Because the EPA has not complied in full with the Congressional mandate, for more than a decade EWG has stepped in to publish its Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.  EWG aims to help people eat healthy and reduce their exposure to pesticides in produce.

“EWG’s Shopper’s Guide helps people find conventional fruits and vegetables with low concentrations of pesticide residues,” said Sonya Lunder, EWG’s senior analyst and principle author of the report.  “If a particular item is likely to be high in pesticides, people can go for organic.”

The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 required EPA to assess pesticides in light of their particular dangers to children and to ensure that pesticides posed a “reasonable certainty of no harm” to children or any other high-risk group.  One provision of the act required that EPA inform people about possible hazards to their health brought about by consuming pesticides with their food.  The agency provides some information on its website, but it does not list foods likely to contain the highest amounts of pesticide residues nor those that pose the greatest dangers to human health. Most importantly, it does not offer the “right to know” information Congress required on behalf of consumers in 1996:  how to avoid pesticide exposures while still eating a healthy diet.

Apples topped this year’s annual Dirty Dozen list of most pesticide-contaminated produce for the fourth year.

Other fruits and vegetables on the Dirty Dozen are strawberries, grapes, celery, peaches, spinach, sweet bell peppers, imported nectarines, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, potatoes and imported snap peas. Leafy greens – kale and collard greens – and hot peppers were frequently contaminated with insecticides that are particularly toxic to human health. EWG details this problem in a section called Dirty Dozen-Plus.

EWG’s Clean Fifteen consists of conventional produce with the least amount of pesticide residues.  Avocados were the cleanest, with only 1 percent of samples showing any detectable pesticides. Other items on the list include corn, pineapples, cabbage, frozen sweet peas, onions, asparagus, mangoes, papayas, kiwi, eggplant, grapefruit, cantaloupe, cauliflower and sweet potatoes.

The guide ranks 48 popular fruits and vegetables based on an analysis of 32,000 samples tested by U.S. Department of Agriculture and the federal Food and Drug Administration. In the latest report, 65 percent of the samples analyzed tested positive for pesticide residues. Pesticides have been linked to cancer, hormone disruption and abnormal brain and nervous system development, among other health problems.  To rank produce, EWG analysts use six metrics including, the total number of pesticides detected on a crop and the percent of samples tested with detectable pesticides.

“For decades, various toxic pesticides were claimed to be ‘safe’ — until they weren’t, and either banned or phased out because they posed risks to people,” said Lunder. “While regulators and scientists debate these and other controversies about pesticide safety, EWG will continue drawing attention to the fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide loads.”

Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, Sustainable Living Association, Save The Poudre, Wildlands Restoration Volunteers and the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery are partnering to host the first Poudre RiverFest on May 10 at Legacy and Lee Martinez Park.

This free festival is a chance for the community to learn about the role of the river as an important habitat for wildlife, a recreational treasure and a source of clean water for drinking and industry. The Poudre RiverFest is about celebrating and raising awareness for our river and its contribution to our lives.

The morning of the festival will start with a volunteer orientation and breakfast at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery. The Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory will lead nature walks and provide opportunities to observe scientific research with wild birds at the bird banding station.

After orientation, Wildlands Restoration Volunteers will coordinate shrub planting and invasive plant removal along the southern bank of the Poudre River near Lee Martinez Park. Restoration activities will be focused on areas that would improve habitat for wildlife species. The City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Program will take charge on a volunteer cleanup effort along the River as well. The Museum of Discovery will have indoor and outdoor activities for children throughout the morning.

In the afternoon, the festival shifts to the north side of the river at Legacy Park. Local favorites, The Holler! and Finnders & Youngberg, will play music during the festival. New Belgium Brewery will provide a beer garden and a few local vendors will provide food.

Local businesses and organizations will host informational and activity booths for attendees, who will have fun while learning about the river’s vital functions, how our activities affect it and the important connections between human and natural communities. The event is free to the public.

