Whether or not cell phone radiation presents a human health risk remains one of those dangling  public health questions. Some studies have suggested that longtime users of cell phones face an increased chance of developing brain or salivary gland cancers. But many others have found no link, prompting some public health groups to give cell phone a clean bill.

Motorola Droid at the high end of the radiation scale at 1.49 SAR when held at the ear

In the absence of a clear signal either way, and in the  belief that we’d be better off to err on the side of caution, the Environmental Working Group analyzed the radiation from some of the newest model cell phones.

The results, released today, show that some of the top-rated, do-everything phones emit some of  highest levels of radiation.

“Motorola Droid, Blackberry Bold 9700, HTC Magic and LG Chocolate Touch, hyped as the latest and greatest new cell phones in 2010, rate high marks from tech experts for performance and features,” the EWG reported in a news release.

“But the flashy ads don’t disclose that these new models top the radiation charts. EWG has found that all four phones’ emissions are pushing the edge of radiofrequency radiation safety limits set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).”

The EWG is proposing a solution, inform consumers at the point of sale about a phone’s radiation ratings.

“A number of health agencies around the world advise people to reduce exposures to cell phone radiation, driven by recent studies raising questions about the safety of this radiation, particularly for children,” said Jane Houlihan, senior vice president for research at Environmental Working Group.

“That’s why it’s essential for consumers to have radiation output information before they purchase phones for themselves and their families.”

California and San Francisco officials are already discussing potential disclosure requirements. Those would require that the radiation emitted — technically known as the Specific Absorption Rate or SAR, a calculation based on emissions ouput measure again a kilogram of body weight — be placed on a phone’s label.

Federal law requires that a phone’s SAR level be disclosed to the FCC, but this information rarely makes it to consumers, the EWG says.

Apple iPhone, middle of the pack of phone's analyzed by EWG

The CTIA Wireless Association, however, points out that consumers can find a phone’s SAR rating online and more importantly, can be assured that any phone sold in the U.S. does not exceed the FCC’s limits for radiation exposure from cell phones, set at 1.6 watts per kilogram (1.6 W/kg).

“The peer-reviewed scientific evidence has overwhelmingly indicated that wireless devices, within the limits established by the FCC, do not pose a public health risk or cause any adverse health effects,” said John Walls, vice president of public affairs for CTIA-The Wireless Association. “That is why the leading global heath organizations such as the American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute, World Health Organization and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration all have concurred that wireless devices are not a public health risk.”

One ripple in the theory that cell phone use is safe: People haven’t been using them that long, leaving a lack of long-term studies.

The EWG maintains that given the unknowns, labeling phones would better serve consumers by helping them sort out the high radiation phones from lower-emitting phones.

The non-profit public advocacy group argues that users need this information at least as much as they need the details of a phone’s features and aesthetics.

Motorola Brute, lowest of those tested for radiation at 0.86 W/kg

There is good news in the EWG report. Three of the new 2010 phones — the Motorola Brute, Pantech, Impact and Samsung Mythic emit “significantly less radiation” than their higher-emitting competitors.

Also, users of any cell phone can take steps to limit dangerous exposure.

By texting, instead of talking, and using headsets or the speaker mode, phone users can limit the amount of time their phone is in direct contact with their head or body.

See the EWG’s list of cell phone safety tips for more info on wise phone use.

For more information in the debate over whether cell phone use increases one’s chance of brain, acoustic or salivary gland cancers, see this recent article in New Scientist magazine.

Concerned about all those dangerous household chemicals you keep hearing about: BPA, phthalates and pesticides with cryptic names like 2,4-Dioxane?

We’ve found just the book for you.

Slow Death By Rubber Duck:The Secret Danger of Everyday Things (Counterpoint, 2009. U.S. $25) will take you on a chilling, but informative ride through our chemically enhanced consumer product world. Starting with your kid’s Rubber Duck, which contains five chemicals of concern, imagine what the rest of the household contains.

Frankly, I worried that this cleverly titled book about the dangerous additives lurking in our house dust, furniture, hand soaps and Teflon pans would be just that, an inspired title followed by surface information. But I was quickly relieved of that concern. Co-authors Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie are not just scratching the stick-resistant surface here.

Dr. Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence Canada, and Lourie, a longtime environmental adviser to governments and corporations, look at how dangerous chemicals got into our products — because they were invented! and people wanted eggs that slipped off pans before we knew much about the chemistry of those pans, and manufacturers wanted to protect us from flaming couches by dousing them with flame retardants, now linked to increased cancer risks and neuro-motor deficits in children. And, well, there’s a story behind every chemical load in every product. The takeaway: Often these added chemicals are needless, or of dubious added value.

Perhaps more importantly, Smith and Lourie looked at how toxic ingredients leap from consumer goods into our bodies. Despite the reassurances of manufacturers that PBDEs (flame retardants), Teflon and Bisphenol A remain locked into their respective products, scientific studies have revealed that PBDEs turn up in household dust; Teflon fumes can fry not only eggs but the lungs of pet birds and BPA, as you’ve likely heard, leaches from polycarbonate plastic containers, getting into food and drinks. (and it’s in the resin lining food cans everywhere.)

Our Rubber Duck guides don’t just recite that science, or take it on faith, they test it. Smith and Lourie become the guinea pigs for their inquiry, exposing themselves systematically to common problem ingredients and then having their urine and blood tested to see whether their levels of contamination increased.

