comes out. That means the news you are reading here is first hand and before anyone else.

Sales figures for 2007 are in for the alternative vehicle market. They are at a whopping 1.8 million for 2007. This figure is up about 250,000 from the previous year in 2006 and some people say the figure could jump to 2 million for 2008. Included in these figures are:

Hybrids

Flex Fuel Vehicles

Clean Diesel

The hybrid market alone jumped 37% from 2006 to 2007. The 2006 sales figure was 253,000 and the 2007 sales figure was 347,000.

The increase in consumer demand for cleaner burning and higher fuel economy standards are increasing the auto industries variety. For example, in the year 2001, only 11 models existed that were considered alternative clean vehicles. In contrast, today in 2008, over 70 models exist for consumers to purchase according their needs and interests. When the much hyped Chevy Volt comes out, there's no telling how high the sales figures could go.

The 2007 sales figures puts the total number of alternative fuel vehicles on the road at 12 million! Dave McCurdy, the CEO for Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, is quoted "Each year the number of AFAs [Alternative Fuel Automobiles] available to consumers is increasing. We’re hopeful that soon we’ll be able to add a new generation of plug-in hybrids and other promising technologies to this list."

For more information on the different types of alternative vehicles out there, check out Discover Alternatives.

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