Green Living on Wheels - Take a Spin at a Bike Library

Joe’s post last week about riding a bicycle reminded me that I’m a bike-riding wannabe. I look with envy at friends, who ride with ease down our city streets, then cruise 50 miles down country roads in a single day. I’m awed by people my age — and older — who train for and ride in RAGBRAI (Register and Gazette Bike Ride Across Iowa), the annual bike trek across our state. While a trans-Iowa ride is not on my list of things to do before I die, I hear it’s a lot of fun. But that’s not what I dream of.

A trusty friend awaits its owner. Photo: Julia Wasson

All I want is to cruise downtown to the library, ride to my local coffee shop, or zip over to a friend’s house like I did when I was a kid. (My office is a 20 step commute from my bedroom, so biking to work is out.) So what’s stopping me? I don’t have a bike.

Picking out a bicycle requires a commitment — not just a financial commitment, though a new bike can be as pricey as some of the second-hand cars I’ve owned. More than that, getting a bike requires an investment of time. It isn’t easy to pick out just the right bike, not when you expect to own it for years. And a bike requires a commitment of labor to maintain it. I learned to repair a flat tire when I was 10, but haven’t been called upon to do anything similar since. And, let’s face it, the fat-tire, single-speed transportation choice of my youth was a dinosaur compared to even the lowliest K-Mart, blue-light special you see on the streets today.

But, lucky for me, there’s a simple solution to my bike-envy woes. Thanks to the Environmental Advocates of Johnson County, I can borrow a bike from the Iowa City Bike Library for short trips, a season, or half a year, then take it back. No commitment required. All I do is pick out one of their 500 bikes, then give them a deposit (from $20 to $80, depending on the condition and style of the bike). Then I check out the bike for up to six months. The beauty of this is that I don’t have to find a bike that I’m going to love for the rest of my life. But, I’m pleasantly surprised, and I do fall in love, I can make the bike of my dreams my very own by surrendering my deposit.

Great exercise, reduced carbon, instant transportation. What's not to like? Photo: Julia Wasson

But this post isn’t just about me. If you’re in a similar situation — no bike, but would love to use one without a permanent commitment — there’s a solution. Bike libraries, which allow users to check out and return a borrowed bike, are popping up in cities around the world. It’s a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, exercise, and get where you need to go.

BIKE LIBRARY MODELS

There are three primary models of bike libraries, according to the International Bicycle Fund, from which the following information is quoted:

1. “Let-loose: Multiple locations used for lending with no membership and no real tracking system. These programs tend to experience high rates of mechanical problems and rapid evaporation of their inventory, and subsequent burnout of volunteers.
2. “Controlled Network: Several bike stations used for a short-term or relatively short-term lending/checkout program that involves membership and keeping track of who has the bike for how long. There is high administrative/communications burden. Even so, inventory tends gets lost fairly quickly. High volunteer demand can lead to volunteer burnout and high volunteer turn over, which exhausts the program.
3. “Single Source: One bike station used as a bike maintenance clinic and single source for bike lending - generally more long-term lending than quick trips around city. This is the furthest from the altruistic ideal, but it tends to be the most stable, and have the greatest longevity.”

WHERE TO FIND A BIKE LIBRARY

Here is a small sampling of the many bike libraries in various parts of the world. If you know of one in your area, feel free to post a comment and let others know. And if you live, or will be traveling, in one of these cities, be sure to check that city’s website to get the details.

CANADA

Yellow Bike Action, Kingston, ON: Lease a salvaged bike for one day to four months for a small fee ($5 to $40) plus refundable $25 deposit.

FRANCE

Velib’, Paris: Borrow one of more than 10,000 bikes for a small fee.

Even little ones can find a ride at many bike libraries. Photo: Joe Hennager

NORWAY
Sandnes Green Bikes, Sandnes: You can borrow a bike for a day, entirely free, in the city of Sandnes.

U.S.

Arcata Library Bike Program, Arcata, CA: Pick a bike. Pay $20 deposit. Check it out for up to six months. Ride on!

Buffalo Blue Bicycle, Buffalo, NY: A convenient, online program allows you to reserve a bike and get the code to unlock it at any of several bike library hubs in Buffalo. Use the bike from 2 hours to 2 days.

New Brunswick Bike Library, New Brunswick, NJ: Members only. $20 “grease fee” gets you use of workspace, tools, and volunteers’ wisdom. Work on your own bike, adopt a frame, or build a bike “from the ground up.” Members may also check out a bike for a one- or two-week loan. Volunteer time is required before checking out a bike.

Wildcat Wheels, Lexington, KY: Free bike checkout for University of Kentucky students, faculty, or staff.

Fort Collins Bicycle Library, Ft. Collins, CO: Free bike checkout for residents, visitors, and students. You’ll need to leave a credit or check card, but won’t be charged if the bike is returned in good condition.

UCSC Bike Library, University of California at Santa Cruz: Borrow a bike, a helmet, a lock, and lights. But first, go through a workshop on bike safety, tire changing, and more.

Orange Bike Project, University of Texas, Austin, TX: If you’re a UT student, you can check out an Orange Bike for an entire semester, just like checking out a book at the library.

PedNet, Columbia, MO: Here’s a bike library for employers and employees. Each bikes come with “helmets, locks, lights, rear racks and cargo bags.” Check them out for up to 60 days.

MORE GOOD STUFF

This Heidelberg bike rack is perfect for students and commuters alike. Photo: Joe Hennager

If your locale doesn’t already have a bike library, consider starting one. The International Bicycle Fund website provides information about starting a bike library or a corporate or government fleet. Topics include liability insurance, theft deterrents, tracking devices, and more.

And here’s another great resource for bicycle enthusiasts in the US and Canada. Austin’s Yellow Bike Project has put together a directory of bike-related resources like bicycle shops, bicycle clubs, and repair shops.

See you on the bike path soon!

Julia Wasson

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

World Peace Diet: Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony

When it comes to eating, the majority of Americans confuse complicity with simplicity. The term “meat” encompasses a vast array of products: poultry, pork, beef, all terms that mask its origin. We don’t call cabbage or celery by another name, there is a celery stalk, or celery root, or celery leaf. On the other hand, food from a pig is called bacon, pork chops, or ham. The World Peace Diet: Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony, by Will Tuttle, Ph.D., seeks to explain what meat is, and what its impact is on the environment and our bodies.

We often call meat products by names that disguise their real origin.

The impact is decidedly negative. If this book were to be read by everyone, and its argument accepted, the world would become vegan. Calling the vegan movement a “revolution,” Tuttle challenges the root of Western culture, taking it on as a violent and oppressive civilization, and tracing our eating habits from Homer, to the Bible, to Constantine, and then to what he calls the “military-industrial-meat-medical-media complex.” To consider veganism a revolution is idealist, but appealing, because Tuttle has a vision for a better human society. And that is why the book is worth reading.

Imagine everything that is wrong with society: drug abuse, domestic abuse, poverty, pollution, over-consumption, environmental destruction, government corruption, inequality, and depression. Imagine there is one answer to those problems. The The World Peace Diet argues that a simple change in what we eat, an easier change than most people acknowledge or accept, will eliminate all of these problems. Although it is a difficult idea to digest, there is ample evidence that our treatment of animals is replicated in how we treat humans — a theory repeatedly reinforced by the Pythagorean principle, or the Golden Rule.

What is at stake, Tuttle insists, is our spirituality, wholeness, benevolence. The depravity of humans is caused by our persistent oppression of animals, whose spirits we cognitively deny, because we deny it physically at meal times. This argument seems fallible. Looking at Native American culture, we see how omnivores existed in harmony with their environment. There is an important difference, however. Through observation of society, in the time I was reading this book, seeing chicken sandwiches in vending machines, yogurt in plastic containers, and the hollowness with which these precious products of flesh were consumed, I became aware that the disconnect that pervades society on many levels — political, intellectual, artistic — begins with what we eat.

“Looking undistractedly into the animal-derived foods produced by modern methods, we inescapably find misery, cruelty, and exploitation. We therefore avoid looking deeply at our food if it is of animal origin, and this practice of avoidance and denial, applied to eating, our most basic activity and vital ritual, carries over automatically into our entire public and private life. We know, deep down, that we cannot look anywhere, for if we do, we will have to look deeply into the enormous suffering our food choices directly cause.”

Did this chicken suffer a life of extreme abuse?

This statement is a challenge to anyone who considers himself capable of looking deeply. If you can look deeply, look at what you eat. Accept that animals are capable of suffering, that when you order chicken, a chicken suffers, not only death, but prior to that, a life of (often) extreme abuse. Tuttle asks that we see animals as spiritual equals, not as objects or property. It is a challenge to stop the hypocrisy of theory, and embrace practice. Veganism is a mode of thought that requires action, so while you may sin and still be Catholic, you cannot eat eggs and be vegan.

