Have Label, Will Eat?

So even though the holidays have scrapped my healthy-eating streak for the time being, I have always been relatively health conscious. Since 2006 I've been mostly vegetarian (I do eat seafood though) and have gone through many periods attempting to be vegan. A subject that has interested me this year was that of GM foods and whether or not they should be labelled. There are obviously many other labels floating around our produce these days but wanted to tackle the three most common ones. The myth is what I and most people assume the labels mean, while the reality is what is really out there.

Natural
Myth: A product that has no artificial colors and/or flavors and made with all natural ingredients.
Reality: Was always skeptical about this vague label. The FDA has not actually developed a definition for this term as it's too difficult to determine whether or not a food product is natural. Generally the term is permitted when the food does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances.

Organic
Myth: Fruits and vegetables that are grown on land that is completely free from pesticides. In the case of animals, they are not injected with growth hormones.
Reality: An ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.

Free Range/Run
Myth: A cruelty-free farm that doesn't cage its animals in small spaces but lets them roam free and spend lots of time outdoors.
Reality: The reality of this one couldn't be more further from the truth. It means that hens are not kept in cages but are often kept indoors at almost the same density as if they were in cages. There is virtually no regulation on this term and as long as a window is present in the barn this may be enough to deem the eggs from filthy, overcrowded barns "free range".

List of common food labels: Label Decoding
General information on battery cages: Humane Food
For differences between organic certification labels: Comparison Chart

Up Close and Flowerful

Thankfully the world hasn't ended yet, although flower season in Ottawa is definitely over for now. I have traveled to many wonderful countries and intend on visiting many more in my lifetime. One of the things I tend to do in these different places is to take close-up photographs of unique flowers. South Korea, Kuwait, and Canada are where I've seen some of the most unforgettable ones. Here are a few of my favorite close-ups from around the world. I've also given up on trying to format the pics in any kind of orderly fashion. 

       

    

     

Real or Fake Tree?

Christmas is here next week and although most people who actually celebrate it have probably already bought their trees, some might be on the fence about which kind of tree to buy; real or fake? Growing up my family always bought a real Christmas tree but many of my friends and relatives had fakes ones and until recently I never really gave it much thought. As a child, choosing a new tree every year was part of what made each year different from the one before. So here are a few pros and cons on both kinds of trees so you can judge for yourself which tree would be more suitable for your family:

REAL XMAS TREES

Pros: They are mostly grown on "Xmas tree farms" and for every chopped tree usually 2-3 more are planted. These plantations are therefore certainly renewable and boost farmers nationwide economically. Once the tree has served its purpose, it can be turned into mulch making it useful as a fertilizer for other plants. Year after year one can choose trees of different shapes and sizes which can be decorated in unique ways. They also smell very nice for a few weeks and add a touch of nature to an otherwise technologically dominated household.

Cons: Like most living things, insects and parasites can be a problem. Pesticides are the obvious go-to solution and Monsanto's Roundup is most farmer's pesticide of choice. Some people are more sensitive to it than others, but trees with heavy doses of the pesticide obviously pose a higher risk for animals and humans. The other cons involve human laziness; purchasing a tree every year, setting up and removing decorations, and disposing of the tree along with the thousands of needles that inevitably fall in every household's nook and cranny.

FAKE XMAS TREES

Pros: Human laziness is satisfied with this type of tree. They only need to be purchased once (although generally families purchase 2-3 in their lifetime) and can come pre-decorated. After the holidays, they don't leave a mess and are easily stored somewhere until the following December.

Cons: Most of them are made with Plastic Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) which is a toxic chemical that is released when the "trees" are made in various parts of the world. Some of them have been found to contain lead and other other hormone disrupting chemicals. They generally come with warning labels to wash hands after handling to avoid ingesting any metals that could cause brain damage.  These trees are obviously non-recyclable so remain with a family until they decide it's not modern enough at which point it sits in a landfill for centuries. 

Got Mercury?

A little known fact is about mercury poisoning is that it was originally discovered in Minamata, Japan in the 1950s when people began experiencing intense tremors and inexplicably dying. Experiments were done on cats and other animals and they found organic mercury to be the main cause. It turned out that a petrochemical company called Chisso Corporation had been disposing mercury and other heavy metal waste into the sea for over 35 years. The government banned fishing from that area for several years and the company obviously compensated the victims, but that did little to make up for the approximately 5000 people who died as a result and over 50,000 others affected by the mercury poisoning in other ways.

