By Melinda
A few recent articles are saying GMO foods have been shown to cause cancer in rats. If this is true, how do we plan to escape those foods and keep them away from our families? And more importantly, is there a way to boycott GMO completely? GMO foods are mass produced these days and the biggest offenders are corn, soy, and sugar. They are very common foods found in everything. Right now, the USDA does not allow organic food to contain GMO, but who knows when that will be dismantled?
We could try to eat 100% organic, but that is really hard to do if you like to eat out every once in a while. I suppose if we wanted to boycott those products, it would be difficult unless you lived off the grid and made all your own products from scratch and lived off the land.
By Jeanette
Often times new babies come into our lives and we're not sure what to get for them and their parents that will be useful AND ecological. SproutBaby.com seems to take care of both of those concerns. As part of their FIRST BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION, SproutBaby.com is offering discounts and customer referral incentives to give their terrific products and service a try. I have a number of new babies coming in my circle of friends very soon so I have made use of these incentives myself.
By Laure Latham
Potrero Nuevo Farm is a newcomer in Half Moon Bay's agricultural landscape. Not even two years old, it has already accomplished a lot and promises lots more in the field of sustainable farming and living. An offspring of the Potrero Nuevo Fund, a foundation that supports community based organizations, the farm is a slice of heaven. Set in Half Moon Bay amidst rolling hills on Tunitas Creek Road, a winding paved road popular with bicycle riders, the farm could be a model farm. Thanks to GreenMoms.com, we joined a private tour by co-owner Bill Laven, Vida Verde co-founder Shawn Sears and Suzie who works on the farm. While GreenMoms events always have an (obvious) environmental slant, this one was exceptional both in choice and inspiration.
By Janice
Over and over you hear a variation of the statement, "I'd love to buy more organic products but it's just SOOOO expensive." And locally there's a new variation: "I love our new local store focused on organic and natural products, but Whole Foods is less expensive." So I set out to find out for myself. Not a huge scientific study, just a few observations you can evaluate for yourself. I went to 3 fairly local markets (Safeway, Whole Foods, New Leaf Community Markets) and noted the regular and sale prices for leading brands:
Our latest event this month was a family-oriented tour of our local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture farm) and retreat called Green Oaks Creek Farm! Paul Pfluke and Stephanie Jennings are the owners and resident farmers of this fantastic farm. Their CSA offers a fruit/vegetable box to our local coastal residents throughout the year. The produce is seasonal but they just started a winter box that included strawberries in December! Apparently the extra sun and lack of rain allowed the strawberries to have an (unheard of) extra long season. ‘Green' is in the name of the farm, but Paul and Stephanie go beyond typical ‘green' endeavors - they strive to make the farm as green as possible. All the produce is organic and they are working on a plan to plow much of the land with draft horses instead of a tractor. And when they do use a tractor, it runs on biodiesel.
The kids loved the farm! They got to feed hay to Mack and Margarita, the two beautiful black draft horses on the ranch, hold and pet baby chicks, and pick unlimited amounts of strawberries! Each child got to sit on the tractor and pretend they were driving it, and they also each picked an apple off the apple trees for eating. We all enjoyed their beautiful herb and flower garden for a while, and then headed back for a picnic lunch in their outdoor straw bale kitchen. This is a beautiful farm and I highly recommend their CSA box which I have tried. They offer a generous variety and they do get some tree fruit at certain times of the year. This particular farm offers tours, is available for retreats, weddings, and parties.
More comments about, or experiences with, the farm tour? Let's Discuss.
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