To find out more about the Poudre RiverFest or to volunteer, please visit www.sustainable livingassociation.org/sla-events/ poudre-riverfest.

The Food and Drug Administration is proposing several changes to the nutrition labels you see on packaged foods and beverages. If approved, the new labels would place a bigger emphasis on total calories, added sugars and certain nutrients, such as Vitamin D and potassium.

The Nutrition Facts label, introduced 20 years ago, was initiated to help consumers make informed food choices and maintain healthy dietary practices. If adopted, the proposed changes would include several improvements to this outdated resource.

With a greater understanding of nutrition science the new labels would require information about added sugars. Many experts recommend consuming fewer calories from added sugar because they can decrease the intake of nutrient-rich foods while increasing calorie intake, according to the FDA.

Updated daily values for nutrients like sodium and dietary fiber would be listed. Daily values are used to calculate the Percent Daily Value listed on the label, which help consumers understand the nutrition information in the context of a total daily diet.

Manufacturers would be required to declare the amount of potassium and Vitamin D on the label, because they are new “nutrients of public health significance.” Calcium and iron would continue to be required, and Vitamins A and C could be included on a voluntary basis.

While continuing to require “Total Fat,” “Saturated Fat,” and “Trans Fat” on the label, “Calories from Fat” would be removed because research shows the type of fat is more important than the amount.

Another improvement focuses on updated serving size requirements and new labeling requirements for certain package sizes.  There would be changes to the serving size requirements to reflect how people eat and drink today, which has changed since serving sizes were first established 20 years ago. By law, the label information on serving sizes must be based on what people actually eat, not on what they should be eating.

The new label would require that packaged foods, including drinks, that are typically eaten in one sitting be labeled as a single serving and that calorie and nutrient information be declared for the entire package. For example, a 20-ounce bottle of soda, typically consumed in a single sitting, would be labeled as one serving rather than as more than one serving.

For certain packages that are larger and could be consumed in one sitting or multiple sittings, manufacturers would have to provide dual column labels to indicate both per serving and per package calories and nutrient information. Examples would be a 24-ounce bottle of soda or a pint of ice cream. This way, people would be able to easily understand how many calories and nutrients they are getting if they eat or drink the entire package at one time.

A refreshed label design will make calories and serving sizes more prominent to emphasize parts of the label that are important in addressing current public health concerns such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

The Percent Daily Value would be shifted to the left of the label, which is important because the Percent Daily Value tells you how much of certain nutrients you are getting from a particular food in the context of a total daily diet.  Finally, the footnote would be changed to more clearly explain the meaning of the Percent Daily Value.

Unfortunately, it isn’t easy to identify which products contain these hazardous ingredients. While cleaners are the only household products regulated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission under the Federal Hazardous Substances Labeling Act, their sellers aren’t required to reveal these products’ ingredients. These ingredients are considered “trade secrets,” so government regulations are actually designed to protect this proprietary information, not to protect human health or the environment.

When it comes to cleaners, the consumer has little to go on beyond the warning labels that manufacturers are required to put on their products. The labels DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION and POISON give only a very general idea about the seriousness of the unknown substances a product contains.  Consider avoiding products with these labels all-together.

There are reliable organizations that conduct research and publish information about chemicals in home cleaning supplies and the affects they have on our health and environment.  One resource is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov

The Environmental Working Group evaluated more than 2,000 cleaning products in its Guide to Healthy Cleaning database, based on ingredient information from company websites, labels, and published scientific studies: www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners. The breakdown asserts that DIY (do-it-yourself) cleaning products made from simple ingredients like white vinegar and baking soda are safest, but also offers less toxic alternatives when it comes to cleaners you’ll find in the store. Brands recommended for laundry detergent, dishwashing soap, and bathroom cleaners include Seventh Generation, Ecover, Mrs. Meyer’s, Planet, Zum Clean and others.

