My Piece About Sludge at the White House

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Mar 30, 2010 at 06:00:00 AM PDT

Last year when this story initially came out, it was politicized. The story first came from Mother Jones, where it was reported by Josh Harkinson. Then it was picked up in an Andrew Kimbrell piece on Huffington Post that made a simple, unintentional mistake. He pinned the sludging of the White House on the Clintons. That made it look like it was just the Democrats doing the sludging - and now gardening in the previously sludged area. In fact, sludge applications at the White House began under Reagan.

Ultimately, the New York Times picked up the story, asking Irvin Williams, the lead gardener at the White House for nearly six decades, if sludge was applied. He said yes, once, in 1985. Harkinson (of Mother Jones) replied with evidence of sludge applications through at least the late 1990s. And a DC Water and Sewer Authority report [PDF] from July 2009 says (on p. 4) that sludge applications at the White House continued until 2004.

While writing this piece, I contacted the National Park Service myself. They didn't have any records of sludge application at the White House after 1987. However, the EPA requires no record-keeping when you apply sludge that meets their rather low bar to qualify as "Class A Biosolids," so if the National Park Service has no records of sludge applications, that doesn't necessarily mean that it didn't happen. Either way, it's a silly point to argue since they do have records of sludge applications at the White House in 1987, so there's no disagreement that sludge was applied at the White House.

Given the politicized history of this story and a three decade-long PR campaign to improve sewage sludge's image, I expect to be attacked for my reporting. About the dates of sludge applications at the White House, I chose to believe my source from the EPA who was helping me with the story, one that was supported by Josh Harkinson's reporting and other documents that can be easily found online like the one I've linked to. However, I wanted to lay out the facts here so that folks know that there were conflicting facts going into this story and that I am not doing sloppy reporting.

Correction: White House Garden NOT Contaminated With Lead

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 09:31:27 AM PDT

Organic CAN Feed the World

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Jun 22, 2009 at 17:58:56 PM PDT

Meanwhile, Kass told the children, the teachers and the press that the garden already had produced lettuce, snap peas, beans, kale, collards and chard. Kass said he has taken 90 pounds of produce from the garden, including broccoli and green beans and "one beautiful eggplant." He also said he has harvested herbs "every night," which are not included in the 90 pounds. The garden has produced only one cucumber, which Kass saved for the children to harvest. It was supposed to be a white cucumber, but it had turned yellow.

Kass said no chemicals - fertilizer or herbicide - had been used on the garden, but that the underlying White House soil had been "amended" with crab meal from the Chesapeake Bay, green sand compost and lime powder. A White House spokeswoman also said that only organic fertilizers and insect repellants will be used and that lady bugs and praying mantises will be introduced to naturally control other insect populations. A honeybee hive has been set up nearby for pollination purposes.

Kass said that the only insect problem he had noticed is that "something is nibbling a little bit on the kale."

Pardon the metaphor, but by planting an organic garden, Michelle Obama acted like Toto, pulling back the curtain to reveal the little man pretending to be the almighty wizard. That man - or men - behind the curtain are the biotech, pesticide, and fertilizer industries, who desperately want the American people to believe that they are absolutely necessary to prevent our starvation.

They call for using "science" in agriculture, but they ignore what science actually says. According to a paper called "Organic Agriculture and the Global Food Supply" published in 2007, a study (referred to by Jack Heinemann as "the largest meta-analysis ever conducted on the relative performance of agroecological and conventional... agriculture") found that organic CAN feed the world. Specifically, on average, organic systems produce 92% as much as conventional agriculture in the developed world. However, in developing countries, organics produces 80% MORE than conventional agriculture. Therefore, the paper concludes:

With the average yield ratios, we modeled the global food supply that could be grown organically on the current agricultural land base. Model estimates indicate that organic methods could produce enough food on a global per capita basis to sustain the current human population, and potentially an even larger population, without increasing the agricultural land base.

