Our Daily Bread is a haunting, relatively new documentary about the modern food business. Visually stunning and often disturbing, this film is not for the faint of heart. As a vegan for many years, I couldn't bear to watch the scenes of abuse and slaughter unfold yet another time before my eyes, and I ended up fast-forwarding through the animal scenes and focused instead on the farming. If you could call it that. Gone are the farmers on their hands and knees, weeding their crops and caring for their plants. Here to stay are GMO crops looking slightly alien, yet identical to the thousands of others under the same roof. I found myself gazing at the beautiful symmetry of the hydroponic greenhouse, comparing it to the pyramids at the Louvre. Gigantic machines spray pesticides, thrash wheat, while workers at night quickly pluck and wrap cabbages while the machine dictates their progress. Farming is no longer romanticized in this vision of food production.
Memorable scenes include one where a huge industrial crop waterer spread its wings like a giant, graceful pterodactyl. Beautiful sunflowers are covered in a haze of pesticides.
Disturbing scenes include a baby chick processing plant where women unfeelingly toss baby chicks into a giant machine which takes them through a crazy amusement park-like ride until, presumably their death. Farmed fish swimming like sardines in a can, never given the opportunity to swim free and have a chance at life.
Despite the beauty of the film, I was left feeling dirty and sad. For most people living on a modest budget, there is little one can do to avoid the commercial food chain. Alex Jones, yesterday on his podcast on Infowars.com, was speaking of a future, fifty years from now, where we will all be vegans, not by choice, but because there will be no room to raise animals and of a future where all our food comes from genetically modified sources controlled by the government. Now is the best time to try your hand at container gardens for city-dwellers and more ambitious planting for those fortunate enough to own green space. I know I sound like a broken record sometimes, but the most important thing when choosing your food is knowing where it came from, not necessarily organic, since the big producers are getting around federal guidelines and establishing their own, but local, farm-raised produce, picked and raised by loving human hands.
I'm thankful that I no longer eat meat, so I don't feel the guilt that often accompanies meat consumption, but I also feel the duty to raise my own food to keep various strains of vegetables alive, until they take that from us too.
Oh yeah, and the best part of this film? Even though it is a foreign film, there are no subtitles; the machines do the talking.
Showing posts with label environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label environment. Show all posts
Friday, February 20, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Seen on Rittenhouse Square
I can't tell you how many times I'm behind someone on the street as they throw out their wrapper to their big mac or cigarettes. Often, I fume with anger and mutter unintelligible things behind their backs, but sometimes I actually say stuff. I don't understand why someone would throw trash on the street when there are two trash cans on either side of the block. Laziness? Some sort of culture barrier? A secret effort to keep Philly dirty and rough-n-tumble? It's time to grow up Philadelphia. Some neighborhoods are showing their true colors.
Yesterday I saw a solar powered trash compactor in Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia. Wow, I thought; the only neighborhood where people actually put trash in trash cans gets this newfangled contraption. Neat.
Now if we can only get people to actually us it.
Read more here.
On the slate: Teaching people how to properly use a trash can.
Yesterday I saw a solar powered trash compactor in Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia. Wow, I thought; the only neighborhood where people actually put trash in trash cans gets this newfangled contraption. Neat.
Now if we can only get people to actually us it.
Read more here.
On the slate: Teaching people how to properly use a trash can.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Heard on the radio
The secret is out of the bag. Vegetarianism helps the planet!
On NPR today, just in time for the glutinous holidays, an impressive chunk of time was devoted to a show about vegetarianism, health and global warming. The segment was called, Healthy Planet, Healthy People, and focused on how what is good for the planet is actually good for us too. They discuss how going vegetarian is the easiest thing you can do to counteract global warming. At least on privately-funded radio we can still seek the truth. I hope they do this every Sunday.
Included in the segment are interviews with vegetarians and their personal experience as to why they chose that path. Even though animal cruelty is a big motivator for some of us, sometimes health and science are also factors. It's interesting to hear other points of view and a wide range of topics all converging around my favorite subject: Vegetarianism. The show also offers advice to those who are interested in changing their eating habits, so I recommend it to newbies. I must add my two cents, however. They recommend taking it slow, like cut out bacon this month, sausage the next, and so on 'til you're meat free. I recommend cold tofurky. I understand maybe eliminating red meat, then chicken and fish, and perhaps that might be an option for you, but try to nip that bad habit in the bud and just end your relationship with the burger. Meat will probably end up grossing you out before you know it anyway.
Think about what you eat this Thursday on Thanksgiving, and bring a veg option to dinner, just in case. Remember, Mother Earth will thank you.
