Happy Belated Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there! I had a wonderful bike ride with my children. It is the one day a year where I get all three of them outdoors with me, doing something other than eating! Of course, the eating happened later, and what a feast it was!

This weekend, the NY Times article about the 400 parts per million of Co2 heat trapping particles in the atmosphere, was certainly alarming. For me, the scariest part is that we have known about this for so long, but our government and the world, has chosen to do so little about it. That is why it is so important for all of us to get involved, to join organizations like 350.org, or Citizens Climate Lobby, to raise awareness and put pressure on our politicians. We can not allow projects like the Keystone XL Pipeline to be approved, and Fracking to continue. It is all of our job to do what we can to save the planet.

This week, my guest on the Progressive Radio Network, is Lindsey Shulte, a woman who is working hard to help young people who want to be farmers, get started. Increasing the number of young farmers in this country is so important, if we want to turn around our Industrial Agricultural practices and return to growing food in harmony with the earth. Her organization is called The National Young Farmers Coalition, and they are dedicated to helping young farmers get a start through changing the legislation that creates the policies. Please join me on Thursday at 10am, for an insightful conversation about the trials and tribulations of getting started as a farmer.

Remember, my show is recorded live, every Thursday, from 10-11 am, EST.  To tune in, navigate to PRN.fm and click the “Listen Live” button on the left. Also try downloading the PRN mobile app, and take the station with you wherever you go! If you want to call in during the show with any questions for me or my guest, the call in number is 888-874-4888.

Carrageenan, an additive commonly used in foods, including some organic foods, is linked to gastrointestinal inflammation and higher rates of colon cancer.  The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) now has an opportunity to end the use of carrageenan in certified organic foods. Instead, the NOP is recommending that carrageenan be allowed in organic for another five years.  Carrageenan is an emulsifier used to keep liquids from separating in organic juice, yogurt, chocolate  milk and other dairy products, non-dairy alternatives – and even infant formula! According to the Cornucopia Institute’s 2013 report, “Carrageenan: How a ‘Natural’ Food Additive Is Making Us Sick,” research links carrageenan to gastrointestinal inflammation, including higher rates of colon cancer, in laboratory animals. Please sign the petition below, by June 3, 2013. Tell the National Organic Program that it’s time to get carrageenan out of organics!

Help 350.org ‘Do the Math’ on Global Warming

350.org, a grassroots global movement working to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis are organizing a tour throughout Australia this June. Founder and author Bill McKibben is coming to Australia bringing his  “Global Warming: Do the Maths” Tour to sound the alarm about plans to drastically expand coal mining for export. Bill will hold public talks and meet with media, business and political leaders in four cities to expose the terrifying scale of Australia’s coal mining and export expansion plans — which, if allowed to go ahead, would take the planet beyond the point of no return. Your support will help ensure Bill’s visit has real impact to raise awareness and public opposition to these dangerous coal expansion projects before it’s too late.

Sign the Keystone XL Pledge of Resistance

There is still time to convince President Obama to change his mind and reject Keystone XL. But with the president ignoring every possible sign Mother Nature can send, it is once again incumbent upon us to send a message he can’t ignore. Last week, we were horrified to know that we have just surpassed 400 ppm of carbon in the atmosphere.  Continuing construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline would only serve to increase this number. Remaining dependent on fossil fuels is not sustainable and not the direction this country should be taking. Please sign the Keystone XL Pledge of Resistance and make it known that – should it be necessary to stop Keystone XL — to engage in serious, dignified, peaceful civil disobedience. Please share this pledge with friends and family as well!

Carbon Emissions Surpass 400 ppm

The level of heat trapping carbon dioxide has passed a long-feared milestone, reaching 400 ppm on May 9^th.  Evidence has suggested that the amount of gas in the air has not been this high for at least three million years, before humans evolved, and scientists believe the rise portends large changes in the climate and the level of the sea. China is now the largest emitter, but Americans have been consuming fossil fuels extensively for far longer, and experts say the United States is more responsible than any other nation for the high level. Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, formed 350.org as a means of building a global grassroots movement to solve the climate crisis and push for policies that would keep carbon emissions below 350 ppm. We are now beyond this level and the time to act is now. Whether it is through personal action, or policy making, we need to address climate change head on. Find out some of the ways you can make a difference, by clicking here.

Farmer Faces Jail for Feeding Community

On May 20th, Wisconsin dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger will be heading to court as he faces charges with four criminal misdemeanors that could land him in county jail for up to 30 months with fines of over $10,000. The Wisconsin Department of Agricultural Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) targeted Hershberger for supplying a private buying club with fresh milk and other farm products. DATCP has charged Hershberger with, among other things, operating a retail food establishment without a license. Hershberger provided food only to paid members in a private buying club that is not subject to state food regulations. “There is more at stake here than just a farmer and his few customers,” says Hershberger, “this is about the fundamental right of farmers and consumers to engage in peaceful, private, mutually consenting agreements for food, without additional oversight.” This month after the trial each day, food rights activists will gather at the Al Ringling Theater across the street from the courthouse and hear presentations by leaders in the food rights movement. Hershberger, and other farmers around the country, are facing state or federal charges against them for providing fresh foods to wanting individuals. In recent months the FDA has conducted several long undercover sting operations and raids against peaceful farmers and buying clubs that have resulted in farms shutting down and consumers without access to the food they depend on. To learn more about this unwarranted war on fresh, locally produced food, check out the documentary Farmageddon.

