Organic Change, Organic Life, Eco-Friendly Water

The Good News: Growth of the Global Grassroots Dolores Hildalgo, Mexico - Sunday November 28  On a beautiful sunny afternoon several hundred campesinos and community activists have gathered in the Alameda or central park of Dolores Hildalgo, Guanajuato. People are assembled here today, in the high desert agricultural heartland of north central Mexico, waiting for the Via Campesina ("The Way of the Small Farmer") Caravan to arrive. Swapping stories, joking, and sharing homemade tamales and tortas (sandwiches) donated by local organic farmers and a natural food store and restaurant in San Miguel de Allende, none of us are surprised that the delegation traveling by buses from the northern state of Aquascalientes is an hour and a half late.   Standing in a semi-circle on the elevated gazebo in the center of the park, several dozen humbly-dressed community and indigenous leaders deliver short but impassioned descriptions of their organizations and their current work, concluding...

OCA and our allies have launched a new global campaign to raise awareness about the negative health and environmental effects of conventional and genetically engineered cotton and the institutionalized exploitation of clothing sweatshops. By uniting organic consumers, anti-genetic engineering activists, trade unionists, religious social justice advocates, progressives in the fashion & apparel industry, and the Fair Trade / anti-sweatshop communities into a potent force we can change the dynamics of the marketplace and fundamentally alter public policy. The Clothes for a Change Campaign Is Demanding that Major Clothing Retailers & Manufacturers: Stop using genetically engineered cotton. Start blending in certified organic or "transition to organic" cotton in their clothing. Guarantee that they meet independently verified Fair Labor (non-sweatshop) standards. Eliminate all production and export cotton subsidies in the U.S. and convert to Green subsidies for organic a...

They're hiding under your sink, deep in the basement and out in your garage. And they pose a real threat to your health. November 23, 2010   |         They're hiding under your sink, deep in the basement and out in your garage. They seem to be multiplying and most of them are  green , for gosh sakes! They are cleaning products. We have one for every conceivable job: floors, walls, dishes, laundry, windows, bathroom porcelain and ceramic tiles, wooden decks, cement surfaces, silverware, one for car paint and another for the chrome, and on and on. Whatever happened to just plain soap? Well, it seems it wasn't fast enough for our busy lives. And these new cleaners certainly are fast. Just spray and wipe or swish with a mop and the job is done. If you want really fast general cleaning products, commercial ones like Formula 409, Simple Green and Windex clean faster than any soap and water could. This is because they contain small amounts, usually in t...

Post a comment By Caroline Scott-Thomas, 22-Nov-2010 Related topics:  Organics ,  Legislation ,  Cultures, enzymes, yeast ,  Emulsifiers, stabilizers, hydrocolloids The National List of permitted non-organic ingredients in organic foods is not encouraging innovation in organic supply, claims a new paper published in  Food Technology. The  National List  of Allowed and Prohibited Substances details non-agricultural ingredients that are allowed to be used as ingredients in foods labeled  organic  or made with organic ingredients, and is reviewed every five years. It includes carrageenan and agar agar (both from seaweed), animal enzymes, mined calcium sulfate, and glucono delta lactone, among others. The original thinking behind the establishment of a National List was that it would allow a wide range of USDA certified organic foods to come to market without being restricted by scarcity of minor ingredients. “The NOSB ( National Organic Standard...