A hot topic in the news this week, researchers "find" no difference in nutrition between organic and conventional food...but that begs two questions: Were they looking in the right place? and Is the question of nutrition like asking whether milk is wetter than juice...does the answer mean anything?
Organic foods might not be more nutritious, but you should eat it anyway
"in the first 24 hours after the study was released, many writers and food experts stepped up to point out some important gaps both in the study’s approach and in the media coverage."
The question of nutrition overshadowed an more impending issue, that of the cost of food in a changing climate.
Extreme weather supersizes global food price tags
"Our failure to slash greenhouse gas emissions presents a future of greater food price volatility, with severe consequences for the precarious lives and livelihoods of people living in poverty."
We will need innovative solutions in order to increase the availability and reliability of less damaging food options...
Giving sustainable food businesses a needed push
"The company helps people develop business plans for food and farm start-ups that are both financially sustainable and environmentally responsible, with a big-picture goal of becoming the de-facto global resource for local food entrepreneurship."
...and will need to overcome some market inertia to give people options when they buy food for their families.
Beyond Farmer's Markets: Why Local Food belongs on grocery shelves
"Business models like food hubs and cooperatives, and infrastructure like regional storage facilities, processing plants, and distribution networks, can help these producers reach new markets that are demanding locally grown products. That's why the USDA supports business development planning as well as the brick and mortar needed to get food from the farm to the consumer."
In a nod to a decidedly local issue of energy availability, we are learning that the best way forward is to replace something with nothing while increasing the quality of life.
As Crawford and Fisk retire, negawatt plants power up and pay off for Illinoisans
"Energy efficiency-powered “negawatt” plants are cropping up all over the state. Perhaps you haven’t noticed them at all. They’re invisible. They don’t belch out any pollution. They quietly reduce your electric bills. They put people to work all over the state and they do it all with very little recognition. Let’s take a brief tour – no hard hat or asthma inhaler required. "
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