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Sampler Platter 05.21.09

by: JayinPortland

Thu May 21, 2009 at 06:00:00 AM PDT

Surprise! A plastics industry-funded study claims that reuseable cloth grocery bags are a threat to ~~their bottom line~~ your health. The gist of their study? You can get really sick if you don't occasionally clean them, or if you also use them to carry dirty diapers and gym clothes. (Note to self: keep soiled diapers separate from strawberries.) Also, it's dangerous to use them for unwrapped raw meat. (Btw - you can buy unwrapped raw meat at the grocery store? Never knew that...) They also point out that their brand new, single-use plastic bags are sterile and safe. Natch. In other news, the fossil fuel industry is going to soon claim that solar power is bad because if you sit in the sun and don't move for hours at a time, you could get a really bad burn. And wind is just terrible because it can knock things over, and steal children's balloons and stuff...
Action Alert: Let's ask Congress to put the "health" into health care reform, and increase funding for CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity (DNPAO). This currently underfunded program provides funding to states for programs like building bike paths, starting up farmers' markets and initiating worksite wellness programs, in order to help prevent many of our diet-related diseases from ever becoming problems in the first place.
California and Massachusetts have already passed statewide menu labeling legislation, Oregon is just about there, and now New York may become the next state to require chain restaurants (and convenience stores) to post calorie counts on their menus.
Scientists and recreational divers are teaming up once again to conduct a fish census in the Puget Sound.
U.S. District Judge James Redden has again told the federal government that their restoration plans for Columbia Basin salmon are too weak.
A researcher in the Skagit River Delta has just come across a rare find, tidal beavers. He also found that the beavers build prime habitat for threatened young salmon.
Curtis Abbey mentioned this the other day, and in case you missed it - video of The Simpsons' take on fast food greenwashing is up at Grist.

JayinPortland :: Sampler Platter 05.21.09

Tags: wildlife, salmon, Fish, Water, menu labeling, Obesity, action, plastics, (All Tags)

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Sampler Platter 05.21.09 | 5 comments

Been using cloth bags for years (4.00 / 2)

and I've never once found dirty diapers or gym clothes growing in them.

If one person walked into the supermarket with a cloth shopping bag, they'd look at him like he was sick. If two people walked into the supermarket, hand in hand, with two cloth shopping bags they'd look at 'em and probably think they was both faggots. And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking into the supermarket with cloth shopping bags. They may think it's an organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day, I said
fifty people a day walking in with cloth shopping bags and
walking out. And friends they may thinks it's a movement.

THAT'S what the oil-company-plastic-bag-polluters are afraid of.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

On The Home Front:

Peas is aflowerin' bigtime. The whole place is getting greener and greener and greener. Set out Oriental eggplants.

In the "Better Late Than Never" Dept.:

Last year we grew bush beans. This time we're trying pole beans. I strung whole bunches of line between poles for the pole beans... horizontally... before seeing any pictures of how pole beans get supported. (Cue the "Fools Rush In..." music.)

Several bean plants had managed to climb to the first or second string, but their lead tendrils were waving about; lost as to where to go next.

So yesterday I strung more line above the beans... vertically. Within three hours all the plants that are old enough to climb had found the vertical lines and wrapped themselves around them four or five times, making a bee-line for The Giant's Castle.

Omir: The dough's sourin' nicely. I think. Bought King Arther All-Purpose. Plenty of bubbles every morning at feeding time.

Yankee Frugality: use it up, wear it out, make it last, or do without.

by: Anonymous Bosch @ Thu May 21, 2009 at 14:58:09 PM UTC

lol!~ (4.00 / 4)

It's another way to blame the people:

He said public health officials and doctors should add reusable grocery bags to the list of possible sources of contamination when investigating food poisoning cases and said guidelines should be drafted on the hygienic use of the bags - such as regular replacement - and how best to clean the bags.

Not only do we not know how to cook contaminated food correctly, we are responsible for causing the contamination!!!! Guidelines for using grocery bags?! They'd prob have a fit if they saw how many times I use some of my plastic bags before they become poop bags. . .

ah well, most people I know will at least get a good laugh out of their "study". .

by: nycstray @ Thu May 21, 2009 at 16:16:33 PM UTC

Ahahahaha! (4.00 / 4)

Thank you plastic industry. I will be sure to keep soiled clothing and gym clothes away from my fresh food. Hmm.

BTW - to anyone in the Bay Area, check this out - it's an event being put on by the Commonweal Institute:

The Ultimate Way to Eat Local: Sunset Magazine and Backyard Farming
Katie Tamony, Editor-in-Chief, Sunset Magazine
Tamony has taken eating local to a whole new level with the "one-block" diet. You can't get much more local than your own backyard. In an area about the size of a medium suburban backyard, Sunset magazine grew 30 different crops for an end-of-summer feast. To round out the menu, staff raised chickens for eggs and bees for honey, made their own wine, beer, cheese and vinegar, and pressed olives for oil. They even made salt. What began as an experiment became an article in the magazine, a web site channel, a passionate blog, and an experience in team building that continues two years later. Come hear about this amazing journey.
Location: Cubberley Community Theatre, 4000 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto
Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program
Cost: $10 members, $15 non-members
For reservations call 408-280-5530 and reference the code "Commonweal"

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

by: Jill Richardson @ Thu May 21, 2009 at 17:19:12 PM UTC

One more interesting article (4.00 / 3)

NYT reported on a "secret" US-China meeting on climate change: http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2...

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

by: Jill Richardson @ Thu May 21, 2009 at 17:22:27 PM UTC