CT Green Scene

Shiitake Mushrooms and Your Health

by Dr. Amy Wiesner

Shiitake mushrooms have been used for thousands of years in Asia for both cooking and medicine. And when it comes to cooking, they are the second most popular mushroom in the world. They are also becoming more prominent in the alternative health care market. There has been some research done on them to see how they can be best put to use.

Nutritionally, shiitake mushrooms are a good source of B vitamins, iron and other minerals, protein, vitamin D and fiber. They are also low in calories and are very tasty either lightly sauteed or even dehydrated.

Their most known health use is in the treatment of cancer. Lentinan, a polysaccharide found in shiitake mushrooms, has been shown to be both anti-cancer and to improve  the quality of life with several types of cancers. The most common way to take it is in pill form, but most of the research is on when it is given intravenously.

CT Bill seeks GMO labels on products

An Associated Press report cited on the Wall Street Journal noted that a Connecticut bill seeks to add appropriate GMO labeling on foods. While there has been much debate over whether or not GMOs are actually harmful to one's health--the FDA says yea; anyone with a brain says nay--the point is to have the opportunity to choose or not choose foods with GMOs in it.

Fairfield Green Food Guide's Analiese Paik, a past contributor on this site, testified in favor of the labeling saying, "The burden of proof is on the FDA to prove that it's safe."

See the excerpt below from yesterday's posting.

Conn. bill looks to add labels to engineered food
FEBRUARY 22, 2012, 6:35 P.M. ET
Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. — Consumers at Connecticut grocery stores would be able to know if genetically engineered foods are in the merchandise mix under a bill state lawmakers are considering to require the labeling of such foods.

Neither the federal government nor any state currently has a labeling requirement that applies to all genetically modified foods. Connecticut is among nearly 20 states considering a labeling mandate amid health concerns that supporters of the legislation have raised about such foods.

Connecticut's legislation would require clear labeling on any food sold in the state that is completely or partially produced with genetic engineering.

Rep. Richard Roy, D-Milford, said he introduced the legislation due to public concern over the issue. Roy co-chairs the state Environment Committee, which heard from supporters and opponents of the bill at a hearing Wednesday.

Roy said his bill has gained bipartisan support, and he expects the committee to pass it, although its fate after is unclear.

"We're not taking a stance on whether GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are good or bad," said Roy. "What we're saying is that we have a right to know what we're putting in our bodies."

To read more, click here.

Image courtesy of ActivistPost.com. 

Connecticut Unique Passive Solar House Tour - Feb 25th

A passive solar, super-insulated house will be open for tours at 1:00 and 2:00 pm on Saturday, February 25 in North Franklin, CT.

Currently under construction, the house has unique low U value French Bieber windows; a four-inch thick polished concrete floor; curved beams supporting two roofs that will be covered with vegetation; and a geothermal heating and cooling system.

Tickets: $15. Ticket information: 860-623-5487. Tour information: 860-693-4813. Sponsored by People’s Action for Clean Energy.

Happy Friday: Seafood Choices You Can Be Happy About

By Kate McLaughlin, Blue Ocean Institute

Kate McLaughlin has studied fish all over the country—from herring in Massachusetts’s rivers to Steelhead Trout in northern California.  She is currently Blue Ocean Institute’s Seafood Program Director.

Eight conservation groups in the U.S. & Canada teamed up to get the word out about ocean-friendly seafood.  The message?  Look for ocean-friendly seafood choices that you can be happy about.

Why should people Be Happy about their seafood choices?

Seafood can be a great addition to any family’s menu.  Who doesn’t want a low-fat, high omega-3 addition to their dinner plate? 

And just as you’re thoughtful about other environmentally-responsible choices you make (like recycling, or buying farmers market vegetables), you can be thoughtful about your seafood choices and be happy with the results. 

People can go to www.facebook.com/BeHappyFish to learn more about ocean-friendly seafood, find family- (and ocean!) friendly recipes, , and show support for the ocean by signing a pledge to support ocean-friendly seafood or posting a pic of your best fish face. 

What are some ocean-friendly choices that people can be happy about?

Farmed mussels are a great choice.  Mussels can filter 10-15 gallons of water a day, eating microscopic plankton they strain out of the water.  Since mussels filter their food from their surroundings, we don’t have to catch wild fish to feed to them (as is the case with some farm-raised seafood, like Atlantic salmon).

Other great choices are U.S. farmed catfish, farmed Arctic char, wild Alaskan salmon, and Pacific cod.  You can find recipes for all of these fish on the Be Happy Facebook page.

In the above list of ocean-friendly choices, there’s a mix of farmed and wild fish.  Should people be asking where their fish comes from and whether it’s farmed or wild?

Asking where your seafood comes from is a great first step in getting to know the fish you’re eating.  Next time you’re at the store, look for signs in the seafood case that note whether it’s farmed or wild, and you’ll see there’s more farmed seafood out there than you might have guessed. 

(Did you know that half of the seafood produced globally comes from fish farms?)

Why is Blue Ocean involved with the Be Happy outreach effort?

Blue Ocean works with seafood lovers, scientists, and chefs to communicate the science of seafood.  And now we’ve teamed up with seven other organizations in the U.S. & Canada to help more people from coast-to-coast find seafood choices they can be happy about.

