Appeals Court rejects challenge to Clean Air Act

Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Massachusetts v. EPA, 549 U.S. 497 (2007)—which clarified that greenhouse gases are an “air pollutant” subject to regulation under the Clean Air Act (CAA)—the Environmental Protection Agency promulgated a series of greenhouse gas-related rules.

Petitioners, various states and industry groups, challenge all these rules, arguing that they are based on improper constructions of the CAA and are otherwise arbitrary and capricious. But for the reasons set forth below, we conclude: 1) the Endangerment Finding and Tailpipe Rule are neither arbitrary nor capricious; 2) EPA’s interpretation of the governing CAA provisions is unambiguously correct; and 3) no petitioner has standing to challenge the Timing and Tailoring Rules. We thus dismiss for lack of jurisdiction all petitions for review of the Timing and Tailoring Rules, and deny the remainder of the petitions. (emphasis added)

via Dot Earth

Paleo & primal treats

Image: Steve's Original

Your Paleo diet probably consists of lean meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, selected tubers, nuts and berries. But every now and then you need an on-the-go Paleo or pirmal treat. Here are some choices to consider:

• Caveman Fuel
• Gourmet Grain Free Granola
• PaleoPax
• Primal Pacs
• Paleo Treats
• Steve's Original

Milk and exercise-induced asthma

iStockphotoIn his most recent book, The Paleo Answer, Dr. Loren Cordain, takes a deeper dive into the mechanisms through which the typical Western diet contributes to illness. On the relationship between milk and exercise-induced asthma, Dr. Cordain writes:

If the gut becomes leaky, which it invariably does on a typical Western diet, beta casomorphin-7 in milk can enter our blood stream and travel to our chests, where it stimulates production from MUC5AC glands located in our lungs and respiratory tracts. A final piece of this puzzle is that beta-casamorphin-7 is much more likely to trigger mucous production if the lungs and the respiratory tract are inflamed by asthma. Many people’s exercise-induced asthma symptoms disappear on the Paleo Diet.

He then presents a case reported by a personal trainer:

I am a trainer, and I work with very overweight woman, Jenny, who recently started my boot camp. She weighs 360 pounds at present. Until recently, she also suffered from exercise-induced asthma. For the first week of boot camp, she could ot get through a class without her inhaler. Although I admired her dedication, it was painful and a bit scary to watch.

Then I put her on the Paleo Diet. This week, after doing this for a little less than two weeks, she no longer needs her inhaler. Miraculous!

Jenny’s also doing great on the diet – she’s not hungry at all, so I know the weight will be coming off soon as well. 

Brittany Trilford to Rio+20: "Are you here to save face?"

Seventeen-year-old Brittany Trilford speaks for the children of the world at the Rio+20 Earth Summit. Watch the video above or read the text of her speech at Climate Central.

Image: Cinque Terre, Italy

Image: John McLaughlin

A friend and colleague captured this beautiful image of Cinque Terra on his recent trip to Italy. What attracts us to this kind of image is the balance - Terra not dominated by the Anthropocene - humankind surrounded, almost cradled, by the environment.

If we could only relearn these lessons.

Related Posts
Welcome to the Anthropocene: Humankind's layer on the Earth
The Stockholm Memorandum and the strain of the Anthropocene
The Anthropocene: The beauty & the beast
The Great Acceleration 

New to Paleo? A few links to get you started

The ancestral diet, also known as the Paleo diet, is an approximation of the original diet of our ancestors living before the development of agriculture and animal husbandry around 10,000 years ago. They ate lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and berries. Studies reveal our ancestors were taller and healthier than people today. Below are some books, websites, and a DVD to help you learn about this new - and yet very old! - approach to nutrition.

BOOKS

The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat (2010) - Dr. Loren Cordain is a top expert on the nutrition of our ancestors. This book should serve as the main gudie for the Paleo diet.

The Paleo Answer (2012) - Dr Cordain’s new book provides more detail and answers common questions about the Paleo diet.

The Paleo Diet Cookbook: More than 150 recipes for Paleo Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners, Snacks, and Beverages by Loren Cordain, Nell Stephenson, and Lorrie Cordain.

Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals. This primal cookbook was written by Mark Sisson and Jennifer Meier.

