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Highlights of Cinema Verde's 2023 Earth Day Celebration

Marielle Todd

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Friday, June 30, 2023

Cinema Verde’s 2023 Three-Day Earth Day Celebration began with a clean-up of Ashley Creek on April 21st where community members came together and got their hands dirty while making a visible difference. Thank you to Keep Alachua County Beautiful and Current Problems for providing all the supplies to make this day successful! Attendees also had the opportunity to learn about waste dangers and management. Then, everyone was welcome to relax and get to know one another over dinner at the afterparty, generously hosted by Son Vo at Swamp Boil restaurant. On April 22nd, Cinema Verde partnered with #UNLITTER UF to present a Sustainable Showcase which featured local vendors with unique designs and individual missions, all with the shared goal of bettering the environment. Some of the products included handmade crochet designs by Crochizzydesigns, jewelry made from preserved plant materials by Flores de Miel, and artwork of lesser-known animal species by Colorful Creature Shop which donates to conservation institutions, to name a few. It was a blast getting to know every vendor present. Afterward, attendees got to sit back and relax at Cypress & Grove where Cinema Verde held a casual screening of the 2023 Cinema Verde award-winning festival films. One highlight of the evening was Keil Trosiri from the notorious culture-jamming collective The Yes Men, who presented documentary shorts that were comedic, surprising, and unafraid to push the boundaries in order to promote environmental justice campaigns. He discussed mischief-activism techniques, how to hack media attention, and how to undermine oppressive systems through humor, shock, and play.On April 23rd, Cinema Verde sponsors, filmmakers, and valued guests arrived at Passions Field, a lovely wildflower farm that utilizes regenerative agriculture techniques to maintain the natural beauty of the landscape, thanks to Txong Moua who generously provided the venue and taught attendees all about her landscape. The evening was a true celebration of mother earth as guests dined among the flowers and under a large oak that provided the perfect amount of shade. Louis Marks, founder of The Carnivore Connection, a carnivorous plant expert and conservation enthusiast, gave guests a talk about indigenous carnivorous plants and what makes them so unique. Then, Txong took guests on a tour of the farm grounds and gave them a more in-depth look into the diverse plant life as well as an interesting discussion on invasive species and more. Floridian landscape painter Peter Carolin provided a few of his sought-after art pieces for guests to browse on sight, as well as generously pledged half his proceeds that day to Cinema Verde as a donation. Later, renowned chef Mark Newman of the iconic Leonardo’s 706 restaurants provided a colorful, sustainable dining experience. Guests could not get enough of the unique, delectable display which included fresh fruit, Mediterranean salad, tuna tartar, baked salmon with a dill sauce, rustic homemade pita bread, a garlic hummus to die for, spanakopita, the list goes on. Once everyone was seated and the dining experience was wrapping up, Dr. Ed Kellerman, the emcee of the evening, took to the mic to emphasize the importance of environmental awareness and Cinema Verde’s role in that mission. Then, he introduced the organization’s director Trish Riley to say a few words as well as honor some of the 14th annual Cinema Verde festival filmmakers with awards. Some of the filmmakers honored included Keil Troisi in collaboration with Molly Gore for their film Total Disaster and winner of the strategic targeting award, Megan Cahill, director of Nature Nut: Wet N’ Wild and winner of the education award, Alycin Hayes for her work with Jimmy Evans on the film Wild Florida’s Vanishing Call and winner of the local award. Marin Best, only fourteen, was also honored for her role in the film Home Waters in which she trekked through Rainbow Springs State Park with a small group of conservationists to film, a 50-mile trip, and no small venture. Marin talked about her experience and hopes to inspire other young women in conservation. The evening slowly came to a close as guests continued to socialize and enjoy the atmosphere as the sun set on the beautiful, natural landscape.

Ruth-Ann McCreary helps the team clean up Ashley Creek

On April 22nd, Cinema Verde partnered with #UNLITTER UF to present a Sustainable Showcase which featured local vendors with unique designs and individual missions, all with the shared goal of bettering the environment. Some of the products included handmade crochet designs by Crochizzydesigns, jewelry made from preserved plant materials by Flores de Miel, and artwork of lesser-known animal species by Colorful Creature Shop which donates to conservation institutions, to name a few. It was a blast getting to know every vendor present.

Vendor Maria Mavrodieva of Unique Effect Earrings shows off her selection of unique and sustainable jewelry at the sustainable showcase

Afterward, attendees got to sit back and relax at Cypress & Grove where Cinema Verde held a casual screening of the 2023 Cinema Verde award-winning festival films. One highlight of the evening was Keil Trosiri from the notorious culture-jamming collective The Yes Men, who presented documentary shorts that were comedic, surprising, and unafraid to push the boundaries in order to promote environmental justice campaigns. He discussed mischief-activism techniques, how to hack media attention, and how to undermine oppressive systems through humor, shock, and play.

