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

Tomatoes in a pot

Even though the temperature dipped below freezing last night, Spring has officially arrived and it’s time to start planting! Indoors, that is, or if you have a green house or hoop house. I imagine the farmers are well into hoop house planting by now. Starting your seedlings indoors and then transplanting them outside either in a garden or in containers is about as local as you can get. Not everyone has access to a diggable, sunny plot of land to dedicate to growing food, but container gardening is a viable option for many people, and it’s apparently all the rage these days.

A recent New York Times article states that container gardening is a billion dollar a year retail business. There are all kinds of cool products for would-be home gardeners who want to get their hands dirty and experience the joy of home-grown goodies but who are lacking acreage. Enter the “Garden in a Bag,” for instance. Or the “Herb-Grow Bag” that you can place on the “Self-Watering Tray.” And if you’re worried that your baby seedlings aren’t going to get enough light, you can get the “Jump Start Grow Light System.” All these gadgets are great but be prepared to pony up some serious cash. (Read the full New York Times article here.)

Personally, I’m planning to put a couple old whiskey barrels into service as containers for tomatoes and herbs. In their former life they served as water gardens and they’ll do nicely for a few veggies. I just have to figure out where to get the dirt and determine the best spot for them in my mostly shady yard.

A friend of mine said that his father used to cut a hole in a large plastic bag of dirt, drop a tomato seed in the hole, and harvest lots of tomatoes come August. Judging by all the photos of container gardening online, people can and do get creative with their containers.

We have a small selection of flower and vegetable seeds available in the produce department so you can get started with a few organic varieties. The brand is “Seeds of Change” and more will be coming soon. For more information about starting your own container garden, check out no-dig-vegetablegarden.com.

We all know the benefits and importance of eating locally grown food and how this practice is good for our bodies and our planet. But to what degree would it be preferable to not eat local? And what is the definition of ‘local’? Would a food produced 100 miles away still be considered local? Local Harvest recommends that food travel no more than 100-200 miles from its source, which seems like a long way for a farmer to drive to deliver cukes and tomatoes.

Is it better for a single semi truck-load of lettuce to be driven across the country from California to the East coast or for dozens of farmers to drive from their individual farms to farmers markets in New York City and Boston to sell their crops? It’s worth considering whether local fruits and veggies really are more carbon-friendly than grocery store produce.

No one can argue that a homegrown tomato tastes superior to one picked prematurely in order for it not to get pummeled in the long transport process. And that just-picked goodies retain more nutrients than veggies that were picked two weeks ago. But how practical would it be, if eating local becomes more and more of a focus, to allocate more city-side land to farming in order to feed all us city dwellers? And what about those who live in arid or desert climates where farming is impractical? There are many more questions to be asked regarding the ‘eat local’ movement, not all of which may have satisfactory answers.

As for choosing to be a diehard locavore, I for one would have a tough time giving up coffee for breakfast (anyone tried growing coffee beans on Old Mission Peninsula yet?), chocolate, coconut, olive oil, bananas, brown rice, and many other ‘exotic’ foods. Even Barbara Kingsolver, in her family’s quest to eat local for an entire year (chronicled in her book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, an excellent read) allowed everyone a single non-local exception. Her husband chose coffee. She chose spices. (I forget what her kids chose.)

If you happen to live in Southern California or Florida, you have it made. The last time I visited the Santa Monica farmer’s market in L.A. in mid-winter, it was bursting with organic produce. It was a regular cornucopia of culinary delights, all while back in T.C. everyone was scraping their cars and shoveling their driveways. But for those of us who live in cold climes, you better like squash, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and apples, because that’s mostly what you’ll be eating all winter. Say bye-bye to fresh salad greens for several months. (Although the season can be extended with hoop houses.)

We can also extend the season by growing our own sprouts, culturing our veggies, and canning and freezing foods. But the point is, it would be rather difficult to be a local purist and shun non-local foods, especially in the great white north. This is not meant to criticize the locavore movement, but simply to raise the issues of whether eating local is truly environmentally sound in every way (i.e. one semi-load vs. dozens of truck deliveries), and how we would get along without certain foods we have come to know and love and consider staples, such as extra virgin olive oil. Any ideas on this one?

A few weeks ago as I was doing my Saturday morning shopping at the indoor farmer’s market at Building 50, I stopped to ask a vendor, who had several varieties of apples for sale, if his fruit was unsprayed. I spied his Honey Crisp apples, my favorite, and which we don’t carry in the store. He did not have an “organic” sign up, but I know that many farmers are organic for all practical purposes but do not have the official organic certification.

“No,” he said, a little defensively. “We have to spray them or they’d be full of worms. But we only spray them every other week instead of twice a week like most farmers.”

“Would you consider switching to organic?” I had to ask him.

“No,” he said again. “We’d have to change to pest-resistant trees. Besides, organic farmers use tons of copper sulfate and that much copper can’t be good for you.” He was distinctly on the defensive now. I wish I’d had knowledge of copper products so we could have discussed it, but I just thanked him and left without buying his apples.

