Ocean Beach People's Organic Food Co-op

Reducing Food Waste During the Holiday Season

2011-11-21T13:52:00.000-08:00

10 simple steps we all can take to help make this season less wasteful and more plentiful

The holiday season is a time for gifts, decorations, and lots and lots of food. As a result, it's also a time of spectacular amounts of waste. In the United States, we generate an extra 5 million tons of household waste each year between Thanksgiving and New Year's, including three times as much food waste as at other times of the year. When our total food waste adds up to 34 million tons each year, that equals a lot of food. With the holidays now upon us, the Worldwatch Institute offers 10 simple steps we all can take to help make this season less wasteful and more plentiful.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, roughly one-third of all food produced for human consumption----approximately 1.3 billion tons----is lost or wasted each year. Consumers in developed countries such as the United States are responsible for 222 million tons of this waste, or nearly the same quantity of food as is produced in all of sub-Saharan Africa.

As Americans prepare for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, here are 10 tips to help reduce the amount of food we waste:

Before the meal: Plan your menu and exactly how much food you'll need.

1. Be realistic: The fear of not providing enough to eat often causes hosts to cook too much. Instead, plan out how much food you and your guests will realistically need, and stock up accordingly. The Love Food Hate Waste organization, which focuses on sharing convenient tips for reducing food waste, provides a handy "Perfect portions" planner to calculate meal sizes for parties as well as everyday meals.

2. Plan ahead: Create a shopping list before heading to the Co-op. Sticking to this list will reduce the risk of impulse buys or buying unnecessary quantities. During the meal: Control the amount on your plate to reduce the amount in the garbage.

3. Go small: The season of indulgence often promotes plates piled high with more food than can be eaten. Simple tricks of using smaller serving utensils or plates can encourage smaller portions, reducing the amount left on plates. Guests can always take second (or third!) servings if still hungry, and it is much easier to use leftovers from serving platters for future meals.

4. Encourage self-serve: Allow guests to serve themselves, choosing what, and how much, they would like to eat. This helps to make meals feel more familiar and also reduces the amount of unwanted food left on guests' plates.

5. Store leftovers safely: Properly storing our leftovers will preserve them safely for future meals. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that hot foods be left out for no more than two hours. Store leftovers in smaller, individually sized containers, making them more convenient to grab for a quick meal rather than being passed over and eventually wasted.

6. Compost food scraps: Instead of throwing out the vegetable peels, eggshells, and other food scraps from making your meal, consider composting them. Individual composting systems can be relatively easy and inexpensive, and provide quality inputs for garden soils. In 2010, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to pass legislation encouraging city-wide composting, and similar broader-scale food composting approaches have been spreading since.

7. Create new meals: If composting is not an option for you, look for creative recipes to see if your food scraps can be used for new meals. Vegetable scraps can be easily boiled down for stock and soups, and bread crusts and ends can be used to make tasty homemade croutons.

8. Donate excess: Food banks and shelters gladly welcome donations of canned and dried foods, especially during the holiday season and colder months. At People’s, there is a food drive box that you can donate to, and we have it set up ready for donations year ‘round.

9. Support food-recovery programs: In some cases, food-recovery systems will come to you to collect your excess. In New York City, City Harvest, the world's first food-rescue organization, collects approximately 28 million pounds of food each year that would otherwise go to waste, providing groceries and meals for over 300,000 people.

10. Give gifts with thought: When giving food as a gift, avoid highly perishable items and make an effort to select foods that you know the recipient will enjoy rather than waste. The Rainforest Alliance, an international nonprofit, works with farmers and producers in tropical areas to ensure they are practicing environmentally sustainable and socially just methods. The group's certified chocolates, coffee, and teas are great gifts that have with long shelf-lives, and buying them helps support businesses and individuals across the world.

As we sit down this week to give thanks for the people and things around us, we must also recognize those who may not be so fortunate. The food wasted in the United States each year is enough to satisfy the hunger of the approximately 1 billion malnourished people worldwide, according to Tristram Stuart, a food waste expert and contributing author to “State of the World 2011”. As we prepare for upcoming holiday celebrations, the simple changes we make, such as using food responsibly and donating excess to the hungry, can help make the holiday season more plentiful and hunger-free for all.

Poison in Our Parks

2011-11-04T14:52:00.000-07:00

Did you know that there may be poison in your local park? The City of San Diego uses Diphacinone poison to control squirrels, gophers, and other wildlife in three Ocean Beach parks: Dusty Rhodes, Bill Cleator and Robb Field. The Animal Protection & Rescue League (APRL) has launched a campaign to end the use of poison in public parks for the following reasons:

Poison is unsafe. Diphacinone, like other rodenticides, is fatal if swallowed, inhaled, or even touched. These poisons are lethal to both dogs and cats if directly ingested. The Poison Control Center linked rodenticides to over 11,000 poisoning cases in 2009.

Poison is bad for the environment. Birds and other mammals are also at risk. Drastic reductions to small mammal populations disrupt the food chain, leaving those higher up the chain to starve. Birds of prey like eagles, owls, and falcons have been shown to hemorrhage and die after eating poisoned animals. Poison is also a potential contaminant to groundwater and native plant life.

Poison is inhumane. After consuming a lethal dose of poison, animals experience labored breathing, muscular weakness, fluid in the lungs, and an increased heartbeat. They suffer also from internal hemorrhaging and external bleeding. These symptoms can last for up to 5 days, until death.

There are many humane options. The most simple one? Don’t feed the squirrels. Squirrels and gophers reproduce rapidly when they have heightened cholesterol brought on by an overabundance of food. Preventative measures like sound deterrents, non-toxic spray deterrents, and underground fencing are all good options. As seasonal breeding species, gophers and squirrels are also good candidates for contraceptives, which may be dispensed in the place of poison.

Please ask the City of San Diego to stop poisoning wildlife. To voice your opinion, please write to Stacey Lomedico, City of San Diego Park and Recreation Director, either by email (SLomedico@sandiego.gov), fax (619-525-8220) or snail mail at 202 C Street - MS37C, San Diego CA 92101. Your letter can be short and sweet – make sure to include your full name, address, and a short statement about why you are opposed to poison in public parks.

Apple Cider Doughnuts

2011-09-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

Vegetarian Times has a terrific recipe for Apple Cider Doughnuts this month, just in time for the start of the Fall season. If you love doughnuts, but shun the grease, these gems are just the ticket! Made in the oven, the only special tool you'll need is a doughnut pan (which is sort of like a cupcake pan, but with a center piece that makes the doughnut hole). Once you get your special pan, you'll be making doughnuts all the time! Heck, your neighbors might even crown you Doughnut King or Doughnut Queen. Not a bad moniker to have, if you ask us.

New to baking? Never fear! By purchasing many of your ingredients from the Co-op’s Bulk Foods and Bulk Herbs Departments, you can buy just the amounts that you need for each recipe. Now that's friendly baking.

Click here for the recipe.

Hey Teachers ~ Bring your Students to the Wild Willow Farm and Educational Center!

2011-08-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

People’s Organic Food Co-op is offering sponsorships for elementary and middle school children to tour and experience hands-on learning at the Wild Willow Farm and Educational Center. Are you a teacher interested in an inspiring farm field trip? If so, this opportunity is not to be missed! The Wild Willow Farm, located near Imperial Beach, offers a variety of educational topics—from composting to farm insects to water conservation—and helps students take an active part in growing food.

Field trips typically last 2 to 3 hours, depending on your needs. Students are typically split into groups and rotate through 3 to 4 activities, which include planting, weeding, watering, bed-building, composting, mulching, etc. The farm directors choose tasks and activities that are age-appropriate. A few of the field trip activities include: Sustainability Scavenger Hunts, where students learn what sustainability means in the context of farming; Brown Bag Botany, where students learn the edible plant parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, seeds) and how the foods that they are familiar with fit into those categories; Homes for Seeds, a hands-on lesson that introduces students to seed needs including nutrients, structure, moisture, warmth, and light; Recycling with Worms, where students observe worm bins and hold worms; and Farm Insects: Friend and Foe, where farmers discuss beneficial insects that pollinate, eat pests, and help the farm.
By applying for a sponsorship through People’s, a $5 per student charge will be waived. For more information on the Wild Willow Farm and Educational Center, please visit the farm’s website. For sponsorship applications, please contact Member Services at People’s Co-op, located on the Co-op’s second floor.

Mexican Chickpea Salad

2011-06-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

Mexican Chickpea Salad

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are an excellent source of plant protein and fiber, and may just be the most widely consumed legume in the world! An ancient bean, with a history spanning back at least 7,400 years, chickpeas have been grown in India, the Middle East and parts of Africa for many years.

At People’s, we’ve been using chickpeas in our Deli recipes for years, too, though not thousands. Here’s one of your favorites . . .

Mexican Chickpea Salad

3 cups cooked chickpeas (canned is fine)

1/3 cup olive oil

2 jalapenos, minced

2 Tbsp. garlic

4 cups tomatoes, seeded, diced and drained

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 4 cup lime juice

1 tsp. sea salt

Sauté jalapenos in oil for about 4 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté for 1 more minute, stirring constantly until jalapenos are soft. Remove from heat and let cool. Combine chickpeas, jalapeno mixture and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix. Allow to marinate for a bit before serving. Ole!

Shale Fail

2011-04-13T09:34:00.001-07:00

Shale gas is widely touted as a "clean" fossil fuel that can serve as a bridge to renewable energy. But according to a new study by Cornell University researchers, it actually has a larger carbon footprint than coal, oil and conventional natural gas, at least over a 20-year period. That's largely because shale-gas wells leak large amounts of methane - a component of natural gas, but also a potent greenhouse gas, even more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. When leaked methane is calculated with the greenhouse gases emitted by burning shale gas, the fuel loses much of its green luster, the study's authors argue.

"The large greenhouse gas footprint of shale gas undercuts the logic of its use as a bridging fuel over coming decades, if the goal is to reduce global warming, " lead author Robert Howarth tells the AFP. "The full footprint should be used in planning for alternative energy futures that adequately consider global climate change." Shale drilling already faces scrutiny for its use of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," in which pressurized water, sand and chemicals are pumped deep underground to loosen rock and release more gas. While the EPA investigates claims that fracking poisons groundwater, however, Howarth says he's found an even bigger flaw with shale drilling - one that belies the very argument used to justify the current U.S. shale-gas boom. Plus, he points out that his team's calculations for methane leakage are based on "best practices" estimates, but that actual leakage rates could be much higher. "No one knows for sure to what extent industry uses best practices; and unfortunately, at least in the U.S., industry does not want government or the public to know," he says. "The [EPA] has proposed rules that would require industry to report methane emissions, but several companies have sued the EPA to try to prevent such reporting."

According to the U.S. Energy Department, the country's total natural gas output will grow by 20 percent in the next 25 years, at which point nearly half of all U.S. gas production will come from shale - up from just 16 percent in 2009. Shale gas is increasingly popular because vast deposits exist underneath the U.S., and because new drilling techniques like fracking make it more economical to extract. It has looked especially good to many ever since Japan's nuclear crisis began last month, too. But as Howarth argues, it's unwise to look at shale gas through green-colored glasses. "We should not proceed to view shale gas as a 'transitional fuel' to be used over the next few decades to replace other fossil fuels," he says, "but rather work harder to move toward truly green renewable fuels as quickly as possible, such as wind and solar."

