It is a criticism that just won’t seem to go away. Doggedly persistent acolytes of “conventional” agriculture continue (and with good standing) to remind us that there is little to no scientific research to support many of the touted benefits of vegetables produced with organic, or so-called “natural systems” methods. You’ve heard the claims—fresher is more nutritious, heirloom varieties are more nutritious, unpasteurized milk is more nutritious. That these claims are largely unsubstantiated is unfortunate, yet undeniable, and the result is just more uncertainty about what we should eat. Read the rest of this entry »

Who knew? What was once arguably the most benign, and successful public health measure of the 20th century has now come under scrutiny and skepticism. Throughout our state and indeed the nation, people are raising concerns about potential health risks associated with water fluoridation. While there have always been those who turn a cautious or conspiratorial eye towards socialized anything, the 21st century has without a doubt been marked by an increased skepticism in this regard. Perhaps this is a result of the greater access and availability of (dis)information that the internet makes possible, perhaps of the growing (uncomfortable) realization that neither government nor doctors nor scientists are perfect. But I’ve got to say that this one really surprised me. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the last week, lots of news outlets have picked up on a report out from the WWF. I thought I’d share, since I helped write it!

Here are some of the news stories:

Global Warming Is Affecting Arctic Faster, WWF Says (Update1)
Bloomberg - 19 hours ago
By Alex Morales April 24 (Bloomberg) — Global warming is hitting the Arctic harder and faster than scientists expected, causing unforeseen changes to the …

Arctic ice melting faster than anticipated -WWF
Reuters - Apr 23, 2008
By Laura MacInnis GENEVA, April 24 (Reuters) - Arctic ice may be melting faster than most climate change science has concluded, the conservation group WWF …

Eyewitness To A Melting World
Huffington Post, NY - Apr 22, 2008
In February, I came within a few degrees of 70 latitude south in Antarctica (see Solo to Antarctica …) And I returned a few days ago from northern …

The WWF press releases were picked up all over the world it seems, though mostly by countries other than the US. They also seem to have focused on the sea-ice/polar bear issue, even though there’s a LOT more in the report (including my piece on the impacts on Arctic peoples.

The full report can be accessed here: (My section starts on page 91, bullet summary on p14)

 http://assets.panda.org/downloads/final_climateimpact_22apr08.pdf

In part 1 of this article series, I wrote in general terms about an alternative paradigm for conceptualizing the relationship between economics and ecosystems, between the sustainability of human livelihoods and landscapes. It is not a new paradigm, by any means, but one that we seem set on relegating to a less-civilized past. Indeed the march of civilization has systematically rooted-out (or is still in the process of doing so) every example of self-reliance that it has encountered. Nevertheless, it stands as the only paradigm in history that has successfully mediated a concomitant relationship between people and ecosystems. I followed this up with some anecdotes of how capitalist ideals have come to take precedent over our democratic cultural and political ideals. To paraphrase E.F. Schumacher, the modern perception of prestige tends to vary in inverse proportion to one’s closeness to actual production; so pervasive is this notion that we sadly forsake the hard-won principles of solidarity and self-determination that we built this nation, on in the name of “looking out for number one.” Inevitably, this ego-centricity and preoccupation with the accumulation of wealth has spelled disaster for our communities and ecosystems. Read the rest of this entry »