EPA Green-Lights New Pesticide Highly Toxic to Bees, Dismisses Concerns

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the unconditional registration of the new insecticide sulfoxaflor, which the agency classifies as highly toxic to honey bees. Despite warnings and concerns raised by beekeepers and environmental groups, sulfoxaflor will further endanger bees and beekeeping. EPA continues to put industry interests first to exacerbate an already dire pollinator crisis.  In January, the agency proposed  to impose conditional registration on sulfoxaflor due to inconclusive and outstanding data on long-term honey bee brood impacts. Even though sulfoxaflor is highly toxic to bees, the EPA has stated that it does not demonstrate substantial residual toxicity to exposed bees Beekeepers haved warn that if the EPA approves sulfoxaflor, commercial beekeeping will be extinct by 2018. Along with the disappearance of bees, crops such as almonds, blueberries, apples and broccoli, that are entirely reliant upon pollination by commercial beekeepers, will increasingly diminish.

FDA Admits Chicken Meat Contains Arsenic

Attorneys at Center for Food Safety (CFS) have filed a lawsuit on behalf of CFS, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) and seven other U.S. food safety, agriculture, public health and environmental groups to compel the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to respond to the groups’ three year-old petition which calls for immediate withdrawal of FDA’s approval of arsenic-containing compounds as feed additives for food animals. Arsenic is commonly added to poultry feed for the FDA-approved purposes of inducing faster weight gain on less feed, and creating the perceived appearance of a healthy color in meat from chickens, turkeys and hogs. Exposure to arsenic has to been linked to several serious human health problems, including bladder, lung, and skin cancers. The irony, and unbelievable dysfunction of our food system, is that a farmer selling fresh, raw milk to willing customers is facing jail time, yet no one working for the FDA will be punished for willingly poisoning our food system with arsenic, among other chemicals.

New York School Goes All Vegetarian

This week, The Active Learning Elementary School celebrated  its move to all-vegetarian meals five days a week. The school of nearly 400 students, from pre-kindergarten to third grade, was founded five years ago on the principle that a healthy lifestyle leads to strong academic achievement. “We decided on a vision where health and nutrition would be a part of educating the whole child,” school principal Bob Groff said. The school went meatless three days a week about a year and a half ago. Working closely with the city’s education department food program to ensure menu items met USDA standards, they officially went all-vegetarian in January. We hope to see more schools making the switch in the future.

Step-By-Step Photo Instructions

Cut tempeh down the middle horizontally, then cut into quarters and then cubes. Bake tempeh on well-oiled roasting pan in a 425-degree oven, until golden brown on all sides (about 15 minutes). Remove tempeh from oven.

Meanwhile, in medium sauce pan, sauté ½ of the onions in a little olive oil, with 1 Tbs. chopped garlic.

Add the roasted tempeh to this mixture. Add 1 can fire roasted tomatoes, 1 Tbs. chopped parsley and 2 Tbs. chopped dill. Add ¼ cup white wine, and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cover bottom of wok with oil. When oil is hot, add the remaining onions and carrots. Add 1 Tbs. garlic, and sauté for a few minutes. Then add the broccoli and cauliflower. Continue cooking at med. high heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
Add more oil (or water to steam) if needed.

Then add the peppers and cherry tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes more, then add the remaining 2 Tbs. of white wine and asparagus.

Add 2 Tbs. dill, ¼ cup of parsley and the artichokes. Lastly, add the capers, and olives. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently stir in the tempeh mixture to finish. Serve with Quinoa Pilaf or Forbidden Rice.

Remember, my show is recorded live, every Thursday, from 10-11 am, EST. If you want to call in during the show with any questions for me or my guest, the call in number is 888-874-4888.

I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful weather and finding ways to get your hands in the dirt. It is so healing to be outside in the sun, listening to the birds and feeling the wind on my face. I am getting very excited to start my “Farm-to-Table” cooking classes. New this year, I will also introduce my “Let’s Do Lunch” hands-on cooking classes. Stay tuned for more information!

This week, my guest is Gary Oppenheimer, the founder of AmpleHarvest.org, a very cool organization that connects home gardeners with food pantries. What started as an idea only 5 years ago, has blossomed into a national organization with connections being made in every state. Please join me on Thursday at 10 am EST, as we discuss the work of Ample Harvest, where it is going and how you can get involved.

This weekend, I hope those of you that are local will join me at Restoration Farm for a plant sale, farm tour, and kid activities. Click here for more information.

