Posted on February 28, 2014 by Envirothink

A reservoir in the Sierra Nevada’s shows the effects of drought. Photo by BitHead, from flickr
I’ve often thought that we consumers waste inordinate amounts of water everyday. Now that California has finally declared a drought, it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee so to speak.
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Filed under: Exciting New Developments | Tagged: Assemblyman Mike Gatto, California drought, clean water, closed loop systems, desalination, dwindling water supply, innovative solution, municipal wastewater, reclaimed water, recycle, recycled water | Leave a comment »
Posted on February 26, 2014 by Envirothink
As a journalist, I’m skeptical when I read about the latest report showing remarkable progress or “breakthrough results”. All too often the test group is much too small to really demonstrate large sweeping results.
So it’s with a somewhat jaded view that I read the news that there’s been a large drop in childhood obesity.
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Filed under: Health concerns | Tagged: American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity, health, JAMA, obesity rate, young children | 2 Comments »
Posted on February 25, 2014 by Envirothink
With the Northeast being slammed this winter with some seriously severe snow and ice storms, the availability of rock salt is in short supply. After three winter storms in one week, states like Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey find themselves faced with critical supplies like rock salt running low.
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Filed under: Health concerns | Tagged: environment, green, rock salt, snow and ice storms, sodium chloride | 5 Comments »
Posted on February 24, 2014 by Envirothink
Editor’s Note: I write for a variety of online venues. Although the references in this article are for a website based in northern California, I think you’ll agree that the issue are bigger than geography.

Photo by Margarita Perisco, courtesy of flickr
As someone committed to living a green lifestyle, it’s natural for me to want my dog to be on the green journey with me. I’ve ditched containers with BPA and chemical-filled pet products and I use top quality “green” laundry detergent. But when it comes to finding pet food or dog treats that are GMO-free, that’s a bigger challenge.
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Filed under: Pet products | Tagged: BPA, chemicals, GMO-free, green, green lifestyle, healthy pets, non-GMO, northern California, pet food | Leave a comment »
Posted on February 23, 2014 by Envirothink

Open only two weeks, Dogpatch Caffe is a surprising discovery at San Francisco’s newest terminal.
On a recent trip,, I had the good fortune to fly into SFO’s new terminal. Spacious and well lit, at late evening, many of the retail stores and dining establishments were already closed. But like a bright beacon, I suddenly spied organic fresh food ahead.
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Filed under: Organic products | Tagged: Dogpatch Caffe, healthy food, organic gardener, organic ingredients, San Francisco, SFO, sustainably sourced | Leave a comment »
Posted on February 19, 2014 by Envirothink

photo by Michael S. Williamson, courtesy of the Washington Post
A Nebraska judge ruled Wednesday that the state violated its constitution when it allowed the governor to approve the route of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, a decision that could significantly delay the $5.3 billion project.
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Filed under: Breaking news | Tagged: District Court judge Stephanie F. Stacy, eminent domain, Gulf of Mexico, heavy crude oil, Keystone XL pipeline, TransCanada | Leave a comment »
Posted on February 17, 2014 by Envirothink

The recent 2014 Sustainable Foods Summit that this writer attended in San Francisco was a remarkable and engaging two days. Over 160 senior executives debated key sustainability issues affecting the North American food industry. Ethical sourcing & biodiversity impacts, the role of sustainability metrics, and food ingredients for sustainability were some of the major themes covered.
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Filed under: Sustainability | Tagged: biodiversity, eco-labels, ethical sourcing, fair trade, food industry, GM ingredients, GMO labeling, green, Just Label It, life-cycle analysis, national sustainability agricultural standard, Non-GMO Project, social media, sustainability, sustainability strategy, sustainable development, Sustainable Foods Summit, water conservation | Leave a comment »
Posted on February 15, 2014 by Envirothink
Just finished viewing Blackfish, the sobering documentary revealing the inhumane treatment of killer whales by the powers that be of SeaWorld and similar venues.
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Filed under: Marine wildlife, Observations | Tagged: Blackfish, death of a killer whale trainer, killer whales, Orlando SeaWorld, SeaWorld, trainer Dawn Brancheau | Leave a comment »
Posted on February 14, 2014 by Envirothink
There are a lot of water bottling companies out there, and a lot of so-called “green” water and water bottles. I have to admit I’m a bit skeptical when I hear about yet another one. But I did a bit of checking and there’s one that’s caught my eye and imagination.
There’s a new Kickstarter campaign for Treeson water that’s piqued my interest.
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Filed under: Exciting New Developments, Recycling | Tagged: Carlton Solle, Costa Rica, deforestation, environment, Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Kickstarter, natural spring water, petroleum-based products, plastic pollution, product sustainability, recycling, restore the rainforest, Treeson water botles | Leave a comment »
Posted on February 13, 2014 by Envirothink

There are hundreds of “green” labels out there, providing plenty of confusion for consumers
While participating in the recent Sustainable Foods Summit in San Francisco, I browsed the trade show outside the event. One of the first booths I encountered was for Control Union Certification, which is an independent inspection and certification body. In my conversation with their representative, I came across a startling fact.
There are literally hundreds of certification programs out there. It’s a veritable morass of information that is impossible for consumers – and even somewhat educated journalists – to keep up with, much less to understand!
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Filed under: Exclusive Envirothink | Tagged: biofuel, carbon neutral, certifications, Control Union Certification, energy star program, environment, food safety, FSC, GMO labeling, green labels, ISO certifications, Non-GMO Project, organic, sustainability, sustainable, Sustainable Foods Summit, USDA | Leave a comment »