By Maudy Veltema

Posted March 26, 2017 23:21:54

As little as five minutes of colouring in a day can have the same influence on the brain as an hour of practicing conventional meditation techniques, a cognitive neuroscientist who has coined the term "colourtation" says.

Speaking at the World Science Festival in Brisbane, Dr Stanley Rodski said "colourtation" helped decongest the brain and provided a modern form of meditation.

In 2015, Dr Rodski's company Colourtation Brain Science conducted research showing 53 per cent of Australians felt frequently stressed or out of control.

"We have to look at what is causing this pressure that we need to resolve," Dr Rodski said.

Juggling family, work and fun in the fast-paced online world is a main contributor to the high stress levels that people experience, Dr Rodski said.

"From the moment you wake up your phone is on and people are calling you.

"You're running from meeting to meeting, from class to class, and never get any relief," he said.

"Five minutes of colouring a day is enough to get the same effect on the brain as about an hour worth of conventional meditation," Dr Rodski said.

The colourtation method is different from other successful colouring books for adults currently on the market.

Apart from being gender neutral, the method does not focus on the process, but rather on creating the pattern using the colours and assessing your feelings afterwards.

"And it doesn't even matter if you finish it in that time, it still has the effect on the brain that we want," he said.

"Our brain likes to be in this relaxing mode of repeating shapes and staying inside the lines."

Using the colouration method 15 minutes before bed can calm the brain down, readying it for sleep, Dr Rodski said.

Dr Rodski said the brain quickly jumped into a mode called alpha, from where it entered the deeper waves of 90-minute sleep cycles that we need to have to feel rested in the morning.

Another study of US physics students showed five minutes of colouring before an algebra test resulted in an improvement in results of between 15 and 100 per cent.

"The part of the brain where the algebra information was stored settled down and the students could put this to use in their tests," he said.

This story is part of a collaboration for the World Science Festival between QUT and the ABC.

Topics: science, science-and-technology, brisbane-4000

Link:

Five minutes of colouring can have same benefits as hour of meditation, expert says - ABC Online

Dhenkanal: The yearly grand festival of Sri Guru Anant Ashram Jatiya Sarbodaya Samiti was celebrated with great pleasure & merry making at its State head office Banasing, 22 km from Dhenkanal town. In this great occasion, thousands of devotees from hundreds of Branch ashrams in all the districts of the state took part.

Yesterday at 4 PM all the devotees organize a grand spiritual procession through the nearby villages against untouchable disease of the society.

Then, at 7 PM, Pancharangi Pataka Uttolan was done followed by Brahma Jagnya, which has been organized each year on MAGHA MASA SUKLA PAKHYA BARAH DWADASI for World Peace ( Biswa Santi ).

At 10 pm, a General Body meeting followed by Elections for State Committee was conducted by the State Chief Advisor Er. Debashisha Hota.

Sri Basant Pattayat of Cuttack Adaspur Ashram became State President, Sri Bijay Mohapatra of Khordha BhagabatiPatana Balugan became State Secretary and Sri Kamakhya Prasad Hota of Dhenkanal Parikheda became State Treasurer.

51 Member State Executive Body Elected for 3 years Comprising All Regions of the State. They are namely, Samant Ghanashyam Das, Ramachandra Maharana, Dr. Maheswar Swain, Govind Chandra Mallick, Jaladhar Rout, Muralidhar Sahu, Bhikari Charan Behera, Kartik Jena, Madhav Bala, Pramod Kumar Sahoo, Nilamani Behera, Nilamani Kabi, Pitambar Jena, Dillip Samal, Chaitanya Rout, Chakradhar Sandha, Gobardhan Parida, Sudhakar Sahu, Prabhakar Pradhan, Bhagaban Rout, Swarnaprava Parida, Nrupati Behera, Sandhyarani Behera, Kukuni Pradhan, Bilasi Pradhan, Amari Dehury, Kabita Dehury, Arun Mallick, Udhhab Sahoo, Murali Naik, Paramananda Sahoo, Dambarudhar Bhoi, Smt. Basanti Sahoo, Sachhidananda Nayak, Duryodhan Naik, Ramachandra Bhoi, Harischandra Mallick, Bhramar Behera, Nabakishore Behera, Dhaneswar Rout, Pramod Naik, Dambarudhar Naik, Mathura Naik, Surath Naik, Pramodini Didi, Benudhar Naik, Rabi Naik, Bharat Dehury, Joginath Naik, Ranjan Lenka, Duryodhan Naik and Basant Naik.

