If you're like us, you feel better knowing where your food comes from. Did you know that you can trace the origin of your milk from a code on the carton? More than likely, there's a handy little code on your carton of milk or tub of yogurt that tells you exactly where it's from. Run to the fridge for a peek at the code—we'll wait right here—and then look it up on Where is My Milk From?.

Bonus tip: identify your produce

Before we go, let's run through a quick refresher on how to tell if your produce is organic, conventional or genetically modified. Take a look at that annoying little sticker you normally peel off and flick into the trash. You're looking for the Price Look Up (PLU) code, which is set by the International Federation for Produce Standards.

• Organic produce 5-digit PLU number beginning with 9
• Conventional produce 4-digit PLU number beginning with 4
• Genetically modified (GMO) produce 5-digit PLU beginning with 8

(Photo credit:Gizmo1408, SXC)

If a small plot is your plight, fear not for, it's pocket gardening to the rescue!

Taking a lesson from good old mother nature, who can send up a shoot of something green through the cracks in almost any parking lot, some clever folks have come up ingenious green ideas for small gardens.

This new spin on window box gardening has people growing their own green vegetable bounty in the most unlikely places and containers. Pick a pocket, plant a packet and watch your garden grow.

Here are a few really great ideas for pocket and container gardens:

1. Handmade in the USA from recycled plastic bottles Woolly Pocket soft-sided garden containers are suitable for indoor or outdoor usage. Their breathable sides release excess moisture to aerate the soil and their waterproof lining helps keep walls and floors dry.
2. Upcycling an old colander or salad spinner for indoor lettuce and herb growing is a great idea.
3. Create your own attractive DIY hanging pocket garden by upcycling any number of beautifully designed and sturdy coffee or juice bags. Macrame some jute or twine to hang them on.
4. Stylish recycled tire planters are attractive, relatively lightweight and much easier to move around than heavy flower pots. The large handles are really convenient.
5. Eco-friendly and really quite attractive biodegradable rice hull pots and planters are great for green windowsill gardening.
6. Repurpose an old wheelbarrow by drilling drainage holes in the bottom and filling it with soil. This makes a great portable outdoor garden that can be repositioned easily to optimize sunny or shady spots around the garden.
7. Old teapots hung by their handles so that the spout is pointing downwards make great outdoor hanging planters. They usually have a strainer built into the spout to trap tea leaves but if their is no strainer a small piece of screen works just as well. Fill with enough soil so that it does not spill out and plant a hanging thyme, rosemary or other creeping herb and drape it out through the top of the pot.
8. A festive and colorful tin can garden can be made by upcycling large restaurant sized cans. Drill a few holes in the bottom and add some small stones or gravel to provide suitable drainage. Be sure to set these on a tray of some sort as tin cans tend to rust.
9. Always use a good quality organic planting medium to ensure good growth. Well begun is half done.

Don't be shy, if you plant it it will grow! Happy planning, happy planting and please feel free to share your favorite small space garden ideas with us.

(Photo credit:ms.lume on flickr)

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's new TV series, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, doesn't debut until March 26, but the healthy food advocate is already mixing it up with first graders and lunchroom staff alike. In the new show, Oliver brings his passion for healthier eating habits to Huntington, W. Va., recently dubbed "the fattest city in America." The 2010 TED Prize winner's goal: "I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity."

Simple enough, right? Not where these children are concerned. Take a look at what happened when Oliver asked these first-graders to identify various fresh fruits and vegetables.

At least the kids gave his queries an energetic attempt. The reception was considerably less enthusiastic behind the scenes in the kitchen.

Looks like Oliver has his job cut out for him (the least of which is cutting out the junk food served at school). Still, we suspect his action-oriented philosophy will pick up steam. "Every child should be taught to cook in school, not just talk about nutrition all day. Good food can be made in 15 minutes. This could be the first generation where the kids teach the parents," he says.

Food Revolution premieres Friday, March 26 on ABC TV.

(Photo credit:JamieOliver.com)

If chocolates, champagne, lingerie and a romantic dinner sound like a tired Valentine's Day fall-back, heat things up this weekend with something a little spicier: hot chiles. Spicy foods spark physical reactions that feel a lot like love: a racing heart, tingling lips, a rush of euphoric hormones ... It doesn't get much hotter than this!

Go on, bite into a hot pepper. Your lips and tongue begin to tingle. Your body releases endorphins in response to the "pain." You feel a little bit ... better. The compound that gives spicy foods their heat, capsaicin, increases blood flow all over your body. Your heart beats a little faster. You feel a little warmer, a little more ... aroused.

Mission accomplished.

Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't point out that when it comes to spicing up your Valentine's moves, you can have your chocolate and eat it, too. Look for a sustainable chocolate bar boosted with the fire of red chili. We like Lindt's luscious version, which sets your taste buds on fire. Mmmm.

