Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

• We might be underestimating the problems with our environment. Here are a list of environmental problems that may be much worse than we thought; chemical contamination, air pollution, habitat loss, water crisis, desertification, ocean acidification and excessive trash and garbage; via Earth First.

• Wal-Mart will soon slap labels on all products carried in its stores displaying the items eco-rating which measures its environmental friendliness. To determine the rating, Wal-Mart will ask suppliers to answer questions about their product, such as how it is package and manufactured; from Green Tech.

• U2 front man Bono is an eco-nut, but some environmentalists are screaming that the band’s new 44 concert tour is an environmental disaster. They say the carbon footprint of the extravaganza is equal to sending the band members on 34,125 million mile trip from Earth to Mars; TreeHugger reports.

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Before I planted this year’s garbage tomato in the spring, I grew a bunch of sprouts from the seeds I saved from last year’s tomato. By the time I was ready to plant, I had ten sprouts! But I had to give some away. I’m barely smart enough to grow one tomato.

My mom and grandmother each got tomato—each on is thriving—and I also gave some out to my fellow employees. A few of them died, just like the very first plant I stuck in the ground, but my buddy Kurt is raising a monster tomato, even without the garbage!

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• Merriam-Webster adds new words to the dictionary every year. This year, “carbon footprint” made the list. It describes how much carbon dioxide something emits. So did “Green-collar”, any job working with the environment, and “Locavore”, people who eat locally grown food; via Fresh Greens.

• Dr. Fuhrman’s friend and veggie advocate, Heather Mills, has opened an organic vegan cafe in Hove Lagoon in West Sussex in the United Kingdom, called The Vbites Café. Heather is a big proponent of a meat-free life and may soon launch her own line of frozen vegan faux-meat foods; TreeHugger explains.

• Electric cars are already very popular in Europe, but experts speculate the sales of electric cars in the U.S. could jump 86%, by 2030. Now, the cost of battery charging systems may exceed $320 billion over the next few decades, but the healthy-savings due to less pollution could save us $210 billion; Reuters reports.

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• Coral reefs are amazing! They’re colorful, unique, bustling with unusual marine life and very, very threatened. Scientists believe, given the raising concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the world’s coral reefs will face extinction by 2100; via TreeHugger.

• Canada has topped the United States as the worst on tackling global warming. Our neighbors to the north now have the highest per capita emissions in the world. The U.S. ranking improved largely due to President Obama’s pro-climate change policies; the AFP reports.

• The WWF—the World Wildlife Fund, not the wrestlers—wants to label red meat and dairy products, encouraging people not to eat more than 3 portions of either each week, in order to help curb the large amount of emissions involved with producing them; from Food Navigator.

• Very often coal ash from mining facilities is dumped into giant slurries nearby residential communities—you know, no biggie—but according to the EPA, 26 coal ash sites in 10 states are at risk of flooding, like what happened in Tennessee last year; the Associated Press reports.

• When completed in 2010, a Colorado wind farm will boast 34 turbines spread across 6,000 acres, supplying 51-megawatts of green energy to Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming. That’s enough juice to power 14,000 households; the Associated Press explains.

• More proof that Americans are warming up to climate change prevention. A recent survey found nearly three-quarters of African Americans would back federal policies for global warming, with 54% of those surveyed calling climate change a serious problem; via Red Green and Blue.

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• Besides making a mess after a good pillow fight, chicken feathers are pretty much useless and amazingly the poultry industry generates 2.7 billion kilograms of chicken feathers each year. But now, a new technology promises to turn carbonized chicken feathers into fuel tanks for hydrogen fuel-cell cars, hurricane-resistant roofing and lightweight car parts; via CleanTechnica.

• Computers have a come a long way from talking red lights in a science fiction movie. Nowadays, they can even be green. IBM is working on an energy efficient supercomputer that uses water to recycle its excess heat. It’s a revelation because normally cooling large computer systems requires hefty amounts of air-conditioning; Reuters reports.