Everyone knows that it is not recommended to eat canned tuna while pregnant. But it was recently brought to my attention that no one should eat more than one can of tuna per week. I found this rather surprising as I was consuming 2-3 cans on a weekly basis, so I decided to look into it. Turns out canned tuna contains one of the highest levels of mercury of all typical grocery store seafood. What's interesting is that certain species of fish contain a lot more mercury than others. Apparently the bigger the fish, the more toxins it harbors. Some seafood should be avoided AT ALL COSTS such as Marlin, Shark, Swordfish, Tilefish and Ahi Tuna. Here are some examples of low, moderate, and highest mercury levels present in common seafood:

Low: (<3/week)                                                 
Anchovies, catfish, clams, crabs (Albacore), haddock (Yellowfin), herring, mackerel, oysters, pollock, salmon, sardines, scallops, shrimps, sole, squid, tilapia, and trout.  

Moderate: (<6/month) 
Bass, carp, cod, halibut, lobster, mahi mahi, perch, snapper, and tuna (light canned).

High: (<3/month)
Bluefish, grouper, sea bass, tuna (Albacore and Yellowfin).

For mercury levels in commercial fish/shellfish: FDA Mercury Levels       
To check your own levels of mercury: Got Mercury?

Boston Public Garden

Add Boston to the list of cities that has one of the cutest public gardens in North America. On a 2010 trip to the harbor city I accidentally discovered the quaint little garden that seems to be perfect for young children. There's a little set of bronze commemoration statues for Robert McCloskey whose award-winning picture book "Make Way for Ducklings" (1941) continues to inspire children around the world. Apparently youngsters play on them so much since 1987 that they have never needed professional polishing. It's a great place to check out if you are ever in the vicinity and a great book to read to children of almost any age.

For more on this Public Garden: City of Boston or the statue: Make Way for Ducklings

Going Green?

Universities are generally considered a place of forward thinking and "Going green" seems to be on top of every teacher's agenda. The problem I have with that is that it's not really true. Although post-secondary institutions are pushing for more online and hybrid courses (part online/part in-class) the amount of paper being produced has not really declined, only shifted; It now falls on the responsibility/decision of the student to print what the teacher assigns. While there are some who are more than happy to read 10-50 page articles on their iPads or other handheld reading devices, the rest of us are left opting for a printer as it's less harsh on the eyes. I suppose this may be a transition period and in 10-20 years there will be no such things are students without tablets and printers will be a thing of the past. In the mean time, I believe schools are jumping a little too early on the bandwagon and falsely advertising themselves as "green" institutions.

Man, Grass, and Oilhoppers

"One hundred trout are needed to support one man for a year. 

The trout, in turn, must consume 90,000 frogs, that must consume 27 million grasshoppers that live off of 1,000 tons of grass."

-G. Tyler Miller Jr., author and environmentalist

**Prezi Presentation: Environmental Education**

UNESCO or World Wonder?

The environment does not only include flowers and trees. Buildings, landmarks, bridges; they are also a part of our environment. On that topic, people occasionally tend to mix up UNECSO World Heritage sites with the Seven Wonders of the World. There are in fact more than seven world wonders if you include the "natural" wonders, "new world" wonders, "ancient" wonders, etc. The World Heritage list, on the other hand, includes close to a thousand properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the "World Heritage Committee" considers as having outstanding universal value. A sight like the Pyramids of Egypt, for example, is on both lists but that isn't automatically the case. Also, having UNESCO World Heritage status does not necessarily help when war is involved. An example of that right now would be the ancient markets in Syria that have sadly all but burned in September, 2012 during the course of their civil war. 

UNESCO World Heritage Sites: World Heritage

Seven Wonders of the World: Seven Wonders

Syrian War: Syria in Flames

(Ancient markets in Aleppo, Syria)

Before the war...

During the war...

Flower Power

Another unique photographer that caught my attention recently is American Andrew Zuckerman. His trademark is capturing animals, flowers, or other things with a distinctly white background "divorcing subjects from their context and equalizing the larger conversation between them." It is definitely one of the most minimalist approaches to photography/film-making I've ever seen but the results are simply breathtaking. His photography exhibitions are all over the world but he is more famous for his short films, especially the one on Wisdom which features several prominent actors and politicians. People like him don't really need additional press (considering he was on the Ellen show recently) but I genuinely like his work!