Remember, my show is recorded live, every Thursday, from 10-11 am, EST.  To tune in, navigate to PRN.fm and click the “Listen Live” button on the left. Also try downloading the PRN mobile app, and take the station with you wherever you go! If you want to call in during the show with any questions for me or my guest, the call in number is 888-874-4888.

On April 29th, a landmark decision was made by the European Commission – bee-killing, neonicotinoid pesticides will experience a continent-wide ban in Europe for two years. A 15-member states majority supported the ban, with eight against and four abstaining.  The ban comes several months after the EFSA released a report identifying “high acute risk” to honey bees from uses of certain neonicotinoid chemicals.  In the U.S., the silence from executive regulatory agencies is deafening. Beekeepers and environmental advocacy groups have continuously engaged the EPA on this issue, first filing an emergency legal petition to ban the pesticide clothianidin back in March 2012. After being ignored by regulators, Beyond Pesticides joined with beekeepers, environmental and consumer groups in a lawsuit challenging the agency’s oversight of these systemic pesticides, as well as their practice of “conditionally” registering pesticides without adequate data. The EU vote represents a major setback to industry giants Syngenta and Bayer, which spent millions of dollars lobbying European states to not support a ban on their products, and casted calls for a ban on the unfounded accusations of “bee-hobbyists.” According to the Guardian UK, “One Syngenta executive, mentioning in passing his recent lunch with Barack Obama, claimed that ‘a small group of activists and hobby bee-keepers’ were behind that campaign for a ban.” Industry continues to argue that a ban would be catastrophic to agriculture, but similar bans in Italy, Slovenia and Germany enacted a couple years ago did not hinder the agricultural community. In light of these new restrictions across Europe, EPA must also move to restrict these chemicals in the U.S. to protect bee and other pollinator health.

Study Links Monsanto’s Roundup Autism, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s

A new review of hundreds of scientific studies surrounding glyphosate—the major component of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide—sheds light on its effects within the human body. The paper describes how all of these effects could work together, and with other variables, trigger health problems in humans, including debilitating diseases like gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Glyphosate impairs the cytochrome P450 (CYP) gene pathway, which creates enzymes that help to form and also break down molecules in cells. There are myriad important CYP enzymes, including aromatase (the enzyme that converts androgen into estrogen) and 21-Hydroxylase, which creates cortisol (stress hormone) and aldosterone (regulates blood pressure). One function of these CYP enzymes is also to detoxify xenobiotics, which are foreign chemicals like drugs, carcinogens or pesticides. Glyphosate inhibits these CYP enzymes, which has rippling effects throughout our body. Because the CYP pathway is essential for normal functioning of various systems in our bodies, any small change in its expression can lead to disruptions. For example, humans exposed to glyphosate have decreased levels of the amino acid tryptophan, which is necessary for active signaling of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Suppressed serotonin levels have been associated with weight gain, depression and Alzheimer’s disease. This paper does not claim to yield new scientific discoveries. Instead, it looks at older studies in a new light. .The authors of the new review call for more independent research to validate their findings, stating that “glyphosate is likely to be pervasive in our food supply, and contrary to being essentially nontoxic, it may in fact be the most biologically disruptive chemical in our environment.” If the body of independent research on GE foods and the herbicides used with them shows one thing, it is that there are unanswered questions begging for unbiased research. And while these questions remain unanswered, Americans have the right to know how their food was produced.

How Toxic is Your Lipstick?

In a small study out last week, researchers tested lipsticks and lip glosses for toxic metals, including lead and cadmium. Though metal content varied widely from brand to brand, they found that women who apply lipstick two to three times daily can ingest a significant amount—20 percent of the daily amount that’s considered safe in drinking water or more—of aluminum, cadmium, chromium, and manganese. Depending on the lipstick, in some cases women who applied it  14 times a day or more, were meeting or surpassing the daily recommended exposure to chromium, aluminum, and manganese. Lead, a metal that humans should avoid exposure to entirely, was detected in 75 percent of the samples. Some of these chemicals are nasty: Cadmium, for example, is a carcinogen that has been found in breast cancer biopsies and shown to cause cancer cells to multiply in lab experiments. Lipsticks with traces of lead included one made by Burt’s Bees, which is now owned by Clorox.  The FDA itself doesn’t even test the dozens of dyes used in cosmetics or set the maximum amounts of metals in them; it outsourced that job years ago to the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, an organization established in 1976 by a cosmetics-industry-aligned trade and lobbying group. Over the years, the US has banned 22 chemicals outright. For comparison, the EU currently bans more than 1,300 chemicals. Want to limit your heavy metal intake without giving up your lipstick? The FDA’s 2012 test found less than one part per million of lead in Wet n’ Wild, Bobbi Brown, and Shiseido brand lipsticks. The Environmental Working Group also has a database with information on cosmetic products and the risky ingredients that could be in them, and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has a list of its favorite products online as well.