On April 23rd, Cinema Verde sponsors, filmmakers, and valued guests arrived at Passions Field, a lovely wildflower farm that utilizes regenerative agriculture techniques to maintain the natural beauty of the landscape, thanks to Txong Moua who generously provided the venue and taught attendees all about her landscape. The evening was a true celebration of mother earth as guests dined among the flowers and under a large oak that provided the perfect amount of shade. Louis Marks, founder of The Carnivore Connection, a carnivorous plant expert and conservation enthusiast, gave guests a talk about indigenous carnivorous plants and what makes them so unique.

Peter Carolin’s artwork is on display and for sale at the event

Then, Txong took guests on a tour of the farm grounds and gave them a more in-depth look into the diverse plant life as well as an interesting discussion on invasive species and more. Floridian landscape painter Peter Carolin provided a few of his sought-after art pieces for guests to browse on sight, as well as generously pledged half his proceeds that day to Cinema Verde as a donation.

Later, renowned chef Mark Newman of the iconic Leonardo’s 706 restaurants provided a colorful, sustainable dining experience. Guests could not get enough of the unique, delectable display which included fresh fruit, Mediterranean salad, tuna tartar, baked salmon with a dill sauce, rustic homemade pita bread, a garlic hummus to die for, spanakopita, the list goes on.

Once everyone was seated and the dining experience was wrapping up, Dr. Ed Kellerman, the emcee of the evening, took to the mic to emphasize the importance of environmental awareness and Cinema Verde’s role in that mission. Then, he introduced the organization’s director Trish Riley to say a few words as well as honor some of the 14th annual Cinema Verde festival filmmakers with awards. Some of the filmmakers honored included Keil Troisi in collaboration with Molly Gore for their film Total Disaster and winner of the strategic targeting award, Megan Cahill, director of Nature Nut: Wet N’ Wild and winner of the education award, Alycin Hayes for her work with Jimmy Evans on the film Wild Florida’s Vanishing Call and winner of the local award. Marin Best, only fourteen, was also honored for her role in the film Home Waters in which she trekked through Rainbow Springs State Park with a small group of conservationists to film, a 50-mile trip, and no small venture. Marin talked about her experience and hopes to inspire other young women in conservation. The evening slowly came to a close as guests continued to socialize and enjoy the atmosphere as the sun set on the beautiful, natural landscape.

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Keil Troisi is honored for the film *Total Disaster* which won the strategic targeting award from the 2023 Cinema Verde festival

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Read the full story here.

Photos courtesy of

Jeanine Tatlock, Carol Tedesco, Marielle Todd

Marielle Todd is a sophomore at the University of Florida studying Business Administration and specializing in English. She is currently a business intern with Cinema Verde and is enthusiastic about promoting ethical and environmentally friendly business practices that make a difference. At Cinema Verde, she combines her business, marketing, and written communication skills to increase awareness and use art as a pathway for learning about safe and sustainable environmental practices for anyone and everyone interested. Outside of Cinema Verde, she is a creative person who appreciates all forms of the arts, spends time in nature, and loves to read.

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J-WAFS: Supporting food and water research across MIT

For the past decade, the Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab has strengthened MIT faculty efforts in water and food research and innovation.

MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) has transformed the landscape of water and food research at MIT, driving faculty engagement and catalyzing new research and innovation in these critical areas. With philanthropic, corporate, and government support, J-WAFS’ strategic approach spans the entire research life cycle, from support for early-stage research to commercialization grants for more advanced projects.Over the past decade, J-WAFS has invested approximately $25 million in direct research funding to support MIT faculty pursuing transformative research with the potential for significant impact. “Since awarding our first cohort of seed grants in 2015, it’s remarkable to look back and see that over 10 percent of the MIT faculty have benefited from J-WAFS funding,” observes J-WAFS Executive Director Renee J. Robins ’83. “Many of these professors hadn’t worked on water or food challenges before their first J-WAFS grant.” By fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and supporting high-risk, high-reward projects, J-WAFS has amplified the capacity of MIT faculty to pursue groundbreaking research that addresses some of the world’s most pressing challenges facing our water and food systems.Drawing MIT faculty to water and food researchJ-WAFS open calls for proposals enable faculty to explore bold ideas and develop impactful approaches to tackling critical water and food system challenges. Professor Patrick Doyle’s work in water purification exemplifies this impact. “Without J-WAFS, I would have never ventured into the field of water purification,” Doyle reflects. While previously focused on pharmaceutical manufacturing and drug delivery, exposure to J-WAFS-funded peers led him to apply his expertise in soft materials to water purification. “Both the funding and the J-WAFS community led me to be deeply engaged in understanding some of the key challenges in water purification and water security,” he explains.Similarly, Professor Otto Cordero of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) leveraged J-WAFS funding to pivot his research into aquaculture. Cordero explains that his first J-WAFS seed grant “has been extremely influential for my lab because it allowed me to take a step in a new direction, with no preliminary data in hand.” Cordero’s expertise is in microbial communities. He was previous unfamiliar with aquaculture, but he saw the relevance of microbial communities the health of farmed aquatic organisms.Supporting early-career facultyNew assistant professors at MIT have particularly benefited from J-WAFS funding and support. J-WAFS has played a transformative role in shaping the careers and research trajectories of many new faculty members by encouraging them to explore novel research areas, and in many instances providing their first MIT research grant.Professor Ariel Furst reflects on how pivotal J-WAFS’ investment has been in advancing her research. “This was one of the first grants I received after starting at MIT, and it has truly shaped the development of my group’s research program,” Furst explains. With J-WAFS’ backing, her lab has achieved breakthroughs in chemical detection and remediation technologies for water. “The support of J-WAFS has enabled us to develop the platform funded through this work beyond the initial applications to the general detection of environmental contaminants and degradation of those contaminants,” she elaborates. Karthish Manthiram, now a professor of chemical engineering and chemistry at Caltech, explains how J-WAFS’ early investment enabled him and other young faculty to pursue ambitious ideas. “J-WAFS took a big risk on us,” Manthiram reflects. His research on breaking the nitrogen triple bond to make ammonia for fertilizer was initially met with skepticism. However, J-WAFS’ seed funding allowed his lab to lay the groundwork for breakthroughs that later attracted significant National Science Foundation (NSF) support. “That early funding from J-WAFS has been pivotal to our long-term success,” he notes. These stories underscore the broad impact of J-WAFS’ support for early-career faculty, and its commitment to empowering them to address critical global challenges and innovate boldly.Fueling follow-on funding J-WAFS seed grants enable faculty to explore nascent research areas, but external funding for continued work is usually necessary to achieve the full potential of these novel ideas. “It’s often hard to get funding for early stage or out-of-the-box ideas,” notes J-WAFS Director Professor John H. Lienhard V. “My hope, when I founded J-WAFS in 2014, was that seed grants would allow PIs [principal investigators] to prove out novel ideas so that they would be attractive for follow-on funding. And after 10 years, J-WAFS-funded research projects have brought more than $21 million in subsequent awards to MIT.”Professor Retsef Levi led a seed study on how agricultural supply chains affect food safety, with a team of faculty spanning the MIT schools Engineering and Science as well as the MIT Sloan School of Management. The team parlayed their seed grant research into a multi-million-dollar follow-on initiative. Levi reflects, “The J-WAFS seed funding allowed us to establish the initial credibility of our team, which was key to our success in obtaining large funding from several other agencies.”Dave Des Marais was an assistant professor in the Department of CEE when he received his first J-WAFS seed grant. The funding supported his research on how plant growth and physiology are controlled by genes and interact with the environment. The seed grant helped launch his lab’s work addressing enhancing climate change resilience in agricultural systems. The work led to his Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the NSF, a prestigious honor for junior faculty members. Now an associate professor, Des Marais’ ongoing project to further investigate the mechanisms and consequences of genomic and environmental interactions is supported by the five-year, $1,490,000 NSF grant. “J-WAFS providing essential funding to get my new research underway,” comments Des Marais.Stimulating interdisciplinary collaborationDes Marais’ seed grant was also key to developing new collaborations. He explains, “the J-WAFS grant supported me to develop a collaboration with Professor Caroline Uhler in EECS/IDSS [the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science/Institute for Data, Systems, and Society] that really shaped how I think about framing and testing hypotheses. One of the best things about J-WAFS is facilitating unexpected connections among MIT faculty with diverse yet complementary skill sets.”Professors A. John Hart of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Benedetto Marelli of CEE also launched a new interdisciplinary collaboration with J-WAFS funding. They partnered to join expertise in biomaterials, microfabrication, and manufacturing, to create printed silk-based colorimetric sensors that detect food spoilage. “The J-WAFS Seed Grant provided a unique opportunity for multidisciplinary collaboration,” Hart notes.Professors Stephen Graves in the MIT Sloan School of Management and Bishwapriya Sanyal in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) partnered to pursue new research on agricultural supply chains. With field work in Senegal, their J-WAFS-supported project brought together international