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Jess's Blog
Local Honey and Disappearing Bees PDF Print E-mail

I just whipped up a bowl of oatmeal for dinner (yes, uninspired I know) but as I flavored my oatmeal with some local honey, it made me think about how important bees and their honey is to us and our environment.

Honey is one of the world's olderst sweetners and has been found to have tons and tons of health benefits. They are a great source of antioxidants, and play a role in the prevention of cancer as well as heart diease. Honey is much lower in calories that its sweetner counterpart sugar. Honey is also extremely useful in supporting blood formation, as well as in cleansing the blood and aiding in regulating circulation.

So why buy local honey? Local honey is healthier for you because it can help to make you "immune" to local pollens if you suffer from allergies. Make sure your honey is raw as well, because, like many fruits and vegetables, the nutrients and enzymes that honey contains are destroyed by manufacturer's heating. And the only reason manufacturers heat honey is to make it prettier to help sales. And surprisingly (or maybe not so much so) many honey brands carried in the store are from other parts of the globe and not American, though labeled so. Lame!

Honey, however, is hurtin'. American bee colonies are mysteriously disappearing, and not only environmentalists, but American manufacturers are worried about what this means for American foods. According to Haagen-Dazs, one-third of the U.S. food supply - including a variety of fruits, vegetables and even nuts - depends on pollination from bees, and the disappearing bees could change the American atmosphere as well as the food system! 

Haagen-Dazs is donating $250,000 to both Pennsylvania State University and the University of California, Davis to fund research into the bee colony collapse disorder (CCD), because Haagen-Dazs needs those bees-40% of its 60 flavors are directly linked to bees and their pollination.

Don't ever kill a bee, save them! Save the bees!

-Jess 


 

 
Super Green City: Grand Rapids, Michigan PDF Print E-mail

When you think about eco-friendly cities, you probably think of San Francisco and Seattle. But did you ever think of Grand Rapids, Michigan? I certainly did not. But according to a new report, the conservative mid-Western city has become an environmental role model for Michigan and the rest of the country. Downtown Grand Rapids is booming with new construction projects. In fact, four of the five giant new projects in downtown Grand Rapids are green.

The city is going green in other ways as well. Grand Rapids has green new civic centers-an art museum, a YMCA, and a ballet theater. Grand Rapids has also starting using hybrid buses and LED bulbs in traffic lights. The city also has more than half of Michigan's LEED-certified houses, plus 32 LEED-certified building, with another 50 in the works!

They are also considering putting wind turbines on the city's bridges!

I'm so impressed with you, Grand Rapids! Way to lead the way!

-Jess 



 


 
Cold Weather Worry You About Getting Local Foods? Worry Not PDF Print E-mail

It's starting to get nippy here in central Virginia, as I'm sure it is other places, and I'm sure many people are wondering how its possible to keep local foods as part of their diet during the colder months (hey, at least I was!). I found this great blog by Bryan Luukinen highlighting ten ways to eat local year 'round . It might be time to start thinking like our ancestors and start canning and pickling your favorite foods. So get out your copy of Little House on the Prairie and get canning!

-Jess 

 
Big Source of Money for the American Economy? The American Cruise Industry PDF Print E-mail

In 2007, the North American cruise industry contributed over 2 BILLION dollars in direct spending to California's economy -which means even more was contributed to the US as a whole. California's $2 billion was a 14% increase over 2006's spending.

This spending helped to employ almost 50,000 people in California. Maybe the answer to helping the American economy and providing jobs to Americans is for people to take more cruises?

Just a thought!

-Jess 

 
Waiting for that All-Electric Tesla Sedan? Wait a Little Longer PDF Print E-mail

Due to the economic crisis (today's excuse du jour), Silicone Valley start-up Tesla, the maker of an all-electric car, is laying off jobs and delaying the premiere of their second vehicle until 2011. The company has been seeing red and plans on having a positive cash flow within the next nine months.Tesla plans to use the time before their sedan's premiere to concentrate on the construction of their first model,a roadster, which has a waiting list of over a year.

Here's hoping Tesla! We need those electric cars-and those jobs!

-Jess 

 
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