Bright and early this week were the social networks and foodie bloggers abuzz with a story on The Atlantic. Josh Viertel, president of Slow Food USA, wrote a guest post for the magazine regarding the difference between the farmers and those who have to eat. It seems there might be a disconnect between what we should eat and what is accessible. Seems like a palatable enough argument.

Viertel in the opening paragraphs described a Catch-22 where he would sell his home grown food to high-income neighborhoods and sell out. He would offer a discounted 2-for-1 when a person approached paying by food stamps. Either way, Viertel’s family made $12,000 per year, putting them in that same household income range as many low-income families.

Viertel wondered how to keep from only being able to sell to the rich, but also not go bankrupt himself. How could the food go where it needed to be?

Fairness for the eater seemed to mean injustice for the farmer. How could we simply choose to fight for one, with the knowledge that it undercut the other?

And that’s a very interesting question, one not out of line with the issues socially-conscious eaters face. Later, Viertel went on to become Slow Food’s president, and was inspired by a commitment to share meals, but also spread social change so that our food system overall could reflect this community-based eating style.

Later, as the organization evolved, some infighting took place, with members wondering:

Should we be a movement that meets the interests of those who are naturally drawn to us and who can afford to take part, or should we be a movement that meets the needs of those who are most dependent on our being successful — and who are most vulnerable if we fail?

Viertel believes Slow Food can do both. He said, “That to love and support the farmer necessitates loving and supporting the person who should be able to be her customer.” They intend to focus on those who can currently afford to be in the club, but also reach out to those who can’t. If not, they would be no different than the existing elite power-structures in place. The closing sentence says it all: “good protest can start with a pot of good pasta.” Hopefully that pasta doesn’t cost too much.

What do you think about Slow Food’s clashing of ideals?

Slow Food is an organization working to create a world in which people can eat food that is good for them, good for the people who produce it, and good for the planet. In the U.S., Slow Food USA has more than 60,000 members represented in every state. Follow Josh on Twitter at @JoshViertel.

Photo by Flickr User west.m

A short piece of news last week, one with a lasting effect on the web, was an attempted  social media campaign by McDonald’s, which has now been dubbed the #McFail. McDonald’s took advantage of the social network Twitter’s promoted tweet program, where companies can pay to have branded blurbs running amongst organic content.

Seems like an easy thing for marketers to adopt. However, McDonald’s program didn’t exactly go as planned. when their hashtag, #McDStories, were used against them. The fast-food conglomerate had intended to tell happy, wholesome stories about how their food is made, but Twitter users had other ideas in mind, posting comments about heart attacks and well, the benefits of McDonald’s while under the influence. For example, a tweet from @PETA encouraged McDonald’s to come back with:

That posting is absolutely FALSE McNuggets are NOT made from mechanically separated chicken. Only USDA inspected white meat.

Whoops. McDonald’s original tweet, “When u make something w/pride, people can taste it,” can still be seen at the top of the hashtag results page, however, that position is a benefit of being a “Top Tweet,” which may not be a title McDonald’s necessarily wants anymore. Top Tweets become so based on an algorithm created by Twitter based on extremely high engagement when people do a search for a term, in this case #McDStories, most likely to see the humorous non-sponsored Tweets circulating.

I guess next time, if you’re a company which is a “lightening rod in the first place,” it might be best to just make a commercial next time.

Image by Danilo Rizzuti

Upon first hearing the term “passive house,” one might think, “Aren’t all houses passive?” I mean, they do just kind of sit there. They don’t really make a scene or step on any toes. In reality, the homes we live in are often inflicting some kind of footprint onto the environment with high energy consumption. The U.S. Energy Information Administration states buildings are responsible for 48% of greenhouse gas emissions each year and that 76% of all electricity generated by power plants in the United States goes towards the building sector.

A passive house, on the other hand, seeks to conserve energy, while also functioning as a livable home. PassiveHouse.us says:

“A Passive House is a very well-insulated, virtually air-tight building that is primarily heated by passive solar gain and by internal gains from people, electrical equipment, etc. Energy losses are minimized. Any remaining heat demand is provided by an extremely small source. Avoidance of heat gain through shading and window orientation also helps to limit any cooling load, which is similarly minimized. An energy recovery ventilator provides a constant, balanced fresh air supply. The result is an impressive system that not only saves up to 90% of space heating costs, but also provides a uniquely terrific indoor air quality.”

