riginally conceived to make crops more resistant to insects or viruses, genetically modified foods are almost unavoidable these days. We all know about Monsanto’s infamous GMO corn and bionic soybeans but today, there’s a new tampered food item in town. This time around, US food production company Del Monte has been fiddling with the DNA of pineapples. No, not to boost crop production or protect it against disease, but simply to turn it pink. [node:read-more:link]

Las Vegas is now the largest city in the country to run entirely on renewable energy. [node:read-more:link]

Some look at an abandoned, centuries-old iron mine in New York's Adirondacks and see a relic. An ambitious group of engineers sees the shafts in Mineville as a new way to provide a steady flow of electricity in a growing market for renewable energy.They are pitching a plan to circulate some of the millions of gallons of groundwater that have flooded the mine shafts over the years to power an array of 100 hydroelectric turbines a half-mile underground. [node:read-more:link]

It’s taken almost two years to clear the air, but a new USDA Office of Inspector General’s audit report about the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Nebraska paints substantially different picture than The New York Times described in a scathing report which alleged animal abuse and prompted calls for investigations.  “Overall, we did not note evidence indicating a systemic problem with animal welfare at USMARC,” the OIG staff noted in a report. [node:read-more:link]

Lawmakers in three Midwest legislatures closed out their 2016 lame-duck sessions with plans to both expand as well as slow clean energy development. The proposals in Ohio, Michigan and Illinois came under three Republican governors and, aside from Illinois, Republican-held legislatures.  In each case, major utilities played significant roles — either prominently lobbying or behind the scenes — in getting policies adopted in their favor.  In Ohio, this meant a concerted effort toward what critics say further weakens the state’s renewable energy and efficiency standards. On Dec. [node:read-more:link]

Local officials in Traverse City voted Monday night to become the second Michigan city looking to meet 100 percent of municipal electricity needs from renewable sources. Traverse City Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution to set a goal of 100 percent renewables by 2020 to power city services, such as streetlights, a wastewater treatment plant and government buildings. [node:read-more:link]

Thanks to a national ArtPlace America grant, an urban farm in Detroit is making plans to expand with a dining hall, an Art Farm House, a farm-fresh convenience store and more.  The Oakland Avenue Urban Farm expansion project will bring focus on "art-centered redevelopment" as artists and designers team up to create what officials are calling the nation's first "agri-cultural" urban landscape.Some of the project's prospective highlights include a vacant home transforming into a cafeteria and hostel, the creation of the Art Farm House, an exhibition space and "mini" art school, and the North [node:read-more:link]

As the Obama administration prepares to leave office, it is seeking to underscore just how much has changed in the last eight years in the way we get energy — and to take some credit for it.  Since 2008, costs for wind and solar have plunged by 40 and 60 percent, respectively, according to an analysis provided by the Energy Department. [node:read-more:link]

If any progress is to be made, it will be because you kept telling your story in a direct, honest manner.  If you are not already doing this, it’s past time to start!  It’s the only way that the disconnect will shorten.  Have no fear of difficult issues.  They exist and will likely always exist. [node:read-more:link]

Plaintiffs allege that pet food companies fix prices of prescription dog and cat food formulations.The pet food lawsuit was filed in the US District Court of Northern California (Case number 3:16-cv-7001). The plaintiffs claim that the pet food businesses charged consumers more than was justified for certain foods by making those foods available by prescription only. The plaintiffs allege that these prescription foods contain no drug or ingredients that are not found in conventional foods. [node:read-more:link]