Get Real

2012 Farm Bill

2011-09-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

From The New York Times:

"Agricultural subsidies have helped bring us high-fructose corn syrup, factory farming, fast food, a two-soda-a-day habit and its accompanying obesity, the near-demise of family farms, monoculture and a host of other ills.

Yet — like so many government programs — what subsidies need is not the ax, but reform that moves them forward. Imagine support designed to encourage a resurgence of small- and medium-size farms producing not corn syrup and animal-feed but food we can touch, see, buy and eat — like apples and carrots — while diminishing handouts to agribusiness and its political cronies."

--Mark Bittman, "Don't End Agricultural Subsidies, Fix Them"

Green Teen interview

2011-05-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

A very cool thirteen-year-old blogger asks questions about Get Real: What Kind of World Are You Buying?

New York State's new e-waste takeback law

2011-04-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

New Yorkers can now recycle their electronics--computers, TVs, DVD players, etc.--at no charge. The Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act requires manufacturers to take back electronics--no matter who made it--for recycling whenever customers purchase a new product.

That means if someone is buying a new computer from one manufacturer, that company is required to accept the person's used computer, regardless of what brand it is. It must then recycle or reuse the products, and not dispose of them in landfill or hazardous waste sites, the way so much of our e-waste is.

Your next car will be made of pineapples and bananas

2011-04-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

Seventy years after Henry Ford unveiled his vegetable car . . .

Scientists have developed a new fiber from fruits like pineapples and bananas that is almost as strong as Kevlar, the fiber used in bulletproof vests. The new fruity “nono-cellulose” fiber is so strong that researchers plan to use it to reinforce plastics like those used to make automobiles. The new fibers will help bring in an era of plastics that are stronger, lighter, and more environmentally friendly than those in use today, reports PhysOrg.

Congress passes historic food safety bill

2011-02-24T16:44:00.000-08:00

From the Union of Concerned Scientists:

Congress has passed a bill that substantially strengthens the FDA's ability to ensure food safety for the first time since 1938. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act grants the agency the authority it has been lacking to issue mandatory recalls for most tainted foods (particularly relevant in light of recent major outbreaks of foodborne illness), require more frequent inspections of food facilities, and demand accountability from food processors and producers. In a victory for sustainable agriculture, small and direct-to-consumer farms—such as those that sell at local farmers markets—were exempted from much of the law because their practices are not generally associated with food safety problems.

“Raise the Bar, Hershey!” Brand Jamming Contest

2011-02-24T11:36:00.000-08:00

From Green America:

Create a clever mock tagline, mock print ad, or mock commercial video for Hershey's that doesn't sugar-coat (no pun intended) the truth. E-mail your submissions to fairtrade@greenamerica.org by March 24. Five entries in each category will be selected as finalists, and we'll run a public vote the first week of April.

Genetical engineering for good?

2011-02-15T05:51:00.000-08:00

From Conservation via the Utne Reader:

Pam Ronald, a University of California, Davis, researcher, sees a future dominated not by Monsanto-like corporations but by small partnerships between farmers and scientists. By combining genetically modified crops with organic farming and other eco-friendly practices, Ronald believes, we can create a system that slashes pesticide use, insulates crops against floods and drought, and protects the livelihoods of poor farmers in the developing world.

Twinkie vs. Carrot

2011-02-15T05:46:00.000-08:00

More video clips at nourishlife.org/videos.html.

The Secret Life of Cell Phones

2011-01-27T16:42:00.000-08:00

The Secret Life of Beef

2011-01-27T16:40:00.000-08:00

Responsible consumption shouldn't be this hard!

2011-01-27T05:41:00.000-08:00

From The Independent (UK):

What should we be asking for?

That all products subscribe to some basic environmental standards covering how much energy and water is involved to make and to use them, how their raw materials have been sourced, and whether they can be recycled.

We could add to that list some durability standards, so that gadgets and appliances can be repaired and upgraded, or maybe not even owned in the first place, but leased so that large items such as furniture can be replaced on a whim but are then refurbished for the next customer.