Tuttle blames the herding culture from which we are derived for instilling oppression in our habits. A true revolution, he insists, must overturn this influence, specifically what began as the domestication of animals, and spread to wars fought over grazing land. Today we are fighting a “War on Terror” that is strongly linked with oil, a resource necessary for production of animal feed in mass quantities. If we were vegan, the logic implies, we would not be a violent nation. The incredulity some express at that statement, a vehement objection, does not suggest the falseness of it, but instead the dependency on violence and oppression. America has overcome its dependence on slavery, finally recognized women’s right to vote (some 60 years ago), and there is no reason animals should not be accepted in the progression toward a liberal world.

“In a herding culture, nothing is more subversive to the established order of exploitation and privilege than consciously refusing to participate in buying and eating the animal foods that define our culture.” The culture he refers to is one dominated by the military-industrial-meat-medical-media complex. These industries profit from the production of meat, the book argues, at the expense of our lives. The chain of influence — from meat processors lobbying in government, to the medical industries denying the viability of a vegan diet because of the profitability of clogged arteries, to the commercials that perpetuate the societal norm that humans need meat to survive, which tells us to eat meat, but does so for selfish reasons. The destruction, personal and environmental, of these influences, can be overturned by individual decisions.

The health benefits of eating vegan are enough reason to make the switch. Granted, you must first accept that most of what you have been told about a proper diet was a lie designed to squeeze money from you. Disabilities such as heart disease; diabetes; breast, prostate, and colon cancer; gallstones; strokes; and liver and kidney disease may be caused by diets high in animal products. Vegans typically risk having insufficiencies of three vitamins/minerals. Meat eaters, however, may lack closer to seven. They may also lack sex-hormone-binding globulin, which increases testosterone in the blood and increases likelihood of aggressive-destructive behavior.

This is only a brief overview of the health problems for humans. On the opposite side of the fence is a system that exploits living animals and destroys them. This is our food, and the toxicity of animal-based food is terrific. Fish, for example, especially those living in polluted water, “absorb and intensely concentrate toxins like PCBs, dioxins, and heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic.” The same occurs for animals fed food sprayed with pesticide and grown with fertilizer, and enhanced with animal flesh from fish or any type of livestock.

There is also excrement to consider. Livestock produces 10,000 pounds of manure for every person in America. Where does it go? Some of it ends up in your stomach. The lax conditions in meat processing plants enable about any unbelievably disgusting thing you can imagine. Entrails and manure are reportedly shoveled off the floor and mixed with the meat being processed into hot dogs or bologna. If it doesn’t go into our food, it eventually ends up in the water, which helps explain the 7,000 square meter dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

The environmental costs of meat are appalling. The “Standard American Diet,” as issued by the US government, produces 1/15 as much protein per acre as a plant-based diet would. One pound of beef requires 5,200 gallons of water to produce, while a vegan meal requires 300. The waste production of livestock is 130 times greater than human waste. Methane from cows is a more important cause of pollution than carbon dioxide from cars. Natural habitats are destroyed for pastures. 521,000 square miles of US forests have been cleared to graze livestock, and that number grows by 6,000 every year.

"Tuttle compares some obese men to Butterball turkeys."

The human expense of eating animal flesh, the effect on humanity, is tragic. Tuttle compares some obese men incapable of sex to Butterball turkeys. This is the justice of nature, that while we force feed the turkeys until they can barely stand, humans assume a similar posture by their consumption. I say it is tragic, because until we knowingly turn our head from the problem, we have not been made aware of a choice.

Eating animals has been a requisite of Western society for thousands of years. Reductionism, scientific and religious, are cited as causes for our oppressive habits. “The fourth-century emperor Constantine made Christianity the Roman state religion, that its earlier vegetarian emphasis was completely repressed… Constantine reportedly ordering his men to pour molten lead down the throats of any Christians who refused to eat animal flesh.”

Reductionism, Tuttle argues, permits the domination of animals through conventional, but outmoded, thought. The oversimplification of life and justification of eating flesh based on the principles our ancestors followed must be abolished. The glory and righteousness of man are more questionable the more we insist we are glorious and righteous. To accept animals as partners of the planet, we step beyond the theory of man’s goodness, overcome our depravity, and achieve the practice of goodness. On the other hand, if we choose to continue eating animal products, we reinforce ancient wrongs.

One example of the suffering we cause is the chapter, “Reviving Sophia,” the sacred feminine. The chapter discusses how dairy products destroy the respect for women, which our culture persistently searches for. With every baby calf stolen from her mother and killed, with every gallon of milk stolen from enslaved and broken mothers, with every thrust of the waking sperm gun… we kill the sacred feminine within ourselves.” This is an illustrative example, because the subject is one that is discussed more frequently; and, yet, the objectification of women continues on television, in magazines, and in relationships.

"I think again of the yogurt in the plastic cups... and how far the cow's milk is removed from its purpose."

Once again, the connection might seem unlikely. After all, women have made significant progress in gaining respect, recognition, and equality. It is clear, however, especially among lower socio-economic groups, that women are subjugated to oppressive ideas of men that limit women to objects for sexual pleasure and domestic chore. I think again of the yogurt in the plastic cups, and how disconnected the food is, how far the cow’s milk is removed from its purpose. Aside from the research that suggests cow’s milk is nutritionally unhealthy for humans, the more significant idea is how dairy affects our psychology.

Since becoming vegan, barely more than a month ago, I can attest that I already feel more connected with living humans and animals, and am more involved in the life of the planet and removed from the destruction of it. Eating has become a greater pleasure than ever; my body, its cells, feel more connected to the earth; I look at my hand and see an open palm, not a fist. I am convinced that there is little to lose by refusing to eat animal products. Instead, I am proud, if not thrilled, to consider myself a part of a revolution, although I do not agree with the book’s claim that the only way for a spirit to be liberated is to not eat meat. I still do not condemn eating meat as evil, but I do see it as an unnecessary and costly act.

After reading The World Peace Diet, you will understand the excitement of eating, living, and being part of the revolution that fellow humans are beginning: to strive for greater harmony, to seek for inner peace, and to not yield to ancient and oppressive ideals. We are, I believe, on our way to a more united planet, not only for humans, but for all living creatures.

Elias Simpson

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Toxic Substances Control Act Hearings — A Hopeful Start

We noted on Tuesday that the Toxic Substances Control Act would soon be under review. Yesterday was the opening day of the House of Representatives’ hearing: “Revisiting the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.” The goal of the hearing is to reform the TSCA. The Honorable Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) opened the hearing with the statement that appears below. With this auspicious beginning, we hold out hope that our lawmakers will take bold, yet carefully considered, action to safeguard the health of our nation and our planet.

Yet, this is only the beginning. We must not become complacent and accept mere lip service. We at BPGL urge all Americans to let your congressional officials know that you’re counting on them. All of our lives — and especially those of our most vulnerable citizens — depend on the strength and enforceability of the TSCA. — Julia Wasson

The Honorable Bobby L. Rush’s statement appears below:

Many hazardous chemicals travel our highways in tankers like this.

WASHINGTON, DC — “I want to welcome the Members of the Subcommittee to our first hearing of the 111th Congress. I am honored to chair this distinguished subcommittee and I will strive to serve all of its members honorably.

“I truly look forward to working with everyone on a productive legislative and oversight agenda.

“In this regard, our first hearing of the 111th Congress is an ambitious one and represents a new addition to the subcommittee’s jurisdiction. Today’s hearing will explore the major issues surrounding the Toxic Substances Control Act, also known as TSCA.

“TSCA was enacted in 1976 and originally consisted of one title, which remains the heart of the statute. While Congress, over the years, has added additional titles to TSCA addressing individual chemicals and substances, Congress has done very little with regard to Title I. TSCA and Title I have never been reauthorized or reformed, and very little oversight has been conducted on the statute’s effectiveness. Today, I hope to start a deliberative process that reverses this Congressional inaction of the past. By most accounts, TSCA is badly in need of reform. While opinions may vary on the degree and nature of the reforms needed, there is a broad consensus among a diversity of stakeholders that TSCA needs to be reexamined.

“The scope of TSCA is very broad, and its intent is ambitious. TSCA is meant to provide adequate data on the potential health and environmental risks of all chemical substances and mixtures in the United States. Furthermore, the statute is supposed to provide EPA with adequate regulatory tools to protect the public from unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment. Unfortunately, the statute has seemingly been a failure on both of these basic policy goals.

