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Agriculture
UK Ministers Rush To Protect Priority Species And Habitats
August 27, 2007 02:58 PM - Paul Schaefer, ENN
UNITED KINGDOM - Britians Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is pushing to protect species and habitats. The British government intends to halt any further biodiversity loss by 2010. The environment ministers approved a priorities list that will guide future conservation action.
Icky Algae Alarms New England Fishermen
August 27, 2007 10:46 AM - Lisa Rathke, Associated Press
Already a scourge in New Zealand and parts of the American South and West, the aquatic algae called "rock snot" is creeping into New England, where it is turning up in pristine rivers and alarming fishermen and wildlife biologists.
New Crop of Farmers Takes to the Fields
August 27, 2007 08:41 AM - Joann Loviglio, Associated Press
Tom Murtha studied English at Penn. Tricia Borneman majored in journalism at Shippensburg University. Like most college graduates, they finished school with a good idea of where they wanted their career paths to lead. But unlike most, it was a dirt path. So on a recent summer day, instead of working in an air-conditioned office building 40 miles away in Philadelphia, the pair were tending to kale, collard greens and broccoli in Bucks County.
Study: Combating Child Obesity With Gardening
August 25, 2007 06:43 PM - Paul Schaefer, ENN
MANHATTAN, Kansas - Researcher Candice Shoemaker thinks she might have an answer to the nation's obesity epidemic in children: gardening. She hopes to show that gardening can promote a healthier lifestyle and combat childhood obesity in several ways. First, Shoemaker said, when children help to grow their own fruits and vegetables, they are more interested in eating them. Also, gardening not only gets children off of the couch and outdoors, but it also counts as physical activity.
New Book Details GMO Dangers, Failures
August 25, 2007 05:59 PM - Issue Talk Communications
LOS ANGELES, CA. - Author Jeffrey Smith says new science proves genetic engineering is unsafe. Smith, an internationally respected expert on GMO's, hopes to force food manufacturers to remove genetically engineered ingredients from products. Smith's new book, Genetic Roulette, targets consumers with the message: Healthy Eating Means No-GMOs.
New York Times Exposes USDA Sabotage of Organics
August 24, 2007 04:21 PM - Organic Consumers Association
On August 19, the New York Times exposed the USDA for shortchanging organic programs. Journalist Andrew Martin pointed out that the National Organic Program, which regulates the entire organic industry, has just nine staff members and a puny annual budget of $1.5 million.
ALERT: USDA Says 'Raw' Foods Can Be Pasteurized With Suspected Carcinogen
August 24, 2007 03:59 PM - Organic Consumers Association
WASHINGTON - Under pressure from industrial agriculture lobbyists, the USDA has quietly approved a new regulation that will effectively end distribution of raw almonds, while putting many family farmers out of business. The regulation is scheduled to go into effect in just a few short days on September 1st, unless thousands of consumers take action now.
Chinese Scientist To Lead Global Agriculture Agency
August 24, 2007 08:09 AM - , SciDevNet
The appointment of a leading Chinese scientist at the world's major agricultural research body is expected to better apply Chinese resources and expertise to the global fight against poverty. Wang Ren was this week (22 August) announced as the first Chinese scientist to be appointed director of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), a major agricultural research consortium launched by the World Bank to help the poor countries.
Organic Sugar Company Selected To Build A New Fla. Ethanol Plant
August 23, 2007 08:15 PM - PR Newswire
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The University of Florida selected Florida Crystals Corporation's Okeelanta facility as the site to build a cellulosic ethanol research and demonstration plant in Palm Beach County. In a unanimous vote on Tuesday the university selection committee chose Florida Crystals from a list of bidders to construct a cellulosic ethanol plant that will produce 1 million to 2 million gallons of ethanol a year.
Earth Conservancy Receives Pa. Governor's Environmental Award
August 23, 2007 08:05 PM - Paul Schaefer, ENN
HANOVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. - They transformed a Pennsylvania waste dump into a beautiful green space. And today, the environmentalist group Earth Conservancy was honored with recognition from the state's top environmental official.