Food + Jesuits...

Today was a pretty exciting day for me: Two of my articles were published! I have really tried not to self-promote myself too much on here, but to make myself feel better, I've justified posting them because both works are on environmental issues.

One is on what Fairfield University has done in its environmental movement, published in the green issue of Connections, a journal from the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. 

The other is a commentary I wrote on the controversial food bill H.R. 875 for E/The Environmental Magazine.

Let me know what you think.

Get into E/The Environmental Magazine

A little shameless self-promotion...

I'm an intern for the non-profit E/The Environmental Magazine this semester. It's a really great magazine and it's the oldest environmental magazine in the U.S. 

I have a book review on Andrew Nikiforuk's "Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of the Continent" in the current issue, but there are some great features in the March/April issue that are definitely worth checking out.

Want to learn more about E? Become a fan on Facebook!

And the list goes on...

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about the peanut butter recall. At that point, only a few companies were pulling products thought to contain peanut butter or peanut butter paste contaminated by salmonella. 

I checked the FDA site again, and the list of products and companies is exceedingly long. 

Clearly, these companies are erring on the side of caution and pulling products from production and shelves in order to put customers' minds at ease. But, this outbreak has made many people question the quality of the brands of which they have been loyal. While I am not saying this contamination was done deliberately, there needs to be higher standards and stringent regulations of production plants. Fortunately, I don't eat a lot - if any - of the foods that are on the recall list, but the majority of Americans do. Consumers want and need to assume that the food that they consume is safe.

I've always been wary about the mass production of food. Now this only furthers my concerns. 

To learn more about the about the peanut butter recall and to find out what went wrong, click here.

Frozen Food

As part of a yearlong experiment, I am eating local for the year. I didn't think it be that much of a challenge, as I breezed through the fall semester of college without any problems. But, winter is another story. Click here to read my commentary in E/The Environmental Magazine.

Homemade for the Holidays

The holiday season is certainly here and for some people, it is a great source of stress. This year, with the official announcement of an economic recession, shoppers feel added pressure to get the most out of their money. 

While it comes as no surprise, consumerism in the U.S. - and globally for that matter - has gotten out of control. Christmas, Chanukah and other winter holidays have lost their meaning over the rush for material goods. The Black Friday death of one Wal-Mart employee and the injuries of others is quite the vivid example of how misconstrued the season of the holiday has become. (If you want to hear more of my ranting, read my article in The Mirror.)

Regardless of the upsetting nature of this event, Americans will not just stop shopping. I would argue that even the most committed, stringent environmentalists get into the holiday season by presenting friends and family with homemade gifts. 

If knitting, canning or jewelry-making is not feasible in these weeks leading up to holiday traditions, don't freak out! Supporting local crafters is a great way to stay committed to activist efforts and find some really cool, original gifts in the process. 

Get behind the handmade effort by pledging to buy and support crafters. There, you will find other like-minded individuals, many of who are crafters who provide links to their favorite online crafting sites or personal businesses. 

One of my favorites is Etsy.com, a network of really talented individuals and new-age crafters. The site allows you to search for gifts by topic, location and price, allowing you to find something for almost anyone.

Rather than just stickin' it to the major superstores and feeling the pressure to consume this season, learn to enjoy the holiday gift-giving process, get creative and support local crafters in the process.