Author Archive for Clare Howard

Clare Howard is the editor of the Community Word. She can be reached at communityword@yahoo.com

‘Eating wild’ is good for you

Despite centuries of cultivation and hybridization, commercially-grown produce lacks the nutritional punch of wild, edible plants growing in your backyard, according to best-selling author Jo Robinson who spoke last month in Springfield at the Acres U.S.A. conference. But it’s possible…

Food security forum: Is GE food the solution to global hunger?

Advocates of genetically-engineered food often suggest “feeding the world” is the moral justification for embracing GE seed, but scientist Herman Brockman contends “feeding the world” is more marketing gimmick than science. Brockman, a distinguished emeritus professor of genetics at Illinois…

Illinois River algal bloom largest in at least quarter century – Consequences: Dire

After years of unheeded warnings and spotty regulation, an environmental calamity streaked down the Illinois River in verdant shades of green this summer pushed by currents past the Illinois Valley Yacht and Canoe Club south to the Bob Michel Bridge…

Hidden toxins found in children’s back-to-school supplies – ‘Our chemical safety system is broken’

Each year, Center for Health, Environment & Justice tests children’s back-to-school supplies for toxic chemicals. Each year, the organization finds toxins. Some are considered “endocrine disrupting chemicals” that can mimic or suppress hormones and cause damage at extremely low levels…

New ‘war garden’ in the battle against disease

Food in America has undergone a transformation over the past 71 years since OSF Sisters Community Healthcare Center opened its doors for uninsured and low-income patients. In 1942, Americans were cultivating “War Gardens,” canning fruit and vegetables, and only occasionally…