Teatulia Helping Reduce the Rocky Mountain Pine Beetle Blues

Contact:

Linda Appel Lipsius, Teatulia, tel 303.433.2980 x 102, linda@teatulia.com  

Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural Marketing, tel 303.807.1042, steve@compassnatural.com

Denver, Colo., (September 26, 2011) - Teatulia, a Denver-based tea company offering USDA certified, premium organic tea from Northern Bangladesh, has a strong commitment to sustainability. Its packaging is made of recyclable and biodegradable paperboard canisters, unbleached labels, compostable corn silk pyramid tea bags, and individual tea wrappers made from compostable eucalyptus.

Now, Teatulia has expanded its sustainability commitment beyond its packaging to offer retailers and food service partners display racks made from the wood of pine trees killed by the Rocky Mountain Pine Beetle, an infestation that is ravaging forests in the West, including thousands of acres in Colorado. Teatulia is making use of this beautiful pine wood, streaked with blues, greens and greys, to create attractive displays while helping to clear forests of millions of dead trees to help encourage new growth.

According to the Colorado State Forest Service, there has been an outbreak of Rocky Mountain Pine Beetles since 1996, resulting in the loss of millions of trees in Colorado. The beetles tunnel into live pines such as lodgepole, ponderosa, Scotch and limber pines and lay eggs. The larvae live off the tree from fall until summer when they form into new adults and exit the tree. During this process the beetle also transmits a fungus that contaminates and ultimately kills the tree. This process leaves behind a blue-green coloration in the wood.

“Coloradans are saddened by the destruction the pine beetles have created. The degradation of our forests not only has a monumental effect on nature but also the timber industry. We want to support local businesses by putting this beautiful timber to use,” said Teatulia Co-Founder & CEO Linda Appel Lipsius. 

Tea Chests to Treasure

Teatulia’s award-winning tea and beautiful, sustainable packaging deserve to be displayed in natural Colorado pine. “Getting away from wire racks and creating an attractive, eye-catching display helps our retail and food service partners. We wanted to offer them something different,” says Chris Olsen, Teatulia’s Marketing Director. “By using natural wood and integrating modern print technology, we were able to create a display that captures Teatulia’s commitment to sustainability.”

Offering three distinctive displays for tea canisters, loose leaf and single serving teas, Teatulia helps local Colorado woodworkers use timber that some assume to be of lesser quality.  However, as the saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” “We love the unique look of each of these handmade chests," says Chris Olsen. “Every one of them is inspiring and tells its own story. Just like our tea collections.” 

About Teatulia

Teatulia, founded in 2009, is a woman and minority owned business with a mission to provide “100% organic teas with a purpose.” With its line of single-origin, premium certified organic teas, Teatulia’s work helps support local economies, education and sustainability initiatives in northern Bangladesh. The company also is committed to fully compostable and recyclable packaging, down to the biodegradable teabags. Teatulia teas are available online at www.teatulia.com, and at leading natural, organic and specialty food stores and select restaurants, cafes and coffee houses in Colorado and throughout the United States and in the United Kingdom. For more information, contact Linda Appel Lipsius at Teatulia, tel 303.433.2980, linda@teatulia.com.

Love at First Flush: Teatulia’s 2011 Limited Edition Ananda Tea

For Immediate  Release:

Contact:

Linda Appel Lipsius, Teatulia, tel 303.433.2980 x 102, linda@teatulia.com

Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural Marketing, tel 303.807.1042, steve@compassnatural.com

Love at First Flush: Teatulia’s 2011 Limited Edition Ananda Tea Harvested from First Tea Leaves of Spring, Available for Limited Time Only

Denver, Colo., (September 8, 2011) – Love at first flush—no, we’re not talking about getting red in the face—we’re talking about the reaction tea aficionados have when they taste Teatulia’s limited edition Ananda first flush black tea.

Teatulia, a Denver-based, woman and minority-owned organic tea company whose teas come from their own 2,000 organic tea garden in northern Bangladesh, announces the release of Ananda Tea, its premium quality, exquisitely flavored, limited edition first flush tea. 

Ananda comes from the “first flush,” meaning the harvest of fresh new tea leaves that appear in the early spring after the period of winter dormancy. First flush harvests offer the purest tea leaves available, producing abundantly fresh, bright and flavorful tea. Teatulia’s first flush leaves produce a flavorful black tea that avid tea drinkers deem to be among the freshest and most unique cups of tea available, according to Teatulia co-founder and CEO Linda Appel Lipsius. 

Terroir of Tea: Ananda Offers Taste of the Season, Growing Region

Beautiful, hand crafted single-estate organic teas comprise Teatulia’s offerings, and now the company is providing tea lovers a taste of the freshness of spring and a glimpse into the taste of the season’s future harvests. 

Like wine, tea is influenced by weather and the local growing conditions that contribute to a tea’s flavor and aroma. Very special characteristics that appear only in the spring make drinking Teatulia’s Ananda first flush tea a rare opportunity to taste its seasonality.  

“Ananda, meaning bliss in Sanskrit, was named after the experience one will have while enjoying the tea,” says Linda Appel Lipsius. With its light color, gentle aroma, and mild astringency, Ananda Tea has a pronounced taste of sweet malt with notes of soaked raisin and barley. According to Linda Appel Lipsius, tea lovers will appreciate Ananda’s complexity and refreshing qualities.

Spring Harvest Important to Bangladesh Community
Although the unique taste and purity of the tea draws immediate consumer attention to the product itself, it is the spring season that awakens the wider agricultural community from winter dormancy in northern Bangladesh. “Tea harvesters anxiously await nature’s growth. The high-quality spring tea provides an important, viable economic resource for the tea farm and the community,” says Teatulia co-founder Linda Appel Lipsius. 

Since 2000, the Teatulia Cooperative has established revolutionary education, health and cattle-lending programs for the people working in the 2,000-acre certified organic tea garden and surrounding areas. All sales of Teatulia Organic Teas contribute to this mission, helping to better the lives of Bangladeshi men, women and children while rebuilding the local ecosystem. The company’s release of Ananda helps reach the community’s poverty alleviation goals. 

The newest tea to the Teatulia catalog is available at www.Teatulia.com. As Ananda Tea comprises the rare first harvest of the spring season, it is available for a limited time only. Visit here for more information on Teatulia’s pure and exquisite, limited edition Ananda Tea.

About Teatulia
Teatulia, founded in 2009, is a woman and minority owned business with a mission to provide “100% organic teas with a purpose.” With its line of single-origin, premium certified organic teas, Teatulia’s work helps support local economies, education and sustainability initiatives in northern Bangladesh. The company also is committed to fully compostable and recyclable packaging, down to the biodegradable teabags. Teatulia teas are available online at www.teatulia.com, at Whole Foods Markets stores in the Northwest, Northeast, Southeast and Rocky Mountain region, and at select restaurants, cafes and coffee houses in Colorado and throughout the country. For more information, contact Linda Appel Lipsius at Teatulia, tel 303.433.2980, linda@teatulia.com.

Boulder County Localization Study

For Immediate Release:

Contact:

Michael Brownlee, Localization Partners LLC, tel 303.494.1521, michael@transitioncolorado.org

Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural Marketing, tel 303.807.1042, steve@compassnatural.com

Boulder County Localization Study Shows 25% Local Food Shift Could Create 31,000 New Jobs in Colorado

Increased food localization could add 1,700 new jobs in Boulder County, 24,000 in the Front Range and 31,000 in the state of Colorado. The effect of a 25% shift in food localization could produce $137 million in annual gross domestic product (GDP) for Boulder County, $1.6 billion for the Front Range, and $2.2 billion for the State of Colorado, says the author of a new research study funded by Transition Colorado and Boulder County.

Boulder, Colorado (September 7, 2011) – Boulder County could achieve a 25% shift towards food localization that would create a 14% increase in job growth and an additional $12 million in annual tax revenues, says economist and food system expert Michael Shuman. 