development specialists and operations management experts to study how small firms and government agencies influence access to and uptake of irrigation technology by poorer farmers. “We used J-WAFS to spur a collaboration that would have been improbable without this grant,” they explain. Being part of the J-WAFS community also introduced them to researchers in Professor Amos Winter’s lab in the Department of Mechanical Engineering working on irrigation technologies for low-resource settings. DUSP doctoral candidate Mark Brennan notes, “We got to share our understanding of how irrigation markets and irrigation supply chains work in developing economies, and then we got to contrast that with their understanding of how irrigation system models work.”Timothy Swager, professor of chemistry, and Rohit Karnik, professor of mechanical engineering and J-WAFS associate director, collaborated on a sponsored research project supported by Xylem, Inc. through the J-WAFS Research Affiliate program. The cross-disciplinary research, which targeted the development of ultra-sensitive sensors for toxic PFAS chemicals, was conceived following a series of workshops hosted by J-WAFS. Swager and Karnik were two of the participants, and their involvement led to the collaborative proposal that Xylem funded. “J-WAFS funding allowed us to combine Swager lab’s expertise in sensing with my lab’s expertise in microfluidics to develop a cartridge for field-portable detection of PFAS,” says Karnik. “J-WAFS has enriched my research program in so many ways,” adds Swager, who is now working to commercialize the technology.Driving global collaboration and impactJ-WAFS has also helped MIT faculty establish and advance international collaboration and impactful global research. By funding and supporting projects that connect MIT researchers with international partners, J-WAFS has not only advanced technological solutions, but also strengthened cross-cultural understanding and engagement.Professor Matthew Shoulders leads the inaugural J-WAFS Grand Challenge project. In response to the first J-WAFS call for “Grand Challenge” proposals, Shoulders assembled an interdisciplinary team based at MIT to enhance and provide climate resilience to agriculture by improving the most inefficient aspect of photosynthesis, the notoriously-inefficient carbon dioxide-fixing plant enzyme RuBisCO. J-WAFS funded this high-risk/high-reward project following a competitive process that engaged external reviewers through a several rounds of iterative proposal development. The technical feedback to the team led them to researchers with complementary expertise from the Australian National University. “Our collaborative team of biochemists and synthetic biologists, computational biologists, and chemists is deeply integrated with plant biologists and field trial experts, yielding a robust feedback loop for enzyme engineering,” Shoulders says. “Together, this team will be able to make a concerted effort using the most modern, state-of-the-art techniques to engineer crop RuBisCO with an eye to helping make meaningful gains in securing a stable crop supply, hopefully with accompanying improvements in both food and water security.”Professor Leon Glicksman and Research Engineer Eric Verploegen’s team designed a low-cost cooling chamber to preserve fruits and vegetables harvested by smallholder farmers with no access to cold chain storage. J-WAFS’ guidance motivated the team to prioritize practical considerations informed by local collaborators, ensuring market competitiveness. “As our new idea for a forced-air evaporative cooling chamber was taking shape, we continually checked that our solution was evolving in a direction that would be competitive in terms of cost, performance, and usability to existing commercial alternatives,” explains Verploegen. Following the team’s initial seed grant, the team secured a J-WAFS Solutions commercialization grant, which Verploegen say “further motivated us to establish partnerships with local organizations capable of commercializing the technology earlier in the project than we might have done otherwise.” The team has since shared an open-source design as part of its commercialization strategy to maximize accessibility and impact.Bringing corporate sponsored research opportunities to MIT facultyJ-WAFS also plays a role in driving private partnerships, enabling collaborations that bridge industry and academia. Through its Research Affiliate Program, for example, J-WAFS provides opportunities for faculty to collaborate with industry on sponsored research, helping to convert scientific discoveries into licensable intellectual property (IP) that companies can turn into commercial products and services.J-WAFS introduced professor of mechanical engineering Alex Slocum to a challenge presented by its research affiliate company, Xylem: how to design a more energy-efficient pump for fluctuating flows. With centrifugal pumps consuming an estimated 6 percent of U.S. electricity annually, Slocum and his then-graduate student Hilary Johnson SM '18, PhD '22 developed an innovative variable volute mechanism that reduces energy usage. “Xylem envisions this as the first in a new category of adaptive pump geometry,” comments Johnson. The research produced a pump prototype and related IP that Xylem is working on commercializing. Johnson notes that these outcomes “would not have been possible without J-WAFS support and facilitation of the Xylem industry partnership.” Slocum adds, “J-WAFS enabled Hilary to begin her work on pumps, and Xylem sponsored the research to bring her to this point … where she has an opportunity to do far more than the original project called for.”Swager speaks highly of the impact of corporate research sponsorship through J-WAFS on his research and technology translation efforts. His PFAS project with Karnik described above was also supported by Xylem. “Xylem was an excellent sponsor of our research. Their engagement and feedback were instrumental in advancing our PFAS detection technology, now on the path to commercialization,” Swager says.Looking forwardWhat J-WAFS has accomplished is more than a collection of research projects; a decade of impact demonstrates how J-WAFS’ approach has been transformative for many MIT faculty members. As Professor Mathias Kolle puts it, his engagement with J-WAFS “had a significant influence on how we think about our research and its broader impacts.” He adds that it “opened my eyes to the challenges in the field of water and food systems and the many different creative ideas that are explored by MIT.” This thriving ecosystem of innovation, collaboration, and academic growth around water and food research has not only helped faculty build interdisciplinary and international partnerships, but has also led to the commercialization of transformative technologies with real-world applications. C. Cem Taşan, the POSCO Associate Professor of Metallurgy who is leading a J-WAFS Solutions commercialization team that is about to launch a startup company, sums it up by noting, “Without J-WAFS, we wouldn’t be here at all.” As J-WAFS looks to the future, its continued commitment — supported by the generosity of its donors and partners — builds on a decade of success enabling MIT faculty to advance water and food research that addresses some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

