Yesterday, May 6, 2010, was a monumental news day for the organic industry. The President’s Cancer Panel Report was released. It exhorts consumers to choose food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, antibiotics, and growth hormones to help decrease their exposure to environmental chemicals that can increase their risk of contracting cancer!

“Exposure to pesticides can be decreased by choosing, to the extent possible, food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers…Similarly, exposure to antibiotics, growth hormones, and toxic run-off from livestock feed lots can be minimized by eating free-range meat raised without these medications,” according to the report, “Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now,” submitted to President Obama by Dr. LaSalle Leffall, Jr., an oncologist and professor of surgery at Howard University, and Dr. Margaret L. Kripke, an immunologist at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

In a letter to President Obama, the panel stated “The American people—even before they are born—are bombarded continually with myriad combinations of these dangerous exposures. The Panel urges you most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our Nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.”

This landmark report by the prestigious scientific panel essentially recognizes, at the highest level, that organic foods are healthier and reduce your risk of cancer.

Just as important, organic clothing and bedding are better for our environment, which, of course, means for us as well, in that crops grown organically and used for fabrics dramatically reduce the toxins going into the air, water, and soil. I remember research conducted at a university I was attending in the 1970s that showed that air pollution could literally travel half way around the world.

The full report “Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now” is available online.

The Organic Trade Association has issued a press release that may be of interest to you as well.

Ed Mass
President and Founder of Yes It’s Organic

A friend asked what’s the difference between bamboo furniture vs wood furniture? I told him the following.

If a tree is cut down to make you a table, you can have a beautiful desk, table, or bookcases.

However, the tree is dead. Someone must plant another tree to replenish the one taken for your table.

The new tree will be ready to make another table in about 10 to 100 years depending on the species.

If bamboo is cut down to make you a table, you can have a beautiful desk, table, or bookcases.

However, the Bamboo is still alive. It’s technically a “grass” like the grass in your back yard. It’s going to grow back without the need to be replanted. It naturally replenishes itself.

The Bamboo that regrows automatically will be ready to make another table in 3 to 4 years.

Bamboo is very strong and durable. The technology to make it into outstandingly beautiful furniture and flooring is well advanced. A lot of bamboo grows in China, Brazil and many other countries. The Chinese have a lot of experience, for a long time, with numerous uses of bamboo.

For example, in China, instead of metal for scaffolding to build multi-story buildings, they use bamboo for scaffolding up to 10 stories. It’s that strong. Bamboo is also used for hardball baseball bats. It’s that strong.

After I explained the above to a friend who wasn’t familiar with the many uses of bamboo today, said “Oh, you just explained it so idiots like me can finally ‘get it.’ Now I realize that the bamboo of today is not the ugly cheap looking stuff I remember from the 1970s. The use of bamboo is totally different than what I thought. Now when I look at the images of your bamboo furniture, I see it’s beauty and can understand why it would be so strong, durable, and well made.”

The above is a true discussion between us.

Ed Mass
President and Founder of Yes It’s Organic

Organic textiles for clothing and bedding go hand in hand with organic agriculture, including both plants and animals, for keeping toxins out of our air, water and soil. Organic agriculture is important for a healthy food system with greater nutritional content. Therefore, from time to time, this blog discusses organic food issues as well as organic textile issues.

For the first time ever, organic gardens have been planted at the White House and at the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture).

White House Garden
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVpEr3kfWjc]
First Lady Michelle Obama and White House chef Sam Kass tell the story of the first garden on White House grounds since Eleanor Roosevelt’s Victory Garden during World War II. Although it’s not certified organic, it is being grown in the same way as an organic garden (see below).

White House Kitchen Garden Fact Sheet

LOCATION
The White House Kitchen Garden measures approximately 1100 square feet and is located on the west side of the South Lawn. It is visible from E Street, with a perfect southern exposure which provides a great deal of sun light.

SOIL
The soil was tested and was found to be in good shape, including trace elements. Amendments have been made to enrich the soil and rock dusts of lime, green sand, crab meal sourced from the Chesapeake Bay and White House compost have been added to improve the macro and micro nutrient balance. Only organic fertilizers and insect repellants will be used and lady bugs and praying mantises will be introduced to naturally control other insect populations. A honey bee hive has been set up nearby for pollination purposes.

PLANTS
The four-season herb, fruit and vegetable garden will feature 25 varieties of heirloom seeds planted in slightly raised beds using succession planting methods.

Read the full White House Kitchen Garden Fact Sheet

White House Kitchen Garden Diagram 4/9/2009

A popular species of bamboo that is used for everything from clothing to flooring to furniture is Moso bamboo. Moso bamboo is the most valuable and sustainable species of bamboo in the world.

Amazingly, it regenerates over 100 feet in height in less than 6 months. In this time it grows to its full diameter. Yet it takes another 3 to 4 years for its stalk to mature into a hardness that can be utilized for production. Moso bamboo is one of the strongest building materials known, having been used for construction for over 5,000 years.

For greater detail, see our full length article on bamboo for clothing, sheets, and towels

Be sure to check out the variety we offer in our Sustainable Bamboo Furniture, our bamboo clothing, robes, sheets, and towels, and our blends of bamboo and Organic cotton clothing.