Shuman presented his initial findings on September 1 in Boulder as part of EAT LOCAL! Week, an event produced by Transition Colorado to raise awareness of local food issues. Shuman’s Food Localization Study, funded by Transition Colorado and Boulder County, focuses on the potential economic impact that increased self-reliance in a local food economy would have on Boulder County, the Northern Colorado Front Range and the state of Colorado. 

The study revealed that although the food industry accounted for only 5% of the economy in Boulder County, 13 counties in the Front Range, and for the entire state of Colorado, the impact on GDP would be significant. 

Potential to Add $2.2 Billion to the Colorado Economy

In achieving 25% food localization, Boulder County’s GDP would increase annually by $137 million, $1.6 billion for the Front Range region and $2.2 billion for all of Colorado, according to the study. In a downturned economy these numbers could create the growth that government leaders have been searching for and citizens desperately need, said Shuman. 

“Our goal at Transition Colorado is to provide Colorado counties with the tools they need to create resilient, self-reliant local food economies. The initial phase of this study has shown us that a 25% shift toward food localization creates jobs and tax revenue, and moves us toward a more sovereign, secure food system,” said Michael Brownlee, co-founder of the nonprofit Transition Colorado. His organization is coordinating the second phase of the study, the development of a comprehensive strategic plan to actually achieve an average of 25% food localization in Boulder County by 2020.

Shuman and Brownlee agree that becoming self-reliant in food means meeting consumer demand for food products locally. The goal is to source raw materials, commodities and finished goods as locally as possible—first from within the county, then regionally and throughout the state. It also means buying these products from locally owned businesses. This keeps the circle of money in the community, which increases fiscal health. “Localization is not about spending more money on food but building community wealth through local sourcing,” said Shuman.

Shuman has become known as an authority on how to build local economies. He is the Director of Research and Economic Development at the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). He holds an A.B. with distinction in economics and international relations from Stanford University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. Shuman has authored three books on his subject matter, and has completed several local food studies in communities across the United States and the world. Regardless of the assignment, Shuman’s goal to promote community-based development is clear. His mantra: “Live Local, Think Global.”

“According to US Department of Agriculture data, Colorado citizens spend $12 billion per year on food, 97% of which is imported from outside the state,” said Michael Brownlee. Shuman regards these trade imbalances as food “leakages” which could also be viewed as opportunities to expand existing businesses or to establish new businesses that would contribute to a diversified local food system. This in turn creates growth, including jobs, by meeting an already existing demand, Shuman said.

Another factor behind food localization that many Boulderites might find interesting is the potential effect on food prices. As local production increases, prices for locally produced food—which is usually of higher quality—will become subject to greater competition, allowing the market to largely dictate price. At the same time there are other benefits including a reduction in distribution costs and the resulting carbon footprint. Other major benefits include rural development, public health and a potential halo over Boulder’s global image, according to Shuman.

How to Finance the Local Food Shift

As vibrant as the “buy local” sentiment is in Boulder County, Shuman believes there are ample resources to pursue these opportunities and diversify the local economy. Boulder, the Front Range and Colorado can create a secure and sovereign food system that will mitigate the local impacts of the global food crisis, he said. 

According to Shuman’s calculations, Boulder County residents currently have $34 billion in short-term and long-term savings. The shift to a 25% localized food system would require an estimated $126 million in capital investments—equal to just .5% of long-term savings or 1.7% of the short-term savings, he projected. This largely means asking community members to minimally reduce their investments in Fortune 500 businesses and directing these funds instead into local food and farming enterprises. A 1% Fund for Local Food could be developed to raise the funds and help people initiate self-directed IRAs, another growing financial trend, Shuman suggested.

About Transition Colorado

Transition Colorado is a nonprofit 501c3 organization committed to fostering self-reliance among local communities in Colorado and beyond. Transition Colorado is the producer of the annual EAT LOCAL! Week, held this year in Boulder on August 27 – September 4, 2011, to educate the community and celebrate and promote the development of local food economies. The organization has recently launched Localization Partners LLC as a for-profit company seeking to catalyze investment in local food and farming enterprises through joint ventures and small-scale investments. For more information visit www.transitioncolorado.org or contact Michael Brownlee, tel 303.494.1521, michael@transitioncolorado.org.

Compass Natural Creates Eco Expo for First-ever Eco Music Festival

SNOWMASS, Colorado (July 6, 2011) - The first-ever Eco Music Festival - EMU, held July 4th Weekend in Snowmass/Aspen, Colorado, was very well received by festival-goers from Colorado and throughout the country. The event bridged sustainability with outdoor adventure, eco-exhibitors, and world-class musical acts, including Leftover Salmon, the New Mastersounds and the Disco Biscuits.

Compass Natural was engaged by EMU to help organize, market, sell and manage this year’s Eco Expo, featuring local, regional and national natural, organic and sustainable products companies. Exhibitors included Grant Family Farms, a renowned Colorado organic farm near Fort Collins that boasts the largest CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program in the country; Slow Color, a Denver-based provider of naturally dyed linen scarves from India; Bottlehood, a Boulder-based company that repurposes glass bottles into vases, cocktail glasses, lamps, jewelry and more; Eco-Products, provider compostable disposable plates, glasses, utensils, napkins, etc.; energy bar maker Clif Bar; Honest Tea; Silver Peak Apothecary of Aspen; the Way of Nature Wilderness Retreats; and others.

Best Organics, a leading organic gift basket company owned in part by Compass Natural’s principals Steven Hoffman and Seleyn DeYarus, also displayed its Colorado's Best Organics gift box collections at EMU, as well as products from local artisan organic producers from throughout the state.

Adding to the festival atmosphere, exhibitors brought product samples, games, button makers, fun photo booths and more. Larger than life puppets, and lighted hoola hoop dancers regaled the crowd as the bands brought excellent music to the occasion. Leftover Salmon, a popular band originating from Colorado, energized the afternoon with its blend of rock and bluegrass; and the Disco Biscuits lighted up the night with their extended, groove-infused musical journeys.

Other musical acts including Tea Leaf Green and RJD2 kept the crowd dancing throughout the day on Saturday, July 2, the day the main acts took the stage. A welcoming concert on Thursday, June 30, featured funk-jazz combo the New Mastersounds from Leeds, England. On Friday, a Suset Social featured bands from throughout the country, and a pool party at the Viceroy Hotel capped the festival on Sunday.

The goal of EMU was to reduce the footprint of an outdoor music festival to as zero waste as possible. Efforts to reduce its carbon footprint included working with the nonprofit Trees Water People to plant trees for every ticket sold; all compostable disposable products provided by Eco-Products; recycling and composting stations; and exhibitor tents made from renewable bamboo, repurposed beetle-kill pine, and army surplus parachutes.

With a mission to combine sustainability, music and outdoor adventure, EMU, the Eco Music Festival's goal is to be an annual event that helps educate festivalgoers about being more conscious in their daily lives--and helps bring sustainability to the outdoor concert business. For more information, visit www.emufestival.com.

For more information about Best Organics and its artisan organic gift collections, or to purchase gifts, visit www.bouldersbestorganics.com, info@bouldersbestorganics.com. For more information about or to contact Compass Natural, visit www.compassnatural.com,info@compassnatural.com.

Fukushima in Our Food

Fukushima in Our Food: Radiation from the Nuclear Meltdown Detected in California Farm Products

Commentary by Steven Hoffman As the crippled reactors in Japan continue to emit radiation into the environment, the risk grows that it will appear in our food. Radiation has already been detected in trace amounts in milk across the U.S., and in strawberries, kale and other vegetables in California.