More ideas for a greener Valentine's Day:

• Green Valentine flowers: my love is like a green, green rose
• How to have a vegan Valentine's Day
• Tips for a greener V-Day
• Some good last-minute ideas for green Valentine's Day 
• Organic champagne for your Valentine
• Feng shui for lasting love
• Give your Valentine ethical bling

(Photo credit:hedonist, SXC)

I detest getting strange looks from sales clerks when I pull out my reuseable bag. This is 2010, isn't it? Haven't we gotten over the idea that single-use plastic bags are a wasteful, superfluous mess? It's days like these when we wish we could hop a (carbon-offset) plane for London, so we could shop at Unpackaged.

Need a little but not a lot? Check. Need a lot more than a little? Check. Whether you bring your own bags, boxes and bottles or whether you need to pick up a few more reuseable bags there at the store, you can get your fill of organic, whole foods.

1. Fill your container.
2. We weigh.
3. You pay.

Pretty simple, no?

While we can't fly over to pick up some groceries this afternoon, we can feast our eyes on what unpackaged shopping at Unpackaged looks like. Enjoy.

Drool over more eye candy from Unpackaged's shop plus information about the store's products and policies at Unpackaged.

(Photo credit:Unpackaged)

You'd never consider slipping your child a caffeine-laced energy drink for breakfast, but the boost they get from tea and coffee is natural and healthy—right? A lack of official U.S. recommendations on caffeine for the younger set makes pinning down an answer more of a (jittery) moving target. Add in the evolving taste of growing kids, and the opportunities for kids to amp up on too much caffeine seem endless: soda with lunch, energy drinks before sports practice, flavored teas from the convenience store, the ubiquitous dash through Starbucks ...

Those of us who rely on a java jolt to jump-start our mornings are quite familiar with the signs of overindulgence: anxiety and jitteriness, an upset stomach, headaches, insomnia, difficulty concentrating and an increased heart rate. In children whose minds and bodies are still growing, the effects can be more pervasive.

The effects of caffeine alter children's ability to learn and socialize, two mission-critical tasks for developing minds and bodies. "Caffeine can stimulate immature neurological systems beyond children's ability to tolerate it, which can have serious effects," says Terence Patterson, Ed.D., of the University of San Francisco, in a report from the American Psychological Association. "Excessive caffeine use damages the attention capacity that children need to cooperate in play, family and school environments."

Continue reading Are coffee and tea safe for kids? ›

(Photo credit:Pink Sherbet Photography, flickr)

Will allowing kids to literally sink their hands into learning in school gardens turn them into illiterate farmhands? According to Caitlin Flanagan in a new article at The Atlantic, it most certainly will. In building her shaky conclusion, Flanagan worships at the pedestal of book learning while conveniently overlooking the fact that there is nothing studied inside a school—math, biology, chemistry, literature, logic, art and more—that cannot also be learned while gardening. Add to that the benefits of teamwork, sustainability and responsibility reaped by young gardeners, and Flanagan is treading on loose soil indeed.

To understand more about what school gardens offer students, Super Eco visited with Jeanne McCarty, executive director of REAL School Gardens, a nonprofit organization that helps elementary schools create learning gardens. "School gardens are about much more than the activity of gardening, and the concepts students are learning go far beyond planting and cooking," McCarty told us. "Rather than substitutions for 'book learning,' as Flanagan implies, school gardens are living classrooms that reinforce, extend and bring to life what children are learning indoors. A school garden is a three-dimensional textbook that a child can physically enter, a vibrant and alive setting where he or she can observe, explore, test and practice math, science and other subjects."

Students with access to a school garden learn through experience. "Educators are able to teach children about concepts such as sedimentation, the nitrogen cycle, weather patterns and metamorphosis by observing these processes as they occur, in addition to reading about them," McCarty explains. "Last year, students at Fitzgerald Elementary School in Arlington, Texas, voted and chose science as their favorite subject because of their school’s dynamic garden."

Research shows that parental involvement goes up in schools with gardens, which McCarty notes is also frequently linked to student achievement.

In the end, school gardens are instrumental in helping students become well-rounded, engaged citizens. "While traditional academic learning is critically important, so is raising a generation of children who are happy, healthy and engaged in the world around them," McCarty says. "There is a wealth of research that indicates the positive impact of school gardens on children’s health and well-being, social and life skills development, civic responsibility and academic achievement—all essential ingredients for strong, competent, well-adjusted individuals."

REAL School Gardens currently supports 66 elementary schools in five urban school districts in North Texas by providing expertise in garden design and care, training teachers to use the garden for teaching and learning, and hosting events that bring people together throughout the region.

(Photo credit:Pink Sherbet Photography, flickr)

Green activists must be feeling their organic, whole-grain oats this week. The eco-scuttle popping in the news are a number of feisty scuffles and demonstrations of green ardor. From David-and-Goliath attacks on GM giant Monsanto to the celebrities who've hoofed it all the way to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, there's a lot of green energy going around.