“Critics contend that the TSCA has failed to generate data on the health risks of the approximately 80,000 chemicals currently in use and the approximately 700 new chemicals introduced into commerce every year. Even though Sections 4 and 5 of TSCA authorize EPA to force companies to test their chemical products and generate risk data, the hoops the agency must jump through in order to exercise this authority have proven to be too burdensome. Rulemakings take years to finalize, cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and are subject to constant legal action by companies who do not want to comply. As a former EPA Assistant Administrator once said, “It’s almost as if we have to, first, prove that the chemicals are risky before we can have the testing done to show whether or not the chemicals are risky.”

Asbestos kills 8,000 Americans each year, yet hasn't been banned under TSCA.

“Furthermore, once the EPA has made a determination that a chemical poses a health or environmental hazard, they have been unable to act on this determination. Section 6 of TSCA provides EPA with broad authority to regulate and ban toxic chemicals, but the burden of proof for action has proved so high that banning a chemical is virtually impossible. I think most Americans would be very surprised to learn that asbestos — a known carcinogen that kills 8,000 Americans every year — has not been banned by the EPA under TSCA, because the courts have ruled that EPA did not meet its evidentiary burden of proving that asbestos is an “unreasonable risk” to the public. If TSCA is incapable of providing EPA with the regulatory tools to ban asbestos, then the statutes seem to be in need of serious repair.

“I want to make clear that I believe reexamining TSCA is not only good for public health, but it’s good for business. I do not believe that this hearing should reflect the old divisions of public health versus business, or the environment versus business. I appreciate the innovative spirit of American businesses and further recognize the importance of fostering that innovative spirit, especially during these perilous economic times. But the public’s faith in the safety of its products and the chemicals that make up those products has been seriously shaken. I believe that reforming TSCA and re-establishing that faith will ultimately be a boon for American businesses of every stripe.

“Today’s hearing is only the first in a series on TSCA. Today, we kick off the process in a deliberative fashion, and I hope that we can all work together in a bipartisan fashion.

“I yield back the balance of my time.”

Statement by the Honorable Bobby L. Rush, Chairman
Committee on Energy and Commerce
Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection
Hearing: Revisiting the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Peanut Recall — Your Food Safety Is Up to You

We learned in the news yesterday of yet another peanut-products recall. This time, the processing plant involved is in Plainview, Texas. It’s owned by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), the same folks who brought us tainted peanuts in their Blakely, Georgia plant. That recall was in January of this year. Perhaps you remember it? A brief peanut scare swept the nation, with many of us under the misapprehension that peanut butter itself was all we had to worry about.

Are there any contaminated peanut products in this cupboard? The only way to know is to check the list.

Well, think again, America. The FDA has published a long list for us to check. And check we should, as no major peanut butter brands are even on it. The dangerous “peanut” foods turn out to be ice cream, ice cream cones, candy, cereal, pet foods, cookies… all sorts of non-peanuty items that this consumer (and apparently many others) didn’t know about.

Now, if you or your loved one has a peanut allergy, you’re way ahead of the rest of the nation in understanding which foods to watch out for. But the rest of us are not so savvy. CBS News yesterday posted a fascinating poll that shows how poor is our understanding of the problem.

So, do yourself and your loved ones a favor. If you haven’t read the list, take a good, long look. Check your cupboards. Check your freezer. Check your refrigerator. And check your supply of pet food. With more 666 cases of salmonella and 9 deaths attributed to the peanut problem as of today, this problem is truly a serious one.

You may live far from the PCA plants in Texas and Georgia. You may even live in California or Hawaii or Maine. Wherever you are, you are likely to be affected, as so far, there have been cases of peanut-based salmonella in 45 states.

Cases Infected with the Outbreak Strain of Salmonella Typhimurium, United States, by State, as of February 22, 2009 at 9pm ET (n=666) Source: FDA.gov

Don’t count on the press to inform you of all the latest news on the topic. We happened to find out about the second recall in a post on DallasNews.com. There was nary another story to be found through our Google search yesterday. Several posts are up today.

By the time we read the article, our neighborhood store had already pulled the offending products. “But,” we asked, “what about the items that had already been purchased?” Our local store department manager told us consumers could “bring them in for a full refund.” Small comfort if the consumers don’t even know they have tainted products.

Buyer beware; you’re practically on your own. This isn’t just a sensational story we can take lightly. It’s the real deal. So check the FDA list below. Better yet, bookmark the FDA Peanut Butter and other Peanut Containing Products Recall List. Check it often. Your family’s food safety is up to you.

And to our Canadian neighbors, please accept an apology from your southern friends. The peanut recall has affected you, too. You may have thought you could trust food products from the USA. We thought we could, but we were wrong. Please check your own Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Complete List of Products recalled due to the PCA salmonella contamination. It’s a long one, too.

Julia Wasson

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

The FDA’s “Peanut Butter and other Peanut Containing Products Recall List” current as of 12 p.m. February 25, 2009:

Topics on this Page:
Brownie Product Recalls
Cake and Pie Product Recalls
Candy Product Recalls
Cereal Product Recalls
Cookie Product Recalls
Cracker Product Recalls
Donut Product Recalls
Dressing and Seasoning Product Recalls
Fruit and Vegetable Product Recalls
Ice Cream Product Recalls
Peanut Product Recalls
Peanut Butter Product Recalls
Peanut Paste Product Recalls
Peanut Product Recalls
Pet Food Product Recalls
Pre-Packaged Meals Product Recalls
Snack Bar Product Recalls
Snack and Snack Mix Product Recalls
Topping Product Recalls
Download All Recalled Peanut Containing Products

Brownie Product Recalls
Allann Bros Coffee
Annie B’s (Wholesale Dessert Products)
Avanza Supermarket
Boston Cookies
Econofoods (excluding Wisconsin stores in Sturgeon Bay, Clintonville, Marquette, Holton and Iron Mountain)
Family Fresh Market
Family Thrift Center
Food Bonanza
Pick’n Save (Ohio stores in Van Wert and Ironton only)
Prairie Market
SunMart Foods
Sweet Life
TF Processors
The Father’s Table
Tri-O-Plex
Wholesale Food Outlet

Cake and Pie Product Recalls
Allann Bros Coffee
Annie B’s (QVC Products)
Annie B’s (Wholesale Dessert Products)
Avanza Supermarket
Baker’s
Bindi North America
Casino Chef
Charlie’s
Chef Pierre
City Market
Cuisine Innovations
Dillons
Econofoods (excluding Wisconsin stores in Sturgeon Bay, Clintonville, Marquette, Holton and Iron Mountain)
Family Fresh Market
Family Thrift Center
Follow Your Heart
Food 4 Less
Food Bonanza
Foods Co.
Fred Meyer
Fry’s
Gerbes
Hilander
Jay C
Junior’s
King Soopers
Kmart Bakery
Kroger
Owen’s
Pay Less
Pick’n Save (Ohio stores in Van Wert and Ironton only)
Prairie Market
Presentations
QFC
Ralphs
Rich Products Corporation
Scott’s
Smith’s
SunMart Foods
Sweet Life
Wegmans
Wholesale Food Outlet

Candy Product Recalls
4-H Fundraising
Allann Bros Coffee
American Almond
Bartons Confectioners
Bear Poop
Bear Scat
Best Choice (AWG)
Blains Farm & Fleet
Blanton’s
Botticelli
Buffalo Chips
Camp Masters
Candy Place
Casey’s
Casey’s General Store
Cherry Hill Supremes
Cherrydale Farms
Chicken Coop Poop
Chopanpea
Choxie
Coblentz Chocolate Company
Country Life Natural Foods
Cow Patties
Cow Pies
Crew Rations
Dazzling Delicacies
Deer Droppings
Diabeteze
Diabetone gluco
Dillon’s
Dino Eggs
Dutch Valley
EARTH FARE
Eagle Premium
Eagle Premium (Amcon)
Eillien’s Candies Inc.
Every Day’s A Party
Fannie May
Felix & Oscar
Fish Eggs
Food Club
Fortune Fundraising
Fresh Pick’s Meat & Produce
GFS
GKI
Gayle’s Chocolates
Germack
Giambri
Gold Emblem
Goo Goo
Gurley’s
Haddington Farms
Hallmark
Harry and David
Harvest Fresh Market
Hawk’s Lair Inc.
Heart and Soul Candies
Heavenly Candy’s
Here’s Howe
Hy-Vee
HyVee
JL Manufacturing
Johnny Pomodoro’s
Karma
Kerry Ingredients & Flavours
Kings
Koeze Company
Koppers
Koppers Chocolate
L & L Food Centers
Landies
Landmark
Lizard Eggs
Madelaine
Marich
Marketplace
Maxfield
Meijer
Mills Fleet Farm
Monster Eggs
Moose Droppings
Mr. Chocolate
NATURALLY PREFERRED
Nassau Candy
Nut Bar Candy Shoppe
Oakridge Family Food Centers
Old Fashion Candy Company
Olsen’s Piggly Wiggly
Omaha Steaks
Osprey Poop
Palmer Candy
Palmer Peg
Palmer Selects
Pear’s Gourmet
Pecan Deluxe Candy Company
Penhurst Candy Co.
Plum Markets
Prairie Dog Pebbles
Premier Packing Company
Primrose
Private Labeled or Family Choice
Rain Creek Baking Company
Rain Creek Baking Corporation
Rite Aid
Rodhe’s IGA Marketplace
S & S Candies
SPARTAN
SRF
SUNRIDGE
Sconza Candy
Sentry Food
Shurfine
Shurfine - Western Family
Shurfresh
Silver Lake
Simply Enjoy
Sinbad
SinbadSweets.com
Something Better Natural Foods
South Bend Chocolate Company
Spartan
Star Kay White Inc.
Stuckey’s
Sunbird Snacks
Superior
Taufelen Candy Co.
The Candy Lady
The Foreign Candy Co.
The Kidz Kompany
Theo
Torn Ranch
Tree of Life
Valu Time
Walgreens
Wegmans Swiss Recipe
Wilson Candies
WinCo Foods bins
Zachary