Food

Water

Chemicals

How to clean before, during and after norovirus

The highly contagious stomach bug calls for “enhanced precautions” — the highest level of cleaning.

Norovirus, a gastrointestinal illness so severe it has earned the evocative sobriquets “winter vomiting disease” and “two-bucket disease,” inspired by the vomiting and diarrhea (often simultaneous!) associated with the bug, is on the rise. In addition to sheer grossness, norovirus is notable for its resistance to many cleaning agents, including alcohol-based hand sanitizers.Subscribe for unlimited access to The PostYou can cancel anytime.Subscribe“It belongs to a group of small, non-enveloped viruses that can be resistant to some cleaning products,” says Callum Couser, a research and development operations manager at Reckitt, the maker of Lysol.Norovirus calls for what are known as “enhanced precautions” when it comes to cleaning and disinfecting. “This is a germ that is highly contagious, difficult to kill, and can survive for weeks on surfaces. You need to clean and disinfect surfaces to prevent reinfection, and you should wear gloves while cleaning,” says Jessica Ek, the senior director of digital communications at the American Cleaning Institute (ACI). Here’s what you need to know to keep you and your family safe from norovirus.The first thing to clean: Your handsWashing your hands is one of the absolute best ways to protect yourself against illness, and this is especially true of norovirus. Here’s how to do it the right way:Wet your hands with clean, running water of any temperature; you do not need to use painfully hot water for hand washing to be effective.Apply soap and lather your hands, including the backs, the space between your fingers, and under your fingernails, for at least 20 seconds. Humming “Happy Birthday to You” twice serves as an easy way to time out the 20 seconds.Rinse the soap off using clean, running water. Dry your hands well, either with a clean towel or an air dryer.It is important to note that hand sanitizer cannot take the place of hand-washing when it comes to this virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hand sanitizer “does not work well against norovirus.” If using hand sanitizer provides psychological comfort to you, you may use it in addition to hand washing, but the CDC says it is not a substitute.Cleaning and disinfecting are often conflated, but they are actually different things — and the distinction is particularly important when norovirus comes calling. Cleaning refers to the removal of unwanted contaminants like dirt or grease, whereas “disinfecting is irreversibly inactivating pathogens (microorganisms that may cause infections and disease) including bacteria, viruses and fungi,” Ek says. To put it another way, cleaning removes messes from surfaces, and disinfecting eliminates microorganisms, including viruses (like norovirus) and bacteria (like E. coli or salmonella), using products that are specifically labeled disinfectants.Not all disinfectants work on every type of microorganism, so it is crucial that you consult the manufacturer’s guidelines on the packaging to ensure a disinfectant is effective against norovirus. Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency has an online tool, List G: EPA’s Registered Antimicrobial Products Effective Against Norovirus, that allows you to search for disinfecting products that the agency has vetted for use on norovirus; List G includes brand and product names, as well as the recommended contact time and the surface types on which the disinfectant can be used.As an alternative to commercial disinfectants, “steam cleaning can also help reduce the germs on soft surfaces,” Ek says. To disinfect mattresses, upholstered furniture, or carpet that have been exposed to norovirus, steam-clean them to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes or 212 degrees for one minute.Disinfect the right wayAfter identifying a disinfectant that is formulated for norovirus, it is also critical that you use the product correctly. The biggest mistake people make when it comes to disinfecting, Ek says, is not following directions on the products. “The label will have all the information you need to use the product effectively and safely,” she says. “When people skip reading the directions, they usually miss two key points.”The first, she says, is to clean the surface first: “Unless you are using a cleaning disinfectant, you need to clean and then disinfect so that the disinfectant can reach the germs in order to kill them.”The second is to allow enough contact or dwell time. “When disinfecting a surface, it needs to stay wet for the entire contact time noted on the label, which could be several minutes,” Ek says. If you wipe it off too early or don’t use enough product, you may think the surface is disinfected when it isn’t because the product didn’t have time to work.”Up your ‘level of laundry’If you or someone else in your household has been sick with norovirus, you will need to change the way you do laundry, incorporating “enhanced precautions” into your regular routine. These steps are outlined in the ACI’s guide to laundry levels. (Norovirus is considered the highest level; by comparison, the coronavirus is medium, calling for “extra steps” when doing laundry.)The additional precautions and steps to take when washing clothing, bedding, towels, etc. used by someone with norovirus include:Wear gloves when handling dirty laundry used by someone with norovirus and wash your hands thoroughly after removing and disposing of the gloves.Wash items as soon as possible; if you are unable to wash items immediately, bag them up in a plastic bag (rather than putting them in the hamper) until you are able to do laundry.Wash infected clothes, sheets, towels, etc. separately from other items.Avoid shaking laundry when handling it, which can spread germs.Use the hottest water and heat drying settings and cycle length that the items can tolerate. If your washer offers a sanitize setting, use it.Use a laundry sanitizer, like Lysol Laundry Sanitizer or Clorox Laundry Sanitizer, in addition to regular laundry detergent. Using a deep cleaning detergent, such as Tide Hygienic Clean, is also recommended for use against norovirus.Disinfect hampers that have had contact with a sick person’s laundry.How to clean up vomit and feces (we’re sorry)“When someone has been sick with vomiting or diarrhea, clean and disinfect the area as soon as possible,” Ek says. It is a disgusting job, but here’s how to do it the right way to keep yourself safe and to mitigate the ick factor.Don gloves. It is necessary to wear gloves while cleaning during and after a bout of norovirus, and to wash your hands after removing and disposing of the gloves. “Even if you are wearing gloves, wash your hands for a full 20 seconds with soap and water after cleaning,” Ek says.Pick up solids with paper towels, dispose of them immediately in a plastic trash bag.Cover the area with paper towels, press down to absorb as much liquid as possible, then dispose of them immediately.Once the surface has been cleaned, apply a disinfectant or use steam to kill norovirus on hard or soft non-washable surfaces; launderable items should go straight into the washer, and washed separately from non-contaminated items.Note: If the mess is semisolid, use something like a sturdy piece of cardboard or paper plate to scoop up and dispose of the matter, then use paper towels to absorb any remaining liquid mess.What to clean after norovirusOnce norovirus has passed, another round of cleaning and disinfecting is required to prevent reinfection.Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces.Clean and disinfect the bathroom, particularly the toilet and sink.Clean and disinfect the kitchen; wash dishes and/or utensils using the sanitize setting of your dishwasher if it has one; throw out any food that may have norovirus.Wash launderable items and disinfect non-washable soft surfaces with a fabric-safe disinfectant or by steam-cleaning.Clean and disinfect children’s toys.Take out the trash.“High-touch surfaces” refers to things and places we touch frequently. They include:Doorknobs, railings and handles, including appliance handles.Light switches.Faucets and toilet flushers.Hand and dish towels.Handbags, backpacks and tote bags.Car door handles and steering wheels.Eyeglasses.Remote controls.Cellphones, telephone handsets, tablets and keyboards.