On NPR today, just in time for the glutinous holidays, an impressive chunk of time was devoted to a show about vegetarianism, health and global warming. The segment was called, Healthy Planet, Healthy People, and focused on how what is good for the planet is actually good for us too. They discuss how going vegetarian is the easiest thing you can do to counteract global warming. At least on privately-funded radio we can still seek the truth. I hope they do this every Sunday.
Included in the segment are interviews with vegetarians and their personal experience as to why they chose that path. Even though animal cruelty is a big motivator for some of us, sometimes health and science are also factors. It's interesting to hear other points of view and a wide range of topics all converging around my favorite subject: Vegetarianism. The show also offers advice to those who are interested in changing their eating habits, so I recommend it to newbies. I must add my two cents, however. They recommend taking it slow, like cut out bacon this month, sausage the next, and so on 'til you're meat free. I recommend cold tofurky. I understand maybe eliminating red meat, then chicken and fish, and perhaps that might be an option for you, but try to nip that bad habit in the bud and just end your relationship with the burger. Meat will probably end up grossing you out before you know it anyway.
Think about what you eat this Thursday on Thanksgiving, and bring a veg option to dinner, just in case. Remember, Mother Earth will thank you.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
I have to admit, Barbara Kingsolver was one of my favorite authors for a long time, so when her most-recent book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle was loaned to me by an Epicurean co-worker, I dove in, ravenous for what she had to offer.
The premise of the book is a hot topic in today's' green-minded culture. Eat local, eat only what you can raise yourself or what's in season, and relish the treasures of your community. Kingsolver and her clan moved to the Southern portion of the Appalachian Mountains with the goal of raising her family on the fruits of the land. She is not a vegetarian and I cringed when I read the part about her raising her own turkeys for food, but I'm also inclined to doff my hat to her; that she can raise her own food and feed her family. She is adamant about the sources of other meats, insisting on locally, grass-fed varieties, so that's all I'm going to mention about the meat-eating, but still, her approach is a noble one, ensuring that at least the animals she does consume, led a decent life eating good food too!
I haven't finished the book yet, but I am already under the influence. For years I tried to eat locally, (I think it's called macro-biotic), and with the exception of bananas or citrus fruit, managed to subsist fairly well. Today, I know a lot more than I did then.
Now, when I go to Whole Foods, because the farmer's markets have ended for the year, I scan the tags looking for locally grown food. Tomatoes, forget about it. The closest tomato I can find is shipped from Florida. Luckily I still have some growing on my back porch, but I've harvested the last few before the frost and dread life without tomatoes. Avocados? Lettuce? It all comes from California, and this is Kingsolver's main contention. We've been spoiled by luxurious produce shipped from all over the world, oblivious as to what the cost on our environment is. I spotted these lovely oranges that looked great for juicing, bu when I saw they were from South Africa, I quietly passed them by. Kingsolver, equates calories with gas mileage, and in one instance, says that eating an apple from Washington State for someone on the East Coast is similar to driving 3 hours to walk 3 miles on a treadmill. Kind of counter-productive. In a time when global warming is directly linked to issues such as these, I want to take my part in this mission and try not to eat something, just because it's exotic, looks delicious or I need it for my recipe. Chances are that that red, delicious apple, might not taste as tasty as it looks. My boyfriend thinks I'm crazy, but I put my foot down at unnecessary items that have been shipped across the ocean.
For a raw foodist like myself, it is especially difficult. We subsist on nuts, that are primarily grown in places like Thailand, and while I grapple with that issue, I must remember to choose other items that haven't travelled as far for the rest of the meal.
Right now, I'm really digging squash, all types, simply steamed and topped with my own fresh-grown parsley. You can also make a nice squash mash, with steamed squash processed with olive oil and herbs. In the northeast, pickings are slim, but this is also the time of year when home-cooked foods, like root vegetables and onions can make a great meal. Stews really benefit from local produce. Can't live without that avocado? Well neither can I, but at least if we take small steps in passing by those delicious fruits from South Africa, we are making a difference.
The premise of the book is a hot topic in today's' green-minded culture. Eat local, eat only what you can raise yourself or what's in season, and relish the treasures of your community. Kingsolver and her clan moved to the Southern portion of the Appalachian Mountains with the goal of raising her family on the fruits of the land. She is not a vegetarian and I cringed when I read the part about her raising her own turkeys for food, but I'm also inclined to doff my hat to her; that she can raise her own food and feed her family. She is adamant about the sources of other meats, insisting on locally, grass-fed varieties, so that's all I'm going to mention about the meat-eating, but still, her approach is a noble one, ensuring that at least the animals she does consume, led a decent life eating good food too!