Its here noteworthy that, the Great Sadguru Satyabadi Satapathy of Banasing inspired by Sarboday movement of Gandhijee spread One Letter Almighty Principle (ANAKHYARA MATABADA) in all over the state of Odisha having 75 thousand disciples with 220 ashrams. He also tried to eradicate the untouchable disease of the society. For this act of Him, He faced many problems in His personal & spiritual life by the then kings & leaders of the society.

Read the original:

Yearly Grand Fest of Anant Ashram Celebrated at Banasingh - Odisha Diary

If you visit the temple village of Kavlem, near Ponda it is easy to miss the Balika Kalyan Ashram, the girls orphanage ensconced in one of its by lanes. However, this small and compact building is home to 60 orphan and destitute girls who are being looked after with much love and care.

Started in 1976 by the Ponda based Matruchaya Trust, the ashram has flowered into a wonderful home for girls. At this moment, there are seven girls in the 0-4 age category, with most being eligible for adoption under the Central Adoption Resource Authority (Cara) guidelines. A maximum number of 50 girls are in the class V-X category, eight girls will appear for the SSC examinations very soon, while two girls have just completed their HSSC examinations. Two older girls are pursuing their undergraduate studies in the arts and commerce streams respectively.

Walking with Mandakini Patil, the jovial superintendent through the ashram, one realizes how neat and clean the surroundings are. The 60 girls have been formed into six teams of ten girls each. Each team has a team leader. The girls have been taught to sweep and swab the floor and maintain cleanliness in their respective staying quarters, the ashram lobbies and staircases. The girls wash their own clothes and utensils too. We believe in making the girls completely self-reliant. It is good training for their adult life, Patil said.

The little girls are being trained in Indian customs and tradition too. It was refreshing to see a girl greet you with a namaste after serving you tea. A regular day at the ashram begins at 5am. The girls have an exercise and pranayama class between 6am-6:30am, followed by their daily cleaning schedule between 6:30am-7am and breakfast between 7am-7:30am followed by school. The post-school lunch is between 2pm-2:30pm followed by tuitions and play time. Every Wednesday sees a team of lady doctors visit the ashram to check on the health of the girls. According to Patil, the Ponda district hospital is their port of call for medical emergencies.

A team of teachers visits the ashram every afternoon to tutor the girls in the various school subjects. It was also heartening to see a special computer room in the ashram where two teachers teach the girls computer skills. IT teacher Sneha Sawant said, We teach the girls MS Office and many of the girls have become proficient in MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint operations. The girls are very sharp and intelligent.

There is also an emphasis on sport and extra-curricular activities at the ashram. The girls are taught classical Indian music and have also been introduced to the pakhwaj, the ancient Indian percussion instrument. Chess is the number one sport at the ashram with many of the girls regularly representing their school in local chess tournaments. Regular classes are held for tailoring, fabric painting and knitting. The girls are also adept at rangolli art and some of the exhibits made by the girls are breathtakingly beautiful.

Interestingly, the children are not allowed to watch television except on the weekend, so that the focus remains on studies and sport. In a state like Goa, where garbage management is a serious challenge, it is good to know that the ashram composts their wet garbage every day and gives their dry garbage to the Kavlem Panchayat on a regular basis.

Our girls manage the wet composting unit thereby learning important environmental lessons early in life, Patil said.

Every attempt has also been made to make the ashram very homely. According to Nilima Kamat, honorary secretary, Matruchaya Trust, the children are encouraged to address all their care-givers as Tai (Sister) and Dada (Brother), so that the feeling of family is uppermost on their minds.

