By George Monbiot, Monbiot.com
Posted on April 18, 2008, Printed on April 19, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/story/82628/

Never mind the economic crisis. Focus for a moment on a more urgent threat: the great food recession that is sweeping the world faster than the credit crunch.

You have probably seen the figures by now: The price of rice has risen by three-quarters in the past year, that of wheat by 130 percent. There are food crises in 37 countries. One hundred million people, according to the World Bank, could be pushed into deeper poverty by the high prices. But I’ll bet you have missed the most telling statistic. At 2.1 billion tons, last year’s global grain harvest broke all records. It beat the previous year’s by almost 5 percent. The crisis, in other words, has begun before world food supplies are hit by climate change. If hunger can strike now, what will happen if harvests decline?

There is plenty of food. It is just not reaching human stomachs. Of the 2.13 billion tons likely to be consumed this year, only 1.01 billion, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), will feed people.

I am sorely tempted to write another column about biofuels. From this morning all sellers of transport fuel in the United Kingdom will be obliged to mix it with ethanol or biodiesel made from crops. The World Bank points out that "the grain required to fill the tank of a sports utility vehicle with ethanol … could feed one person for a year."

Last year global stockpiles of cereals declined by around 53 million tons; this gives you a rough idea of the size of the hunger gap. The production of biofuels this year will consume almost 100 million tons, which suggests that they are directly responsible for the current crisis. In the Guardian yesterday, British Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly promised that "if we need to adjust policy in the light of new evidence, we will." What new evidence does she require? In the midst of a global humanitarian crisis, we have just become legally obliged to use food as fuel. It is a crime against humanity in which every driver in this country has been forced to participate.

But I have been saying this for four years, and I am boring myself. Of course we must demand that our governments scrap the rules that turn grain into the fastest food of all. But there is a bigger reason for global hunger, which is attracting less attention only because it has been there for longer. While 100 million tons of food will be diverted this year to feed cars, 760 million tons will be snatched from the mouths of humans to feed animals. This could cover the global food deficit 14 times. If you care about hunger, eat less meat.

While meat consumption is booming in Asia and Latin America, in the United Kingdom it has scarcely changed since the government started gathering data in 1974. At just over 1 kilogram per person per week, it’s still about 40 percent above the global average, though less than half the amount consumed in the United States. We eat less beef and more chicken than we did 30 years ago, which means a smaller total impact. Beef cattle eat about 8 kilograms of grain or meal for every kilogram of flesh they produce; a kilogram of chicken needs just 2 kilograms of feed. Even so, our consumption rate is plainly unsustainable.

In his magazine The Land, Simon Fairlie has updated the figures produced 30 years ago in Kenneth Mellanby’s book Can Britain Feed Itself? Fairlie found that a vegan diet grown by means of conventional agriculture would require only 3 million hectares of arable land (around half the current total). Even if the United Kingdom reduced its consumption of meat by half, a mixed farming system would need 4.4 million hectares of arable fields and 6.4 million hectares of pasture. A vegan Britain could make a massive contribution to global food stocks.

But I cannot advocate a diet I am incapable of following. I tried it for about 18 months, lost about 28 pounds, went as white as bone, and felt that I was losing my mind. I know a few healthy-looking vegans, and I admire them immensely. But after almost every talk I give, I am pestered by swarms of vegans demanding that I adopt their lifestyle. I cannot help noticing that in most cases their skin has turned a fascinating pearl grey.

What level of meat eating would be sustainable? One approach is to work out how great a cut would be needed to accommodate the growth in human numbers. The United Nations expects the population to rise to 9 billion by 2050. These extra people will require another 325 million tonnes of grain. Let us assume, perhaps generously, that politicians like Ms. Kelly are able to "adjust policy in the light of new evidence" and stop turning food into fuel. Let us pretend that improvements in plant breeding can keep pace with the deficits caused by climate change. We would need to find an extra 225 million tons of grain. This leaves 531 million tons for livestock production, which suggests a sustainable consumption level for meat and milk, some 30 percent below the current world rate. This means 420 grams of meat per person per week, or about 40 percent of the United Kingdom’s average consumption.