I'm not talking about labels bearing information so that we harried consumers can make an informed choice, but standards that remove a large element of that choice from our shoulders and place it firmly in the laps of product manufacturers and their army of design professionals.

After 25 years of environmental campaigning, I have come to the view that this is the only way to achieve change, because the second problem with the idea of the green consumer is that few of us have either the capacity or the interest constantly to weigh up all the factors that amount to a genuinely "green" set of choices.

--Julie Hill, author of The Secret Life of Stuff: A Manual for a New Material World

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Raise the bar

2011-01-13T11:31:00.000-08:00

"Over nine years since chocolate companies committed to ending child labor, forced labor and trafficking in their cocoa supply chains, these egregious labor rights abuses continue. While many chocolate companies have taken steps to trace their cocoa purchasing and implement labor rights standards among their suppliers, the Hershey Company lags behind its competitors. Hershey has no policies in place to trace its cocoa and protect workers.

It’s time for Hershey to be a leader in sustainable chocolate and shift toward Fair Trade Certified cocoa!"

Students can join the campaign at Raise the Bar or the Student Abolitionist Movement.

Do Something

2010-12-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

From dosomething.org:

Do Something Clubs are your chance to take action in your community with your friends. Clubs do projects on any issue that matters to them. We give you ideas and resources, you decide what projects your Club takes on.

Do Something Clubs must post at least 2 projects a year, but the more the better! Start a Club today and you'll be eligible for a Clubs Grant and monthly prizes. You'll also get newsletters and three packages a year full of project resources, upcoming opportunities, and Do Something SWAG and it's all free!

And check out the new book, Do Something: A Handbook for Young Activists.

Students Mob Pizza Parlor to Promote Greening

2010-12-03T06:11:00.000-08:00

From the Green Schools Initiative:

Inspired by a middle school student "Carrotmob" in June, 2010, the managers of the Emeryville Public Market are now composting 1 ton per week of food waste -- waste that used to go to the landfill.

Learn how to organize your own carrotmob at carrotmob.org.

Organic or Local?

2010-11-02T17:06:00.000-07:00

From Green American:

"You walk into the grocery store, wanting to buy some Granny Smith apples for a pie you’re planning to bake. You find there are two types—organic apples from across the country, or apples from a local farm that uses chemical pesticides and herbicides. Which do you choose?"

The Simpsons and Sweatshops

2010-10-19T10:59:00.001-07:00

American People Hire High-Powered Lobbyist To Push Interests In Congress

2010-10-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

From The Onion:

"Unlike R.J. Reynolds, Pfizer, or Bank of America, the U.S. populace lacks the access to public officials required to further its legislative goals," a statement from the nation read in part. "Jack Weldon gives us that access."

"His daily presence in the Capitol will ensure the American people finally get a seat at the table," the statement continued. "And it will allow him to advance our message that everyone, including Americans, deserves to be represented in Washington."

What's on your plate?

2010-09-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

Filmed over the course of one year, the film follows two eleven-year-old multi-racial city kids as they explore their place in the food chain. Sadie and Safiyah take a close look at food systems in New York City and its surrounding areas. With the camera as their companion, the girl guides talk to each other, food activists, farmers, new friends, storekeepers, their families, and the viewer, in their quest to understand what’s on all of our plates.

Here's the trailer:

Design a fuel-efficient car, win $5 million

2010-09-20T05:44:00.000-07:00

From The New York Times:

Teams from Virginia, North Carolina and Winterthur, Switzerland, with roots in the world of auto racing have won the First Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize, the $10 million competition aimed at advancing the technology for more fuel-efficient vehicles.

The competition, which began in 2007 with 136 vehicles from 111 teams, required that the vehicles achieve 100 miles per gallon or the energy equivalent. While two of winning vehicles reached that goal with electric power plants, the top winner did it with an internal combustion engine.

The Majestic Plastic Bag

2010-09-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

Frankenfish video

2010-09-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

U.S., industry pledge millions to end child labor in cocoa harvests

2010-09-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

Here's the good news:

The U.S. government and the chocolate industry pledged $17 million on Monday to help end child labor - some of it forced and dangerous - in two African countries where much of the world's cocoa is grown.

