Category Archives: environment

Cheaper Canadian Oil for Refiners in Midwest Not Reflected in Prices at the Pump | InsideClimate News

For nearly two years, refineries in the Midwest have been buying crude oil at steep discounts thanks to a glut of U.S. and Canadian oil. But drivers in the Midwest haven’t seen a corresponding decrease in gasoline prices. In fact, they sometimes pay more at the pump than people in other parts of the country, even as windfall profits flow to BP, Koch Industries Inc. and other large Midwestern refiners.

via Cheaper Canadian Oil for Refiners in Midwest Not Reflected in Prices at the Pump | InsideClimate News.

IPS – Presidential Hopefuls in Chile Speak Out Against Wilderness Dam | Inter Press Service

Centre-left presidential hopeful and former president Michelle Bachelet (2006-2010), who is in the lead in voter intention polls, said on Jun. 23 that “HidroAysén is not viable, so in my view it should not go forward.”

via IPS – Presidential Hopefuls in Chile Speak Out Against Wilderness Dam | Inter Press Service.

Jaguar Refuge Area Regulations.gov – Proposed Rule Document

recent photos (October 2012 through January 2013) have been taken of a jaguar in the Santa Rita Mountains. While our understanding of the habitat features did not change drastically between 2012 and 2013, the combination of a slightly different physical and biological feature and several PCEs (as described above) and the new jaguar sightings have resulted in the proposed revisions to our August 20, 2012, proposed critical habitat rule for the jaguar that are described in this document.

via Regulations.gov – Proposed Rule Document.

Farms to sprout at Delta schools

METRO VANCOUVER — The Delta school district is partnering with an innovative urban farming business to launch a first-of-its-kind agricultural program in B.C.

Beginning this September, the district will begin farming some of its underutilized properties to grow an array of artisan quality fruit and vegetables, using some of the products in school cafeterias, while donating others to the food bank.

via Farms to sprout at Delta schools.

Hepatitis A Cases Rise to 127; FDA Identifies Pomegranate Shipment from Turkey | Food Safety News

The Hepatitis A outbreak linked to frozen mixed berries continues to grow. On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said five more illnesses have been confirmed as part of the outbreak, bringing the total to 127 ill in 8 states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it thinks it has identified a common shipment of pomegranate seeds from Turkey that may have been to blame.

via Hepatitis A Cases Rise to 127; FDA Identifies Pomegranate Shipment from Turkey | Food Safety News.

About Us – ASAP Connections – Appalachian Local Foods

ASAP’s mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food. We work to accomplish our mission by:

Providing marketing support and training to area farmers

Connecting area chef and foodservice buyers with the farmers who suit their needs

Spearheading a Local Food Campaign, which includes our Local Food Guide, local food bumper sticker (have one on your car?), Get Local initiative, and more

Certifying local products grown/raised in the Southern Appalachians as Appalachian Grown

Running our Growing Minds Farm to School Program, which focuses on reconnecting children with where their food comes from

Organizing Asheville City Market and coordinating the Mountain Tailgate Market Association

And with your support!

Our vision is of strong farms, thriving local food economies, and healthy communities where farming is valued as central to our heritage and our future.

via About Us – ASAP Connections.

Mobile Produce Vending – Cincinnati Office of Environmental Quality

Mobile Produce Vending Pilot Program

The City’s Mobile Produce Vending Pilot Program is designed to increase access to fresh produce by issuing permits to community gardeners, urban farmers and entrepreneurs to sell fresh fruits and vegetables near community gardens and in neighborhoods with “food deserts”.

via Mobile Produce Vending – Office of Environmental Quality.

Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts > Scenic Fruit Company Recalls Woodstock Frozen Organic Pomegranate Kernels Due To Possible Health Risk

June 26, 2013 – Scenic Fruit Company of Gresham, Oregon today announced it is voluntarily recalling 5,091 cases (61,092 eight ounce bags) of Woodstock Frozen Organic Pomegranate Kernels. Based on an ongoing epidemiological and traceback investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) of an illness outbreak, the kernels have the potential to be contaminated with Hepatitis A virus.

No illnesses are currently associated with Woodstock Frozen Organic Pomegranate Kernels and product testing to date shows no presence of Hepatitis A virus in Woodstock Frozen Organic Pomegranate Kernels. The company’s decision to voluntarily recall products is made from an abundance of caution in response to an ongoing outbreak investigation by the FDA and CDC. The organic pomegranates are imported from Turkey.

Products were shipped from February 2013 through May 2013 to UNFI distribution centers in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington State. UNFI distribution centers may have further distributed products to retail stores in other states.

via Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts > Scenic Fruit Company Recalls Woodstock Frozen Organic Pomegranate Kernels Due To Possible Health Risk.

Racing pigeon from Japan detours to British Columbia – UPI.com

Bird rescuers in Canada said a racing pigeon that set out on a 600-mile journey in Japan took a 5,000-mile detour to British Columbia.

Maj Birch, founder of the Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society, said the 1-year-old bird set off May 10 along with 8,000 other racers from the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido and turned up emaciated and dehydrated last week on a Canadian air force base on Vancouver Island, ABC News reported Wednesday.

via Racing pigeon from Japan detours to British Columbia – UPI.com.

FAO – News Article: Locust plague threatens to trigger severe food crisis in Madagascar

Madagascar is in the grips of a largely uncontrolled locust plague and risks a serious food crisis. A large-scale emergency control campaign urgently requires a minimum of  $22 million in funding to start in time for the next crop planting season in September. So far, FAO emergency appeals for Madagascar remain severely underfunded.

By September, FAO expects that two-thirds of the country will be infested by locusts.

Some 13 million people’s food security and livelihoods are at stake, or nearly 60 percent of the island’s total population. Nine million of those people are directly dependent on agriculture for food and income.

via FAO – News Article: Locust plague threatens to trigger severe food crisis in Madagascar.