“The Swiss government Wednesday decided to exit nuclear energy, phasing out the country's existing nuclear plants and seeking alternative energy sources to meet Switzerland's energy needs, following widespread security concerns in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.”  - Dow Jones, May 25, 2011

"We believe we can show those countries who decide to abandon nuclear power—or not start using it—how it is possible to achieve growth, creating jobs and economic prosperity while shifting the energy supply toward renewable energies."  - Chancellor Angela Merkel when announcing on May 30 that Germany would abandon nuclear power by 2022.

Boulder, Colo. (June 1, 2011) – Nuclear energy is clean…until it isn’t.

The emerging reality of the ongoing nuclear reactor crisis in Fukushima, Japan—now in its third month after a devastating earthquake and tsunami caused nuclear explosions at the plant 150 miles north of Tokyo—is that it is not under control at all. Three of the six reactors are in meltdown. The crippled reactors are acting like a huge dirty bomb, emitting significant quantities of radioactive isotopes that are, in fact, contaminating our air, water, soil and food in a steady stream that may continue for a long time.

And it’s not just affecting Japan, though they’re certainly getting the worst of it. Since the accident on March 12, radioactive fallout from Fukushima has been spreading to the U.S. and across the northern hemisphere. Elevated levels of radiation caused by the meltdowns in Japan have been detected in drinking water across the country, in rainwater, in soil, and in food grown on U.S. farms.

The mainstream media is not really reporting on this. Since the initial weeks of the accident, there has been a disturbing silence. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the utility that owns and operates the reactors, and the government of Japan have handled public relations around this monumental disaster about as well as BP handled the Gulf oil spill last summer, and they are losing credibility fast. The radiation has leaked much faster than TEPCO’s disclosure of information related to the crisis; it’s only now that we know that three of the six reactors at the plant are in full meltdown. One of the meltdowns occurred within hours of the accident on March 12, but was not revealed until May 15, more than two months later.

Crisis, What Crisis? In announcing the news, TEPCO admitted that it did not want the public to know the extent of the accident early on to avoid panic. They continue to downplay the time it will take to get the reactors under control and the threat this unprecedented crisis presents to our food, health and environment. While TEPCO has given a time estimate of six to nine months to control the reactors, on May 29 a senior TEPCO official admitted that it may be impossible to stabilize the crippled plant by the beginning of 2012. One U.S. official, John Kelly, deputy assistant secretary for nuclear reactor technologies at the U.S. Energy Department, told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in late May that the Fukushima reactors are still in grave danger and may continue to vent radioactive steam for a year or more, according to the Washington Post.

With the reactors in meltdown, TEPCO employees are racing to avoid a potential “China Syndrome” as superhot nuclear fuel melts down through holes burned into the steel and concrete containment vessels into the earth, thus liberating it into the environment.

Additionally, highly toxic radioactive iodine, cesium, strontium, plutonium and other toxic man-made radionuclides have leaked unabated since March 12 into the ocean and atmosphere. The radiation is contaminating large areas of Japan. Monitoring the ocean around the Fukushima plant, Greenpeace reported on May 26 that the contamination is spreading over a wide area and accumulating in sea life, rather than simply dispersing like the Japanese authorities claimed would happen.

Also, radiation continues to blow in a steady stream across the Pacific Ocean toward North America, following the course of the jet stream in the atmosphere, and major currents in the ocean that flow from Japan to America. It took less than a month for radioactive iodine and cesium from the Fukushima nuclear accident to first show up in U.S. milk, and it continues to be detected in trace amounts in milk produced in California, one of the only states conducting any kind of testing for radiation in food.

Independent Tests Indicate Radiation Is Entering the U.S. Food Chain Authorities in the U.S. insist that there is no danger to public health or the environment from the Fukushima nuclear crisis, and that levels of radiation that have been detected in water, air, soil and food in North America since the accident are in such minuscule quantities as to present little to no danger. EPA discontinued its Fukushima radiation monitoring efforts, and FDA says there is no danger to our food or seafood and therefore testing is not necessary. There have been no calls since the accident for heightened nuclear safety inspections or to upgrade or decommission aging nuclear power plants in the U.S.

Yet, in limited testing conducted by states and independent labs since the accident, radioactive iodine and cesium—both toxic to human health—have appeared at elevated levels in milk and vegetables produced in California. Radiation has also been detected in milk sold in Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Vermont and Washington since the accident.

Elevated levels of radioactivity have also been detected in drinking water in numerous municipalities from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, and in soil samples tested in California. Fallout is blanketing America and will do so for a prolonged period of time until they can somehow stop the crippled reactors from leaking any more radiation into the environment—a formidable task.

On May 25, the University of California Berkeley Department of Nuclear Engineering (UCB)—one of the few organizations testing food, soil, air and water in the U.S.—reported that it had detected the highest level of radioactive cesium 137 in nearly a month in raw milk samples taken from a dairy in Sonoma County where the cows are grass fed. UCB also reported elevated levels of cesium 134 and cesium 137 in pasteurized, homogenized milk samples with a “best by” date of May 26 from a Bay Area organic dairy “where the farmers are encouraged to feed their cows local grass.”

Iodine 131 in California Milk Suggests New Fallout Continues The State of Californiareported on May 2 that it detected higher levels of radioactive iodine 131 in milk samples tested at CalPoly Dairy Farm in San Luis Obispo compared to milk tested at the end of March. Additionally, the new milk samples contained trace amounts of radioactive cesium 134 and cesium 137, which were not seen in the March samples. The presence of iodine 131, with a short half-life of eight days, in the new milk samples indicates that even now, nuclear reactions are occurring at the crippled Japanese plant, bringing fresh fallout on a daily basis to Asia, North America and around the northern hemisphere.

The UCB nuclear engineering department emphasizes that levels of radiation measured in food samples grown in the U.S. are very low, and that there is little threat to public health from the fallout reaching the U.S. Yet they continue to find radioactivity at heightened levels due to the Fukushima meltdown in food grown in northern California—their chosen area of testing near the university. Little to no testing is being done in the rest of the country.

Dairy farmers on the Big Island of Hawaii, on the other hand, are taking a preventive approach to some of the highest levels of radiation detected in the U.S., and are now feeding boron in the form of sodium borate to their cows and goats at milking times along with kelp supplements as a way to help reduce elevated levels of radiation in milk. The dairy farmers are also considering applying boron to their pastures to mitigate radiation levels in the grass, reported Energy News on May 25. Boron is reported to act as a natural radiation absorber, and kelp may help prevent radioactive iodine from accumulating in the body.

Radiation Concentrates in Milk and Broad-leaf Vegetables Radiation concentrates in milk because cows eat grass, and grass and broad-leafed vegetables such as spinach and kale are among the first crops to accumulate radiation from nuclear fallout when it comes down in rain and dust and settles on the leaves and surrounding soil.

Organically raised cows are more vulnerable, as they are required to eat grass as part of organic certification standards, reports NewHope360.com, an industry news source. However, organic proponents ensure consumers that any levels of radiation are minute and present no risk, and that the benefits of consuming organic milk far outweigh any such risks.

In Japan, spinach grown in the region around Fukushima was banned soon after the accident. Two months later, in mid-May, radiation above maximum allowable limits was detected in tea leaves harvested from farms south of Tokyo—farms that are 200 miles from the crippled reactors, indicating that Japan’s radiation contamination problem is far from over. Radiation has also been detected in potatoes and sweet potatoes in Japan. In fact, according to a report published on May 29 by the Japan Agriculture Ministry, potatoes may be more susceptible to radiation contamination than other vegetables. Sadly, radiation also has been detected in breast milk from several women in the Tokyo area, raising significant health risks for pregnant women, new mothers and children.

In the U.S., certain fruit and vegetables grown in California are testing positive for elevated levels of radiation from the Fukushima nuclear accident. On May 16, UCB reported detectable levels of radioactive cesium 137 in samples of kale, strawberries and grass grown in northern California. UCB has also found higher than normal levels of cesium 134 and cesium 137 in foods grown in the Bay Area, including spinach, arugula and wild-harvested mushrooms.

