I actually had no idea there were so many organic products out there. So for all you girls out there, this part is for you. The top ten organic skin care companies.

1. Alteya Organics
2. BeeCeuticals Organics
3. Erbaorganics
4. Juice Beauty
5. Mercola Healthy Skin
6. Miessence
7. Nature’s Paradise
8. Origins Organics
9. Terressentials
10. Trillium Organics

There’s actually quite a bit of organic skin care that you can get out there. I had no idea. Here’s something else for you. Browsing around organic sites, I found this organic shopping site, not just for food but for apparel, jewelery, etc. The link is here: http://www.greenzer.com/

Can you just imagine what this world would be like if all we wore, ate, and bought were organic? Just imagine it. Eco-friendly cars (moreso than we have today), hair products, shirts, shoes, kitchen appliances (idk how they could be green, but who knows), and all that jazz. Or how about going back to days like the Second Industrial Revolution where peddlers were rampant. They were one of our earliest forms of recycling becayse many people would sell back old metal, rags, bones, etc. to them for money. In turn they took their supplies and sold them to companies who could reuse the metal for various items, the rags for paper, and the bones for fine cutlery. Add to that the idea of bricolage, which is the act of repairing old, broken items instead of buying new ones. I learned all this in my Technology and Civilization II class, and we talked about how our society has evolved into one where we buy new and throw away old. This created the idea of nimbyism (not in my backyard), where we send all of our old garbage to other places to create a happy “out of sight out of mind” concept. Anyway, it’s actually quite interesting if you think about it. But anyway, just thought you should learn something today. I know my thoughts are very scatter-brained. But I hope you found it interesting.

Is there such a thing as too much green even? Can we find a healthy balance between sustainable and non-sustainable food? Because I know from what we’ve talked about in class that not everyone can afford to buy healthy food. Families from low-income households more often than not travel to a fast food restaurant for food than they do to a grocery store. And then for those who can afford to shop for higher end groceries may not always get organic food. In fact, from the looks of it most people get whatever is available on the shelf. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, they may not always be organic.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that organic may be healthier and sustainability may be better, but can we really do it? Does America have the guts to stand up to our government and say, “WE WANT SUSTAINABILITY!” And do we even have what it takes to prove that we can do it? Can we adjust to a world without fast food chains ruling the food world?

And what about the new recycling receptacles on campus? Anyone notice those? I was just walking along the concourse to class trying to find the blue recycling receptacles for my empty orange juice bottle when I noticed them. Instead of those flimsy recycling bins that look like they can blow away with any minor wind, we now have designated heavy duty recycling trash cans. They even have them labeled separately: one for TRASH and one for RECYCLING of aluminum or plastic bottles. War Eagle.

One more thing before I go. I was Stumbling the other day (For those of you who don’t know what this is, shame on you. Go look it up after you read this and start Stumbling.) and found a website on how to make Green Smoothies. What? That sounds gross right? Well, apparently not. They’re not only extremely healthy for you, but their beneficial to your skin (for any of you like me who have minor acne problems), better for your hair, and give you more energy. I know I need that. They’ll also be extremely beneficial if you use organic products. Put your fruits and veggies in there and eat up. Here’s some things the website says that are good to add every time:

• Full-Fat, Plain Yogurt (3 Tbsp): For the creaminess, the lactobacillus, and the protein
• Coconut Oil (1-1/2 Tbsp): For the heart-healthy, metabolism-boosting, skin-softening fats
• Spirulina (1 Tbsp): For the detoxing vitamins and minerals, protein, and also because it helps with hay fever (I have annoying seasonal allergies)
• Spinach or Kale (1-2 handfuls): It just wouldn’t be a raw, fresh, green smoothie without one of these two ingredients – I find spinach has a much lighter taste than kale
• Banana (1 whole, peeled, frozen banana): To add body, potassium, and creaminess to the smoothie

After that, you can add pretty much whatever you want to add flavor (anything healthy that is).