(Sources: Mother Nature News Network, The Hill, BBC News, Agence France-Presse, e! Science News)

Learning about Butterflies and Moths

2011-03-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

Why should we care about butterflies and moths? Thanks to butterflies, bees, birds, and other animal pollinators, the world's flowering plants are able to reproduce and bear fruit. That very basic capability is at the root of many of the foods we eat. And, not least, pollination adds to the beauty we see around us.

Yet today, there is evidence of alarming pollinator population declines worldwide. Fortunately, science investigators of this crucial issue can use data collected and organized in the Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA) database to monitor the health of our butterfly and moth population.

Backed by more than 287,000 verified sighting records and 3,239 images that describe 4,638 species, BAMONA is committed to collecting and providing access to quality-controlled data about butterflies and moths of North America. Dedicated volunteer coordinators, including national and internationally recognized Lepidoptera experts, verify each record. The goal is to fill the needs of scientists and nature observers by bringing verified occurrence and life history data into one accessible location.

To serve its broad range of users even better, BAMONA recently launched its re-tooled website. The site was developed at Montana State University (MSU) under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) Network.

BAMONA's latest innovations are aimed at improving technologies for both data collection and data dissemination. Users can now submit records – which typically include a photograph – via the site's new user submission form, replacing an outdated submission process that required multiple e-mails with spreadsheet attachments. As for data dissemination, verified records are now immediately available on the site's home page. New, interactive Google-based maps enable the display of any verified sighting, including Canadian locations. Visitors can now zoom in or out and click on dots pin-pointing sighting locations on interactive maps, and see the details of each sighting record. All these features were not available previously.

For more information, go to www.butterfliesandmoths.org

2011-03-12T07:18:00.000-08:00

The Cooperative Development Foundation is accepting contributions to aid in the recovery from the tsunami that struck Japan on March 10, 2011 and has potentially done major damage in Japan and throughout Southeast Asia. Japan is home to the Japanese Consumers Cooperative Union and to many other cooperatives, including student housing cooperatives. It was the Japanese Consumers Cooperative Union that donated the seed money for the Cooperative Development Foundation’s Kagawa Fund, which has made over $800,000 in loans to expand student housing co-ops across the

United States, enabling many students to afford college while teaching them leadership, financial, and management skills.

If you would like to make a contribution to assist in the cooperatives throughout the affected area recover from this devastating tsunami, you can do so through the Cooperative Development Foundation. Please visit www.CDF.coop and use the Google Checkout Cart on the right-hand column. You may also send your donation to the Cooperative Development Foundation at 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 800, Arlington, VA 22202 (please make sure to note that it is for Tsunami Recovery in Japan). 100% of your donation will go toward recovery. Thanks to a generous grant given to the Cooperative Development Foundation by Google, Inc, all donations made through Google Checkout are Fee Free.

We thank you for your support and cooperation during these difficult times.

The Cooperative Development Foundation

Holy Pistachio!

2011-03-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

Pistachios are a naturally cholesterol-free snack that contains just 1.5 grams of saturated fat and 13 grams of fat, the majority of which comes from monounsaturated fat. A one-ounce serving of pistachios equals 49 nuts, which is more nuts per serving than any other snack nut. One serving of pistachios has as much potassium (300mg, 8%) as an orange (250mg, 7 %), making it a nutritious snack choice or ingredient to incorporate into daily diets.

Nutty Tip:

For a vitamin and mineral-rich snack, skip the greasy popcorn next time you go to the movies; instead, bring along a small bags of pistachios. Vary the flavor? Why not! Try toasting pistachios for a deeper flavor. Place your pistachios in a 350 degree oven or a dry skillet over medium heat and toast until they brown. They will continue to cook when removed from the stove.

2011-03-05T11:27:00.001-08:00

Welfare Ranching

Assessing the Real Cost of a Hamburger

by George Wuerthner

Do you know what a Big Mac costs? If you say $2.50 or whatever the current price posted at the McDonald's restaurant may be, you are vastly under-estimating the real price. That's because $2.50 does not reflect the genuine cost of production. Every hamburger price tag should include a calculation of animal suffering, human health costs, economic and ecological subsidies. None of these bona fide costs is included in the price one pays for a hamburger (or other meats eaten by consumers for that matter).

Unfortunately, assessing the real price of a hamburger is difficult because much of the overhead is hidden from view or simply ignored. Most people do not see the pain of the animals as they are branded, castrated, and slaughtered. Nor are most people fully aware of the multiple hormones and chemicals dumped into feed or directly injected into the animals. Nor have they considered how these high rates of hormone and chemical use may pose risks for humans through the creation of resistance germs and bacteria. While there is a growing awareness of the health costs - including high rates of heart attack, colon cancer, and high blood pressure, resulting from a heavy meat diet - even the best assessments of the health risks are far from complete.

But these costs, while real and significant, pale by comparison to the ecological cost of livestock production. There is no other single human activity that has degraded and destroyed more of the American landscape and perhaps the global landscape as well as our love affair with the cow and the meat-dominated diet. Welfare Ranching - the Subsidized Destruction of the American West, a book I edited along with Mollie Matteson and published by Island Press, attempts to innumerate these costs.

To read more of this article, please click here

Get a healthy tan this spring and summer

2011-03-01T06:30:00.000-08:00

New research reveals that eating vegetables gives you a healthy tan. The study, led by Dr. Ian Stephen at The University of Nottingham, showed that eating a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables gives you a more healthy golden glow than the sun.

Dr. Stephen and his team in the Perception Lab found that people who eat more portions of fruit and vegetables per day have a more golden skin color, thanks to substances called carotenoids. Carotenoids are antioxidants that help soak up damaging compounds produced by the stresses and strains of everyday living. Responsible for the red coloring in fruit and vegetables such as carrots and tomatoes, carotenoids are important for our immune and reproductive systems.

Dr. Stephen said: "We found that, given the choice between skin color caused by suntan and skin color caused by carotenoids, people preferred the carotenoid skin color, so if you want a healthier and more attractive skin, you are better off eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables than lying in the sun."

(Source: FARM)

Local and Organic Food and Farming: The Gold Standard

2011-02-25T13:15:00.000-08:00

Local and Organic Food and Farming: The Gold Standard

It's a recipe!

2010-12-31T12:11:00.000-08:00

Here’s a warming recipe for what promises to be a sunny, but chilly New Year’s Day. Keep a pot on the stove for neighbors and friends that might stop by and make an extra batch for the freezer; this will allow you to cozy-up with a good book later in the month, while the scent of your ready-made chowder fills the house.

People's Mexican Corn Chowder

Serves 10 – 12

2 cups yellow potatoes, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil (we like Udo's brand!)
1 1/2 cups yellow onion, diced
1 cup celery, sliced
1 cup red bell peppers, diced
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons tamari
2 teaspoons ume plum vinegar
4 cups corn
4 cups water
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
Boil potatoes until just tender, then drain. Sauté the onions, celery, and peppers in olive oil until soft, then add the spices and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tamari, vinegar, potatoes, corn and water, and stir well. Take out 1 cup of the chowder and blend until smooth, then add it back to the chowder and simmer until hot. Add the cilantro and serve.

It's a recipe!

2010-12-18T10:11:00.000-08:00

Sweet Potato Latkes

Sweet potatoes offer a nutritiously delicious alternative to everyday potatoes. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, sweet potatoes are number one in nutrition over all other veggies. Why? Dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium.

Ingredients:

2 firmly packed cups of grated sweet potato
2 Tbs. grated onion, drained of excess juice
1 Tbs. dried parsley
3 Tbs. cornstarch
pinch garlic powder
pinch onion powder
salt & pepper (to taste)
canola oil for frying
Garnish with vegan sour cream, sprinkling of paprika, and snipped chives or parsley (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to warm (250°). Place potato shreds in a large bowl; sprinkle with remaining ingredients, evenly disperse cornstarch; mix together all ingredients until well combined, keeping potato shreds separated.

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat a thin layer of canola oil to shimmering.

Place approximately 1/4 cup size mounds of the mixture into skillet and press firmly with a spatula so latkes hold together.

After about a minute (enough time for crisp surface to develop), gently loosen bottom of latkes from skillet by sliding a spatula under each one. If latkes appears to want to fall apart, remove spatula, press again from the top and cook for another 30 seconds. Total cook time is approximately 4 minutes on the first side, pressing frequently, to ensure crispiness and checking to make sure latkes are not sticking to skillet.

Carefully flip and cook for another 4 or so minutes on reverse side.

Place on paper towel-lined plate and keep warm in oven while preparing remaining latkes serve with garnish suggestions above.

This delicious dish was brought to you courtesy of the Farm Animal Reform Movement. FARM is a national nonprofit organization promoting a vegan lifestyle through public education and grassroots activism to end the use of animals for food. Learn more by visiting them here.

People’s Mushroom Gravy

2010-11-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

You'll need gravy for your table as well, of course. Thanks to Carolina O. from our Facebook page for suggesting that we get this recipe out to you. This recipe makes approximately 10 cups, which you will need, because this gravy rocks the boat!

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil

2 cups yellow onions, diced

3 cups mushrooms, sliced thin

3/4 tsp. black pepper

3/4 tsp. sage

1 Tbsp. dill

3 Tbsp. Braggs® Liquid Aminos

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups soy milk

6 Tbsp. oat flour

6 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

How to make it

Heat the oil. Add onions and mushrooms and sauté until soft, then add the spices. Sauté for 1 more minute, then add the Braggs®, vegetable broth, and 1 cup of the soymilk. Bring to a boil. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the soy milk, flour, and yeast. Mix with a whisk, then add to the pot. Mix well. Heat until thickened. Remove from heat and allow to thicken further.

Cranberry Quinoa Stuffing

2010-11-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

At People’s, we’ve run short of stuffing (we ordered 10 cases, and our distributor sent two!) and probably won’t have any in stock during this most stuff-iny-time of the year. Thanks to the folks over at Farm Animal Reform Movement, we do have a great recipe to offer that you and your guests will gobble up. Made from quinoa, the seed from the plant related to spinach, this stuffing recipe is gluten-free and high in protein.

Ingredients

½ oz. dried oyster mushrooms
1 tsp. olive or vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. oregano
2 tsp. thyme
black pepper (to taste)
½ cup cashew pieces
1/3 cup cranberries
½ cup quinoa, uncooked
1 cup vegetable broth

How to make it

1. Rinse quinoa, then in a pot over the stove, add quinoa and 1 cup of broth and bring to a boil.

2. Cover when boiling and reduce to a simmer; cook for 12-15 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed (the cooked germ looks like a tiny curl).