I haven't finished the book yet, but I am already under the influence. For years I tried to eat locally, (I think it's called macro-biotic), and with the exception of bananas or citrus fruit, managed to subsist fairly well. Today, I know a lot more than I did then.
Now, when I go to Whole Foods, because the farmer's markets have ended for the year, I scan the tags looking for locally grown food. Tomatoes, forget about it. The closest tomato I can find is shipped from Florida. Luckily I still have some growing on my back porch, but I've harvested the last few before the frost and dread life without tomatoes. Avocados? Lettuce? It all comes from California, and this is Kingsolver's main contention. We've been spoiled by luxurious produce shipped from all over the world, oblivious as to what the cost on our environment is. I spotted these lovely oranges that looked great for juicing, bu when I saw they were from South Africa, I quietly passed them by. Kingsolver, equates calories with gas mileage, and in one instance, says that eating an apple from Washington State for someone on the East Coast is similar to driving 3 hours to walk 3 miles on a treadmill. Kind of counter-productive. In a time when global warming is directly linked to issues such as these, I want to take my part in this mission and try not to eat something, just because it's exotic, looks delicious or I need it for my recipe. Chances are that that red, delicious apple, might not taste as tasty as it looks. My boyfriend thinks I'm crazy, but I put my foot down at unnecessary items that have been shipped across the ocean.
For a raw foodist like myself, it is especially difficult. We subsist on nuts, that are primarily grown in places like Thailand, and while I grapple with that issue, I must remember to choose other items that haven't travelled as far for the rest of the meal.
Right now, I'm really digging squash, all types, simply steamed and topped with my own fresh-grown parsley. You can also make a nice squash mash, with steamed squash processed with olive oil and herbs. In the northeast, pickings are slim, but this is also the time of year when home-cooked foods, like root vegetables and onions can make a great meal. Stews really benefit from local produce. Can't live without that avocado? Well neither can I, but at least if we take small steps in passing by those delicious fruits from South Africa, we are making a difference.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
One step forward, two steps back
Proposition 2 was a victory for farm animals. The day after the election, when I learned that Californians had voted for more humane farming techniques, I wasn't surprised, but I was pleased. I know how long it had taken PETA to convince KFC to stop debeaking their birds, and while some don't see it as a victory, baby steps, all the way. Nothing gets done over night, especially the big battle with corporate, greedy farmers who do see animals as dollar signs and not as sentient beings.
However, one week after Prop 2, the Supreme Court has ruled against the welfare of whales in the name of national security. The US Navy uses sonar off the coast of California to train their recruits and insist that sonar is a vital part of the training. You know, just in case Russia decided to invade us with submarines. Sonar is said to be damaging to whales, causing disorientation and other catastrophic effects.
So whales, our vital marine life mammals, who are slowly going extinct thanks to global warming and illegal fishing, have lost against the US Navy.
you can read an article about whales and sonar here, or just do a google search.
If you are interested in saving whales, think about joining an organization that makes that its mission. Click here for more details about volunteering to help bring attention to whales plight. It's a global problem and they were here before we were.
However, one week after Prop 2, the Supreme Court has ruled against the welfare of whales in the name of national security. The US Navy uses sonar off the coast of California to train their recruits and insist that sonar is a vital part of the training. You know, just in case Russia decided to invade us with submarines. Sonar is said to be damaging to whales, causing disorientation and other catastrophic effects.
So whales, our vital marine life mammals, who are slowly going extinct thanks to global warming and illegal fishing, have lost against the US Navy.
you can read an article about whales and sonar here, or just do a google search.
If you are interested in saving whales, think about joining an organization that makes that its mission. Click here for more details about volunteering to help bring attention to whales plight. It's a global problem and they were here before we were.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Whales back on top
Now that this whole election is over and the right man won, my efforts can be turned back to things that matter most. Whales!
Tune in tomorrow to Animal Planet's Whale Wars to watch American environmentalists battle those evil Japanese whalers.
Japan wants to turn whaling back into a successful, viable industry, while the rest of the world disagrees. (except for some backward countries like Iceland. Hey Iceland, maybe if you abandon your whaling, your economy might come back. Ain't karma a bitch?)
Whale Wars. watch it!
Tune in tomorrow to Animal Planet's Whale Wars to watch American environmentalists battle those evil Japanese whalers.
Japan wants to turn whaling back into a successful, viable industry, while the rest of the world disagrees. (except for some backward countries like Iceland. Hey Iceland, maybe if you abandon your whaling, your economy might come back. Ain't karma a bitch?)
