The Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index 2022

How sustainable is the city where you live? The 5th edition of the Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index “provides a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of urban sustainability and how it is the key to unlocking prosperity in cities and improving quality of life.” More specifically, the Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index provides an overall ranking of 100Continue reading “The Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index 2022”

Why beans? For people and the planet

“The possibilities for positive change in our food systems are endless! With focused and coordinated action we have the potential to create a more sustainable, resilient planet that provides good food for all.” See: Good Food for All – https://www.goodfood4all.org/ “Unfortunately, as cost, conflict, COVID, and climate continue to negatively impact the rates of hungerContinue reading “Why beans? For people and the planet”

Pesticides are spreading toxic ‘forever chemicals,’ according to recent review

Scientists have been raising concerns for decades over the use of toxic ‘forever chemicals,’ [scientifically known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs] “so called because their strong molecular bonds can take hundreds of years to completely break down in the environment. Widely used in consumer products such as cookware and clothing, these substances areContinue reading “Pesticides are spreading toxic ‘forever chemicals,’ according to recent review”

Meat consumption must fall by at least 75 percent: study

“If our planet Earth is to continue feeding us in the future, rich countries must significantly reduce their meat consumption – ideally by at least 75 percent.” This is the conclusion of a new review published by researchers at the University of Bonn. “The study reviews the current state of research on various aspects ofContinue reading “Meat consumption must fall by at least 75 percent: study”

Do chemicals in plastic consumer products, and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), contribute to obesity?

In a recent study published in Environmental Science & Technology, Dr. Martin Wagner and co-authors investigated whether everyday plastic consumer products contain chemicals that induce adipogenesis, a key process in the development of obesity. These investigators found that, indeed, the chemicals extracted from one third of the products trigger the differentiation and proliferation of adipocytes or fatContinue reading “Do chemicals in plastic consumer products, and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), contribute to obesity?”

IPCC: world will miss 1.5°C without transforming food system

http://www.ipes-food.org/pages/news-IPCC-world-miss-1.5-04042022  Reacting to the publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on the mitigation of climate change…, experts from IPES-Food called for fundamental reform of food systems to avoid catastrophic levels of global warming. The IPCC report, agreed by governments and scientists, finds that: We are nowhere near on track to achieve the ParisContinue reading IPCC: world will miss 1.5°C without transforming food system

Healthy people, healthy planet: a flexitarian approach to sustainable healthy diets (self-study course)

This self-study continuing education course, which was approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) to offer 2 CPEUs, provides an overview of the EAT-Lancet Commission’s planetary health diet, a largely plant-based flexitarian diet; discusses the principles of a flexitarian diet; describes the nutritional advantages of a flexitarian diet; examines the health and environmental benefits ofContinue reading “Healthy people, healthy planet: a flexitarian approach to sustainable healthy diets (self-study course)”

Farms following soil-friendly practices grow healthier food, study suggests

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/944624 Excerpt: “A new study, published in January in the journal PeerJ, looks at how regenerative farming practices — soil-building techniques that minimize plowing, use cover crops, and plant diverse crops — affect the nutritional content of the food. Results of the preliminary experiment, which included 10 farms across the U.S., show that the crops fromContinue reading “Farms following soil-friendly practices grow healthier food, study suggests”

Less food, more wildfires in North America with climate change: IPCC report

https://www.agriculture.com/news/business/less-food-more-wildfires-in-north-america-with-climate-change “Global warming “is causing dangerous and widespread disruptions in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world,” said a UN climate change report on Monday. Hotter weather and shifts in rainfall are likely to reduce food production in North America and are a risk to food security, said a fact sheet onContinue reading “Less food, more wildfires in North America with climate change: IPCC report”

Interventions that influence animal-product consumption: a meta-review 

 A meta-review on interventions that aim to influence animal-product consumption was published recently in the journal, Future Foods. The authors found that informing consumers about the environmental consequences of meat consumption may reduce consumption. Providing information on health impacts, emphasizing positive social norms around plant-based diets, and reducing meat portion sizes also appeared promising, althoughContinue reading “Interventions that influence animal-product consumption: a meta-review “