It is important to properly dispose of any leftover toxic cleaning products after switching to nontoxic. Improper disposal, such as pouring them down the drain, on the ground outside, into storm sewers, or throwing them out in the trash can pollute the environment and pose a threat to human health. Many communities across the country offer options for safely disposing of toxic cleaning products, known also as “household hazardous waste.” Larimer County offers this FREE service at the landfill on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday between 9am-4pm.  For more information and specifics about what they accept visitwww.larimer.org/solidwaste/hazardous_waste.htm

As we continue to assume more responsibility for our personal health and wellbeing we must take the time to educate ourselves on alternative choices and practices that leave less of an impact.  The City of Fort Collins’ Healthy Sustainable Homes department has compiled a tremendous list of resources to help you learn more about the risks associated with toxic chemicals in our homes and how to avoid them:www.fcgov.com/healthyhomes/resources.php

In the Fort Collins area, the Sustainable Living Association offers hands-on workshops designed to help you make your own non-toxic cleaning products, www.sustainablelivingassociation.org and similar classes are available in the Denver area through the Institute for Environmental Services, www.i4es.org/projects/cec-project/emerging-contaminants

Understanding that time is a limiting factor in our lives, the new year provides us with an opportunity to begin incorporating everyday practices and techniques that help us develop and maintain more sustainable and self-reliant lives year round.

I’ve found that education is at the forefront of developing a sustainable lifestyle, and because of that, the Sustainable Living Association has developed a series of year-round workshops featuring diverse, educational programs and activities.  These workshops provide people with the latest technology, products, tools and information to work toward sustainable lifestyles, empowering people to fully become aware of their choices and ultimately to act on developing a more sustainable lifestyle.

Ashley Haas, who participated in the Soils & Three Methods of Composting workshop had this to say after her experience, “Awesome, I now have a much better understanding of the whole system and I can’t wait to get home and start composting!”

The association offers several workshops that may lend themselves to projects on your 2014 wish list, including food preservation, eating locally and healthy, gardening and composting, energy efficiency, green building or remodeling, and eliminating chemicals from your home and personal care products.

With the Winter Solstice passing on December 21^st, now is the time when garden catalogues begin to arrive and folks start getting antsy about Spring projects in the yard.  This brings me to the association’s Abundant Backyard workshop series, which teaches people how to use backyard gardens more productively, including fruit tree grafting, raising chickens and goats, the benefits of organic gardening and providing information on soils and composting.  Here’s a testimony from one of our participants Kathleen Logh. “I am glad I attended the class before I brought any chickens home. The chickens will be much happier now that I know how to meet their needs.”

Even before the ground begins to thaw, these are great workshops for spring planning so you can map out your backyard plans in advance as well as begin thinking about starting your own seedlings and other new exciting projects.

In addition, urban agriculture is a growing trend, and according to the USDA, around 15 percent of the world’s food is now grown in urban areas. Not only does urban agriculture provide a great food source for your family and the greater community, but it also improves air quality and increases biodiversity.

With growing concerns about what is in our food, where it comes from, how it arrives on our plates and how it is regulated, we are experiencing a rising movement of people and communities across America who are re-inventing our food system. These workshops engage people in understanding and supporting the vision of a new food paradigm and consumer access to it.

The year-round workshop series offers greater opportunities to experience hands-on learning, making the idea of sustainability a reality in individual lives. Other workshop areas include the Wise Kitchen, Healthy Home, Sustainable Building, and Renewable Energy series.  The complete 2014 workshop schedule will be available in January, at www.SustainableLivingAssociation.org/workshops Happy gardening!

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (December 5, 2013) – The Sustainable Living Association (SLA) is dedicating its year-end fundraising campaign to offering affordable year-round workshops to the community in 2014. In tandem with Colorado Gives Day on Dec. 10, the project will continue with additional information and updates on Community Funded.