Cereal Product Recalls
Bear Naked
Naughty but Nice

Cookie Product Recalls
ABC
AFC
Allann Bros Coffee
Annabella
Apple Mountain
Archer Farms
Arico
Arizona Gold
Auntie Ono (Hawaii)
Avanza Supermarket
Baker Jo’s
Baker Jo’s Peanut Butter
Baker’s
BakerSource
Bear’s
Best Brands Corp.
Best Maid
Block & Barrel
Blue Ribbon
Boston Cookies
CAMDEN CREEK
Camden Creek
Christie Cookie
City Market
Classic Breaks
Cookie Machine
Cougar Mountain
Cub Foods
Devonshire
Dillons
Dough-to-Go
Dough-to-Go (California)
Econofoods (Excluding Wisconsin stores in Sturgeon Bay, Clintonville, Marquette, Holton and Iron Mountain)
Erin Baker’s
Evening Rise
Family Fresh Market
Family Thrift Center
Famous Amos
Food 4 Less
Food Bonanza
Food Lion Bake Shop
Foods Co.
Fred Meyer
Fry’s
Gerbes
Gigi’s
Gourmet Cookie Dough
Gourmet Cookie Dough JT Ent
Grandessa
Hilander
Hy-Vee
Innisbrook
Jana’s
Jane Dough’s (Washington, Nevada and Arizona)
Jay C
Jimmy’s Cookies
Keebler
King Soopers
Kroger
Lisa’s Favorites
Little Lambs
Lofthouse
Mrs. GoodCookie
One Smart Cookie
Ovens of Ashley
Owen’s
Parco Foods Chuck’s Chunky
Parker
Pastries Plus
Pay Less
Pick’n Save (Ohio stores in Van Wert and Ironton only)
Prairie Market
QFC
QSP
READI-BAKE
Ralphs
Red Apple
Red Wheel Fundraising
Sam’s Choice
School Kine Cookies
Scott’s
Smith’s
SunMart Foods
Sweet Life
Trader Joe’s
Tri-O-Plex
Uncle Eddies Vegan
WalMart Bakery
Wegmans
Wholesale Food Outlet
ZAP

Cracker Product Recalls
Austin Quality Foods
Cambridge
Keebler
Little Debbie
Meijer
ShopRite
Weis Quality

Donut Product Recalls
Kmart Bakery
Mighty-O
Wegmans

Dressing and Seasoning Product Recalls
Kariba Farms
WOW

Fruit and Vegetable Product Recalls
Eating Right
H-E-Buddy
Ready Pac Cool Cuts
Trader Joe’s

Ice Cream Product Recalls
#216 Schwan’s
Aldi Sundae Shoppe
America’s Choice
Artic Classic
Artic Star
Baldwin
Belfonte
Best Choice
Big Y
Bindi North America
Bliss Brothers Dairy
Blue Bunny
Blue Bunny Personals
Bon
Braum’s
Breyers Tin Roof Sundae
Breyers Tin Roof Sundae ice cream
Brigham
Broughton
Buck’s
Byrne Dairy
Carnival
Central Dairy
Component
Country
Country Classic
Country Delight
Creamy Creations
Cub
Cub Foods
Cumberland Farms
DeConna
DeLuxe
Deluxe
Dolly Madison
Econo
Family Pak
Fastco
Flav-O-Rich
Flav-o-rite
Flavorite
Food City
Food Club
Frederick Farms
Galliker
Garber’s
Giant
Giant Eagle
Grande
Great Value
Greens
Hagan
Hannaford Denali
Hershey’s
High’s
Hiland
Hill Country Fare
Hood
Hudsonville Creamery and Ice Cream Co.
Hy-Top
Hy-Vee
IGA
Ice Cream
Ice Girl
JJ Lawson
Jewel
Kay’s
Kemps
Key Food
Krasdale
Lowes
Luvel
Market Basket
Market Pantry
Meadow Gold Herd
Megaroons
Meijer
Meijer’s
Nestle
North Star
Old Fashioned
Old Recipe
Our Family
Pathmark
Perry’s
Pierre’s
Piggly Wiggly
Price Chopper
Pricerite
Private Selection
Publix
Purity
Redners
Rich Products Corporation
Rich’s
Richfood
River Valley
Roundy’s
Ruggles
Shamrock Farms
Shop ‘n Save
Shoprite
Shurfine
Shurfresh
Southern Belle
Southern Home
Stater Bros
Stewart’s Shops
Stop & Shop
Sundae Shoppe
Super A Nut
Supreme Indulgence
Sysco
Tops
Trauth
Turkey Hill Dairy
Turner
Uncle Buck’s
United Dairy
Valu Time
Velvet
Velvet Olde Mill
Wegmans
Weis
Weis Quality
Western Family
White Rose
Winn Dixie
Wonder Ice Cream

Peanut Product Recalls
“Nut Hut” Kiosks
AMSTERDAM GOURMET
Abercrombie USA Grown
Allnuts
Always Save
American Almond
Ass Kickin’
Aurora Natural
Austinuts
Bad Byron’s
Baldwin County
Banana Moon
Best Choice
Blains
Blains Farm & Fleet
C&K Market, Inc.
Casey’s
Casey’s General Store
Centrella
Cumby’s Snacks
DUREY LIBBY
Dingman’s Dairy
EARTH FARE
Eagle Premium
Econo Pac
Eillien’s
Fazenda
First Choice
Gel Spice Co.
Georgia Peanuts
GloryBee Foods, Inc.
Grand Rapids Popcorn
HERSHEY IMPORT COMPANY
Herman’s Nut House
Hialeah Products, New Urban Farms, Epicure Market, Stiles Market, Gardners Market, Baileys General Store, Hales Grove River Market, The Sandy Butler, Carmines Market, Joannas Marketplace, Crown Wine & Spirits, Florida Snacks, Rosen Plaza Hotel, Rosen Shingle Creek, Grapevine Gourmet, Perricones Marketplace, Kastners, Salamander Market, Oh Nuts, Mazzaro Market, Portofino Market, Portofino Winebank, Artdeco Market, Diamond Café & Market, Surfmed, Sunharvest Snacks, Healthy State of Mind, Fisher Island, Golden Cockatoo, Kosher Marketplace
In-Room Plus
Key Foods Private Label
Kitty Clover
Laxmi
Lunds and Byerly’s
Market Pantry
Markets of Meijer
Marlow
Meijer
Mills Fleet Farm
Nassau Candy
Nature’s Promise
PIC-A-NUT
Parnell’s Pride
Peanut Corporation of America
Peanut Corporation of America or Parnell’s Pride
Premier Packing Company
Primrose
Ramapo Ridge Private Label
Reggie’s
Robinson Crusoe
Root Farms
SNACK SHACK
SUNRIDGE
Safeway’s “Nut Hut” Kiosk
Skinner’s
Snack Naturally
SunRidge Farms
Sunbird Snacks
Sunset Orchard
Supreme Choice
The Alps
Thrifty Nut
Tropical Nut and Fruit
Tropical Nuts
Valued Naturals
WEST BANK GOURMET
WOODSTOCK FARMS
Werner
Whole Foods Market

Peanut Butter Product Recalls
“Nut Hut” Kiosks
Allann Bros Coffee
American Almond
Bear Naked
Fresh Direct
GRANDE GOURMET
King Nut
LUCKY
New Seasons
POCO PAC
Parnell’s Pride
Peanut Corporation of America or Parnell’s Pride
SUNRIDGE
Unbranded for further distribution
Vitamin Cottage
Whole Foods

