AK Root Cellar

Pete Kinneen grew up in a family conscious of the magic of composting food scraps and yard waste for use in their organic gardens. He is the executive director of Environmental Recycling, Inc. the non-profit which operated the Pt. Woronzof Composting Facility for 15 successful years. He has joined a global discovery exploring the possibility of another natural and inexpensive ingredient found to kick convention to the curb. Join in, the more the merrier.

EATING LOCAL

High grocery bills spur CSA interest

Read this June 9, 2008 Fairbanks News Miner story on three Fairbanks-area CSAs and growing demand for their local produce.

DNR's new farm, food, etc. directory

This Excel spreadsheet includes 16 categories from farms to farmers markets, herbs to aquaculture. Provided by the Div. of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resources

Local Farms and CSAs

Find local produce, eggs, fowl and meat nearby.

WEB RESOURCES

Slow Food USA

Envisions a future food system based on principles of high quality and taste, environmental sustainability, and social justice.

Local Harvest

Helpful website to find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food. Local producers also register on this site.

Sustainable Agriculture

Dedicated to educating the public on a sustainable food and agriculture system that is economically viable, environmentally sound, socially just, and humane.

American Farmlands Trust

The nation's leading advocate for farm and ranch land conservation.

Community Food Security Coalition

Dedicated to building strong, sustainable, local and regional food systems that ensure access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food.

Weston Price Foundation

Dedicated to restoring nutrient-dense foods to the human diet through education, research and activism.

Climate Change is Caused by Democrats - 11/23/2011 9:23 pm

Moving From Alternative Energy to Climate Change - 8/16/2011 11:36 pm

Answer to cat_train2 - 8/13/2011 2:31 pm

Fire Island Alternative Energy - 7/31/2011 8:47 pm

Yakutat and Fire Island - 6/30/2011 1:49 pm

Yakutat: Alaska's Clean Energy Mecca? - 6/9/2011 10:02 pm

Fuel-Free Energy and Free Fresh Fish - 5/30/2011 6:53 pm

Mushrooms Improve Hamburgers and Nuclear Waste - 5/11/2011 3:32 pm

Corporate Trickery Tests our Discernment

Our challenge of shopping for healthy food at the grocery store is getting more challenging. Industrial food giants are rapidly developing new product lines with labels that are deliberately deceptive. Eyeing the rising consumer interest in organics and the greater profits, companies like Whole Foods Market (WFM) and United Natural Foods (UNFI) are slapping “Natural” on their packaging, making them sound as if the foods came from small conscientious farmers. They have not. These “natural” product lines (like house brand“365”) are coming from energy- and chemical- intensive conventional and factory farms. The items contain pesticide residues, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s), sewage sludge, synthetic preservatives, and carcinogenic additives.

Why the marketing sleight of hand? In truth, a label of “All Natural Ingredients” actually means nothing…except a way to green-wash and charge higher prices. The corporate giants are capitalizing on surveys that people perceive that natural equates with whole, safe, and clean. Most people do not realize the difference between organic and natural. Sadly, the marketing deception applies to vitamins and supplements as well as foods.

What does organic mean? “USDA Certified Organic” means that the product’s ingredients certified 95-100% organic, and have earned the label. Certified organic means the farmer or producer has undergone a regular inspection of its farm, facilities, ingredients, and practices by an independent Third Party certifier, accredited by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). The producer has followed strict NOP regulations and maintained detailed records. Synthetic pesticides, animal drugs, sewage sludge, GMOs, irradiation, and chemical fertilizers are prohibited. Farm animals, soil, and crops have been managed organically; food can only be processed with certain methods; only allowed ingredients can be used.

So, gentle shoppers…put on your spectacles and read the fine print. Look for the USDA Organic symbol denoting certification. Let’s use our educated discernment and snuff out this false marketing ploy to undermine the organic movement. It's all in the label.
Read more at

the Organic Consumers Association website

See you at the grocery store, dear Green-Wash Campaign-buster comrades!

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