3. Put dried mushrooms in a separate bowl of hot water and set aside.

4. In a large skillet, heat oil and then sauté onion over medium heat.

5. Add salt and let onion cook a few minutes until they’ve sweated a bit.

6. Add herbs, pepper, and cashew pieces and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.

7. While that’s happening, drain mushrooms and chop them up, then add to pan; add cranberries and quinoa and stir.

Not Crying over Spilt Soymilk

2010-09-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

from The “Cornucopia” Institute:http://www.cornucopia.org

CORNUCOPIA, WI – It’s not often that family-scale farmers can go toe-to-toe with a $12 billion agribusiness and come out victors. But organic soybean producers, and a modestly scaled but powerful ally, The Cornucopia Institute, are claiming victory over Dean Foods in the organic marketplace.

Dean Foods, the manufacturer of Silk, the top-selling soymilk drink, was first “outed” in Cornucopia’s May 2009 report, Behind the Bean: The Heroes and Charlatans of the Natural and Organic Soy Foods Industry, for switching its soybean sourcing from American farms to cheaper organic beans from China. Later in 2009, Cornucopia revealed that Dean Foods had then largely abandoned organic soybeans altogether, stealthily changing the soybeans in their core Silk product line from organic to less expensive conventionally grown soybeans that the company was calling “natural.”

The shift away from organic outraged many loyal consumers and alienated retailers across the country that were not informed of the change and continued to inaccurately merchandise Silk products as “organic.”

“Dean Foods has been roundly criticized for taking the organic out of Silk, and now the marketplace and consumers are passing their judgment,” said Mark Kastel, Cornucopia’s senior farm policy analyst. “They took what once was a pioneering 100% organic brand, before they acquired the company in 2003, and cheapened the product at the expense of American farmers and consumers.”

Dean’s purchase of Silk initially excited American farmers who had been selling organic soybeans for use in Silk soymilk. Many thought that Dean would use its marketing prowess to further grow the Silk brand and expand demand for domestic organic soybeans. Instead, the company turned the screws on its farmer-suppliers and demanded that they compete on pricing with Chinese imports – something they were unable to do.

“White Wave (the operating division of Dean Foods that markets Silk and Horizon organic milk) had the opportunity to push organic and sustainable agriculture to incredible heights of production by working with North American farmers and traders to get more land in organic production, but what they did was pit cheap foreign soybeans against the U.S. organic farmer, taking away any attraction for conventional farmers to make the move into sustainable agriculture,” said Merle Kramer, a marketer for the Midwestern Organic Farmers Cooperative.

Dean spokesperson Molly Keveney told the Denver Post that staying with organic beans would have resulted in price increases. This statement stands at odds with the reality of falling farmgate prices for organic soybeans in recent years.

The shift away from organics by Dean in its Silk soymilk products also produced additional embarrassment for and anger at the company when Cornucopia discovered in 2009 that it had failed to change the soymilk product’s packaging to overtly reflect that it was being made with “natural” soybeans. Cornucopia filed a formal complaint with the USDA’s National Organic Program over the matter. The company ultimately corrected its misrepresentation.

“Consumers and retailers repeatedly reported to us that they were deceived and ended up unknowingly buying Silk products with conventional soybeans,” said Kastel. “We know of numerous retailers that ultimately pulled Silk products from their store shelves over the gross misrepresentation of the soymilk product,” Kastel added.

The Cornucopia Institute maintains a soy foods scorecard on its website (www.cornucopia.org), which provides information and ratings of soymilk and various soy foods and rates them on the integrity of their production (including whether brands buy from American family farmers or from China). The scorecard can be used by consumers and wholesale buyers to make purchasing decisions that support their values.

Meet Monte

2010-09-10T14:02:00.001-07:00

Introducing to the world . . .
Monte Alexander Raven born to proud parents Jennifer and Desirae Raven on August 16, 2010. Mr. Raven was born at home in a birth tub and weighed in at a wonderful 7 pounds and 12 ounces with a length of 21 inches. Monte enjoys warm baths, snuggling with his moms, hats, listening to wind chimes and his grandfathers flute music.

Vote No on Prop 16

2010-05-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

Currently, California state law gives local elected officials the right to arrange to provide electricity within their jurisdiction through a contract with an electricity provider other than investor-owned utilities. If Proposition 16 is approved by voters, it will take a two-thirds vote of the electorate before a public agency could enter the retail power business. This will make it more difficult than it is currently for local entities to form either municipal utilities, or community wide clean electricity districts called Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs).

People’s strongly supports a consumer’s right to choose their power source and recommends a No vote on proposition 16 in the upcoming June election.

Click here to learn more

Hemp is our history week

2010-05-04T16:45:00.000-07:00

Celebrate Hemp History Week on Monday, May 17th at the La Jolla Brew House. It’ll be a free night of industrial hemp product giveaways, entertainment, hemp beer and more! As part of the night’s celebration, the Brew House will be honoring the late Jack Herer —one of the greatest hemp activists of our time — with a screening of “Hemp for Victory”, a U.S. Government video that the government tried to deny existed until Jack rediscovered it.

The evening’s main presenter will be Dion Markgraff editor and historian of the hemp plant. Also speaking will be David Bronner, a former board member of Vote Hemp and a member of the Dr. Bronner family.

The La Jolla Brew House is located at 7536 Fay Street in La Jolla. (858) 456-6279

People's Deli is Numero Uno!

2010-04-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

Public Right-to-Know About Chemicals

2010-03-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

For the first time, the U.S. EPA is providing web access, free of charge, to the Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory. This inventory contains a consolidated list of thousands of industrial chemicals maintained by the agency. The EPA is making this information available on http://www.epa.gov/tri/ This action represents a move by the EPA to increase the transparency of chemical information while the agency continues to push for legislative reform of the 30 year old Toxic Substances Control Act, (TSCA). Currently, there are more than 84,000 chemicals manufactured, used, or imported in the United States listed on the TSCA Inventory, yet the EPA is unable to publicly identify nearly 17,000 of these chemicals because the chemicals have been claimed as confidential business information by the manufacturers under the TSCA.

Congress Looks At Child Nutrition

2010-03-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

March 18, 2010

The Food Institute reports that child nutrition has been an issue very dear to the Obama administration and earlier this month the House of Representative’s Agriculture Appropriation Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies held an overview hearing regarding the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act with several important witnesses from industry and academia.

Chairwoman Rose DeLauro opened the hearing, commenting that it is chilling to her how many children do not have enough to eat, and there is also a need to be concerned about the nutritional quality of what children are eating. She does not like the characterization of people and children being called “food insecure.” In her view, they are simply hungry. 69% of all children participating in the school lunch program in public schools qualify for free or reduced school lunches. In rural areas, too many households qualifying for federal food assistance programs do not participate in them, including 55% of those eligible for the National School Lunch Program, and 92% of those eligible for the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

She said members of the Subcommittee share the Administration’s two main priorities: reducing barriers and improving access to combat childhood hunger; and enhancing nutritional quality and the health of the school environment.
A number of issues were discussed and there were several key items touched upon, including:

USDA expects to publish revised school meal standards based on the Institute of Medicine recommendations by the end of this year, but additional resources will be required since foods meeting the new standards are likely to be more expensive;
Improving access to federal child nutrition programs, including through simplification of the application process and direct certification;
Increasing the federal reimbursement rate for school meals conditioned upon the additional funds used for improved meals;
There are alternative strategies for dealing with obesity that deserve consideration;
The nutrition environment has changed over the years and is likely an important factor in current concerns about obesity.

Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services at USDA, Kevin Concannon testified that the President’s Administration is concerned about a number of issues and:

Wants to bring meals up to the standards recommended by the Institute of Medicine;
Wants to provide increases in meal reimbursement rates with increases tied to improving the quality of the meals being served;
Establish nutrition standards for competitive foods sold as part of a la carte meals or in vending machines;
Establish competitive grants to encourage the consumption of healthier foods;
Enhance school food safety capabilities.

Dr. Kelly D. Brownell, Professor of Psychology, Epidemiology and Public Health, Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University, focused his views on increasing the availability of healthy foods, particularly fresh, and cutting the amount of sugar in foods. He said that the current nutrition environment encourages unhealthy consumption. Food portions are too large, using big drinks and big muffins as examples. Three meals a day is viewed as “not enough.” He urged taking action to create “better default environments.”

He was also critical of food marketing to children, suggesting that there has been “scant progress by industry” in improving the messages provided to children, and would like to see all food advertising banned in schools.

To help in those efforts he Dr. Brownell recommended a one-cent per ounce tax on sugar-containing beverages, with the revenues used for nutrition education programs. He claims that he has received a number of calls from around the country in support of this concept, and that he would not be surprised if various localities adopted this policy recommendation on their own. He believes that the tax would reduce the consumption of sugar-containing beverages from 50 gallons per capita to 38.5 gallons per capita.

Dr. Mariana Chilton – Principal Investigator, GROW Project/Witness to Hunger, Co-Principal Investigator, Children’s Health Watch, Drexel University School of Public Health Children’s Health Watch believes children’s health is turning to the worse. She noted that in Philadelphia, one in three people does not have enough money for food. She expects USDA to issue revised school meal nutrition standards based upon the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine by the end of the year and sees a need to develop a strategy to document the effectiveness of efforts to end childhood hunger by 2015.

Scott Faber – Vice President for Federal Affairs, Grocer Manufacturers Association stated that GMA believes that more resources are needed in the program to enable the purchase of food choices meeting more stringent nutrition sources, and that there should be standards for all foods sold to students in schools. He pointed out that 10,000 product changes have been made in recent years to reduce calories, fats, sugars and sodium.

Zoë Neuberger – Senior Policy Analyst, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
The Center supports the Hunger Free Schools Act, introduced by Congressman David Loebsack of Iowa to provide school-wide eligibility for school meal programs. When schools are in areas of high poverty, it does not make sense to spend money processing applications to find a small number of students as not eligible for a program. The Center believes that if the legislation is adopted 10,000 schools could qualify if 40 percent or more of the school’s students were directly certified as eligible for the program.

Congressman Farr commented that The Child Nutrition Program is #3 in terms of paperwork, with the IRS being number one and said “bureaucratic barriers” are 60% of their costs and asked Under Secretary Concannon What can be done to reduce these barriers who responded that USDA wants to simplify the program, and is using resources Congress provided to increase the use of direct certification.

Congressman Bishop stated that The School Nutrition Program was one of his best experiences growing up. He agrees with Dr. Brownell that changes in lifestyle have contributed to nutrition problems and saluted the American Beverage Association for its cooperation with the First Lady. He is not sure that the idea of the beverage tax suggested by Dr. Brownell is a good idea though.

Chairwomen DeLauro asked if the Grocery Manufacturers support standards for competitive foods? And Mr. Farber responded they will noting that the industry has done several things to improve operations that should be considered, has changed advertising and reformulated products to meet the Dietary Guidelines.

Child nutrition is certain to be discussed much more in future hearings and there will be much more activity in Congress on this front that will affect not only children but the food industry as well.

Be sure to check out the Food Institute at www.foodinstitute.com which will be monitoring developments each day in its daily newsletter, Today In Food, and each week The Food Institute Report.