Or, in other words, it’s a building which follows the German Passivhaus standard for energy efficiency, one which focuses on reducing its ecological footprint resulting in ultra-low energy for heating and cooling. The U.S. is taking interest in this standard, however slowly. As of 2010, there were under 20 houses in the U.S., but across the global map there are around 25,000.

Inhabitat reposted an article on their Facebook and Twitter pages of an amazing Williamsburg, NY passive house above a creative shop. The space had been transformed from a standard Brooklyn apartment to a modern, energy efficient home, and the effects are quite stunning. A family in Utah also completed the project last year, to suit their family’s needs. The family bungalow is now an open, welcoming area, perfect for entertaining. See more at OurPassiveHouse.org.

For more information on the passive house movement, visit the Passive House Institute website as well as Passipedia – there is a wiki for everything. And now, more photos!

Many people now consider logging into Facebook as a normal routine, checking in at least once every day. But the last couple of years have shown a growth in social networks tailored to niche communities, like eco-friendly issues. Below are a few networks to take a look at if you’re interested in keeping up with the latest green causes.

The Care2 Network has over 17,000,000 worldwide members, so newcomers are bound to find a group or conversation thread to join matching their interests. The homepage features Care2′s latest petitions and actions, ranging from anti-fur campaigns to child trafficking. There are also daily eco-deals and frequently updated blog posts to keep informed. Members can earn credits for taking part in certain actions and connecting with other users. Definitely a prime information hub for all social causes, with an emphasis on saving the planet.

Carbon Rally is a great site for those hoping to decrease their footprint this year. Rallies are daily as well as are ongoing challenges that one can take part in either as an individual or a group. There are workshops to create your own challenges or sign up for existing ones. Keep track of your progress in-line with other users by using the Rally Map. The goal is to provide a fun and rewarding experience to impact energy consumption.

Change.org may be best known for its poignant and moving petition stream, where users can create a petition based on an issue they care about and use Change.org’s resources to spread the word to the masses. You can also browse hundreds of online petitions by subject area, from sustainability to women’s rights and help causes you care about gain more traction. Keep track of global progress by viewing Change.org’s map of signed petitions. To mobilize local support in your community, set up a meeting via Change.org’s platform as well.

Wiser Earth is an eco-focused network for sustainable organizations and individuals to find each other and share resources. Users can take advantage of a massive Job Board, solution sharing and view what those in your network are up to. By using mind-maps streaming from a list of ten interest areas, users can search and click on related interests and find information in that area. For example, by selecting interest in Urban Communication, I was led to many more subcategories including Green Cities. From there I was led to names of those in the Sustainable Communities program at the University of California, related jobs and events, as well as articles. Very neat!

Greenopolis is a Web 2.0 site helping ordinary folks recycle more easily, track conservation and reward those working towards a cleaner planet. By using a combination of their web network and kiosks, Greenopolis maximizes real-time services and updates, using blogs, video/photo uploads, podcasts, social networks, and infographics. Greenopolis uses branded imagery to help users track their recycling actions and receive rewards. You can find a kiosk at many Whole Foods Markets. Social recycling is in in 2012.

Photo by Flickr User ronpaulrevolt2008

It doesn’t take long for people to adopt a trend once their favorite celebrity joins in. Recently, an influx of pretty heavy hitters in the acting and music industries have jumped on the train of animal welfare. Folks like Alicia Silverstone and Ellen Degeneres have paved the way of course, but now it seems not a week goes by without a new report of an animal-friendly celebrity making news.

New to the vegetarian circles are hip hop royalty pair Jay-Z and Beyonce. The publicly pregnant Beyonce has decided to embark on a partially-vegan diet, and hubby Jay-Z has similarly begun a sympathy vegan diet for support. Dubbed a “hands-on Dad,” Jay is gaining energy with this new diet in order to keep up with his superstar wife, quickly shutting down the claims that pregnant women will be malnourished if forgoing meat and dairy.

