Vol. 3-06

As part of the Cary Institute’s Ecosystem Literacy Initiative, Cary educators are helping classroom teachers and students in the Rhinebeck School District create a yearly Environmental Scorecard.  The idea is to show how much water, food, and energy the school district uses, and how much waste it creates.   

Since the beginning of the school year the aim has been to inspire students, from kindergartners to high school seniors, to think of their school as an ecosystem.  They are encouraged to find out where the resources they use come from and where they end up and then think about what would have the biggest impact if they wanted to make changes.

Each grade is participating in the eco initiative.  The elementary school has focused on how much trash they create and how much water and energy they use.  Ms. Berland’s third grade has been part of the Cafeteria Waste Project - analyzing the waste the cafeteria produces every day. 

In a move that many organic farmers view as a huge step backwards, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allowing genetically engineered sugar beets to be grown from biotech seeds. They could be planted as early as this spring. The decision to allow their growth had been previously barred by a federal judge.   

Also last week, the USDA announced that farmers would be allowed to resume growing genetically-engineered, Roundup-resistant alfalfa without any restrictions, a decision which may have major implications for organic feed growers and producers of organic eggs and milk.

“Organic farmers can lose sales if genetic engineering is detected in their crops, which occurs through cross-pollination from a nearby field or through intermingling of seeds,” wrote New York Times reporter Andrew Pollack in a January 28 piece.