Green Options

In the comment streams on my blog posts there is a recurrent theme from one segment of the respondents - they have a deep distrust in the large companies that are involved in modern agricultural technology.  They don’t believe these companies will behave ethically because they are for profit entities “only answerable to their shareholders.”   

I’d like to speak directly to this as a long-time Ag industry insider whose experience does not support these suspicions. I know that some will dismiss this perspective assuming I am biased, but one has to balance potential for bias with actually having first-hand experience from which to speak.  Over the last 32 years I’ve work for or with most of the companies, large and small, that provide agricultural technologies.  Fourteen of those years have been as an independent consultant so I get to know what is going on inside of many companies in a given year.  I have still only had direct knowledge of a subset of what happens, but in all of that exposure I’ve never witnessed an unethical decision or action - not even the consideration of one.  I’ve seen certain decisions that were short-sighted.  I’ve sometimes seen decision-making processes that are more driven by fear than by opportunity.  I’ve seen missed opportunities because vision was lacking.  I’ve occasionally seen failures to take advantage of synergies that could have been realized between divisions of large organizations. I’ve seen problems, but I believe that some level of dysfunction is inevitable in any organization involving people.  Still, unethical behavior isn’t something I’ve seen so I disagree that it is automatically likely just because of the characteristics of the company.  

On balance I’ve also seen these organizations, large and small, frequently make important contributions to society in terms of the productivity and safety of our food supply.  I’ve seen these companies continue to do that in an environment of constant activist attack and very limited public understanding because so few people farm.

Over half a dozen people have died in India with swine flu in the last one week. Newer cases are being reported by the hour even as a nation wide alert has been sounded. The Swine Influenza Virus (SIV) that was first reported in citizens returning from abroad has now spread in all parts of the country.

Cities that are worst hit are closing schools, shopping malls, theaters and other public places. Screening centers authorized for carrying out the H1N1 test are flooded with unwell people eager to get tested even as the Government struggles to keep panic at bay.

Wednesday, NPR reported that the CDC is strongly recommending that pregnant women get the new swine flu vaccine as soon as it becomes available, as they are one of the high-risk groups for the illness.

Of the 45 initial deaths from H1N1 (between April 15 and June 16), 6 were pregnant women. Although that doesn’t sound like a lot, proportionally it’s huge. It’s 13 percent of swine flu deaths, whereas only 1 percent of the population overall is pregnant at any given time. They face a higher death risk and a higher hospitalization risk.

In general pregnant women get sicker for longer.

Experts know they’re climbing an uphill battle with preggos. Many are hesitant to take anything during pregnancy, and OBs don’t generally prescribe medications unless absolutely necessary.

So should all pregnant women jump on this vaccine bandwagon, especially for a shot that is just starting to be tested?

Today’s news is ablaze with stories about the recent swine flu outbreak, an outbreak that may have been fully preventable through the use of green farming practices. At the time I write this post, 50 cases of swine

flu have been reported in the US alone, with one death attributable to the mutated virus. Although most cases have been mild, the fear factor alone is leading to school closures and cancelled vacations across the world.

I’ve got that special mommy touch:  I can touch my children and know if they have a fever. Where my mommy touch fails me in knowing how high a fever they have. When my children are really sick, I do rely on a thermometer.  We all know that mercury thermometers are toxic if broken and have been largely been phased out in the US.  The problem is every battery operated digital thermometer I have tried has not lasted very long, the batteries are hard to replace, and they spread germs if not properly sterilized between use (I don’t use those little plastic covers).  I think I have found the solution:  Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer.

Neither of my kids have liked having their temperature taken orally (actually, my son refuses).  I remember the temporal artery thermometer they used at the hospital after my son’s heart surgery, and I thought it was really cool. They are now available at a relatively affordable price (about $40). I am sure I have already spent that amount on cheap digital thermometers over the years.

Ayurvedicaly speaking, the common cold results largely from an imbalance of the Kapha (water and earth) and Vata (air and space) elements in the mind-ody. Vata imbalances lower immunity and lead to a build up of the Kapha dosha elements to help ‘ground’ the system. However, Kapha mechanisms typically overcompensate to make up for the ‘dryness’ associated with imbalanced Vata and lowered immunity. The result is excessive ‘coldness’ that creates mucus. This in turn reduces your gastric fire often [...]

Happy New Year!  From greenwashing to controversy over flu shots, we’ve covered a lot of green parenting topics over the year.  The following is a summary of the top ten posts in terms of traffic written on Eco Child’s Play during 2008.

Doctor Recommends Avoiding Flu Shot, Taking Vitamin D Instead:

A cardiac surgeon and Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington recommends avoiding the flu shot and taking vitamin D instead. Donald Miller, MD, says “Seventy percent of doctors do not get a flu shot.”

The Ultimate Greenwashing: Barbie Goes Green:

“Barbie is always a reflection of current cultural trends and issues, and girls are increasingly aware of making a green statement,” said Richard Dickson, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Media and Entertainment, Worldwide, Mattel Brands. That’s right, Barbie is reflecting the trend of going green. Mattel realizes it wants a piece of the eco-friendly toy pie, but this ploy screams of greenwashing, especially considering the line will only be sold at Toys R Us.

I teach preschool and elementary school. If you have ever worked with small children, you know these places are germ factories! The school year seems made up of one cold or flu virus after another, no matter how many times you wash your hands.

The state of New Jersey has decided to combat the problem by mandating flu vaccines for children in preschool and licensed child-care centers, but is this a good idea?

[Creative Commons photo by Matt Musselman]

Winter is close, and cold and flu season is here. That means lots of sniffles and a lot of tissues and over the counter medications. North American goes through about 156,000 tons of tissues each year, most of them during the winter months. Sales for medicines like decongestants also increase this time of year. When we’re sick, it’s easy to put some of this green living stuff on hold in the name of getting well. Here are a few tips for treating your sickness with less of an impact.

We’ve published some excellent natural health articles on Eco Child’s Play this year, and I’ve picked out 9 of the best, covering quite a few natural and home remedies for both kids and adults.

A great place to start when looking for ways to prevent sickness in the home is to go over the top 10 places that harbor cold and flu viruses in your home and clean them thoroughly. Household surfaces can spread common cold and flu viruses from person to person, with some germs lingering for days. This can mean a world of misery for families, so start today to keep those places sanitized.

As the sniffles start moving across the country – helpfully tracked this year by Google, you can start loading up on some natural remedies for those annoying symptoms. Since flus are viral in nature, no amount of antibiotics is going to help and why ply you or your child with over-the-counter medicines which sometimes haven’t really been quite tested enough?

Instead, take some preventative steps and try some of these herbal remedies, often available at your local health food store.Before the flu comes your way, try some of these anti-viral and immune system building herbs.

1. Zinc - Zinc is an essential trace mineral that stimulates the immune system – great for those days when the flu is coming your way.

2. Echinacea - Echinacea a popular herb since the 70s is one of the two natural remedies that we start taking daily (with Vitamin C) around this time of year to boost our immune systems