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When I got there, I took a “field trip” out of Des Moines to a number of farms and I was struck by the conflicting feelings that the visual of miles upon miles of corn evoked in me. On the one hand, a pastoral wholesomeness that rang with my heart, though not with my head. On the other, the cliche: Children of the Corn. To be sure, while the Midwestern landscape is bereft of the overstimulation of the city and full of some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, there is also some creepy stuff going on there, namely an unhealthy amount of genetically modified corn and soy, a staggering number of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and a lot of industry influence.

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I’m always amazed by the number of folks who think that most of Central Park is some kind of natural habitat of indigenous plants, a pristine terrain onto which we plunked our bike paths, boathouses and pretzel vendors.

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As I type up this post, I imagine Roger Doiron, a man I’ve only met once or twice in person (we’ve exchanged quite a few emails), is just walking out onto the White House lawn. Roger’s been invited to tour the White House garden today, which is auspicious, because it’s also his birthday. But he’s the one coming bearing gifts.

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The Swine Flu/CAFO Connection As public health officials brace for colder weather and the flu risks that come with it, Environmental Health Perspectives remind us of the origins of H1N1. (hat tip to Ralph Loglisci at Center for a Livable Future)
“Recycling” NYC Restaurants The flailing economy, and the resultant restaurant closures, have inspired a new [...]

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Obama Loves Local At last Thursday’s interactive health care strategy meeting, the President pointed out the link between good food and health, going so far as to call for a farmers’ market outside the White House.

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The food revolution is upon us. Go into any school that has joined the revolution – many have – and you will see kids eating recognizable foods, helping themselves from salad bars, finishing what they take, all within the typical 30-minute lunch period. And nary a chicken nugget or soda in sight. Teachers in such places swear that the kids behave and learn better, do not bounce off the walls after lunch, and show fewer signs of eating disorders.

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Hot on the heels of a new USDA study (PDF)* which revealed that only 64% of US farms have access to a computer (and only 59% have access to the internet) came the news that the panel we’ve proposed for next year’s South By Southwest (SXSW) Interactive festival is up for consideration and has entered the voting process.

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A health-food controversy Whole Foods CEO John Mackey took to the pages of the Wall Street Journal this week in protest against the Obama Administration’s proposed health care plan, sparking a boycott against the natural foods giant.

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The Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) has recently released an exciting report about a new opportunity for clients of WIC, the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, to use their benefits at farmers’ markets. Back in December of 2007, the USDA published a new WIC food package rule that increased the variety of WIC-approved foods with an increased focus on nutritional quality and expanded cultural food options. State agencies have until October to phase in changes, so the deadline is fast approaching!

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Bottled water offers the illusion of purity, and it’s proven to be a tremendously successful marketing ploy, preying on our fears that our tap water isn’t safe. And, unfortunately, while tap water is, in fact, more strictly regulated than bottled, it’s got its own dirty laundry list of potential contaminants.

We like to think that the lack of clean, safe drinking water is a problem primarily for underdeveloped nations, but we’ve got plenty of water woes right here at home, including (but not limited to): rivers and streams clogged with toxic debris from mountain top mining removal; mercury emissions from coal-powered plants; pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, and antibiotics from industrial agriculture; and the residue of the prescription drugs we gobble like M&M’s to cure all our self-inflicted modern maladies.

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