You have the right to know what’s in the food you eat. The most common genetically engineered ingredients — corn, soy and canola oil — find their way into 70 percent of popular processed foods like breakfast cereal, cookies, chips, soda and frozen meals. Get the facts and find non-GMO choices at the Non-GMO Project.
Guide to Sunscreens
Environmental Working Group’s Guide to Sunscreens. Sunscreens prevent sunburns, but beyond that simple fact little is known about the safety and efficacy of these creams and sprays. Use the EWG’s Sunscreen Guide to find top-rated sunscreens with broad spectrum (UVA and UVB) protection but fewer hazardous chemicals that penetrate the skin.
Sarasota County Extension
Sarasota County Extension: Solutions for your life. Help Desk, Master Gardener Program, Classes, Community Gardens, and more. UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County is dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and making that knowledge accessible to sustain and enhance the quality of life for the residents of Sarasota.
Raised Garden Beds
Raised garden beds are great for growing veggies and flowers. They keep weeds from your garden soil, prevent soil compaction, provide good drainage and serve as a barrier to pests. The sides keep garden soil from being eroded during heavy rains. Get information about raised garden beds at Eartheasy: Solutions for Sustainable Living.
Skin Deep Guide to Cosmetics
Environmental Working Group’s Guide to Safe Cosmetics. See that long list of ingredients on the back of the bottle? Some probably aren’t as safe as you’d hope. Find important health information about the cosmetics you – and your family – use every day.
Guide to Healthy Cleaning
Environmental Working Group’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning. Some cleaning products can expose users to toxic substances linked to short- and long-term health problems, including asthma, allergic reactions and even cancer. EWG has created the first online guide that rates more than 2,000 household cleaners with grades A through F.
Florida Friendly Landscaping
Florida Friendly Landscaping – The Smart Way to Grow. Pick up landscaping tips and see examples of landscape designs. Learn how to transform your yard into a Florida-friendly landscape design. Learn about Florida-friendly plants, including native plants, that require little irrigation or fertilizer, are low maintenance and attract wildlife.
Sarasota Eat Local Guide
Greater Sarasota’s Eat Local Guide is your most comprehensive source for eating and growing locally in Southwest Florida. Go directly to the source with local farmers producing vegetables, fruit, honey, mushrooms, dairy and eggs, meat and fish, and wine in the Sarasota area.
Bountiful Gardens
Bountiful Gardens sells untreated, open-pollinated, non-GMO seed of heirloom quality for vegetables, herbs, flowers, grains, green manures, compost and carbon crops. Many varieties are Certified Organic, Natural, Biointensive or Grow Biointensive. Specialties include rare and unusual varieties, medicinal herbs and super-nutrition varieties.
Kids’ Cereals Serve Up Sugar by the Pound
The Environmental Working Group’s analysis of more than 1,500 cereals, including more than 180 children’s cereals, shows that a child who eats a bowl a day for a year ends up consuming 10 pounds of sugar.
Moreover, the cereals loaded with the most added sugar frequently come in packaging that features cartoon characters to appeal to kids. A single serving can contain nearly as much sugar as three Chips Ahoy! cookies, and more than two Keebler Fudge Stripe cookies. And because the serving sizes listed on many cereal boxes are unrealistically small, even sugar-conscious consumers are eating even more than they realize. To top it all off, 11 of the 13 most heavily sugared children’s cereals feature marketing claims like “Good Source of Fiber” that suggest misleadingly that the products are healthful.
Click here to read the full report.