The reason why there's such a stark difference between the developed and developing world is not because organic magically produces more in developing nations. Rather, it is because the farmers in those countries often lack the crop inputs used in the developed world to obtain such high yields. As the inputs used in the U.S. involve a LOT of oil, a resource we are running out of, this says to me that our best route to maximum yields in the future is going organic now.

Another claim by proponents of chemical agriculture is that we wouldn't have enough nitrogen to produce our food without synthetic fertilizer. The paper addressed that too, stating in its abstract:

We also evaluated the amount of nitrogen potentially available from fixation by leguminous cover crops used as fertilizer. Data from temperate and tropical agroecosystems suggest that leguminous cover crops could fix enough nitrogen to replace the amount of synthetic fertilizer currently in use. These results indicate that organic agriculture has the potential to contribute quite substantially to the global food supply, while reducing the detrimental environmental impacts of conventional agriculture.

In a press release, one of the researchers from the study summed up their findings perfectly:

Perfecto said the idea that people would go hungry if farming went organic is "ridiculous."

"Corporate interest in agriculture and the way agriculture research has been conducted in land grant institutions, with a lot of influence by the chemical companies and pesticide companies as well as fertilizer companies-all have been playing an important role in convincing the public that you need to have these inputs to produce food," she said.

Past White House Propaganda Compromises Safety of Current White House PR Effort

by: Jill Richardson

Fri Jun 19, 2009 at 12:03:38 PM PDT

How's this for some sick irony? The White House Garden tested high for lead and there's a good chance the reason is sewage sludge:

Grist published a series of articles recently on the dangers of using sewer sludge on agricultural lands. Sludge tends to be full of heavy metals like lead, along with an encyclopedia's worth of industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals. But back in the 1980s, the EPA was trying to convince everyone how wonderfully safe and useful all the leftover poo product was. So they spread some "clean" sludge on the White House South Lawn to prove it (and reportedly continued to do so for years).

The Obamas Get It: Part of Health Care Reform is Prevention - And Diet!

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Jun 17, 2009 at 03:25:05 AM PDT

The second step that we can all agree on is to invest more in preventive care so we can avoid illness and disease in the first place...

It also means cutting down on all the junk food that's fueling an epidemic of obesity - (applause) - which puts far too many Americans, young and old, at greater risk of costly, chronic conditions. That's a lesson Michelle and I have tried to instill in our daughters. As some of you know, we started a White House vegetable garden. I say "we" generously, because Michelle has done most of the work. (Laughter.) That's a lesson that we should work with local school districts to incorporate into their school lunch programs.

Michelle Obama (in a separate speech) also spoke about school lunches:

But government also has a role to play in this, as well.  For so many kids, subsidized breakfasts and lunches are their primary meals of the day.  It's what they count on.  It's where they get most of their nutrition.

And the USDA's National School Lunch Program serves approximately 30 million meals each year to low-income* children.  And because these meals are the main source of consistent nourishment for these kids, we need to make sure we offer them the healthiest meals possible.

So to make sure that we give all our kids a good start to their day and to their future, we need to improve the quality and nutrition of the food served in schools.  We're approaching the first big opportunity to move this to the top of the agenda with the upcoming reauthorization of the child nutrition programs.  In doing so, we can go a long way towards creating a healthier generation for our kids.

I'm glad the Obamas are for healthier school lunches, but if they wants to achieve that, Barack specifically needs to take the same kind of leadership on that that he's taking on health care reform. We need him out there making televised speeches to the School Nutrition Association about spending more - maybe even double - on each child's lunch. We need him to talk about not starving our schools of funds so they look to the lunch programs as money makers and serve the kids junk to get them to buy more food. And we need him to talk about how it's unrealistic to expect our nation to eat better if we aren't even producing the right amount of healthy foods in the first place.