Earth Hour

2010-03-05T18:18:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, March 27th 2010 at 8:30 p.m. hundreds of millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour, symbolically calling for action on climate change. Learn more by visiting www.myearthhour.org/home

A Wake Up Call

2010-02-22T14:18:00.000-08:00

Whether it was sirens blasting in the middle of the night or the recent news headlines about safety violations and delays in the repairs to the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, area residents have increasing concerns over the state of nuclear power in southern California.

The Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility believes the problems at SONGS deserve to be reviewed in an open and transparent process by state agencies, elected representatives, all first responders, and the NRC. Nuclear ³safety² is under NRC jurisdiction, although emergency planning is shared by local, state and federal authorities. Under whose jurisdiction is the damage to the public¹s perception of safety from these recent scenarios? Economics and reliability of power generation are under California jurisdiction‹and what do these delays and mishaps cost for the power that was supposed to be ³too cheap to meter?²

Local residents can get updated information on nuclear issues affecting California from Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility outreach coordinator, David Weisman.

For more information, please visit the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility
www.a4nr.org

GE Alfalfa Threatens Organic Agriculture

2010-02-20T15:11:00.000-08:00

Organic farmers and consumers of organic meat and dairy products need to make their voices heard with comments to the USDA about the proposed approval of genetically engineered Roundup Ready alfalfa. The USDA's draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) approves of releasing the new crop into the environment, despite known risks genetically modified alfalfa poses to organic livestock agriculture.

Alfalfa is a perennial plant and the fourth most widely grown crop in the U.S. It is a fundamental source of livestock forage and a relatively cheap source of protein for organic ruminants, as well as adding valuable nitrogen to the soil. Because bees can carry alfalfa pollen for up to 4-6 miles, potential contamination from a neighbor's field, even miles away, renders useless buffer strips and other devices typically employed with genetically engineered corn and soybean crops. These pesky bees just won't respect fence lines and 'no trespassing' signs!

Click here to view Cornucopia's action alert for more background and details on how to submit comments to the USDA on this important issue

Speak OUT Against Monsanto

2010-02-20T11:18:00.000-08:00

WHAT: On Sunday, Feb. 21, several organizations and social networking sites will join in a protest against Monsanto’s patent domination over OUR food supply. Monsanto is one of the largest producers of genetically engineered (GE) seed, and developed the milk producing hormone rBGH for dairy cattle. This company is also the developer of numerous PCBs, Agent Orange, DDT, and is responsible for persecuting small (and large) farmers.

WHY: To halt the most powerful threat to the safety of OUR food supply from GE foods and fibers, and to promote a safe and affordable food supply from non-patented, non-GE seeds.

WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 21, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
WHERE: San Diego Convention Center, at Fifth Ave, and Harbor Drive. Banners and signs are encouraged.

Permaculture: Getting Started

2010-02-12T10:05:00.000-08:00

Permaculture is an approach to designing agricultural systems (and human settlements) that mimic the relationships found in natural ecologies; a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature.

You don’t need to be a farmer to begin integrating permaculture methods into your garden or yard.

Click here to read an article by Jim Ruen on how to begin with subtle changes.

Earthquake Relief Fund

2010-01-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

The Cooperative Development Foundation's (CDF) Cooperative Emergency Fund is accepting donations for Haiti recovery. Donations will be used to help cooperatives and cooperators affected by the earthquake to rebuild their facilities and their lives. CDF is working with ACDI/VOCA and the NRECA International Foundation, who run cooperative development programs in Haiti, to send volunteer cooperators to help in this effort. CDF does not take any fee or charge any overhead for any use of its Emergency Fund, so every cent donated will go toward helping cooperatives and cooperators affected by the earthquake.

Donations made through Google checkout will not be assessed any processing fee due to a grant received from Google.

CDF has received and distributed over $275,000 for cooperative relief and recovery for disasters including the 1997 flooding in North Dakota, the 1998 Kenyan embassy bombing, the 2001 earthquake in El Salvador, the 2004 Asian tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. If you would like to contribute on-line, please go to www.cdf.coop. If you would like to contribute by check, please make it payable to Cooperative Development Foundation, note that it is for Haiti, and send it to:

Cooperative Development Foundation

2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 800

Arlington, VA 22202

If you have any questions, please contact Steve Thomas, CDF's Executive Director, at (703) 302-8093 or sthomas@cdf.coop

States Ban Practices that Support CAFOs

2010-01-08T12:45:00.000-08:00

Several states recently banned specific practices that are common in CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations), taking small steps to level the playing field for more sustainable farms. California outlawed the amputation of dairy cows' tails, and Michigan passed a law phasing out restrictive crates for veal calves and pregnant sows, and tiny "battery" cages for egg-laying chickens, used to pack many animals together in a small space. Arizona, California, Florida, Maine, Colorado, and Oregon had previously acted to ban crates and battery cages, which, along with tail docking, are unnecessary practices that serve only to make large, polluting CAFOs viable. Meanwhile, examples abound of farmers successfully working with nature rather than against it to produce animal products without the problems associated with CAFOs. Listen to this recent National Public Radio story about one Ohio dairyman's efforts to transform the industry and produce fresher, more flavorful milk from cows on pasture.

Vandana Shiva Speaks at Climate Summit Protest

2009-12-15T11:25:00.000-08:00

Protests rocked Copenhagen on Saturday, December 12 as anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 people (depending on who you talk to) marched to the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen to demand a strong climate treaty to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Indian physicist, author, and activist Vandana Shiva spoke to the crowd before the march:

Comming Clean

2009-12-01T15:12:00.000-08:00

Check out this great video from Terressentials body care products! Then click here to find out ways that you can stop organic body care product fraud.

It's a recipe!

2009-11-25T11:21:00.000-08:00

Looking for a last minute recipe to boost your Thanksgiving meal into an epicurean orbit? Originally printed in the November 2007 Co-op News, Cathy’s raw cranberry relish is so darn delicious, you can wrap it up and give it as a gift. If you can bare to part with it, that is.

Better to double the recipe . . . just in case.

Cathy’s Cranberry Fruit Relish

Makes about 3 ½ cups

Note from Cathy: I use all organic ingredients and do not peel the fruit.

Ingredients:

1 pound cranberries

1 navel orange, unpeeled and chopped in small pieces

1 firm red delicious or gala apple, chopped into small pieces

1 firm pear, chopped into small pieces

½ - 2/3 cups of dates, pitted and chopped

½ - 1 cup walnuts, shelled and chopped

1 – 1 ½ cups xylitol (available in the Supplements Dept.)

Directions:

1. Wash and chop or cut cranberries into quarters

2. Mix cranberries with chopped fruit and nuts

3. Add xylitol, if it’s not sweet enough for your taste, add more

4. Mix and chill

Enjoy! Fondly, Cathy Banks

It's a recipe!

2009-11-13T16:53:00.000-08:00

Em’s Peanut Butter

Apple Rad Salad!

Looking for something simple to make with exceptional taste? If so, then you must try Em’s—one of our dedicated and talented chefs from the Co-op’s Deli—Peanut Butter Apple Rad Salad.

Chock full of the flavors you love (yummy peanut butter and crunchy apples!), this delicious fruit salad is a delightful breakfast treat, a satisfying lunch side dish, and just the recipe that you need to make for Thanksgiving company.

Once you try it, we guarantee you’ll be making it again and again.

Thanks Em for sharing!

Peanut Butter Apple Rad Salad

Em tells us that she created and made this recipe in a 1/2 hour, so feel free to change the ingredients to your liking and your schedule. We think you’re going to love it just the way she makes it.

Salad

5 granny smith apples (tangy element)

5 arkansas black apples (crunchy classic)

4 asian pears (juicy – helps with the peanut butter effect)

2 cups raisins

2 cups hemp seeds

1 cup dried mango

Dressing

In a blender (or by hand if you’re trying to use less electricity!) combine the following:

2 cups peanut butter (salted kind)

1 tsp. ginger

apple juice – enough to make the peanut butter soft and gooey; Em suggests 1 and 1/2 cups, added a bit at a time

To make

Cut fruit into chunks, then add the raisins, hemp seeds and dried mango.

Dress salad with sauce and be prepared for extreme mouth-joy.

People's Celebrates Halloween

2009-11-03T18:38:00.000-08:00

KPBS Special

2009-10-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

The Botany of Desire

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 8 p.m.

KPBS

A documentary film by Michael Schwarz

- based on the book by Michael Pollen

The apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato are the stars of the film adaptation of journalist Michael Pollan's best-selling book, The Botany of Desire. The two-hour documentary, which takes the same name, also features Pollan himself. It begins in the author's own home garden before the film journeys to the apple orchards of Kazakhstan, the tulip markets of Amsterdam, a medical marijuana hot house and the potato fields of South America. These four famous plants share histories with corresponding human desires-for sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control over food production. The developmental relationship between human beings and the plants is what Pollan calls "the botany of desire." In this coevolution, Pollan argues, human beings are as controlled as in control. "It makes just as much sense to think of agriculture as something the grasses did to people as a way to conquer the trees," he writes.

A professor at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, Michael Pollan is a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine and the author of many books. Producer and director of The Botany of Desire, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, and The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, which was named one of the 10 best books of 2006 by The New York Times and The Washington Post. It won the California Book Award, the Northern California Book Award, and the James Beard Award for Best Food Writing and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Pollan is also the author of A Place of My OwnSecond Nature. and

Michael Schwarz has produced numerous documentary films and won several Emmy awards for his work.

Visit the PBS Botany of Desire website for complete details, video downloads, and more.

Best of the Best!

2009-10-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

People’s Co-op has been nominated by San Diego CityBeat as one of the Top Five Health Food Stores in town!

Tell San Diego that Your Co-op is Number One!

Vote by clicking here Voting will end on October 25 with results being announced in the November 11 BEST of San Diego issue of San Diego CityBeat.

Kick Gas Festival

2009-10-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

Kick Gas Festival
Saturday, October 24, 11a.m. to 7 p.m.
Qualcomm Stadium
Tickets: $10 advance, $15 at gate

Click here to go to the Kick Gas Festival for More information

Support San Diego Roots Sustainable Foods Project with your ticket purchase!

Enter Presale Code "ROOTS" when purchasing your ticket online. 10% of each ticket sale will be donated to S.D. Roots projects, including Victory Gardens and Seeds at City Urban Farm.

The 2nd Annual Kick Gas Festival brings eco-friendly fun to San Diego with an electrifying, solar powered, “green” event. Infused with music and entertainment, the festival sets out to educate and create awareness about alternative and renewable energy. The Kick Gas Festival is an annual with a mission to educate people and create awareness about alternative fuel technology and sustainable energy.

The festival will include the 2009 Electric Vehicle Racing Championships in the K-1 Speed Auto Zone featuring different types of alternative vehicles on the Auto Cross Track from electric cars, conversions, to hybrids. The Earth-List.com Eco Zone has over 30 major environmental non-profits organizations and will include an Eco Fashion Show, hosted by Capone of 91X, showcasing some of the up and coming names in eco fashion.