Peanut Paste Product Recalls
Peanut Corporation of America or Parnell’s Pride

Peanut Product Product Recalls
Peanut Corporation of America or Parnell’s Pride

Pet Food Product Recalls
Aggieville USA, Mountain Grove, MO
American Health Kennels, Inc.
American Nutrition, Inc.
Carolina Prime
Carolina Prime Pet
Farm Style
Grreat Choice
Happy Tails
Healthy Hide
Healthy-hide Deli-wrap
Hill Country Fare
Integrity
Mill Creek
Morning Melodies
Morning Song
Next Gen Pet Products
Northwest Royal
Premium
Royal Wing
Salix
Shoppers Valu
Springfield Prize
Vita Bone Flavors
Vita Snacks
Western Family Biscuits
Western Trade Group, Inc.
Yeaster

Pre-Packaged Meals Product Recalls
Allann Bros Coffee
Dinners Ready
Ethnic Gourmet
Follow Your Heart
Fresh Direct
Gluten Free Café
Meal BREAKS
Red Cloud Food Service
Sure-Pak
The Traditions
Trader Joe’s
Trader Ming’s

Snack Bar Product Recalls
Advantage
All Natural Mega Protein
Allann Bros Coffee
Arbonne
Archer Farms
Arico
Attain
Avanza Supermarket
Balance
Bartons Confectioners
CAN DO KID
CLIF BAR
Can Do Kid
Cascadian Farm
Cherrydale Farms
Complete Life
Day Break
Detour
Detour Biker
Detour Core Strength
Detour Runner
Dr. Melina
EB Performance
Econofoods (Excluding Wisconsin stores in Sturgeon Bay, Clintonville, Marquette, Holton and Iron Mountain)
Endulge
Evening Rise
Family Fresh Market
Family Thrift Center
Food Bonanza
GNC Triflex
Genisoy
Health Valley
Isagenix
Isagenix IsaLean
JamFrakas
Jenny’s Cuisine
Karma
Kashi TLC
LUNA
LÄRABAR
MLO BIO PROTEIN BARS
MLO XTREME PROTEIN BARS
MOJO
Market Pantry
NUTRILITE
Naturally Preferred
Nature’s Plus
Naughty but Nice
Nestle
NutriPals
NutriSystem
Odwalla
Oh Soo Good
OhYeah!
Optimum Energy Bars
Perfect Weight America
Pick’n Save (Ohio stores in Van Wert and Ironton only)
Prairie Market
ProFlex15
ProFlex20
Promax
Promax 70
Promedis
Rockin’ Roll
SOY PROTEIN BARS
Shaklee
Slim-Fast MEAL OPTIONS
Slim-Fast optima
Special K Protein
SunMart Foods
SunRidge
Supreme Protein
TITAN
TWISTED
Think Thin
Trader Joe’s
Tri-O-Plex
Triple Delicious
WHA GURU CHEW
Wholesale Food Outlet
XS
Zone
ZonePerfect
fücoPROTEIN

Snack and Snack Mix Product Recalls
A Southern Season Private Label
ACME
ALDI
Acme
Albertsons
Aunt Patty’s
Aurora Natural
Austinuts
Avanza Supermarket
BRIDGEHAMPTON GORP
Banana Moon
Bartons Confectioners
Bear Naked
Berry Blossom
Betty Lou’s
Blains Farm & Fleet
Bloom
Break-A-Way Canada Private Label (Includes Gourmet Line)
Break-A-Way U.S. Private Label
Bunny Food
C&K Market, Inc.
Café W
Caribou
Casey’s
Casey’s General Store
Champion
Chef Inspired
Cherrydale Farms
Cumby’s Snacks
Cupids Crunch
Dancing Star
Dutch Valley
EARTH FARE
EXPRESS SNACKS
Eagle Premium (Amcon)
Econofoods (Excluding Wisconsin stores in Sturgeon Bay, Clintonville, Marquette, Holton and Iron Mountain)
Eillien’s
FOOD LION
FULL CIRCLE
Family Fresh Market
Family Thrift Center
First Choice
Food Bonanza
Fred Meyer
Freedom Trail Mixes of Boston Private Label
Full Circle
GRATEFUL HARVEST
Gramma Anna’s
Grandpa’s Oven
Great Skott Foods
Greenwise
HEB
HERSHEY IMPORT COMPANY
Happy Healthy Private Label
Hialeah Products, New Urban Farms, Epicure Market, Stiles Market, Gardners Market, Baileys General Store, Hales Grove River Market, The Sandy Butler, Carmines Market, Joannas Marketplace, Crown Wine & Spirits, Florida Snacks, Rosen Plaza Hotel, Rosen Shingle Creek, Grapevine Gourmet, Perricones Marketplace, Kastners, Salamander Market, Oh Nuts, Mazzaro Market, Portofino Market, Portofino Winebank, Artdeco Market, Diamond Café & Market, Surfmed, Sunharvest Snacks, Healthy State of Mind, Fisher Island, Golden Cockatoo, Kosher Marketplace
Hy-Vee
In-Room Plus
International
J.J. Kelly
Jewel
KA-ME
Key Foods Private Label
Kings
Koppers Chocolate
Lesserevil
Lunds and Byerly’s
Magical Munchies Private Label
Marin
Market Basket Private Label
Martha Stewart
Mills Fleet Farm
Mountain Man
NATURALLY PREFERRED
NATURE’S PROMISE
Nassau Candy
Nature’s Original
Natures World
Naughty but Nice
Ocean Spray
Olympia Delight
Orchard Crest Farms
Our Kitchen
PIC-A-NUT
Parnell’s Pride
Pick’n Save (Ohio stores in Van Wert and Ironton only)
Prairie Market
Premier Packing Company
Premium Orchard
Publix
Rachels Private Label
Ramapo Ridge Private Label
Reindeer Food
RiverTrail
Root Farms
Royal Snacks
SUN HARVEST
SUNRIDGE
Shaw’s
Shurfine Brand
Simbree
Simply Enjoy
Snack Naturally
Something Better Natural Foods
Stone Mountain Line
SunMart Foods
SunRidge Farms
Sunbird Snacks
Sunbird Snacks Gourmet Line
Sunridge Farms
Sunset Orchard
Superior
Supreme Choice
Sweet Life
The Long Trail Brewing Company
The Mark
Torn Ranch
Trail’s End
Tree of Life
Valued Naturals
WOODFIELD FARMS
WOODSTOCK FARMS
Werner
White Birtch Private Label
Whole Foods
Wholesale Food Outlet
Wild West Private Label
WinCo Foods
Zachary

Topping Product Recalls
Barefoot Contessa
Best Choice
Eillien’s Candies
Fred Meyer
Kroger
PIC-A-NUT
Ralphs
Simply Enjoy
Stonewall Kitchen

Healthy Living: Good for You and Good for the Planet

Many of us in the “over-something” crowd are a little overweight. Maybe more than a little. We were skinny kids who played outdoors and ran and walked and bicycled. Or we were a bit on the chubby side, but worked hard to battle back that baby fat with exercise and healthy eating.

Now that we’re older, we work at desks all day and rush through breakfast, lunch, or dinner — sometimes all three — by driving through a fast-food restaurant. On the weekends, if we’ve been really good workerbees all week, we treat ourselves by driving to our favorite coffee venue for a well-earned latte or an iced mocha (Extra whip, please!). No worries. We’ll make up for the excess and the lack of exercise by drinking diet sodas the rest of the day.

Step on that scale and pay attention.

Eventually, our less-than active lifestyle and unhealthy food choices catch up with us. Our cholesterol rises along with the numbers on that sleek digital scale (the one that looks so good in the bathroom, as long as we’re not standing on it). But we’re okay, really, and we feel almost as good as we did when we were teens — or so we tell ourselves. We talk ourselves into thinking that two-year old pair of jeans really did shrink in the wash last week, and that the spare tire around our middle is called “love handles” because it’s so sexy.

Then one day, our doctor gives us a warning. We’re bordering on obese. Or our cholesterol is out of control. Or we show signs of pre-diabetes. Or our triglycerides have shot up. Suddenly, we have to face it: We’re not kids anymore, and we’re definitely not healthy.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the term obese means, “having a very high amount of body fat in relation to lean body mass, or Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or higher.” What’s a BMI? “A measure of an adult’s weight in relation to his or her height, specifically the adult’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of his or her height in meters.” We have to have some body fat. But, for most of us, a BMI of 30 or higher turns us into a ticking coronary time bomb. (BMI doesn’t directly measure the amount of body fat. According to the CDC, some athletes have high BMIs, without being fat at all.)

Picture that slim, healthy person you used to be. Imagine, like a sculpture waiting to be revealed by chipping away a block of marble, that the real you is still inside of the body you’re wearing today. Maybe you’re not obese, but you feel like you’ve put on a heavy overcoat that won’t come off. You can do something about it. But you can’t afford to wait.

Picture that slim, healthy person you used to be.

