An analysis of pesticide residue data was performed to describe and quantify differences between organically grown and non-organic fresh fruits and vegetables. Data on residues in foods from three different market categories (conventionally grown, integrated pest management (IPM)-grown/no detectable residues (NDR), and organically grown) were compared using data from three test programmes: The Pesticide Data Program of the US Department of Agriculture; the Marketplace Surveillance Program of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation; and private tests by the Consumers Union, an independent testing organization. Organically grown foods consistently had about one-third as many residues as conventionally grown foods, and about one-half as many residues as found in IPM/NDR samples. Conventionally grown and IPM/NDR samples were also far more likely to contain multiple pesticide residues than were organically grown samples. Comparison of specific residues on specific crops found that residue concentrations in organic samples were consistently lower than in the other two categories, across all three data sets. The IPM/NDR category, based on data from two of the test programmes, had residues higher than those in organic samples but lower than those in conventionally grown foods.

Pesticide residues in conventional, integrated pest management (IPM)-grown and organic foods: insights from three US data sets Part A Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment

Evidence that experiences of nature can benefit people has accumulated rapidly. Yet perhaps because of the domination of the visual sense in humans, most research has focused on the visual aspects of nature experiences. However, humans are multisensory, and it seems likely that many benefits are delivered through the non-visual senses and these are potentially avenues through which a physiological mechanism could occur. Here we review the evidence around these lesser studied sensory pathways—through sound, smell, taste, touch, and three non-sensory pathways. Natural sounds and smells underpin experiences of nature for many people, and this may well be rooted in evolutionary psychology. Tactile experiences of nature, particularly beyond animal petting, are understudied yet potentially fundamentally important. Tastes of nature, through growing and consuming natural foods, have been linked with a range of health and well-being benefits. Beyond the five senses, evidence is emerging for other non-visual pathways for nature experiences to be effective. These include ingestion or inhalation of phytoncides, negative air ions and microbes. We conclude that (i) these non-visual avenues are potentially important for delivering benefits from nature experiences; (ii) the evidence base is relatively weak and often based on correlational studies; and (iii) deeper exploration of these sensory and non-sensory avenues is needed.

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/8/864/pdf

A Review of the Benefits of Nature Experiences: More Than Meets the Eye.

There are many empirically determined influential factors known to control the organic food purchase behaviour. Of these known factors‐ health, product quality and concern for natural environmental degradation are seen as the major motives behind the organic food purchase. We, therefore, attempted to investigate the most prominent reason(s) for buying organic food, using the meta‐analyses of studies published during the last 25 years as our basis for conviction. Multilevel meta‐analyses was applied to the studies in review, in order to find the major reason(s) for the purchase of organic grocery, milk, fruits and vegetables. Although the three motivational factors mentioned above have been echoed throughout the history of organic food purchase research, the health factor has always topped the priority chart. The study in its overall empirical scale contributes to managerial implications and sets an agenda for future research.

Health motive and the purchase of organic food: A meta‐analytic review

As concerns about pollution and climate change become more mainstream, the belief that shopping with reusable grocery bags is an important environmental and socially conscious choice has gained prevalence. In parallel, firms have joined policy makers in using a variety of initiatives to reduce the use of disposable plastic bags. However, little is known about how these initiatives might alter other elements of consumers' in-store behavior. Using scanner panel data from a single California location of a major grocery chain, and controlling for consumer heterogeneity, the authors demonstrate that bringing one's own bags increases purchases of not only environmentally friendly organic foods but also indulgent foods. They use experimental methods to further explore the expression of these effects and to consider the effects of potential moderators, including competing goals and store policies. The findings have implications for decisions related to product pricing, placement and assortment, store layout, and ...

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BYOB: How Bringing Your Own Shopping Bags Leads to Treating Yourself and the Environment

How important is local food to organic-minded consumers?

Consumer Perceptions Towards Organic Food

Environmental Health Impact Assessment and Urban Planning

Aedes Mosquitoes Resistance in Urban Community Setting

Urban metabolism studies highlight the consumption of inputresources, the process within the system together from the source, use phaseand recycling of wastes. The aim of this study was to assess urban metabolism inthree cities in Malaysia; Kuala Lumpur, Ampang Jaya and Selayang by usingMaterial Flow Analysis (MFA). The data that was analysed included electricityinputs, water inputs, food (rice, eggs and sugar) inputs, carbon dioxide outputs,wastewater outputs and solid waste outputs. The national data were downscaledto provide regional data where deemed necessary. The electricityconsumption of 0.188 koe/cap/day in Klang Valley contributed to carbondioxide of 0.455 kg/cap/day, while 95.32% of water consumption becamewastewater. Consumption of 0.38 kg/cap/day of ‘rice, eggs and sugar’contributed in the production of 4.5 kg/cap/day of solid wastes. The urbanmetabolism approach provides information on urban management at city levelsuch as material cycling, energy efficiency and waste management and may alsoassist in decision making for future urban development planning as well asproviding an informed and rapid assessment on the environmental performanceof urban area.

Urban-Scale Material Flow Analysis: Malaysian Cities Case Study

Environmental impacts of cities are a growing concern because of the expanding population, growing demand of natural resources and production of pollutants to the environment. The urban metabolism concept stands on the basic ground that all the movement or flow of materials within an urban system can be accounted systematically. The Economic Input–Output analysis method is applied to the city of Barcelona, Spain as a system boundary to estimate the materials and energy resources required for and the environmental emissions resulting from activities in the economy. Economic input–output analysis is used as an approach to analyze a town metabolism with a demand-based approach. Many inputs and outputs ranging from residential, transportation, consumptions and services can be looked upon in the urban system. Some of the resulting impact of a city are not always immediate and direct, therefore only a complete examination of the urban system could observe those resulting impacts. Through urban metabolism approach, decision are hoped to be made in a more deliberate and systematic way. Limitation to the practice of urban metabolism via economic input–output analysis such as lacking of local and regional data is also addressed.

https://www.witpress.com/Secure/elibrary/papers/SC13/SC13003FU1.pdf

Farah Ayuni Shafie

Papers

Consumer Perceptions Towards Organic Food

Environmental Health Impact Assessment and Urban Planning

Aedes Mosquitoes Resistance in Urban Community Setting

Urban-Scale Material Flow Analysis: Malaysian Cities Case Study

Urban metabolism using economic input output analysis for the city of Barcelona