I find that one of the saddest consequences (among a great many) of our worsening environmental crisis is that much of the seafood on the market nowadays is no longer fit for human consumption due to high levels of contamination. Eating a nice meal of fish for dinner every week used to be a great way to get your omega-3 fats, plus it just tasted so good. But doing so now is a risky venture.

More than 80 percent of the seafood consumed in the US is imported, and China is the largest exporter of seafood to the US. That is scary enough but according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey study, mercury contamination was detected in EVERY fish sampled in nearly 300 streams across the United States!

Farmed fish is not the answer either. Over 40 percent of all seafood is produced in aqua-farms, but studies have also consistently found levels of PCBs, dioxins, toxaphene and dieldrin, as well as mercury, to be higher in farm-raised fish than wild fish. Nearly all farm-raised fish are fed a concoction of vitamins, antibiotics, and depending on the fish, synthetic pigments, to make up for the lack of natural flesh coloration due to the altered diet. Without it, the flesh of caged salmon, for example, would be an unappetizing, pale gray.

The likelihood that the fish you buy in a local grocery store or restaurant is actually free of dangerous levels of contamination is slim, hence the sad conclusion that we should avoid most fish, other than very small fish (like anchovies and sardines) or wild-caught fish from minimally polluted areas like the Arctic, Antarctic or Alaskan waters.

Oryana carries several brands of seafood in our frozen section: Natural Sea, Alaskan Premium, Henry & Lisa’s, and World Catch. These companies have high standards as far as safety and sustainability of fishing is concerned. For example, Henry & Lisa’s tests their fish for mercury and PCBs and aquacultured fish are grown without the use of chemicals or additives.

Alaskan Premium is a new, local business that sells fresh fish from Alaska. This company’s label states: “Our method and motto is sustainability and traceablility. We catch our fish and flash freeze them and process them right after they are caught…hook and line fishing is one of the least invasive means and having it sent from the boat to Northern Michigan ensure the product’s traceability.” Look for their cod and salmon in the meat freezer. They will do a demo of their product on Wednesday, April 28 from 3 – 5.

The deplorable state of the earth’s fish species is grievous and unforgivable; not only are the fish’s prospects for survival bleak and their place in our delicate ecosystem compromised, but we are losing a highly nutritious source of food. We can take a stand against unsafely farmed and unsustainably caught fish by avoiding fish from an unknown source and supporting responsible fish companies like the ones Oryana buys from.

Information for today’s post was obtained from this article on Mercola.com

Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, started the first nationwide environmental protest “to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda.”

Back at that time during the 70s, Americans were consuming leaded gas with massive cars. There was little fear of legal consequences by industries that were polluting the air, water, and earth. Environmental activism was practically unheard of. But that changed on Earth Day 1970.

On April 22, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment. Denis Hayes, the national coordinator, organized massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

We’ve made a lot of progress since that time but we still have a long way to go. There have been successes such as the banning of DDT, fluorocarbons and other noxious toxins/pollutants, but it’s a constant battle. And now with countries like China and India anxious to catch up to American standards of living, the stakes are even higher.

Oryana has been in the forefront of environmental consciousness from day one. The co-op was born in 1973, when a few forward thinking people who wanted whole, organic foods at reasonable prices started their own small buying club. That humble beginning evolved over the years to one of our region’s most environmentally conscious businesses.

Oryana was the first food co-op in the country to become a certified organic retailer. We’ve also provided local, natural/organic food producers a place to sell products and grow their businesses. Our new store was a certified “green building” project that used recycled and energy-efficient material in keeping with the co-op’s mission. For example, the building utilizes heat reclamation from our refrigeration, we have a rainwater catchment system for irrigation, our toilets are low-flow, we reused windows from the old building, purchased used wood for trim and tables in the cafe from Odom’s, and we used low VOC paint and materials.

Oryana truly lives the spirit of Earth Day, a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment. Our mission – to provide high quality food produced in ecologically sound ways at fair value with Oryana members and staff committed to enhancing our community through the practice of cooperative economics and education about the relationship of food to health – has everything to do with what Earth Day is all about.