Typically, the ashram educates the girls up to college and helps get them married to eligible boys. A marriage of one of our girls is a very happy moment for all of us. Many of the girls continue visiting the ashram with their own children. They treat the ashram like a Maher-ghar (mothers home). Patil said.

Here is the original post:

Matruchaya's Balika Kalyan Ashram is a boon for girls! - Oherald

Following their favoriteactors and pop icons, the people here in Chandigarh are also sweating out in gyms and aerobics classes to look fab and fit like them. But how may of you know the fitness centre you are going daily to is the best place for you and the workout you are following is correct and a per your body type.

Well, after a thorough research we have got an answer to your dilemma. Read on the below listed 7 best aerobics classes in Chandigarh that are the masters of the trade and will do equalhard work with you to bring your body and mind in perfect shape.

Fitnovatives tops the chart in our list of aerobics class at Chandigarh as it has some unique cardio exercising techniques that are certified and taught by experienced trainers. The ambience at Fitnovatives is very peppy and the aerobics classes are well choreographed to make you sweat out extra calories. This aerobics centre in Chandigarh is equipped with good exercising instruments and good music system for contemporary aerobics workout.

Fees: Rs 1600 per month (approx).

Address: SCO 3013, Level 1, Sector 22 D, Chandigarh.

Timings: 6 am 10 am, 5 pm 9:45 pm

Located in the posh sectors of the city beautiful, Danceworkz is known for more lively and amazing Zumbastyled aerobics classes in Chandigarh. Run by Indias Got Talent season 7 and Jhalak dikhlajaseason 9 fame Sumit Kumar, it is a great fitness studio for all age groups. He and his partner in the show, Borhan Reza are the perfect trainers of aerobics in Chandigarh who will make your sweltry cardiosessions, fun. The studio is spacious and swanky with ample moving area. The friendly atmosphere and young smiling faces fill you with positivity as and when you step in the studio. The aerobics classes are well choreographed and the trainers are very dedicated at their work.

Fees: Rs 1500 per month (approx)

Address: SCO 37, Top Floor, sector 18D, Chandigarh.

Timings: 7 am to 9 pm.

Boasting to offer result oriented fitness regime, Bodyzone Fitness is yet another studio providing aerobics classes in Chandigarh. Perfect infrastructure and highly trained professionals are the USP of this fitness centre. Bodyzone Fitness performs physical assessments on their members regularly to achieve 100% results. With great cardio exercisingroutine, you will be committed to experience fun, fitness and confidence.

Fees: Rs 2000 per month (approx)

Address: SCO 180-187, Second Floor, Madhya Marg, Sector 9-C, Chandigarh.

Timings: 6 am to 10 pm.

If you are looking for an enthusiastic and positive aura for aerobics classes in Chandigarh, then Neha Aerobic Classes is the place to be. It is Chandigarhs finest fitness studio that delivers aerobics, yoga, weight loss programs and other cardio exercises. Students experience great workout sessions as aerobics, zumba, Bhangra, yoga and spa is available all under one roof. The trainer, Neha even treats its students on weekends.

Fees: Rs 1600 per month (approx)

Address: House Number 604 First Floor, Sector 33b, Chandigarh.

Timings: Mon-Fri 6 am to 9: 30 am, Sat- sun 5:30 am only.

Nestled in the busiest Piccadilly Mall in sector 34, Chandigarh, E fit is a fair option for strength, weight training and cardioworkouts. They also offer aerobics classes at their studio in Chandigarh. This is an apt destination for fitness freaks as they offer both holistic and high intensity workout options.

Fees: Rs 2000 per month approx.

Address: Piccadilly mall, ground floor, sector 34, Chandigarh.

Timings: 6:30 am to 10 pm

This is a dance academy that is thronged more by aerobics enthusiasts than the dance lovers. Their testimonials on their facebook page and on the digital directory for local searches speaks about their followers across Chandigarh. You give your 10% and the trainers at The Engine Roomknow how to extract 100% out of you. Every cardio session goes groovier than the previous one and their aerobics classes in Chandigarh are the ones to be tried.