Food

Water

Food for public sector to be monitored to see how much is grown in UK

Environment secretary says Labour is aiming for half of food procured for the public sector to come from British farmsFood supplied to the public sector will be monitored for the first time to see how much was grown by British farmers, the environment secretary is to announce.Steve Reed will speak at the Oxford Farming Conference on Thursday in an attempt to reset his relationship with the farming sector after a tumultuous start in his role. Farmers have been angry about issues including changes to the inheritance tax regime, cuts to EU-derived subsidies and delays to flood payments for submerged farms. Continue reading...

Food supplied to the public sector will be monitored for the first time to see how much was grown by British farmers, the environment secretary is to announce.Steve Reed will speak at the Oxford Farming Conference on Thursday in an attempt to reset his relationship with the farming sector after a tumultuous start in his role. Farmers have been angry about issues including changes to the inheritance tax regime, cuts to EU-derived subsidies and delays to flood payments for submerged farms.The sector has been asking for meaningful reforms to the supply chain, as farmers are currently paid just a penny for every loaf of bread or block of cheese sold, as well as support for their businesses as climate breakdown causes problems such as drought and floods.Reed will announce that Labour is aiming for half of food procured for the public sector to be from British farms, which would be worth £2.5bn a year to farmers. He will also announce plans to make it easier for farmers to put solar panels on their rooftops and wind turbines at the bottom of fields, as well as to deregulate the planning system so farmers can more easily build barns and other infrastructure.Guy Singh-Watson, an organic farmer and founder of the vegetable box company Riverford, said these policies “benefit property developers more than farmers”.“I don’t think these policies benefit many farmers. I think the planning policies benefit property developers more than farmers, and planning is there for a reason, often to protect our countryside. I don’t think these policies solve the problem for most farmers.”He added that the main problem, a lack of profitability for farmers, has not been addressed: “The main issue farmers are facing is they don’t get paid properly for what they produce. These policies do not address that issue. Vegetable producers get no protection from predatory pricing.“I’m not saying it’s easy to regulate market forces – we are in a world where we are all used to the market being king, but the reality is the market power is very imbalanced and it does need regulating. Farmers have a lot of pretty amazing tax breaks, but despite this, they still cannot continue – they are earning less than 1% return and £30,000 a year if they are lucky.”skip past newsletter promotionThe planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essentialPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionPrevious governments have said farming is key to nature recovery, with former Tory environment secretary Michael Gove having made radical changes to the EU-derived farming subsidy schemes so they paid farmers for “public goods” such as restoring nature instead of simply owning land and producing food.However, Reed will say the focus on food production has been lost. He will tell farmers: “The primary purpose of farming has – and always will be – to produce the food that feeds the nation. Too many policymakers in Whitehall lose sight of that fact. This government is putting food production firmly back on the agenda.”Martin Lines, the chief eecutive of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, said: “While the government’s emphasis on ensuring farms are viable and profitable is welcome, it is concerning that it appears to be primarily looking at this issue through a narrow lens focused on food production.“It will simply not be possible to continue producing food in the future without mitigating the impact of climate change and taking steps to address the loss of nature and biodiversity. If we don’t put the environment and nature at the heart of farming, food security will be in peril.“The government also needs to prevent the importing of substandard products made to lower environmental and public health standards than those produced by British farmers. If it truly wants to put British agriculture on the right footing for the future, government must use all the levers at its disposal.”Farmers have been undercut by supermarkets and others in the supply chain for decades now, often locked into contracts that mean farmers are paid below the cost of production.Farming groups have been calling on the government to make the supply chain fairer so growers are paid fairly. Reed will commit to “boosting profitability through fair competition across the supply chain” and point to new rules coming in for the pig sector aimed at ensuring that contracts clearly set out expectations and that changes can only be made if agreed to by all parties. Similar regulations for eggs and fresh produce will follow, Reed will say.