For instance, Smith tested his levels of phthalates, a plastics-additive found in toys and dozens of  body products, before and after exposing himself to a pre-selected list of highly scented deodorants, toiletries, dish soap and an air fresheners containing phthalates.

His levels of one type of phthalate, DEPs (diethyl phthalates, which turn up in the body as MEPs, monoethyl phthalates, and which have been linked to male reproductive problems) shot through the roof.

“It worked all right,” Smith writes. “I was actually shocked at the results…And my little experiment showed how amazingly easy it is to dramatically crank up levels of MEP after a simple change in toiletries for two days. Who knew that conditioning your hair could be hazardous to your health?”

Of course, the upside is, if you can make the levels of chemicals in your body go up, you can also make them go down, in many cases, as the authors also demonstrate.

I don’t want to spoil other outcomes here, but let’s just say, Smith and Lourie’s findings ranged from interesting to hair-raising. Their escapades with phthalates, flame retardants,  BPA, Teflon, mercury, anti-microbials and pesticides, were at turns humorous and dismaying. It left me riveted. I grew so fond of this book, I threw over my usual fiction for several nights running to curl up with the adventures of these chemical detectives.

And while I was provided a free review copy of the book, that will hardly cover the cost of the stainless steel pans I’ll now be buying to replace my non-stick set. Hmmpff!

Copyright © 2010 Green Right Now | Distributed by GRN Network

Over the past year or so, there’s been a velvety, yummy buzz: Chocolate may just save the planet!

Divine Hearts are actually good for your heart

Actually, that’s a stretch. But in the months leading up to the Copenhagen climate talks last December, several chocolate-makers claimed they were venturing further into fair trade practices, including Nestle, Mars and Cadbury.

Add to that the promising method of “cabruca farming” in Brazil — a way of supplementing rainforests with valuable cacao plants to offset wholesale slash-and-burn techniques. Then multiply those happy developments by now-abundant data showing that chocolate — dark chocolates and bittersweets, specifically — are good for our health, and you’ve got a growing body of evidence that semi-sweet, Fair Trade chocolate is not only good for body, heart and soul; it could be good for the environment.

“Chocolate is considered to be a super food,” says Steven Flood, co-owner of Fat Turkey Chocolates, an organic chocolatier based in Austin, Texas. “You could actually live and sustain yourself on chocolate alone and get everything you need. And you wouldn’t get fat. Because there’s not a lot of fat in dark chocolate.”

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center’s  Cancer Prevention Center, among others, cacao contains potent antioxidants that reduce free radicals in the body much quicker and more efficiently than green tea or vitamin C, helping to prevent cancer. Also, the natural flavanoids in chocolate have a beneficial impact on our systems’ blood vessels, helping them pump that vital red fluid more smoothly, making heart disease less likely.

And, posits Fat Turkey’s Steven Flood, “The darkest chocolates have a chemical called theo-bromine, which is also a decongestant. It’s similar to caffeine in chemical structure. So if your kids are congested, you can give them a little bit of dark chocolate instead of medicines and chemicals.”

But you don’t need to wait for a cold or congestion, of course. For many of us, February is officially “chocolate month.” It’s the season where we say to all things chocolate, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. …”

CHOCOLATE: FUTURE RAINFOREST SAVIOR?

It turns out there’s a lot more to savor than just chocolate’s rich, almost primal flavor. Some farmers and scientists think they can use a certain type of farming to protect, and potentially, revitalize parts of the rainforest.

Back in December, the Swiss behemoth Nestle and Europe’s Fairtrade Foundation reached an agreement that would certify a certain type of Nestle’s Kit Kat bar, the choco-biscuit bar, as Fair Trade — the caveat: it’s only these certain size of Kit Kats, and they’re only sold in the U.K. and Ireland. But last October, Nestle launched its “Cocoa Plan,” a global, 10-year initiative that invests 65 million British pounds (about $102 million U.S. dollars)  to address fair trade issues that have plagued cacao farmers from Africa to South America, such as lack of health-care, educational and environmental protection plans.

Farmers in Côte d’Ivoire (the Ivory Coast)  – producers of more cocoa than any other country in the world — will especially benefit from the Nestle plan, which calls for farmers’ groups to receive extra Fair Trade premium payments, in addition to the Fair Trade price (or market price if higher) for their crop; these extra payments can be used as the cocoa growers see fit, but most experts expect the money to go toward the groups’ health-care, education and community improvements (water, sewage, preservation of farmland), along with reinvestment into more eco-sustainable farming.

In early 2008, Britain’s Cadbury announced its Cadbury Cocoa Partnership, which invests 45 million pounds ($70.5 million) into cocoa producing farms in Ghana, India, Indonesia and the Caribbean. Also, in 2008 it reached an agreement with Fair Trade bodies in the UK that would certify “Dairy Milk” bars as Fair Trade — though, as a result of the global economic crisis, Cadbury says, there have been delays .

Typically, a “fair trade” label means that the chocolate manufacturer has agreed to buy a certain percentage of Fair Trade cocoa — or to use a certain ratio of Fair Trade cocoa in a particular brand and size of candy bar — from Fair Trade providers who pay a decent living wage and adhere to other standards. Fair Trade products often employ sustainable models of production.

In fact, as Carmen K. Iezzi of the U.S.’s Fairtrade Federation cautions, these announcements and partial Fair Trade-purchases could be more PR campaigns than anything.