SLA’s campaign is part of an ongoing mission to make up for the 75 workshops and education opportunities missed due to flooding during the annual fair in September. Rather than dwelling on what was lost, SLA is looking to the future with the goal to offer year-round workshops at affordable prices in 2014 to give the community the skills and tools to live healthy, sustainably.

Through the Community Funded platform, SLA is asking the community to help raise the $5,000 needed to support the year-round workshop series in 2014. Workshops will include topics like the Wise Kitchen, Abundant Back Yard, Renewable Energy, Healthy Home and Sustainable Building series.

“Our organization has taken the lead in bringing the concept and practices of sustainable lifestyles into everyday life for the last fourteen years,” stated SLA Executive Director, Kellie Falbo. “The year-round workshops are an integral part of our mission, building knowledge and confidence in community members to seek out more sustainable options in their daily lives.”

As SLA approaches its 15th anniversary, the organization is dedicating year-end fundraising to bringing its expertise to the public with educational programs, community events and workshops. The workshops will focus on creative challenges that deliver valuable, long-term benefits for a wide range of community interests that improve the relationship between people and the environment.

At the forefront of the sustainable living and lifestyle movement in the Rocky Mountain region, the Sustainable Living Association (SLA) is an educational, nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower people and communities to make healthy, sustainable choices. For more information, visitwww.sustainablelivingassociation.org.

Most of the used baling twine in Larimer County ends up in a landfill. Much of it piles up on landowners’ property, or is burned. It is unsafe to burn the polypropylene twine due to the toxic fumes emitted. A more serious problem is that wildlife and domestic animals can ingest the twine and become seriously ill or die. When large bales are fed to cattle and the twine is not completely removed, remaining pieces can quickly kill a cow by creating an indigestible ball in their gut. The twine also poses an especially deadly strangling hazard to birds whether it is on the ground or after they have built it into their nests. In 2010, University of Montana researchers reported that baling twine entangled and killed about ten percent of osprey chicks annually in the state.

The Fort Collins Conservation District recently started a baling twine recycling program in response to landowner requests. The baling twine is used on almost every bale of hay in Larimer County. Previously, this twine went to the landfill, but it is 100% recyclable by a company in Minnesota called Bridon Cordage that sends a semi truck to pick it up and also pays market rate for the materials.

Bridon Cordage established a sister company called Gopher Plastics, to collect, clean and process used plastic baling twine, and Bridon is turning it into a separate product line.  They recycle the used twine into their Revolver® brand post-consumer baling twine.  The introduction of Revolver® is a direct response to their customers’ appeals for Bridon Cordage to help clean up the environment.  For more information on Bridon Cordage visit their website www.bridoncordage.com.

The twine needs to have 8% or less contamination from dirt, stalks, or other non-twine material. The twine should not be knotted or tied - leave strands loose.  There are currently two locations for twine recycling: JAX Ranch & Home, 1000 US Hwy. 287 in Fort Collins and Anderson Ace Hardware, 4104 Jefferson Ave., Wellington.  The Fort Collins Conservation District would like to see these recycling bins at all feed stores in the area so farmers can pick up their feed and recycle their twine all at the same time. For more information, contact Laura at laura@ftcollinscd.org or call the District at 970-221-0611.

The next phase of the plan is to look at the many other benefits to our community that could come from pursuing higher waste diversion goals, known as zero waste. Rather than considering discarded materials as problems to our Fort Collins community, zero waste recognizes these as resources that need to be better managed to reinvest in the local economy.

The Zero Waste International Alliance defines zero waste as “a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use. Zero waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them. Implementing zero waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health.”

In March of this year, Fort Collins became the first community in Colorado requiring corrugated cardboard to be recycled or reused, diverting an anticipated 12,000 tons of bulky cardboard from cluttering our landfill. While cardboard is the only material required to be recycled, many other items are recyclable such as paperboard, bottles, cans, plastics and paper. Simply put your flattened cardboard with other recyclables in your recycling bin or dumpster. For residents, recycling is typically included at no charge when you purchase curbside trash services.