Here’s the website if you want to learn more! —> http://crunchybetty.com/clear-skin-from-the-inside-out-green-smoothies

Reading online I found that it’s becoming possible to have inexpensive, sustainable food for households at different income levels. I’m going to quote something here just because it’s easier than explaining. And this needs to be taken into account too when considering sustainable food prices. “If the full cost of externalized environmental and health costs were taken into account, those same products would be far more expensive,” the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production concluded in a 2008 report issued with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. (Taken from this website http://blog.sixpackatsixty.com/2011/01/23/sustainable-farming-or-cheap-food/ .) And if you think about it, the more organic food stores open for business, the more competition will exist between those markets. Competition brings down prices, making it cheaper to the public. Therefore, organic food must increase in popularity. (Thanks, Microeconomics.)

Well, how east is it to get sustainable food in Auburn? Here’s a few choices for you:

• Randle Farms located on Lee Road
• Dayspring Nature Shoppe located on Opelika Rd.
• Earth Fare (the obvious one) located on Opelika Rd.
• Peachtree Natural Foods located on East University Dr.
• Auburn Supermarket Owners LLC on East Glenn Ave.
• Nutrition First on South College Street
• Smoothie King both on North and South College Street (I totally didn’t know their smoothies were considered organic!)

And that’s just what a quick search on Google found. I definitely didn’t know there were that many stores that sold natural, sustainable food. It’s actually quite encouraging. So next time you’re out, search for one of these places and maybe let the rest of know how good they are.

To kinda add on to my argument about hidden costs, here’s an interesting chart I found.

How’s that for eye-opening?

Alright, I’ve talked enough. I know I’m jumping all over the place in my thoughts so I’ll just end this now.

I thought I’d kinda do what I did last time and post a paragraph from my paper, and again it’ll be the health risks associated with the overuse of antibiotics in farm life. Sorry if it’s redundant. It’s been a long day and it is only a rough draft. It also probably needs so grammatical revising. But oh well. Here goes nothing. (By the way, for those of you who’ve read my previous blog, I’m not doing so well in eating sustainable food, not this week at least. I’m gonna try harder this week.) Also, ignore the first sentence. It was to help flow into this paragraph from the previous one.

These drug-resistant bacteria are not solely dangerous to animals, however. They also have a potential to be extremely harmful to humans, for antibiotic abuse can lead to harmful food borne pathogens (Goldman 126). This is because those same drug-resistant pathogens that are found in animals end up in animal-based human food. One study published in the New England Journal of Medicine proved with confidence the antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as Salmonella, found within food animals were the same as those antibiotic-resistant bacteria found within humans. This was also found true for E. faecium, a pathogen that can cause serious if not fatal harm to if it travels to an area of the body that it should not be. Yet another study conducted showed that there is a serious connection between the harmful pathogen Camplyobacter found in livestock and contaminated humans. These shocking results were detrimental enough that it caused the New England Journal of Medicine to ask for a ban of antibiotics in farm animals’ feed. And in truth, if these harmful antibiotic-resistant pathogens are ingested, they can cause serious illness that will be difficult to treat because they are already resistant to medicine (Singer & Hofacre 164). Even worse, once these bacteria are ingested, they can transfer their plasmids to commensal bacteria found in the body, making them resistant to antibiotics as well. This is possible through a transmission of plasmids, or circular pieces of DNA found within bacteria, from one bacterium to another. These plasmids can contain resistance to antibiotics, and, thus through the transfer of these pieces of DNA, can create another antibiotic-resistance bacterium (Goldman 128). The probability of this transfer of plasmids might even increase if a person has consumed antibiotics recently (Singer & Hofacre 164). To help study the impact of drug-resistant bacteria on human health, a lot of times studies called risk assessments are made. For example, in one model conducted by the FDA on the health burden that is related to certain antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter infections in humans caused by certain antibiotics in chickens became a major model to contributing the decision to discontinue use of those antibiotics in the production of poultry (167). As such, these risk assessments help prove the harmful risks that are involved with the overuse of antibiotics in the agricultural industry. There is also proof of drug-resistant bacteria that persist even after discontinued use of a certain antibiotic. For example, in one scientific study done on avoparcin (an antibiotic) there was evidence of approximately 27.2% avoparcin-resistant Enterococcus isolates found in chicken food samples six months to one year after avoparcin was discontinued (B. Robredo et al. 201). This evidence shows that potentially harmful drug-resistant pathogens can still exist in the body even after there is discontinued employment of the antibiotic. Given all of this evidence, it is safe to say that antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a threat to human health because of antibiotics exerting pressure on certain bacteria populations. As thus, antibiotics should not be abused in the agricultural industry because of the harmful risks they pose to humans.