This estimate is complicated by several factors. If we eat less meat, we must eat more plant protein, which means taking more land away from animals. On the other hand, some livestock is raised on pasture, so it doesn’t contribute to the grain deficit. Simon Fairlie estimates that if animals were kept only on land that’s unsuitable for arable farming, and given scraps and waste from food processing, the world could produce between a third and two-thirds of its current milk and meat supply. But this system then runs into a different problem. The FAO calculates that animal keeping is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. The environmental impacts are especially grave in places where livestock graze freely. The only reasonable answer to the question of how much meat we should eat is: as little as possible. Let’s reserve it — as most societies have done until recently — for special occasions.

For both environmental and humanitarian reasons, beef is out. Pigs and chickens feed more efficiently, but unless they are free range you encounter another ethical issue: the monstrous conditions in which they are kept. I would like to encourage people to start eating tilapia instead of meat. It’s a freshwater fish that can be raised entirely on vegetable matter and has the best conversion efficiency — about 1.6 kilograms of feed for 1 kilogram of meat — of any farmed animal. Until meat can be grown in flasks, this is about as close as we are likely to come to sustainable flesh eating.

Rereading this article, I see that there is something surreal about it. While half the world wonders whether it will eat at all, I am pondering which of our endless choices we should take. Here the price of food barely registers. Our shops are better stocked than ever before. We perceive the global food crisis dimly, if at all. It is hard to understand how two such different food economies could occupy the same planet, until you realize that they feed off each other.

George Monbiot is the author Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning. Read more of his writings at Monbiot.com. This article originally appeared in the Guardian.

© 2008 Monbiot.com All rights reserved.
View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/82628/

by ANDREA ZANI

Posted on: Saturday, 19 April 2008, 21:00 CDT

For your next workout, personal trainer Jim Post wants you to take a page from your child ’s playbook.

Actually, he wants you to visit their playground.

There — among the climbers, slides and swingsets — you ‘ll find endless opportunities for staying in great all-around shape, Post says.

Keeping fit naturally, outside and with nothing fancy in terms of equipment is the philosophy behind Post ’s new Wisconsin Union mini-course offering: "The Playground Workout. "

The three-week session that begins April 28 is designed to show just how easy it is to play your way to better health.

Post, 46, a certified natural trainer who teaches fitness classes at Madison ’s Monkey Bar Gym, should know.

"I used to be a couch potato, " he says.

By making some simple changes a few years ago, including dropping his alcohol intake and getting off the couch, Post lost 15 pounds fast.

"I got more active. I didn ‘t have to do some weird diet, " he says, though he did start making healthier food choices.

He also found his way to Monkey Bar, the "old-school " gym founded by Jon Hinds. With no exercise machines and no mirrors, Monkey Bar stresses "full-body exercise " that incorporates a variety of basic movements.

Using the Monkey Bar approach, Post shed more weight, for a total of 50 pounds in all. "I discovered I could do this stuff. "

Post says it was Hinds, son of Lifeline "functional fitness equipment " creator Bobby Hinds, who inspired him to devise the Playground Workout mini-course. Much of the class is based on Monkey Bar ideas.

"Jon Hinds inspired me with his stories of watching children on a playground, which is what inspired him to get back to basics, relearn how we moved so naturally when we were kids, " Post says. "My idea was to set up a workout that uses the equipment commonly found at playgrounds, such as monkeybars, swings, etc. "

Post, originally from Mauston, is also a photographer and has taught several photography mini-courses at the Union. He pitched the workout idea to Jay Ekleberry, director of Wisconsin Union mini-courses, while the two were discussing additional courses Post might do.

"He threw it out as a wacky idea, and I love wacky ideas, " Ekleberry says.

Ekleberry also saw the Playground Workout as a nice change of pace for Union mini-courses.

"If you look at what we offer in the exercise area, everything ’s yoga, " he says. "And that ’s OK, yoga is popular.