Reducing the production of cardboard is a great option, especially when you have the choice to do so. Moving requires packing our belongings into boxes and transporting them to their new location. There is no need to purchase brand new, unused boxes for this purpose in Fort Collins. If you want to share your used moving boxes or find free boxes, you can learn more about the cardboard exchange at www.fcgov.com/cardboard under the reusing cardboard link.

In addition to the cardboard exchange, Rocky Mountain Box Co. is a new local company offering a convenient low environmental impact alternative to traditional cardboard moving boxes. Their boxes are made from 100 percent recyclable plastic; they’re crush proof and easily stackable with attached lids. There is no need for packing tape, having to build or breakdown cardboard boxes, or having to figure out what to do with them when you finish unpacking. All of their reusable boxes are cleaned with a “green” cleaner before and after every use ensuring your family’s health and safety is protected. Learn more about this sustainable solution at www.RockyMountainBoxCo.com

City staff is available to help businesses address challenges they may face in complying with the cardboard disposal ban. Through the city of Fort Collins’ Waste Reduction and Recycling Assistance Program, or WRAP, businesses can receive free on-site recycling assessments, rebates, and free tools to help begin a recycling program. For information about WRAP and starting a recycling program at your apartment complex or business, visit www.fcgov.com/recycling.

Kellie Falbo is executive director of the Sustainable Living Association. Call (970) 224-3247 or send email to kellie@sustainableliving association.org.

Many chemicals developed over the past 50 years and now widely used on a daily basis in everyday household products get into the environment and have harmful effects on human and wildlife health. These effects are not fully understood. Due to this lack of research and information about potentially harmful substances, scientists around the world are researching these compounds that are known as Contaminants of Emerging Concern. Few of these chemicals are regulated or monitored.

As a result of these household cleaning products, trace amounts of chemicals from consumer products are accumulating in downstream water sources. CEC are known or suspected toxins or endocrine disruptors, meaning they interfere with the normal functioning of hormones. They may be linked to mutations and other biological abnormalities in aquatic life and human health risks.

Traditional wastewater treatment does not effectively remove all CEC, allowing their release into the environment even after water has been treated. Scientists have not yet characterized what level of exposure to these suspected toxins and endocrine disruptors is harmful to humans.

The Institute for Environmental Solutions is a Denver-based nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing complex environmental challenges such as this. IES uses sound, independent science to find potential solutions, develop objective evaluation methods, implement strategies and measure and demonstrate costs and effectiveness. IES’s approach emphasizes integration across technical disciplines and inclusion of all potential stakeholders throughout project design and implementation.

IES has developed three courses to help everyday consumers avoid exposure to harmful contaminants by making informed choices. IES will offer their Non-Toxic Cleaning and Living Workshop 6-8 p.m. May 26 in Fort Collins. Participants will learn how to reduce their chemical footprint.

The Non-Toxic Cleaning and Living Workshop teaches easy and inexpensive techniques to clean your home while avoiding chemicals that contaminate the environment and drinking water. Participants will take away recipes for cleaners and a shopping guide for what

ingredients to avoid. IES will demonstrate how to make your own contaminant- free products and find out which commonly used chemicals in some products could be contaminating the water supply. Participants will make and take home two cleaning products.

“The best way to protect both the environment and our health is to not use products that contain harmful contaminants,” said Carol Lyons, IES executive director. “It’s easy to make effective, non-toxic household cleaning products, and it saves money, too.”

Future IES workshops available in Fort Collins will cover Contaminant-Free Grocery Shopping on Oct. 6 and Personal Care Products on Nov. 3. For more information about IES, visitwww.i4es.org. To register for the Non-Toxic Cleaning and Living Workshop, visit www.SustainableLivingAssociation.org/workshops