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Cut Cost, Not Quality: How to Afford Better Food
Mother Earth News / Tabitha Alterman / December 2011/January 2012
There’s growing evidence that industrial food just ain’t what it oughta be. Lucky for us, the path to super-nutritious food at affordable prices offers many entry points. We’ll pilot you through the diverse options in this guide to shopping smart and eating better food.
The Declining Nutrient Value of Food
Mother Earth News / Editorial / December 2011/January 2012
Evidence continues to accumulate that our industrial food system is not serving us well when it comes to the nutrient value of food. True, American agribusiness has given us one of the cheapest food supplies in the world, but science reveals this food is “cheap” in more ways than one. Here are some of the things we know at this point:
. Over the last 50 years, the amounts of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin and vitamin C in conventionally grown fresh fruits and vegetables have declined significantly. We know this thanks to rigorous analysis of USDA nutrient data by biochemist Donald Davis of the University of Texas. Similar trends have been discovered in the United Kingdom.
. Wheat grown 100 years ago had twice as much protein as modern varieties.
. Major declines in protein and several other nutrients have been documented in modern corn varieties (see the chart).
Ontario: Changes to the building code
Ottawa Citizen / Sheila Brady / 14 January 2012
The greening of the housing industry has gone mainstream, with four provinces now making it mandatory for all builders to wrap and insulate homes to toughened energy standards.
Starting on Jan. 1, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and British Columbia changed their respective building codes, demanding that big and little contractors and custom, urban and suburban builders up the insulation factor, install air exchange fans and eliminate drafts by ensuring work crews carefully wrap all new homes in a tight vapour barrier.
The new guidelines virtually replicate levels under Energy Star, a highly successful voluntary program launched in 2004 by Natural Resources Canada that cut energy bills by 25 per cent compared to the building code that just expired at the end of 2011.
So what’s next?
Kingston: 2012 Green Profit Conference and Exhibition
The 2012 greenprofit Conference and Exhibition, Accelerate Sustainable Change will bring together delegates and speakers to learn about sustainable energy innovations and best practices that are making a difference in the world today, and how they can be applied to your business, municipality, home and community. Please join us for this dynamic sustainable energy conference in historic downtown Kingston.
greenprofit presents proven solutions for your business, municipality and home:
° Reduce the real financial and environmental costs of energy
How to Get the Best Firewood for Clean and Affordable Energy
Mother Earth News / John Gulland / October/November 2011
Firewood is better than money in the bank. It’s the tangible result of your labor, and it represents warmth and security through winter. If you know how to dry firewood properly, wood heat can be a clean, renewable energy that’s more accessible than solar or wind.
The three essential ingredients for efficient and environmentally appropriate wood heating are good stove technology, good fire-building techniques and good fuel. We’ve covered the first two topics in the past (see “Resources” at the end of this article). Now let’s look at what you need to know to have the best firewood.
Living Off the Grid in Eastern Ontario
Mother Earth News / William Kemp / October/November 2011
Twenty years ago, when my wife, Lorraine, and I decided to move off the grid, our motivation was simple. Lorraine wanted to move closer to her family, preferably to a piece of land large enough to offer some privacy and plenty of room to support her “addiction” to animals. A lot at the back of her family’s farm fit the bill (and the wallet). There was only one downside: It would have cost tens of thousands of dollars to connect the property to the nearest electric lines. The solution was obvious: Don’t connect to the grid and instead plan to run our house entirely with renewable energy. We put our plan into action, and have been enjoying off the grid living ever since. Here’s how we run our rural Ontario home using an absolute minimum of fossil fuel energy.
Buying Local Yields More Jobs, Stronger Communities
American Independent Business Alliance / Michael Shuman, Jeff Milchen / 16 December 2011
Consider the many benefits of patronizing local independent businesses for whatever you choose. Among the benefits:
* You’ll create local jobs. And not just any jobs. While chain outlet’s create mostly positions for clerks and cashiers, local businesses are hiring accountants, graphic designers, webmasters and many other positions the chains (or online giants) centralize at corporate headquarters. A multitude of small entrepreneurs provides a more vital and durable financial base than dependence on a few large corporations.
* Local businesses typically require less driving, consume far less land and have a lighter environmental impact. Because they focus primarily on local markets, local businesses place a high premium on being easily accessible by local residents. They tend to bolster community character and vitality, rather than segregating residential areas from clusters of big box development.
* Part of what makes any community great is how well it preserves its unique culture, foods, ecology, architecture, history, music, and art. Local businesses celebrate these features, while chains tend to homogenize, following a corporate template rather than respecting local architecture or customs.
* We know from studies by respected social scientists like C Wright Mills and Melville Ulmer going back more than half a century (Small Business and Civic Welfare) that small-business oriented communities “provided for their residents a considerably more balanced economic life than did big business cities” and “the general level of civic welfare was appreciably higher.” A few years ago, Professor Thomas Lyson of Cornell University updated that study by looking at 226 U.S. counties dependent on big outside manufacturers. He found these communities “vulnerable to greater inequality, lower levels of welfare, and increased rates of social disruption than localities where the economy is more diversified.”
* Studies of voting behavior suggest economically diverse communities have higher participation rates in local politics. The long-term relationships fostered by local business tend to enhance commitment to civic institutions like schools, churches, charities, and fraternal leagues that are essential to both local economic success and community cohesiveness.
* Finally, going local is better for you! You’ll enjoy more personal interactions, more distinctive choices, and real value.