"Why I got excited about this is that it ’s a unique way to add variety to your workout. . . . And most of us have a playground somewhere in the neighborhood. "

The site for Post ’s mini-course, McKee Farms Park in Fitchburg, was chosen because the city allows more free reign in its park space than Madison, which would have required a paid permit to conduct such a class.

"And they have a great playground out there, " Ekleberry says of the Kids Crossing space in the park.

Muscles in motion

Indeed, the playground has pretty much everything Post needs to put you through your paces. And he will do so by incorporating activities kids do every day.

"I use the Monkey Bar Gym philosophy of using body weight and a minimum of equipment, " Post says. "Lots of exercises — climbing, jumping, pushups, pullups — can be done using the basic gear at the playground. "

Post says his course will focus on four areas: running, jumping, climbing and crawling.

Yes, crawling.

Prepare to get down and probably a little dirty — this is a playground, remember. Count on being low to the ground, on all fours, at some point.

Also count on being sore from this the next day, maybe even the next three days. Even if you think you ‘re in good shape already, you likely will use muscle groups that have been dormant for a while.

"Everything is working, " Post says. "We ‘re not just isolating one part of the body. "

You ‘ll do the monster walk, some kangaroo hops, maybe a relay race. Post even plans to put workout participants through an obstacle course on the playground equipment during the last day of class.

Again, he says, these movements are based on what you ‘re likely to see from kids and "just how natural they move. "

"It ’s really inspiring to get that natural movement back, " Post says.

Quick fit

Even those without a lot of time for a workout can use Post ’s playground ideas.

"A workout like this does not have to be long to benefit from it, " he says. "Even 15 minutes would be enough to work up a sweat and get the blood pumping. "

And if you hit the playground with kids in tow, the workout is great because there ’s plenty they can do right along with you. Even a simple game of tag can count toward the running portion of the workout — and climbing, too, if you ‘re going up and down trying to avoid being "IT, " for example.

"Any playground with a metal swingset and sand, picnic tables and maybe a carousel will work just fine, " he says. "The more stuff to play on, the more you can use your imagination to make a boring exercise into something new and challenging. "

Also a bicyclist and a runner (something he prefers to do barefoot, incidentally, because it allows him to run more naturally), Post occasionally incorporates his playground activities as part of something else he is doing that day.

"When I ‘m bicycling, I sometimes stop at a playground and do a strength workout, then go back to bicycling. "

Post says being fit is a good way to maximize the ability to help others when needed. Case in point is his plan to participate in this summer ’s Bike MS two-day ride (Waukesha to Whitewater to Madison) to help raise money for multiple sclerosis research.

And he hopes his Playground Workout course will show that getting in better shape doesn ‘t have to be a complicated process.

"I thought this would be an easily accessible way for others to get fit, hence the class, " he says.

Room for improvement

All of Post ’s exercises take the same approach, starting with setup and stability, then building strength and, if possible, adding power.

Setup and stability involve establishing proper body positioning. "Everyone pretty much starts at stability, " he says.

Many exercises grow out of yoga poses, which Post includes as part of his workout warmup that gets joints moving and the heart pumping.

Once basic stability is achieved in an exercise, strength is increased by doing a certain number of repetitions or continuing for a given amount of time.

"Maximum benefit comes from short, intense burst of activity, followed by short periods of rest, " Post says. Again, he cites Hinds ‘ Monkey Bar influence.

"One of Jon ’s favorite formats is going strong for 15 seconds, followed by 15 seconds of rest. Alternate between two exercises, such as pushups and chinups, and go for 10 minutes. You ‘re sweaty and beat and you feel great. "

This is also where the power aspect can come into play. As more and more strength is gained, it ’s possible to add a little different element to an exercise to push it into the power realm.

A regular pushup, for example, can move into a pushup where the hands come up off the ground for a clap in between reps. Or a pullup on a swingset crossbar can turn into one where, with a little hitch forward and back, you pull yourself all the way up to be supported by your forearms (think gymnast on the high bar).

Starting with basics and building from there allows people of all fitness level to use these workout ideas, Post says.

