Category Archives: environment

Why Home Farming Will Be The Grocery Store Of The Future [Future Of Home Living] – PSFK

An example of a compact urban agriculture system is the Click and Grow technology. Developed in Estonia, Click and Grow is a digitally-enabled gardening system for raising flowers, vegetables and herbs in a home or apartment. The all-in-one kit contains electronics, sensors, batteries,df a pump and water reservoir, while a replaceable cartridge contains seeds, nutrients and software (in a microchip) for growing the plant. The system measures how much water and fertilizer to an exact amount in accordance with the plant’s needs. After the plant’s natural life cycle ends, users can remove the old plant cartridge and insert a new one. The system has cartridges for mini tomatoes, chillies, flowers and herbs, and is capable of tending to itself over a long weekend or during a busy work week.

via Why Home Farming Will Be The Grocery Store Of The Future [Future Of Home Living] – PSFK.

Boil berries? Hepatitis A outbreak spreads to Ireland; tracking global trail of frozen berries | barfblog

Water contaminated with human sewage, or night soil as the source in all these outbreaks?

via Boil berries? Hepatitis A outbreak spreads to Ireland; tracking global trail of frozen berries | barfblog.

Likely suspect and hard to fix other than to not accept berries in global trade that have not passed muster for water safety.

Loxley woman starts greenhouse business in her 50s – GulfCoastNewsToday.com: Features

Although Craine Creek Farm has done well so far, Anita says there are many challenges, especially with distribution. Because there are only a few small hydroponic lettuce growers in the area, it doesn’t make sense for the larger distribution companies to make a special trip to pick up just a few heads of lettuce. Anita hopes more people will decide to grow lettuce in the area so there will be a critical mass of product for distributors to move.

“There are other people in the county and region who want to grow like we are,” she says. “We believe this could be a basis for an industry. Then you will have enough to make it worthwhile for distributors to come and take it to other parts of the state and around the South.”

via Loxley woman starts greenhouse business in her 50s – GulfCoastNewsToday.com: Features.

Follow your labels: American apple juice is a product of China – CSMonitor.com

When Chinese apple juice concentrate entered the US market, the price of concentrate collapsed from $153 per ton in 1995 to $55 per ton in 1998. American farmers struggled to compete. Some sold their farms; others went bankrupt.

Their loss was Feng’s gain.

“What percent of your apples are eaten and what percent are made into juice?” I asked.

“Seventy percent are taken to the local juice factory,” he said, and then laughed. “You know, nobody here drinks apple juice.”

via Follow your labels: American apple juice is a product of China – CSMonitor.com.

writeaboutwarming: Stranger than Fiction

Take smog-eating pavement, for instance. With an active ingredient called titanium dioxide, the cement pavers set off a chemical reaction with sunlight that cleans all the air as far as eight feet above them. They were developed by Italian cement giant Italcementi when the Vatican wanted to build a church to celebrate the 2,000th anniversary of Christianity that would remain white, even when confronted with Rome’s severe pollution problem. Intended only to keep the church itself clean, Italcementi discovered that their product also caused the air surrounding the church to remain clean!

via writeaboutwarming: Stranger than Fiction.

Recall: Hummus May Be Tainted with Listeria

Hagee Foods Inc. dba Penny’s Salsa Inc., is recalling hummus products listed in the attached table because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The retail hummus products come in 8 oz. and 12 oz. clear plastic packages and were distributed to retail stores and food service accounts in Oregon and Washington with the Penny’s Salsa, Tacoma Boys and Harbor Greens labels. The USE BY dates 7/13/2013-8/25/2013 are printed on the side of the top lid.

Vegetable trays 8 oz and Snack packs 8 oz, which include 1.5 oz plastic containers of creamy hummus labeled Made in the Pacific North West, are packaged in black plastic trays with clear plastic lids. These products were distributed in Oregon and Washington. The USE BY dates 7/13/2013-7/24/2013 are on the underside of these trays.

Hummus for foodservice is packaged in 25 lb. bulk boxes. USE BY dates 7/13/2013-8/25/2013 are printed on the master shipper labels. This product was distributed in Washington.

The above hummus products were shipped from 5/27/13 to 7/14/13. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with these products.

The potential for contamination was noted after routine testing by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in 12 ounce containers of Hummus.

The production of the product has been suspended while FDA, WSDA and the company continue to investigate the source of the problem.

Consumers who have purchased any size of Penny’s Salsa Hummus are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-866-797-2572.

