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There are many great reasons to go organic. It helps combat climate change, fosters species diversity, prevents damage to valuable water resources, and protects farmers and farmers

By Jennifer Rose

Continuous improvement lies at the heart of the corporate philosophy at SunOpta, Inc.. “We are constantly looking for creative ways to do what we do better,” explains Gunta Vitins, the company’s director of public relations.

It should come as no surprise, then, that SunOpta has established a goal of zero waste for all of its production facilities, and that it has embraced an ‘out-of-the-box’ approach to achieve it.

Llano Seco Rancho is a place like no other. Located at the northern end of California’s Sacramento Valley, this 18,000-acre ranch is home to native grasslands, wetlands, oak savannahs, and riparian forests rich with wildlife.

It has not always been this way. Prior to 1991, much of the land was ‘lasered’ (leveled and graded) to create more suitable conditions for rice production. Other acreage was dedicated to dry grain production and grazing, leaving little unaltered space for the area’s native plant and animal species to thrive.

When John Hantz drove through downtown Detroit several years ago, he did so with a heavy heart. Having lived and worked in the area for more than 20 years, he knew it during its boom times, when it bustled with energy from the city’s large industrial core. Now, he was faced with a different reality: one characterized by vacant fields, derelict homes, and countless warehouses in disrepair.

Eric ‘T’ Fleisher is no stranger to organic landscaping projects. Since 1989, he has served as the Director of Horticulture at New York City’s Battery Park City Parks (BPCP). During his tenure, he and his colleagues have developed an organic landscaping program that has successfully reduced the park’s water usage and improved the overall health of the park’s grounds. So, in 2008, when Fleisher received a Harvard Loeb Fellowship to apply the BPCP program to Harvard Yard at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, he was up to the challenge.

Eating your fruits and vegetables ought to be good for you. And if it's not, we're in trouble.

Exposure to pesticides used on common kid-friendly foods — including frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries and celery — appears to boost the chances that children will be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, new research shows.

Youngsters with high levels of pesticide residue in their urine, particularly from widely used types of insecticide such as malathion, were more likely to have ADHD, the behavior disorder that often disrupts school and social life, scientists in the United States and Canada found.

To read the full article, click here.

The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

For the first time, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in a
case involving genetically modified crops. The crops' safety is not at
issue in this case, but their potential economic impact is. The case may
have ramifications beyond GM crops.

To read the full article, click here.

For years consumers have chosen conventional foods rather than organic foods for financial reasons. But a new report shows that organic food can cost the same - if not less - than conventional goods. So will this news change consumer behaviour?

In the eyes of the consumer, organic food products have always had one major drawback: their price.

But, for better or worse, the recession is changing all that.