Section » Health and Sustainability
The manurification of America
A perfect shitstorm: On some farms, animal manure can be a valuable asset, a way to improve the soil in the fields. But for today's massive factory farms — and, increasingly, the nation's air and waterways — manure is a huge liability, reports the Post's David A. Fahrenthold. Decomposing manure from factory farms is the U.S.'s fastest growing source
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Fertilizer overuse can acidify soil
Another reason to dislike the N-word: Fertilizer overuse creates many problems, like aquatic dead zones, resource depletion and blue-baby syndrome. One impact that
What’s P-Cresol and why is it in my food? “Don’t Eat That” iPhone app will tell you
A simple little iPhone app launched a few days ago that demystifies the ingredient lists of processed food. Called "Don't Eat That" (link to
What does asthma have to do with farm animals — or food?
When government officials hear the words "backyard livestock," they tend to worry about disease outbreaks and sanitation crises. And for good reason, as improperly managed animals — including dogs and cats —
Out of conservation, back to production
Good soil deed about to be uprooted: Millions of acres of environmentally sensitive lands are being pushed out of the federal Conservation Reserve Program and, most likely, back into production. The program was created to stabilize commodity prices while saving topsoil, improving water quality and creating
Report scrutinizes ties between Big Food, health organizations
Ignore the man behind the curtain: Reporters Rick Montgomery and Alan Bavley examine the “marriages of convenience” between unhealthy food producers and organizations aimed at promoting health, such as the newly announced alliance between Coca Cola and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Doctors take a stand on Coca-Cola funding for physicians’ website
Kicking the Coke habit: Nearly 20 doctors have resigned from the American Academy of Family Physicians after it accepted a grant from Coca-Cola to fund nutritional education content on its website. The lead protester pointed out that consumption of soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks has been
Dispatch from Germany No. 2: Visiting three small but innovative farm-to-table enterprises
By Renee Ciulla As I wrote in my first post for Ethicurean, I’m a graduate student learning about Sustainable Agriculture in Europe who recently spent a semester
Meet your greens, part 3: Taking the stand against the veggilantes
This is the third in a series about the USDA hearings on an industry proposal for a food-safety marketing agreement for leafy green vegetables. My first post describes what marketing agreements are and do; my second
Meet your greens, part 2: Industry seeks to outfox FDA
This is the second in a series of posts on my week in Monterey, CA, where I attended the first of seven USDA hearings around the country on an industry proposal to create a national
Flat world, fat world: Report from the Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives Symposium, part 1
By Nicole de Beaufort On September 21, 2009 in Minneapolis, a crowd of 300 people representing more than 30 disciplines gathered for a symposium hosted by the Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives Institute
Dairy runoff in our tap water
Big dairies, big problems: Reporter Charles Duhigg of the New York Times has been on the rampage these past few weeks with a series of great articles highlighting the need for better government regulation, oversight and enforcement of clean water
Farm Labor Experts: The Solution is Not For Sale
Friend o' Ethicurean Twilight Greenaway writes about sustainable food for San Francisco's Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA), which nourishes, inspires and educates SF residents and visitors by running the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and other
Stanford Hospital gets Farm Fresh
Recipe for wellness: Stanford Hospital and Clinics' new Farm Fresh project, launched in a pilot phase last month, brings organic, locally grown and sustainable food to any patient whose doctor approves it and doesn't cost a cent more than traditional fare. Other Northern California hospitals such as
Time to ban practice of feeding poultry “litter” (eg poop & other waste) to cows
File in the bulging folder of Really Bad Ideas: It's estimated that as much as 2 billion pounds of poultry litter (comprising chicken manure aka poop, feathers, spilled feed, bedding material, dead rodents, etc.) are fed to cattle every year. That's more than just gross — it courts mad cow disease,