Eating Radiation Isn’t the Same as Flying in a Plane The danger, of course, is that ingesting or inhaling long-lived, man-made radioactive particles over a long period of time in our water, dust, soil and food is very different than being exposed to electromagnetic radiation from a television or cosmic radiation from a plane ride. Once it gets in the body, lodging in bones, glands and other organs, it can damage DNA and cells for a long time, significantly raising the cumulative risk of cancer. Radioactive cesium 137 alone has a half-life of 30 years, where it can remain in the body emanating radiation the whole time. The risks are particularly high for pregnant women, infants and children.

Many scientists, including those at Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), claim that no level of man-made toxic radiation in the air, water or food is safe. “There is no safe level of radionuclide exposure, whether from food, water or other sources. Period,” said Jeff Patterson, DO, immediate past president of PSR, in late March. “Exposure to radionuclides, such as iodine 131 and cesium 137, increases the incidence of cancer. For this reason, every effort must be taken to minimize the radionuclide content in food and water,” he said.

“Consuming food containing radionuclides is particularly dangerous. If an individual ingests or inhales a radioactive particle, it continues to irradiate the body as long as it remains radioactive and stays in the body,” said Alan Lockwood, MD, board member of PSR. “Children are much more susceptible to the effects of radiation and stand a much greater chance of developing cancer than adults,” said Andrew Kanter, MD, president-elect of PSR’s board. “So it is particularly dangerous when they consume radioactive food or water.”

Europe Issues Caution on Certain Foods: Risks “No Longer Negligible” In France, the respected radiological research institute CRIIRAD in mid-April cautioned pregnant and breastfeeding women and children in Europe to avoid eating certain foods due to the spread of radiation from Fukushima, including milk and creamy cheese, and spinach and other broad leaf vegetables, due to the potential health risks associated with ingesting radioactive particles that may accumulate in these foods. In making the announcement, CRIIRAD said the risks related to prolonged contamination among vulnerable groups of the population can no longer be considered "negligible" and it is now necessary to avoid "risky behavior.” CRIIRAD also estimated that the West Coast of the U.S. is being subjected to eight to 10 times higher levels of radiation than Europe from the nuclear meltdown in Japan.

Chris Busby, Ph.D., Scientific Secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risk, who published a “Don’t Panic” guide in early April saying that the danger was insignificant, later changed his opinion. In an April 24 statement to Washington’s Blog, Busby said, “…since then I have re-thought this advice as the thing is still fissioning and releasing 10 to the fourteen Becquerels a day. This will mean that strontium 90 and uranium and particulates will be building up in the USA and Europe. I will assess this later but for now I think it prudent to stop drinking milk.”

This is not something the dairy industry—conventional or organic—nor the produce industry, much of which is based in California, want to hear. One official at a major California-based organic produce company told me, "It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck when I first heard the news about radioactive spinach in Japan."

What Can We Do About It? While we may not be able to affect what’s going on at Fukushima, we could certainly try to prevent such an accident from happening again. We need to express our concern and speak out to the President, who supports nuclear power, and Congress and insist that aging reactors be inspected regularly, upgraded for safety, and decommissioned when necessary. Letter writing works when you’ve got lots of constituents doing it.

This global-scale crisis happened from just one nuclear power plant. There are 104 nuclear reactors in operation in the U.S., with a number of them located in major earthquake and tsunami zones in heavily populated areas along the West Coast of the United States. God forbid something should happen close to home; we are in no way prepared to handle an accident of this magnitude. Heck, we couldn't even get help to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in a timely manner, let alone evacuate all of southern California, for example.

We also should insist on increased, not scaled-back, testing for radiation in our air, water, soil and food. It is unconscionable that our public institutions established to safeguard food, health and the environment have neglected this responsibility. Food producers, too, need timely access to this information from federal, state and regulatory agencies.

What to do about food? As I make my livelihood in the food industry, it is difficult for me to say that pregnant women, breastfeeding moms, infants and children might want to avoid certain foods such as milk and broad-leaf vegetables that may present a higher risk of radiation exposure, and to check the source of their drinking water.

However, as an advocate of public health and the environment, that's what I think needs to be said. I would refer readers to CRIIRAD's recommendations to certain vulnerable segments of the European population. I believe our food, water, health and environment have been terribly compromised by this global nuclear catastrophe, and I also think that, after poor Japan, which may have to evacuate large portions of its sovereign land, the U.S. is directly downwind and downstream, so to speak, from the Fukushima disaster.

What our family is doing this summer is buying more locally grown food. We live in Colorado and I'm hoping the Rocky Mountains will take some of the stuff out of the air. But I am concerned for my friends on the West Coast and Hawaii. And frankly, the whole country, hemisphere and world will continue to be exposed to the fallout emitted from one nuclear power plant located thousands of miles away. And my prayers go to Japan. The world is truly a small place.

In my lifetime, there has been Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and now Fukushima, which is quickly surpassing Chernobyl as one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters...and those are just the ones they've told us about. Basically, we have experienced a major nuclear accident about once every 20 years. That is not good odds, given that there are hundreds of reactors around the world. This type of incident could happen anywhere, whether it be from natural disaster or human error. With Fukushima in full meltdown, it is a very good time to speak out that nuclear power is not safe, and the cost is way too high.

Get the Facts: News and Resources All the facts I have included in this commentary have come from the following sources. These are excellent resources, backed with scientific credibility, to inform you about what’s really going on at Fukushima and its impact on our environment and health.

•    Energy News One of the best, comprehensive sources of news and scientific information related to the Fukushima nuclear accident, with information on food, milk, soil and air. •   Fairewinds Associates An excellent and informative series of no-nonsense news videos featuring nuclear energy expert Arnold Gundersen reporting on the accident. •    University of California Berkeley Department of Nuclear Engineering Results from monitoring of Bay Area food, milk, air, water and soil. •    Russia Today Russia’s English-speaking news source, with coverage of the Fukushima disaster from a Russian perspective. •    NHK World International news service of NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), with in-depth coverage in English. •    Greenpeace Pestering Japanese authorities like it chases whaling ships, Greenpeace published on May 26 that it detected radiation in marine life around the Fukushima plant at levels above the maximum safety limit. •    Forbes.com Columnist Jeff McMahon has been reporting extensively on the Fukushima accident. •    Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones - Wall Street Journal is subscription based, however, Ameritrade provides a headline and news brief feed from Dow Jones Newswire. - WSJ’s Japan Real Time nuclear coverage. •    New York Times - Staff writer Matthew L. Wald has been covering the Fukushima crisis. - ReporterHiroki Tabuchi has also been covering the story. - Writer Martin Fackler’s coverage of the Fukushima accident. •    Bloomberg.com Extensive coverage from the business and financial news source. •    Compass Natural Kelp and the Fallout Zone: Foods that help protect against radiation.

Steven Hoffman writes on issues in sustainable food and agriculture. He is Managing Partner of Compass Natural LLC, a full service marketing, communications and public relations agency serving natural, organic and sustainable businesses. He also is Co-owner of Best Organics, a leading provider of premium artisan organic gift box collections. He is Cofounder of the annual LOHAS Forum green business conference, former Director of The Organic Center, a leading scientific research organization, and former Editorial Director of the Natural Foods Merchandiser, a well-respected industry publication. Hoffman also served as Program Director for Natural Products Expo, the world’s largest natural and organic products trade expositions. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, Hoffman specialized in food and farming in Central America. He is a former director of the Philadelphia Urban Gardening Program, and he holds a M.S. in Agriculture from Penn State University. Visit www.compassnatural.com,steve@compassnatural.com, tel 303.807.1042.

The Fallout Zone: Stores Sold Out of Radiation-Fighting Supplements

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Boulder, CO (March 16, 2011) – Returning from the Natural Products Expo West on Monday, I discovered something very disturbing, and yet fascinating, as I went shopping at my local natural foods store in my hometown of Boulder.