“These big companies aren’t interested in making that full commitment (to using only Fair Trade cocoa); they are selectively incorporating Fair Trade into their purchases for several reasons, partially because they want to capitalize on consumer’s growing interest in making responsible decisions,” says the federation’s executive director, Iezzi. “We want consumers to move in that direction and really harness the power that they have, but we want people to be clear on what’s really going on, and often it’s a difference between the messaging and marketing and the actual purchasing.”

What is provable, however, is that in the Brazilian rainforests, old-school farmers are working with scientists at the State University of Santa Cruz in Eastern Brazil, the World Agroforestry Center and chocolate manufacturers of Mars, Inc. to research a cacao-growing practice known as “cabruca farming.”

Essentially this means that cacao fruit trees are planted within rainforests, rather than in open spaces. Granted, it requires the felling of a relative few old-growth giants to make room for the squattier cacao plants, but since the forests will then shelter a valued commodity (the essence of chocolate!), governments, corporations and small farmers are less likely to take out entire swaths of forest.

It’s a long-shot — salvaging rainforests by growing cacao. And one that isn’t going to restore millions of lost acres, experts say. But it provides an example of a different way to farm cocoa and make money. Also, some scientists are noting that over a period of time, as fewer big trees are leveled and more crops are interspersed among the tall guys, carbon build-up in the soils is returning.

As a National Public Radio segment on “cabruca farming” stated… “There used to be 330 million acres of rainforest in eastern Brazil, called the Mata Atlantica. Settlers arrived hundreds of years ago and began destroying the forest for the wood, and to create fields for pasture and crops. Only 7 percent of the Mata Atlantica remains, and destruction is still going on. Every time a tree is burned, its stored carbon is released. As more carbon is released into the air, the planet gets warmer.”

The on-location report went on to explain how chocolate was once a major source of income for Brazil. But as the market for cocoa (made from the cacao tree’s beans) plummeted over the past 20 years, due largely to plant disease, the low price of cocoa discouraged farmers — who then began logging or harvesting the ancient carbon-storing trees, or simply burning down the forests for agricultural use.

But through “cabruca,” Brazil and other rainforest nations have an example of what can be done to halt and possibly reverse some of the slash-and-burn damage.

One family who has been growing cacao for four generations — the Joao Tavares family — has seeded 2,200 acres of rainforest with cacao. They cut only a few of the taller, canopy trees, adding the shorter cacao plants beneath. Over the past several years, the experiment has been successful, and the Tavares family are now seeing a replenished and reinvigorated soil, which again supports all kind of plant and animal life. They are learning that this may well mean salvation for some sections of rainforest.

“We understand that we have to preserve the cabruca,” Joao Tavares told NPR, “even if you have less production.

The upshot is, despite smaller yields, the quality and value of the plants is much greater, commanding higher prices from chocolate manufacturers. Farmers who grow in non-rainforest environments find their plants have many more diseases and insect problems. The other trade-off is that more and more consumers are demanding eco-friendly chocolates. So these specialty cabruca farmers have an already established market — and one that’s only growing, as people become more environmentally aware.

CHOCOLAT! SALUD? (WELL, IF IT’S DARK…)

A gift to make anyone wake up and take notice -- chocolate and coffee pairings from Equal Exchange.

Another boon to chocoholics is the fact that recent studies show that dark chocolate is good for the heart and circulatory system, as well as the immune system — and possibly the brain.

According to the American Society of Nutrition’s Journal of Nutrition and a story in ScienceDaily, the Research Laboratories of the Catholic University in Campobasso, Italy, published some interesting findings in late 2008.

Working with the National Cancer Institute of Milan, the university’s study was “one of the largest epidemiological studies ever conducted in Europe,” the Research Labs noted that inflammation of the cardiovascular system is notably less among people of a certain region in Italy where chocolate is a regular part of the diet.

Basically, the study indicates that by eating less than half of a 100-gram dark chocolate bar, consumers have less risk for heart disease, cancer and high blood pressure.

“We started from the hypothesis that high amounts of antioxidants contained in the cocoa seeds, in particular flavonoids and other kinds of polyphenols, might have beneficial effects on the inflammatory state,” stated Romina di Giuseppe, the study’s lead author. “Our results have been absolutely encouraging: People having moderate amounts of dark chocolate regularly have significantly lower levels of C-reactive protein in their blood. In other words, their inflammatory state is considerably reduced. The 17% average reduction observed may appear quite small, but it is enough to decrease the risk of cardio-vascular disease for one third in women and one fourth in men. It is undoubtedly a remarkable outcome”

Now for the not-so-good news. This only applies when we eat dark chocolate, and in moderation. The study proscribed an average of 6.7 grams per day – or a small square of chocolate up to three times a week.

“Beyond these amounts the beneficial effect tends to disappear,” di Giuseppe said. He also mentioned that previous research indicates that milk chocolate isn’t so healthy, and that the milk “interferes with the absorption of polyphenols. That is why our study considered just the dark chocolate”

Other professionals in the United States, including professor of nutrition Katie Eliot at Saint Louis University, in St. Louis, MO, say chocolate is having a renaissance because of its good qualities.

Dark chocolate products with a cocoa content of 60 percent or higher carry the desired flavonoids.

“Like green tea and berries, dark chocolate contains powerful antioxidants (flavonoids) that have been shown to reduce blood pressure and the bad LDL cholesterol to prevent cholesterol from collecting in the arteries,” Eliot said. “Most studies have used one 40-gram serving – or three large squares of dark chocolate-to show cardiovascular benefit. … (But) because one serving packs 200 calories, it should be your one sweet treat for the day and part of a balanced diet. If you just add 200 calories to your daily diet, you will gain weight.”