Check out his website: Andrew Zuckerman
An interesting article: Flower Portraits

Justin Trudeau

No one can argue that a lot has been written about Justin Trudeau since his surprise win over Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau in a charity boxing match last year. When he announced his desire to run for Liberal leadership in September all hell broke loose and journalists from every corner of the country sought to get a piece of him. Apart from being Liberal and the son of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, however, I found myself knowing surprisingly little about him so I did some light research and came up with some interesting facts. Now that he has been officially named Liberal leader I hope he earns the trust of the country back and proves that he is more than just a pretty face with a name!

Ten Random facts about Justin Trudeau:

10. Parents: Father was 15th Prime Minister of Canada for 15 years while his mother was 30 years younger and suffered from Bipolar Disease, publishing "Changing My Mind" in 2011.

9. Born on Christmas Day, 1971 in Ottawa while his dad was Prime Minister.

8. Youngest brother, Michel, died in an avalanche accident in 1998 at age 23.

7. Married Sophie Gregoire, a model and former television host in Quebec in 2005.

6. Invited Brian Mulroney to his wedding who also supports his bid for leadership. 

5. Holds a B.A. in Literature from McGill and a B.Ed from UBC.

4. Taught social studies and French for five years at high schools in Vancouver.

3. Running against the mother of his half-sister Deborah Coyne for Liberal leadership.

2. He is an astounding speaker and perfectly bilingual in English and French.

1. Called Environmental Minister Peter Kent* a "piece of shit" in the House of Commons.

Check out his campaign website: Justin for Liberal Leader 

The final results: Liberal Leadership

Here he is speaking passionately about Education and the state of our Environment:

*For more on what makes Peter Kent so questionable, read my October 14th post.

Beautiful Destruction

Louis Helbig is a man of many talents; aerial photographer, visual artist, trendsetter. He gave a presentation on his photography last week at the University of Ottawa and I've been quite  captivated by his work ever since. One of the perks of flying your own airplane is being able to see things in a completely unique point of view. Helbig uses this to his advantage, snapping away at landscapes that are simply unfathomable to the average eye. His particular interests include sunken village and the Alberta tar sands. This is what I mean when I say do something you're passionate about...

Check out some mesmerizing photographs:

Louis Helbig

Sunken Villages

Beautiful Destruction

Egami Image

Montreal Botanical Garden

Although Ottawa is littered with museums, a decent botanical one does not exist here. Sure there are some nice shrubs around Parliament, but if you want to visit a one-of-a-kind set of gardens, might I suggest the Montreal Botanical Garden located on 4101 Sherbrooke East (near the Olympic Stadium). Over 22000 plant species flourish there along with several greenhouses, and thematic gardens including First Nation, Chinese, and Japanese ones. The fee is $15 for Quebec residents and $11.25 for students.

Here are some pics from my last visit over there... 

GM Foods 2: Prop 37

November 6th was an important day for the Americans in more ways than one. Sure it's great that Obama got reelected. Obviously some people were rooting against him, but pretty sure that those people are not the types to be reading a blog like this. Maryland, Maine, and Washington also legalized same-sex marriage and Wisconsin elected its first openly gay senator. Another less publicized event that occurred yesterday was the rejection of Proposition 37, otherwise known as the GM Food Labeling Bill which would was largely seen as a test-bed for the rest of the country and continent.

This proposition was introduced in California this year. The aim was to require mandatory labeling of genetically modified/engineered foods and not to falsely label products as "Natural". It is interesting to note that pro-GM companies like Monsanto, PepsiCo, and Kraft had put in over $45,000,000 on advertising against this Proposition while organic food companies like the Organic Consumer Fund, Nature's Path Foods, and Amy's Kitchen could barely muscle up about $8,000,000.

Unfortunately, 53.7% of Californians ended up rejecting the Proposition yesterday. In this day and age it seems that elections are won with money and power, but does a Proposition like this win no matter what the results? As long as it gets people talking and thinking about what goes into their foods, isn't that a good thing? Personally I feel that consumers have a right to know what goes in to our bodies. Apparently 90% of US-grown corn and soybean is genetically modified and that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Do you think people have the right to know what's REALLY in our food? The Right to Know

Also, check out some info and FAQs from Europe: Labelling of GM Foods

Alberta Tar Sands

What does one need to know about the Alberta tar sands? A ridiculous amount of heavy crude oil is located around Fort McMurray, North of Edmonton. Athabasca is a river that runs through it and is obviously loaded with traces of oil that were noticeable to people centuries ago. It was only a matter of time before North America realized getting oil from its neighbors up north made a lot more sense that carrying it in boats from the Middle East. 