Fall Means Pumpkins

2009-10-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

Pumpkins are at their prime from September to late November, so now’s the time to transform these attractive seasonal squashes into delectable dishes — and we’re not just talking pie! A pumpkin’s mild, succulent flesh marries beautifully with many other flavors, and it can be prepared in almost any way that’s suitable for other winter squashes: baked, roasted, grilled, boiled, braised, or even hollowed out and used as a serving container. Over in the Earthbound Farms kitchens, they’re whipping up all kinds of wonderful pumpkin recipes including, Pumpkin Gratin, Savory Pumpkin Tart, Pumpkin and Coconut Soup (this one sounds extra delicious), Steamed Ginger, Date, and Pumpkin Pudding (which is actually much more like a cake than a pudding), Pumpkin Cheesecake and more!

Click here for recipes. And remember, every meal is better when you share it with a friend.

October is Co-op Month!

2009-10-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

Keep Nanotechnology Out of Organic!

2009-09-23T16:58:00.001-07:00

A major reason why consumers shop for products that are certified organic is to avoid hazardous and unlabeled genetically engineered organisms, toxic chemicals, and now the most recent, and likely most dangerous hi-tech poison of them all, nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology is now a multi-billion dollar Frankenstein monster industry churning out a vast menu of untested and unlabeled products containing tiny nanoparticles including non-organic vitamin supplements, food packaging, processed food, cosmetics, and sunscreens.

The United States Department of Agriculture's National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has been debating an official ban on nanotechnology in organic. When it meets November 3 - 5, 2009 in Washington, D.C., the NOSB will consider a recommendation supported by the organic community that would "prohibit nanotechnology in organic production, processing, and packaging."

Mounting scientific evidence indicates that nanomaterials produce dangerous "free radicals" which can destroy or mutate DNA and can cause damage to the liver and kidneys. And, everyday, new evidence of the dangers of nanotechnology emerges.

Tell the USDA that you want the National Organic Standards Board to take a strong stand against the use of nanotechnology in organic. Please act before the October 19 deadline by clicking here.

Save Water & Build Habitats

2009-09-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

Save Water & Build Habitats
Tuesday September 22, 6 p.m.
San Diego, Balboa Park, Casa del Prado, Room 101

6 p.m. "Ask the Experts": Sit down, one on one, with a native plant expert for ten minutes and discuss ideas for your shopping list for our upcoming annual California Native plant sale on Saturday October 17th. Reservations are not required but you are encouraged to RSVP to plantsale@cnpssd.org so we have an idea of how many are coming.

7 p.m. "Mystery Plants Identified": Bring your unknown plant and a representative from the San Diego Natural History Museum will help you learn to identify it.

7: 30 p.m. Speaker Presentation by Mike Evans, from Tree of Life Nursery, www.Californianativeplants.com: Learn about plants you can buy at the California Native Plant sale on October 17th. Many agencies and municipalities are introducing strict measures to conserve water, especially for landscape irrigation. We are told many ornamental plants will "work" to save water; and call them "California Friendly." The plants that will use less irrigation water and also attract wildlife species are California natives. Discussion will include why native plantings are the "friendliest" of the California Friendly" plants, and the crucial need before us to enhance and build wildlife habitat within the human environment.

La Mesa Enivro Festival

2009-09-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

Environmental Awareness Festival

September 12, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Harry Griffen Park, La Mesa

Join folks from La Mesa at this fun and informative Environmental Awareness Festival and get information and resources on water conservation, energy efficiency, recycling, composting, solar cooking, storm drain runoff, pest control, urban trees, green jobs, xeriscape gardening and more! There will be activities for all ages, including the County Office of Education's Splash Science Mobile Lab, and a series of speakers and free give-aways throughout the day. Bring your lunch, picnic in the park!

E-waste and recycling collection hosted by Cactus Recycling will be accepting all recyclables including electronics, metal, plastics # 1-7, bags, blister packaging, six-pack rings, bubble wrap, plastic film, and formed Styrofoam (no tape or labels please).

Workshops will cover topics including: Rain Water Harvesting; How to Plant a Tree and Why You Should followed by a Tree Walk in the Park with Robin Rivet, ISA Certified Arborist; How to Make Your Own Backyard Compost; Gardening is for the Birds, Bees and Butterflies presented by Connie Beck, National Wildlife Federation; Solar Energy for Residential Applications.

Harry Griffen Park is located in La Mesa at 9550 Milden Street. For more information visit www.cityoflamesa.com/EnvironmentalAwareness

People's Birthday & Member Picnic 2009

2009-08-29T17:28:00.000-07:00

Sunscreen Safety

2009-08-15T12:17:00.001-07:00

How to Sunbathe Safely

~ Samuel S. Epstein, M.D

Soon we will see summer's fading days and the seasonal end of our culture's annual fixation with slathering sunscreen products on exposed skin in pursuit of 'safety' or vanity.

You have all heard -- and probably warned your children -- what will happen if they don't use sunscreens. Not only will they get sunburned, their skin will get wrinkled and aged prematurely.

But what if you were warned that the dangers of sunscreens to health, besides the environment, outweigh their proclaimed benefits? Your first response would probably be incredulity. How can a product that's been championed by health agencies the world over possibly be a threat?

The answer hinges on a state of denial, and a false sense of security. This reflects ignorance of the toxic effects of sunscreen ingredients, says the chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition, Samuel S. Epstein, M.D.

Sunscreens absorb short-wave ultraviolet light, which is responsible for sunburn. However, they do nothing to block long-wave ultraviolet radiation which is the major cause of a skin cancer, known as malignant melanoma," Dr. Epstein explains.

A Sun Protection Factor (SPF) was introduced in 1962 as an international standard for measuring how much protection sunscreen products are supposed to afford. So a SPF of 25 claims that you can stay safely in the sunshine for 25 times longer than if you had not applied the sunscreen.

However, there are two glaring problems with reliance on the SPF standard, Dr. Epstein warns.

First, swimming and sweating sharply reduce the effectiveness of sunscreens, so they must be applied repeatedly during exposure to sun. How many people actually do this? Second, the SPF number labeled on sunscreens is determined by laboratory tests based on an internationally agreed application rate. However, most people use only a fraction of the required amount - between 10 and 75 percent of the lab test quantity - which renders the listed SPF number meaningless and ineffective.

All this means that people using sunscreens are encouraged to remain in the sun far longer than is safe. This is the reason why, since 1975, the incidence of malignant melanoma has increased by about 200 percent in white men and women, and its mortality has increased by about 10 percent. Dark skinned races are largely protected by pigment, known as melanin, which largely blocks long-wave ultraviolet radiation.

Dr. Epstein cautions that another major and generally unrecognized problem with sunscreens is due to their undisclosed toxic ingredients.

As detailed in Dr. Epstein's most recent book, "Toxic Beauty," (Benbella Books) sunscreen products contain unlabeled dangerous ingredients. These products are also labeled with false and misleading promises about their effectiveness, such as 'all-day protection' and 'blocks all harmful rays.'

Apart from these concerns, he warns, common sunscreen ingredients pose toxic effects.

Benzophenone is a "hormone disrupter" which mimics natural hormones produced by the endocrine system. It is also an allergen, causing allergic reactions, and a "penetration enhancer," which penetrates the skin, and is absorbed into the bloodstream and invades body wide organs.

Octyl-methoxycinnamate is also a hormone disrupter and penetration enhancer which has been detected in breast milk.

Oxybenzone, another hormone disrupter, has also been detected in breast milk.

Parabens are still other hormone disrupters.

These ingredients pose further dangers. Once absorbed through the skin, they generate what are known as "free radicals." "These accelerate skin damage and skin aging, along with sharply increased risks of skin cancer," Dr. Epstein warns.

Some of these ingredients also pose unrelated threats. Once washed off sunbather's bodies, oxybenzone accumulates in sea life and damages their reproductive systems. In 2006, it was found that oxybenzone had transformed the males of coastal fish near California beaches into fish with ovarian tissue.

"Now that you've heard the bad news, you're probably wondering how you can protect your children and yourself from harm," says Dr. Epstein. "Sunblocks containing zinc oxide and titanium dioxide offer protection as they block long-wave ultraviolet light by reflecting the radiation off the skin's surface."

"But beware of recently developed sunblocks," he cautions. "These contain nanoparticles, a technological innovation which reduces ingredient particles to an ultramicroscopic size. These then readily penetrate the skin, invade the blood stream, and pose major toxic threats to distant organs such as liver and bone."

"Fortunately," Dr. Epstein advises, "a new generation of sun protective natural organic ingredients is on the horizon. These range from SoyScreen, a 'green' sunscreen, based on ferulic acid and soybean oil, to sulforaphane, a broccoli ingredient that significantly reduces ultraviolet light damage."

Until these new natural ingredients, and products based on them, reach consumers and the marketplace, the best advice for self-protection is to limit exposure to the sun, says Dr. Epstein.

Under the explicit provisions of the 1938 Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, it is anticipated that Dr. Margaret Hamburg, the newly appointed FDA Commissioner will prohibit the sale of sunscreens containing toxic ingredients, and also sunblocks based on nanoparticles.

Samuel S. Epstein, M.D. is professor emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health; Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition; and author of over 200 scientific articles and 15 books on cancer, including the groundbreaking The Politics of Cancer (1979), and Toxic Beauty (2009). You can contact Dr. Epstein at epstein@uic.edu Visit the Prevent Cancer website at www.preventcancer.com

Autism & the Environment

2009-08-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

Autism: It's the Environment, Not Just Doctors Diagnosing More Disease

California's sevenfold increase in autism cannot be explained by changes in doctors' diagnoses and most likely is due to environmental exposures, University of California scientists reported [last month.]

The scientists who authored the new study advocate a nationwide shift in autism research to focus on an array of potential factors in the environment that babies and fetuses are exposed to, including pesticides, viruses and chemicals in household products.

"It's time to start looking for the environmental culprits responsible for the remarkable increase in the rate of autism in California," said Irva Hertz-Picciotto, an epidemiology professor at University of California, Davis who led the study.

Click here to read the full article by author Marla Cone, executive editor of Environmental Health News, which compiles media and original reporting on health and environmental topics.

Summer Art Show

2009-07-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

Artists’ Reception
Friday, July 31, 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
O.B. People’s Co-op
Join us for our second art show of the year featuring: Bridget Hanley, selected works by artists from the Creative Arts Consortium, and student “recycled art” from O.B. Elementary. It’s going to be an evening of great art, great music, & fantastic food. Free of charge!

Biodegradable Seedling Pots!

2009-07-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

Homemade Seedling Pots

We found this happy little garden tip over at the Good News Environmental Blog; it’s an inexpensive way to plant your seeds. Collect your discarded toilet paper rolls, and cut them in half and fill with soil for instant seedling "pots". As they are bottomless and will decompose once planted, they are the perfect starter pot for seedlings. Plus, they don’t cost a thing!

2009-07-14T11:47:00.000-07:00

Please click on flyer image for clearer resolution.

Growing Places 2009

2009-07-08T12:42:00.001-07:00

San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project is inviting all of San Diego’s visual artists to participate in helping them create a sustainable food system in San Diego! Everyone living in San Diego County can make art, in any style and in any media, as long as it has a theme of food and/or farm.