And the not-so-good news:

The new plan calls for a 70 percent reduction of internationally unacceptable child labor by 2020.

So . . . if they follow through on their pledge and the plan succeeds perfectly, in just ten years only one out of every three chocolate bars will come from child slaves?

Guess we should keep buying Fair Trade chocolate for a while.

Junk Your Junk Mail

2010-09-16T06:39:00.000-07:00

The average American gets 41 pounds of junk mail a year. As the Junk Your Junk Mail campaign points out, it's cheap for advertisers (thanks to taxpayers, who subsidize the fuel and logging industries) but hard on the environment--not to mention annoying!

41pounds.org claims to stop 80-95% of your junk mail for five years, for a $41 fee (of which they'll donate $15 to a nonprofit of your choice).

Catalog Choice is a free service that lets you opt out of receiving catalogs from specific companies.

Sign a petition at the Do Not Mail campaign to create a national registry just like Do Not Call.

Junk Your Junk Mail's Opt-Out Guide offers more tips for stopping junk mail.

Garblogging

2010-09-13T06:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend at the Princeton Children's Book Festival somebody came by and told me about a blog called everydaytrash. Check it out! Recent posts include a photo of a vehicle covered in $39,000 of discarded lottery tickets and a story on New Yorkers using old dumpsters as swimming pools, along with a piece about the threat of floating trash islands in China and another about how American troops in Iraq are being made sick by burning trash.

There's also an amazing list of links to other garbage-focused blogs. I had no idea there were so many! Apparently it's a whole genre now: garblogging.

FDA considers approving genetically modified salmon for human consumption

2010-09-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

From the Washington Post:

"The agency is evaluating the fish as if it were a new veterinary drug, which means the FDA's deliberations are behind closed doors and that AquaBounty can claim much of the research and other supporting data it supplies to the FDA is confidential."

Why Independent Bookstores Matter

2010-09-06T16:55:00.000-07:00

From Somerset Books in North Texas:

"I am often asked if we really need independent bookstores in an electronic age. After my frustration at the question subsides, I explain why the answer is a very definite yes. There are many reasons why we still (and always will) need independent bookstores, but it really boils down to two basic reasons: economic and social..."

2010 Reverse Trick-or-Treat Kits Now Available

2010-09-01T04:48:00.000-07:00

Update from the Fair Trade Resource Network:

"Reverse Trick-or-Treating gives thousands of schoolchildren (& high school/college students, and adults) the opportunity to treat neighbors with Fair Trade chocolate while educating their communities about how they can help end poverty and the human rights, child labor, and environmental abuse horrors in the cocoa industry.

The Fair Trade chocolate is attached to a card with information unmasking social and environmental problems in the cocoa industry, and how buying Fair Trade certified chocolate provides a solution.

Reverse Trick-or-Treating kits are distributed FREE to individuals and at a DISCOUNTED WHOLESALE PRICE to organizations, thanks to the generous donations of Fair Trade chocolate companies Equal Exchange, Sweet Earth, and Coco-Zen. (Participants pay the cost of postage.) While supplies last, individuals can request kits from September 1 - October 8, and organizations from October 1-8. Request a kit using coupon code "FTRN", and get more information at Reverse Trick or Treat.

The campaign also helps people take these actions:

1. Distribute Reverse Trick-or-Treating flyers on Halloween, whether or not you request a kit. Download ToT flyers as PDF.

2. Help challenge Hershey to Raise the Bar! Distribute flyers/petitions as part of the campaign asking Hershey to go Fair Trade and end child and forced labor in the cocoa industry. Download Hershey PDFs.

3. Distribute Fair Trade certified chocolate minis to trick-or-treaters who visit your household. To purchase, please visit your favorite Fair Trade chocolate companies.

4. Organize a showing of "The Dark Side of Chocolate" at your home, school, congregation, etc. during Halloween week. This important new documentary reveals that the nightmare of child labor, trafficking, and slavery is continuing in the cocoa fields. Screening toolkit includes petition for viewers to sign asking Hershey to end child labor/slavery and go Fair Trade. More information available at the websites of Global Exchange, Green America, International Labor Rights Forum, and Oasis."