All of the kelp dietary supplements were sold out. This is a phenomenon that is occurring in natural foods stores throughout the Western USA. While government officials are saying risk of radiation exposure is low from the nuclear reactor catastrophe in Japan, US citizens aren’t buying it. Instead, they are buying foods, nutritional supplements and natural medicines to counter the effects of radiation, to the point where these products are out of stock in stores throughout the West.

At Natural Grocers in nearby Longmont, CO, they were also sold out of all kelp and much of their green foods supplements. I spoke with nutritionists in the store, and also with a fellow informed citizen who was shopping for supplements to help protect his teenage son from the risks of radiation fallout. They recommended kelp, chlorella, spirulina, green foods, selenium and lots of dark green leafy vegetables to help counter the effects of radioactive fallout. Convinced that green foods are good for us anyway, we purchased a high quality superfood powder just in case. Maybe a good idea as the news worsens by the hour.

Just to check, I called Whole Foods Market in the Bay Area, as California will be among the first to experience fallout from the jet stream. A team member there told me that yep, they’re sold out of all kelp supplements, too. Same phenomenon at Pharmaca locations and independent natural foods stores throughout the West, too, according to sources.

Additionally, I was told that Whole Foods will not carry any potassium iodide supplements in large “milligram” potencies. Since there is a great risk of iodine toxicity, these higher levels must be taken only under the supervision of a physician, Whole Foods says, and many experts agree. The natural grocery chain is exploring such supplements in safer “micro-milligram” potencies, as demand for these products has soared through the roof.

I also spoke with my friend, herbal medicine expert and noted author Brigitte Mars (www.brigittemars.com) to ask how people can protect themselves from radiation through food, nutrition and natural medicine. Excerpts from her recommended list, posted on her Facebook page and on her website, is as follows. Read the full article on Brigitte’s website.

•    Buckwheat and brown rice •    Seaweeds rich in iodine and microminerals, such as Hiziki, found in macrobiotic or Asian food sections •    Wheatgrass and barley grass •    Sulfur rich vegetables including broccoli, cabbage and mustard greens •    High-pectin foods including carrots, sunflower seeds and apples •    Liver-cleansing foods such as artichokes, beets and radishes •    Fermented foods such as miso and unpasteurized sauerkraut •    Nutritional yeast •    Garlic, burdock, dandelion, milk thistle seed, nettles, yellow dock •    Echinacea •    Green and black tea •    Eleuthero •    Vitamins A, beta-carotene, B complex and C; and zinc, calcium and magnesium

In a letter to subscribers, raw food specialist David Wolfe shared these sobering recommendations:

“How to protect yourself and your thyroid against radiation: kelp, ginseng, ashwaganda (recently found to regrow nerves), chlorella, zeolites, fulvic acid, nascent iodine, reishi mushroom, sea salt (also salty miso), botanical (plant-derived) or lipo-vitamin C, magnesium (chlorophyll), selenium (brazil nuts), coconut butter (coconut products), Megahydrate, Crystal Energy. Spread the word.

“Start small, but increase your dosages rapidly and dramatically if you live in Hawaii, Western Canada, and the Western USA. Start now. Fallout will descend upon North America sometime around March 22.

“If you live in Japan, start taking massive doses of these foods, superfoods, superherbs, and supplements immediately. These are all safe for children.

“Radioactive fallout lingers longest in medicinal mushrooms. If you live in North America, pick your mushrooms NOW. I wouldn’t recommend picking any medicinal mushrooms in the fallout zones (after the fallout begins) for several years, if not a decade depending on how bad the radiation is.

“If you live in North America, stock up on food NOW because fresh food may be contaminated for several months after the fallout comes down from the jet stream into the fallout zones.”

Regarding any of the recommendations above, I urge you to do your homework and consult a physician and complementary alternative medicine practitioner.

Another concern is how fallout from the crippled reactor in Japan might affect agriculture in the Western US, as so much of our fruits and vegetables come from California and the Northwest. Spring rains could well bring radioactive fallout to this year’s crop, and how will radiation in the soil affect future crops? I will be doing some more research in this regard for an upcoming post.

Between a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year, and now the nuclear tragedy in Japan, the earth is being increasingly subjected to major environmental trauma. So are its people. As long as the costs of environmental destruction continue to be born by the citizens and not the corporations and governments that cause it, we have no level playing field.

So we are left to buying out all the kelp off the shelf of our local natural foods store to try to protect our families from the fallout of a legacy of greed and destruction.

Say it Ain't So, Mr. President: Tell Me You Didn't Cave on GMOs!

Source: Pexels

Commentary by Steven Hoffman Update: In the second deregulation of GMO crops in a week, on February 4, the USDA announced it will now allow farmers to begin planting “Roundup-Ready” GMO sugar beets in order to avoid a “shortage of U.S. sugar.” This decision, released to the media on a Friday at the end of the business day—a key tactical PR move when you don’t want media attention—is in defiance of a court order made by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White banning the planting of GMO sugar beets until a study of their environmental impact can be done, according to reports in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Boulder, CO (February 7, 2011) – The USDA on January 27 announced it would allow the planting of genetically modified alfalfa without any restriction or labeling requirements.

Since then, the organic industry has been up in arms. Alfalfa is the nation’s fourth largest crop and a prodigious pollinator, and as such, it is all but guaranteed that organic alfalfa crops will become genetically contaminated, which could be particularly threatening to organic dairy producers who rely on alfalfa as feed for their cows.

Now, it is reported that the Obama administration itself appears to have used this issue as a trading card to further its own agenda, allowing GMO alfalfa to become completely deregulated, according to a commentary by New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd and a January 27 article in the Wall Street Journal.

Calling the proposal to regulate GMO alfalfa—originally promised by USDA secretary of agriculture Tom Vilsack—overly “burdensome” to business, the Obama administration, led by departing presidential advisor David Axelrod, “abandoned a proposal to restrict planting of genetically engineered alfalfa,” says the Wall Street Journal.

Say it ain’t so, Barack!

The organic industry, in my respectful opinion, should sue the USDA for putting an unreasonable burden on our own market—the only agricultural system in the United States requiring a paper trail from seed to shelf. Now, organic producers are at huge risk that their organic seed stock will become polluted by GMO alfalfa and other pollinating GMO crops, including GMO corn and sugar beets, significantly threatening their ability to produce certified organic product.

The organic industry may not know it is at war with the biotech seed industry, but the biotech industry definitely knows it is at war with organic. This time, through shrewd political lobbying with USDA and the White House, biotech agriculture has won a decisive victory in the continuing onslaught of genetically engineered foods, controlled by only a handful of multinational corporations.

In criticizing the USDA on loosening restrictions on GMO alfalfa, Sen. Patrick Leahy, author of the original Organic Foods Production Act, called it “a big payday for the giant firms that pushed for this rollback,” according to the Burlington Free Press.

Before we lose this battle completely, we must press all our government and business representatives all the way up to the president to push for required labeling of GMO ingredients, just like in Europe, Japan and elsewhere. Over there, GMOs are in hardly any grocery products because they must be indicated on the label—and when they are, nobody buys them.

Here in America, the pro-biotech lobby has been very successful in that there is no labeling requirement at all for GMO ingredients in foods. As a result, most consumers don’t even know that GMO ingredients are in 80% of conventional grocery products, and that virtually 90% of all the corn, soybeans, cotton and sugar beet crops in the U.S. are from GMO seed.

If consumers knew their foods were derived from genetically engineered ingredients, no one would buy them! That is how the biotech seed and herbicide companies have the advantage—and they’ve known that since GMOs were first introduced. “If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it,” said Norman Braksick, president of Asgrow Seed Co., a subsidiary of Monsanto, in a 1994 article in the Kansas City Star. Even then, the biotech lobby knew how consumers would react. Their success is a direct result of violating the consumer’s right to know regarding labeling of what is in their food.