Fees: Rs 2000 per month (approx)

Address: Sco 62-63, Sector 8 C, Madhya Marg, Chandigarh.

Timings: Mon 12 am to 8 pm/ Tues- Fri7 am to 8 pm/ Sat 4 pm to 8 am/ Sun 4 pm to 12 am

Planet Fitness in sector 8 is yet another destination for aerobics course in Chandigarh. Great energy and rigorous cardio workout sessions will bring you in shape within few months. Trust me if you are looking for an aerobics studio on Madhya Marg that is not there to only mint money but to provide results oriented and goal achieving fitness classes, then..this is the one!

Fees: Rs 2000 per month approx.

Address: SCO 62-63, Madhya Marg, Sector 8, Chandigarh.

Timings: 5:30 am to 10: 30 pm

Earlier, Leena Mogres Fitness also offered great aerobics classes in Chandigarh but unfortunately, it has closed down the operations in the city.

Enough research has been doneto provide you with the list of studios offering aerobics classes in Chandigarh. the fee mentioned above is just for an idea and the actual fee may vary from season to season or from person to person. We request our readers to get in touch with the fitness studio in Chandigarh and enquire about the details of aerobics classes.

All the best!

Click Below for all Gyms in Chandigarh

Follow this link:

Top 7 Aerobics Classes in Chandigarh with Fee & Details (Exclusive List) - Chandigarh Metro (blog)

If you dont eat animal products and you dont go, what are you even doing with your life?

March 24, 2017 Maddie Crichton Dining, Food

Veggie loversor anyone who just loves delicious foodunite this Sunday, March 26 at the third annual Vegan Street Fair in North Hollywood. Local vegan restaurants, food vendors, and shops will line up on Chandler between Tujunga and Vineland from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Over 150 vendors will be dishing out snacks and samples, as well as other goodies. Admission to the event is free, and the portions go for$4 a pop.

You can get ahead of the game and use this map to plan your day of non-stop eating before you get to the fair.

RELATED: Your Indispensable Guide to Vegan and Vegetarian Taco Bell Hacks

Tags: Burgers, fair, Food, sliders, vegan

The rest is here:

Cancel All Your Plans. The Vegan Street Fair Is This Sunday in NoHo - LA Magazine (blog)

A group of 19 nurses decided to test a plant-based diet, heres what happened.

One day at Virginias George Mason University, Joanne Evans, M.Ed., R.N., P.M.H.C.N.S.-B.C., gave a presentation to her nurse colleagues about the health benefits of a plant-based vegan diet. Nineteen of the nurses decided to see the science for themselves by test driving a vegan diet for 21 days.

A recent review about plant-based diets published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that a vegan diet has all kinds of health benefits, including reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes by 62 percent, reducing the risk of death or a hospitalization from a heart attack by 32 percent, and reducing the risk of developing all forms of cancer by 18 percent. But what more-immediate results would the nurses see?

The findings for this self-reported plant-based dietary review appear in the March 2017 issue of the American Journal of Nursing. They include the following.

After 21 days:

Ten of the nurses lost weight, with an average weight loss of 4.4 pounds; from a range of 1.5 to 9 pounds.

Six of the nurses reported gains in energy.

Seventy-four percent of the nurses (14 out of 19) lowered their cholesterol, with a mean average of 18 mg/dL.

But six of those 14 lowered their cholesterol by a notable 45 to 60 mg/dL!

Eight of them reported feeling highly satisfied with their health, while only one nurse reported this before the test began.

After the program concluded, the nurses reported eating more fruit and vegetables on a regular basis.

After the program concluded, the nurses reported eating less meat and dairy.

The nurses in the program achieved metabolic benefits without counting calories, measuring portion sizes, or adhering to strict rules, explains a statement for the review. They received support through weekly webinars with Evans, who answered questions about day-to-day challenges, provided advice about nutrient intake and cooking procedures, and offered feedback about how to integrate options for family and friends into every meal.