"Obviously, you need to pace yourself to your own limits, " he says. "Even doing just a couple of reps each time will produce results. "

But, he emphasizes, "anyone can do this, beginners, athletes — it doesn ‘t matter.

"That ’s why it ’s fun. "

And fun is certainly fitting here — it is the playground, after all.

Source: The Wisconsin State Journal

How to Reduce Waste & Lower Carbon Emissions on Vacation

© Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen

Eco-friendly vacations are easier - and more fun - than you think. Here are 10 ways to save money on vacation and be kind to the planet at the same time.

These family-friendly travel activities reduce waste, lighten landfills, and lower carbon emissions – and save money without you even noticing! For example, traveling by train is the most eco-friendly way to travel (unless you sign up for a bike tour, which is even more green and economical).

For more easy ways to lighten your footstep and save money while traveling, try these eco-friendly ways to reduce carbon emissions.

Green Travel Tips That Save Money

1. Print your maps & tourist information before you go. Instead of buying expensive guidebooks and maps, which are heavy and cumbersome, print the sections you need from online travel websites.
2. Pack light. Apply the golden rule of packing: estimate what you think you’ll need, and cut it by half. Extra weight not only requires extra fuel, it may cost you additional baggage costs.
3. Buy a solar charger. Most cameras, phones and iPods can be charge with a solar charger, which saves carbon dioxide emissions and energy. You’ll save money at home, and you won’t use extra energy resources while you’re overseas.
4. Stay with family, friends or acquaintances. Hotels use massive amounts of energy and resources through daily cleaning, mini bottles of shampoo, lights burning unnecessarily, and so on. If you do stay at a hotel, re-use your towels, sheets, bathroom glasses and other amenities.
5. Look into a home exchange. This type of ethical tourism allows you to get an insider’s feel for the country while stimulating local economic growth. You’ll live like a local, buy home-grown produce and goods, and eat in neighborhood restaurants.
6. Travel by train or bicycle. Trains and bikes are the most eco-friendly transportation options.
7. Rent small cars. The smaller your car, the less gas money you’ll spend – and the fewer emissions will pour into the air. Better yet, ride buses, trains and subways as much as you can. Look into hybrid-electric or biodiesel cars, which may not be as expensive as you think.
8. Eat local. Picnic at least once a day with food from the local market or grocery store – it’s healthier, less expensive, and often tastier. Always have your own refillable water bottle, and buy water purification tablets if the water is a concern.
9. Visit parks and nature reserves. Supporting the protected areas ensures that they’ll be maintained. The entrance fees are usually reasonable, and you’re often encouraged to stay as long as you like.
10. Buy local handicrafts. Refrain from buying souvenirs that exploit wildlife or the environment, such as ivory, tortoiseshell, coral or animal hides. Handicrafts made by locals are not only sustainable, they’re often less expensive.

Here is a recent workout I did last week.

It is a great bodyweight workout, called the FBI Workout (4 x thru AFAP) named after
one of our Monkey Bar Gym members who was training to become a FBI agent. It worked too, they made it into the academy!

I love this workout because it’s simple and kicks ass!!
Go 4 x thru AFAP (as fast as possible)
1) 20 push ups
2) 20 kip ups
3) 20 seated tucks
4) 505 yard run
Total time: 16:21 (PR)

This is my personal best on this workout, it was great.  Joe, (one of my top trainers) and I  went outside for this workout. It was our first really warm day of spring about 68 degrees! The push ups are all pretty easy for me, the kips we did on a tree limb which was very cool, but also very challenging as you had to watch to NOT hit your knees on the tree:) The seated tucks were challenging, balancing on my butt and timing touching my toes right really made me work hard.

Then the final run around the MBG, a total of 505 yards with lots of sharp turns and other challenges along the route. The Run if I could call it that usually took me about 2:00 to 2:20 each time, so I had to really hustle on the last lap to get under my goal of 16:30. The key in this workout and others like it, like the 15/15’s, the 30/300/3000 and the X-Games Workout is to keep moving, NOT to let your mind tell you to stop. The ability to continue to push thru the pain (ala Lance Armstrong) is what makes the difference between the good and great, the high level and medium level. So when doing one of our gut check workouts like this, I take 5 breaths max between sets, then get started again whether or not my mind says if I’m ready…I just go. It hurts but you can push through it and come out on top. When you get use to this, your mental state becomes that of a warrior, strong, determined, confident.