There is more than enough science to show that GMO foods are risky to human, animal and plant health and the environment. The use of toxic, synthetic herbicides has increased by nearly 400 million pounds due to GMO agriculture, and superweeds are already becoming resistant to Monsanto’s Roundup, the primary herbicide used in GMO agriculture. Because of that, GMO farmers are now being recommended to use even more toxic herbicides.

I urge you to read balanced perspectives on this issue, and then write to your congressperson, senators and also to the President to require the labeling of GMO ingredients in foods. The organic industry and organic consumers need to speak loudly on this issue.

Just remember, the same lobby that brought you GMO food had this to say:  “Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food. Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA’s job,” said Phil Angell, Monsanto’s director of corporate communications, in a 1998 New York Times article.

And now, it’s only getting worse. Urge organic industry leaders that there is no compromise with GMOs in our food system. It will only backfire on the organic industry. Heck, where are organic dairy farmers going to get organic alfalfa in 10 years, maybe even only five? Let’s see what the cost of organic milk is then. That would be another victory for the biotech lobby – to continue to make organic foods out of reach of most folks’ budgets.

Don’t think that ain’t in their plan.

About Compass Natural - Your Guide to the Natural, Organic & LOHAS Market

Compass Natural LLC, established in 2002 and based in Boulder, CO, brings 30 years’ experience in natural and organic products sales, marketing, public relations, communications, research, event planning, and strategic industry guidance to businesses with interests in the $290 billion market for natural, organic, sustainable, and socially responsible products and services. Visit www.compassnatural.com or call 303.807.1042, info@compassnatural.com.

Article also featured in Elephant Journal: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/02/say-it-aint-so-mr-president-tell-me-you-didnt-cave-on-gmo-alfalfa/

© 2011. All rights reserved.

Resources:

Non-GMO Project: http://www.nongmoproject.org/2011/01/29/team-organic-will-never-surrender-to-monsanto-now-we-continue-the-fight-together/

Institute for Responsible Technology: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/news/1092

Chews Wise: http://www.chewswise.com/chews/2011/01/vilsack-gm-alfalfa.html

Grist: http://www.grist.org/article/2011-01-31-media-reports-white-house-pressure-stomped-on-vilsack-over-gmo-a

Whole Foods Market Blog: http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2011/01/no-regulations-ge-alfalfa/#more-14431

Organic Consumers Association: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_22449.cfm

Maureen Dowd, New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/opinion/30dowd.html?ref=maureendowd

Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703399204576108601430251740.html?mod=wsj_share_twitter#printMode

New York Times, on GMO Sugar Beets: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/05/business/05beet.html?src=busln

Rodale: http://www.rodale.com/gmo-alfalfa

Burlington Free Press: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20110128/NEWS03/110128011/Leahy-criticizes-USDA-ruling-on-genetically-modified-alfalfa

At the Epicenter Presents Sustainable Food Pioneer Thomas Harding

World-renowned organic food pioneer Thomas Harding, founding president of the Organic Trade Association, will speak to a Boulder business audience at "An Evening at the Epicenter," a series of interactive talks featuring national leaders in sustainability on Thursday, January 27, 5:30-7:30 pm; produced by Boulder's Best Organics and Compass Natural, and hosted by the Sterling Rice Group.

Boulder, CO, (January 12, 2011) – Organic food and agriculture pioneer Thomas Harding will speak on the future of sustainable food and agriculture to an invited audience of Boulder and Denver-area business, media, agriculture and community leaders. Harding, the founding President of the Organic Trade Association and advisor to leading organic producers, manufacturers, retailers, NGOs, and policymakers throughout the world, will speak on Thursday, Jan. 27, 5:30-7:30pm, at the offices of the Sterling Rice Group in downtown Boulder. A small reception will precede the discussion.

Through his company Agrisystems International, based in Wind Gap, PA, Harding is an international specialist in sustainability, certified organic food and farming production systems, and in U.S. and international policy governing organic foods. He has served as advisor to leading local companies including Horizon Organic Dairy, Celestial Seasonings and Coleman Natural Products. Harding’s talk, entitled The Great Conversation: A Dialogue for our Common Future in Sustainable Food and Agriculture, will include an interactive discussion of the following topics:

• Global Trade in Organics

• GMOs in Agriculture

• Global Warming & Food Production

• Organic Agriculture Policy & Regulation

• Market Opportunities in Organics

• Integrating Sustainability into the Organic Industry

• Animal Welfare

• Local & Fair Trade

Harding is visiting Boulder as part of “An Evening at the Epicenter,” a series of interactive talks for entrepreneurs and business and community leaders in natural, organic, sustainable and socially responsible products and services—often referred to as the LOHAS market (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability). Sales for products in the LOHAS market are estimated at nearly $300 billion per year.

"An Evening at the Epicenter" is produced by Boulder’s Best Organics, the area’s leading organic and eco-friendly gift and brand promotion company; and Compass Natural Marketing, a leader in LOHAS communications. Charter sponsor Sterling Rice Group, an internationally renowned, integrated brand development company based in Boulder, will host the event.

“We are honored to partner with the Sterling Rice Group and other leading companies in furthering the discussion of how to bring about a green economy and a more sustainable system of food and agriculture – one that contributes to the health of people, local economies, and the environment,” says Steven Hoffman, co-owner of Boulder’s Best Organics and Principal of Compass Natural Marketing. “The Epicenter series will bring nationally known leaders in organic and sustainable business to interact with leaders in our own community, thus helping to further a deeper understanding of these issues locally, and also to engage our region in a broader conversation.”

An "Evening at the Epicenter" is an invitation-only event. Space is limited. For more information or to request a media pass, contact Steven Hoffman, tel 303.807.1042,steve@compassnatural.com.

About Boulder’s Best Organics
Best Organics LLC, a majority woman-owned company, is a leading provider of hand-packed, organic and eco-friendly gift box collections featuring local artisan organic foods, personal care and other items from leading Boulder and Colorado producers. Its gift collections and products from brand partners including Bonterra Organic Vineyards, the nation's leading seller of California wines made from organic grapes,* are available atwww.bouldersbestorganics.com. Best Organics gift boxes are also available in Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy Boulder locations. Best Organics is a member of Colorado Proud and Green America Business Network. Contact gifts@bouldersbestorganics.com or call 303.499.ORGANIC (6742).

About Compass Natural Marketing
Compass Natural Marketing, established by organic and LOHAS industry veteran Steven Hoffman and based in Boulder, CO, brings more than 25 years of experience in natural and organic products sales, marketing, public relations, communications, research, event planning, special project assignments and strategic industry guidance to businesses involved in the $290 billion market for natural, organic, sustainable, and socially responsible products. Visit www.compassnatural.com or call 303.807.1042.

About Sterling Rice Group
Sterling-Rice Group is a 27-year-old, Boulder-based brand strategy, innovation and communications firm. With its origins in natural and organic food in particular, and health and wellness overall, SRG is pleased to sponsor the Epicenter series featuring thought leaders in our space. We look forward to welcoming you to meet with Tom Harding. Visit www.srg.com, tel 303.381.6400.

Baker's Dozen: Top 13 Trends in Sustainable Food and Agriculture

Boulder, CO (December 13, 2010) - Joining other prognosticators, we at Compass Natural wanted to highlight some of the trends we see on the horizon in sustainable food and agriculture as 2010 comes to a close. You may have a trend or observation you wish to share – please do. Contact me at steve@compassnatural.com or tel 303.807.1042. Happy Holidays and all the best for a healthful and prosperous new year. Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural

1.  The Economy
Wall Street may be recording record profits, but the job market is lagging. As such, hard-pressed consumers will continue to look for value. Core healthy lifestyles shoppers will be more discerning in their budgets for organic, and low-income families are particularly strained in finding healthful food alternatives. With people looking to save money, coupon redemption is up 25% this past year, and coupon use in the natural sector reflects a similar growth trend. Also, redemption rates for Internet coupons, while still small, account for the fastest growing segment in the business. Private label product sales also increased from 15 percent of total food sales before the recession to 18% this past year, according to research firm Booz & Company, which also reports that the new frugality may be here to stay, as consumers continue to feel they are on shaky ground. The natural and organic companies that can communicate value as well as benefits will continue to grow in a tough market.

