I enjoy innkeeping. I like life in the USA. It's great to be able to walk at the ocean whenever I feel like it. I really do not want to be obliged to move back to Europe, yet daily news makes me wonder if that option will not soon become the most attractive choice ... Yesterday, on NECN, I heard about plans for genetically modified apples, apples, which will look appetizing forever. The underside of the introduction of Frankenfruit into our food supply will be that a GMO apple a day may not keep the doctor away. Oh, no, not at all. Consumption of GMO apples will probably send us all running to doctors with major health problems. In France, and in Sweden, two countries with which I am familiar, people buy and consume apples that would have been discarded before leaving an American orchard. Do Americans really demand immaculate fruit or is this another crazy industry idea? I think we need to change this mentality, not modify apples so they look forever fresh. Misshapen fruit is still good to eat.
Not only are GMOs bad for human consumption. They appear to be bad for bees, too. Our food supply needs pollinators if we are to survive. We are all wondering why bees are dying and now here is an article that suggests some scary reasons. Why is no one in our government paying attention?
On Cape Cod, we continue our effort to stop the utility company from spraying herbicides under the power lines. (Read the latest report here.) Once herbicides enter the water supply, they remain in drinking water for generations, and we will all need to buy professional water filters if we intend to remain healthy.
I am stunned that profit and the chimera of a new national source of energy has deluded those in charge of public safety in Pennsylvania and New York, where shale drilling has not been stopped by the public outcry of citizens who have watched the documentary Gasland and realize the decision to inject toxic chemicals into the ground will pollute local drinking water. Pennsylvania's Office of Homeland Security has even put actor/activist Mark Ruffalo on a US terror advisory list. (In an historic vote yesterday, the New York State Assembly enacted a temporary ban on fracking, which will remain in effect until May 15, 2011.)
In a Yale Environment 360 interview this weekend, endocrine-disruption specialist Frederick vom Saal explains why BPA should be banned and why our government has not yet done so. Government institutions like the FDA and the EPA apparently lumber along, slothlike, and are not flexible enough to embrace research that contradicts antiquated science. Scientists have warned that even trace amounts of toxic chemicals can disrupt a hormone system. Last Thursday the European Union banned BPA in baby bottles. How long will it take for new research to influence current policy in the USA?
I have also been following the debate on the Food Safety bill, or rather, attempting to follow. The vote should take place today. As of last night, the Tester amendment was still in the bill. For those of you who are not familiar with S. 510, get a quick update from Michael Pollan and Eric Scholosser. (11 a.m. Update: S.510 PASSED the Senate 73 to 25 with Tester intact. Next the House has indicated it will accept the Senate version of the legislation. If so, the bill goes to President Obama for signature. Then the rulemaking phase begins where the legislation gets translated into FDA regulations. This is apparently a critical stage to make sure the provisions make it into the on-the-ground regulations.)
Do you care about GMOs and toxic chemicals in the environment? As we struggle to eat local, do you worry about corporate influence on policies that affect the food available for Americans to eat? Do you think I'm crazy to be dreaming today of a nice little inn in the South of France or on the West Coast of Sweden?
Logging you in...
Kerry Dexter · 747 weeks ago
about that perfect fruit thing -- do you suppose that has to do somewhat with the US being such a large country? people can ship to far away markets and still be within the same country? agree it's an idea which could stand change. how would you do it?
My recent post listening to Christmas- Aoife Clancy- Tommy Sands- Matt Heaton
chezsven 82p · 747 weeks ago
Zuleme · 747 weeks ago
One writer I follow in France comments on how many chemicals are used to produce the lovely fruits and vegetables we see in the French markets. And how Brittany is polluted from too many pigs.
Sweden is changing too, and my French friends dream of working in the US.
I think we are all dreaming of a paradise lost. The Cape, I'm afraid, is long lost, overbuilt and overpopulated. I cling to my memories of it in the 50's and my mother tells me how she loved it in the 40's.
Climate change is adding to the mix, in NH we are warming up and Europe is freezing.
But yes, the idea of a small inn on the west coast of Sweden is very appealing and would give us a good reason to come see you. Olof has relatives there.
chezsven 82p · 747 weeks ago
Living Large · 747 weeks ago
chezsven 82p · 747 weeks ago
Stanley · 747 weeks ago
Stanley · 747 weeks ago
sheryl · 747 weeks ago
My recent post Oh- to be 22 Again or not…
jerusha · 746 weeks ago
chezsven 82p · 746 weeks ago
Melanie @Frugal Kiwi · 746 weeks ago
My recent post Name That Chicken Or Not
Chris V · 746 weeks ago
Hubby and I were planning on retiring on CC in our adorable 1950's Cape Cod cottage 900 feet from the ocean and working towards that goal the past seven years. We are Cape Cod OG gardeners and constantly transitioning/trying to live as organically as possible. As members of NOFA MA and meeting other like-minded people (such as yourself), we have made the decision to not retire here and are researching other areas outside of MA and possibly out of the USA.
By the time other Americans get the wake-up call, I believe it will be too late. Unless or until we have our own Bastille Day where we lock up the Wall Street Bankers, Monsanto executives, most greed driven corporate lobbyists and politicians, the America will worse off than any European nation. At least the EU prohibits chemicals in their food and environment that the USDA and FDA have so miserably failed to do so for the citizens of America.
There is HOPE. We just need to pursue the path.
Enjoy your writing class and the holidays. Sending the blessings of Mother Nature your way!
Chris V · 746 weeks ago
I do want to offer more hope this holiday season. There is a growing, organic homesteading movement in the USA and worldwide. Look for homes to built off the grid and growing organic food 365 days per year (yes it is being done now even in the snow). Google Eliot Coleman in Maine and Will Allen in Milwaukee, WI. Also, look for more homes to be built with south-facing attached passive solar greenhouses to grow food organically, 365 AND provide heat in winter months. Look for smaller homes to be built incorporating passive solar design to reduce carbon footprints. There is a growing movement of citizens voting with their dollar which is crucial and, perhaps, the only way to positively affect change. They are buying, fresh, local and organic and only supporting organizations and politicians that are working for the protection of Mother Earth and preserving organic standards. I am grateful for the work of NOFA (Northeast Organic Farmers Association) as well as Dan Kittredge, founder of www.realfoodcampaign.org, educating farmers/gardeners how to grow nutrient-dense soil that produces nutrient-dense crops, the Dervaes family in Pasadena, CA and countless others and organizations that have helped to educate me to the possibilities. Every person can is able to grow something organic!