WEB SITES

Marks Daily Apple – this very popular site covers diet, fitness, and other aspects of primal health. Check theSuccess Stories link, especially The Unconquerable Dave.

Everyday Paleo – this popular site by Sarah Fragoso has plenty of recipies. Sarah is also the author of the Everyday Paleo cookbook and Paleo Pals, the first children’s book on Paleo nutrition.

MOVIE (DVD)                       

At the age of 24, CJ Hunt had a health crisis - one that led him to explore a number of human diets is search of the best possible choice to achieve a “longer, healthier and happier” life. The movie, In Search of the Perfect Human Diet, documents his journey. Ready to learn why the Paleo diet may be the best for you? Hunt has already done a lot of the groundwork for you. Order your DVD here or ask your local library to order it.

If you are on a special diet for health reasons, discuss the Paleo diet with your doctor before making changes. Also discuss with your doctor if you have high blood pressure or diabetes since your medications may need to be lowered. Also, if you are on Coumadin or have hemochromatosis, discuss this diet with your doctor before you start.

Success story: Jennifer avoids gastroplasty

Happily, I am no longer considering gastric bypass surgery. All of my hard work has paid off with a 100 pound loss. In fact, based on my current health and body fat percentage, I no longer qualify for bypass surgery.  In the future, I know that there will be obstacles, but I also know that I will continue to lose. The goal is to shed 60 more pounds. Losing 100 pounds has been the hardest and most rewarding thing I have ever done. Along the way, there have been celebrations and tears, but I’ve never regretted the cookie I didn’t eat.

Robb Wolf

Urban farming pioneer Will Allen on The Colbert Report

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Paleo diet "the way of the future"?

I recommend this excellent summary of the Paleo diet written by George Dvorsky of iO9. Referring to the rising rates of obesity, diabetes and other modern diseases, Dvorsky declares an increasingly apparent observation: "When it comes to our eating habits, it's clear that we're doing it wrong."

Part of the problem is that virtually everything we thought we knew about eating is wrong; the current health crisis is in no small part caused by widespread and pervasive food confusion - and much of driven and reinforced by the modern food industry. As counterintuitive as it might seem, we now know that saturated fats are good and that salt has been unfairly vilified. It's becoming apparent that whole grains are extremely unhealthy, and that sugar is far, far worse than we previously thought, a conclusion that has led some experts to essentially describe it as poison.

Consequently, a new approach to eating has emerged called the Paleolithic Diet, or simply "Paleo" for short. Advocates of this diet focus on eating unprocessed foods like lean meat, seafood, roots, tubers, fruits, and vegetables. Not only are these foods comprehensible to the human digestive system, they pack much more nutrition per calorie than typical Neolithic and processed foods.

The increasing interest in Paleo nutrition is evidenced by the growing number forums including the Ancestral Health Symposiums where: 

.... a niche group of scientists, medical practitioners, and health experts are paving the way for what is likely to become a health and wellness paradigm for the future.

Paleo Magazine in natural foods stores

On the way home after giving an evening lecture across town, I stopped by a Whole Foods Market along the way for some dinner. In the magazine rack next to the cashier, I was surprised to see a copy of Paleo Magazine. Launched in May 2011 by publisher and editor Cain Credicott, the magazine features contributions from the Paleo/Primal community.

In addition to Whole Foods Market, Paleo Magazine is available at Sunflower Market, Clark's Natural Foods, and Earth Origins Market, among others. To see if the magazine is available your area, try the Paleo Magazine Store Locator.

A primal success story

As I got closer to college, and gained and lost, and gained it all back plus more, I got more discouraged. I needed to lose 40 lbs, then 50 – my parents got more concerned. Bribery: promises of money, of new clothes, of the choice to attend the private university I had fallen in love with on my visit there – they were all dangled before me. And oh, by God, I tried. When conventional methods failed, I tried to make myself throw up – and am now thankful for the fact that it didn’t work.

Mark's Daily Apple

Kaiser Permanente on the impact of climate change

There’s credible evidence of significant climate change that will impact our ability to provide quality health care. ...What we know so far about the repercussions of climate change isn’t good, such as water shortages and increased wars over resources, and all the health issues that go along with those.

Kathy Gerwig
KP Environmental Stewardship Officer 
Climate Progress