• No doubt, the global recession is a drag. Everyone is tightening their belts, but as far as earth-saving goes, the recession has been good. People are driving less, in order to save money, so less oil was burned up. In 2008, experts say emissions actually dropped 3%; from The Associated Press.

• You’d think city dwellers would have a higher carbon footprint than people living in suburban areas. Apparently not, a new study claims urbanites emit 70% less carbon emissions in transit than suburbanites. One reason why is cities are more location efficient, meaning important destinations like work are closer to home; TreeHugger explains.

• Another way to make cities greener is to spruce up existing infrastructure. Chicago is preparing a $350 million energy efficient retrofit of the Sears Tower. The makeover will include the installation of wind turbines and solar panels on the roof. The hope is the skyscraper will be able to provide all the power it needs all by itself; The New York Times reports.

• Would you pay $175 a year to fight global warming? I think I would. That’s what experts say new climate change legislation will cost the average household each year. The $175 comes from the increased cost of doing business and higher sticker price for consumer products—like cars and refrigerators—but many households can expect rebates; via The Daily Green.

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• If you take the train into New York City you’ll now be greeted by a 70-foot-tall digital billboard outside Madison Square Garden and Penn Station. Last Thursday, Deutsche Bank unveiled the world’s first real-time carbon counter, displaying the running total of greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere; via Red Green and Blue.

• Experts at the United Nations insist a green economy and green industry should be the goal of all countries to help combat climate change and the overcome the economic crisis, saying “business as usual” is not an option and the $100 billion spent every year on renewable energy must be increased three-fold; the AFP reports.

• The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that the world faces an ever-growing risk of “abrupt and irreversible climatic shifts” due to global warming, with carbon dioxide emissions having already compromised the natural ability of oceans and forests to absorb CO2 created by burning fossil fuels; from the AFP.

• Bananas are a healthy food packaged in their own wrapper, which we normally throw away, but researchers have now developed a system of mashing banana peels and mixing them with sawdust to make briquettes. Then, after they’re dried in the sun for two weeks, the bricks can be burned as fuel. No word on their carbon-footprint though; BBC News reports.

• Officials in San Jose, California have introduced plans to develop a $20 million program for processing food and yard waste into usable biogas. The proposed facility would ferment biomass in an air-tight digester, producing biogas and fertilizer pellets. The gas can be used to power the operation or sold to fleets; Green Inc. explains.

• Fungus makes good biofuel too. Back in World War II, U.S. soldiers encountered a fungus that ate their cotton tents. Today, scientists from Denmark are cultivating the enzyme to break down plant matter and create cheaper ethanol, but the process isn’t easy. Plant matter must first be treated with heat, steam or chemicals; via Bloomberg.com.

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• More fuel efficient cars are on their way. Last week, the U.S. General Services Administration ordered 17,205 greener cars, to come from General Motors with 2,933, Chrysler with 7,924 and Ford with 6,348—costing a grand total of $210 million; via GreenBiz.com.

• And to improve cars, a laboratory in Colorado is working to enhance the efficiency of car air-conditioning. Tooling up new air-conditioning could save the United States 7 billion gallons of gasoline each year and help reduce carbon emissions; Green Inc. reports.

• The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is looking to go carbon neutral by 2020. Estimates claim global air travel accounts for 2% of carbon dioxide emissions. Currently, the IATA is focusing on carbon trading and eco-friendly fuels; via SustainableBusiness.com.

• The petroleum industry, i.e. oil, is being blamed for 1.5 billion kilograms of pollutants released into the environment. According to a new report, 90% of the 5.5 billion kilograms of pollution comes from just 12 industries, such as oil, mining and chemicals; the AFP reports.

• Twenty years later, Exxon is getting nailed for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill near Alaska. The supertanker poured 50,000 tons of oil into the ocean off Alaska’s south coast. So on Monday, a U.S. federal appeals court ordered Exxon to pay a $507.5 million penalty; the AFP explains.