Hope you found it as interesting as I did. Sorry if it’s a little dry.

So this week, for any of you who read my blog, I decided to eat healthier and work out more. And I’m proud to say I actually did. If it wasn’t a routine workout, it was a day of hiking at Horse Pens 40 or moving boxes out of a decent size storage building or even walking around the mile and half long track at Pell City Park. I stayed fit, and I was able to eat a little bit healthier because most of my meals were home cooked (not as fattening as fast food). I feel better, too. The combination of sustainable food (yummy collard greens, for instance) and exercise felt good. Though I’m definitely sore in my arms and legs, it’s a good kind of sore. As thus, I’ve decided to mentally log how my body feels with this combo of exercising and good food in comparison to fast, junky food. I’ll let you know how it goes.

I just had an idea. For those of you who decide to read this blog, let’s play a little game. Or really a Q & A session. I want you to name me one sustainable food you ate over your spring break off the top of your head and see how long it takes you to name said food. Then, comment me and tell me what food it was, as well as your reaction to how long it took you to answer my question. If that makes any sense whatsoever. I apologize you guys; I’m going on about two and half hours of sleep. So if I sound a weeeeee bit loopy, you know why. Anyways, I think this should be a question I ask myself at the end of every week. Better yet, I should set a goal for myself of a certain number of sustainable foods I should consume in the span of a week. Then up the ante as I progress. Yeah, I think I’ll do that. Alright you guys, I’m heading to bed. Now that I’ve bored you to sleep, I’m gonna go get mine. Toodles.

I’ve decided that’s the only thing I miss about high school. I miss the time I had, the accessibility I had to healthy food because if I didn’t buy it, my mom did. And you know, I’ve been trying to eat healthier now. I’ve had more salad in the span of two weeks than I would nomrally have in a month. And I still don’t feel better. Which, hence the title, I want to workout more. Sustainable food + working out = a happier Cami. I just have to get the motivation to actually DO IT.

I really want to change campus food. But I’m just one voice in a sea of major food labels screaming at me to eat their fatty, delicious food. One voice that doesn’t know how to make a difference. So I’ll just have to start with me. Fix myself, then try to help promote the idea of better food for us college kids. Now if I can just actually stick to this idea then I’ll be amazed. Here’s to hoping, though, right?

