Degree on experience

Someone called my cell phone (thought they couldn't do that) asking if I was interested in obtaining a degree based on my life experience. I was so excited, of course I'm interested! Who wouldn't be?

So she asks me to tell me a little about my background and I interrupt her. I already know what degree I want - "that's great" she said, "what field are you interested in?" "Well, I think I'm an expert in Chocolate Chip cookies and would like a degree in them."
"Sir, you can't get a degree in cookies."
"Why not? Hear me out. I'm very much a connoisseur and could tell you more about the subtle differences between cookie recipes than most people around. I've eaten them my entire life and in most cases can tell you if they "Sir, we can't give you a degree in cookies. goodbye."

Rather rude, I would say. Especially since I think it's a valid request. If I don't qualify for one in cookies, I was also thinking of obtaining one in Hair Shampooing. I've been doing that a long time, too. While I'm not nearly as interested in it as Chocolate Chip cookies, just my long years of experience with it should earn me a degree. Oh well. Maybe next time.

I was quoted in an article I didn't even know about...

Not a bad article either....kinda glad a few people are listening:
See the Article Here

I had to post the cached page to get around the subscription vice...let me know if it doesn't work for you.

We just started carrying this amazing pork. I have tried the sausage, cutlets, and bacon so far and they are all awesome!

Also, our Brix meters are on their way. Brix testing is a way to help determine the quality of fresh produce in terms of mineral content. Even if something is grown organically, that doesn't mean there are minerals in the soil...which are needed for minerals to be present in the plants and vegetables. Odds are much better - most organic farmers take care of their soil and replenish minerals, but here at Greenling we looked for more conclusive evidence. The Brix testers help us make sure that everything we deliver is the best possible quality.

Home Delivery more sustainable

Great article from WorldChanging, a resource on sustainability:
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/007820.html

More Articles

Article about a peer-reviewed study on kids and pesticide levels in their saliva and urine. Kids who ate conventional foods had unhealthy levels of pesticides in both, kids who ate organic foods had none. Obvious for most of us, but there are a lot of people who are still on the fence about the benefits of Organics. please read if you have any doubt:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/349263_pesticide30.html

Great article on the link between antibiotic resistant bacteria and Honey Bee colony collapse disorder:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/magazine/16wwln-lede-t.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=magazine%3E

Here's a great article about Greenling from Tribeza magazine:
http://www.tribeza.com/?q=pd/articledetail&nid=2320

Simple way to help clean Texas' air

www.smokingvehicle.org , or 1-800-453-SMOG

TCEQ website where you can report vehicles that are not functioning properly and are smoking either from the engine or tailpipe.

All they really do is send a letter to the vehicle owner asking them to fix it, but often that's all that's needed. A little peer pressure.

Senate Passes Farm Bill

Some good news for Organics. This is not real support for the industry, but considering some of the roadblocks we've been facing, it's a huge win and a small step towards equality for organics in the USDA:
---
Legislative Update
Senate today passes its version of the Farm Bill
In a major milestone, the U.S. Senate today approved its version of the Farm Bill in a 79 to 14 vote. Included are funding and direction for key organic priorities, including a sense that organic research be funded at a level commensurate with organic agriculture's share of teh market. Some of the other provisions allot funds for organic data collection and certification cost share; would bar the U.S. Department of Agriculture from charging a premium surcharge on organic crop insurance; and would add organic production as an eligible activity in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The Senate version and the version approved this summer by the U.S. House of Representatives must go to conference to settle any differences before a final bill is voted on by Congress.

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I hear not much headway has been made on eliminating govt. farm subsidies for corn and other commodities, but at least they're making concessions for Organics.