If every single American wanted to eat the recommended amount of fruits & veggies every day, they couldn't - we don't grow enough. Kind of an obvious problem that we need to fix, huh? There's a bill (H.R.800) that would address some of the problem by allowing commodity farmers to grow fruits and veggies on their land. Right now, if you grow commodities that receive federal subsidies and you want to rotate your crops, you're not allowed to grow fruits and veggies on that land. This bill would allow you to do so. Not so surprisingly, it's supported by legislators from the midwest from both major political parties - and California farm groups like Blue Diamond Growers are out lobbying against it because they don't want any competition from midwestern farmers.

UPDATE: Ali from Gastronomalies just called my attention to this Maureen Dowd article on the Obamas' mixed messages about food. When they are in front of kids and doctors, they are for healthy eating. But they don't hesitate to take high profile trips to burger joints too. It reminds me of my friend's Dad who spent a lifetime telling my friend about the evils of pot... until one day he called him to ask, "Have you seen my stash? I can't find it." The problem isn't so much Barack and Michelle as it is our culture that views eating junk as being down to earth and fun.

Pesticide Lovers on the Offensive

by: Jill Richardson

Thu May 21, 2009 at 20:00:00 PM PDT

At least... that seems to be the message of the infamous CropLife Association, the same group of dumbasses that I exposed for writing Michelle Obama once and pleading with her to soak her veggies in poison so that her two daughters could grow up as cancer- and Parkinsons-prone as every other child in America. Hat tip to Tom Philpott for finding this letter writing campaign on their site.

In the meantime, Gov. Rendell of PA has jumped on the garden bandwagon, as has Vermont (VT's garden will be organic... no word yet about PA). Sorry CropLife. Organic is in for gardens this year. Pesticides are SO last century!

Sampler Platter

by: Jill Richardson

Mon May 04, 2009 at 06:00:00 AM PDT

• F is for France! The school lunch blog F is for French Fry reports that children in a French school dined on cucumbers with garlic and fine herbs; Basque chicken thigh with herbs, red and green bell peppers and olive oil; couscous; organic yogurt and an apple. You know, real food. This fantastic lunch cost $8.23 to produce, but the students pay less than half the cost (or less if they are from low-income families). THAT is what it looks like to care about the health of your children.

More below...

Scientists isolate one cause of "colony collapse disorder"

by: desmoinesdem

Sun Apr 19, 2009 at 17:47:24 PM PDT

It's too early to say "case closed" on the honeybee die-offs. In all likelihood more than one factor has contributed to colony collapse disorder. Devilstower laid out seven possibilities in this diary.

Several European countries have banned the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in order to protect honeybees. Beyond Pesticides and Pesticide Action Network North America sent an open letter to President Barack Obama earlier this year calling for more regulation of pesticides, putting a high priority on protecting bees and other pollinators.

To my knowledge, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has not taken any steps in this direction--that is, I have been unable to find any reports on new USDA plans to fund research regarding pesticides and pollinators. The Bush USDA refused to halt or even thoroughly study the use of neonicotinoid pesticides.

I did find out that the "USDA will be providing two types of parasite-resistant honey bees developed by USDA scientists" to pollinate plants in the organic White House garden.  

Pot Luck: Pictures of the White House Garden

by: Jill Richardson

Fri Apr 17, 2009 at 19:00:00 PM PDT

Sampler Platter

by: Jill Richardson

Fri Apr 10, 2009 at 17:00:00 PM PDT

• Mars - as in the chocolate company - wants to buy more sustainable cocoa. Is this good news or greenwashing? I'm a skeptic.

• The First Lady plants the First Garden along with a class of 5th graders. We might be hearing reports of eating the First Salad in as little as two weeks! (A neat thing to note about the garden is that it has a "Thomas Jefferson" section inspired by Jefferson's estate, Monticello.)

• The Internet Food Association is ranting about Matzoh brei. I must admit, I grew up Jewish and never heard of Matzoh brei until college. So now, after a Bat Mitzvah and all of those years of Hebrew School and BBYO and eating Matzoh brei - am I officially Jewish? (To the goyim reading this, it's basically Matzoh French toast. And if you don't celebrate Passover, my recommendation is to just use a nice loaf of challah to make your French toast.)