The nurses also used a free program, the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, created by the non-profit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. The meal-planning program launches the first day of each month and works as a support tool that offers dietitian-created meal plans, grocery shopping lists, inspirational tips, videos of cooking demos and grocery store tours, interactive tools, et cetera.

Large bodies of research show a plant-based vegan diet boosts weight loss, lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol, and stabilizes blood sugar, says Neal Barnard, M.D., F.A.C.C., creator of the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, president of the Physicians Committee, and an adjunct associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. We now have preliminary evidence that this way of eating boosts energy, too. The secret is to stick with the prescription since the health benefits last as long as youre putting the dietary principles into practice. A plant-based vegan diet is not a fad diet, but a new approach to eating, a new approach to health, and a new approach to life.

If you eat meat, would you consider changing to a plant-based diet for 21 days? Even the short-term results are pretty impressive.

Read more:

7 things that happened to these nurses after going vegan for 21 days - Treehugger

STOCKTON, Calif. Her chill playlist, as South Carolina point guard Tyasha Harris dubs it, is full of rapper Drakes more emotional tracks along with the likes of Lupe Fiasco and Eminem.

She pauses for a second to rack her brain, then remembers.

Oh, and some Chris Brown, Harris says. I listen to slow, chill music to calm my nerves.

The routine started around her freshman year of high school in Noblesville, Ind. Harris said she would have one set of music to relax her on the bus ahead of any given game, then another one full of hype music to get her going during pregame warm-ups. Five years later, almost the exact same playlist still blasts through her headphones before every game, and Saturday will be no different.

Thrust into a starting role midway through the season, the freshman point guard is in unchartered territory as the No. 1 seed Gamecocks take on No. 12 seed Quinnipiac at Stockton Arena in the women's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

Unable to control the ebbs and flows of the tournament or how others around her might perform, the one thing Harris can control is how she spends her downtime. And while the Gamecocks wait for Saturday afternoon, Harris has made it a point to spend hers doing things she finds relaxing.

I dont watch Netflix. I dont know what (my teammates) are watching, but Im just really watching all the NCAA Tournaments, the boys and the girls. (Friday) night there were a lot of good ones. The Michigan game and then West Virginia, that game, and then definitely the Arizona-Xavier game because I know a person who plays on the Xavier team, Trevon Bluiett, Harris said.

We watched the whole tournament on TV and laid down and chilled and then some of us went downstairs to play ping-pong (at the team hotel) for a little bit, too. So that was fun.

Harris has played in all 33 of USC's games in some capacity this season, starting in 23 of them, which marks a first for USC coach Dawn Staley.

In 16 previous seasons as a head coach, Staley never elected to have a freshman start at the point guard position. After Christmas break this season, she changed her mind.

We got back and coach sat us down before practice and was like, Were going to make some changes. Were just going to clarify everybodys role so we can know what were going to do, and kinda just told the team, thats when she named me as starting point guard, Harris said.

I still think Bianca Cuevas-Moore is still our starting point guard, just that shes now a spark off the bench. She helps me throughout everything. She teaches me stuff in practice and stuff like that if I dont understand anything, shell help me through that. So its an amazing feeling. They all help me and they all have trust in me, so it just gives me confidence.

So far, Staleys decision has paid off. While teammate Allisha Gray said Friday she wants to see Harris (5.3 points per game) become more of a scoring threat, its clear Harriss youth has not been a factor as South Carolina presses on. Harris was recently named to the SECs All-Freshman team and ranks ninth in assists for the conference despite not starting for nearly a third of the season.

To date, she has 109 assists to 52 turnovers, averaging 25.8 minutes per game. Against Arizona State in the round of 32, Harris admitted her nerves got to her down the stretch she even missed a pair of free throws but with more time comes more comfort. Staley hopes that holds up when the Gamecocks (29-4) play Quinnipiac (29-6) at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Ty's been calm, cool and collected all season long. She's a point guard that's probably far beyond her years. She's got a great approach to the game. She's just composed, Staley said. When you've played as many games and you've started as many games as she has in our league; she's battle tested. This stage, I don't think this stage will faze her. She will approach it the same way. Hopefully she'll continue to have the success that she's had.