It’s time to make changes to bring back your health. If you’re serious about losing weight and regaining your vitality, try the following tips. Some of them will have the added benefit of helping the planet while helping you achieve your goals.

START TODAY

Get the go-ahead and then get going. Of course, the first step in every weight-loss or exercise program is to talk with your doctor. Once you have clearance and know what diet is best for you, you can start using the tips below to work toward better health.

Calculate your BMI. The CDC provides a handy Body Mass Index calculator. All you need to know is your weight in pounds and your height in feet and inches.

Make exercise a habit. Get on the treadmill, ride a bike, or take a vigorous walk. You’ll want to keep moving (actively, now, let’s not be slackers) for at least 30 minutes nearly every day. Work out five or six times per week — more, if you want faster results.

Getting the right amount of exercise doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are some choices the CDC recommends.

	2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., brisk walking) every week and
	muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

	1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., jogging or running) every week and
	muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

	An equivalent mix of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity and
	muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

Get vigorous exercise every day.

If you’ve been seriously inactive and are just getting back to exercising, begin with 10- or 15-minute blocks two or three times a day, and build up to your goal. Work up a sweat. Burn some calories. When you’re up to the challenge, bike or walk on short trips instead of driving a car or taking a cab. You’ll not only help your heart, you’ll help your planet by cutting down on the use of fossil fuels and the emissions they produce.

Focus on calories. There’s no getting around it. If you want to lose weight, you need to focus on calories. One pound is equal to 3,500 calories. Want to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week? Then you’ll either have to take in 500 – 1,000 fewer calories per day, or you’ll have to burn them off.

Whether you love eating out or stick to your local food producer, this useful food database from Calorie King has invaluable information about calorie counts for your favorite foods.

A word of caution. If you have diabetes, you can’t just pay attention to calories. You also must focus specifically on carbohydrates. Unfortunately a low carb diet doesn’t always translate into a low calorie diet. Cheese, bacon, ribs, and sausage are very low in carbs but have a lot of calories — not to mention a lot of saturated fat. An excellent resource for people with diabetes who use the exchange system is the Diabetic Exchange List, available for free from the Mayo Clinic.

Eat less meat. We all need protein, but we don’t need all of our protein to come from animals. If you don’t feel you can give up meat every day, try one or two meatless days a week. It’s healthier for you, and healthier for our planet, too. In 2006, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization blamed livestock production for contributing 18 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions — both from the methane the animals produce and from the use of fossil fuels to produce their feed and transport the meat.

Opt for the veggie version. Try an alternative to breakfast meats, such as those from Morningstar Farms. Egg Beaters are a good alternative to fresh eggs, and the “not really butter” spreads taste better than you might think. Veggie burgers can be tasty alternatives to hamburger and they won’t clog your arteries.

Draw a line down the middle. Want an easy way to cut back on carbs and calories? Try dividing your plate into halves. Fill one half with fruits and vegetables. That leaves just half a plate to fill with everything else.

Skip processed foods. Processed foods often contain huge amounts of sugar, fat, and calories. Excessive calories lead to excess weight around your middle. And processed foods result in “increased risk for many diseases and health conditions, including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke,” according to the CDC. But that’s not all. Processing foods and packaging them requires massive amounts of energy and materials. That’s a bad combination both for your health and for the environment.

You really don’t have to clean your plate. In their day, Mom and Dad may not have agreed, but the compulsion to clean your plate easily leads to overeating. That’s not to say you should waste that extra food. If you’re at home, put it in a leftover dish and pop it in the fridge for a later meal. If you’re eating out, ask for a “people bag.” Just don’t throw good food away. It’s not only a waste of the food on your plate, it’s a waste of the energy used to grow it, transport it, and cook it. Think about all that carbon being pumped into the atmosphere for nothing!

Do your homework before eating out. If you love eating at restaurants, check their websites for nutritional information before you leave the house. Make wise choices, then stick to them. It may be easier to keep your resolve if you make your decision before you are tempted by the heaping plates that pass before you. You’ll also learn things on line that the menu may not tell you. For example, you might find that Cobb salad you love, the one that looked like it would be so good for you, has 1,600 calories and 40 carbs.

Getting healthy is good for you and the planet.

Make good choices. Men’s Health provides a handy online, “Eat This, Not That!” guide to help you make healthy food choices at 10,000+ restaurants and supermarkets. You can view a few samples for free on the site, but will be prompted to purchase full online access (current price: $9.95). Or sign up for their free email subscription for twice weekly tips about restaurants and food choices.

Keep track. Sensible weight loss requires paying attention to what, when, and where you are eating, as well as how much. Recording what you eat gives you a realistic picture of what you’re actually consuming. It’s easy to forget that soda you had at break or the extra helping of mashed potatoes — unless you write it all down.

Munch the good stuff all day long. Eat fruits and vegetables several times during the day, not just at dinner. Your snacks and lunches should include a fruit and/or a vegetable, or you’ll never get all that you need in a day.

Eat that fiber! Fiber and whole grains are important for your digestive system. Don’t skip them.

Make a fist. Here’s another tip: If you can’t live without potatoes, rice, and pasta, limit yourself to a serving the size of your fist.

It’s a journey, share it. The path to robust health is one we all must walk every day in order to achieve a healthy body and life. If we get off track, the only thing to do is to get back on. Don’t get discouraged. Any change you make is a good one. A loss of even 5 percent body fat may cut your risk of all sorts of diseases. So get yourself motivated. Motivate those around you. It’s much easier to change your lifestyle when you’re not doing it alone.

WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

Have you had success losing weight, lowering your cholesterol, or controlling diabetes with diet and exercise? Then we want to know about it. Share your weight loss and dietary tips with other Blue Planet Green Living readers. Tell us in a comment, or send us an email. We’ll publish the best of them in future posts.

Julia Wasson and Belinda Geiger

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Landmark National Children’s Study Launches in US

In the United States today, 1 in 25 children have autism spectrum disorder; 1 in 4 children in Queens, New York, have asthma; and 30% of the kindergarten children in a North Florida school district are overweight. Today, these statistics don’t seem unusual. Obesity, childhood diabetes, autism, and other diseases afflict more and more children every year. Without a doubt, these statistics should alarm us. And the trend toward increased childhood disease seems to be on an irreversible path. But what if we knew what caused these diseases? Could we then figure out how to stop them?

Yesterday, the National Institutes of Health announced the launch of the National Children’s Study, an ambitious, decades-long project that may well reveal the causative factors of a host of childhood — and adult — illnesses.

One of the key figures behind the study is Phil Landrigan, MD, MSc, who directs the Children’s Environmental Health Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Landrigan is also the chairman of the Department of Community & Preventative Medicine, as well as a professor of pediatrics there.

If you don’t recognize Dr. Landrigan’s name, you will recognize his critically important contribution to your health. In 1976, Landrigan, along with Dr. Herb Needleman, documented widespread lead poisoning in children. This information persuaded the US government to mandate an end to lead in paint and gasoline. Referring to Landrigan’s and Needleman’s work, Dr. Michael Shannon, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Environmental Health, was quoted in The Lancet as saying, “In complete correlation with the reduction of lead from these sources, the blood lead level of every child, actually every American, fell by more than 40%. It was an absolute monumental achievement.”

Landrigan will head the first of seven Vanguard study sites, all of which will open in 2009. Some 40 centers are planned. Landrigan’s center, in Queens, New York, began to recruit study volunteers January 13.

We spoke with Dr. Landrigan by phone from his New York office. What follows is the first of two interviews. Our second interview, with Dr. Jeff Murray of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, will run tomorrow.

Every child deserves a healthy environment in which to grow and learn.

BPGL: Tell us about the National Children’s Study.

LANDRIGAN: The National Children’s Study is the largest research study of children’s health that’s ever been undertaken in this country. It’s what we call a prospective epidemiologic study, which means it’s going to enroll moms very early in pregnancy and follow the children out to at least age 21.

The goal of the study is to identify factors in the environment that cause disease in children, like autism and childhood cancer, attention deficit disorder, asthma, diabetes, birth defects, prematurity, and low birth weight.

To assess environmental exposure, we’ll do a history for every mom in the study during her pregnancy. We’re going to get samples of blood and urine from each mom at several points in pregnancy, to measure levels of several hundred chemicals in the blood of each mother. We will also be assessing personal behaviors such as drug, alcohol and tobacco consumption, the social environment and the environment of the community in which each mom resides. We are looking at those issues, because we strongly suspect that social and community factors interact with chemical exposures in the causation of disease in children.

We’ll get a sample of umbilical cord blood from each baby at the time of delivery. We’ll be tracking the babies very closely as they grow up, with exams at 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, and 10 years of age, with very thorough developmental assessments at several points along that ladder. The overall goal is basically to link environmental exposure in early life to the subsequent development of these kinds of diseases in kids.