If you’re going for full-on Fair Trade chocolate that’s good for the planet and for your body/soul/conscience, here are three chocolate-makers in the U.S. where you can start your search:

• Divine Chocolates, owned by cocoa farmers in Ghana
• Alter Eco USA, sells various edibles, including Fair Trade chocolate bars. Find out where to buy locally here.
• Equal Exchange, Fair Trade 24/7.

Now — armed with all this feel-good data about chocolate — go forth and savor that midnight-colored, velvety, electrifying substance we know as chocolate.  After all, what’s not to love?

(The Fair Trade Federation in Washington D.C. is calling on teachers to educate about the value of Fair Trade chocolate this Valentine’s Day. Naturally, their offering enticements of…chocolate.)

Copyright © 2010 Green Right Now | Distributed by GRN Network

New Yorkers have gotten pretty good at finding new places to grow plants: rooftops in Brooklyn, abandoned rail lines in Manhattan, and now they’re conquering the tops of old shipping containers.

At least Roberta’s pizzeria in Bushwick, Brooklyn is giving it a shot. The pizzeria is housed in a former garage and tucked between rows of old, gritty warehouses and industrial factories. The wood-paneled walls match the wood picnic-styled tables, and prominently placed at the front of the restaurant is the bright red, wood-burning oven duly named Roberta.

Roberta's, a no-frills pizzeria (Photo: Sommer Saadi.)

But in the back yard is where they keep the main attraction.

Just outside of this one-year-old restaurant sit two 8 by 20 feet containers — the ones you see cruising on highways behind 18-wheelers. On the inside they house the Heritage Radio Network, an Internet-based radio station with programming that focuses on the local food movement. But on top, the containers have been turned into beds of greens, vegetables and herbs that are used inside the kitchen to make, amongst other menu items, Roberta’s acclaimed Neapolitan pizzas.

Through the double doors and around the restaurant’s outdoor picnic tables, a staircase leads up to the first container, covered in PVC and Visqueen plastic (there are plans to add bubble wrap for greater insulation). Still, the cold winter keeps the soil frozen and most everything but perennial herbs from growing.

Herb and veggie beds at Roberta's backyard, rooftop garden (Photo: Sommer Saadi.)

In the connecting container, however, spinach starts and salad greens are holding out in a slightly warmer climate. The container is positioned right above the restaurant’s air compressor that is attached to its walk-in cooler, and the hot air pumped out by the big, cold storage unit is harnessed and used to heat the green house.

But even in the warmer months, admits garden manager Gwen Schantz, the restaurant only gets about 20 percent of its ingredients from Roberta’s garden and from a backyard garden at a friend’s home about five blocks away. Schantz estimates that the Roberta’s garden produced about 200 pounds of food last season. The restaurant goes through thousands of pounds a month.

“We have delivered a stack of boxes of vegetables each day,” Schantz explains, “and you just can’t produce that amount of vegetables here all year round, every day.”

“Maybe if this,” she motions to the entire backyard, “was all one big greenhouse.”

But even if the garden doesn’t grow 100 percent of the ingredients needed for the hot spot’s menu, the garden still makes Roberta’s special. And being special is important in a city flooded with places to buy a slice.

“In the summer our customers will come and lunch and bring their kids into the greenhouse and walk around and take pictures,” Schantz explains. “It’s an attraction and in that sense it adds value to the restaurant.”

The majority of rooftop projects commissioned by members of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, a 10-year-old Toronto-based association that claims more than 5,000 members, have a commercial or selling component. But as founder and president Steven Peck explains, it’s the sense of community they build that offers the greatest benefit.

Creating a community was a motivating factor for Roberta’s owners Chris Parachini and Brandon Hoy when they started the garden last April. It attracted a lot of partners and investors that helped the restaurant get going. An initial investment of $1,000 from Bay Area local food icon Alice Waters sealed the deal.

Now, after one season of trial and error with the crops, the restaurateurs are pushing to make the garden investment profitable.

Roberta's rooftop enterprise uses all available space (Photo: Sommer Saadi.)

By planting perennial herbs, which tend to be more expensive per pound at the farmer’s market, the restaurant is saving on supply costs. The operators also are saving on waste removal costs, which are determined by the weight of the trash. Instead of hauling food scraps to a dump site, they are composted and used as fertilizer for the garden. Even the kitchen grease, which can be expensive to dispose of, is recycled by a company that turns it into bio-diesel.

Space is a big obstacle for the garden, but after acquiring a neighboring lot and with plans in the works to acquire another building for a potential bakery and chicken coop, the restaurant operators know they have room to grow.

On the new lot Schantz is creating what she calls a “modular” farm. Because the restaurant sometimes hosts large events like concerts, banquets and weddings, the new space needs to be versatile. Rather than lay down soil into big, stationary beds, Roberta’s acquired 200 large plastic bins from an old brewery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn that it will fill with organic compost soil from Long Island.

“In one bed we’ll plant herbs, another tomatoes, maybe in one a tree,” Schantz said. “We’re turning the space into a flexible, modular garden that can be pushed back if we need it to.”

She’s excited to get the plans moving.

