Just as more and more people are beginning to understand the importance of buying fresh produce from local growers they can trust, Mayor Greg Manning of Carlton, California, reminds us that government is too often part of the problem and not the solution. Instead of buying a tomato or two from 11-year-old Katie or 3-year-old […]

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There’s growing concern that a new subclass of chemicals called neonicotinoids is killing our bees. France and Germany have already suspended use of a Bayer product called Clothianidin, used to treat corn, sugar beet and sorghum seeds. However, according to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle by Jane Kay, when the Natural Resources […]

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Remember all those warm and wonderful Dove commercials with real women? Before you find yourself thinking of Dove as a wonderful example of corporate responsibility, consider that products such as their Gentle Exfoliating Foaming Face Cleanser contain tiny plastic beads that end up in the stomachs of animals like our friend the otter. According to […]

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The National Wildlife Federation makes it easy to certify your backyard or farmland as wildlife friendly. The easy online form carries you through the process of assessing your current efforts. Checkboxes help you identify the ways that you are providing food and water for wildlife. NWF also asks you to assess the ways […]

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Researchers at Michigan State years ago thought they had a great way to fatten up pigs for free - by giving the pigs water laced with their own urine. This video explains how the pigs outsmarted the humans.

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This fall, Californians will vote on Prop 2, which would ban the factory farm practice of confining animals in small spaces. As Nick Kristof wrote in the New York Times, “My hunch is that in a century or two, our descendants will look back on our factory farms with uncomprehending revulsion.”
As someone who has wept […]

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My friend Casey (top) shows off a purple dragon carrot. The middle photo shows that these carrots are nicely orange inside. And the bottom image shows what biotechnology could bring us.

My friend Casey sends me great blog fodder. This time, she urged me to read the (long but worth it) interview with Dr. John Navazio […]

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