Over the last few days, organic pundits, producers, farmers, and other organic-minded people have gathered in Boulder, Colorado, for the annual Organic Summit. Last night, at the well-attended Organic Farming Research Foundation’s fundraising dinner held at Pastures of Plenty organic farm, I chatted briefly with organic growers from Massachusetts, Vermont, and Colorado. Each of them, seasoned equally by hard work and passion, seemed more tied to the earth than to big ideas. But there certainly are some weighty issues—from nanotechnology to globalization—facing organics these days. more

I’ve been hearing about how fabulous raw cacao nibs (also known as cocoa nibs) are from our food editor (and culinary trend-spotter) Elisa Bosley for ages. But I never really got it until this morning. I was rushed as usual and threw some frozen fruit and smoothie essentials into the blender more

Here’s an unusual post: It’s about one of my favorite bands — the Ditty Bops. I’ve seen Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald perform their occasionally wacky combination-vaudeville-ragtime-washboard-jazz-folk-rock several times, once while they were bicycling across the country to promote clean air. And their environmental nonprofit, You And I Save The World, helped pass San Francisco’s plastic-bag ban. Impressive. Now I learn two more reasons why the Ditty Bops are the best band around: First, they have a new album out, and second, they are way involved with Farm Aid — that supercool concert organized by Willie, John, Neil, and Dave. To fully appreciate the Ditty Bops, click here.

Giving your children only 200 International Units (IUs) of vitamin D isn’t nearly enough, says a report in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends that children take 200 IUs of Vitamin D a day, a new study suggests that increasing that number to 2000 IUs could improve bone development and contribute to other long-term health benefits. more

Americans are as addicted to caffeine as ever, reports CNN today. Does this have anything to do with recent industry efforts to label coffee a “health food”? After all, it’s the number one source of antioxidants for most Americans—a sad statement, akin to the fact that potatoes are still by far the number one “vegetable” we consume! Or maybe because recent studies have given the thumbs up to caffeine’s brain benefits? more

The International Civil Aviation Organization has developed yet another tool for calculating your carbon footprint. The ICAO Carbon Emissions Calculator allows you to estimate how much carbon is spewed into the air thanks to your air travel. For instance, my family and I are traveling to Milwaukee, Wisconsin this weekend for a friend’s wedding. Four passengers flying from Denver to Milwaukee in economy will generate about 655.15 kg (or 407 miles). (I admit I feel guilty.) Nothing works as well as reducing travel or energy usage altogether, but at least I’ll be able to easily offset my travel using Live Neutral, TerraPass, or Carbon Fund.

I’m in the process of moving, and before I threw out my stores of unused (yet expired) medications, I figured that maybe pitching a bunch of powerful drugs into my neighborhood trash bin to get hauled off to my city’s municipal dump may not be the best way to go. So I went online and checked out the FDA’s recommended guidelines for proper, safe disposal of prescription drugs. Although most prescription drugs are safe to toss in household trash, there are some precautions you should take beforehand. more

As the locavore movement and talk of national food security heats up, urban agriculture is gaining more ground, literally. Today, Slow Food Nation announced the planting of its Victory Garden near San Francisco’s City Hall. more

Green is SO everywhere these days. (Makes me proud that, as our ed in chief points out in her June editor’s note, DL has championed green issues since its founding in 1985; we’re not just jumping on the trend. Though I’m not complaining that eco is finally on people’s screens!) Today’s NY Times has an interesting article on eco-homes as the new trophy homes: everyone wants to be seen as green in their new home. But a couple of things bugged me about this article: more

I’m doing a fair bit of traveling this summer (vacation and business, which for me is fun), so I’m on the prowl for things I can take along that provide nutrients and won’t get confiscated by airport security. (Like the little carton of yogurt that my mom tried to take onboard a couple weeks ago. Who knew that yogurt was considered a gel??) Lately, I got some cookies and brownies from The Protein Bakery, an East-Coast outfit that makes high-protein, high-fiber, wheat free, trans-fat-free, low-sodium goodies that are easy to tuck into my bag. I’m especially impressed by their new Oatmeal White Chocolate Blueberry Cranberry Cookie (also called the Red, White, and Blue Cookie): YUMMY, 4g protein per cookie, and studded with dried berries to boot. I’d eat these for dessert, let alone a nutrient-rich snack.

And I’d be remiss as DL’s food editor not to remind you of our Oat-Date Bars, a delicious take-along treat that’s easy to make.