What you make can be anything—a celebration of food you love, an expression of your thoughts about food, food history, food crises, or food future—as long as it has to do with food! Donate your art to SD Roots Sustainable Food Project and they’ll showcase it for the duration of Growing Places. Food and Art lovers will bid on the work, and all the proceeds from the silent auction will go directly to the Roots Farmland Fund.

To learn more about this fun and exciting project, visit the San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project website by clicking here.

Celebrating the Fourth of July

2009-07-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

Click here for tips from Earth911 on celebrating by adding a “green” touch to your festivities. Next, bop over to the Vegetarian Kitchen website and pick up the recipes for Grilled Eggplant Teriyaki, Tofu and Potato Kebabs and Grilled Ratatouille complete with Sweet and Savory Grilling Sauce, Olive Oil and Lemon Marinade, and Teriyaki Marinade!

People’s Co-op will be closed on July 4th, but will reopen bright and early at 8 a.m. on the 5th. Have a safe, “green” and tasty holiday!

A Quarter Million Experimental "Frankentrees" to Be Grown in U.S

2009-06-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

The USDA is currently taking public comments on whether or not the company ArborGen should be allowed to conduct 29 field trials of genetically engineered "cold tolerant" eucalyptus trees in the U.S. This massive experiment, which is on the verge of being green-lighted, will literally be using nature as the laboratory to test more than 260,000 “frankentrees”.

Scientists across the U.S. are voicing concerns over this proposal including:

-The USDA failed to do an Environmental Impact Statement to assess potential negative issues related to the proposed field trials.

-Studies have shown tree pollen can travel up to 1,000 kilometers. The spread of the these plants into the wild through seeds and plant matter is highly likely, and the impacts on native ecosystems from this invader are unknown.

-One of the experimental GE tree varieties is a known host for cryptococcus gatti, a fatal fungal pathogen whose spores cause meningitis in people and animals.

Comments are being accepted by the USDA until July 6, 2009.

Learn more and take action by Clicking Here

It's a recipe!

2009-06-10T12:51:00.001-07:00

In Sunny California, seasonally grown corn is available from May through October, peaking in June and July. Since June is just getting underway, what better time to enjoy the delights of this golden nugget?

Yellow corn is low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol and sodium. It's also a great source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, thiamin, folate, magnesium and phosphorus!

Maize is the proper word for corn, taken from the indigenous peoples of the “new world” who introduced it to European explorers and settlers. The word corn goes back to Biblical days, and means any particle of grain or any small pellet of anything. In some lands, corn meant wheat; in others it meant barley or oats.

Only Americans adopted the word to describe maize. In many American dialects, the word for corn meant, "that which gives us life." Indeed, corn was the dietary staple for the native people’s of this land. Aztec and Mayan civilizations were built on a corn economy, as corn provided food, currency, fuel, fodder for animals, silk for smoking, sugar and even fermented beverages.

At the Co-op’s Deli, we have another use for corn . . . chowder! So tasty, so layered in flavor, our People’s Mexican Corn Chowder is the perfect accompaniment to toasted whole grain bread, served with fresh garden tomatoes, sliced in the round. From our table to yours, enjoy!

People’s Mexican Corn Chowder

Serves 10 – 12 (or freeze surplus and enjoy on another day!)

2 cups yellow potatoes, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups yellow onion, diced

1 cup celery, sliced

1 cup red bell peppers, diced

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons tamari

2 teaspoons ume plum vinegar

4 cups corn

4 cups water

1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

Boil potatoes until just tender, then drain. Sauté the onions, celery, and peppers in olive oil until soft, then add the spices and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tamari, vinegar, potatoes, corn and water, and stir well. Take out 1 cup of the chowder and blend until smooth, then add it back to the chowder and simmer until hot. Add the cilantro and serve.

10 reasons why we don’t need genetically engineered foods

2009-06-02T15:19:00.001-07:00

With the cost of food on the rise — hitting not just shoppers but the poor and hungry in the developing world — genetically engineered (GE) foods are once again being promoted as the way to feed the world. But this is little short of a confidence trick. Far from needing more GE foods, there are urgent reasons why we need to ban them altogether.

1. GE foods won’t solve the food crisis

A 2008 World Bank report concluded that increased biofuel production is the major cause of the increase in food prices. GE giant Monsanto has been at the heart of the lobbying for biofuels — while profiting enormously from the resulting food crisis and using it as a PR opportunity to promote GE foods!

“The climate crisis was used to boost biofuels, helping to create the food crisis; and now the food crisis is being used to revive the fortunes of the GE industry.”

— Daniel Howden, Africa correspondent of The Independent

“The cynic in me thinks that they’re just using the current food crisis and the fuel crisis as a springboard to push GE crops back on to the public agenda. I understand why they’re doing it, but the danger is that if they’re making these claims about GE crops solving the problem of drought or feeding the world, that’s bull****.”

— Prof Denis Murphy, head of biotechnology at the University of Glamorgan in Wales

2. GE crops do not increase yield potential

Despite the promises, GE has not increased the yield potential of any commercialized crops. In fact, studies show the most widely grown GE crop, GE soya, has suffered reduced yields.

“Let's be clear. As of this year [2008], there are no commercialized GE crops that inherently increase yield. Similarly, there are no GE crops on the market that were engineered to resist drought, reduce fertilizer pollution or save soil. Not one.”

— Dr Doug Gurian-Sherman, former biotech specialist for the US Environmental Protection Agency and former advisor on GE to the US Food and Drug Administration

3. GE crops increase pesticide use

Official data shows that in the U.S., GE crops have produced an overall average increase, not decrease, in pesticide use compared to conventional crops.

“The promise was that you could use less chemicals and produce a greater yield. But let me tell you none of this is true.” — Bill Christison, President of the US National Family Farm Coalition

4. There are better ways to feed the world

A major recent UN/World Bank-sponsored report compiled by 400 scientists, and endorsed by 58 countries, concluded that GE crops have little to offer global agriculture and the challenges of poverty, hunger and climate change, because better alternatives are available.

5. Other farm technologies are more successful

Integrated pest management (IPM) and other innovative low-input or organic methods of controlling pests and boosting yields have proven highly effective, particularly in the developing world. Other plant breeding technologies, such as Marker assisted selection (non-GE genetic mapping), are widely expected to boost global agricultural productivity more effectively and safely than GE.

“The quiet revolution is happening in gene mapping, helping us understand crops better. That is up and running and could have a far greater impact on agriculture [than GE].”

— Prof John Snape, head of the department of crop genetics, John Innes Centre

6. GE foods have not been shown to be safe to eat

Genetic engineering is a crude and imprecise way of incorporating foreign genetic material (e.g. from viruses, bacteria) into crops, with unpredictable consequences. The resulting GE foods have undergone little rigorous and no long term safety testing, but animal feeding tests have shown worrying health effects. Only one study has been published on the direct effects on humans of eating a GE food. It found unexpected effects on gut bacteria, but was never followed up.

“We are confronted with the most powerful technology the world has ever known, and it is being rapidly deployed with almost no thought whatsoever to its consequences.” — Dr Suzanne Wuerthele, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) toxicologist

7. Stealth GE’s in animal feed — without consumers’ consent

Products from animals raised on millions of tons of GE feed do not have to be labeled. (Add that to the fact that in North America, no GE foods require GE labeling.) Studies have shown that if GE crops are fed to animals, GE material can appear in the resulting products. As GE foods have been shown to affect animals’ health, eating such “stealth GEs” may affect the health of consumers.

8. No one is monitoring the impact of GE foods on health

It is claimed that North Americans have eaten GE foods for years with no ill effects. But these foods are unlabeled in the U.S. and no one has monitored the consequences. With other novel foods like trans fats, it has taken decades to realize that they caused millions of premature deaths. Additionally, scientists say that GE may produce new toxins, with potentially devastating results for humans. In at least one case this has already happened. In 1989, a genetically engineered form of tryptophan, a dietary supplement, produced toxic contaminants. Before it was recalled by the Food and Drug Administration, the mutated tryptophan wreaked havoc. Thirty-seven North Americans died, 1,500 were permanently disabled, and 5,000 became ill with a blood disorder, eosinophila myalgia syndrome.

9. GE and non-GE cannot co-exist

GE contamination of conventional and organic food is increasing. An unapproved GE rice that was grown for only one year in field trials was found to have extensively contaminated the U.S. rice supply and seed stocks. In Spain, a study found that GE maize “has caused a drastic reduction in organic cultivations of this grain and is making their coexistence practically impossible”.

“If some people are allowed to choose to grow, sell and consume GE foods, soon nobody will be able to choose food, or a biosphere, free of GE. It’s a one way choice, like the introduction of rabbits or cane toads to Australia; once it’s made, it can’t be reversed.”

— Roger Levett, specialist in sustainable development

10. We can’t trust GE companies

The big biotech firms pushing their GE foods have a terrible history of toxic contamination and public deception. GE is attractive to them because it gives them patents that allow monopoly control over the world’s food supply. They have taken to harassing and intimidating farmers for the “crime” of saving patented seed or “stealing” patented genes — even if those genes got into the farmer’s fields through accidental contamination by wind or insects.

“Farmers are being sued for having GE organisms on their property that they did not buy, do not want, will not use and cannot sell.” — Tom Wiley, North Dakota farmer

Scientific references and sources for the information presented here can be found at www.banGMfood.org

Homeopathy 101

2009-05-23T14:26:00.001-07:00

Homeopathy, you may have heard of it, but you may not be clear about what exactly it is.

Homeopathy ("home-ee-AH-pah-thy"), also known as homeopathic medicine is a whole medicine system, developed in Germany and practiced in North America since the early 19^th century. Homeopathy seeks to stimulate the body’s ability to heal itself by giving very small doses of highly diluted substances that in larger doses would produce illness or symptoms (an approach called “like cures like”.)

Follow the links below, provided by Natural Foods Merchandiser, to gain a clearer understanding of the practice of homeopathy. There’s a list of basics, including history and regulations, and resources, such as a homeopathic glossary and a podcast by homeopathic expert Dana Ullman that answers frequently asked user questions. Top your understanding of homeopathy off with Natural Foods Merchandiser “editor picks” articles.

Homeopathy Basics

What is homeopathy?

A brief history of homeopathy

Single vs. combination remedies

How homeopathy is regulated

Chart: Understanding homeopathic dosages

Resources

Homeopathy glossary

Homeopathy research roundup

Homeopathy resources

Podcast: Dana Ullman, Homeopathic expert answers the top 5 consumer questions

Editors’ Picks

Spotlight on: Boiron’s remedies for cramps, PMS and hot flashes

Spotlight on: Hyland’s remedies for children’s teething and allergy problems

Spotlight on: Nelsons’ homeopathic skin care line

Spotlight on: Heel’s remedies for cold and flu symptoms

Spotlight on: KingBio’s remedies for pain and stress

The Home Gardener

2009-05-06T14:09:00.001-07:00

Tomatoes and peppers and zucchini, oh my! The sun’s warming up and now is the time to get to planting. Whether this is your first year in the garden (or at the balcony planting pot), or you’ve got a few years of sowing under your belt, Mother Earth News has a wonderful gardening blog that will help you get the most out of your endeavors.