Children in the study will be followed from before birth through young adulthood.

BPGL: I understand the NCS is similar to the Framingham Study of heart disease and stroke. Can you elaborate on that?

LANDRIGAN: The Framingham Heart Study is the model for the National Children’s Study. Back in 1948, at a time when rates of heart disease and stroke were rapidly skyrocketing in this country, the Public Health Service went to the city of Framingham and undertook a prospective study of the population of the whole city. They signed up people for the study, took a history and physical examination on each person, measured their blood pressure, and so on. They tracked the people prospectively through the years to see what the risk factors were for heart disease and stroke. It was out of Framingham that we learned everything that we now understand today about the risks for cardiovascular disease.

So, for example, it was Framingham that taught us about cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, obesity, diabetes, sedentary lifestyle — all that information came first from Framingham and has since been replicated in other studies. It’s acting on that information about preventable risk factors for disease that we have succeeded in this country in knocking down the rates of heart disease and stroke by about 60 percent. It’s really one of the biggest triumphs in public health in this country in the last half century — and one of the least broadcast.

Study results will be used to improve children's health and well-being.

BPGL: I read on the NCS website that finding the causes of diabetes one of the primary foci. What else are you planning to study?

LANDRIGAN: There are about 20 primary foci. And they’re all specified in the planning of the study. I mentioned autism, diabetes, childhood cancer, asthma, attention deficit disorder, also in older children, mental health problems like depression and schizophrenia.

BPGL: Will you follow diet as well?

LANDRIGAN: Yes. We’re also getting DNA on everybody, so we’ll have a chance to look at genetic factors.

BPGL: Are you also looking at immunizations?

LANDRIGAN: Absolutely.

BPGL: Since most kids are required by their school system to be immunized, will you have enough controls for comparison?

LANDRIGAN: The study is going to be following 100,000 children. So, in a population as large as this, there will be children who do not get immunized. We know from national vaccine rates that this large number of children will give us a substantial number of kids who are not immunized.

If you’re thinking about autism, the math says that 1 in 150 children is currently diagnosed with autism. In a population of 100,000, we will have about 600-700 hundred kids with autism, or at least with autism spectrum disorder. So that should be enough to really take a very careful look at if vaccines are related to autism or not. If they are, we’ll have a chance to look at that. And we’ll also have a chance to look at a lot of other potential factors for autism, like prenatal exposure to pesticides or lead or other chemicals.

BPGL: Will you be sampling the air in the environment as well?

The National Children's Health Study will assess physical and mental development over two decades.

LANDRIGAN: Yes. We’ll doing sampling in the home, in the air, and as I mentioned, sampling of the mother herself during pregnancy, so that we can see what chemicals the baby is seeing during the nine months of pregnancy.

BPGL: In the recruitment process, is there any danger that parents may be self-selecting?

LANDRIGAN: We hope not. There’s an element of risk of that, of course. The study is set up according to very strict principles of statistical sampling so that it can be conducted in 105 counties across the U.S. Those counties were selected entirely according to statistical methodology. Then within the counties, we’ll be going to certain communities and certain neighborhoods, which again, have been selected entirely according to principles of statistical sampling. And then, the way we try to avoid self-selection is that we try to maximize the percentage of families that join the study. The higher the percentage of families in a given community that join the study, the less the risk of self-selection. It’s always a concern. We’re always worried about it, but we try hard to avoid it.

BPGL: I’m curious why the research study is just getting started in 2009, when it was authorized in 2000.

LANDRIGAN: There are a couple of factors. This was an enormous planning effort. So, from 2000 to 2005, we spent planning. The first contracts to actually do the study were awarded in September of 2005. Our group in New York was one of seven groups around the country who got contracts in the first wave. If all had gone according to schedule, we would have started sometime in 2006.

But what happened was, in February of 2006, President Bush declared that the study was not a funding priority, and he directed the NIH to close it down. We therefore had to postpone our fieldwork and instead work through the Congress to save the study. We had to do that each of the last three years. So, only now, we’re getting into the field.

All children will benefit from the results of the study in years to come.

BPGL: Do you have confidence that you’ll receive steady government funding once the study launches, so that you can continue your important work?

LANDRIGAN: We’ll be working to ensure that. We’ve survived so far through some very tough times, so we hope that we can continue [for the full term of the project]. Because we’re increasingly concerned that early exposures may be the root cause of disease later in life, things like cancer, Parkinson’s disease, dementia … my own feeling is that once you launch a study like this and once you invest the extraordinary amount of energy that you must invest to sign up families and keep them with the study for 21 years, that nobody, least of all the families themselves, are going to want to break away at that age.

The Framingham study is still going after 60 years. They’re now in the third generation. In Framingham, they were signed up as adults, but they picked up the kids who were born to those adults and followed them through. And now they’re into the third generation.

BPGL: Could you tell me briefly about your instrumental role in setting this study up?

Dr. Philip Landrigan, one of the driving forces behind the National Children's Study and head of a Vanguard study center in Queens

LANDRIGAN: I was part of it. Back in ’96 – 97, I served for about a year as a special assistant to Carol Browner, when she was the administrator of the US EPA. I set up the Office of Children’s Environmental Health at EPA. It was basically out of the work of that office that we conjured up the idea for this study.

We came to realize that rates of disease like cancer, asthma, autism, were rising in this country. We realized that kids are surrounded by chemicals, that kids are very susceptible, very vulnerable to chemicals, and that we knew far too little about the effects of the chemicals on kids’ health. So we said to ourselves, Hey, we need a big study that builds on the little bits and pieces of evidence that we have, and create a much more systematic body of knowledge about the impact of chemicals on children’s health.

BPGL: Was Carol Browner supportive of that?

LANDRIGAN: Extremely.

BPGL: Is there anything else you’d like to our readers to know?

LANDRIGAN: Here at Mt. Sinai Medical School, where I’m situated in New York City, we’re not only doing the National Children’s Study, we’re also very much involved in training the next generation of pediatricians who are going to be the leaders in this country in the field of environmental pediatrics. Be sure to mention that it’s so important to couple research with training and education.

Part 1 of 2

Part 1: Landmark National Children’s Study Launches in US (Top of Page)

Part 2: National Children’s Study to Assess Environment and Genetics

Julia Wasson

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Seeking Sustainability in a Harsh and Beautiful Land

Miriam Kashia, a Peace Corps volunteer who returned from Namibia one year ago, recently spoke with Blue Planet Green Living about her experience. What follows is Part 2 of a two-part interview.

BPGL: I’ve heard, over the years, about problems with poaching of African game. Is that an issue in Namibia?

Namib Dunes. Photo: Miriam Kashia

KASHIA: In almost all African countries, there’s been a lot of poaching of the wildlife. And most animals now only live in the game parks. There are very few left just roaming wild. There are still many varieties of antelope and, depending on where you are, a few others. But most of the more exotic animals now live in game parks or on game farms, actually. When I say farm, I’m talking about what we would call a ranch. Because it’s a desert, it takes thousands of hectares to support their livestock of goats, sheep, cattle, and wild animals.

BPGL: When you talk about the game farms, or ranches, are these private properties?

KASHIA: Yes. And there are many of them. They raise livestock for market and wild game to promote tourism. This has to do with Namibia’s government and what they’re trying to do, which is to promote economic development, as well as preserve the natural resources. Some of the ranches — in fact, a lot of them — bring in tourists from Europe or the United States, who then hunt on these farms. It’s in their interest to keep the wildlife balance healthy. Some of them are lodges that have wildlife areas for people to visit, like on a mini-safari. Some of these farms have grown into projects to help save rare animals from extinction. The cheetah is an example of that.

There are also a few large national game parks. Etosha National Park in northern Namibia is one of southern Africa’s premiere parks.

The government has also supported the development of constituencies, as they’re called, which are run by local settlements of tribal people in various parts of the country. They set up campsites or other points of interest and preserve them to attract tourists and share their cultural traditions. I stayed at one of those a couple of times, when I was on holiday, traveling. It was far more interesting than staying in a very Western-looking tourist lodge.

Endangered desert tortoise. Photo: Miriam Kashia

These constituencies are a very positive project funded by the Namibian government — probably underscored by our government as well — to bring financial resources into these communities. Making a living in a poor, developing country in the middle of the desert is not an easy thing to do. And at the same time, they then realize that conserving the beauty, the wildlife, and their cultural practices is to their advantage.

BPGL: Is saving the environment and culture a recent effort in Namibia?

KASHIA: I think that, probably, some people have recognized the importance of conserving wildlife for a long time, but it’s hard, very hard, in a country where people don’t have enough to eat sometimes, to tell them not to hunt. I don’t think there are too many problems left in Namibia with poaching and killing endangered wildlife. Ostriches, for example, are protected. There are eight species of desert tortoise that are all endangered and protected, as well as wild dogs and the rare desert elephants.

