Dear EarthTalk: I always thought cotton was eco-friendly, but I recently heard otherwise. What's so bad about cotton? And where can I find organic cotton clothing?
– Jamie Hunter, Twin Falls, ID

There's a lot "bad" about conventionally grown cotton–cotton grown with the aid of synthetic chemicals, that is. The Organic Trade Association (OTA), a nonprofit trade group representing America's burgeoning organic cotton industry, considers cotton "the world's dirtiest crop" due to its heavy use of insecticides. The nonprofit Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) reports that cotton uses 2.5 percent of the world's cultivated land yet uses 16 percent of the world's insecticides–more than any other single major crop.

The Organic Trade Association (OTA)
considers cotton "the world's dirtiest crop"
due to its heavy use of chemical insecticides
and fertilizers. Fortunately, there are now
thousands of organic cotton retailers,
including some of the big box stores. The
OTA's Organic Pages Online lists vendors
(and links to their websites) by product
type. Pictured: An organic cotton T-shirt
by Tiny Revolutionary.
Photo credit: Tiny Revolutionary

Three of the most acutely hazardous insecticides, as determined by the World Health Organization, are well represented among the top 10 most commonly used in producing cotton. One of them, Aldicarb, "can kill a man with just one drop absorbed through the skin," says OTA, "yet it is still used in 25 countries and the U.S., where 16 states have reported it in their groundwater."

Conventionally grown cotton also uses large amounts of nitrogen-based synthetic fertilizer–almost a third of a pound, says the OTA, to grow one pound of raw cotton. To put that in perspective, it takes just under one pound of raw cotton to make one t-shirt. Researchers have found that the fertilizers used on cotton are the most detrimental to the environment, running off into freshwater habitats and groundwater and causing oxygen-free dead zones in water bodies. The nitrogen oxides formed during the production and use of these fertilizers are also a major part of the agricultural sector's greenhouse gas emissions.

This is all true despite that the use of sprayed insecticides is quickly decreasing with the advent of genetically engineered cotton seeds that have insecticides bred right into them. A third of global cotton cropland and 45 percent of world cotton production now uses genetically engineered seeds. This poses a whole other set of issues, as some scientists fear that the proliferation of such "Frankenseeds" can lead to pest immunities and even the unleashing of so-called "super pests" that can resist virtually any pesticide. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear EarthTalk: I know that local food has health and environmental benefits, but my local grocer only carries a few items. Is there a push for bigger supermarkets to carry locally produced food?
– Maria Fine, Somerville, MA

By eating locally sourced foods, we strengthen the bond between local farmers and our communities, stay connected to the seasons in our part of the world, promote crop diversity, and minimize the energy intensive, greenhouse-gas-emitting transportation of food from one part of the world to another. Also, since local crops are usually harvested at their peak of freshness and typically delivered to stores within a day, customers can be sure they are getting the tastiest and most nutritious forms of the foods they like.

Locally-produced foods are now more widely available
than ever. To find local food near you, visit
localharvest.org, which lists organic food sources by
zip code. Pictured: the Kootenay Country Store Co-op
in Nelson, British Columbia.
Donkeycart, courtesy Flickr

Luckily for consumers and the environment, local produce and other foods are now more widely available than they have been for decades. The first national grocery chain to prioritize local producers, perhaps not surprisingly, was natural foods retailer Whole Foods, which was buying from local farmers and ranchers since it opened its first store in 1980 in Austin, Texas. Today each of the company's 270-plus stores in 38 U.S. states prioritizes local sourcing–so much so that its customers take it for granted. Whole Foods' relationships and distribution arrangements with local producers serve as models for the leading national grocery chains, many of which are beginning to source some produce locally when the season is right. Read the rest of this entry »

Why are people so gaga for bees? Well, for starters, there's renewed interest in the age-old health claims about honey.

Two millennia ago, the Roman historian Pliny the Elder declared honey to be the finest, most health-promoting liquid known to man.

These claims are still circulating today, with many folks using honey to try to stave off allergies. The local, grow-your-own food movement fuels enthusiasm, too.