Follow Grace Raynor on Twitter @gmraynor.

More:

South Carolina freshman point guard Tyasha Harris 'calm, cool, collected' as Gamecocks face Quinnipiac in NCAA's ... - Charleston Post Courier

MINNEAPOLIS | Organic cotton textiles register no more than a footnote in the worlds cotton production, but Vishal Naithani wants to change that.

His company, Sustained Organic Living in suburban Minneapolis, selects certified organic cotton grown in India with non-GMO seeds. The products are made using only fair trade labor on the farms and in the factories.

The challenge for Naithani and his company, which is known as Sol Organics, is to be able to create the level of interest among consumers for organic apparel that has been generated for organic food. For now, his chief weapon is price: He aims to price his products significantly lower than his online competitors and on par with high-quality bedding that is not fair trade organic.

Every family should have access to affordable organic cotton just like they have access to affordable organic food, he said. It shouldnt be only the wealthy who can afford premium products.

Sol Organics is one of a number of companies offering organic, fair trade textiles online or in stores. Companies such as Boll &Branch and Patagonia sell them. West Elm, Pottery Barn, and Target feature organic cotton that may or may not be fair trade. Naithani said Sol Organics is the only Minnesota-based company to do so.

Part of the reason Naithani acts as a maverick is that organic cotton hasnt grabbed the consumers attention like organic milk, produce and poultry.

Shoppers arent ingesting organic cotton as they do organic foods, so they may not see the benefit, said Mary Brett Whitfield, senior vice president at Kantar Retail, a retail consulting business. We havent trained shoppers to think about how cotton is grown or how it fits in the environmental food chain.

Conventionally grown cottons critics say the so-called fabric of our lives is a crop that requires lots of water and chemicals to grow. A pesticide-intensive crop, conventional cotton uses more than an average amount of pesticides, although the amount is in dispute.

Cotton covers 2.5 percent of the worlds cultivated land, yet growers use an estimated 10 to 25 percent of the worlds pesticides, according to Rodale Institute, a Pennsylvania organic farm and researcher. AMIS Global, an agriculture data firm, estimates the pesticide usage for cotton at closer to 5 percent, according to Cotton Inc.

In India, where more than 20 percent of the worlds cotton is grown, child labor is common. According to a Harris Poll conducted in 2016, three in five consumers would not purchase a cotton product if they knew it was picked by children or forced labor.

Naithani and others in the business believe that, in time, more consumers will search out organic sheets, towels and clothing. Only 5 percent of consumers purchase organic clothing, slightly higher among millennials, according to Kantar Retail.

At the wholesale level, organic, fair trade cotton costs only about 15 percent more than conventional cotton, Naithani said. He doubles the cost of the goods for his retail price while competitors triple the cost, he said.

The only way to get people to convert to buying organic cotton is to keep prices competitive. Costco and Wal-Mart have made organic food affordable, he said. We want to do the same for organic cotton.

At $119 for a queen set and $139 for a king set at solorganix.com (after a $40 instant savings), his prices are 30 to 50 percent less than comparable products online, but still nearly double what a conventional set costs at Kohls or J.C. Penney.

Naithani hopes to drop the price of his queen-sized set to $99 within two years, once the product reaches critical mass. Affordability is the tipping point, he said. It promotes access, which in turn creates demand and conversion to organic cotton.

Naithani, who also sells his product on Amazon, hopes to break $1 million in annual sheet sales by next month.

Thats still a fraction of the online retailer Boll &Branch, which sold about $40 million in organic fair trade sheets and towels in 2016.

Sols products are getting four- and five-star reviews online.

Increasing the demand for organic cotton creates this tremendous upside where everyone wins, the farmer, the consumer and the earth, he said.

Sustained Organic Living at a glance

Origin: Health and wellness market for 20 years; added organic sheets in 2016.

Revenue: $7 million in aromatherapy wraps and candles in 2016 and $1 million (projected in 2017) for organic bedding.