Food

Agriculture

Climate

How China’s appetite for salmon could reshape global seafood markets

"E-commerce has reshaped seafood retail in China, offering quick delivery and products that cater to [consumers]"

China's demand for farmed salmon is growing at an unprecedented pace. In 2023, its imports grew by 46% year on year – with imports of fresh and chilled Atlantic salmon up 63%. This remarkable growth is reshaping the global seafood trade. Exporters from Scotland, Norway, Chile, Australia, Faroe Islands, Canada and Iceland are racing to supply the needs of this vast and rapidly evolving market. At the same time, China's efforts to produce its own Atlantic salmon have faced significant challenges, highlighting the need for substitutes like rainbow trout to meet the country's growing appetite for seafood delicacies. An important shift occurred in 2018, when the Chinese government permitted rainbow trout to be labelled and sold as salmon. This decision blurred the distinction between imported Atlantic salmon and locally farmed rainbow trout, creating a more accessible option for cost-sensitive consumers. Trout is comparable to salmon in appearance and size, with firm and oily meat that has a similar orange-pink color. Nutritionally too, the species are alike, as are the ways in which they can be cooked and prepared. In our new research which included taste tests, we found that many Chinese consumers could not distinguish between domestic rainbow trout and imported Atlantic salmon in blind testing. But when informed about the origin, testers' preferences shifted strongly in favor of imported Atlantic salmon, highlighting the power of provenance in consumer tastes. Although people's willingness to pay did not vary initially in our blind tests, it became a decisive factor once the origin of the fish was revealed. But we found that origin alone was not enough. For our testers to be prepared to pay higher prices, they also had to like the look, smell and taste of the product more, or be persuaded by its ecolabel (indicating environmental standards). Environmental costs Transporting Atlantic salmon from Scottish lochs, Norwegian fjords or Chilean waters to Chinese markets involves complex logistics and significant environmental costs. The carbon footprint of this trade, combined with the resource-intensive nature of salmon aquaculture, raises critical concerns about sustainability. These challenges are particularly pronounced in China, where consumers have a strong preference for freshness. This drives demand for quick delivery of imported salmon despite its environmental impact, and consumers are increasingly turning to online platforms to buy their seafood. E-commerce has reshaped seafood retail in China, offering quick delivery and products that cater to consumer demand for quality and freshness. Salmon stands out in this market due to its perceived high value, premium quality and price point. Unlike other expensive seafood that often needs to be sold live to maintain its value, salmon retains its appeal when chilled or frozen. This makes salmon particularly suited to modern retail models, where sophisticated cold-chain logistics ensure its freshness without the complexities of live transport. However, these innovations come at a cost. The energy-intensive storage and rapid transportation required for imported salmon contribute significantly to environmental harm. As China's seafood market continues to grow, addressing the sustainability challenges associated with this trade will be critical to balancing consumer demand with environmental responsibility. Current international certification schemes aiming to improve the sector's sustainability have had limited impact in China so far. China has made significant efforts to establish a domestic Atlantic salmon industry, but these attempts have largely been unsuccessful due to technical challenges and environmental constraints. This has left a gap that domestically farmed rainbow trout is poised to fill. In 2022, China produced 37,000 tonnes of rainbow trout. This is a relatively small amount compared with international production levels, but still notable considering that rainbow trout is a new farmed species in China, unlike traditional species like carp. However, rainbow trout farming in China is geographically constrained, as the species thrives in cooler freshwater temperatures found in higher-lying lakes and reservoirs, as well as in "raceways" (channels supplied continuously with fresh water diverted from rivers). Advances in aquaculture systems offer a potential pathway to expand China's production. Trout farming is a more sustainable, locally sourced alternative to Atlantic salmon that reduces the carbon footprint associated with imports and ensures fresher options for Chinese consumers. Developing a robust domestic trout industry could enhance food security, reduce dependence on imports, and create economic opportunities in rural areas. China's evolving seafood market offers valuable lessons for the global industry. Emphasizing quality, freshness and sustainability will resonate with the increasingly sophisticated Chinese consumer. At the same time, investment in eco-friendly aquaculture practices, both domestically and internationally, will be essential to balance the growing demand for premium seafood with environmental responsibility. These could include reducing feed waste and recirculating aquaculture systems (which filter and reuse water) to minimize water use. Recycling waste nutrients by using them elsewhere in food production could also be key. As rainbow trout gains prominence in China's seafood landscape, the relationship between consumer preferences, environmental concerns and economic opportunities could in turn shape the future of the global salmon trade. If domestic fish captures a larger share of the Chinese market, salmon producers in Europe, Canada and other exporting regions may face significant challenges. This could ultimately force them to rethink their strategies in order to adapt to shifting market dynamics. Although the goal of creating a domestic Atlantic salmon industry has proved difficult for China, trout farming presents a practical and sustainable solution for its luxury seafood sector. Dave Little, Professor of Aquatic Resources Development, University of Stirling and Mausam Budhathoki, Postdoc Researcher, University of Copenhagen, University of Stirling This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Health Advocates Are Unhappy with FDA Guidance on Lead Levels in Baby Food