Read more on NPR.org

Dear EarthTalk: Within my lawn I have over 100 citrus, mango and avocado trees. When I use Scott's Bonus S Weed and Feed, am I feeding my new fruit any poison? Will the weed killer be taken up by the fruit?
– Brit Brundage, Fairfield, CT

In short, yes and yes: You will jeopardize the health of your fruit trees and your yard in general if you use such products. Scott's Bonus S Weed and Feed, as well as many other "weed-and-feed" fertilizers (Vigero, Sam's, etc.), contain the harsh chemical herbicide atrazine, which excels at terminating fast-growing weeds like dandelions and crabgrass but can also kill other desirable plants and trees and damage your entire yard as toxin-carrying root systems stretch underground in every corner and beyond.

Howard Garrett, founder of the Dirt Doctor website,
recommends sticking to organic fertilizers — which
contain naturally buffered blends of major nutrients,
trace minerals, organic matter and carbon — for the
well being of plants, humans and animals alike.
The Dirt Doctor

Howard Garrett, a landscape architect who founded the DirtDoctor.com website and is an evangelist for natural organic gardening and landscaping, points out that anyone who reads the label on such products will learn that even manufacturers don't take their health and environmental effects lightly. Some of the warnings right there in black and white on the Scott's Bonus S Weed and Feed packaging include precautions against using it "under trees, shrubs, bedding plants or garden plants" or in the general vicinity of any such plants' branch spreads or root zones. Read the rest of this entry »

A new study has suggested that cell phone radiation may be contributing to declines in bee populations in some areas of the world.

Bee populations dropped 17 percent in the UK last year, according to the British Bee Association, and nearly 30 percent in the United States says the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Read more on CNN.com

Dear EarthTalk: I heard about a supposed dangerous chemical called "triclosan" that is in many personal care and other consumer products. Can you enlighten?
– Carl Stoneman, Richland, WA

Triclosan is a synthetic chemical compound added to many personal and household care products to inhibit illness by preventing bacterial infection. It works by breaking down the biochemical pathways that bacteria use to keep their cell walls intact, and as such kills potentially harmful germs if used in strong enough formulations. First developed as a surgical scrub back in 1972, triclosan is now used in upwards of 700 different consumer-oriented products, many of which people use more than once a day. They include hand soaps, deodorants, toothpastes, kids' toys, yoga mats and, of course, hand sanitizers.

Manufacturers that use triclosan in their products
insist that the synthetic chemical helps reduce
infections. But numerous studies have shown that
washing hands with products containing triclosan was
no more effective in preventing infectious illness than
plain soaps. Other research even links triclosan to
various human health and environmental problems.
Jack Black's Stunt Double, courtesy Flickr

Whether triclosan is actually as effective as advertised, especially in the small doses found in consumer products, is a topic of much debate. Manufacturers insist that the product helps reduce infections. But researchers from the University of Michigan's School of Public Health found, after surveying 27 different studies conducted between 1980 and 2006 on the effectiveness of antibacterial soaps, that washing hands with products containing triclosan was no more effective in preventing infectious illness–and did not remove any more bacteria–than plain soaps. The analysis, "Consumer Antibacterial Soaps: Effective or Just Risky?" was published in 2007 in the peer-reviewed journal, Clinical Infectious Diseases. According to lead researcher Allison Aiello, triclosan–because of the way it reacts in living cells–may cause some bacteria exposed to it to become resistant to amoxicillin and other commonly used antibacterial drugs, but she adds that more research is needed to bear out this hypothesis. Read the rest of this entry »

Reducing the consumption of meat and dairy products and improving agricultural practices could decrease global greenhouse gas emissions substantially. By 2055 the emissions of methane and nitrous oxide from agriculture could be cut by more than eighty percent, researchers of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research find. The results of the modelling study have recently been published in the journal "Global Environmental Change".