CT Farm Fresh Celebrates Four Years and Counting

By Eileen Weber


What if you could get farm fresh food delivered to your door exactly as you ordered it? If you’re Deb Marsden, you think that’s a great idea, too. In fact, that very idea is what inspired her to start her own business four years ago. Marsden’s CT Farm Fresh Express (CTFFE) is a delivery service that brings the farm into your home. This Saturday will mark their fourth anniversary.

In 2008, Marsden kick-started the idea in her home. Today, it functions on her property’s barn in East Haddam with a full 12-foot by 14-foot walk-in cooler to keep all those products and artisanal items super fresh and crisp. (The cooler was purchased along with a modern office space in the barn through grant funds allotted by the Department of Agriculture.)

Reclaimed Water: Toilet-to-Tap

With global warming a true reality and draught common in many states, particularly in the West and Southwest regions of the U.S., reusing water is not a new concept. But using filtered wastewater as drinking water is relatively recent.

The idea has been toyed with and dropped because of the "ick" factor. But other regions like Singapore have been using reused water, or "NEWater," for drinking water as well as irrigation and manufacturing for some time now.

(We have also discussed the concept of properly filtering water for reuse on this site. Check out this article from October, 2008 about Dean Kamen's water filter and how it could help third world countries have potable water.) 

The "ick" factor is completely understandable here. But, isn't it about time that we've gotten beyond our internal gag reflex and looked at the possibilities of what new technology can offer in terms of filtering out impurities? When the levels of our rivers and streams, lakes, and wells are dwindling rapidly, now is the time to create our own "Waterworld."

See an excerpt below from yesterday's New York Times below.

As ‘Yuck Factor’ Subsides, Treated Wastewater Flows From Taps
By FELICITY BARRINGER
Published: February 9, 2012

SAN DIEGO — Almost hidden in the northern hills, the pilot water treatment plant here does not seem a harbinger of revolution. It cost $13 million, uses long-established technologies and produces a million gallons a day.

But the plant’s very existence is a triumph over one of the most stubborn problems facing the nation’s water managers: if they make clean drinking water from wastewater, will the yuck factor keep people from accepting it?

With climate change threatening to diminish water supplies in the fast-growing Southwest, more cities are considering the potential of reclaimed water. A new report from the National Academy of Sciences said that if coastal communities used advanced treatment procedures on the effluent that is now sent out to sea, it could increase the amount of municipal water available by as much as 27 percent.

To read more, click here.

Kid Kanteen: What a Great Idea!

By Eileen Weber

Have you seen Klean Kanteen’s baby bottle? Man, I wish they had these things when my kids were babies. I hadn’t seen it until the other day when I got an ad for it in my in-box. It’s brilliant! No BPA, no phthalates, no toxins, environmentally friendly, and reusable.

My girls are 11, 9, and 7 years old, now. I think back to the bottles I used for them. While I breastfed a majority of the time, we supplemented with formula so my husband could feed the girls and I could get a break. It makes me wonder what materials were in those plastic bottles.

My Favorite Green & Health-Promoting Apps

by Dr. Amy Wiesner

I don’t know what I would do without my iPhone. It helps me to stay organized and easily allows me to stay up to date with all my interests. But one of my favorite ways to use the phone is by using the amazing apps that make being environmentally friendly and healthier that much easier. I am not in any way an app expert, but as someone trying to make the world a better place, these are my favorites of the ones I’ve found.
 

1. The Greenpeace app isn’t a tool for better green living per se, but it is adorable and they have a news feed. And every download supports Greenpeace, which works for me!
2. The Dirty Dozen app from the Environmental Working Group is fantastic. The EWG did research on which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues on them and which have the least. The “Dirty Dozen” are the produce they recommend buying organically whereas the “Clean 15” are the ones you can buy conventionally.
3. The Seafood Watch app helps you identify which are the most eco-friendly sources of fish to eat. You can search by location, ie the Northeastern U.S., then look up which fish are the most environmentally friendly, which are good alternatives and the types of fish that should be avoided. They also have a sushi guide within the app and important news about ocean conservation.
4. The GoodGuide is another tool not to live without. It allows you to scan or search products to see how healthy and environmentally friendly the company and its product is.
5. Green Smoothies are one of my favorite meals--and Victoria Boutenko’s app is based on her many years of teaching and research on the benefits of eating them. This app has good recipes and gives information about each ingredient she recommends.
6. As I avoid Food Additives whenever I shop, I don’t really need a list telling me which to avoid, but it does come in handy to help identify something I can’t figure out. It also tells you when an additive is banned in other countries, which I find interesting.
7. Animal Free lets you scan and search items letting you know if the products have ingredients that are derived from animals.  
8. The TreeHugger app is great for keeping you on top of environmental news. It also helps you to find local places to recycle.

I also just read about an app that is becoming available in March called EcoSpeed. It helps by telling you the best speed based on your car and driving habits to conserve the most fuel. I will look forward to trying that one out.
 

Using smart phones to be healthier and more environmentally responsible is an extraordinary use of technology and I for one am grateful for it!

Image courtesy of Wired.com.