It isn't easy being GREEN - Page 17 - Political Fever

Dustin · #**161** (**permalink**) 06-28-2008, 05:02 PM

Tech is right though, the organic craze is no better than recycling. It's just a way for people to feel good about themselves while not changing their lifestyle. I don't mind eating chemicals, we are going to do it anyway. Mcdonalds anyone?

The Black Ghost · #**162** (**permalink**) 06-30-2008, 02:19 PM

TheStripey1 · #**163** (**permalink**) 06-30-2008, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dustin

Tech is right though, the organic craze is no better than recycling. It's just a way for people to feel good about themselves while not changing their lifestyle. I don't mind eating chemicals, we are going to do it anyway. Mcdonalds anyone?

There's a thread already discussing the pros and cons of organic farming down in Thunder and Lightning...

I don't believe that that is what the topic is here though...

but since you mention it... let me reiterate...

I don't care what you or TU chooses to put into your body... it is, after all, your choice.. and since, there are more people who want organic food than there is organic food available, I'm glad you have chosen to eat the chemical laced food...

That means there is More More More for us who choose to eat better...

TheStripey1 · #**164** (**permalink**) 06-30-2008, 03:36 PM

Curmudgeon wrote:
Democrats planning the convention in Denver are having trouble going green! Imagine that!

DENVER -- As the Mile High City gears up to host a Democratic bash for 50,000, organizers are discovering the perils of trying to stage a political spectacle that's also politically correct.

Quote:

Consider the fanny packs.

With biodegradable balloons and organic snacks, Denver Democrats hope to stage the "greenest convention" ever. See examples.
The host committee for the Democratic National Convention wanted 15,000 fanny packs for volunteers. But they had to be made of organic cotton. By unionized labor. In the USA.

Official merchandiser Bob DeMasse scoured the country. His weary conclusion: "That just doesn't exist."

Ditto for the baseball caps. "We have a union cap or an organic cap," Mr. DeMasse says. "But we don't have a union-organic offering."

Quote:

..."lean 'n' green" catering guidelines.

Among them: No fried food. And, on the theory that nutritious food is more vibrant, each meal should include "at least three of the following colors: red, green, yellow, blue/purple, and white." (Garnishes don't count.) At least 70% of ingredients should be organic or grown locally, to minimize emissions from fuel burned during transportation. "One would think," says Mr. Burns, "that the Democrats in Denver have bigger fish to bake -- they have ruled out frying already -- than mandating color-coordinated pretzel platters."

Democrats say the point is to build habits that will endure long after the convention. To that end, the city has staged "greening workshops" attended by hundreds of caterers, restaurant owners and hotel managers. "It's the new patriotism," Mayor Hickenlooper says.

Laura Hylton, general manager of Biscuits & Berries catering, agrees in principle. But she has been testing her recipes using local ingredients for weeks and still can't get the green peppercorn sauce right when she uses white Colorado wine. The state's high-altitude wine industry took off in the early 1990s and produces some award-winning labels, but Ms. Hylton says diplomatically, "It's a little...lacking. Our wineries out here aren't what you'd see in California or France."

Quote:

Joanne Katz, who runs the Denver caterer Three Tomatoes, will take one for the green team by removing her fried goat-cheese won tons with chipotle pepper caramel sauce from the menu. But she questions whether some of the guidelines will have the desired earth-saving effects.

Compostable utensils, she says, are often shipped from Asia on fuel-guzzling cargo ships. As for the plates: "Is it better to drive across town to have china delivered to an event and then use hot water to wash it, or is it better to use petroleum-based disposables?" she asks.

Any thoughts on this subject?

TheStripey1 · #**165** (**permalink**) 06-30-2008, 03:39 PM

My answers to Curmudgeons TO...

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheStripey1

Sure... the mid section of the country lags behind the two edges, so yeah I can see how they might be having problems... I had occasion to be in Arkansas a few years back, and I was shocked to see that when they said bread and butter on the menu they actually meant saltines and margerine... cuz that was what was given...

1)
We probably could have gotten some organic made in america fanny packs had that indusry not been outsourced to China during bush's term in office.

2) I see nothing wrong with this... who wants to eat all white food all the time? I like color in my diet... don't you?

3) Use China and wash them...

Technocratic_Utilitarian · #**166** (**permalink**) 07-02-2008, 03:34 AM

Now that you bring up recycling, Dustin, that's another issue. Some products actually cost more money and energy to recycle and aren't really worth it. Only some types of products are actually worth the process. Recycling's good, if you do it with the right materials.

Birdzeye · #**167** (**permalink**) 07-02-2008, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Technocratic_Utilitarian

Now that you bring up recycling, Dustin, that's another issue. Some products actually cost more money and energy to recycle and aren't really worth it. Only some types of products are actually worth the process. Recycling's good, if you do it with the right materials.

Care to provide some credible evidence to back up your assertions?