“Since genetically modified foods are a slightly new concept, there are still possibly numerous hazards associated with their consumption that have yet to be discovered. However, some health risks are already showing themselves. For example, in an independent study, results showed irrefutable signs of kidney and liver damage in rats that consumed Monsanto’s genetically modified corn strains (Davila 64). Just as well, genetically modified foods may cause allergies. This is seen in another study where rats that were again fed Monsanto’s genetically modified corn had significant increases in blood cell counts that were related to the immune system (Smith). Other proof of harmful effects of Monsanto’s crops on the body comes from Monsanto’s Roundup Ready gene found in their soy beans. To create a Roundup Ready crop, a bacterial gene that includes bits of virus and petunia DNA is inserted, producing a new protein that makes the crop resistant to herbicide. However, parts of the protein produced in Monsanto soy beans are identical to certain well-known allergens. Normally, if a case like this went through the criteria of the World Health Organization, the product would not be commercialized. Unfortunately, Monsanto’s soy beans were commercialized before these criteria were set in place and additional testing was recommended, meaning that a potentially harmful product is now out on the market for all to consume. As if that were not enough, more studies have been conducted on Monsanto’s soy beans that have showed transfer of genetic material between the soy beans and the bacteria found in the human gut. This means that even years after people stop consuming Monsanto’s soy beans, there will still be exposure to the potentially harmful allergenic protein because it will continue to reproduce inside their intestines. Further, a study conducted by embryologist Dr. Andres Carrasco on the effect of glyphosate (patented by Monsanto as “Round Up Ready”) on frog embryos showed extreme birth defects (Trigona). The dosages applied to the embryos were even lower than the amount commonly used in soy fields, diluted to a concentration astonishingly fifteen thousand times than what is commercially used. To continue Monsanto’s assault on health, there is now research showing that Monsanto’s Roundup Ready genetically modified crops contains an unknown organism that is causing miscarriages in farm animals (Zelman). This new organism also exhibits tendencies to cause disease in not only animals but plants as well, a characteristic that is rare. There is no telling what long term effect this organism will have on farm animals and crops. Conclusively, it is safe to say that as years pass and the use of Monsanto’s genetically modified crops increases, more health issues and problems will arise..”

Works Cited:

Davila, April. “My Month Without Monsanto.” Earth Island Journal 25.4 (2011): 64. Academic

Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.

Food, Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Perf. Michael Pollan, Barbara Kowalcyk, Joey Salatin, and Gary

Hirshberg. Magnolia Pictures, 4 Jun. 2009. Film.

Langreth, Robert, and Matthew Herper. “The Planet Versus Monsanto. (Cover

story).” Forbes 185.1 (2010): 64-69. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.

Parloff, Roger. “Seeds of Discord.” Fortune 161.7 (2010): 94-106. Academic Search Premier.

EBSCO. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.

Smith, Jeffrey M. “Monsanto and GM Foods: Health Risks.” Source Watch 3 Jun. 2010: n. pag.

Web. 27 Feb. 2011.

Trigona, Marie. “Monsanto Soy Herbicide Could Pose Health Risks.” GM Watch 13 July 2009:

n. pag. Web. 27 Feb 2011.

Zelman, Joanna. “Monsanto’s Round Up Ready Crops Contain Organism Causing Animal

Miscarriages, Scientist Says.” Huffington Post 23 Feb. 2011: n. pag. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.

Today, so far I’ve had fish from Captain D’s (I did only wake up at 12:00), and it made me think of that fish article we discussed in class. Suddenly, I was curious as to what kind of “popular” fish it was and where it came from-if it was farm raised. So I looked it up. I didn’t find much, mostly just ads for Captain D’s and other fishy restaurants. I did, however, find that almost 50% of the fish we consume in the present day is farm raised, and seeing as how Captain D’s is a fast food restaurant that sells a lot of fish, I would safely bet that its fish are farm raised, too. Which begs the question, where can you find non-farm raised fish without it breaking the bank? I’m not sure. You might have to look that one up yourself because I’m about to list a few suggestions that researchers have proposed to improve farm-raised fish.

1. Replace fish made fishmeal with feed from grain and livestock byproducts.

2. Reduce the fish oil in the diet of farm-raised fish from which we get our beloved omega-3 fatty acids. We’ll still get what we need from fewer sources without it being a problem.

3. Stop feeding fishmeal to vegetarian fish, such as tilapia.

4. Increase regulations on fisheries.

Source: http://magblog.audubon.org/farm-raised-fish-50-percent-consumption-worldwide

Another suggestion? Buy locally. It decreases the carbon footprint.

Okay, so I know I didn’t talk about just my diet. Turned into a little research, but that’s alright.

To me, they are increasingly becoming the Big Brother of agriculture. For those of you who have read the awesome book 1984, you know what I’m talking about. He’s always watching. Break the rules and you are punished.