• The Ethicurean points out a scary fact about human technology - we can nearly wipe out an entire species (like the Chilean Sea Bass) in only a few years. I hope nobody considers that an accomplishment.

• Pepsi/Frito Lay is now targeting products specifically to women. This bugs me! Please, ladies, don't be stupid enough to fall for cheap marketing tricks like this.

• Marion Nestle says that consumers like traffic light rating systems for food. Green means eat it, red means don't. As you can guess - food companies don't like this idea so much.

• Another cheap marketing stunt? Probiotic ice cream. Umm... don't we already have something like that called yogurt?

• Fascinating stats courtesy of Mark Bittman: When it comes to salmon, consumers are clueless.

• Interesting tidbit from Scientific American: Avoiding sugar is key to ending "senior moments".

• Ashley at U.S. Food Policy talks about Disney characters on egg cartons.

Sampler Platter

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 10:11:39 AM PDT

• Great news! Baltimore is planting a vegetable garden that is nearly twice the size of the White House garden. The food will go to a local shelter, and Baltimore claims they aren't copying - they had the plans in place long before Michelle Obama announced her garden. (Hat tip Roger Doiron)

• Rolling Stone named Michael Pollan as one of 100 agents of change. He's #69. Hehehehehe.

• Bad news from Ohio. Pro-rbGH advocates won their court case that argued against the legality of labeling milk "rbGH-free." It's been a rough week for rbGH-free labeling, because Kansas has been up to all kinds of anti-labeling mischief too.

• The Atlantic tells about the magic of unheated greenhouses. I'm certainly interested. Even the Amish farm I visited heated its greenhouse when the weather got cold.

• Sustainable Table dishes on the Farm to Cafeteria Conference held in Portland. JayinPortland got to go to some of it, and I'm soooo jealous.

• The New York Times recognizes food deserts.

• Wanna see something really gross? Check out how peeps are made.

• April is Grilled Cheese month according to the LA Times. Hmm. Do they really live only a few hours north of me? Around here I'm getting geared up for stone fruits not grilled cheese :)

• Grist has an article reviewing organic baby food.

• McDonalds might take steps to reduce pesticides in their potatoes. Call me a skeptic, but even though this might be good news it still doesn't make me want to eat their fries.

Sampler Platter

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Mar 29, 2009 at 13:08:03 PM PDT

• Tom Laskawy warns against letting farmers' markets turn into yuppie food malls.

• Natasha Chart writes about the war on the Amazon - a charming component of our "war on drugs." Definitely check out this article. It's about the U.S. funded efforts to spray Roundup on coca crops... except they are spraying all kinds of other stuff too.

• Civil Eats has an interesting piece about a biodynamic ag apprenticeship program.

• Fantastic piece on food safety by Marion Nestle. As our government puts out new reports on the FDA's ability to keep our food supply safe, Nestle reminds us that the USDA has a hand in food safety too and recommends that we put food safety all under one agency.

• Tom Philpott says "the oceans have become too fragile for careless foodie-ism." Amen to that!

• Organic Consumers Association features a great comparison of organic & "conventional" dairy by interviewing farmers on both sides.

• Good news from Canada. Products from cloned animals are NOT considered organic.

• The most important herbivore in the sea is in trouble. That is BAD news for all ocean life. Don't miss this must-read piece from The Ethicurean. (Natasha Chart adds her two cents on the subject too.)

• The Nimans (of Niman Ranch) recommend a White House chicken flock. And if Michelle O decides to raise chickens they will be the second agricultural animal in her garden. Because she's already raising the very first White House bees. (hat tip to Cookiesinheaven)

• Fooducate educates us about condiments with 11 things you didn't know about mayo and 14 facts about mustard.

• More proof global warming is a reality. The USDA is revising its plant hardiness maps.

