August 29th, 2010
Imagine a high school where students are enthusiastically interested in their studies, where they’re gearing up for college right from the start, and while still in school they’re going out into the community and already making a difference. Sound like a dream? Welcome to Environmental Charter High School.
August 22nd, 2010
Many of us are fighting to change food and farm policy—the same policy that supports our industrial food system. One organization, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, has created a website to enlist the help of a critically important sector—medical professionals—in helping win this battle. David Wallinga, MD, director of the Food and Health Program at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, sat down with Organic Connections to explain the vital purpose behind the site and how it can help.
August 15th, 2010
It’s easy to become depressed at the current state of our industrial-chemical agricultural system. But one highly effective—and economical—way to begin changing the system is to plant your own organic garden. Christy Wilhelmi, the self-styled “Gardenerd,” sat down with Organic Connections to tell us why—and what she can do to help.
August 8th, 2010
If you have children—or even know someone who has children—you owe it to yourself to see a 20-minute video entitled 10 Americans. The video reveals the truth about the depth to which environmental toxins actually reach and what needs to be done about this crucial issue. Ken Cook, creator of the multimedia presentation and president of the Environmental Working Group, sat down with Organic Connections to talk about the video, its import, and legislation currently before Congress that would greatly rectify the situation.
August 2nd, 2010
Whether or not organic cocktails are better for you is a matter open to debate. But as organic cocktail aficionado and author Paul Abercrombie explains, the incredible flavors always win hands down. The self-described “cocktail nerd” sat down with Organic Connections to give us his take on the organic difference at the bar.
July 23rd, 2010
It uses no gasoline, runs quiet as a mouse and emits only water vapor. While not available for sale to the public as yet, the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell SUV is a clear demonstration of what is possible in a non-fossil-fuel future. A test driver of the car, along with a General Motors representative, sat down with Organic Connections to show us the vehicle and tell us all about it.
July 18th, 2010
Wouldn’t it be great to eat at a certified organic restaurant and enjoy a cocktail at a certified organic bar? Argentine native Alberto González thought so and built his own in New York. Alberto recently sat down with Organic Connections to share his story—and his sustainable philosophy.
July 12th, 2010
Assisting the homeless is never far from anyone’s mind. Anthony Carroccio, however, has not only made it his own personal crusade with his Organic Soup Kitchen but he has done it in a way that uses local organic produce and products. Anthony sat down with Organic Connections to talk about what it means to help the homeless survive with truly wholesome nutrition.
It’s interesting that, for the most part, as a civilization we have tended to ignore what was beneath our feet: dirt. We walk on it; we build on it; we move great quantities of it out of the way. We also grow crops in it—but even then, our understanding of it has been minimal, as witnessed by the fact that current industrial farming methods have depleted the soil of its life.
When documentary filmmaker ana Sofia joanes set out to make the film Fresh, her motivation wasn’t one of creating an exposé of the horrors of the industrial food system—although touching on such issues could hardly be avoided; it was more a message of hope. “I feel that we’re getting so much negative information and the problems that we’re facing—the food crisis, the oil crisis, the water crisis, war, famine and others—are so complicated and appear to be outside the reach of our individual actions,” ana told Organic Connections. “So I wanted to figure out how I could go beyond this feeling of powerlessness, and meaninglessness of individual action, to recapture a sense that all of us together are creating our reality. We need to do something about the problems that we’re facing.”