Products: Certified organic cotton, fair trade sheets, duvets, shams, and crib sheets plus warming therapy and diffusers. Coming soon: Sol Baby starter kit, flannel sheets, down and wool comforters, alpaca blankets.

Certification: Sols farms use Fair Trade USA and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). The factories use Fairtrade Labelling Organization.

Advantages/disadvantages of organic cotton: Reviewers say the cotton is softer but wrinkles a bit more. Naithani said organic cotton lasts longer.

About the company: Sol Organics

Origin: Health and wellness market for 20 years; added organic sheets in 2016.

Revenue: $7 million in aromatherapy wraps and candles in 2016 and $1 million (projected in 2017) for organic bedding.

Products: Certified organic cotton, fair trade sheets, duvets, shams, and crib sheets plus warming therapy and diffusers. Coming soon: Sol Baby starter kit, flannel sheets, down and wool comforters, alpaca blankets.

Certification: Sols farms use Fair Trade USA and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). The factories use Fairtrade Labelling Organization.

Advantages/disadvantages of organic cotton: Reviewers say the cotton is softer but wrinkles a bit more. Naithani said organic cotton lasts longer.

Originally posted here:

Can organic cotton become as mainstream as organic food? - St. Augustine Record

Organic Trade Association

WASHINGTON, D.C. New Nielsen findings released by the Organic Trade Association (OTA) on March 23 show things have changed in the kitchens of American households across the country, from small towns to the big cities. Organic can now be found on the shelves of kitchen cupboards and in the refrigerators of 82.3 percent of American households.

In the first comprehensive look at organic purchases by households on a state-by-state level, the nationally representative Nielsen study of 100,000 households conducted in 2015 and 2016 reported that more households than ever bought organic food on a regular basis throughout 2016. The national average climbed 3.4 percent from 2015 to 82.3 percent, while in Georgia, the number of households buying organic rose by a solid 4 percent to 81.5 percent. The state showing the biggest jump in households purchasing organic was North Dakota, where 85.6 percent of households participating in the Nielsen study reported buying organic in 2016, up a robust 14.2 percent from 2015.

These new findings show how important organic has become to millions and millions of American families everywhere to more than 80 percent of our nations 117 million households*, more than 80 percent of Georgias 3.5 million* households, more than 85 percent of North Dakotas almost 300,000 households*, said Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of OTA. The organic community is looking forward to working with the new leadership at USDA. We are eager to show how important adequate funding is to support a strong organic program and to help organic to continue to become a part of healthy diets of households throughout our nation.

The Nielsen findings show a number of states in which 90 percent or more of households now buy organic on a regular basis, with even the lowest levels all hovering around 70 percent. The five states seeing the biggest increases in households reporting organic purchases were:

North Dakota, where 85.6 percent of households participating bought organic in 2016, up 14.2 percent from 2015.

Rhode Island, with 88.3 percent buying organic, up 12.3 percent from 2015.

Wyoming, where 90.0 percent of participating households bought organic in 2016, up 10.8 percent.

South Dakota, which had the lowest percentage of any state at 68.9 percent, but still recorded a 10.0 percent increase.

Wisconsin, where 77.6 percent of participating households bought organic, up 9.1 percent from 2015.

Organic provides a healthy choice for consumers everywhere, and a profitable choice for farmers, said Batcha. The industry relies on a few critical public institutions to support this burgeoning industry, including the National Organic Program for global oversight and uniform standards and research investment targeted to organic production. Organic is fueled by consumers, and it thrives when USDA recognizes the importance of organic to rural economies and to rural households.

Organic food sales in the United States now total around $40 billion annually, and account for around five percent of total food sales in this country. According to the Organic Trade Associations 2016 U.S. Organic Industry Survey, total organic food sales in 2015 were $39.7 billion, up 11 percent from the previous year. This spring OTA will be releasing its 2017 industry survey, which will look at the U.S. organic market in 2016.