Organic White House Garden Puts Some Conventional Panties in a Twist

by: Jill Richardson

Sat Mar 28, 2009 at 12:47:36 PM PDT

All of this positive PR for organics feels very threatening to Big Ag. So one group, the Mid America CropLife Association, has sent an email defending chemical ag to Mrs. Obama. See the letter reprinted below.

Case of the Mondays Sampler Platter

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Mar 23, 2009 at 07:47:44 AM PDT

• Ezra Klein got his reservations to celebrity chef Mario Batali's restaurant Babbo far in advance, awaited the day, and... it was just okay. Which makes me wonder if I should just keep my fantasy of dining at the French Laundry as a fantasy so I can assume it's really as good as I think it is.

• The Atlantic has lots to say about compost.

• Mark Bittman weighs the value of the organic label. I like his conclusion that some day we should produce food as if animals and the land mattered. He says:

  Some of that food will be organic, and hooray for that. Meanwhile, they should remember that the word itself is not synonymous with "safe," "healthy," "fair" or even necessarily "good."

• Obama Foodorama makes a profound point about the White House garden: The White House itself was built by slaves, and now Michelle, descended from slaves, is its First Lady. That adds a layer of meaning to those pics of her digging in the dirt at the groundbreaking.

• Have any questions about the fats in food? Marion Nestle answers.

• Alternet lists the Top 10 Aphrodesiac Foods. Now THERE'S a nice, free activity during this crappy economy!

• Also from Alternet: dumpster diving.

• Spain's got a new plan to give free fruit to school children. So do we, in our Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Program, but it's still in a pilot phase in only a few schools per state. Weak!

• Check this out: 100 Blogs for the Frugal Gourmet. Just what I need right about now, although I don't think I need a blog to tell me that my staples of oatmeal, whole wheat toast, spinach omelets, yogurt, roasted veggies, and fresh fruit are cheap and delicious.

• A network of women farmers in India are fighting the climate crisis by going organic.

Lazy Sunday Sampler Platter

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Mar 22, 2009 at 04:51:38 AM PDT

• Mark Bittman shares a recipe for oven baked steel-cut oats. Yum! I'm trying this.

• Need more details about the new White House garden? How about a map and pics of the groundbreaking.

• I have a new goal for my food career. Check this out - tourists to Tuscany will pay big bucks for the privilege of cooking with Michael Pollan. Oh yeah, after my book becomes a New York Times bestseller (lol) I want to be invited as the celebrity guest to an Italian food resort!

• Natasha Chart reports on a super-sweet bill in the Montana state government that forces biotech companies to obtain a farmers' permission before sampling crops on their land. Nice! It's already passed the House... just has to get past the Senate now.

• Civil Eats features a fantastic piece on farming in Namibia.

• How Much Water Do You Really Use? This site rocks! Did you know it uses 37 gallons of water to make a cup of coffee, 33 for a soda, and only 9 for a cup of tea?  But all that ain't nothin' compared to the 634 gallons required for a hamburger!

• A gardener describes her garden library. If you're looking for some good books on gardening, this might be the place to go for suggestions.

• Scientific American weighs in about MRSA on hog farms with their article "Our Sick Farms, Our Infected Food."

• Marion Nestle comments on Disney characters advertising food. I'm with her - let's keep our cartoons and our food separate. The last two pics in the post make a very clear point - Sponge Bob hawking baby carrots AND Burger King. If we're teaching our kids to choose the food that Sponge Bob eats, like carrots, does that mean that Burger King is good for you too?

• Wow! Slow Food and Michael Pollan met with the CDC! If only the freakin' House Ag Committee was so receptive to their message...

• Marion Nestle reports on the USDA's plan to test ground beef at packing plants 4 times a month (PDF). I like this idea... sort of. Four times a month seems pretty weak to me, considering the volume of ground beef one of these plants can make in a single day. I'd be very happy if the proposal was to test the meat 4 times a DAY instead.

• As if you didn't have enough to look for on food labels already, now you might start seeing a sustainable water certification. Nice idea, but why can't we just drink the stuff out of our taps?