"Meat and milk really matter," says Alexander Popp of PIK. "Reduced consumption could decrease the future emissions of nitrous oxide and methane from agriculture to levels below those of 1995," explains the first author of the study. In the past, agricultural emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly methane and nitrous oxide, have increased steadily. In 2005 they accounted for 14 percent of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. "Besides the conscious choice of food on the consumers' side there are technical mitigation options on the producers' side to reduce emissions significantly," says Popp. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear EarthTalk: Is it true that bananas are taboo for anyone who is concerned about rainforest destruction? Even if I seek out "fair trade" or organic bananas, am I feeding the demand which is causing rainforest to be cleared?
– Laura Barnard, Hillsboro, OH

Sadly, the short answers to these questions may be yes and yes for now, but that may change as the $5 billion banana industry slowly comes to terms with greener forms of production. Historically, growing the world's most popular fruit has caused massive degradation of rainforest land across the tropics, spread noxious chemicals throughout formerly pristine watersheds, and poisoned and exploited farm workers.

Banana production has long been known for its
environmental and human rights abuses, which have
included the use of dangerous pesticides, water
pollution, deforestation and poor working conditions.
But that is slowly changing thanks to the work of The
Rainforest Alliance, the Sustainable Agriculture
Network and other nonprofit groups.
Ian Ransley Design, courtesy Flickr

"Banana plantations were infamous for their environmental and social abuses, which included the use of dangerous pesticides, poor working conditions, water pollution and deforestation," reports the Rainforest Alliance, a New York-based non-profit that has been working to improve worker and environmental conditions in the industry since 1990. "Pesticide-impregnated plastic bags, which protect bananas as they grow, often littered riverbanks and beaches near banana farms, while agrochemical runoff and erosion killed fish, clogged rivers and choked coral reefs." Also, the proximity of housing to banana fields, coupled with lax regulations for pesticide handling, led to frequent illness among workers and people living near the plantations. Read the rest of this entry »

Using heat from a forge that turns orange-hot metal into everything from car parts to hand tools, a Michigan manufacturer is developing an energy-efficient way to warm a year-round greenhouse on the company's roof.

Trenton Forging President David Moxlow started growing fruit and vegetables atop the plant southwest of Detroit in November and has already harvested greens, peppers, broccoli, strawberries and tomatoes that are shared with employees and visitors. The company is among a number nationwide that are developing technology and techniques for rooftop gardening as interest in local and homegrown food grows. Read the rest of this article

Dear EarthTalk: What is "kenaf" paper? From what I've heard, it's good for the environment. But what exactly are its benefits and where can I obtain some?
– Tiffany Mikamo, via e-mail

Kenaf, a fast-growing, non-invasive annual hibiscus plant related to cotton, okra and hemp, makes ideal paper fiber as well as great source material for burlap, clothing, canvas, particleboard and rope. Its primary use around the world today is for animal forage, but humans enjoy its high-protein seed oil to add a nutritious and flavorful kick to a wide range of foods. In fact, kenaf has been grown for centuries in Africa, China and elsewhere for these and other purposes, but environmentalists see its future in replacing slower-growing trees as our primary source for paper.

U.S. Department of Agriculture research shows that
kenaf yields some six to 10 tons of dry fiber per acre
per year, which is three to five times more than the
yield of Southern Pine trees, now the dominant paper
pulp source in the U.S. Kenaf also absorbs more
carbon dioxide than any other plant or tree.
Pictured: Bill Loftus tends kenaf plants at the
Kenaf Research Farm.
Credit: Kenaf Research Farm

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research shows that kenaf yields some six to 10 tons of dry fiber per acre per year, which is three to five times more than the yield of Southern Pine trees–now the dominant paper pulp source in the U.S. And to top it off, researchers believe kenaf absorbs more carbon dioxide–the chief "greenhouse gas" behind global warming–than any other plant or tree growing. Some 45 percent of dry kenaf is carbon pulled down from the atmosphere via photosynthesis.

No wonder environmentalists are so bullish on kenaf for our common future. "The more kenaf we grow, we can not only absorb significant amounts of the carbon dioxide that is responsible for global warming," says Bill Loftus of the non-profit Kenaf Research Farm, "but also educate the world on how to be self-sustainable through kenaf's many properties of providing food, shelter and economic opportunities." Read the rest of this entry »