2.  Social Networking
Word of mouth travels fast in the social network, good or bad. Take an active role in making it good. Stay engaged on Facebook and Twitter and build your brand among friends and followers. Sustainable consumers tend to be early adopters on the web and build strong online communities. “Friend” and “follow” other like-minded Facebookers and Twitterers – they’ll help you spread the word – and stay connected professionally on networks such as Linked In. See what other companies are doing on their Facebook pages. Learn WordPress, a relatively easy, open source blog publishing program, or get someone on your team who knows how, and contribute regularly to your blog. Tie it all in with your website and traditional public relations and marketing campaigns. All these efforts can go far in getting your brand to show up higher in the Google searches. Try to keep up!

3.  Chemicals in the Environment
The cumulative effects of chemicals in our environment, food and packaging are impacting our public health. The average school age child is walking around with an estimated 10-13 pesticide residues in their bodies every day. However, when they switch to an all-organic diet, the residues literally disappear from their bodies, according to studies by Emory University and Harvard School of Public Health. Additionally, the President’s Cancer Panel in 2010 reported on “pre-polluted babies” born with as many as 300 man-made chemicals in their umbilical cords. Families are reacting: 41 % of parents report they are buying more organic foods today than a year ago, up significantly from 31% reporting organic purchases in 2009, according to a joint survey released this month by the Organic Trade Association and Kiwi Magazine. A growing body of research also points to links between pesticides and alarming rises in the rates of childhood autism, ADHD, diabetes and obesity. Additionally, synthetic nitrogen fertilizer runoff is primarily responsible for the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere. GMO contamination threatens native plant species and promotes the emergence of superweeds. As a result, demand for sustainable food production that protects health and the environment will continue to grow, and consumers are willing to pay a premium for organic products, but only up to a point (see #1).

4.  Sustainable Packaging
Did you hear the latest research about fast food and deli paper wrap and microwave popcorn bags that leach cancer-causing chemicals into our food? These stories will continue to emerge, and packaging is facing challenges on two fronts: reducing package waste in landfills; and keeping chemicals from leaching into food. Many natural and organic products companies are leading the way toward more sustainable packaging, including BPA-free cans, and also innovating on reduced package content and recyclable and compostable packaging alternatives. Concerned over squeeze pack packaging, Justin’s Nut Butter, a small Boulder-based business, recently convened a sustainable squeeze pack summit, bringing competitors, industry leaders and packaging specialists together to explore ways to develop more sustainable packaging in consumer products. This is a great opportunity for the industry to work together and serve as a pacesetter for the food and consumer products industry at large.

5.  Organic Gardening and Urban Agriculture
As Michelle Obama leads the way with the White House organic garden, Victory Gardens are back, except they’re organic. And it’s helping people get in touch with their food, as well as giving them access to fresh, local produce. The organic sector of the lawn and garden (L&G) market has experienced significant growth over the last few years, and major garden centers are expanding the shelf for natural and organic L&G products. Market research firm Packaged Facts in January 2009 estimated that the organic L&G sector reached $460 million in retail sales in 2008, a gain of 12% over 2007. Farmers Markets and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) are growing fast, and small-scale urban farms are also on the rise, thanks to the efforts of organizations like Growing Power, linking inner city teens and communities with working urban food gardens utilizing vacant city lots. Many natural and organic products companies are already helping support similar causes.

6.  Organic and Climate Change
The global food system is estimated to account for one-third of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, says Anna Lappe, author of Diet for a Hot Planet. Yet, organic farming has the potential to help reduce agriculture’s impact on global warming. According to Dr. David Pimentel, author of Food, Energy and Society, organic agriculture has been shown to reduce energy inputs by 30%. Organic farming also conserves more water in the soil and reduces erosion. Healthy organic soils tie up more carbon in the soil, helping to reduce CO2 levels in the atmosphere. An October 2010 study in California’s Central Valley concluded that organic farming significantly reduced GHGs, while conventional agriculture increased GHGs in the atmosphere. Additionally, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition reported, “Sustainable and organic agricultural systems offer the most resilience for agricultural production in the face of the extreme precipitation, prolonged droughts and increasingly uncertain regional climate regimes expected with rapid global warming.”

7.  Slow Money
According to Woody Tasch, founder of Slow Money, a nonprofit formed to catalyze the flow of investment capital to small sustainable food companies and agriculture, the innate value of investing in sustainable food comes not only in the form of monetary return, but also in benefits to individuals and communities—“more organic farms, more organic food available locally, and a more robust local economy,” he writes in the Winter 2010 GreenMoneyJournal. In the fast-pitch world of Buy Low and Sell High, Slow Money is developing vehicles that enable small investors to invest in local sustainable food businesses. In two years, Slow Money has grown to 1,200 members and six regional chapters, and has facilitated the investment of more than $3 million into a number of local sustainable food businesses. In 2010, Slow Money established the Soil Trust to pool small donations into a philanthropic investment fund dedicated to small food companies and soil fertility, and is working with socially responsible investing companies to further open the playing field for everyday citizens who want to make sustainable food investments. See www.slowmoney.org.

8.  Animal Rights
The beauty without cruelty movement has been around for a while, helping to usher in a generation of body care products that have not been tested on animals. Now, we enter a new era of animal rights and consumer advocacy that is critical of the inhumane, intensive confinement conditions in which most animals bred for food find themselves. However, beginning on January 1, Whole Foods Market will require that all meat sold to it will be rated under new animal welfare standards. The world’s largest retailer of natural and organic products created Global Animal Partnership as a nonprofit third party certifier to establish ratings, conduct inspections and administer the standards. Kudos to Whole Foods: This is a huge step in increasing consumer awareness of animal rights, and also in presenting more humane options to the public.

9.  GMO Debate
This is an issue that isn’t going away. In fact, I would venture that the organic industry is pretty much at war with the biotech and pesticide companies that seek to dominate the market with GMO agriculture, the genetic drift from which is a threat to organic seed stock and organic crops. While proponents insist that GMOs are the only way to feed the world, opponents claim that GMO farming has passed the point of diminishing returns. While pesticide use was reduced in the first three years after GMO crops were introduced in the mid ‘90s, herbicide use has actually increased over the past 13 years by nearly 400 million pounds as a result of GMO agriculture, according to The Organic Center. GMO yields are not matching what was promised, and superweeds are emerging due to the overuse of glyphosate, the herbicide mainly used in GMO agriculture, hence the need for more herbicide. With numerous food allergy and health concerns also emerging, many manufacturers are turning to the Non-GMO Project to verify that their products are GMO free. Consumers are highly confused over this issue, due to the rhetoric from biotech companies that have co-opted the term “sustainability.” And the onslaught continues: the FDA currently is evaluating genetically engineered salmon—the first potential GMO animal for commercial consumption—and also a GMO apple that doesn’t turn brown when cut open. If you are not choosing organic or if it doesn’t say non-GMO on the label, chances are your food contains GMOs, as it is estimated that 80% of conventional grocery products now contain GMO ingredients.

10.  Sustainability
“Sustainability is not an exact science, but it is a strategic decision,” says Jeanne von Zastrow, senior director of industry relations and sustainability at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI). And it’s more than how the food was grown; it’s also about a company’s energy and water use, transportation, equipment, supply chain management, packaging and waste – garnering efficiencies in these areas and elsewhere promotes sustainability and cuts costs. Many natural and organic products companies are leading the way but could do more, and FMI also is developing sustainability resources for the food industry. While what consumers say and do regarding sustainability may be a dichotomy, health conscious and environmentally aware consumers will continue to develop brand loyalty by identifying with your green efforts.