Rare desert elephants in Namibia. Photo: Miriam Kashia

BPGL: Tell me about your HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention work.

KASHIA: It’s a male-dominated society. Unfortunately, the gender inequality issue is one of the factors that drives the HIV rate. There are very, very, very many female-headed households, at least where I lived, though I think that’s true in general. Historically, under colonialism, in order to get jobs, men had to go work in mines or along the farms near the rivers on the north or south borders, and they had to leave their families behind. This undermined the family system and helped to spread the AIDS virus.

There’s a long list of reasons for the spread of HIV in Africa. There are probably 20 factors that I felt contributed to the HIV infection rate. Although, thanks to the United Nations, the USAID, and the Peace Corps, it isn’t because of ignorance anymore. Research shows that 95 percent of the people in Namibia do know what causes HIV and how to prevent it. So, the information is out there. But getting them to change their behavior is a whole other issue.

A female-headed Nama family. Photo: Miriam Kashia

There are also a lot of myths and stories that undermine the information about HIV/AIDS. One is that condoms cause AIDS. Another is that AIDS doesn’t exist. And another is that sex with a virgin will cure a person of AIDS. A lot of the AIDS prevention work that I did was giving accurate information to young people and talking to them about behavior change.

BPGL: Did they believe you?

KASHIA: I think so. These were high school kids who knew us and came to our workshops. It was virtually impossible to get older adults to come. Not talking about sex is a cultural norm. So, when we talked openly and honestly to young people about their bodies, about sex, about HIV, it was the first time anybody ever had. In school, they got the bare essentials. The parents don’t talk to the kids about sex. It’s embarrassing for them. It’s like this country 100 years ago.

BPGL: Did the kids tell their parents what they learned?

KASHIA: The ones who really felt like they couldn’t talk with their parents about it probably didn’t tell. More importantly, though, I think it opened the door for young people to talk with one another about sex and about using condoms.

Southern Girls

One of the things I participated in was a workshop for high school young women, called the Southern Girls Conference, which the Peace Corps started several years ago. About 60 young women — mostly 10th and 11th graders — from the two regions in the southern part of Namibia (a region is like state) attended a three-day conference to empower young women.

I taught a course on reproductive health, which was a smashing hit, because I wasn’t afraid to talk to these young women in very frank, honest terms about their bodies and men’s bodies, pregnancy, preventing pregnancy, and preventing disease. They were just spellbound. It was quite thrilling for me.

BPGL: What was your primary focus as a Peace Corps volunteer?

KASHIA: My focus was working with orphans and vulnerable children. My job — what I thought my job was when I got there, was to support an organization that was helping the children. When I arrived, there really wasn’t an organization, which isn’t all that uncommon with the Peace Corps. So I spent the first eight months trying to figure out what I was doing and which people I needed to work with, and going through quite a bit of difficulty with that.

I wrote grant proposals and got money from CAFO to support educational efforts for the kids. When I say, “the kids,” I’m talking about orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). In Namibia, OVC is a technical term. OVC are eligible for government grant money, which is like welfare support for these kids. It’s the equivalent of $30 US a month per kid. That doesn’t go very far.

Nama children with new sweaters from CAFO. Photo: Miriam Kashia

Education isn’t free there. You have to pay for it, you have to have a school uniform, and you have to buy your own supplies. There’s usually one book for 5 kids, and there may be 50 kids to a classroom. In addition, we provided blankets, shoes, winter coats, toiletries, an after-school program, and food programs.

The committee that I helped to create was a group of Afrikaner people, who are the white people, working with the Nama people, who are the very poor, local tribal group. I got them sitting in the same room, working together, talking about how they can help the kids. It was very gratifying. I served as a kind of a bridge.

There are 13 cultural, ethnic, tribal groups in Namibia and 28 different dialects. English is the official language. It was adopted in 1990 at independence. The little kids and old people don’t speak it. They speak “Namlish,” a combination of Namibian and English. It took me a year to be able to understand that, much less Afrikaans.

BPGL: How do the Nama make a living?

Kashia with a 92-year-old ouma and the children she is raising.

KASHIA: I tried for two years to figure that out. The cultural expectation is that people help each other. I knew many women without jobs who were trying to raise their own children plus the orphans of deceased relatives. Very basic needs, food, and clothing are a big problem.

When you turn 60 in Namibia, you automatically get a pension, the equivalent of $85 US. The old people, whether they’ve ever worked or not, automatically get this pension. A lot of the oumas, the grandmothers, are trying to raise their grandkids, whose parents have died or are missing, to support themselves, and to send the kids to school — all on this money. Many of the costs there are as much as here in the U.S. They can’t raise crops in the desert. They can’t support themselves. It’s really very difficult. A few can get some domestic work or jobs clerking in shops, but that’s pretty much it.

Tswana women perform a traditional dance. Photo: Miriam Kashia

BPGL: What hope is there for their economic future?

The Himba culture is disappearing. Photo: Miriam Kashia

KASHIA: Namibia is a land of stark contrasts, beauty, and diversity. Fortunately for Namibia, because of that, it is attracting a fair number of tourists now. The cultural and natural and geological diversity are a plus for Namibia. But a lot of the tribal groups are rapidly losing their cultures. Their languages are disappearing, and their tribal customs and traditions are, too, because of Western influence.

BPGL: What are the goals of the Peace Corps program?

KASHIA: The Peace Corps has three goals:

1. To accept an invitation to help a developing country. We only go where we’re invited and where it’s stable and politically safe to go.
2. To teach people in our host country about the U.S.
3. To teach people in the U.S. about our host country.

BPGL: Is the work you started in Karasburg continuing?

KASHIA: I’ve been getting emails from my Afrikaner friends, who say it’s been very hard for the Nama people, but they’re carrying on, and they’ve still got projects going. I’m very glad, because I didn’t know if it was going to be sustainable.

Kashia wrote a grant to buy this herd of goats. Photo: Miriam Kashia

The last grant I wrote was to buy goats so that there would be some sustainable income for continuing to help the children when the grants dry up. Most of the current grant money comes from the U.S., through USAID. Somewhere in Namibia, there is a herd of goats that is busy making more goats to help provide for the needs of these kids. We had about 300 children on our roster, but there were many others. They weren’t all orphans, but they were all vulnerable children.

USAID provides funds to CAFO, which are then distributed through grants to local projects for helping children. You have to meet strict requirements to get the money. They have to approve your projects, and you have to send in monthly reports. I spent a lot of time writing reports. And I had to train my replacements (volunteers) to do that, to write grant proposals and fill out the monthly reports, including receipts. It’s just like running a business. It was very well monitored. That’s called capacity building. The Peace Corps is huge on sustainability, and it’s really, really hard to do that. Where I lived, agriculture wasn’t a viable option. There were no raw materials to produce products to sell. And there were no local markets because of the poverty.

So goats were about the best option. We bought a herd of goats for meat. The goats pretty much raise themselves. They can survive in the scrub better than cattle. When the goats are mature, the people sell them. And the goats keep making more goats, so you can sell them too, and have money to help the children. They’re the wrong kind of goats for milk and cheese. And there’s not enough water; if you’re going to produce milk from goats, there has to be enough water. There’s enough water, generally, for them to survive, to give milk for their babies, but not enough to make cheese. And maybe it’s a cultural thing [to not eat milk or cheese].

BPGL: What do you see as your biggest accomplishment during your time in Namibia?

Children with their new blankets from CAFO. Photo: Miriam Kashia

KASHIA: One of the things that I’m most proud of and that I think was probably the biggest contribution that I made in terms of its overall impact, was that I co-created, with another Peace Corps volunteer who was an IT specialist, a database which is now being used throughout the country to track the OVC (orphans and vulnerable children). It also tracks their caregivers, and information about children, their needs, and how their needs are being met. We’re helping to gather better data about how many of these kids there are, who’s taking care of them, and what their caregivers’ resources are.

We implemented the database just before I left Namibia. UNICEF provides computers for CAFO groups that are running programs for OVC. We set up a training program for gathering data and using the database. And now they’re doing it on their own. So they have better reporting and better tracking of the children, and it’s just more efficient for everybody.

The Namibian government spent a lot of money for five or six years trying to create a database, and it never happened. We gave them this one for free. So that’s something very sustainable that I feel very good about. It’s going to have a large impact and help a lot of kids.

Part 1: Peace Corps Volunteer Teaches Green Living in Namibia

Part 2: Seeking Sustainability in a Harsh and Beautiful Land (Top of Page)

Julia Wasson

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Related Posts:

My 5: Miriam Kashia, Peace Corps Volunteer

Children Raising Children: Documenting Africa’s AIDS Crisis