Copyright © 2010 Green Right Now | Distributed by GRN Network

Food, it’s the perfect, practical holiday gift — and you can support the causes you care about with a gift of food that’s either Fair Trade, organic or comes from a shop designed to help workers gain job experience.

Here are some of our picks for the season.

1 - Urban Raw Honey from Beeline

Beeline Honey

Made locally by Beeline, a social enterprise in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood, this is nature’s nectar at its best. The project employs formerly incarcerated people, training them in beekeeping, marketing and other job placement skills. Our cities need bees and bee gardens to pollinate flowers and veggies. People can benefit from eating honey rather than refined sugar, and the workers learn a serious trade that is likely to help them toward higher employment. Looks like, win, win, win. Oh yeah, your gift recipient will surely find this a sweet treat. Beeline honey is sold at the Green Heart Shop in downtown Chicago or online.

2 — Women’s Bean Project Soup and Cookie Mixes

The Green Heart Shop again comes through with a socially responsible way to treat yourself or those on the holiday list. These soup and cookie mixes are made by the Women’s Bean Project in Denver, which is a non-profit organization that teaches job readiness and life skills by employing those in need in the gourmet food business. Program participants come from backgrounds of chronic unemployment and poverty, and the program helps them develop the work and interpersonal skills needed to function independently in the workplace and community.

We’ll vouch for the chocolate chip cookies, which are truly delectable, not just some Tollhouse knock off. Green Heart recommends the Snickerdoodles. Just mix with eggs and butter and bake.

3 – Robin’s Chocolate Sauce

Robin's Chocolate Sauce

High fructose corn syrup and other cheap preservatives have invaded many grocery store chocolate syrups. But this chocolate syrup from a small maker in New England comes with full organic and conservation-supporting credentials. Made by a small business in Fort Fairfield, Maine, Robin’s is hand crafted from cacao that’s been grown under the rainforest canopy, which provides a refuse for migratory birds. A portion of the proceeds support the National Wildlife Federation. That’s one argument in its favor. The other is, duh, it’s chocolate.

4 – Organic Fruit Baskets by the Manhattan Fruitier

Manhattan Fruitier's organic hamper

Have you noticed how this list is trending toward the old-fashioned stuff? Throw out the chemicals and what have you got: less-processed food with no added pesticides. The Manhattan Fruitier, designed to be a “pre-industrial style shop,” is all about the old ways. They deliver by hand, using bikes if you’re local in Manhattan, which you have to love if you worry about carbon emissions. And what they deliver is healthful and pretty. Order a #6 “hamper” of organic fruit with chocolates, dried apricots and glazed nuts for $65. There are other organic choices, all available online.

5 –Green Tea for Traveling Tea Drinkers

Artisan bag from Nepal filled with tea

Here’s a unique Fair Trade item from Uncommon Goods for the Common Good: a petite handmade bag made in Nepal and filled with organic ginger-flavored green tea.

The 7 x 6-inch bag  has two zippered sections and comes with 50 tea bags. It sells for $10.99. A nice stocking stuffer for the tea lover, this gift helps support education and workers in Nepal.

6 — Organic Wine and Chocolates

So you’re not so interested in the “old ways”?  Keep up with the latest wine trends, and even push the envelope with this wine and chocolate gift set. Both the California wines and the chocolate truffles are organic.

Organic wine and chocolate

Unfortunately, you can’t find this sort of thing at your local chain stores, so you’ll have to order it. You can choose your bottles, and red/white combinations from the selected Pinot Noir, Chardonnay or Petit Sirah wines. The set comes from Uncommon Goods for the Common Good. There are other wine and chocolate sets available, as well as microbrewed beer. (You must be 21 to order this.)

See us also on   The Find shopping search engine, where you can search for these items online and also find them at your local stores.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

LOS ANGELES (KABC):

POMME BÉBÉ

Pomme Bébé is an organic baby food store located in Newport Beach. With a team of professional chefs, Pomme Bébé peels, steams and purées wholesome fruits and vegetables making nutritious baby and toddler baby meals. For the busiest of parents, Pomme Bébé delivers nationally. By placing your order online, freshly made organic baby food will be delivered to your front door in environmentally friendly packaging.

For more information or to order online, visit: www.pommebebe.com

The Ecology Center, a Michigan-based nonprofit organization, today released a report showing that one in three of all toys — including some children’s plastic purses, jewelry, toy trains and apparel  –  tested this holiday season contained one or more harmful chemical including lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury.

Dangerous Dora -- This "Explorer Pack" tested high for arsenic and lead in a November test.

(See some of the worst offenders from the 2009 list of “High Concern” toys here.)

The Center, working with partners across the country, released its findings in the 3rd Annual Consumer Guide to Toxic Chemicals in Toys at www.HealthyStuff.org. Researchers tested nearly 700 popular 2009 children’s products for lead, cadmium, arsenic, PVC, and other harmful chemicals.

According to researchers, who have tested more than 4,000 children’s products over the past three years, lead has been steadily decreasing in toys.  The number of products with lead exceeding current federal standards for lead in toys (300 ppm) has decreased 67 percent since 2007.

However, 32 percent of the toys tested for this holiday season still contained one or more harmful chemical including lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury.

In addition, 18 percent of the products tested this holiday season (119 of 669) still contained detectable lead, including the Barbie Bike Flair Accessory Kit, Dora the Explorer Activity Tote, and the Kids Poncho from WalMart.

PVC, considered a “worst in class” plastic because of life cycle concerns, continues to be found in 42 percent of children’s products.

