Our Precious Bees

bees on a honeycomb

precious honey bees

The evidence still seems to point to pesticides as the culprit in the demise of our precious bee population.  It’s bad news, but at least we know, and we can do something about it.

I came across this article today:

The world’s most widely used insecticide has for the first time been officially labelled an “unacceptable” danger to bees feeding on flowering crops. Environmental campaigners say the conclusion, by Europe’s leading food safety authority, sounds the “death knell” for the insect nerve agent.

Quoted from “theguardian” a UK publisher:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/16/insecticide-unacceptable-danger-bees

The Europeans are publishing study results on this issue.  Now we need to get moving here in the US.

You can find my earlier comments in this previous post here:  https://grandstrandorganics.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/pesticides-to-blame-for-bee-colony-collapse-disorder/ from the Rodale Institute.  The photo and article from 2010 are no longer online at their site.  But I did find this article there:  http://rodaleinstitute.org/2012/honeybee-crisis-update/

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Why Organic is Worth the Price

Photo of people and buckets of applesAccording to the Organic Trade Association , “there is mounting evidence that if all the indirect costs of conventional food production—cleanup of polluted water, replacement of eroded soils, costs of health care for farmers and their workers—were factored into the price of food, organic foods would cost the same or, more likely, be cheaper.” We are just learning about what the harmful effects pesticides have on our bodies. It is too soon to tell what health care costs will be associated with all of the chemical exposure. Buying organic is certainly worth it.

This is the closing statement in a terrific article that I found today.  The full text is definitely worth reading.  Click HERE

The website where I found this article is called “Generations of Organic”Generations of Organic logo and seems to be a project of The Organic Center The Organic Center logo.  The site is full of great information: recipes, stories, nutritional data, etc.  Check it out www.GenerationsOfOrganic.org

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Being Organic on a Budget

Here’s an excerpt and link to a really good article from the current issue of Organic Lifestyle Magazine.   I encourage you to take a look at their website http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com  and magazine.

IT CAN BE DONE!  by Stephanie Dickison

If you shop at a typical supermarket, the prices on organic produce might be enough to convince you that only the rich can afford an organic diet.  But you, too, can afford to eat organic.Shopper with list and cart, scratching her head

The first step is to educate yourself.  Right now, we are spending money on being sick (health insurance, co-pays, medication) instead of spending money on being healthy.  Your health begins with eating good food loaded with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Whenever possible, that means buying an organic product over a regular one. But it doesn’t always need to be labeled USDA Organic to be a better choice. Did you know the Certified Naturally Grown label also certifies food as organically grown?

Locally grown fruit and vegetables bought at a vegetable stand on the side of the road may have been grown organically. Many small farmers don’t go to the expense of certification. Ask them about pesticide use and crop rotation and do your best to support these small organic farms. Their food has more vitamins, minerals, and enzymes than the organic food farmed by the big agriculture companies (due to a lack of crop rotation).

Click HERE for the complete article.

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‘God’s diet plan’: Health food is organic farmer’s ministry

Organic farmer Richard Kann says his hydroponic-vegetable farm helps him fulfill his Seventh-day Adventist faith

By Jeff Kunerth, Orlando Sentinel

7:16 p.m. EDT, September 8, 2011

There are those who believe in locally grown organic food because they are health-food aficionados and others who believe corporate industrialized farming is bad for your health and some who believe that food trucked halfway across the country is harmful to the planet.

Organic farmer Richard Kann believes he’s on a mission from God.

“We regard this as a health ministry,” said Kann, owner of Heart of Christmas Farms, an organic farm that produces hydroponic vegetables in east Orange County. “Everything is natural and God-given. We call it God’s diet plan.

“Kann is putting his faith as a Seventh-day Adventist — healthy body, healthy mind, healthy spirit — into practice by raising squash, beets, tomatoes, lettuce, herbs and greens without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or soil.