By Denise Maher HealthDay ReporterTUESDAY, Jan. 7, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA) released the first-ever...

By Denise Maher HealthDay ReporterTUESDAY, Jan. 7, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA) released the first-ever guidelines for levels of lead in processed baby foods this week. However, many health and safety advocates say they are not satisfied with the guidance.Under the FDA's new guidelines, baby food manufacturers should have no more than 10 parts per billion of lead in baby yogurts, custards, puddings, single-ingredient meats, processed fruits and vegetables, and mixtures of fruits, vegetables, grains and meat.Yet the new guidance does not cover many other products, such as infant formula, beverages, or snack foods like puffs and teething biscuits.“Nearly all baby foods on the market already comply with these limits," Jane Houlihan, research director of Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF), told CNN. HBBF is a coalition of advocates committed to reducing babies’ exposures to neurotoxic chemicals.Houlihan said the newly released FDA guidelines were ineffective -- not to mention unenforceable. In 2019, HBBF released a report that found toxic metals in 95% of baby foods randomly pulled off supermarket shelves. It lead to a congressional investigation that discovered some baby food ingredients contain hundreds of parts per billion of dangerous metals, according to internal documents provided by major baby food manufacturers.“As it stands, the new lead limits for commercial baby foods would reduce children’s total dietary lead exposure by less than 4% -- a negligible improvement.” Houlihan told CNN in an email.“Lead in infant formula, homemade baby food ingredients and foods bought outside the baby food aisle account for about three-fourths of children’s food exposures to lead,” she added, stressing the need for context.In fact, there is no level of lead that’s safe for humans of any age, per the Environmental Protection Agency. Lead accumulates in the body over time and is a “toxic metal” that can be harmful even at low exposure levels.“The FDA is not living up to its responsibility to protect children’s health,” Houlihan said. “As a result, infants and young children will continue to bear the burden of the FDA’s lack of resolve, consuming harmful lead with every meal.”Scott Faber, senior vice president of government affairs for the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, addressed the release of the guidance and struck a similar note. "The FDA owes parents answers and must enforce these limits immediately to finally protect our most vulnerable population,” he said.“For years, the FDA’s own data has shown dangerous levels of lead in baby food, yet the agency has dragged its feet while children’s developing brains were exposed to this neurotoxin,” Faber said in an email to CNN.“The harm is permanent, and the delay has put countless kids at unnecessary risk,” he concluded. Where Does Lead Come From, and What Makes It Dangerous?Lead and other heavy metals occur naturally in Earth’s crust, as part of the volcanic process that created much of the continents. However, manufacturing plants, mining facilities and smelting processes also add heavy metals to the environment as frequent by-products.While the the root products are no longer legal, lead-based paint and automobile exhaust fumes from leaded gasoline, have polluted soil and water in the US, according to the EPA.Children are especially vulnerable because of their small size and developing brains. A dose of lead that would have little effect on an adult can have a significant effect on a child. In children, low levels of exposure have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, and impaired formation and function of blood cells, according to information on the EPA's website.Lead poisoning often has no obvious symptoms in children; that is part of the reason CDC recommends blood screening in very young people.Still, the toxic effects of lead on a child are not reversible.“Exposure to very high levels of lead can severely damage the brain and central nervous system, causing coma, convulsions and even death. Children who survive severe lead poisoning may be left with permanent intellectual disability and behavioral disorders,” the WHO said on its website.According to the FDA, parents should not throw away existing baby foods they have purchased, but they should feed young children a variety of foods.“Eating a variety of healthy foods can make it less likely for an individual to be exposed to the same contaminant from the same food many times and helps to provide the range of nutrients needed for health and, for children, healthy development,” the agency said in a statement.To get adequate food variety, the FDA recommends that parents and caregivers "feed their children many different foods from the five food groups -- vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, and protein foods -- and alternate how often they provide the same food,” according to the agency's release.SOURCE: U.S. Food & Drug Administration guidance document and press release, January 2025; CDC; WHO; CNN.Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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