LETS GO HEALTH....

organic wine may delay cancer growth

noreply@blogger.com (jotys) — Mon, 6 Apr 2009 18:32:00 -0700

Organic wine may delay cancer growth thanks to its specific properties, according to a study carried out on animals by a research team of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department at Barcelona University, as it is reported on the website ecoalimenta.com.

Organic wine "prevents from the occurrence of chemically derived tumors" the researchers revealed to elmundo.es. The research - that has been carried out using Volvoreta red organic wine, produced by Toro gurarantee of origin's Nuntia Vini winery (Zamora) - showed that wine administration to animals with cancer causes a a stop in cancer growing.

This innovative research - led by Josep M. Argiles, head of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department - is part of a project analyzing "the importance of moderate wine consumption in the prevention of cancer-connected muscular debilitation".

So far, results are promising but not conclusive, as the research has been carried out just on animals and induced cancer cases. The researchers stated that it would be premature to claim that in human beings the results may be the same.

Escaping the Chemicals

noreply@blogger.com (jotys) — Mon, 6 Apr 2009 18:13:00 -0700

The local ecosystem and the religious beliefs of a community of cotton farming families in rural India called for unique solutions to some universal agricultural challenges. Organic farming methods proved to be the solution on all counts.

Pests Are Controlled Humanely
Pest control has long been a major concern for these farmers. For many, however, the concern is spiritual as well as economical. Some spiritual belief systems that are common in India's communities hold that no living thing should be killed — a major conflict of interest for farmers when their chemicals kill anything that moves.

"Ninety-seven percent of insects in the fields are beneficial," explains V.J., a technical advisor with the project that supports some of these organic cotton farmers. "So by killing all the insects, the farmers were also killing beneficial insects."

Now, in addition to treating the seeds first, the farmers use a variety of methods that trap or repel harmful insects, some of which are evident as you walk through the rows of cotton plants. Birds are now encouraged to rejoin the ecosystem and prey on insects through the addition of large perches that tower over the plants. And sophisticated pheromone traps use the reproductive hormones of female bollworm moths to attract the males. Pulling the males out of the fields results in less mating and fewer destructive offspring.

Meanwhile, deep plowing and crop rotation are employed to prevent insect infestations, and some farmers use castor-oil sticky traps and natural pesticides derived from local Margosa trees.

Soil Is Enriched Naturally

Compost is also created from local, naturally occurring material — waste from the community and oxen dung — and added to the soil. Intercrops, such as corn and soybeans, are planted alongside the cotton to replace nutrients in the soil that are depleted by the cotton plants. Intercrops also give the farmers supplemental income in between cotton harvests.

But it's the earthworms these farming families cultivate that may have the most significant impact on soil quality. "One earthworm eats about 3 grams of soil every day, and it gives 3 grams of manure," V.J. says. "On an average day, we'll get about 120 kilograms of manure free."

More important, the worms loosen the soil, causing a key side effect: better water penetration and retention. This is vital in an area drenched with rain during the monsoon season. In the past, the hardened, chemical-laden soil merely repelled the water. Now, the farmers don't have to use artificial irrigation until the end of September, when the monsoons end. Some farmers say their organic cotton plants are taller than their former conventional plants, a probable benefit of deeper root development.

"Earth worms come out of the soil for air during nighttime," says technical advisor M. Tiwari. "That helps the roots of the plants get air. Water and nutrients also percolate to the roots."

Women Harvest the Cotton by Hand
It takes about 120 days for the cotton plants to start blooming. And while conventional cotton farmers often use chemical defoliants to strip plants of their leaves and hasten the ripening of cotton bolls, here they are allowed to open naturally.

The women of these farming families pick the cotton in the morning — to avoid the midsummer heat and to take advantage of the dew, whose moisture coaxes plants to make picking easier.

Top Water Conservation Tips

noreply@blogger.com (jotys) — Mon, 6 Apr 2009 17:45:00 -0700

Top Water Conservation Tips

No drips

A dripping faucet can waste 20 gallons of water a day. A leaking toilet can use 90,000 gallons of water in a month. Get out the wrench and change the washers on your sinks and showers, or get new washerless faucets. Keeping your existing equipment well maintained is probably the easiest and cheapest way to start saving water.