Although this is certainly helping Canada economically, I see nothing but bad news coming out of this in the long term. As it is, few animals can survive in that area and many that do are riddled with tumors and diseases. Commercial planes are actually forbidden from directly flying over the tar sands as the sight of it would surely shock the passengers. Although most people I know are aware of the existence of the tar sands, few (including myself) know a whole lot of details since keeping a population ill-informed of such exploits seems to be the trend. 

Millions of barrels a day are transported to the United States and that is why Keystone XL is building a pipeline that would easily carry oil from Northern Alberta all the way to Texas. Despite the fact that First Nations and environmentalists are against its construction, phase one has already begun. My feeling is that nothing, aside from an apocalyptic event, will stop the completion of the pipeline. Information is out there. Documentaries have been made. Petitions can be signed. Whether any of this makes a difference remains to be seen... 

Environmental Education

So what exactly is "environmental education"? I don't recall learning much about it in the '90s when I was in high school beyond understanding different types of energy. In any case, here is the definition along with what it encompasses according to the Ontario curriculum.

Environmental education is education about the environment, for the environment, and in the environment that promotes an understanding of, rich and active experience in and an appreciation for the dynamic interactions of:

-The Earth's physical and biological systems
-The dependency of our social and economic systems on these natural systems
-The scientific and human dimensions of environmental issues
-The positive and negative consequences, both intended and unintended, of the interaction between human-created and natural systems.

From Shaping Our Schools, Shaping Our Future: Environmental Education in Ontario Schools (June 2007), pg. 6.

Read more here: Science and Technology Curriculum
Our class presentation: Environmental Education

Halifax Public Garden

Since this was supposed to be a gardening site I figured I would mention a little something about public gardens. The photo below comes from the Halifax Public Garden which was basically 16 acres of absolute beauty. It was established in 1867 by Queen Victoria and became a national historic site in 1984. Public gardens, however, are often underfunded and tended to by volunteers and/or local gardeners. It's a shame there aren't more around that are this intricate!

For more info: Halifax Public Gardens

                              

Bottled Water Blues

This issue has been circulating for many years but it is only recently that I have come to understand the magnitude of such a problem. Millions and millions of water bottles are chucked daily worldwide. Recycling helps but (somehow) only about a quarter of the population effectively does it. "The Story of Stuff" has a video dedicated to the threat of the bottled water industry. So much information and awareness is out there about this being a non-sustainable venture yet somehow people continue to buy bottled drinks like drones. Many universities across Canada actually ban the sale of water bottles including the University of Ottawa. While I think this is a step in the right direction, I would encourage those schools to expand the ban to include all soft drinks since not only are they sold in plastic bottles but contain harmful ingredients for humans too.

The Story of Stuff: Bottled Water

EcoJustice: Protecting Canada's Drinking Water

(Water bottle iceberg from the Ottawa International Children's Festival)

Children and Climate Change

Climate change was the focus of this year's Ottawa International Children's Festival. Schools from around the city contributed various art projects while groups of students and families came over the course of five days to admire all the work that went into these projects. Other activities included live theater, slam poetry, and music all tied into the broad theme of our environment. I volunteered everyday and enjoyed being a part of the interaction between students and climate change. It was a fantastic festival and hopefully those children will spread the message beyond their classrooms.

To read more on this: Ottawa Children's Festival

 

Minister of the Environment

The majority of people in Canada truly care about the environment yet it is a very small minority who actually know the name of our environmental minister. His name is "the Honourable" Peter Kent, a Conservative first elected to the House of Commons in 2008 and became the Minister of the Environment in January 2011. His previous experience lies mainly in broadcast journalism and although he has been involved in a number of community projects, nothing really points to him being a respectable figure for leading our environment. Does animating a news report on the greenhouse effect a quarter century ago count?

Check out his bio and see: Peter Kent
Greenhouse Effect Report: Greenhouse Story 1984

(The Honourable Peter Kent)

***UPDATE***

STEPHEN HARPER'S TORIES DOWNPLAY CLIMATE 

KNOWLEDGE OF NEW ENVIRONMENTAL CANADA BOSS

By: Mike De Sousa (Published October 19th, 2012)

For that story: Environment in Trouble

For Peat's Sake

So I realize this blog has steered away from my garden and more into an environmental/random naturesque site. Since I can't really work on my garden now, found a rather interesting story from the NY Times about the debate between gardeners and environmentalists over the use of peat. Peat is partially decomposed vegetation and used by many gardeners to boost their soil quality. Sounds harmless but is classified as a fossil fuel and has a high carbon content therefore can be responsible for smoldering fires that burn for years.

