Eating Sewage
Avoid Sludge Used and Sold as Fertilizer
Eight million tons of sew- age sludge from waste- water treatment plants, euphemistically renamed biosolids, is annually marketed as fertilizer and applied to the American farms and gardens that grow our food, as well as the parks where we play. No food crop, aside from those labeled U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture certified organic, is regulated to guard against it being grown on land treated with this sludge.
Because of the nitrogen and phosphorous found in human solid waste residue, the sludge industry and certain government bodies overlook the toxic blend of all that goes down the drain. That’s why a few conscien- tious companies like Del Monte and Heinz have long had a policy not to purchase food grown in sludge.
Sewage sludge contains antimicrobial compounds, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals and pathogens that may be absorbed by food crops, water supplies and our bodies. Currently, the Environmental Protection Agency requires testing for only nine chemical elements and two bacteria for land application of sewage sludge and no testing for residue buildup in soil. Meanwhile, studies from universities including Yale, Cornell and Johns Hopkins express concerns about the health and safety of this prac- tice.
To protect health: Buy USDA-certified organic; ask at farm stands if they use sludge or biosolids; inquire about food and bagged fertilizer compa- nies’ policies; and tell elected officials that citizens don’t want sewage sludge in America’s food and water supplies. For more information visit United Sludge-Free Alliance at
USludgeFree.org.
Donate a Day
Crop Mobs Sustain Small Farms and Build Communities
Across the country, crop mobs comprising dozens of mostly 20-something volunteers periodically gather at local sustainable small farms to donate their time to make immediate improvements. These landless farmers, appren- tices, interns and the “agricurious” comprise a remarkably effective traveling work party, often assisted by experienced farmers and gardeners eager to share their know-how with the next generation. Assigned tasks might be mulching, building a greenhouse, prepping garden beds or bringing in a harvest.
“The more tedious the work we have, the better,” says Rob Jones, co-founder of the spreading movement, which originated in North Carolina’s Triangle in response to a regional surge in sustainable farming. “Because part of crop mob is about community and ca- maraderie, you find there’s nothing like picking rocks out of fields to bring people together.” It’s all about building the community
necessary to practice this kind of labor-intensive agriculture and to put the power to muster help into the hands of future local food producers. Any crop mobber can call a crop mob to do the kind of work it takes a community to do. Partici- pants work together, share meals, play, talk and make music. No money is exchanged; it’s the stuff that communities are made of.
For information and contacts in various states, visit
CropMob.org.
Body wraps • Ionic Footbath
Infrared and Oxygen Sauna Toning Tables
Herbs to your Success ~ The Wellness Spa ~
35 Belvidere St, Nazareth 610-365-8996
Being Healthy is a Lifestyle Choice. Choose to LiveWell.
COUNTRY HARMONY NATURAL FOODS, LLC
The Eyes Have It
Supplements dealing with the eyes are on sale this month.
Come in and pick up the newsletter concerning the eyes.
Relax with a cup of tea and watch an educational DVD on care of your eyes.
natural awakenings July 2010 23
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