Also in the blogosphere is everyone’s dream actor (and good samaritan) Ryan Gosling. Gosling, along with other celebrities like Zooey and Emily Deschanel, championed a campaign against fast-food giant McDonald’s and their use of factory farms, telling the chain ”I’m Hatin’ It.” The co-written letter states as follows:

“On behalf of compassionate people everywhere, we implore you to help end the needless suffering of these animals by adopting strict and meaningful animal welfare policies worldwide, including the commitment to prohibit the purchase of eggs produced by hens who spend their miserable lives crammed into tiny wire cages.”

And:

“While McDonald’s has already established a 100% cage-free purchasing policy in Europe, your U.S. restaurants continue to support egg factory farms that confine hens for most of their lives in cages so small they can’t even spread their wings. These poor birds never get to walk, run, perch, roost, dustbathe, build nests, see the sun, breathe fresh air, or do nearly anything that comes naturally to them. Common sense tells us that animals with legs and wings should be given the basic freedom to move.

Sadly, there is not a single federal law to protect hens from cruelty from the time they hatch to the time they are killed. While McDonald’s brags about the “billions and billions served,” millions of hens exploited for your restaurants are being grossly underserved. In fact, these animals are being abused in ways that could land your egg suppliers in jail, if dogs or cats were the victims.”

Oh, and:

“It’s a good time for some great changes at McDonald’s. As the largest egg buyer in the entire country, McDonald’s has the power — and the moral responsibility — to ensure that the eggs in its Egg McMuffins don’t come from rotten egg suppliers.”

Thanks celebrities, for using your platforms to do some good in the world, and for taking notice of animal causes.

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Vegansaurus, popular online zine for West Coast vegans, as well as the SFIst have both reported some news that has non-meat eaters reeling. Bohemian restaurant Cafe Gratitude is closing its doors─but not without generating quite a bit of talk regarding the matter. Cafe Gratitude’s website states:

“With great sadness we are announcing the upcoming closing/sale of all Northern California Café Gratitudes [sic].

A series of aggressive lawsuits has brought us to this unfortunate choice. Although we believe that we have done nothing wrong and our policies are completely legal, it will cost us too much money to defend them in court.  Despite telling the attorneys that brought the lawsuits that the current structure and resources of Café Gratitude are insufficient to sustain and defend our community, they have refused to give up and are forcing us to close.”

But where will people get their dairy-free shakes and daily doses of love? Many higher up employees found out about the news from the SFist write-up. Since, both SFist and Vegansaurus have been following the updates and have had the opportunity to speak to some of the past and present employees, as well as those filing the lawsuits. As it turns out, the Cafe may not have been so grateful after all.

Steve Sommers of Kumin Sommers LLC, who filed the two lawsuits, told Vegansaurus the suits “mainly concern [Cafe Gratitude's] tip-pooling practice,” which is described as follows:

“Every penny generated in tips and sales goes into the same pool of money. At the end of the day, they tabulate how much they should have earned from food sales, and they remove that amount from the pool— this, says Sommers, is called ‘breakage,’ and it ‘shoulders the risk of the business onto the employees,’ and is illegal. Next, they take 20 percent from the remaining money and send it to the central kitchen. Finally, they divide the remaining money among all the employees, from the managers to the janitors. Sommers says that one of his clients, Sara Stevens, would collect $200 in tips per night and only pocket $40. She is suing for between $80,000 and $85,000 in lost tips, and missed fuel and rest breaks.”

Ouch. Sort of an ironic situation for a restaurant boasting menu items such as ”I Am Fulfilled” or “I Am Grounded.”

Additionally, Gracias Madre, Cafe Gratitude’s vegan Mexican food restaurant on Mission Street, will close too, SFist reported after speaking with Shandra Gilbert, Gratitude’s Director of Operations.

Follow the news as it unfolds by visiting Vegansaurus and SFist. Meanwhile, perhaps its time to do a little wholesome vegan cooking at home if you live near these feuding locales.

Image by Pixomar

Sustainable technology was a fairly new concept less than ten years ago, at least in the way we think about it now. Solar panels? Even five years ago, reliance on the same old, same old fuels and “best practices” were the most desirable technologies to implement. Now it seems many more start-ups and entrepreneurs, as well as some big time names, are seeking to out-green the rest, moving green-tech out of the fringe and into the limelight.

