Author Archives: emain

Will better access to healthier foods reduce obesity?

Posted on May 2, 2012 by emain| 4 Comments

by Marion Nestle, PhD, professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University

A question from a reader:

Q.  I was wondering if you could comment on the recent article in the New York Times which questions the link between food deserts and obesity.

A.  Sure.  Happy to.  The article talks about two recent studies finding no relationship between the types of foods children eat, what they weight, and the kinds of foods available within a mile and a half of their homes.

These finding seem counter-intuitive in light of current efforts to improve access to healthier foods in low-income communities. Continue reading →

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Posted in Food Politics, Healthy Diet

Family Farmers Fight Monsanto

Posted on April 27, 2012 by emain| 2 Comments

By Margaret Riche, EcoCentric

According to many family farmers, there is an atmosphere of fear in rural America today. The threat of litigation looms, carried on the wind, by bird and by bee, in the form of Monsanto’s genetically engineered seeds. When these patent-protected drifters settle on a neighbor’s non-GE field, in effect contaminating their crops, unwitting farmers are suddenly at risk for legal retribution from the biotech giant. Continue reading →

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Posted in Food Politics, Organic Food, Pesticides & GMOs, Sustainable Farming

Keeping children safe from everyday toxins

Posted on April 18, 2012 by emain| Leave a comment

By Deirdre Imus, president and founder of The Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center at Hackensack University Medical Center

As parents, we try to keep our kids safe every moment of their lives. Whether by instilling in them the difference between good and evil or by making sure they know to look both ways before crossing the street, protecting children comes in many different forms.

For more than a decade, I’ve been working tirelessly to keep my kid and yours safe from the harm inflicted by environmental factors—whether floating in the air, swimming through the water supply, or injected into our foods. Continue reading →

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Posted in Children's Health, Healthy Home & Garden

World’s Largest Rooftop Farm Gets More Space AND Bees!

Posted on April 18, 2012 by emain| Leave a comment

by Chris Hunt, EcoCentric

The arrival of spring tends to prompt a shift in collective attention toward soil and seeds, the warmer weather and longer days inspiring everyone from the large-scale farmer to the casual backyard gardener to plant and grow.  In most places, people look down to the ground.  But in New York City, we’re just as likely to look up to the sky – because here, many of our favorite farms are now on rooftops. Continue reading →

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Posted in Organic Food, Sustainable Farming

Changing the autism diagnosis?

Posted on April 12, 2012 by emain| Leave a comment

By Deirdre Imus, president and founder of The Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center at Hackensack University Medical Center

April is National Autism Awareness Month, a time when families, friends and advocates highlight the challenges of autism, a complex disorder of brain development characterized by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors. Continue reading →

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Posted in Children's Health

Pesticide-Treated Toilets: The New American Standard?

Posted on March 14, 2012 by emain| 2 Comments

By Tim Schwab, researcher at Food & Water Watch

The American Standard Champion 4 toilet is something to behold. The simple perch, elegant design, and accelerator flush valve make it, I’m told, a superior vessel for waste evacuation. And the technical department at American Standard has made some convincing videos to prove their point, demonstrating the Champ’s flawless devouring of 24 golf balls, 8 large hot dogs, or 100 cotton balls. Continue reading →

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Posted in Healthy Home & Garden, Low-Impact Living, Pesticides & GMOs

Saving the Planet Is Good For Your Health!

Posted on March 9, 2012 by emain| 1 Comment

by Peter Lehner, executive director, Natural Resources Defense Council

Environmental safeguards have clearly proven their value over the past few decades, bringing returns on investment as high as 40 to 1. Yet in its recent coverage of U.S. regulations, The Economist chooses to ignore this track record, and instead trot out a host of tired, unsubstantiated industry arguments against regulation. (NRDC chief economist Laurie Johnson has a detailed response to the article’s surprising errors in her blog.) Continue reading →

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Posted in Clean Energy, Climate Destabilization

How Big Ag Is Lobbying to Silence Whistleblowers

Posted on March 7, 2012 by emain| 5 Comments

by Margaret Riche, EcoCentric

When corruption happens behind closed doors, whistle blowers are the ones who let us in. Late last month Josh Fox, who exposed the dangers of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in his documentary Gasland, was arrested at a House Science Committee meeting while trying to videotape a hearing on water contamination in Wyoming. As he was led from the hearing in handcuffs, Fox was heard saying “I’m within my First Amendment rights, and I’m being taken out!”

Fox just found out what animal activists – and increasingly, others who speak out about food – have known for years. Activists who expose truths that threaten the profits of big business are more and more becoming targets for legal action.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Food Politics, Healthy Diet, Sustainable Farming

A Rose is a Rose is…Covered in DDT

Posted on February 10, 2012 by emain| Leave a comment

by Sarah Zimmerman, GRACE communications

There is no expression of love more classic than a dozen red roses. Every Valentine’s Day, more than 100 million roses are sold in the United States.  Since the Language of Flowers developed in the Victorian Era, they have signified passionate, romantic love, over time becoming one of the most iconic images of February 14th.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Healthy Home & Garden, Low-Impact Living, Pesticides & GMOs, Sustainable Farming

Hurricanes, CSAs and the Resilience of Farmers

Posted on December 22, 2011 by emain| Leave a comment


by Erin McCarthy, program associate at the GRACE Communications Foundation

When Hurricane Irene hit New York City on August 28th, turning out to be a nonevent, residents breathed a sigh of relief and even a chuckle at the extensive preparations made for this less than significant storm. But even though we city dwellers were spared, I had a terrible feeling that farmers upstate might not be so lucky. I was especially worried about the farmers who provided me with my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) vegetables every week. And before I even had time to pluck off my rain boots, I received an email that made my heart sink. Continue reading →

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Posted in Climate Destabilization, Sustainable Farming

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