Not sure when it’s the right time to sink your seeds into the ground? Not certain what goes best when planted side by side? Wondering if seeds or starter plants are your best option? Wonder no more . . . The Mother Earth News garden blog has the answers for your queries, and perhaps some ideas you might not have considered. These include everything from starter seed basics and ways to seed swap with locals, to expert transplanting advice and what top producing crops are in our Southwest region.

Plus, there are really groovy articles such as:

· Know When to Plant What: Find Your Average Last Spring Frost Date

· Our Indestructible Tomato Cage

· Lasagna Gardening

· A Better Way to Fertilize Your Garden - Homemade Organic Fertilizer

Pick up your spade, pop on your sunhat and get your hands busy growing your own!

It's a recipe!

2009-04-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

Ashley, one of our Co-op cashiers made up this refreshing, beautiful super drink! No exact measurements needed, just gather up as much as you want of any of the ingredients listed below, place with loving care into your blender, and give it a whirl. A perfect “good morning smoothie” for sipping, while you water your garden or watch the sun come up.

Green Smoothie

Spinach

Pineapple

Blueberry

Banana

Ginger

From the General Manager’s Desk

2009-03-31T15:14:00.001-07:00

Food Bills and Pistachios

For those of you who have seen information in the past few days about legislation dealing with food safety, here is the update:

HR 875 This bill is being closely monitored and currently poses no threat to organic growers, backyard gardeners or farmers’ markets. Most of the claims about it on the internet are false. For the latest information check www.ccof.org/foodsafety.php.

HR 814 Currently calls for a mandatory animal identification system

HR 759 Complete overall of the FDA with attendant problems for small farms

Currently, Congress is dealing with the larger issues of the economy and climate change.

Any urgent need for action concerning organics will be communicated in the Co-op and on this blog as the situation warrants.

2009-03-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

The Pistachio Recall

Our sources for organic pistachios are not involved in the current recall. Any products that are affected by a recall in the Co-op are removed from our shelves immediately.

It's a recipe!

2009-03-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

It’s official, spring has sprung . . . and the prospect of warming days has us skipping rope around the produce aisles (well, you can imagine that we want to) and cheering “Whahoooo” and “Yippee”! Another way to celebrate the first day of spring (besides skipping rope) is to make a lovely salad, laced with all sorts of wonderful things like collards and chard, cherry tomatoes and sunburst squash. Hey, that sounds like one of our favorites: the Funky Deli-C Salad! We make Funky Deli-C at the Co-op Deli and love to watch smiles grow like daffodils, as folks tuck into this sweet and savory delight. It’s simple to make, and oh so delicious. If you enjoy this salad, don’t forget to check out the O.B. People’s Deli Cookbook, available at Ocean Beach People’s Organic Food Co-op . . . where YOU own the store!!

Funky Deli-C Salad

Serves 4 - 6

1/2 bunch green chard, sliced thin

1/2 bunch collard greens, sliced thin

1/2 jalapeno, minced

1 cup red onion, sliced 1/4 moons

1/2 cups each red and yellow bell peppers, diced

1 1/2 cups sunburst squash, diced

1 1/2 cucumber, sliced half moon

1 handful of cherry tomatoes

1 1/2 Fuji apples, sliced 1/4 moons

Dressing

1 orange, juiced

1/2 cup apple juice

1/2 cup raw tahini

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 tablespoon basil

1/2 tablespoon oregano

1/4 tablespoon sea salt

1/4 tablespoon black pepper

Place prepared vegetables into a large bowl. Blend the dressing, then pour over the vegetables and mix well.

GE Crop Regulations Proposed Rule

2009-02-28T11:32:00.000-08:00

GE Crop Regulations Proposed Rule

Public Comment Period Extended through May 2009

In the last months of the Bush Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a proposal to completely overhaul its regulation of genetically engineered (GE) crops, significantly weakening its oversight. No longer would the USDA start from the assumption that a new GE crop must be regulated; some GE crops could be exempted altogether. The proposed rule would virtually ensure that contamination of organic and commercial crops will become even more frequent, and excuses the USDA from taking any action to remedy such contamination. The rule would continue to allow the dangerous practice of producing drugs and industrial chemicals in food crops grown in the open environment, and, if implemented, the proposed rule would allow the wholesale deregulation of the agricultural biotechnology industry.

The USDA has reopened the comment period on the proposed rule. The Center for Food Safety's current campaign asks supporters to tell the USDA to:

Withdraw the proposed rule
Release the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) for public review and comment and to be used as a basis for further rule-making
Suspend all new GE crop approvals until the above has been satisfactorily completed and unless and until GE crops are proven safe

For more information and to comment, please visit the Center for Food Safety’s campaign by clicking here.

Happy Valentines!

2009-02-14T12:52:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who came to the Co-op to help us celebrate Valentines Day. We’re making Valentine cards from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and raffling off Valentine’s baskets. The basket raffles are going on all day long today, 2/14, so if you haven’t entered yet, by all means skip or stroll on over to the Co-op and fill out a raffle ticket. You don’t need to be present to win; we’ll call you!

Love, People’s (thump, thump)

The Dangers of Food Dyes

2009-01-31T14:06:00.001-08:00

Important new research has shown that commonly used food dyes, such as Yellow 5, Red 40, and six others, are linked to hyperactivity, impulsivity, learning difficulties, and Attention Deficity Hyperactivity Disorder in many children. The Center for Science in the Public Interest Europe. has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to ban the use of these dyes, many of which are already being phased out in

These dyes—petrochemicals, mostly—are often used to simulate the presence of healthy, colorful fruits and vegetables. But considering the adverse impact of these chemicals on children, and considering how easily they can be replaced with colorings derived from real food ingredients, it’s time to get rid of them altogether.

2009-01-31T14:04:00.000-08:00

It’s interesting to note that in England, Kellogg’s™ Nutri-Grain bars are made with natural colorings, but in the United States they are made with artificial food dyes.

2009-01-31T14:03:00.000-08:00

Watchdog Group Wants Ban on Yellow 5, Red 40, and Other Artificial Food Dyes Linked to Hyperactivity, Behavior Problems

WASHINGTON—The Center for Science in the Public Interest is asking America's parents for help in its campaign to convince the Food and Drug Administration that synthetic dyes, such as Yellow 5 and Red 40, don't belong in foods, especially those consumed by children. The dyes are being phased out in European countries because of important new evidence showing that the dyes, and perhaps the preservative sodium benzoate, cause hyperactivity and other behavior problems in children.

CSPI is urging parents who believe their children are harmed by food dyes to file reports online at http://www.cspinet.org/fooddyes. The nonprofit nutrition and food-safety watchdog group will periodically forward the reports to the FDA, which denies that dyes cause any problem whatsoever. CSPI wants to hear from parents who believe that food dyes impair their children's behavior, as well as parents whose kids' behavior improved when food dyes were eliminated from their diets.

"Considering the problems that have been demonstrated with these dyes, along with the fact that they are easily replaced with natural colorings, it's sad that the FDA is doing nothing to get them out of food," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. "Meanwhile, doctors are prescribing powerful drugs like Ritalin and Adderall to undo the damage being done, in part, by the increasingly unnatural food supply."

Consumption of food dyes has increased five-fold over the past 30 years, according to FDA data.

People’s Winter Art Show

2009-01-24T13:42:00.001-08:00

People’s Winter Art Show

Artists’ Reception

Friday, Jan. 30, 6 – 7:30 p.m.

Food, Music, and Art!

Join us for our first art show of the year, featuring selected works by Bhavna Mehta, Jana Sanchez, and Greg Shed. This exhibit will open with a fabulous evening of music, delicious food, and of course, great art. The show runs until June. Free of charge.

2009-01-24T13:41:00.002-08:00

The Last of the Snow by Bhavna Mehta

2009-01-24T13:41:00.001-08:00

One Fish Two Fish by Jana Sanchez

2009-01-24T13:40:00.000-08:00

Mustangs by Greg Shed

2009-01-17T10:47:00.001-08:00

Three Plants to Promote Peaceful Slumber

German Chamomile – (Matricaria recutita)

You can find bags of chamomile on almost every supermarket shelf [at People’s, we offer chamomile in teabag and loose form], and we have probably all used it at one time or another. According to leading herbalist David Hoffman, chamomile is probably the most widely used relaxing nervine herb in the world. Although the attractive flowers of this herb can have a wide range of health uses, it is primarily used for rest and relaxation. There are several types of herb called ‘chamomile,’ but it is the German variety that is used for tea. The other kind, called Roman chamomile, has similar properties but is bitter and is used primarily for digestive upsets.

The mildly flavored, pleasant-tasting German chamomile tea combines easily with other relaxing herbs. Chamomile is wonderful to have late at night, but it can also be safely used in the day to ease stress and tension. Since chamomile is gentle and effective, it is the first herb to try for sleep disturbances.

How to Use: One teabag steeped for about 15 minutes in 8oz (one cup) of just-boiled water. Or, two teaspoons of loose dried tea. Chamomile is an easy kitchen herb to grow, so for fresh tea, use a good tablespoon. No matter whether the herb is fresh or dried, always remember to cover your tea so that the medicinal volatile oils do not evaporate with the steam. Sweeten with honey if desired.

If you prefer, a liquid extract, also known as a tincture, or capsules can be used instead. Use approximately 1-1 and ½ teaspoons of the extract or two to three capsules.

2009-01-17T10:46:00.000-08:00

Lemon Balm – (Melissa officinalis)

Although lemon balm may not be as well known as other herbs, it is no less remarkable in its sleep-enhancing abilities. Its pungent lemony-scent is tension relieving by itself. Used since the seventeenth century when it was known simply as balm, this herb is great for helping to relieve stress and anxiety, which in turn helps people to sleep better. Research in Germany has shown that a key compound in lemon balm, the volatile oils, calms the central nervous system.

How to Use:

Lemon Balm makes a great-tasting tea and is also effective when taken in pill or extract form. Take 1 or 2 teaspoons of extract and two or three capsules. For the tea, use two teaspoons dried herb to one cup of just-boiled water and let steep for 15 minutes.

2009-01-17T10:42:00.000-08:00

Passionflower - (Passiflora incarnata)

Don’t let the name mislead you – passionflower has nothing do to with passion, and everything to do with sleep. This herb, which is native to the southern United States, has been used for over 200 years for its sedating and tranquilizing properties. One of the great characteristics of passionflower is that it will help you sleep without giving you the groggy feeling that is typical of many sleeping medications.

How to Use: This herb can be drunk as a tea in the evening (one or two cups, prepared as described above.) A tincture is also effective – one to two teaspoons, or two or three capsules.

These herbs have a long history of use as gentle but effective sleep-inducers. Their versatility means that you can combine all three in a tasty tea, or you can choose to try pills or tinctures one by one to find out what is most effective. Whatever herbs you decide to use, hopefully you’ll soon be sleeping sounder, longer and more peacefully.