Expert gardener Bob Flowerdew, along with others in England share their opinions on this matter.  Personally I have never used it although my mother has. Hasn't done wonders for our garden as you can see from previous pics but then again there's been little maintenance involved there over the past few years.

Watch this developing story and see what you think: Greens Versus the Green Thumb

More Dandelions!

I'm starting to think I might have an obsession with blowing dandelions. Found this amid old photos of mine from an outdoor museum in Paris. Didn't manage to capture the artist's info  so don't bother asking. I suppose if I had to think of a meaning behind it I would say the images show the different phases of a dandelion's brief life. That, or an extremely creative tic-tac-toe game?

GM Foods

Genetically Modified Foods have been around since 1994 and are going nowhere fast. It started with tomatoes as consumers expressed an interest in delayed ripening. The most "modified" products nowadays are corn, soy products, rice, and canola, although salmon is apparently next on the list. This is not to be confused with pesticides which are an entirely different nightmare. It's easy to say GM foods are bad and stand firmly against it, but it does have its benefits. What if your favorite fruit/vegetable was on the verge of extinction but genetic modification could save it? Such was the case with papayas in Hawaii in the early '90s. Obviously it is not something to try out in your backyard and I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it either, but don't be so quick to judge something that may save millions of people from starvation.

Click for more info from Health Canada: GM Foods and how they regulate it: Canadian Regulations

Botanicus Interacticus

The latest from Disney Research is quite fascinating! According to their website "Botanicus Interacticus is a technology for designing highly expressive interactive plants, both living and artificial. Driven by the rapid fusion of computing and living spaces, we take interaction from computing devices and places it in the physical world using living plants as an interactive medium." I don't necessarily feel that this is the way we should be exploring plant life but it seems like this sort of technology is here to stay so if humankind can find a way to incorporate it into the botanical world, then why not?

What is this all about? Check out their website: Botanicus Interacticus

 

Animal Testing?

Occasionally people ask me which products are/are not tested on animals. I am usually oblivious to the majority of them but when in doubt, I refer to PeTa or the Vegetarian Site for the latest updates on products both tested and not on animals. A side note that is rather depressing is that all over-the-counter medicines and their ingredients are tested on animals, as required by the FDA, so if that is something you wish to avoid, may I suggest you seek healthier food alternatives?

PeTa's List

The Vegetarian Site

Creative Fountain

Was browsing through my old photos this week and stumbled upon a beautiful image of a beautiful fountain I visited a few years ago in Sydney, Australia. It reminded me of the creative tattoo I saw a few weeks back and obviously I have some sort of appreciation for things that look like blowing dandelions...

Documentaries Worth Watching

There are thousands of wonderful documentaries out there and quite honestly the main reason I have a Netflix account is so I can watch as many of them as possible. Here are a few that I've seen in the last few years that I would highly recommend. Almost everything by Michael Moore is also great, but these deal more with our environment and/or food supply!

Blue Gold
Earthlings
Earth 2050
Food, Inc.
GasLand
Homo Toxicus
Petropolis
Super Size Me
Tapped

Beauty of Pollination

I know pollination season is over for this year, but here's what to look forward to next spring... An exceptional video by Louie Schwartzberg showing the beauty of pollination. It was featured in a TED Talk in 2011. Absolutely breathtaking!

Creative Tattoo

Nothing to do with my garden, but saw a random girl sporting this unique tattoo and just had to take a picture of it! I'm really not big on tattoos but this one is absolutely magnificent!!

Fried Green Tomatoes

I have moved to a tiny apartment in Ottawa. My Montreal garden has sadly been laid to rest until next summer. The last thing I remember seeing was the late flourishing of many tomatoes. Very odd for late August. They were still hard and green but it's only a matter of time before they change color. Fried green tomatoes actually taste really great! In the few short days that I had to reap the garden's benefit I was enjoying mint, parsley, spring onions, and jalapenos on almost a daily basis. I wish I could say I can't wait until next spring but there is no guarantee that I'll return to Montreal. In any case, I'll focus on trying to grow some plants indoors and starting a new blog:  http://lessondaily.blogspot.ca/

June Progress

So I find myself overseas this month which tends to happen nearly every summer. I am, therefore, unable to tend to my garden the way I would like and it is now in the hands of my carefree brother. In any case, here are the latest pictures from early June which show major improvements in the garden center and major onion growth! Also happy to report that tomatoes, dill, and mint are thriving. The jalapenos, however, (shown in the last image) appear to have been eaten by an unknown creature/insect. Hopefully this will not be the end of them as I am really looking forward to eating their development.