Thursday, 25 Aug 2005

We keep hearing that once organic food expands to a large enough market, prices will fall. But it keeps not happening -- organic buyers still pay an average of 20 percent more for their groceries. Christy Harrison peers into the tangle of shifting regulations, subsidies, and production challenges to figure out why eating better still costs more, and when that may finally change.

Marsh o'Potamia

Once-vast marshlands being restored in Iraq

The marshlands of Iraq, drained nearly dry by Saddam Hussein, are making a surprisingly robust comeback. Seen by some as the inspiration for the biblical Garden of Eden, the lush wetlands once covered nearly 3,600 square miles near the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. Mid-century drainage projects took a toll, but the marshes were primarily destroyed by Hussein -- and that was the least of his retaliation against the local Marsh Arabs, who supported a Shiite Muslim rebellion following the 1991 Gulf War. Locals began breaching the dikes after Hussein's government fell in 2003, and about 37 percent of the area has been reflooded -- a "phenomenal rate," according the United Nations. Japan is funding an $11 million project to provide clean drinking water and sanitation to about 100,000 Iraqis who still live in the marsh area, help renew the marshes, and train 250 Iraqis in wetlands management.

And Miles to Go Before I NEPA

U.S. government sued over climate impacts of overseas energy projects

U.S. efforts to find fossil-fuel supplies overseas will create significant climate disruption, harming not only people in those countries but folks at home, according to a lawsuit filed against the federal government by a coalition of green groups and U.S. cities. Ranging from Greenpeace to the city of Oakland, Calif., coalition members want fossil-fuel development projects in developing nations on five continents to be halted while their impacts are assessed under the National Environmental Policy Act. The Bush administration tried to have the suit dismissed, but U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White recently ruled it could proceed. White found that coalition members had shown sufficient evidence that their "concrete interests" are threatened by the projects, and that the risks might be meliorated if the environmental studies are performed. Oakland, for instance, is concerned about future flooding, storm surges, and drought. The Bush administration has not yet decided whether to appeal.

Downward Freezing Dog

Freezing AC is status symbol at some Asian offices

In some tropical Asian cities, it's become a symbol of luxury to keep offices at an arctic chill. Hong Kong may be the world's coldest city when you're indoors, say researchers, who found the average office temperature is between 70 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit (72 to 78 is considered the optimum human-comfort range indoors). Workers in one office contend with 64-degree summer cooling -- so cold they do yoga in the bathroom to warm up. Patricia Shiu, who actually uses a space heater under her desk to stay warm at her frigid workplace, has joined a resistance movement of "thermal crime" spotters who helped Friends of the Earth compile a list of Hong Kong's most over-chilled buildings. Not only is it an egregious waste of energy, says FOE, but excessive air conditioning is sexist, favoring men in suits and ties over women in their lighter-weight garb. Since launching its campaign, the group says it's been getting a lot of technical inquiries from building managers who don't know how to change the temperature on their AC systems.

The Great White Soap

USDA will certify organic soaps and cosmetics

In a victory for consumers' all-natural kissers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has decided it will allow worthy lip balms, lotions, and other personal-care products to carry the "USDA Organic" label after all, as well as dietary supplements and pet food. The department had decided this spring that while it was well equipped to evaluate the organic purity of milk, meat, and other foods, it wasn't ready to wade into the worlds of cosmetics and dog chow. David Bronner (of Dr. Bronner's soap fame) and the Organic Consumers Association sued the agency in June, saying in part that the government's organic imprimatur is one of the only ways responsible companies can make their products stand out from the "all-natural" hype. The USDA says it's a daunting task to evaluate the many non-food products desiring certification. "It takes a while to sit down and look at this and say, 'All right, how do we make this work?'" said Barbara Robinson, head of the department's National Organic Program. But, in the end, she asked, "What difference does it make if you brush your teeth with it or eat it?"