Organic Change, Organic Life, Eco-Friendly Water

By Clara Paz In view of growing demand for organic cacao beans and derivates, Peruvian leading cacao processor Machu Pichu Trading inaugurated a new plant last month to process only organic, fair trade, kosher parve and free allergen cacao ingredients and chocolate. It is located in the city of Pisco. “The plant will produce chocolate drops, chocolate, cocoa butter and liquor waffles, cocoa nibs and coffee toasted beans covered with chocolate”, says export manager Esther Paredes. Other products will be gradually added. This plant will allow Machu Pichu to increase its capacity for processing specialty chocolates and to further develop unique formulations for its clients demanding cacao and chocolate with the all certifications. Peru is the second largest producer of organic cacao and ranks fourth with regard to its biodiversity. Peru grows Trinitary, Amazon foreign and Creole cacao varieties and has won recognition among chocolate experts. Last year at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris, ...

By Janeen Madan - Nourishing the Planet A recent  article  in  Time Magazine  discusses how small-scale farmers are finding ways to turn the threat of climate change into an opportunity to build a more sustainable future for themselves and for communities around the world. In Africa’s Sahel region, innovative initiatives led by small-scale farmers are re-greening the once barren and dry land. (Photo credit: Bernard Pollack) The innovative efforts of these farmers are  re-greening the once barren and dry land of Africa’s Sahel region. Dr. Chris Reij, natural resource specialist with the Center for International Cooperation   (and an author in the upcoming  State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet ), who has worked extensively in the region, told  Time Magazine , “In areas that used to be completely barren, where you could see villages miles away, suddenly the view was blocked with green.” Beginning in the late 1980s, farmers st...

Article from Yes Magazine! In most legal systems, you have a right to freedom of speech or religion, but you don’t have a right to breathe clean air or drink safe water. Maude Barlow—author, activist, and former senior advisor on water to the United Nations—believes that those rights should be recognized. This past summer,  she helped engineer a landmark victory : The U.N. formally adopted a resolution recognizing the human right to water (though the United States abstained). Now, Barlow is part of an international movement—of governments, scientists, and activists—working to bring a focus on environmental rights to the ongoing United Nations climate negotiations. This week, she is attending the United Nations climate meeting in Cancún, Mexico. The negotiations are thus far getting scant press attention, but thousands of people from all over the world are turning out in Cancún to voice their political views and hold alternative meetings and demonstrations outside the U.N. confere...