From The Independent: Research linking GM potatoes to cancer in lab rats was conducted in 1998 by the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and has been suppressed for eight years.

It showed that the potatoes did considerable damage to the rats’ organs. Those in the “control groups” that were fed non-GM potatoes suffered ill-effects, but those fed GM potatoes suffered more serious organ and tissue damage.

The potatoes contained an antibiotic resistance marker gene. The institute that carried out the studies refused to release all the information. However, Greenpeace and other consumer groups mounted a protracted legal battle campaign to obtain the report. In May 2004 the Nikulinski District Court in Russia ruled that information relating to the safety of GM food should be open to the public.

The institute, however, refused to release the report. Greenpeace and Russian activist groups again took the institute to court, and won a ruling that the report must be released.

No Comments »

Whole Foods Market and Wild Oat Markets announced they have signed a definitive merger agreement under which Whole Foods will acquire Wild Oats in a $565 million deal.
This move clearly puts Whole Foods in the lead as the natural products retailer globally. What will be interesting and curious to watch is whether this move will encourage Whole Foods to maintain organic quality and provide a local platform for farmers in the area these stores service. These are two of the biggest issues Root sees as a priority for the retail king of this market segment. Stay Tuned. Download the PDF for details of the deal via Whole Foods website. Download pr07-02-21merger.pdf

2 Comments »

This beautifully designed 1,000 square-foot weekend cabin,

basically a steel box on stilts,
can be completely shuttered
when the owner is away.
Situated near a river in a
floodplain, the 20’ x 20’
square footprint rises
three stories and is
topped by the living
room/kitchen. Large,
10’ x 18’ steel shutters
can be closed simultaneously
using a hand crank.

No Comments »

Root has discoved StumbleUpon, a social search network that is a great tool for research and an amazing community. Discover like minded stumblers and go deeper into the issues that are of interest via their curated pages. If you like what you see on DgirlP’s site, please review her and reference her pages on yours. One more opportunity to spread the word. Peace.

No Comments »

Benjamin Fahrer, a Sonoma County Permaculturist living at Oceansong, commits to the Mayan People of Mexico to preserve their traditions and the integrity of indigenous corn.

read more | digg story

No Comments »

As noted here, Sir Richard Branson is serious about carbon load reduction. The head of Virgin Airlines, arguably the most progressive global airline flying, Branson is offering $25 million dollars to the the person who comes up with the best way to remove significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Branson says humankind must realize the scale of the crisis it faces.

“The Earth cannot wait 60 years,” he said at the news conference. “I want a future for my children and my children’s children. The clock is ticking.” He said if the planet was to survive, it was vital to find a way of getting rid of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. He said he believed offering the $25m (£12.5m) Earth Challenge Prize was the best way of finding a solution. Mr. Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore will be a member of the judging panel.
Currently Carbon capture and storage is a key area of research. Scientists have been looking into removing the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere and storing it in oil and gas fields, injecting it deep into the ocean, or chemically transforming it into solids or liquids that are thermodynamically stable. However, these methods have raised concerns, notably because of the possibility of leakage from the storage sites and fears that C02 dissolved in large quantities in the ocean might harm marine ecosystems. Other scientists are also looking at schemes that might “scrub” the air of CO2, collecting the gas for safe storage; but many critics say the energy required to achieve this would make such an approach self-defeating. Sir Richard Branson has already pledged to invest $3bn (£1.6bn) in profits from his travel firms, such as airline Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Trains, towards research into renewable energy technologies. Thanks to Treehugger for the headups and the BBC for the graphics below.

1. CO2 pumped into disused coal fields displaces methane which can be used as fuel
2. CO2 can be pumped into and stored safely in saline aquifers
3. CO2 pumped into oil fields helps maintain pressure, making extraction easier

Technorati Profile

No Comments »

This new series of work by photographer Chris Jordan looks at contemporary American culture through the austere lens of statistics. Each image portrays a specific quantity of something: fifteen million sheets of office paper (five minutes of paper use); 106,000 aluminum cans (thirty seconds of can consumption) and so on. My hope is that images representing these quantities might have a different effect than the raw numbers alone, such as we find daily in articles and books. Statistics tend to feel abstract and anesthetizing, making it difficult to connect with and make meaning of 3.6 million SUV sales in one year, for example, or 2.3 million Americans in prison, or a trillion dollars spent on the Iraq war. This project visually examines these vast and bizarre measures of our society, in large intricately detailed photographic prints assembled from tens-of-thousands of smaller images. The series is still in its early stages, and new images will be posted to Chris’ website as they are completed, so please stay tuned.

Below are three views of:

Cans Seurat, 2007
Digital C print, 6×7 feet

Depicting 106,000 aluminum cans, equal to the number of cans consumed in the US every thirty seconds.

No Comments »

It is a bittersweet time for those of us who follow such things (and who isn’t these days?). But the most authoritative report on climate change is published. The conclusions in no uncertain terms declare that it is time for the world to get serious about curbing greenhouse gas emissions. The BBC’s Oliver Tickell, provides a fascinating outline of what the Kyoto Protocol recommends as a framework for the world to begin. “Fail to act at this decisive time and the Earth, its people and its whole panoply of life will face the most severe and adverse consequences.” So what now? As we have posted here in the past, we suggest daily actions, as well as continued pressure on the new Congress to push for adherence to the Protocol, as well as laws by local legislators for change. The upshot is that with a concerted effort, human beings can reverse our actions in this regard. The importance of this realization lies with each of us as we consider our own footprint. Measure our own actions as more work is required.
Photo: Jerry Jones via flickr.com

No Comments »

That’s what Geoff Lawton says. He may be on to something. People laughed at him, and said the 10 acre plot of desert where nothing grew was a salt laden dustbowl. In four months, Lawton had figs growing. Check out this video via the Urban Permaculture Guild.

No Comments »

As a follow up to our continued interest in the food we eat, and knowing what it is - check out Sustainable Table’s Eat Well Guide. Enter your zip code and come up with a list of wholesome food from healthy animals. Local and helpful. Another useful site is Local Harvest.
Same principals. More options. Buy local.

1 Comment »