Follow this link: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/os-adventist-organic-farm-20110908,0,4822144.story to read the full article.

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7 Simple Ways to Detox Your Diet and Your Home

Variety of Citrus Fruits“EatingWell” Magazine has recently become one of my favorite sources for good, healthy information.  There is so much to read on this site, and all of it is helpful in efforts to live a clean, healthy life.  Check out their newsletters, recipes, articles, and more.  I follow them on Facebook as well.

This article just caught my eye today.  It covers a wide range of toxins that we all need to know about and protect ourselves from (bad grammer, I guess).  I read every bit of it.  Here’s a sample and a link to the full article:

Find out what everyday items are the worst for your health in terms of chemicals and toxins and what you can do about it.

Nobody knows just how much of a risk toxins in our food really pose. Most of the associations between chemical exposures and disease are just that—associations. But we’re exposed to dozens, if not hundreds, of chemicals, and the effects of some multiple exposures may be more than the sum of their parts, say experts. Or, in some cases, they might cancel each other out.

What’s more, toxins get into our bodies through more than just food. We are exposed to them through our carpets, lawn chemicals—even our clothing. Check out these 7 toxins you can avoid in your diet and get simple solutions for minimizing these chemicals and toxins in your diet and life.

Here’s you link to the article:  http://www.eatingwell.com/food_news_origins/organic_natural/7_simple_ways_to_detox_your_diet_and_your_home  Enjoy.

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Interview with Nell Newman of Newman Organics in Eucalyptus Magazine

Nell Newman of Newman Organics

Google News is one of the ways that I search for the latest organic products information.  Today I found a press release about this terrific interview.  Here is the first paragraph and a link to the original article.  The Newman products and their company philosophy have such a benefit to all of us.  So glad she’s on this path!

Nell Newman, founder of Newman’s Own Organics, grew up tomboy-style in the Connecticut woods, fishing and hiking and exploring the natural world. Soon after graduating from college, where she earned a degree in human ecology, she worked to re-establish the bald eagle in Central California. Now in her late 40s, Newman is an avid Santa Cruz surfer and angler who occasionally reels in her own salmon for dinner. As photogenic as her famous parents, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, and as business-savvy as most Harvard MBAs, Nell Newman has been a major force in the organic food business. She welcomed us into her Aptos office to talk about her career.

Click HERE to read the full interview.

Hope you enjoy it!

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Family Line: How to make organics fit your food budget

Found this today in the Green Bay Press Gazette.

Hope you enjoy it!  Oranges on the tree.

Today’s shoppers can choose from an increasing array of foods labeled organic. But while organic foods continue to grow in popularity, they often seem to come with a higher price tag.

Organic food production is strictly regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Farmers cannot use synthetic pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, genetic engineering, chemical fertilizers or waste products in the growing process. And organic foods must come from farms that have been certified organic by the USDA. All these requirements can boost the cost of producing foods with the organic label.  Read complete article here.

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Coupon lady: Organic foods can fit into modest budget

Carol Gunter, The Augusta Chronical special reporter

Carol Gunter

Found this article in The Augusta Chronicle written by Carol Gunter, Special Columnist, Thursday, June 16, 2011

Frugal is a term that invokes a lot of feelings for people. Buying organic foods is not a concept most people think can coexist with a frugal lifestyle.

But the truth is that with smart shopping and careful planning, organic foods can fit in a modest household budget.

The Environmental Working Group has published a list of what it calls the Dirty Dozen. These 12 foods have the highest concentrations of pesticides that remain in or on produce, based on data from USDA and EPA testing. If you have a limited budget, you should consider buying these products organic whenever possible. The Dirty Dozen consists of apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, imported nectarines, imported grapes, sweet bell peppers, potatoes, domestic blueberries, lettuce and kale and other types of collard greens.

