The Ontario Farmers Market is an exciting, fun filled community gathering spot. Chock full of fresh local fruits,vegetables, bread, honey, berries, granola, cupcakes and more. The Market also includes a Guest Bell Ringer as a showcase for local Non-Profits, several tasty food vendors, artisans, live music and more to round out the weekly event.

The Market is the brainchild of a local businesswoman, Barbara Wilson. She is passionate about providing the community access to nutritional and affordable foods. She knows that by facilitating a support system that encourages health and well-being, that the community can also glean economic health for farms, businesses and entrepreneurs.

The Ontario Farmers Market will have an expanded schedule this year. Beginning May 3, 2012 the Market will run in May, June and July on Thursday Nights from 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm. In August, September and October the Market rings in on Sunday Mornings from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm.

Vendors may apply online at www.managemymarket.com and/or email at OntarioFarmersMarket@gmail.com.

Bridge Resources Corporation of Canada has been drilling natural gas wells in the area and must also build a Compression Station to pipe the drilled gas and residual fluids to. The compression station will be unmanned, and its only activity will be commercial tanker traffic, taking the extracted 80,000 plus gallons of oil and liquid waste to undisclosed locations.

Besides the truck and other industrial activity traffic and stresses, people living near Compressor Stations could develop a life-threatening condition from the constant low-level noise called ‘vibro-acoustic disease’. Some of the resulting symptoms of that can be depression, increased irritability and aggressiveness, a tendency for isolation, and decreased cognitive skills.

Despite it being an unmanned facility, thus creating no local jobs, it will have emissions that have been shown to increase the chance of deaths from respiratory and  cardiovascular diseases, as well as increasing the rate of premature births and low birth weights.

Disposal of oil and liquid waste, as well as noise and air emissions, are currently unregulated and have not been addressed by the local governing agencies. The property values in other communities where natural gas well drilling and compression stations are in use, have experienced property value reductions of up to 60%.

Who will benefit from this Compressor Station? Not the homeowners who live in the affected area, some for 50 plus years. The environment and the wildlife won’t benefit either. We need to be using clean alternative energy sources, but natural gas isn’t clean energy. There are numerous proven renewable energy options in this day and age. It’s a matter of people being educated on the detriments and values of each, and then the decision is really a no-brainer.

Payette County citizens will have an opportunity to voice these and other concerns at the Planning & Zoning Meeting on Thursday, July 14, 2011 at 7:00 at the Payette County Courthouse.

The below video shows the effects of a Compression Station.

It was last summer that I wrote this post. I found it interesting that one year later, the information is still spot-on and thus, I continue to share this message to anyone who will listen. I hope it will be beneficial to all of you:

For those of us who defied the Surgeon General’s warning on the cigarette package for all those years…. We all know,  how valid the warning was and still is.

And now,  research has proven that many products that families are using in our homes around their children and family, can be detrimental to their health.

In a report from the NIEHS (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences), the following statement pretty much sums up what all the research is saying:

Children are highly vulnerable to the negative health consequences associated with many environmental exposures. Children receive proportionately larger doses of environmental toxicants than adults, and the fact that their organs and tissues are rapidly developing makes them particularly susceptible. Research in children’s health looks at the effects of air pollution on respiratory diseases such as allergies and asthma, the impact of lead, mercury, and other environmental contaminants on cognitive development and behavior, and the influence of prenatal and early life exposures on growth and development.

So, what’s stopping you from making the switch over to greener and cleaner products in your home? Money, convenience, not knowing what products are safe to use? I’ve prepared a little survey about these issues and would appreciate each reader taking it for me. It should take less than 5 minutes to complete it!

There are many reputable brands of non-toxic cleaning products available on the market, besides the ones that I distribute. For most of them, it’s fairly easy to find out what the ingredients are and if any of them, can pose some type of health hazard to your family. Two of the websites that I most commonly refer to are:

Environmental Working Group – www.ewg.org

US Dept of Health & Human Services – http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov

You can also obtain a free report that lists many of the commonly used household cleaners and their ingredients by going to: www.4greenplanetsolutions.com. There’s an excellent video called Toxic Brew on that webpage, that talks more about the unseen exposures right in our homes.