“The toxic chemicals that we find are a fraction of the thousands of chemicals that can be present in everyday products, including those intended for children,” Jeff Gearhart, the Ecology Center’s lead researcher and founder of HealthyStuff.org, said in a statement. “We need a major overhaul of our chemicals policies immediately to start phasing out these dangerous substances.”

Holiday shoppers can obtain the findings on popular toys by going to the HealthyStuff.org web site.  Consumers can search for toys by product name, UPC code, product type, manufacturer, or retailer to find products that have “No, Low, Medium,” or “High” levels of toxic chemicals.

Beware the Singing Puppy. This one tested high for lead, arsenic and bromine in early 2009.

In addition to toys, HealthyStuff.org tests products such as shoes, belts, wallets, handbags and backpacks. While levels of lead in toys have declined, adult and children’s apparel continues to show high levels of lead. For instance, over half of the 100 plastic handbags tested contain more than 1,000 ppm lead.

Babies and young children are the most vulnerable to toxic chemicals since their brains and bodies are still developing and because they commonly put toys, other products, and their hands into their mouths.

However, the researchers stressed that many manufacturers are producing safe toys. Two-thirds (68 percent) of the products tested in 2009 did not contain any lead, cadmium, arsenic, or mercury, including many made in China. These results show that manufacturers can make toys free of unnecessary toxic chemicals and 58 percent of children’s products were made without PVC.

To sample the toys, HealthyStuff.org said its experts used a portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer that identifies the elemental composition of materials. The device has been used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to screen packaging; the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to screen food; and many state and county health departments use this method to screen for residential lead paint.

Today, the U.S. Senate Environment & Public Works Committee is scheduled to hear testimony from three key federal agencies about the need to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) – passed in 1976 to regulate chemicals. To date, the EPA has required testing on only about 200 of the more than 80,000 chemicals that have been on the market since the law passed 33 years ago. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL) are expected to introduce a new bill soon to reform this outdated law.

Also today, environmental commissioners from 13 states released principles that call for updating and strengthening Act while preserving state implementation and management rights.  California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington endorsed the principles, which include:

• protecting the most vulnerable including pregnant women and children
• requiring manufacturers to provide health, safety, and use data on chemicals
• demonstrating that chemicals in commerce are safe
• identifying safer alternatives to toxic chemicals in keeping with the principles of green chemistry
• assessing the safety of emerging chemicals of concern including nanoscale materials before they enter into widespread commerce

Could we replace baked yams topped with melty marshmallows with something natural and organic? Could we convert Mom’s canned green bean casserole into a healthier, Earth-friendly dish – complete with crunchy onion bits on top?

What if we asked some of the best-selling organic cookbook writers in the country to overhaul our Thanksgiving table?

We asked, and they answered. Our lineup of top green cooks have whipped up a great alternative menu for Thanksgiving. (OK, we did turn to one expert vegetarian cookbook, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman, for a stuffing recipe.)

Myra Goodman is a founder of Earthbound Farm

And no, we didn’t talk turkey. We’ll leave that up to you non-veggie types. Here’s what’s cooking, and who is cooking it:

THE CRANBERRY SAUCE:

Myra Goodman and her husband, Drew, started Earthbound Farm in 1984. What began as a small farm producing organic items became the first company to launch pre-washed salads for retail sale. Today, 150 farmers grow Earthbound Farm’s more than 100 varieties of organic salads, fruits and vegetables.

Myra has been creating her own recipes and cooking with their organic food since she baked and sold raspberry muffins at their first roadside stand. The Goodmans have been featured in People, The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Redbook and more. Her first book is Food to Live By. Next spring, look for her newest book, The Earthbound Cook.

Myra’s recipe for Cranberry Sauce

THE GRAVY:

Jackie Newgent is a registered dietitian, an eco-cuisine expert, chef/instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, and author of Big Green Cookbook (Wiley, 2009) and The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook. Her Web sites are JackieNewgent.com and BigGreenCookbook.com. Follow her on Twitter @jackienewgent.

Her dish for our T-day table is a yummy alternative to heavy flour and turkey-dripping based gravy.

Jackie’s recipe for Earth-Style Sweet Potato-Butter Bean Gravy with Rosemary

THE VEGGIE DRESSING:

Thanksgiving seems to demand a dollop of bread stuffing seasoned with sage. The question is: Can we tinker with this tradition, lower the carb wallop, but still fulfill our need for comfort food? Looking for something a little lighter, but still filling, found us perusing Mark Bittman recipes from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, a award-winning cookbook that rescues vegetarian cooking from the tofu/faux meat/Asian stir-fry rut. Bittman, an omnivore who recognizes the value of a mostly veg diet has been a professional food writer for 30 years, serving up recipes at Cook’s and The New York Times. He’s best known as the author of How to Cook Everything and for his “minimalist” column at The Times.

We chose Pearl Couscous Gratin with Pesto and Goat Cheese, because it’s easy, packs some punch and prepares well ahead of time.

THE ‘GREENER’ GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE:

The green team at Organic Gardening Magazine is always thinking seasonal, natural and healthy. Abigail Poulette, one of the pros there, has a fresh take on a Thanksgiving day dish that is usually anything but natural. Here is her suggestion to turn fall’s fresh, seasonal items into a healthier version of Mom’s green bean casserole.