Let’s all keep up the good work by doing what we can to honor our planet. The list of ways to tread a little more lightly are numerous: use your car less and your bicycle, feet, carpool more, refrain from using toxic yard and garden chemicals, buy locally produced products, recycle, reuse, use less, grow your own garden…Shopping at Oryana is another great way to support the community and the environment. And know that we continuously strive to improve ourselves and do the right thing regarding the products we sell, our own physical plant improvements, employee practices, and community support.

A good time was had by all at our General Membership meeting last night at Grace Episcopal Church. The wonderful staff of Lake Street Kitchen outdid themselves when they prepared a feast of lemon artichoke lasagna, spicy cashew rice noodle salad, Dijon artichoke potato salad, a selection of delightful dips, a huge fresh garden salad, and two kinds of lemon cake. No one left the church hungry last night!

Craig Mulder, our board president, reported on Oryana’s activities of the previous year and Steve Nance, our new general manager, introduced himself and also reported on the state of Oryana. So far, 2010 is shaping up to be a prosperous year in spite of our battered local economy.

We welcome several new board members: Jim Dagwell, Ken Kit-tu-gua, Derick Hall, (Ken and Derick are also staff members of Oryana) and returning board members Craig Mulder, Amy Tennis, and Samantha Tengelitsch.

The recipient of our 2010 Community Grant was Bay Area Recycling for Charities. They received a check for $5000! We thank all those terrific and worthy organizations that applied for the grant, as well all the members who voted.

To top it all off we gave away 2 huge gift baskets full of Oryana goodies along with homemade birdhouses (decorated by Oryana children), Oryana t-shirts and hats.

Thanks to all member-owners who came to show their support of Oryana!

Speaking to a near full house last night, Wes Jackson, founder and president of the Land Institute in Kansas, spoke passionately about the current and historic practices of agriculture and their inherent destructiveness to one of our most precious resources, soil.

In a quote from the Land Institute’s website, Jackson explains the problem in a nutshell: “The world’s farms, heavily reliant on non-renewable resources, are turning out more food than ever in history. At the same time, agriculture unintentionally but tragically worsens the global ecological crisis. These two faces of agriculture—productivity and destructiveness—do not arise from the conscious decisions of fuel, fertilizer, or pesticide salespeople, or of farmers, government officials or grocery shoppers. They are inherent in the way humans have practiced agriculture for 10,000 years.”

Jackson says that all of nature’s ecosystems feature perennial plants growing in species mixtures and that they build soil. Agriculture reversed that process nearly everywhere by substituting annual monocultures. As a result, ecosystem services—including soil fertility—have been degraded.

He explained in great detail how the problem of modern agriculture contributes to the degradation of the “Ecosphere,” as he puts it. The issue at stake is that grains, which are annual plants and occupy the lion’s share of tilled land, are poor managers of soil and water. Frequent tillage, months of off-season exposure to wind and water, and shallow root systems of annual plants all contribute to significant soil erosion. The solution to this problem, according to Jackson, is perennial grains.

Although a great deal of attention is focused on sustainable farming devoted to vegetables/fruits, the majority of agricultural acreage is devoted to grains. “We talk a lot about sustainability but ignore grains,” Jackson said.

Jackson claims that perennials can out yield annuals while preserving the integrity of the soil and allowing more natural processes such as fire and grazing to manage the fields. He cites native prairie land as the ideal model for true sustainability.

He proposed a 50 year Farm Bill whereby a gradual systemic change in agriculture would take place with specific changes taking place over 10 5-year periods. Some features of the 50 year bill include cutting fossil fuel dependence to zero and reducing toxics in soil and water.

It was an eye-opening lecture and provided much food for thought on a subject that does not get the attention it deserves in current sustainability discussions. I hope that someone in our region will learn about perennial grain cropping and give it a try. Jackson buttered up the audience by telling us we were one of the hippest, smartest places around. Audience members responded by with chuckles and chortles, but I hope we live up to this praise and take him up on his challenge.

Jolene, one of our wonderful cashiers, has given birth to a baby girl! The baby’s name is Abigail and she was born April 1, an April Fool’s baby! She weighed in at 5 pounds, 10 ounces, 19 inches. Mom and baby are both doing fine.

One down, two to go. Bailey, another wonderful cashier is due any day now. Maybe there’s something in the water?

Here are a few quotes by people who were born on April 1.

“Tell me what you eat and I’ll tell you what you are.” Anthelme Brillat Savarin

“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself.” Abraham Maslow

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring – it was peace.” Milan Kundera