The group also has published a list called the Clean Fifteen, a list of the 15 least pesticide-absorbent produce on the market. Buying these products organic does not have to be a priority because the differences between regular and organic are minimal. The Clean Fifteen are onions, sweet corn, pineapples, avocado, asparagus, sweet peas, mangoes, eggplant, domestic cantaloupe, kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit and mushrooms. To print this list in a wallet-size reminder, go to www.ewg.org.

Follow this link to read the entire article:  Coupon Lady  She gives other good tips and website links.  Great Article!!

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Organic Skin Care Product Trends

Found this through The Organic Marketplace Journal written by Herbalix Restoratives on May 17, 2011.  Web links go to the Herbalix Restoratives website but does not imply an endorsement by me.  However, I agree with this article and I’m taking a look at their product line and may comment later.  Thanks, Linda Murdock

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There has been an increase in the amount of organic skin care products being purchased by consumers as they are realizing that what you put on your skin matters. Natural skin care products are healthier for the skin and safer for the environment.

What’s more, people are also aware of the harmful ingredients in traditional skincare product lines. In fact there was a study performed by Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and they discovered industrial compounds, and alarming results. This study found 91 pollutants and other chemicals in the blood and urine of participants, many of which were traced back to non-organic beauty products.

Experts also discovered that 60 percent of ingredients within natural skin care products are absorbed through the skin and into a person’s bloodstream.

Worse yet, when these harmful ingredients are used even for a few years, they can lead to a buildup in your organs of unwanted chemicals and sometimes, unexplained illness.

You can protect yourself before this happens. All you have to do is start using organic skin careproducts. The benefits include the fact that they rejuvenate the skin and also provide essential nutrients, keeps the skin feeling soft and smooth, givesthe appearance of youthful skin, and helps prevent acne. It is safer to use over an extended period of time because it doesn’t contain toxic chemicals.

Organic skin care products are also more affordable. Like many people, you’re probably wondering how in the world organic skin care products can be less expensive than traditional products. With traditional products, a person will more likely use more of a particular product and need to buy it more often.

Herbalix Geranium Moisturizer

Herbalix Geranium Moisturizer

For example, Geranium Cream Moisturizer for dry-damage skin may cost more than the average cream moisturizers you find at traditional stores for $8.99. That’s because it contains a variety of natural ingredients. It also lasts a lot longer than a jar of non-organic moisturizer. Non-organic skin care products contain a high percentage of water as a base ingredient. So, you’re basically purchasing a highly diluted product. It’s like buying expensive water. A person who uses non-organic cream moisturizers may go through two to three jars before they notice results which are usually only temporary. You’re actually saving more money when you buy organic skin care products because you consume less of the product, the results are visible earlier and they last because your skin is becoming healthier. Another disadvantage of non-organic products is that many use fillers and artificial thickeners to make products appear creamy and smooth. Also, beware of products that claim to be ‘natural’. These cheap imitations usually contain harmful ingredients. Make sure you read the ingredients of skincare products before you buy. Advantages of using organic skin care products are made from skin beneficial ingredients derived from the earth and not from chemicals or man-made ingredients.

Another advantage of using organic products is that they rejuvenate the skin and stimulate cell growth. A non-organic product does the exact opposite. When you incorporate a healthy diet with natural, organic skin care products it will help you live a healthier lifestyle.

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Hands Across the Sand

No to DrillingStand and be counted as opposed to offshore drilling and in support of clean energy.

This Saturday, June 26, 2010 there will be lines of protest drawn in the sand on beaches and all across america. It’s a quiet, respectful way to show your feelings. Check it out at this website http://www.handsacrossthesand.com/.

In the Myrtle Beach, Grand Strand area, we have six (6) different beaches where you can go to participate.  Arrive around 11:00 am and join hands with your neighbors at Noon for 15 minutes.

Not near a beach, no problem.  There are Solidarity events for you.

You can also send a letter to President Obama and your House Representative.

Bless you, and thanks for your consideration of this event.

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