11.  Organic Acreage Grows
Compared to overall acreage dedicated to conventional agriculture production, the amount of land under organic production is still very small. But it is growing. In the first wide-scale survey of organic farming, published this past year, USDA counted 14,540 U.S. farms and ranches that were under organic production, comprising 4.8 million acres of land in 2008. Certified U.S. organic cropland acreage between 2002 and 2008 averaged 15% annual growth. Globally, organic acreage grew by 9% in 2008, with more than 35 million hectares in organic production. The highest increases came in Latin America and Europe, according to the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in Switzerland.

12.  Local and Fair Trade
As my friend and colleague Joel Dee likes to say, “We are all local.” At Edward & Sons, Joel and his team work with small-scale organic producers all over the world. One example is the organic hearts of palm project in Peru’s Amazon basin. Working with local and indigenous people, Edward & Sons helped create a sustainable harvesting and processing program in Iquitos, a small city 125 miles from the source of the Amazon, helping to protect the rainforest and bring sustainable jobs to an impoverished region. This type of partnership supports local economies and environments around the world. As consumers respond to the ‘local” trend, they are understanding that local means not only supporting farmers and producers in their own area, but also choosing organic and fair trade products that support lo cal economies all over the world. This is a story the sustainable food industry was born to tell, so if you are going to import organic products from China or elsewhere, make sure you’ve got a sustainable, fair trade and maybe even a cultural story behind it and not just because it’s cheaper (see #2).

13.  The Real Cost of Cheap Food
One of the best articles I’ve read on this subject was the cover story of Time’s Aug. 31, 2009, edition, appropriately entitled The Real Cost of Cheap Food. In it, author Bryan Walsh reports: “The U.S. agricultural industry can now produce unlimited quantities of meat and grains at remarkably cheap prices. But it does so at a high cost to the environment, animals and humans. Those hidden prices are the creeping erosion of our fertile farmland, cages for egg-laying chickens so packed that the birds can't even raise their wings and the scary rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria among farm animals. Add to the price tag the acceleration of global warming — our energy-intensive food system uses 19% of U.S. fossil fuels, more than any other sector of the economy. And perhaps worst of all, our food is increasingly bad for us, even dangerous,” says Walsh, referring to rising obesity rates and food safety issues in America. Plus, if you haven’t seen it, check out the 5-minute video of Birke Baehr’s talk, What’s Wrong With Our Food System, at the TEDx Next Generation conference in Asheville, NC. This 11-year-old young man, who wants to be an organic farmer, speaks clearly about what is wrong with conventional agriculture, factory farming and the industrialized food system, and what people can do to change it. “Some people say organic or local food is more expensive, but is it really? With all these things I’ve been learning about the food system, it seems to me that we can either pay the farmer, or we can pay the hospital,” says an astute Birke.

Bonus Trend: Young Organic Farmers
For years, young people have been leaving the farm. Today, the USDA estimates the average age of the American farmer is 57, with more than 25% over age 65. However, while the trend is too new to quantify, USA Today reports that there is an emerging movement in which young people, “most of whom come from cities and suburbs,” are taking up organic farming on small-acre farms throughout the country as an “honorable, important career choice.” Three factors have made these small organic farms possible: a rising consumer demand for organic and local produce, a huge increase in farmers markets nationwide, and the growing popularity of community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs, says USA Today. The National Young Farmers' Coalition is a new organization created by and for young and beginning farmers in the United States, and a soon to be released documentary, The Greenhorns, explores the lives of America’s young sustainable farming community. Also, an international volunteer organization, Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, since 1971 has been connecting young workers with organic farms all over the world, where they gain hands on experience in sustainable farming. The invested energy of youth is a promising bonus trend indeed for the future of sustainable food.

About Compass Natural - Your Guide to the Natural, Organic & LOHAS Market
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Organic Agriculture A Cool Solution to Global Warming

Source: Pexels

“Organic farming approaches…not only use an average of 30% less fossil energy but also conserve more water in the soil, induce less erosion, maintain soil quality and conserve more biological resources than conventional farming does.” - David Pimentel, Ph.D., Professor of Ecology and Agriculture, Cornell University, and author of Food, Energy and Society.

Growing food requires a lot of fossil fuel energy, which generates greenhouse gases (GHGs). With nearly 7 billion people on the planet, agriculture and livestock production also are responsible for widespread clearing of forests, grasslands and prairies. These are major contributors to global warming. However, researchers point to organic farming as a way to reduce energy inputs, help minimize agriculture’s impact on global warming, and also help farmers adapt to rising global temperatures.

Conventional Agriculture Adds Heat

The global food system is estimated to account for one-third of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, says Anna Lappe, author of Diet for a Hot Planet. Much of the fossil fuel used in commercial agriculture comes not only from running tractors and machinery, but also because petroleum is a primary ingredient in synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, which are widely used in conventional agriculture. Synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is known to release large amounts of nitrous oxide into the atmosphere, a potent GHG and a primary threat to earth’s ozone layer. Synthetic nitrogen fertilizer also is responsible for the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico, an oxygen-depleted area the size of New Jersey in which no fish can survive.

Organic Farming A Cool Solution

Simply stated, organic farming has the potential to help reduce agriculture’s impact on global warming. According to Dr. David Pimentel of Cornell University, author of Food, Energy and Society, organic agriculture has been shown to reduce energy inputs by 30%. Organic farming also conserves more water in the soil and reduces erosion. Also, healthy organic soils tie up carbon in the soil, helping to reduce CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

Changes in temperature caused by global warming could have dramatic effects on agriculture. Extreme weather, rising temperatures, drought and flood caused by global warming all could have an adverse impact on yield, disease and insect pests. Organic farmers may be better able to adapt to climate change in that healthy organic soils retain moisture better during drought, making it more available to plant roots. Also, organic soils percolate water better during floods, helping to decrease runoff and soil erosion. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition recently reported, “Sustainable and organic agricultural systems offer the most resilience for agricultural production in the face of the extreme precipitation, prolonged droughts and increasingly uncertain regional climate regimes expected with rapid global warming.”

Sources

• Environmental, Energetic and Economic Comparisons of Organic and Conventional Farming Systems, Pimentel, D., et. al., Bioscience (Vol. 55:7), July 2005.

• Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of your Fork and What You Can Do About It, Anna Lappé, Bloomsbury USA, April 2010.

• Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food, Bryan Walsh, Time Magazine, Aug. 31, 2009.

• Climate Change in Africa: The Threat to Agriculture, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Oct. 15, 2006.

• Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 2006.

• A Harvest of Heat: Agribusiness and Climate Change, Agribusiness Action Initiatives North America’s Working Group on Climate Change, 2010; www.agribusinessaction.org.

• Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use in the United States: The First Thirteen Years, Benbrook, C., et. al., The Organic Center, November 2009.

• Reducing Energy Inputs in the U. S. Food System, Pimentel, D., Human Ecology, 2008.

• Nitrous Oxide (N2O): The Dominant Ozone-Depleting Substance Emitted in the 21st Century, A. R. Ravishankara, et. al., National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Science, August 28, 2009.

• Rodale Institute, 30-year Ongoing Field Trials, Emmaus, PA, www.rodaleinstitute.org.

• Organic Agriculture and Climate Change in Developing Countries - Research conducted by Costa Rican Corporation for Training and Development, Garibay, S., et. al., presented at BioFach Congress, Nuremberg, Germany, 2008.

• Organic Agriculture and the Global Food Supply, Ivette Perfecto, et. al., University of Michigan, Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, July 2007.

• Organic Agriculture and Food Security in Africa, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and United Nations Environment Programme, Capacity Building Task Force on Trade, Environment and Development, October 2008.

• Agriculture & Climate Change: Impacts and Opportunities at the Farm Level, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Policy Position Paper, July 16, 2009.