UPC Number Product

7 49404 83061 4 Penny’s Garlic Hummus 12 oz (340 g)

7 49404 90971 6 Penny’s Creamy Hummus 12 oz (340 g)

7 49404 32368 0 Penny’s Hummus De Gallo 12 oz (340 g)

7 49404 51848 2 Penny’s Roasted Red Pepper Hummus 12 oz (340 g)

7 49404 91368 3 Penny’s Jalapeño Hummus 12 oz (340 g)

7 49404 70200 3  Penny’s Black Bean Hummus 12 oz (340 g)

7 49404 80515 5 Harbor Greens Black Bean Hummus 8 oz (227g)

7 49404 80717 3 Harbor Greens Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus 8 oz (227g)

7 49404 80313 7 Harbor Greens Jalapeño Hummus 8 oz (227g)

7 49404 80414 1 Harbor Greens Roasted Red Pepper Hummus 8 oz (227g)

7 49404 80616 9 Harbor Greens Hummus De Gallo 8 oz (227g)

7 49404 80212 3 Harbor Greens Garlic Hummus 8 oz (227g)

7 49404 90515 2 Tacoma Boys Black Bean Hummus 8 oz (227 g)

7 49404 90414 8 Tacoma Boys Roasted Red Pepper Hummus 8 oz (227g)

7 49404 90313 4 Tacoma Boys Jalapeño Hummus 8 oz (227g)

7 49404 90717 0 Tacoma Boys Sun Dried Tomato Hummus 8 oz (227g)

7 49404 90212 0 Tacoma Boys Garlic Hummus 8 oz (227g)

7 49404 90616 6 Tacoma Boys Hummus De Gallo 8 oz (227g)

7 49404 98020 3 Vegetable tray 8 OZ. Ingredients: Carrot Sticks, Celery, Grape Tomatoes, Creamy Hummus

7 49404 30002 5 Vegetable tray 8 OZ. Ingredients: Carrot Sticks, Pretzels, Grapes, Creamy Hummus

07494041923679 Penny’s Salsa Inc. Snack Pack w/Hummus Grapes, Carrots and Pretzels 8 oz

07494041923606 Penny’s Salsa Inc. Snack Pack w/Hummus Celery, Carrots, Tomato 8 oz

No UPC Penny’s Salsa Creamy Original Hummus 25 LB

via Recall: Hummus May Be Tainted with Listeria.

Naked Juice Removes ‘All Natural’ Label Because Of GMOs

PepsiCo brand Naked Juice will stop using ‘all natural’ to describe its products after agreeing to settle a US class action suit for $9 million.

Naked Juice: No More ‘all natural’ labels

According to Lexology.com, Naked Juice has agreed to settle the claims that it falsely advertised some of its juice and smoothie products as ‘all natural’ and not genetically modified (GMO). Although Naked Juice denies the allegations, the company must establish a $9-million settlement fund. Consumers will each be eligible under the proposed agreement to recover a maximum of $45 dollars.

via Naked Juice Removes ‘All Natural’ Label Because Of GMOs.

Bulldozers Raze Ancient Urban Farm in Turkey | Green Prophet

The Yedikule neighborhood of Istanbul is on edge as bulldozers recently razed two gardens that have been cultivated for the last 1,500 years, The Atlantic Cities reports. This is taking place in tandem with the ongoing Gezi Park saga despite a court’s ruling that the latter should not be cleared to make way for a shopping mall.

Dating back to the 400′s, the farms are located beside the ancient walls encircling Istanbul’s historic core, writes Jennifer Hattam, who we have interviewed in the past about her work with the popular eco-blog Treehugger.

via Bulldozers Raze Ancient Urban Farm in Turkey | Green Prophet.

Black-legged ticks connected to encephalitis cases in New York state | Vaccine News Daily

Black-legged ticks, which are known for spreading Lyme disease, were linked to Powassan encephalitis in New York state, according to a study recently published in Parasites and Vectors.

Powassan encephalitis is a disease caused by the Powassan virus and the deer tick virus. The virus spreads from infected ticks and can cause encephalitis, meningitis and central nervous system disruption. Reported cases have a 10 to 15 percent fatality rate, and many survivors suffer long-term neurological damage.

“We’ve seen a rise in this rare but serious illness in parts of New York state that are hotspots for Lyme disease,” Rick Ostfeld, one of the paper’s authors, said. “And we suspected it was tied to an increase in black-legged ticks carrying deer tick virus, particularly on the east side of the Hudson River.

via Black-legged ticks connected to encephalitis cases in New York state | Vaccine News Daily.

KSA Announces Two New MERS-CoV Cases

MOH: ‘Two New Cases of Novel Coronavirus Recorded in Asir’

17 July 2013

Within the framework of the epidemiological surveillance of the novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), the Ministry of Health (MOH) has announced that two confirmed cases of this virus have been recorded. The first case is for a 26-old-year Saudi male in Asir, who was in contact with one of the confirmed cases. The second case is for a 42-year-old female resident working at the health sector in Asir. Both cases have mild symptoms that not required admitting to hospital.

via KSA Announces Two New MERS-CoV Cases.