Whale Wars. watch it!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Glenn Beck vs the Environment
This morning I awoke to the awful sounds of the Glenn Beck morning show bellowing from the radio. Beck, the old curmudgeon who rules the rednecks with an AM radio show and nightly television show, decided, like a confused teen hitting puberty, that it would be funny, even cool, to offset the DNC party's pledge to be environmentally friendly at this years' convention. Beck had his wife on the radio as she promised to drive at least 90 extra miles this week while she ran around the house plugging in all sorts of electronics, while his hick-listeners jumped on the band wagon and stupidly called in telling America what they are doing to offset the energy saved by the DNC.
Really Glenn, what are you, twelve? Your stupid listeners, many who can't even afford their electric bill, are literally eating every word you feed them, while they can't even fill afford to fill their gas tanks. Not everyone makes millions like you Glenn and can afford this type of irresponsible behavior. Is this the best you can do?
But hey, if it stops those damn liberals who cares what damage we do, right? When I listen to you Glenn, you remind me of the class clown in high-school that everyone laughed at. I feel sorry for you, you stupid clown.
Really Glenn, what are you, twelve? Your stupid listeners, many who can't even afford their electric bill, are literally eating every word you feed them, while they can't even fill afford to fill their gas tanks. Not everyone makes millions like you Glenn and can afford this type of irresponsible behavior. Is this the best you can do?
But hey, if it stops those damn liberals who cares what damage we do, right? When I listen to you Glenn, you remind me of the class clown in high-school that everyone laughed at. I feel sorry for you, you stupid clown.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
tooting my own horn
Tonight on the Green Network, Miley Cyrus was talking about her "eco-friendly lyrics" to her new song!? I mean, I guess it's cool that she's influencing all these young teeny-boppers to be environmentally conscious and all, but the girl works for Disney! I told you the Green Network was lame.
Eco living is quickly becoming a really crazy insane trend that is catching on like rapid fire, which is great but we know how trends go. People turn their backs on it, they move on, the trend fades to ridicule. Which is what I wish would happen to Miley Cyrus.
Eco living is quickly becoming a really crazy insane trend that is catching on like rapid fire, which is great but we know how trends go. People turn their backs on it, they move on, the trend fades to ridicule. Which is what I wish would happen to Miley Cyrus.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
The new Green channel and why it irks me
The new Green Channel on cable TV launched about a month ago ...have you seen it? In theory, its a great concept. People showcasing their green products, builders explaining how to better your home, celebrities showing you how to be green. Entourage star, Adrien Grenier has his own show, "Alter Eco", where he pals around with a bunch of hip LAsters, showing products in local eco-stores, meeting local gardeners who can tell you how to build a compost in your backyard, all while having a hip cool approach to life that only celebrity can bring. yawn... Bored yet?
My favorite cookbook author, Rene Loux has her own show, where she consults with other hip celebrities and tells them how to be green. I love her cookbooks and recommend them whole-heartedly but OMG if I hear the word "green" one more time from her lips I might hurt someone. On a particularly recent episode Rene meets up with her "friend" Alice Cooper and tells him how he can be green on the golf course. First of all, I really don't buy into their artificial friendship and secondly, isn't being green and golfing polar opposites? Aren't golf courses artificial green spaces where once thrived natural wildlife habitats which have been torn down and turned into luxury golf courses where mostly rich, wealthy people waste much of their time? I recommend the John Sayles film, Sunshine State, for those unaware of this fact. So, what did she tell him? "Wear bamboo or organic cotton, use these golf-tees made out of corn, use these recycled golf balls. Well, some of her advice is nice,. I mean bamboo fabric is awesome, but all in all golfing tears down eco-cultures, destroys communities and displaces wildlife, all which we need if we are going to continue life on earth. So take that for some honest advice, Alice. Lastly, a vegan like Rene should at least sneak in a few words about snacks on the golf course and pump up her books!
The Ed Bagley show, "Living with Ed" is the saving grace of the Green Channel. Ed Bagely has been doing his own thing for years, installing solar panels on his roof long before it was chic, riding his bike in LA where everyone opts for a hybrid instead of using their own two legs. He's the real pioneer, the others are just marketing goods. Oh and did I mention that Emeril Lagasse has his own show? Ugh serioulsy, a carnivorous meat eater telling me how to be green. puh-leeese.