Cool Links

Here's a site that uses actual driving data from its members to arrive at average MPG estimates for hybrid cars:
http://www.greenhybrid.com/
Very interesting stuff. I also saw some calculations a guy did on the break-even point for buying the prius over a corolla. He thinks a corolla can achieve 35mpg without hybrid technology and compared the base sticker price with that of the hybrid ($15.5k for corolla and $21k for prius). He assumes 45mpg for the prius and $3/gallon gas. Here's his formula: (x/35-x/45) = (21000-15500)/3. This resulted in around a 280,000 mile pay-off for buying the hybrid not taking into consideration differences in maintenance.
Doesn't seem to be compelling, but buying a hybrid is just so cool.

More Proof

I can't wait for organic pudding so I can start saying "The proof is in the pudding". What does that mean anyways?
Here's some more proof for ya that organics is more nutritious:
http://green.msn.com/articles/article.aspx?aid=295&GT1=10725
It might be the same study as the EU one....honestly, I wanted to post it, but don't have time right now to read the whole thing.

Meeting with Kirk Watson

Senator Watson carried the Organic Advisory Board bill for me in the Senate Natural Resources Committee. After we successfully passed the bill, a couple of months ago we sat down to talk about the future. He is excited to continue working for the Organic and Sustainability movement and we are working on a strategic plan for future legislation. He is really a great guy and doesn't fit the mold at all of a politician. I asked him how often he gets frustrated with the political process - "Every day!" He says at least once a week he really hates it. I really admire him sticking it out. I'm not sure I could have that kind of patience.....but you never know until you try.

EU spends $25 million in research to confirm organic food better

a 4 year study has just been completed confirming what many of us already know - Organic food is better and more nutritious than conventional food! Check it out:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=28607

Save Some Trees, Will Ya!

Stop annoying junk mail here - www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist

And even better (I guess it gets worse the better your credit is) stop those annoying credit card offers - https://www.optoutprescreen.com/opt_form.cgi


Americans get up to 1.5 trees' (think huge pine tree) worth of junk mail each year.

Congratulations to Greenling on More Awards!!

Greenling has won 2 awards in the last 2 weeks!

The first award comes from PC Magazine and recognizes our innovative use of technology to run our business! See the story here - http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2190139,00.asp

The second award is one I have always admired and never expected to win. The Austin Chronicle has their yearly Best Of reader's poll awards. Winning this award takes more than just recognition from some judges, it comes straight from the mouths of Central Texas people. So, you voted, and we won "Best Local Food Company!!" We're so honored and excited about this award. You can read about it here - http://tinyurl.com/yrw65a

Thanks for all of your support and we hope to be a long-term institution here in Central Texas.

Plastic Bag Ban in Austin

There's a group organizing with the goal of banning plastic bags in Austin. Here's their website: http://bagthebags.com/index.htm
I think it's awesome! There's really no need for the conventional plastic bags anymore. Yes, they are cheaper than their biodegradable alternatives, but their impact on the environment is significant. Many cities and countries have successfully banned them.

We here at Greenling looked for alternatives for our produce bags (what you put lettuce, etc. in to keep it from drying out) since we started. We finally found an alternative in oxy-biodegradable bags. From that point on we haven't used any non-recyclable packaging materials for anything we sell (well, unless it came in non-recyclable packaging - which we frown upon but will put up with for certain products). We also sell the bio-bags they recommend people using for their trash bags. They're so cool! Just don't leave organic waste in them for too long, cause just your kitchen scraps will eat the bag up. So we're ready for a ban and we'd love for the rest of Central Texas grocery to follow suit.

Dell Asset Recovery

We were recently featured in a short video about Dell's new asset recovery program. It's a good upgrade from their old system and really makes recycling technology equipment easy. Greenling is the feature of the video.
http://tinyurl.com/2dszp8

Texas Association of Organics & Sustainability

or The TAOS Group, is in the works. I'm very excited to be creating this association as an extension of the Organic Advisory board to the TDA that I had legislation drafted for and recently was signed into law. The Organic Advisory board's main role is to monitor the Organic food industry and recommend to the TDA activities and opportunities for the state to support the Organic industry in Texas. The TAOS Group will soon be the first legislative advocacy group for the Organic and Sustainability industry in Texas. My hope is that the group will help educate legislators on the industry and how the State can better develop public policy to support sustainable growth and organic agriculture.