The Nielsen data comes from 100,000 participating households in the 48 contiguous states that are geographically and demographically diverse to represent the national population. Participating households record with a home scanner all food purchases for in-home consumption from any retail outlet, including organic items. Participants scan the Universal Product Codes (the bar codes that cashiers scan at the supermarket) to track their purchases. Nielsen has been tracking food purchases with its home scanner household panel since 2002.

*According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau statistics

See the rest here:

Study: Organic food in 82% of US households - Farm Forum

Springtime out here has a fairytale-like quality to it. Beyond the enchantment of renewal, the hope that comes with promise, the optimism emerging from the realization that we dont have to wear those Michelin Man-inspired overcoats for a while, spring offers something of a wake-up. No, we do not hibernate all winter in Western New York; the feeling is more of a wiping of cobwebs from the pursuit of aspirations.

My personal theory is that winters are three months long out here. It can snow, heavily, prior to those months and yes, it can snow in May, but if you make it through January, February and March youve made it through a Western New York winter. With an upcoming rainy week forecast by those paid to know, I predict were free of winter. I have no doubt my email box will be full of messages from razzers when some April blizzard hits, but I feel comfortable about this. Then again, I expected Villanova to win it all this year.

Its time to refill my little basement chamber of horrors, the space my shovels, scrapers and bags of rock salt inhabit when theyre not on duty. And then, its on to what?

Yes, baseball and drinking beer outdoors and walks instead of drives, and girls wearing shorts, the tracking-down friends unseen since the autumn and learning about who died and whos getting married and that myriad of things to do once the weather turns less hostile. Then theres income taxes due, the end of the semester if you keep time that way, examinations of whatever winter did to the outside of property, the next wave of watching that slow shipwreck in Washington. Mowing the lawn. Some people are so into lawn care they dream about it and television advertisements and entire channels are dedicated to the joy of it all, a personality disorder which has somehow long escaped me.

You could say that, if you regulate your life according to the change of season, each change will offer you a mixed bag of activities as the old bag gets thrown into the closet. No doubt about it, but that winter-turns-to-spring has more motivational mojo than the others, at least around here. You can almost sense the opportunity in the air, whereas just a few weeks ago all you had was snowflakes in the air.

Temperatures will eventually rise this year to the point they may break the 100 degree mark, something which has never occurred in Buffalo. In history. The maximum was 99 degrees in 1948 as the winters have gotten weirder, so have the summers.

An aside: I grew up in North Buffalo, and remember as a kid playing touch football in the street with my friends, more-or-less every Thanksgiving morning as we awaited whatever celebrations our respective families were planning. So it was a point of interest whether or not it would snow on Thanksgiving; these days I suspect no one even considers the possibility. Our street, incidentally, was not a fancy one but had medians of grass, which we called islands, separating the traffic lanes. Our football games offered few opportunities for end-around runs but we developed a hell of a passing attack.

I am the last person to coach anyone on the topic of spiritual renewal, but if thats what you seek then nows the time. Its the time, actually, for the renewal of New Years resolutions, or the start of a few. When you sluff off that winter coat and remove yourself from those boots, youll feel ten pounds lighter anyway.

You know, better than I ever will, what you need and want from your life, as well as what youre prepared to do about it. Take winters end as a signal that growth is about to begin.

All right, the motivational speech, like the Sabres season, is over. Some things will remain the same: however you feel about the Trump regime, I suspect its future actions or inaction will not change your attitude about it much. Life will go on whether the United Fighting Championship is a hit in the area, whether Uber ever hits the area, whether your daughter marries for money or for love. If you cannot play the piano today, you wont be able to play one next winter, unless you do something about it now.

Its such a do-something time, spring in Western New York is! This part of the world is crawling with creative writers, poets and others ready to pour out such expressive declamations, on paper by the yard, so Ill leave it to them. Snow and the rumors of snow get shoved aside for opportunities to do things instead of talk about them. Anything! Except, in my case, lawn care.

Contact Ed Adamczyk at EdinKenmore@gmail.com.

More:

ADAMCZYK: A meditation on spring. So wake up! - Niagara Gazette