This workout builds mental and physical toughness and you always can push to another level the next time you do it! This workout makes me think of a great quote I actually saw in a Disney hockey movie. The hockey coach said "Yellow Ice or Red Ice." The player didn’t know what he meant, then the coach explained, Yellow Ice means your scared, didn’t give it your all…Red Ice means you left your blood on the ice, you gave everything, you went for it 110%. I love this statement and use it with my athletes and MBG Members…and it never fails to fire them up!

So next time your doing one of our Gut Check workouts like the FBI Workout, ask yourself this question: Are you Yellow Ice OR Red Ice?

Train Hard my friends!!

by Steve Maxwell

Here’s a cool workout the actor Gerard Butler did to get in shape to play Leonidas, the Spartan king, in the new movie, 300. The movie’s about the greatest goal line stand of all time: 300 hundred Spartan warriors were all that stood in the path of a million-man Persian army. The Persian king, Xerxes, tried to march his guys through the tiny Spartan arm which was holding a narrow pass between the ocean and sheer cliffs.

The Spartans were renowned for their incredible bravery, and ferocity, on the field of battle. For two days, the Spartans killed 20 Persians for every one of their own men slain. Xerxes’ million men were stopped in their tracks and couldn’t advance on their way to Athens. As a true Spartan king, Leonidas led by example and remained in the front ranks with his men during the battle. The Spartans had known before the battle that it was hopeless, and basically, a suicide mission. They knew the numbers were overwhelming, but they wanted to slow the advance of the Persians just long enough for the Spartan allies to form a defense, and like true warriors, they stood shoulder-to-shoulder with their comrades, utterly willing to fight to the death. They knew their sacrifice would allow the Athenians to regroup, hopefully saving Greece.

Unlike other armies of the day, the Spartans fought as one unit, as a team; they were drilled to slay the enemy like a well-oiled machine. The Spartans developed a technique, called the phalanx, that proved unbeatable—it was as if the Persians were facing a meat grinder. The ancient bards said the sea ran red with blood for miles and the slain bodies piled higher than the height of a man for as far as the eye could see. These same tactics are studied to this day in modern warfare and in fact he US Marines still use some of the techniques invented by the Spartans.

The finale came three days in, when the Spartans were betrayed by a local shepherd, who showed the Persians a secret pass around and behind the Spartans. Thus sandwiched between two opposing forces, they were forced into retreat against the cliffs. Even with their spears and swords broken, and their shields smashed, the Spartans fought on with even their bare hands and teeth. The Persians were so intimidated, they brought in the archers to finish the job. Since the Spartans considered the shooting of a man from a distance an act of complete cowardice, they stood their ground, knowing they hadn’t adequate defense, yet defiantly facing the enemy without fear; they’d learned to transcend the fear of death and walk in total presence. The Spartans were at peace in the midst of this chaos and accepted their deaths; so great was their bravery, we still marvel at this battle that took place more than 2000 years ago.

Here is your workout dedicated to the 300—it would have been a Spartan staple:

Without rest between exercises, perform 300 reps total of the following moves:

• 25 pull-ups
• 50 push-ups on rings (or push-up bars, or the handles of two dumbbells)
• 50 jumps on a 24-inch box
• 50 floor-wipers (hold the Olympic bar over your chest with a 10 lb. plate on either side, with arms locked as if doing a bench press. Keep your legs straight and vertical, touch your feet to one plate, then over to the other plate. Rotate back-and-forth)
• 50 single one-arm clean and presses with a 16 kg kettlebell.
• 25 body-weight rows
• 50 deck squats

The above is my version. The original workout by the actor called for 50 dead-lifts with 135 lbs. but I substituted the deck squats. The original also called for another 25 pull-ups at the end but I substituted the body-weight row.

Go at this like the Spartan that I know you are.

—Steve Maxwell