Jesse Ziff Cool is the author of 7 books, the latest is 'Simply Organic'

Organic Gardening’s recipe for Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Shallots

THE YAM CASSEROLE, REBORN:

Jesse Ziff Cool has been dedicated to sustainable agriculture and cuisine since 1975. She is a writer, restaurateur, spokesperson and consultant for eco-conscious food service, waste management and social and corporate responsibility in the food industry. She is the author of seven cookbooks, the newest being Simply Organic. She operates three restaurants and a catering company.   She works with Stanford University education students to build a curriculum around simple, healthy food. She helps guide Stanford Hospital toward organic, healthy food for patients.

Jesse’s recipe for Ginger Yams with Mascarpone

THE REINVENTED PUMPKIN PIE:

Myra Goodman again lends a hand in our virtual green kitchen with her natural recipe for a perfect Thanksgiving Day pie – Pumpkin and Winter Squash Pie.

Myra’s recipe for the Pumpkin and Squash Pie Filling.

Choose from 2 crusts: Sweet Pie Crust or Flaky Whole-Grain Pie Crust

THE ‘GREEN’ APPLE PIE:

Anna Lappé is a bestselling author and speaker on food politics, sustainable agriculture, globalization, and social change. She was named one of Time’s “Eco” Who’s Who. Lappé has been featured in The New York Times, Gourmet, O-The Oprah Magazine and more.

The co-founder of the Small Planet Fund and Small Planet Institute, she lectures and is co-host of public TV’s The Endless Feast. Her first book, Hope’s Edge, written with her mother Frances Moore Lappé, chronicles courageous social movements around the world. (You may recall her mother’s bestselling book , Diet for a Small Planet.) Anna’s second book, Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen (Tarcher/Penguin 2006) written with chef Bryant Terry, has ideas, tools and menus for healthier lives. Her next book, slated for 2010 publication, is Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It (Bloomsbury).

Anna’s recipe for “Green” Apple Pie

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Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Shredded Brussels sprouts are the secret ingredient in this casserole makeover.

Late autumn is the best season to enjoy Brussels sprouts since they tend get sweeter after a winter frost. Buy them freshly picked, on the stem if possible. Avoid the sulfurous fumes that Brussels sprouts naysayers complain about by getting the freshest sprouts available (and avoid overcooking). — Organic Gardening Magazine’s Abigail Poulette

Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Ingredients:

1 pound Brussels sprouts, washed and trimmed (stems and rough outer leaves)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½  cup flour
1 to 2 large shallots
Vegetable oil for frying
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Slice the Brussels into 1/8″ ribbons, by hand, using a mandoline or a food processor. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, and add the sprouts, stirring occasionally.

Abigail Poulette of 'Organic Gardening' Magazine reinvents the green bean casserole

While the sprouts cook, thinly slice the shallots and lightly toss in a mixture of flour and salt and pepper. Add 1 ½-2″ of vegetable oil to a medium saucepan and bring to a medium high heat. Test the oil by adding one slice of shallot. When it bubbles and cooks quickly, add the shallots in small batches, watching closely and removing when golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Once the sprouts begin to soften and get some golden crispy bits, add the lemon juice to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, stir in the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with the crispy shallots.

Serves 4.  Here is the recipe on Organic Gardening ’s Web site.

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Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

More Holiday Recipes:

• Top green cooks transform Thanksgiving dishes into natural wonders
• Jackie Newgent’s Earth-Style Sweet Potato-Butter Bean Gravy with Rosemary
• Mark Bittman’s Pearl Coucous Gratin with Pesto and Goat Cheese
• Jesse Ziff Cool’s Ginger Yams with Mascarpone
• Myra Goodman’s Easy Cranberry Sauce
• Anna Lappé’s ‘Green’ Apple Pie
• Myra Goodman’s Flaky Whole-Grain Pie Crust
• Myra Goodman’s Pumpkin and Winter Squash Pie
• Myra Goodman’s Sweet Pie Crust

Jackie Newgent is the author of 'Big Green Cookbook'

You’ll be using the sweet potato peel, too, which will add flecks of interest. I refer to that as “earth-style” cuisine — you use every part of a food possible. That helps to make this fall-hued recipe green. It’s extra green because you’re using my “lid cooking” technique, which significantly reduces the amount of cooking energy required.

I developed this holiday-inspired gravy to also be exceptionally simple; all you need to do is add everything to one pan, no sautéing or roux-making required. What’s more, as a multi-tasking mealtime bonus, you can savor this gravy as a soup, too! Serve it in cute espresso or teacups to start your holiday meal off with a clever little palate pleaser. — Jackie Newgent

Use organic ingredients whenever possible. Makes 15 servings: 1/3 cup each

INGREDIENTS

1 medium (9-ounce) sweet potato with skin, scrubbed, diced into 1/4-inch or smaller cubes

1 medium (7-ounce) white or yellow onion, finely diced

1 (15-ounce) can organic butter beans or cannellini beans, drained

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, or to taste

1 bay leaf

1 (32-fluid ounces) carton low-sodium vegetable broth

1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add all ingredients to a large saucepan*. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high, cover, and cook (lightly boil) until the potato and onion are nearly softened, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Let the gravy “lid cook” (cook covered while the burner is off) until the potato and onion are fully softened, about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.

2. Fully puree using a hand immersion blender, about 1 minute. (Alternatively, puree in batches in a blender, using its hot fill line as a guide.) Adjust seasoning. Serve while hot.

