How state laws designed to make hospitals earthquake proof are threatening services, forging mergers and jerking costs of care.

As a 2013 deadline looms for meeting the first set of standards of seismic compliance, hundreds of California hospitals ordered to retrofit their buildings are pleading for extensions. The majority of them are facing a lending crunch during the unyielding recession: How will they possibly secure billions in funding needed to get their buildings up to code by 2020?

Code compliance has basically become a sink-or-swim scenario for medical providers that must either conform or risk losing acute care in buildings they fail to upgrade. That threat has prompted public policy observers and industry leaders to condemn the mandate as a huge mess created by naive lawmakers who enacted Senate bill 1953 in 1994 following the Northridge earthquake. It is clear now to the public that those lawmakers failed to consider how much it would cost to make these centers safer than safe, despite the fact most medical buildings have survived past earthquakes without a loss of life.

The scope of a retrofit covers a wide and complex range of hospital features from securing a foundation and walls that might crumble to installing stronger beams to improving plumbing and wiring and securing any precarious objects that might fall when a building shakes. While not part of the mandate, hospitals are using the opportunity of rebuilding to address energy consumption issues in their building envelopes (roofs, walls and insulation) and all  systems such as air conditioning, heating, and the timely replacement of energy-hogging equipment.

Some hospitals are taking the effort to also achieve one of the LEED certification standards in overall ecologically friendly design in the performance and reconstruction of their buildings. LEED as it applies to hospital buildings has its own set of challenges. Hospitals use a tremendous amount of energy to operate daily and California architects recognize that even adding solar panels to parking structures will help to make a small dent in the overall consumption. It also sends a message to the community that they are conscious of their own energy consumption.

While embracing the green alternative energy with open arms, teams responsible for moving quickly to secure their walls and foundations are being bogged down with stringent fire safety codes requiring compliance of facilities which are already largely non- combustible. This also works to complicate an already stressed facility system for hospitals. Architects, designers and project managers complain of being inundated with unreasonable and redundant safety measures all at once, making it even more expensive and convoluted as they strive to do their jobs in providing retrofitted structures for patients and staff.

The largest obstacle, though, is not innovating new master plans but obtaining the astronomical funding needed. The timing couldn’t be worse as CFO’s go begging for money during the recession when already skittish  lenders are expected to step forward and do what the state is refusing to do: Finance enormous retrofit projects while  incurring an approximate 3% annual escalation rate while awaiting approvals from an already taxed regulatory process.

El Centro Regional Medical Center, one of thousands in the planning stages of compliance with state mandate

The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) – which oversees the construction and planning for the hospitals -  is said to be short staffed and flooded with plans and taking a year or longer to issue permits for hospitals to actually begin work.

“If the entire project runs $100 million and inflation escalates at 3% per year, then a year of delay by the state regulatory commission is costing $3 million, and that is money that could save lives,” insists Steve Henry Nielsen,  architect and project manager on one such project in the planning stages at the El Centro Regional Medical Center near San Diego. Like many hospitals, this one is choosing a a re-design of each of its non-conforming buildings over shutting down and starting over. And while it is able to meet the 2013 deadline by submitting its master plans and drawings for its central utility plant, the architect argues it is costing taxpayers too much to make  changes based on theoretical fears.

“Are we going to lose more lives from people not affording health care due to the rising costs from these upgrades or from buildings falling down on them?” wonders Nielsen, who adds it all boils down to a fear factor in the country which has given rise to excessively stringent building codes.”We’re spending billions statewide – Loma Linda Hospital is estimating $800 million alone for its upgrades – for an added percentile of safety we will never utilize; an added percentile costing a real premium.”

Larger hospitals in Los Angeles and the Bay Area are being hit even harder by the high costs of healthcare infrastructure construction than their rural counterparts which tend to be one-story buildings in valleys at a low earthquake risk. According to the Rand Corporation, the finished cost of a newly furnished and equipped hospital is about $1,000 per square-foot, more than three times the cost of building a new office tower.

The timing could not be worse for financing these projects, according to outspoken critic Wanda Jones, who runs a San Francisco consulting firm, The New Century Healthcare Institute which educates the public and the industry on healthcare policy issues.

“The recession is causing a downturn in hospital demand as workers lose their co-pay or insurance and lenders aren’t interested in loaning to places with 50% occupancy,” she stresses, “And at the same time the state won’t provide lending or grants. These lawmakers who passed this are just so ignorant, their hubris in not knowing anything about interest rates. They thought this was merely a matter of retrofitting buildings but you can’t retrofit when you have patients with all of the dust and noise and shutting down proves untenable.”

Jones adds that lawmakers originally estimated the cost of the bill would reach $24 million for retrofitting only, clarifying the state would foot the bill for anything over that amount.

“We now have a majority of urban and suburban hospitals choosing to do replacement down to the foundations and re-designing their operating systems, but only one, St. Johns Hospital in Santa Monica has shut down and reopened so far,”‘ she says. “The actual cost of the bill has been estimated at $400 billion and escalate that by inflation and you see why a lot of smaller hospitals won’t be able to get the funding.”