Install new fixtures

New, low-volume ordual flush toilets, low-flow showerheads, water-efficient dishwashers and clothes washing machines can all save a great deal of water and money. Aerators on your faucets can significantly reduce water volume; water-saving showerheads can cut the volume of water used down to 1.2 gallons per minute or less, and some even have a "pause button" to let you stop the water while soaping up or shampooing. Our interns recently pointed out that "spending about $30 on low-flow showerheads and faucets is estimated to save 45 gallons of that 260 gallons of water [used in a typical household per day], almost 18% of your usage. Splurging on a low-flow toilet could save another 50-80 gallons of water a day. Together, those changes nearly cut in half the household's daily use, saving a considerable amount of water – and passing that savings on to your water bill, as well as your water heating bill."

Cultivate good water habits

All the water that goes down the drain, clean or dirty, ends up mixing with raw sewage, getting contaminated, and meeting the same fate. Try to stay aware of this precious resource disappearing and turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving and always wash laundry and dishes with full loads. When washing dishes by hand, fill up the sink and turn off the water. Take shorter showers or, as the old joke goes, shower with a friend: Treehugger TV show you show. To put things in perspective, take a quick look at your next water bill when it arrives. It probably won't be costing you too much, but the average household consumes multiple thousands of gallons each month. See if you can make this number go down. If you're the graphing type, go nuts.

Stay off the bottle

By many measures, bottled water is a scam. In most first-world countries, the tap water is provided by a government utility and is tested regularly. Taste tests have shown that in many municipalities, tap water actually tastes better. Bottled water is not as well regulated and studies have shown that it is not even particularly pure. conducted by NRDC found that one-fifth of the 103 water products tested contained synthetic organic chemicals such as the neurotoxin xylene and the possible carcinogen and neurotoxin styrene. Much bottled water doesn"t come from a "Artesian springs" and is just tap water anyhow. water to make it taste better, just like fast food.) Not only is it more expensive per gallon than gasoline, bottled water incurs a huge carbon footprint from its transportation, and the discharded bottles are ablight. It's no wonder that some people even thing it's a sin. If you want to carry your water with you, get a bottle and fill it. (Look here for some advise on durable, non-toxic container options.) If your water at home tastes funny, try an activated charcoal or ceramic filter. Here is a comparison of home-use water filters from Grist.

Go beyond the lawn

Naturalize it using locally apropriate plants that are hardy and don't need a lot of water. If you have to water, do it during the coolest part of the day or at night to minimize evaporation. H ere is useful calkulator to figure out landscape water use. Xeriscaping is a method of landscaping that utilizes only native and low water plants. It is an especially appropriate approach for states like California and Arizona where people often plant lawns like they live in Florida despite living in the desert.

Harvest your rainwater

Put a rain barrel on your downspouts and use this water for irrigation. Rain cisterns come in all shapes and sizes ranging from larger underground system to smaller, freestanding ones. Some even glow!

Harvest your greywater

Water that has been used at least once but is still clean enough for other jobs is called greywater. Water from sinks, showers, dishwashers, and clothes washers are the most common household examples. (Toilet water is often called "blackwater" and needs a different level of treatment before it can be reused.) Greywater can be recycled with practical plumbing systems like the Aqus , or with simple practices such as emptying the fish tank in the garden instead of the sink. The bottom line? One way or another, avoid putting water down the drain when you can use it for something else.

At the car wash

Car washes are often more efficient than home washing and treat their water rather than letting it straight into the sewer system. But check to make sure that they clean and recycle the water. Better yet, try thewaterless car wash. If you live in Manchester, the Levenshulme Baptist Church is recycling water from its Baptistery pool for charity car washes http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/baptismal_water.php .

Keep your eyes open

Report broken pipes, open hydrants, and excessive waste. Don't be shy about pointing out leaks to your friends and family members, either. They might have tuned out the dripping sound a long time ago.

Don't spike the punch

Water sources have to be protected. In many closed loop systems like those in cities around the Great Lakes, waste water is returned to the Lake that fresh water comes out of. Don't pour chemicals down drains, or flush drugs down toilets; it could come back in diluted form in your water.