3. If you prefer using nonstick pans for easy cleanup, make sure it’s PFOA-free, like Scanpan CTX. PFOAs are potentially-carcinogenic chemicals which are often found in traditional nonstick cookware.

Per serving: 45 calories, 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 290mg sodium, 9g total carbohydrate, 2g dietary fiber, 3g sugars, 2g protein

Time-Saving Strategy

Prepare this gravy a day in advance. Chill overnight in the refrigerator. Fully reheat just before serving. Stir in additional vegetable broth, if necessary, for proper consistency.

Eco-Fact

Following a plant-based diet can help you shrink your carbon footprint—or “food” print. Actually, the first of my eight “Big Green Cooking Rules” in Big Green Cookbook is “Prepare plant-based meals.” This gravy is vegan! So it’s eco-friendly, health-friendly, and friendly for any of your holiday dinner guests that love their gravy on potatoes, not turkey.

Little Green Cooking Tip

Having good skills with a chef’s knife is helpful when going green. How so? The more finely you dice or slice a food item, like this gravy, the faster the cooking process. That will help use less energy. Plus, you’ll enjoy cooking more when you know the best way to use a knife. Look for a knife skills class at a culinary school near you.

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Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

More Holiday Recipes:

• Top green cooks transform Thanksgiving dishes into natural wonders
• Organic Gardening’s Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Shallots
• Mark Bittman’s Pearl Coucous Gratin with Pesto and Goat Cheese
• Jesse Ziff Cool’s Ginger Yams with Mascarpone
• Myra Goodman’s Easy Cranberry Sauce
• Anna Lappé’s ‘Green’ Apple Pie
• Myra Goodman’s Flaky Whole-Grain Pie Crust
• Myra Goodman’s Pumpkin and Winter Squash Pie
• Myra Goodman’s Sweet Pie Crust

Lots of vegetables can be substituted for either the asparagus or the mushrooms in this recipe; green beans, peas, zucchini, and artichoke hearts would all work nicely. For a more dressed-up look, serve individual portions in four 6-ounce (or six 4-oz) ramekins. The Pearl Coucous can be cooked up to 2 days ahead, making this dish even more appealing — Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

Ingredients:

Coucous provides the base for a sophisticated substitute for bread stuffing (Photo: GreenRightNow.)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter, plus more for the dish
1 shallot finely chopped
1 c. chopped wild mushrooms, like morels, chanterelles or porcini (or any variety)
8 oz. asparagus, trimmed and peeled if necessary into one inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ c. cream, milk or vegetable stock
½ c. traditional Pesto
1 egg
2 ½ c. cooked pearl couscous
4 oz. goat cheese

Instructions:

1. Grease a 2-quart soufflé or gratin dish or an oblong baking pan. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Put 2 tablespoons oil or butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot or the butter is melted, addthe shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, les than a minute. Add the mushrooms and cook for a minute or two, then add the asparagus and a sprinkle of salt and pepper; cook until the asparagus is just tender, another 5 minutes.
3. Whisk the cream, pesto and egg together in a small bowl until blended. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside. When the asparagus mixture is done, stire in the couscous and heat until warmed through. Turn off the heat, taste, and adjust the seasoning.
4. Spread the asparagus and couscous mixture in the bottom of the prepared dish. Driszzle the cream and pesto mixture over it all. Evenly distribute the goat cheese (small clumps are fine) on top.
5. Bake until the edges and top are browned and bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes, depending on how deep your baking dish is. Serve immediately or let rest for up to an hour and serve at room temperature.

Print

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

More Holiday Recipes:

• Top green cooks transform Thanksgiving dishes into natural wonders
• Organic Gardening’s Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Shallots
• Jackie Newgent’s Earth-Style Sweet Potato-Butter Bean Gravy with Rosemary
• Jesse Ziff Cool’s Ginger Yams with Mascarpone
• Myra Goodman’s Easy Cranberry Sauce
• Anna Lappé’s ‘Green’ Apple Pie
• Myra Goodman’s Flaky Whole-Grain Pie Crust
• Myra Goodman’s Pumpkin and Winter Squash Pie
• Myra Goodman’s Sweet Pie Crust

Give sweet potatoes a new lease on Thanksgiving life, without marshmallows. (Photo: Bob Keenan, Dreamstime.com.)

Will serve 6-8 (with leftovers). Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Ingredients:

5 pounds sweet potatoes or yams
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons grated ginger root
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup mascarpone
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into large pieces
3. Cook the potatoes for about 30 minutes or until soft
4. Meanwhile in a small saucepan, warm the butter, maple syrup, orange juice, cinnamon, ginger and thyme
5. When potatoes are cooked, drain and put into a large bowl and mash with a fork or put through a ricer
6. Fold in the ingredients in the pot
7. Fold in the mascarpone
8. Season to taste with salt and pepper

Serve immediately or put in a baking dish and warm just before serving.

Print

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

More Holiday Recipes:

• Top green cooks transform Thanksgiving dishes into natural wonders
• Organic Gardening’s Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Shallots
• Jackie Newgent’s Earth-Style Sweet Potato-Butter Bean Gravy with Rosemary
• Mark Bittman’s Pearl Coucous Gratin with Pesto and Goat Cheese
• Myra Goodman’s Easy Cranberry Sauce
• Anna Lappé’s ‘Green’ Apple Pie
• Myra Goodman’s Flaky Whole-Grain Pie Crust
• Myra Goodman’s Pumpkin and Winter Squash Pie
• Myra Goodman’s Sweet Pie Crust