Think Green Live Clean

Photo Credit: Brian Forbes

It takes about 10 calories of fossil fuels to get 1 calorie of food from the farm to our plates.  That is much more energy than you can gain from eating the food off of the plate, but a study done on a research farm in Iowa tells us that energy can be saved while creating crops and turning a profit, if a more complex crop rotation is implemented at farms. Read more…

Photo Credit: Tim Collins

Stricter water regulations are being put into place throughout the United States in a new effort to monitor the toxicity that is found in our drinking water, as announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.). While the new policies have yet to be released, they are likely to force local water systems to alter their cleaning technologies, making them more effective on filtering out dozens of contaminants presently found in our water. Read more…

Photo Credit: Jim Richardson

When the danger of mercury is addressed, usually it revolves around the high levels found in fish and not the world’s most popular dietary staple.  But a recent study conducted in China shed light on the risks posed by a readily eaten food worldwide: rice. Read more…

Photo Credit: Jessica Reeder

Wal-Mart’s motto is “save money, live better.”  Sounds like a good thing, however, typically when environmentalists think about Wal-Mart images of corporate greed, poor labor conditions, and massive warehouses fill their heads.  In response, Wally World, as it is affectionately known by some, is trying to shed its previous stigmas and to adjust to changes in the food market.  That’s right everyone. Wal-Mart, typically known for destroying local economies rather than building them, is trying to go GREEN. Read more…

photo credit: Procsilas Moscas

Would you spend extra money buying something that was damaging to the environment, could be harmful to your health, and that is readily available in your own home? No, so why do Americans today continue to buy bottled water? Excuses include that it’s more convenient, that it tastes better, that tap water is “dirty”. The truth is that bottled water usually has no benefits over tap water and its time for more people to realize this. Read more…

After hearing years of depressing news about our enormously depleted fish populations, and how many of our solution-oriented fish farms are each actually more polluting than the combined “raw human sewage from a town of several thousand people,” I was about to put my last can of tuna in the closet as a proof for my grandkids of the days when we had fish. But now, with much improved technology and the concerned investment of a few business-minded individuals, your goldfish may have something more to smile about tomorrow. Read more…

Kristen Taylor

“What we’re excited about is not just the offshoot conversations about public space and sustainability and carbon footprints, but it’s also the fact that one of the things we love to do is make jam with people we don’t know.”

Such is the sentiment of David Burns and his fellow artists Austin Young and Matias Viegener. The three Silverlake artists are the cofounders of Fallen Fruit, an LA-based art collective that combines and preserves fruit, art, and sustainability. The group was founded in 2004 with an initial intention to survey fruit growing in public spaces, “or on the perimeter,” as it is commonly referred to by the artists. The idea was to gather information and “fallen fruit” that had met its end on the public sidewalks, alleyways, and streets beyond the walls and yards of private property.

Think, had you ever wondered about the fate of the grapefruit, lemons, or oranges that hang upon the overburdened branches of your neighbor’s tree? More than likely you have contemplated picking the delicacies that dangle beyond the reaches of private space. Read more…

Photo Credit: Etienne Boucher

The American people are becoming increasingly aware of what goes into the food we eat. Not just pesticides and other chemicals but also the truth about why our food is so cheap and the repercussions of the current system, both environmental and social. Industrial agriculture has delivered cheap groceries and a greater variety in what we choose to eat; but it has also brought us contaminated meat, carcinogenic hormone-filled milk, and environmental disaster. The cheap prices we see at the market are a farce. The costs that we are averting is being dumped on something or someone else. The article in Time Magazine by Bryan Walsh titled “Getting Real about the High Price of Cheap Food” displays what is wrong with the food we eat and shows how some companies are choosing to do it the right way. Read more…

Photo Credit: Howard Ignatius

Many of us eat fish regularly without realizing that we may be contributing to a major problem. Habitat destruction and overexploitation are the two main problems associated with the fishing industry. In addition to those, toxins and aquaculture can have negative impacts on consumers and the environment. By simply understanding the threats that the marine environment is facing, and being informed on how you can reduce your impact on the marine environment, you can still eat fish but enjoy them in a sustainable way. Read more…

Photo Credit: Julie A. Brown

Over the years, vegetarian groups and environmentalists have advocated the policy that “less meat= less heat.”  However, that is not necessarily always the case.  In the past, cows, other livestock, and their consumers have been cited as environmentally detrimental because of the amount of greenhouse gases emitted from housing the livestock, and the livestock themselves.  In 2006, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reported that 18% of the world’s man-made greenhouse gas emissions comes from livestock.  Cows especially take the fall because they are fed more energy-intensive feed than other livestock and emit more methane than other livestock. Read more…