(The above text was excerpted from “Herbs to Help You Get a Good Night’s Sleep”

by Deborah Cooper. To read the full article click here)

Sleep: it's a Good Thing

2009-01-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

Don't Want to Catch a Cold? Get a Good Night's Sleep

Getting adequate sleep and quality sleep may reduce your risk of catching the common cold. In a new study, researchers recruited 153 healthy men and women, ages 21 to 55, who recorded details about their sleep for two weeks and then were exposed to cold viruses. Those who reported sleeping less than seven hours a night on average were nearly three times more likely to develop a cold than participants getting eight hours or more of nightly shuteye. "Sleep efficiency"-the percentage of time spent in bed actually sleeping rather than tossing and turning-was even more strongly related to risk of the sniffles: Those reporting the least-efficient sleep were 5.5 times more likely to come down with a cold than the most-efficient sleepers.

-Archives of Internal Medicine

What is a Transition Town?

2009-01-10T17:15:00.000-08:00

“If we collectively plan and act early enough there's every likelihood that we can create a way of living that's significantly more connected, more vibrant and more in touch with our environment than the oil-addicted treadmill that we find ourselves on today.” – Transition Network

It all starts off when a small collection of motivated individuals within a community come together with a shared concern: how can our community respond to the challenges, and opportunities, of Peak Oil and Climate Change?

They begin by forming an initiating group and then adopt the Transition Model (explained here at length) with the intention of engaging a significant proportion of the people in their community to kick off a Transition Initiative.

A Transition Initiative is a community (lots of examples here ) working together to look Peak Oil and Climate Change squarely in the eye and address this BIG question:
"For all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly increase resilience (to mitigate the effects of Peak Oil) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to mitigate the effects of Climate Change)?"

If we collectively plan and act early enough there's every likelihood that we can create a way of living that's significantly more connected, more vibrant and more in touch with our environment than the oil-addicted treadmill that we find ourselves on today.

Make Your Own Bread – It’s Easy

2009-01-03T13:19:00.000-08:00

It’s the third day of the New Year and already your resolutions are starting to test your resolve. No fears, that resolution that you made regarding making more meals at home just got a jump start with “Five Minutes a Day for Fresh Baked Bread” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François from the Mother Earth News Do it Your Self online newsletter.

“It is easy to have fresh bread whenever you want it with only five minutes a day of active effort. Just mix the dough and let it sit for two hours. No kneading needed! Then shape and bake a loaf, and refrigerate the rest to use over the next couple weeks. Yes, weeks!”

The article includes recipes for Caramelized Onion and Herb Dinner Rolls, Naan, Sticky Pecan Caramel Rolls, 100 Percent Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread, Neapolitan Pizza Dough and more. Click here to get started.

Baking bread at home saves hundreds of dollars on groceries every year. With this easy method, each deliciously crusty-on-the-outside, moist-and-chewy-on-the-inside loaf will only cost you about 50 cents and 5 minutes a day. We can smell the soft warm aroma of fresh bread filling the kitchen already. It’s easy, and you can do it!

Making Organic Wild Bird Seed Mix

2009-01-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

You serve your family mainly organic foods, you compost your kitchen waste, you even own two pieces of clothing made from organic cotton, but would you consider feeding the wild birds in your yard organic bird feed? There's no reason not to!

A bird feeder outside your window is a joyful addition to any home. Even those who can't have pets due to allergies or leasing agreements can enjoy caring for fellow creatures. Bird identification and the building or purchasing of a bird feeder is a fun and educational event for families or simply for the solo wildlife enthusiast. You can visit your local library for books with plans on constructing feeders, often out of recycled materials. Even if you live in a high-rise apartment building, you can buy a window feeder.

It is important to consider the responsibility of setting up a feeding station as the birds will become dependent on you; if you don't feel like going outside on grey or rainy days you would be doing them a disservice. When you first start putting seed out for the birds, you will probably only get a few visitors, then they will come back, and bring along their friends. Cheep, cheep!

Different species of birds seek different foods. You will have periods when a certain type of bird is very prevalent, depending on migration patterns. Remember that as soon as your birds have run out of natural feed, they will leave unless you provide them with a good reason to stick around. Whether you live in the city or the country, one way to be sure of year round birds is to feed them year around. There is no more wonderful sight in late spring and summer than to watch a mother bird bring her young to your feeder.

Remember: Never place food where cats can easily ambush birds; put feeders up high, and away from trees and fences that can be climbed by kitties.

Admittedly, the easiest thing to do is to pick up the pre-mixed, non-organic wild bird food from the supermarket. But, here are some facts to consider:

It is estimated that of the roughly 672 million birds exposed annually to pesticides on U.S. agricultural lands, 10% or 67 million die from pesticide exposure
The bird that visited your neighbor has most likely been exposed to poisonous pesticides. Over time these agents will take their toll on a bird's immune and reproductive systems
Most commercial wild bird food contains cracked corn, and unless the corn is certified organic, it has probably been genetically engineered
By purchasing commercial bird feed, your dollars are supporting the pesticide application of the acreage where these seeds were grown, effecting the farm workers, wildlife and ground water in that area

Making your own organic bird feed is easy and inexpensive. You can purchase organic seeds at Ocean Beach People’s Organic Food Co-op from the Bulk Dept. Most birds will eat any seeds, but here are the seeds that certain birds prefer:

Black oil sunflower seeds are eaten by Cardinals, American Goldfinch, House Finch, Juncos, Mourning Doves, Nuthatches, Grosbeaks, Tufted Titmice, Chickadees, and Sparrows.

Safflower seeds are enjoyed by Cardinals, Morning Doves, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Chickadees, and Sparrows.

Millet is enjoyed by Cardinals, Mourning Doves, Juncos, and Sparrows.

Cracked corn is enjoyed by Cardinals, Mourning Doves, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Juncos, and Sparrows.

You can prepare a mix based on the type of bird you wish to attract. Birds also benefit from organic fruit, such as apples or oranges sliced in half, organic raisins and unsalted nut pieces.

What Bird?
Have you ever tried to identify a bird and failed? Now you can be successful using our bird identification search engine available at WhatBird.comThe search method is intuitive and fast, leading you to the correct bird every time.

Source: http://www.theorganicreport.org

Ten Ways to Go Organic in 2009

2009-01-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

#1 Get off to a clean start: Take a shower with soaps and shampoos made with organic ingredients. Then, serve someone special an organic breakfast in bed with certified organic juice, coffee, fresh fruit, cereal, yogurt and eggs.

#2 Create a celebratory meal that's as close to 100% organic as possible. Invite friends and family to enjoy and help cook. It can be an organic picnic, pizza party, barbecue or high tea!

#3 Volunteer or make a donation to support organic gardening programs in your community, through schools, social service agencies, etc. Get resource information on community gardens in our country by visiting San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project by clicking here.

#4 Building healthy soil is a key tenet of organic farming. A great way to guarantee rich, organic soil is to start composting! City dwellers can compost at your neighborhood community garden. What's composting, you say? Contact your local library for composting information or visit the Solana Center for a list of upcoming free composting classes click here.

#5 Be a big "softie" and treat yourself (or someone special) to a pair of 100% organic cotton socks or anything made with snuggly organic fleece. Studies have shown that in the U.S., it takes about one-third of a pound of chemicals to grow enough non-organic cotton for one T-shirt.

#6 Treat yourself to organic indulgences: Nibble on an organic chocolate bar, lick an organic ice cream or frozen yogurt bar, or scoop up succulent organic sorbet. Fill your candy jar at home with organic snacks or cookies.

#7 Bring an organic treat to the office to share with co-workers or to send with your children to school. Certified organic raisins, cheese, nuts, fruits, chips and crackers are just some of the possibilities.

#8 Remember your Pooch! Give your furry friend an organic dog wash and treat him or her to an organic doggie biscuit.

#9 Raise a toast to organic! Whether you enjoy a glass of organic wine, lemonade or tomato juice, there are numerous organic libations and refreshments to wet your whistle.

#10 Slumber soundly and organically–sip organic chamomile tea and slip under your organic cotton sheets.

TAKE ACTION: Say NO to Vilsack

2008-12-19T11:29:00.000-08:00

Stop Vilsack's Confirmation as Secretary of Agriculture

Despite a massive public outcry, including more than 20,000 emails from the Organic Consumers Association, President-Elect Obama has chosen former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack to be the next Secretary of Agriculture.

While Vilsack has promoted respectable policies with respect to restraining livestock monopolies, his overall record is one of aiding and abetting Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) or factory farms and promoting genetically engineered crops and animal cloning. Equally troubling is Vilsack's support for unsustainable industrial ethanol production, which has already caused global corn and grain prices to skyrocket, literally taking food off the table for a billion people in the developing world.

The Organic Consumers Association is calling on all concerned citizens to join a call to action and block Vilsack's confirmation as the next Secretary of Agriculture. Please help us reach the goal of 100,000 petition signatures against Vilsack' nomination. Sign today! Your email will be sent to your Senators and the President-Elect's office. To sign the petition click here.

To listen to a National Public Radio (NPR) show featuring author Michael Pollen on the appointment of Tom Vilsack as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture click here.

Action Alert – San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant

2008-12-09T18:01:00.001-08:00

The nuclear industry is at it again! In these tough economic times, the industry is requesting millions of dollars from California electricity customers in order to fund a license renewal study for the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant (officially known as the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station) twelve years BEFORE the study is needed.

Send a postcard to the Governor and the Public Utilities Commission saying "NO" to spending any money on outdated and non-sustainable energy production.

Here's a sample text that you can use:

Dear ___________,

I am joining thousands of Californians who are saying "No" to the premature license renewal feasibility study for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. We are looking to you for leadership in developing safe, sustainable, clean and renewable energy for California like solar, wind, and conservation initiatives.

Sincerely,

__________________

Mail your postcards to:

Public Utilities Commision

505 Van Ness Ave.

San Francisco, CA 94102

and

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

State Capitol Building

Sacramento, CA 95184

Nutty Muffin Recipe

2008-12-01T08:57:00.001-08:00

Hey, it’s the first day of December! Brrrrr . . . we may not have snow, but it is a bit on the foggy side this morning. Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up to some warm, sweet smelling, ever-so-good-tasting, Nutty Muffins? We think so, and we’re happy to give you the recipe that we use in the Co-op Deli to make these muffiny wonders. Enjoy!

Nutty Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 cups maple or agave syrup

¾ cup apple juice

½ cup sunflower oil

1 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all of the dry ingredients together except for the nuts. Mix all of the wet ingredients together. Combine dry and wet ingredients and mix well, then fold in nuts. Line a muffin pan with muffin cups and fill with batter. Bake for approximately 24 minutes, rotating muffin pan halfway through. Use a toothpick to check if muffins are done.

2008-11-25T15:27:00.001-08:00

Gobble Gobble

2008-11-25T15:21:00.001-08:00

One of our favorite websites on green issues and sustainable living, Grist’s environmental living blog is giving thanks to those creative folks who love to play with their food. In the spirit of holiday gratitude, click here to see Grist’s slide show of meat-free masterpieces shaped like turkeys!

Once you’ve enjoyed the masterpiece slide show, click over to this and get a gander of turkeys enjoying the day. Gobble, gobble. People’s wants you each to know that we are thankful for YOU!