• This is funny. In 1909, The Titusville Herald in Titusville, Pennsylvania ran a report by the United States Geological Survey saying all petroleum and iron would be exhausted by 1939, natural gas by 1934 and coal by the 21st century—guess that didn’t happen; via Paleo-Future.

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• San Francisco already has the highest recycling rate in the United States, with 72%. And now, city officials are poised approve more recycling legislation. The new ordinance would require residential and commercial building owners to sign up for composting and recycling services; via Green Inc.

• Wal-Mart is greening up too. Wal-Mart owns Sam’s Club and Sam’s Club is clearing their shelves of things like power tools and making room for eco-friendly products like water-saving toilets. The move is in response to customers’ demand for ways to cut expenses and lower bills; from Shop Talk.

• Livestock is a major contributor of global warming greenhouse gases and the average Belgian citizen eats 1,800 animals in their lifetime. So, officials from the city of Ghent are proposing a “Veggie Day” urging its 240,000 residents to give up meat for one day a week; Environment explains.

• Philadelphia is installing solar-powered trash-compacting garbage cans throughout the city. By July, 500 BigBelly trash cans will be deployed, saving the city $12.9 million over 10 years. Regular garbage cans need to be emptied 19 times a week, the composters only need 5 empties a week; EcoGeek reports.

• People in the U.K. want more green! A new survey showed 75% of Britons think public money should go into renewable energy, 60% want more funding devoted to setting up solar panels and 53% insist companies responsible for the most pollution should pay higher taxes; via Green Living Tips.

• Don’t go swimming in Brooklyn. New York’s beaches are closed due to concerns over sewage. So, if you try taking a dip, you’ll get arrested. It happened to one man when he ignored an officer’s warning and hit the surf. Officials will only reopen the beaches once more testing has been done; TreeHugger explains.

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I’m a city rat. I love the muck, grime and skyscrapers, and the last thing you'd expect to find in a city like New York is a farm. Think again! A group of city hippies setup an amazing rooftop farm on top of an old bagel factory in Brooklyn, selling fresh fruits and vegetables to local restaurants.

The farm has been great for the community. Volunteers can be seen hauling bags of compost upstairs, shoveling dirt and tending to vegetables. And another farm in Little Italy is raising fruit trees and even chickens. I think this is awesome and a smart use of wide open sunny spaces.

Via Serious Eats.

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• Climate change is causing glaciers in Yosemite National Park to disappear, which is bad enough, but now experts claim the park’s giant trees are also in trouble, saying the number of trees has dropped by 24% during the past 60 years, putting the forest’s future in doubt; via TreeHugger.

• Speaking of forests, Greenpeace is demanding retailers not to buy products from companies involved in deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. Major supermarkets in the U.K. buy meat from slaughterhouses and ranches carrying out illegal land-clearing; Food Navigator reports.

• By 2100, rising sea levels due to climate change may threaten major U.S. cities, like New York City, scientists believe fresh water from melting ice sheets will interfere with circulation patterns in the Atlantic, swelling ocean levels by 4 to 12 inches; National Geographic News explains.

• And some areas of the world are already in trouble. Citizens of the Carteret Islands in Papua New Guinea have started to flee their homes as encroaching saltwater makes farming impossible. Experts are calling them the first official refugees of climate change; from TreeHugger.

• Oceans may drown us out, but they’re in danger too. The United Nations has specified any discussions on reversing climate change must include reducing ocean acidification. Carbon emissions pollute the ocean, choking water with CO2 and reducing biodiversity; the AFP investigates.

• Cattails, those weeds we used to play with as kids, could be used to combat water pollution. Cattails soak up all sorts of harmful stuff, like arsenic and pharmaceuticals. Planting cattails around marshlands helps prevent excess carbon emissions from wetlands; via CleanTechnia.

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