But just how difficult and cost prohibitive is it to change to organic? To find an answer to this question I asked two formerly conventional farmers who made the switch and who now supply Oryana with their organic products, Bernie Ware of Ware Farm and Bob Weaver of Omena Organics.

According to Bernie Ware, organic apples ARE more difficult to produce, but the challenges far outweigh the risks as far as he is concerned. For example, conventional pest management calls for the use of sterol inihibitors, or hormones, against fungus, but their use has not been fully tested, which concerns farmer Ware. “I would worry more about hormones being unleashed into the environment than copper.” He added, though, that he uses fungicidal copper products judiciously. And copper products are allowed within the organic guidelines.

But in terms of his overall outlook on switching to organic, here is what he had to say.

“Back when we had a farmstand, (and when the farm was an ‘industrial grower,’ as he put it) I was talking to a young man who had a child with him and he was holding a quart of strawberries. He was questioning me, asking, ‘Do I need to wash these berries?’ It hit me hard. That was one of the many things that led me to change.”

“The transition period is a tough time and we’re not handling as much as we were years ago. The bottom line is tighter. It’s much more management intensive. But we have embraced the new system. We are science-based in our approach and science is standing behind organics. People know what we do and appreciate it. Conventional farming ignores the external costs. What will it cost to fix the groundwater?”

And he boasted, “Last year we had the lowest water nitrate test ever. We have a healthy biological layer in the soil, a very healthy soil ecology. The nutrients aren’t all leaching down.”

As for his outlook on organics: “This is the economic paradigm we live in where we depend on technology to fix our mess. But organics do not leave problems for future generations to fix. We are community-minded stewards. The only mistake we made was we didn’t start 10 years earlier.”

Bob Weaver expressed similar sentiments. “Switching IS a big deal,” he said, “but it’s a labor of love. You have to want to do it.”

“You have to create an atmosphere that’s unfriendly to pests and fungus,” he explained. “It’s harder because people want perfect-looking produce.”

And as for the use of copper, he says, “You’re not using it in those quantities. We use it but I’m in a constant search for something else. But it’s not a synthetic.”

“We fell in love with the concept. I think the fruit tastes better; it’s more dense and has better flavor. Although it’s a labor of love, the goal is to stay in business.”

So the next time I question a conventional farmer as to how he or she deals with pest management, I’ll have some ammunition and good examples to back up my suggestion. And kudos to the Wares and Weavers and all our other wonderful farmers who made the shift in spite of the challenge.

It seems that as the unemployment rate rose and the economy did a swan dive, people are foregoing their Egg McMuffins and Croissanwiches at fast food restaurants on their way to work. Since fewer people are driving to work and scarfing their fast food breakfast on the way, and even those who are still working are pinching their dimes to make dwindling ends meet, on-the-go breakfast sales are falling by the wayside. “There is a direct correlation between unemployment and breakfast sales,” says Jeffrey Bernstein, an analyst at Barclays Capital.

According to a recent article in the Washington Post, Burger King reports that traffic increased at every meal except breakfast. So it seems that, what might have been a blessing in disguise, i.e. fewer people eating low quality, high fat, high salt, factory farmed food in the morning, they are making up for it by eating more fast food later in the day. What a shame. This seems like a prime opportunity to rethink breakfast, even for those who are unemployed.

It’s been drilled into us since childhood that eating breakfast is important, and that’s because it’s true! Eating a healthy breakfast means you will be less likely to crave fattening snacks during the day, and you’ll also have the energy to accomplish mental and physical tasks. So here is a renewed call for breakfast, the meal that ‘breaks’ the long ‘fast’ of night.

Breakfast can seem like an inconvenient chore, especially when you are in a hurry in the morning. A quick bowl of cereal is better than nothing, as long as its not a bowl of Fruit Loops or Oreo O’s, where the main ingredient is SUGAR. But there are so many fairly easy and quick options that there is really no excuse for not eating breakfast or for eating junk cereals and other unhealthy so-called breakfast foods.

Here are a few ideas to get you started and your day off to a great start with a nutritious, fast, and easy meal.

Eggs are nature’s original fast food. They cook very quickly and are an excellent, high-protein option for breakfast. We’ve been sold a bad bill of goods for years about how bad eggs are but the truth is, they do not cause an increase in cholesterol, nor do they increase the risk of heart disease. So enjoy, enjoy our wonderful, local organic and/or cage-free eggs for breakfast. Try them:

• over-easy on sprouted grain toast
• scrambled and tucked into a sprouted grain tortilla with cheddar cheese and salsa
• scrambled with leftover sauteed veggies and goat cheese
• scrambled with smoked whitefish or salmon, dollop of cream cheese, and capers
• hard or soft boiled with some tomato and whole grain toast
• any style with leftover baked potato fried in butter

Other yummy and easy breakfast ideas:

• fruit smoothie made with yogurt, frozen fruit, fruit juice, protein powder, banana, etc.
• whole grains (cooked the night before) such as brown rice, kashi, millet, or kasha (buckwheat) prepared
  savory: with nutritional yeast, butter, and Bragg’s Aminos
  sweet: with maple syrup, butter, cinnamon, chopped or dried fruit, toasted nuts
• tofu scramble: saute some onion, green pepper, mushrooms, crumble in tofu, seasonings, water.
  fresh fruit in season with cottage cheese or Greek-style yogurt
• Sprouted whole grain toast with almond butter, cashew butter, or Naturally Nutty flavored butter

These are just a few ideas to get you started and thinking about more creative ways to nourish your body in the morning using whole, fresh, local ingredients but that are still quick and easy to prepare. Convenience doesn’t have to mean microwaved frozen Kellog’s waffles. With just a wee bit of planning and stocking, you can have a great breakfast on the table in 10 minutes or less. Here’s to happy, healthy mornings including breakfast!

Read the rest of “Breakfast Food Sales Decline” »

There are many reasons NOT to buy or eat GMO foods besides the fact that they are not safe to eat, cause irreversible genetic contamination, and help to put small farmers out of business (because their crops become contaminated from neighbor’s gmo crops and Monsanto accuses them of stealing their product) after they get sued by Monsanto. But here is one more diabolical and frightening reason to avoid supporting Monsanto and its ilk by purchasing products that may have come from their seed. The price of food is going up due to increased biofuel production and Monsanto is cashing in on this phenomenon!

A 2008 World Bank report concluded that increased biofuel production (crops grown for fuel rather than food) is the major cause of the increase in food prices. GM giant Monsanto has been at the heart of the lobbying for biofuels – while profiting enormously from the resulting food crisis and using it as a PR opportunity to promote GM foods!

A February 27 report on NPR confirms this. According to Dr. David Tilman, professor of ecology at the University of Minnesota, “If you look at the projections of how much ethanol Congress would like to have made, if we make it from food crops – which is what we’re doing right now – we’re going to have the price of food pegged to the price of energy. At $100 a barrel, that will be difficult for some Americans but impossible for probably the one-third poorest people of the world.”

Which is mighty convenient for Monsanto, now isn’t it? Our president supports biofuels big time, even though it can never replace petroleum and would only meet up to 20% of global energy needs. Even if we planted the entire U.S. corn crop to ethanol we would only substitute 12% of our gasoline use. And so this headlong dive into biofuel production to try and make ourselves energy independent just seems like insanity. And Monsanto using biofuels to further their own evil causes adds a surreal twist to an already shaky proposition.

What does Monsanto have to say for itself? “At Monsanto, we know that innovation in agriculture is delivering more food from the same acreage than ever before. [Not true, by the way. Organic methods have proven to be more effective.] By increasing the productivity of agriculture, we move down the path to meeting all of the needs of a growing world. We know that farmers, armed with new technology and practices can create enough grain for food, feed and fuel.”

At times it feels like we might as well throw our hands up and run off to the backwoods to live because what’s the point anyway trying to fight a global giant like Monsanto? But we do have power, as individuals, to make a difference and help create a turning point.

For one thing, we can choose not to buy GMO foods. If enough of us make this decision, food companies will feel the pinch and eliminate GMOs from their products. Some of us who have land, access to land (community gardens) or even a sunny balcony, can grow some of our food from organic, heirloom seeds. We can support local, organic farmers. We can write to our representatives and demand that they take action on our behalf. We can sign the Millions Against Monsanto petition sponsored by Organic Consumer’s Association and help apply legal pressure in court battles. In short, as discouraging as this fight may be, it behooves us to keep up the fight, because our very human existence on the planet is at stake.

The next Member Appreciation Day is Wednesday, March 17 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s St. Patrick’s Day! So come join the fun as we celebrate our members with All Things Green, great food, “Green” fun, music and prizes! If you are a member, plan to shop on that day and enjoy plenty of tasty samples from numerous local vendors including Papa Doc Bagels, So Good Coffee, Rolling Meadows Farm, Fish Creek Soaps, Indira Lotions, and more.

Register to win prizes including a $100 store gift certificate, lunch for 2 at Lake Street Cafe, and copies of our new “What’s for Dinner” cookbook.

Savin’ o’ the Green:
Members can enjoy a special special 10% discount on all items throughout the store and 15% off bulk items. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day you’ll find lots of “green” treats throughout the store.

An extra special St. Patties treat for CHILDREN..at 4 p.m., our own Tom Sisco (baker extraordinaire) will read aloud his story, “Lonnie the Leprecaun.” Shamrock cookies will be served to all leprecauns.

Come out, sample some wonderful local food, listen to live music in the cafe, and know that Oryana really appreciates its members! (And just a friendly reminder, you must be a member to receive the discount and register for prizes. Sign up at Customer Service for only $20.)