Besides the retail products, you already have some natural products right in your cupboard; vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda. There are numerous online resources with suggestions of how to dilute and use these products.

Make it a greener and cleaner summer. The changes may very well make a positive health and financial impact to your family. If, you just don’t know where to start, feel free to contact me with any questions or ideas. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but love the chance to research and find them !!

I haven’t been able to get the salad off my mind, and was able to score a copy of the slightly modified, Costco Cookbook recipe from my friend, Tina Biggers.

It was of course, made with a lot of love, so that probably didn’t hurt. But, I have no doubts that you will totally enjoy this salad for seasons to come, as will I.

Baby Mixed Greens with Apples, Pecans & Feta

Source: Costco Cookbook / Tina Biggers (Servings: 4)

• 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoon Orange juice
• 4 tablespoon Honey, more to taste if necessary
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 6 cups Baby mixed greens, loosley packed
• 1 medium Apple, or pear, cored and sliced into thin wedges
• ⅓ cups Dried cranberries, or pomegranate seeds
• ⅓ cup Feta Cheese
• 3 tablespoon Pecans, finely chopped

To prepare the dressing, combine olive oil, vinegar, orange juice, honey, salt and pepper in a salad bowl. Mix until well blended.
Add greens and toss to coat with the dressing.
Divide the salad among 4 plates. Top with apple or pear slices. Sprinkle with dried cranberries, feta and pecans.

BON APPÉTIT !

How can this be, you ask? Well, it’s because some forward-thinking entrepreneurs are setting their sights on being the “next step” in fixing a variety of problems in today’s food industry. They state that there mission is to be a different kind of grocery store, one that is responsible to the environment and community and one that facilitates a healthy lifestyle.

In their recent press release, in.gredients promises to be an alternative to supermarket-style shopping, featuring local, organic food products, offering cooking classes and gardening activities on site, and hosting a variety of community oriented events geared towards promoting healthy living.

Customers will bring their own reusable containers to hold their purchases or they can purchase compostable containers from the store. It’s bulk food buying at a higher level and it doesn’t get much more sustainable than this.

in.gredients is also searching for investors for this worthy venture, and I’m sure they won’t be searching for very long. This new style of bulk merchandising will hopefully very soon, become the norm as people continue to learn the value of sustainable living.

Almost half of everything that goes to our landfills is packaging and most of that packaging has been used only one time. I am very anxious to see this philosphy spread throughout the nation and eventually see package free, zero waste stores for all consumable products. It’s a no-brainer and it’s a win-win for everyone!

Just this week, The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced that it has classified cell phone radiation as “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” based on an increased risk for a malignant type of brain cancer associated with mobile phone use. The IARC is a part of  WHO, and it’s main purpose is to research the causes of human cancer and try to find strategies for prevention and control of it.

Their research also identified an association between cell phone use, salivary gland tumors, and a tumor of the nerve that links the ear to the brain.

For the IARC to announce these findings, should give pause to those who regularly have a cell phone at their ear. There are alternatives available via blue tooth capabilities with headsets and GPS units, etc. Although, it may require a minor inconvenience initially, the benefits outweigh the inconvenience.

In addition to the health hazards associated with holding a cell phone while using it, there are also the safety issues while operating a motor vehicle.  These factors alone, should be significant enough to look for alternatives.

The Environmental Working Group has been talking about cancer and it’s relationship to cell phone usage since 2009. They have a guide published on their website that addresses this very topic and provides information on specific cell phones and how much radiation is emitted from each of them.

Remember when people dismissed the Surgeon General’s warning on the side of cigarette packs over 30 years ago? “May be hazardous” has been proven true in regards to tobacco and could very well be true in this situation. The questions is whether or not the public wants to wait and gamble with their lives or be proactive now, just in case.