Organic Change, Organic Life, Eco-Friendly Water

The U.S. government wants to know where your greenhouse is. Under Senate Bill 510 -- which is now back in the hands of the U.S. Senate after the House hid an amendment in an appropriations bill and passed it last night -- American food producers would be required to register their facilities with the U.S. government. The feds, it seems, want a database of food growers so they know who to target for surprise inspections (show me your papers!). As stated in the bill itself: ( http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi... ) SEC. 102. REGISTRATION OF FOOD FACILITIES. 18 (a) UPDATING OF FOOD CATEGORY REGULATIONS; BIENNIAL REGISTRATION RENEWAL. Section 415(a) (2120 U.S.C. 350d(a)) "The registration shall contain an assurance that the Secretary will be permitted to inspect such facility at the times and in the manner permitted by this Act." What this language shows is that the point of registration is so that government agents can conduct surprise inspections of food facilities. At...

25.)  VODKA, GRAIN SPIRITS:  Alcohol, or ethanol as it is known clinically, is a widely used ingredient in many skin care preparations. It is used as an anti-septic, a preservative, solvent, delivery agent, and a penetration enhancer, just to name a few. It goes by many different names on labels: Alcohol, SD-Alcohol, Grain spirits, Ethanol, Vodka. There are innumerable variations on these depending on what has been added to the alcohol, but they are all basically the same. For the purposes of simplicity, I will refer to the collective group as "alcohol" . I will break down a few of the most commonly used variations and their health safety implications as I go. The most commonly used type of alcohol in cosmetics is ethanol. That's right, just plain ol' drinking alcohol. The government requires that a bitter additive (usually denatonium benzoate) be mixed into the alcohol to prevent its consumption. This allows cosmetic companies to skirt the licensing requirements i...

A quick update on Leo who got a 3rd degree burn on his arm. After lots of research, we have bought a balm called Tepezcohuite that comes from Mexico and has been used there for centuries. It is very healing and moisturizing, which is what the skin needs after growth. We are now considering 2 creams to eliminate scaring and keep nourishing and regenerating the skin. One is made from the inside of oyster shell and the other is made from snail serum. Both apparently give great results. Here are 2 photos of his burnt arm. You will see the difference from the beginning to 3 months later.

In just a few short weeks  State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet  will be launched! We’re excited to share with you a  sneak preview of Chapter 1  entitled, “Charting a New Path to Eliminating Hunger,” authored by co-project directors Brian Halweil and Danielle Nierenberg. State of the World 2011 co-authors Danielle Nierenberg & Brian Halweil. (photo credit: Bernard Pollack) State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet will illuminate a new generation of innovative approaches to hunger alleviation that has emerged from farmers’ groups, private voluntary organizations, universities, and agribusiness companies.  After traveling to 25 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and visiting over 200 projects, groups, and individuals, we found that while these organizations span a large variety of industries and disciplines, they all share the common goal of equipping farmers with the tools to improve their livelihoods and...