Certified Organic Cotton Toys

Great for Holiday Gifts!

Soft, Safe and Adorable

100% Certified Organic Cotton stuffing and fabric makes these toys soft and safe for that special little someone. They are dyed with fun, bright colors using only non toxic and eco friendly dyes.

Plush and snuggly, these eco-friendly toys are chemical, toxins and pesticide free for a healthy family and home. Now, when you own these toys, you and someone you care about can enjoy worry-free, safe and fun playtime!

100% Organic Cotton Stuffed Toy Rattles with Taggies

100% Organic Cotton Baby Rattles

100% Organic Cotton Toy, Pony with Taggies

100% Organic Cotton Stuffed Monkey and Baby Blanket

100% Organic Cotton Stuffed Baby Toy Frog

Please click on this link to Take action and write to your Representative to support Hemp Farming in the U.S.

The following paragraphs are the pre-written text that you would be sending if you follow the link to Take Action :
*******************************************
I am writing to ask that you please become a co-sponsor of H.R. 1866, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009, and to work to get hearings for the bill in the committees to which it has been assigned. The legislation allows American farmers to once again grow hemp to the extent allowed under state laws, repealing a provision in federal law that makes the United States the only industrialized nation where farmers are prohibited from competing in the booming industrial hemp market.

If you or your staff would like to learn more about this agricultural issue, please read the latest version of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) report “Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity,” which is dated March 23, 2007 and has the order code RL32725. The report can be ordered from the CRS or it can be downloaded from The National Agricultural Law Center or go here:
http://www.nationalaglawcenter.org/assets/crs/RL32725.pdf

Please also consider watching the video “Controversial Crop” from America’s Heartland, which is produced by KVIE in Sacramento, California or go here:
http://www.americasheartland.org/episodes/episode_315/controversial_crop.html

Last year Vote Hemp released a poll of 807 likely North Dakota voters about industrial hemp. According to the poll, a total of 74% of North Dakotan voters support changing federal law to allow farmers to grow hemp, including 40% who “strongly support” and another 34% who “somewhat support” changes so that farmers in the U.S. can supply manufacturers with hemp seed and fiber grown from oilseed and fiber varieties of industrial hemp. You can read the poll or go here:
http://www.votehemp.com/polls.html

The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009 would finally allow North Dakota, and the states that have passed pro-hemp legislation or resolutions (Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia), considered pro-hemp legislation or resolutions (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin), or where farm groups have advocated for a return to industrial hemp farming (Ohio and Pennsylvania), to choose whether or not to let farmers grow industrial hemp.

I would specifically like to know: Will you become a become a co-sponsor of H.R. 1866, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009, which will once again permit agricultural hemp farming in the U.S.? What is your position on supporting farmers in the U.S. having the opportunity to once again farm this valuable agricultural crop? What did you, or your staff, think of the CRS report and the video? Will you work to get hearings for the bill in the committees to which it has been assigned?
*******************************************
Remember to visit http:www.YesItsOrganic.com for hemp clothing, and the best eco clothing, organic bedding, and bamboo furniture.

We just added some wonderfully soft bamboo sheets to complement our bamboo towels and bamboo robes.

Click on any of the links above to discover the incredible benefits of bamboo in bedding, towels, and clothing.

My direct answer is “no.” I’ll explain why. The primary fabrics used for organic clothing and bedding are organic cotton and organic wool.

I’m sure you’d agree that prices for non-organic cotton and non-organic wool in clothing and bedding cover a very wide range from the lowest discount store prices to the highest fashion designer prices.

Similarly, prices for organic cotton and organic wool also cover a wide range. Usually, however, you’ll find the range may not be quite as low at the bottom of the scale as their non-organic counterparts. Is there a reason for this?

Yes, in fact, there are several reasons. First is that there needs to be an assurance of organic standards. These standards have been set by governments, as in the USDA NOP (U.S. Department of Agriculture National Organic Program) standards, and trade associations, as in the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard).

So one cost that exists in organic products that doesn’t exist in non-organic is the cost to farmers and manufacturers associated with the certification processes to verify that the products meet the standards. Certifications allow you to feel confident in the healthy quality of organic products.

The farming practices are also commonly more labor intensive and therefore have higher costs. Also, products that meet fair labor standards have higher costs. Lastly, since the industries are still relatively small compared to total market size, there are most likely economies of scale that haven’t yet been achieved.

However, if the costly negative health and environmental pollution effects from non-organic farming and manufacturing were fully born by the producers, and not the public, the retail prices of non-organic products would most likely be higher than those of organic products.

Ed Mass is President and Founder of Yes It’s Organic, an online store for Organic, Fair Labor, and Eco Friendly Green clothing including organic clothing for adults to organic baby clothes, organic bedding, organic sheets, organic towels, sustainable bamboo furniture, organic logo embroidered shirts and promotional products for organizations wanting to improve their environmental footprint. After being an environmentalist for over 40 years, including designing solar energy systems in the 1970s, Ed decided to participate more directly in growing the organic, fair labor and eco friendly industries by educating consumers and influencing their buying habits.