• Monsanto corn causes damage in mammals? A report released by the International Journal of Biological Sciences states that three types of Monsanto corn cause cancer and organ damage in mammals. In what is being described as the first ever and most comprehensive study of the effects of genetically modified foods on mammalian health, researchers have linked organ damage with consumption of Monsanto’s GM maize. (Twilight Earth)
• Lobbyists polluting Clean Air Act legislation Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski actually worked with lobbyists from some of the worst polluters in the United States while drafting her amendment to strip the EPA of its ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. (Change.org)
• Celebs reach top of Mt. Kilimanjaro for water crisis awareness The trek to the top, which began last Thursday, includes stars like Emile Hirsch, Jessica Biel, Lupe Fiasco, Isabel Lucas, and Elizabeth Gore. The goal is to raise awareness of the worldwide water crisis. (Tonic.com)
• Hacked off A Facebook group called “F**k Off Newfoundland—Leave Our Seals Alone” posted a photoshopped version of Miss Newfoundland, Sara Green, wearing her seal fur coat—with bloody seal carcasses and wielding a hackapik. (Ecorazzi)
• A fiery battle over land in Brazil's Amazon rainforest While world leaders were meeting in Copenhagen to address the challenge of climate change last month, indigenous and traditional Brazilians in the Amazon region were gathering to defend one the globe’s most important climate-stabilizing resources: the rainforest. The protesters are battling against the evisceration of their homelands by illegal logging. (Grist)

(Photo credit:Available Light, flickr)

If you've spent any time browsing this month's popular bedding and whites sales, you've probably noticed an appalling absence of non-toxic waterproof mattress pads. The prospect of spending your nights curled up on the toxic ingredients in the plastics of many inexpensive pads plus fire retardant coatings and formaldehyde on fabrics is not a restful one. It's not too difficult to find organic cotton pads these days—but add a need for waterproof protection into the equation, and you've got either toxic choices that are all wet or pricey alternatives that leave your wallet bone dry.

So what are your options?

1. Wool An organic wool mattress pad is a wonderful thing. Breathable, 100% natural, frequently machine washable and dryable—but expect a hefty pricetag.
2. Organic cotton It's a great choice of fabrics—but unless something else is added to it, unfortunately not waterproof.
3. Vinyl/polyvinyl chloride One of the most toxic plastics in use today, vinyl poses numerous health and environmental concerns. Chemical additives including as phthalates create an offgassing nightmare. Please don't buy a mattress pad that includes vinyl.
4. Polyurethane Ewww, what's that smell? It's your polyurethane liner offgassing. Take a pass on this one, too.
   
5. Polyethylene Polyethylene and polylaminate layers in mattress pads are generally a safe, non-toxic choice. 

In the end, our favorite selection is probably Naturepedic's organic waterproof pad. It's breathable, washable, contains no phthalates, vinyl or latex and is GREENGUARD certified. If that's still out of your price range, review other options at Allergy Buyers Club Shopping.

(Photo credit:www.butkaj.com, flickr)

Looks like we're not the only ones who think real food stands a fighting chance at making it back onto the American plate. Our friends at Change.org have put "mainstream concern about cheap food" at the top of their list of sustainable food trends to watch for 2010. "We eat unhealthily largely because our industrial food system processes subsidized corn into food-like stuff that we place at the center of our diets where fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains should be," writes Katherine Gustafson. "To the health-conscious or those active in food politics, that statement will come as no surprise."

Surprised? Not us. We've lent our voice to the growing chorus all year long. Get the big picture by scanning our list of the best 20 stories on what we call "real food" from the past year.

1. Can Big Beef censor the sustainable truth?
2. Safer bottles haven't canned BPA problems
3. Big Ag's growing appetite for lobbying
4. Top 10 riskiest FDA-regulated foods
5. Obama's health plan: the missing element (it's food!)
6. Unlock the facts on GM seeds
7. Demand for organics reaches all demographics
8. Cheerios are a drug, says the FDA
9. Fast food chains riding the green train
10. Nastiest junk food ingredients
11. The unexpected influence of biofuel on pest control
12. Whose fault is elite meat?
13. Vilsack leads changes in food politics
14. The oxymoron of organic junk food
15. Pork industry breeding superbugs?
16. The dirty dozen: Know which produce is heavy on pesticides
17. Artificial sweeteners: Sweet and lowdown
18. The industrialization of organic food
19. Go organic when it counts
20. Eat locally everywhere: Locavores go mainstream
21. Can you name 3 foods high in trans fats?
22. Recalls point to processed food pitfalls
23. Can organic survive the economic downturn?
24. Mercury found in high fructose corn syrup

Ok, you're right—that was 24 stories, not 20. We couldn't find four stories to trim from the list that we didn't think you need to read.

What can you do to serve up real food? Unfortunately, we're still at the "let the buyer beware" stage—so let Super Eco show you how. Here's to taking heart, taking action and eating healthy in 2010.

(Photo credit:ckforjc, SXC)