El Camino Hospital, $200 million seismic facelift

As an example of one of the behemoths that has persevered, Jones credits El Camino Hospital of Mountain View, California which not only retrofitted from the ground up to meet seismic upgrade building codes but also introduced construction innovations, improved its department by department efficiency as well as patient flow, emerging as the most technologically advanced hospital in the country, according to Jones.

Unlike most large hospitals, El Camino had the land to allow project officer Ken King to erect the new building between the old ones and then slowly phase out the outmoded units.

However, the norm affects hospitals without enough real estate to even adequately address their own current parking problems. The result has been a pattern of shotgun mergers in which some of the smaller hospitals join forces. This partnering mollifies the impact of the current climate of rising inflation and a Medicare crisis in the reimbursement for services.

“We had 450 hospitals in the state in the 1980′s and now we have 388 and we aren’t done yet,” says Jones. “The upside is we might end up with a higher quality hospital in the case of an old one from the 60s merging with a more modern building, but the downside is that as a rule, new hospitals are not being built in California.”

The mergers could mean patients are driving farther for care, but Jones says California is a state where the population is used to driving one hour for dinner and that people in the outlying towns near Bakersfield are now driving to the larger city hospital because they can secure good care. As a result, she argues the state should revisit opening more emergency and urgent care facilities as it once had throughout the state, before larger hospitals lobbied to close and absorb them.

While some  lawmakers have openly expressed regret about signing off on the 1994 bill prior to fully understanding the scope of the work, most realize there is no turning back now that many entities have already invested millions on compliance while others have spent thousands of man hours in planning sessions to simply get the ball rolling.

In the meantime, at least OSHPD has been “malleable” in granting deadline extensions to those demonstrating progress, according to Nielsen, and the agency admits acute care hospitals that must comply by 2013 may encounter unforeseen delays beyond their control. But one of the benefits of all of this is the construction provides an opportunity for hospitals to upgrade all of their systems from an ecological perspective. This includes insulating exterior walls and roofs, and upgrading all equipment to being more energy efficient. For instance,  new imaging equipment can be up to 40% more energy efficient than the same equipment ten years ago. Also, all standard building utilities such as air conditioning, heating, hot water and electrical management can conform to current energy strategies as well.

One example is El Centro Regional Medical Center is looking at co-generation to become more energy efficient in its new services for the hospital. “If a building is down, you are not going to build it to previous energy strategies,” observes Nielsen. “You are naturally going to embrace the current technological knowledge that is out there.”

Still, once hospitals are ready to begin construction and move ahead on such beneficial  improvements, they are getting mired in bureaucratic red tape resulting from over-taxed regulators. OSHPD must review all of these plans and refuses to take the blame for the growing  backlog for permit approval.

“These delays could range from contractor issues to local ordinance requirements,” explains David Byrne, Information Officer of OSHPD. As far as the agency’s own delays in approving plans, Byrne says the responsibility for the hold up can be widely distributed among hospitals, their design team and regulatory agencies.

“Hospital buildings are some of the most complex buildings in the state requiring the highest level of building standards, codes and regulations and the review is a collaboration process between the architects and engineers designing the facility and OSHPD,” Byrne says. “The number of back checks and the amount of time the designers have the plans before resubmitting plans for back check can have a substantial impact on the overall duration of a project from first submittable to approval. On average, plans are with OSHPD less than 50% of the time.”

Counter to this, Nielsen is of the opinion that OSHPD is generally checking for things that aren’t going to matter if a theoretical earthquake ever hits.

Image: Mazetti

When Nutella, donuts and muffins meet, it’s easy to feed your cravings and forget it’s even vegan.  

Since my kitchen is void of donut molds, and since our fearless Foodie Underground columnist Anna, sent me a Nutella Donut Muffin recipe with a Vegan This dare, I made these donuts muffin-style, with no regrets. And as it turns out, they are best described as a true textural and taste blend of a donut and a muffin – fluffed to perfection with a finely tuned blend of gluten-free flours and filled with homemade Nutella—an EcoSalon favorite.

Normally, donuts, muffins and Nutella make the perfect food coma pairing. Not being one for comatose Sunday brunches, I softened the blow with less processed ingredients like coconut oil instead of butter, homemade almond milk in place of dairy and Nutella with real hazelnuts in lieu of artificial flavorings. For vegans like me who, beyond pure choice, are allergic to foods like milk and eggs, hazelnuts are actually the perfect ingredient. Full of phytochemical flavonoids (antioxidants) like quercetin, these little nuts may help to reduce allergic reactions. And, with healthy doses of vitamins E and B to boot—for healthy skin and a healthy metabolism, respectively – I’ll take a spoonful of hazelnuts with my sugar any day.

Denser than a donut, but still light, sugary and perfectly sweet, these quick and easy treats will give your cravings a real farewell. For now, at least.