My favorite cookbook author, Rene Loux has her own show, where she consults with other hip celebrities and tells them how to be green. I love her cookbooks and recommend them whole-heartedly but OMG if I hear the word "green" one more time from her lips I might hurt someone. On a particularly recent episode Rene meets up with her "friend" Alice Cooper and tells him how he can be green on the golf course. First of all, I really don't buy into their artificial friendship and secondly, isn't being green and golfing polar opposites? Aren't golf courses artificial green spaces where once thrived natural wildlife habitats which have been torn down and turned into luxury golf courses where mostly rich, wealthy people waste much of their time? I recommend the John Sayles film, Sunshine State, for those unaware of this fact. So, what did she tell him? "Wear bamboo or organic cotton, use these golf-tees made out of corn, use these recycled golf balls. Well, some of her advice is nice,. I mean bamboo fabric is awesome, but all in all golfing tears down eco-cultures, destroys communities and displaces wildlife, all which we need if we are going to continue life on earth. So take that for some honest advice, Alice. Lastly, a vegan like Rene should at least sneak in a few words about snacks on the golf course and pump up her books!
The Ed Bagley show, "Living with Ed" is the saving grace of the Green Channel. Ed Bagely has been doing his own thing for years, installing solar panels on his roof long before it was chic, riding his bike in LA where everyone opts for a hybrid instead of using their own two legs. He's the real pioneer, the others are just marketing goods. Oh and did I mention that Emeril Lagasse has his own show? Ugh serioulsy, a carnivorous meat eater telling me how to be green. puh-leeese.
Friday, April 18, 2008
another nod to vegansim
I'm telling you, word is getting out. People are becoming conscious and it's not going away any time soon. Do I think people will still be eating meat in 100 years? While I'd like to think not, the opposite is more likely true.
Discovery News put out article saying that if people want to be green they should cut out beef and dairy. http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/04/18/green-planet-diet.html Yay! another step forward. I've been tracking announcements in the media like this for a while and it's refreshing and wonderful to see major news venues recognizing the effects of animal consumption.
It is easy being green after all.
Discovery News put out article saying that if people want to be green they should cut out beef and dairy. http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/04/18/green-planet-diet.html Yay! another step forward. I've been tracking announcements in the media like this for a while and it's refreshing and wonderful to see major news venues recognizing the effects of animal consumption.
It is easy being green after all.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
emissions, meat consumption and Americans
Finally people in the (somewhat) mainstream media are no longer afraid to go against Big Beef. Yesterday on NPR, a program aired addressing how meat consumption and carbon emissions are directly linked. Listen here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89676010 Most informed vegans are well aware of this fact, but the average American lives in utter denial.
An interesting factoid for you: Americans consume 40-50% more meat than the average German! Germans are notorious for meat-eating, yet Berlin has a high concentration of vegan restaurants. Americans, who were once on the cutting edge of all things savvy, is falling very far behind. Americans are not accountable for what they put in their bodies, preferring a plastic wrapped pink sirloin from the refrigerator in the grocery store in favor of buying local, supporting farmers and therefore increasing our burden on the environment.
Finally someone besides the lowly vegan speaks and is heard!
An interesting factoid for you: Americans consume 40-50% more meat than the average German! Germans are notorious for meat-eating, yet Berlin has a high concentration of vegan restaurants. Americans, who were once on the cutting edge of all things savvy, is falling very far behind. Americans are not accountable for what they put in their bodies, preferring a plastic wrapped pink sirloin from the refrigerator in the grocery store in favor of buying local, supporting farmers and therefore increasing our burden on the environment.
Finally someone besides the lowly vegan speaks and is heard!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
It's not easy bein' Green
Living in Philadelphia and trying to live environmentally is kind of an oxymoron. You've got people throwing trash on the street while a trash can lies at the end of every block, (trust me I've yelled at them), and you've got this huge Sunoco plant at the crux of South West Philadelphia. On a clear day, you can smell unpleasant wafts of sulfur blowing from the south, and if you've spent the weekend away and roll your window down once you're about to cross the Ben Franklin Bridge, well, the stench of the city just attacks you. No matter, I do what I can. Last night, before I went to sleep, I take a look out the window, down the sidewalk, at our trash lined up for pick up today. My bag of plastics for recycling seems to be missing! "How odd" I thought, and lay down to sleep. It was a windy night, and moments later I hear plastic bottles rattling through the streets. I look out the window once more and guiltily spy all my recycling blowing all through the streets of Philadelphia in a wild wind storm. I'll tell you, I was kind of upset about it, my city is so filthy as it is, and no wonder. Wouldn't you know, this morning as I was going to work and bringing back in my recycling bucket, there was, what looked like, a pile of piss welled up inside!? Oh Philly how I love thee. I only hope it was dog piss, but you never know, and that would be one tall dog to reach the top of that container. That is a new one. Who would do such a thing, really?
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