By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Halloween is still a few weeks out, but for farm animal advocates, it is time to talk turkey.

Ginnifer Goodwin at the Farm Sanctuary (Photo: Ryan Pfluger)

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By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now
The Mediterranean diet or style of eating is not just for cultivating healthy arteries anymore. Now researchers say it may reduce the risk of depression.
A dietary pattern of eating plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, fish and olive oil appears to help people fend off clinical depression, according [...]

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By Christopher Peake
Green Right Now
Eating locally can be a healthier, wiser way to go — fresher food is more nutrient rich. But shopping for local produce means we must learn to take control of our menu, work with what’s in season and let go of what’s heading out.
Now that it’s fall, we have to [...]

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By Ashley Phillips
Green Right Now

This month, Starbucks locations in the United Kingdom and Ireland began serving “100% Starbucks Shared Planet and Fairtrade Certified Espresso” to the local clientele –an average of two million people per week. So figure that’s a lot of cappuccino contributing to better wages and working conditions for small-scale farmers.

Starbucks, already the largest producer of fair trade coffee in the world, is making an even bigger promise: In partnership with Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO), the company intends for every espresso-based drink to be Starbucks Fairtrade-certified within the next six month at all Starbucks locations in Europe.

Starbucks Fairtrade Certified Espresso is grown mostly in Latin America, specifically Guatemala, Costa Rica and Peru. Their farming communities will immediately benefit financially from the transition, according to Starbucks, which estimates the switch will contribute over $4 million annually to these smaller farmers.

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By John DeFore
Green Right Now

Tesla Roadster

Environmentally-sensitive lifestyles and luxury goods would not, to many of us, seem to go together very well. People who own billion-dollar yachts, for instance, aren’t exactly worrying about their carbon footprint.

But plenty of purveyors of high-end goods hope to fight that assumption. Gathering a few steps from Central Park at Manhattan’s Rouge Tomate restaurant Tuesday, a few dozen companies argued that you can have your lush life and save the planet, too.

Fashion models and a celebrity or two mingled with backpack-toting journalists at the event, but (no offense to the models) the sexiest guest never came in the front door: A Tesla Roadster was parked out front, inviting slack-jawed lust from passersby, right in front of a more modest would-be world-changer, the single-seat NmG from Myers Motors.

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From Green Right Now Reports

The City of Brotherly Love will be showing its nature-loving side this coming Sunday during GreenFest Philly at 2nd and South streets. The event, sponsored by Toyota and produced by the Urban Green Partnership, will feature a green film festival, an introduction to the Girl Scouts of America’s new Go Green Initiative and displays by some 200 enviromental groups and businesses.

About 25,000 people are expected to attend this year’s GreenFest Philly. This year’s theme is “food” and booths are expected to help educate the public on how to buy locally, eat vegetarian, grow your own food and support farmer’s markets.

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From Green Right Now Reports

California has one of the most widely adopted green winegrowing and winemaking programs in the world, one that has earned the state’s top environmental award. The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, established by Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers, maintains a web site to help members of the state’s wine-making industry stay informed on sustainability issues.

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By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Here’s a little cautionary tale about how bigger is not always better, and knowing who to blame doesn’t necessarily solve the problem. It’s also about the inter-connectedness of our energy and food systems, and specifically how coal-fired power plants affect your diet.

Say you were camping with friends and caught a really BIG fish. This squirming monster would give you bragging rights for a year. Now say you caught a smaller fish, suitable for pan frying but not Kodak-worthy.

What do you do? If you’re Daniel Boone, you toss the little guy back. But if you’re a post-industrial age sportsman or woman, you will want to consider this: Keep the big hunker and you’ve got more to eat, and disproportionately more mercury contamination.

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By Hosea Sanders

CHICAGO (WLS) — You don’t have to change your life to go green. You can always make small adjustments like switching from plastic to paper — or corn. You might be protecting the planet just by having your next meal — and not even know it. >> Read the full story

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By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

It’s recipe time! This week at our house we’re defaulting to our simple school time meals, eating faux hot dogs with local corn on the cob, bean and soy crumble tacos, and broccoli stir fry with tofu, as we strive to keep the protein in our veggie diet and still get the kids to athletic practices and club meetings.

But Diane Hatz, founder of Sustainable Table, has some more sophisticated solutions (but still easy, like goat cheese pizza and garbanzo bean burgers) in her blog, “Eat Less Meat — and enjoy it! — reprinted here:

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Green Right Now Reports

Increasingly we’re hearing about how local, seasonal food is richer in nutrients than canned or out-of-season produce that’s been shipped in from afar.

UT Southwestern Medical Center nutrition experts say we can be even more deliberate with our menu choices by choosing seasonal fruits and veggies that offer specific health benefits.

Their tip today: Eat fresh melons in season — and that means late summer in the US — to get a boost of potassium. That mineral can help athletes and those suffering from high blood pressure.

“Melons like cantaloupe and watermelon are particularly high in potassium,” says Lona Sandon, assistant professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. “One fourth a cantaloupe contains 800 to 900 milligrams of potassium, roughly 20 percent of the recommended daily value.”

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By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

I can’t improve on the article below by Diane Hatz, founder of Sustainable Table, who urges people to consider eating less meat, for their health and the planet and their budget.

I will say I was shocked at the figure she quotes for how much meat an American eats in a given year – 192 pounds of red meat, poultry and fish?!? Yowzer. If it’s really true that high meat consumption contributes to heart disease and cancer (and it is really true) then meat is the 200-pound elephant in the room.

We’re looking forward to Hatz’s next article.

From Diane Hatz:

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