Popular tech blog Engadget has been posting a series called “Inhabitat’s Week in Green” to highlight the innovative, and downright cool advances where technology meets sustainability. Inhabitat is a blog keeping their eyes on the green prize, and so was a natural outlet for Engadget to pump up its own sustainable chops. Some of the more eye-catching developments from the latest round up included solar cars from GM, Ford and Chrysler who teamed up with a some engineering students; Facebook’s sustainable server farm to naturally cool the system that keeps millions of us tapped in; and Phillips’ fascinating bacteria powered lamps.

Also in the news for green inclinations is a little known company called Google, who was recently recognized by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) as a company putting in the hard time to find  and utilize renewable energy sources. From the blog Earth Techling:

“Google’s green power accomplishments include purchasing green power from NextEra Energy Resources, Renewable Choice Energy and Puget Sound Energy. Additionally, the tech superpower helped to create the largest residential solar fund in the U.S. and has invested in several renewable energy projects, including what’s planned to be the world’s largest wind farm…”

Huffington Post has picked up on this thread and released a list (compiled by Newsweek) of the “Greenest Tech Companies,” with Google at number 30. Apple came in at number 27, trumped by Microsoft at 23. Toshiba ranked number 10, toppling companies I’ve never even heard of, followed by Dell at number 9. Mobile companies Nokia and Samsung took 8 and 7, with Hewlett-Packard at number 5. Who had the top spot? IBM. Here’s Newsweek‘s methodology to see why these companies were favored over others. It involves a score for environmental management, how green they are and what their environmental impact is.

Apparently going green isn’t just for the casual recyclers or the rare entrepreneurs. Large mega-companies are working on improving their “green” name, at least, as far as we can tell. Now, let’s just keep small green-tech afloat, shall we?

Image by Flickr User Flyingsinger

The United Nations predicts that today there will be 7 billion humans on this planet. Seven billion–a staggering and scary number especially considering it was just 12 years ago that the population was at 6 billion. It is expected to continue rising and reach 9 billion by the year 2050.

These statistics raise important questions. Will we have enough food to feed this growing population? Will factory farming, deforestation and erosion destroy our planet? Will it spark health pandemics and wars throughout the world as nature’s way of creating shortages to curb the growth?

Earlier this year, the World Food Program stated, “With an estimated 925 million hungry people in the world, 13.1 percent, or almost 1 in 7 people are hungry.”

The United Nations. says food production in developing countries needs to double in the next 40 years to keep pace with the growing population.

There are simple actions that can be undertaken now to help prepare our species to deal with these growing issues.

First, people need to make the transition to a sustainable food system. Currently, food production is shifting away from small, local farms to industrialized factory farms. These factory farms are extremely inefficient, toxic to the environment and harmful to human health. We also need to make the shift to a mostly plant-based diet.

Societies around the world also need to do more to empower women. According to researchers at the Guttmacher Institute, approximately 215 million women around the world want to have the ability to plan and space our their pregnancies, but they lack access to effective contraception methods. Empowering women through education will also help women in third world countries start their own businesses and provide for their families.

Living simply is also an issue. While the average family size may be smaller in the United States than in sub-saharan Africa, our carbon footprint is much, much larger. Look around you. You do not need to be in the top 1 percent to own a closet full of clothes, every new tech gadget that comes out, a few family cars and a large house in the suburbs. It’s safe to say that most of us do not live a minimalist lifestyle, and our impact on the earth is big. Being conscious of this and taking actions everyday such as recycling, cutting down on waste and avoiding needless indulgences will go a long way.

We live on a vast, beautiful and wonderful planet. Lets learn to share, and leave this world a little better for future generations.

We’re so excited to announce that Organic Bug has a newly designed website! Check it out: http://www.organicbug.com!

The new site has easy-to-navigate shopping categories. For example, our personal care section breaks down further into 26 shopping categories including, among others, personal care for balanced skin, for demanding skin and for thirsty skin.

Also featured on the new site are collections featuring vegan, handmade, fair trade, made in the USA, natural, organic, recycled, sustainable and holiday items.

We’ve also added 30% more products!! Take a look around the site. Let us know what you think…