Aurora Dairy finally penalized

This is great news for Organic Dairy consumers and valid producers. The USDA has stepped down and penalized the largest organic dairy farm in the US for its not-so-organic practices. See more here:
http://tinyurl.com/39mj45

This story first made the news almost 2 years ago when a consumer watchdog group investigated the dairy and broke the news. Hopefully in the future the USDA investigation process will not take so long. One problem, though, is that the USDA organic enforcement staff is all of 6 people for the entire $17 billion dollar industry. More support is needed to properly regulate the industry and ensure continued consumer confidence in Organic products.

Spider Plugs

So, by now you know that I am a founder of Greenling Organic Delivery.
What I just learned is that blogs like this can be a good tool for Search Engine Optimization. Inbound links are a fairly important part of a healthy google ranking for a website like www.Greenling.com
Obviously I don't want to overdo it, but please excuse this rant aimed at primarily being a vehicle for creating inbound links to Greenling. Some of you may also know that you can go to www.AustinOrganicDelivery.com and get to our website too. We don't advertise that anymore, but it's amazing how many times we still find references to www.AustinOrganicDelivery.com instead of Greenling.com. We thought AustinOrganicDelivery.com would be easy for people to remember, but it turns out we were wrong. People much more appreciated www.Greenling.com as our website.

I hope that wasn't too dense, but it's actually a valid topic. I should also mention that aside from your favorite local and/or organic fruits and vegetables, we also carry dairy, bread, meats, and many, many grocery items too. They all adhere to our strict standards for not just organic certification, but corporate principles as well. We investigate every item we sell and ensure that the company behind it is as committed to organic leadership as we are.

So, again, sorry for the plugs.

Mason Arnold

Google Alerts

I have set up google alerts to send me any new info published to the web for certain key words. I of course have my name set up and I also have alerts for several company-related topics - "organic food" "organic delivery" "greenling" and "terminator technology." The last one I follow primarily because I think it's just so scary. Anyways, I learn some very interesting things reading all the new articles on these topics. One hilarious website informed us that there's going to be a movie out next year with some little green men called Greenlings. Here's that link - http://tinyurl.com/247m3g
Luckily we have trademark on "Greenling" so I don't have to worry about a movie studio coming after me.....also being in completely different industries helps. Another interesting link is a fairly new website - www.wewantorganicfood.com. Seems to have some good tips and articles on organics.

It Appears a Federal Judge Agrees with Me

WASHINGTON -

Competition from conventional supermarkets would prevent Whole Foods Market Inc. from significant price hikes if it acquires rival organic grocer Wild Oats Markets Inc., a federal judge's ruling said. --Forbes Magazine

Whole Foods and Wild Oats

It has been a very interesting story to follow. Both sides have good arguments. The FTC is pretty adamant that Whole Foods' purchase would create a monopoly on the natural foods movement. #1 buying #2 with #3 far, far behind is pretty big. But it's all about how you define the market. If you think natural foods stores primarily compete against each other than the FTC's argument is very valid. And, in fact, when you hear people in Austin talk about grocery shopping they either talk about HEB/Randalls/Albertsons OR they talk about Whole Foods/Central Market/Sun Harvest. Not many people consider them to be very comparable to the mainstream grocery stores.

But if you dig down further and look at what they're selling....I think it tips the other way in favor of Mackey's argument. Did you know that only 45% of organic foods last year were bought in natural food stores (Sundale Research, 2007)? Did you also know that this # is expected to decline steadily as organic foods become more available? From this perspective, Whole Foods AND Wild Oats should be much more worried about competition from mainstream markets than from each other. A merger would help them stay competitive and WF would gain presence in many markets it doesn't currently serve, making it a real, nationally recognized brand that hopefully people would trust their organic and natural shopping with.

It currently looks like the merger will go through.