Tuesday, 17 Jan 2006

Dude, Where's My Crop?

USDA failing to keep track of gene-mod crop experiments

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has failed to adequately monitor thousands of acres of experimental biotechnology crops, according to, um, itself. A two-year internal investigation yielded a report released quietly -- that is to say, buried -- in the days before Christmas. In it, the department's inspector general said the USDA did not fully evaluate applications for genetically engineered plant trials, and then failed to ensure that the crops were destroyed after the trials. Apparently it didn't even know where some experimental crop fields were located. The report says poor monitoring increases the chances that GM plants "will inadvertently persist in the environment before they are deemed safe to grow without regulation," increasing the risk of biotech crops cross-pollinating with conventional crops -- a particular worry for organic farmers, who charge a premium price to guarantee consumers foods free of genetic freakiness.


You might think of the Olympics in terms of heart-swelling, tear-jerking feats of prowess and grace, or a chance to feign interest in figure skating. But the Olympics are becoming something else: a model of sustainable business, with billions of dollars at stake. As organizers increasingly go for the green, our Full Disclosure columnists take a look at the trend, and, based on their own experience helping the lads and lasses planning London 2012, give us a taste of what's around the bend.

We Know Kids Can Be Pests, But This Is Ridiculous

Home insecticides may double risk for acute childhood leukemia

French medical researchers have discovered yet another reason to practice nontoxic pest control around the home: It may reduce your kids' risk of acute leukemia. The team's study, published today in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, found that children in homes where mothers reported using insecticides while pregnant and after birth face a two-fold increase in risk for the fatal blood disease. The study particularly targets compounds -- like plant sprays, mosquito repellants, and lice-killing shampoos -- that contain a group of pesticides called carbamates. The link between pesticides and leukemia is still being hotly debated, but the doctors say their finding should encourage folks to take action now.


Apparel company prAna aims to keep its eco-footprint small by purchasing wind-power credits to offset emissions from retailers, employees' homes, and its SoCal headquarters. As this week's InterActivist, prAna founder and prez Beaver Theodosakis chats about his hope that as the company grows, so too will the impact of corporate responsibility. Send him a question by 3 p.m. PST on Wednesday; we'll publish his answers to selected questions on Friday.

Plop, Plop, Biz, Biz

Dairy farmer earns bucks from herd's manure

Alert readers will note that we never pass up a chance to talk about cow poop. But cow poop that generates power? Pinch us! Minnesota dairy farmer Dennis Haubenschild uses an anaerobic digester to convert the methane-generating dookie of his 900-cow herd into electricity for a local utility, earning thousands of dollars a year while cutting his operation's greenhouse-gas emissions. (Heh, we said "emissions.") A carbon broker measures and verifies the reduction of almost 100 tons of carbon equivalent a week and sells it as greenhouse-gas credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange, North America's only voluntary, legally binding greenhouse-gas reduction and trading system. Operations like Haubenschild's provide the market a credit supply; it in turn helps him cover the cost of his doo-doo digester. Plus, 100 cows can dump enough in a day to replace a barrel of oil, says Haubenschild. Paraphrasing Huey Lewis: That's the power ... the power of poop.