The Original – Nutella Donut Muffins
from US Masala

Ingredients

For the donut muffins
• 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup oil
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Nutella (as needed)

For the coating
• 3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

The Vegan & Gluten-Free Nutella Donut Muffins
Makes approximately 9 donut muffins

Ingredients

For the donut muffins
• 1 ¾ cup flour – follow the following gluten-free flour blend:
• (¾ cup sorghum flour)
• (¼ cup sweet rice flour)
• (3/8 cup white rice flour)
• (¼ tapioca flour)
• (1/8 cup almond flour)
• (½ teaspoon xanthan gum)
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup oil (I used cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil)
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg substituted (I blended 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds with 3 tablespoons water)
• ¾ cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Nutella (I made this homemade, vegan version)

For the coating
• 3-4 tablespoons vegan butter (I used Earth Balance coconut spread)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F, and grease a muffin tray with vegan butter or coconut oil.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together your gluten-free flour blend, and add in the baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, egg-substitute and non-dairy milk. Add the dry ingredients and stir only until fully combined.
4. Follow these instructions to whip up your Nutella hazelnut spread.
5. Place 2 tablespoons of the muffin donut batter into your prepared muffin tins. Add 1 teaspoon of Nutella and cover with approximately 2 more tablespoons of batter until the muffin tins are ¾ full.
6. Bake for 18-22 minutes. (Mine were perfectly done after exactly 18 minutes).
7. Prepare your coating by melting your vegan butter in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together your cinnamon and sugar.
8. While the muffins are still warm, shake them out of the pan on to a cooling rack.
9. Dip your muffin donuts into your melted vegan butter and then into your cinnamon sugar mixture.
10. Allow to cool for approximately 10 minutes. These are perfect when warm and still wonderful when cool (up to 3 days—especially if making these gluten free). Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator if storing longer.

Note: These would also be delicious filled with your favorite homemade jam, in lieu of the Nutella, or simply plain, filling-free.

Enjoy!

EcoSalon’s fashion columnist and recent West Coast transplant Johanna Björk shows us how she plans to accessorize her favorite washed-out gray denim and white tank this summer.

Ever wondered how our editors channel this season’s trends to complement the favorite pieces in their own wardrobes? Well, look no further. Today the turn has come to me to show you how I plan to style two of my go-two basics for the summer. My style is all over the place, but when I don’t know what to wear I always come back to those great basics with a proven track-record. That perfect shade of washed-out gray denim is hard to come by, these have been perfected by decades of wear and what I really love about them is that they are ankle-length – totally right for summer. I’ve always preferred tanks over tees, and that’s something I am sticking to this summer, with a perfect white tank from PACT.

All I need is some great accessories, comfy flats and a classic striped sweater to keep me warm through those sometimes chilly California nights.

Organic by John Patrick Perforated Stripe Pullover
A classic striped sweater is something every girl should have in her wardrobe. This one has perforation details that give it a great sporty vibe that’s totally on trend for summer. Made from 100% Superfine merino wool it will keep me warm once the sun sets too.
$255, Organic by John Patrick

Greenpacha Panama Color Rose Hat
I love a good hat and am not afraid to wear it. This one by Greenpacha Hats for a Better World has a great blush pink color that will go well with all those summer lights and neutrals I intend to wear instead of my usual black and gray uniform. Made by artisans in Ecuador from sustainably harvested Toquilla palm straw. Greenpacha also donates 2% of sales back to the weaving communities
$87.50, Fashioning Change

Bricks and Silver Necklace by Natalie Frigo
When wearing an otherwise simple outfit, I like to dress it up with a statement necklace, like this one. Made by hand in designer Natalie Frigo’s NYC studio from ethically sourced black tourmaline beads with silver on an adjustable ultra-suede strap.
$180, Natalie Frigo

Rikar Flat Sandal by Coclico
When it comes to shoes, I tend to gravitate toward those sky-high showpieces that one ends up wearing just a few times. What can I say? I just love a good high heel. This summer, however, I have promised my feet to invest in a really great pair of flat sandals. These nude-colored leather ones from Coclico are great contenders.
$325, Juno & Jove

Marilu Belt by Brave Leather
All I really want for summer is a wide Celine-style belt that sits low on the hip. It will instantly propel even the most boring outfit into fashionville and is super-easy to wear. I love the minimalistic elegance of this one, by Brave Leather – hand crafted in Canada by skilled craftspeople, in a safe, ethical factory.
$125, Brave Leather

Put your best foot forward.

A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. -Paul Dudley White

The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk. -Jacqueline Schiff

There is this to be said for walking: it’s the one mode of human locomotion by which a man proceeds on his own two feet, upright, erect, as a man should be, not squatting on his rear haunches like a frog. -Edward Abbey

My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the heck she is. -Ellen DeGeneres

There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country. A fine landscape is likea piece of music; it must be taken at the right tempo. Even a bicycle goes too fast. -Paul Scott Mowrer

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. -Steven Wright

If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk. -Raymond Inmon

When I’m in turmoil, when I can’t think, when I’m exhausted and afraid and feeling very, very alone, I go for walks. It’s just one of those things I do. I walk and I walk and sooner or later something comes to me, something to make me feel less like jumping off a building. -Jim Butcher

Solvitur ambulando, St. Jerome was fond of saying. To solve a problem, walk around. -Gregory McNamee

All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking. -Friedrich Nietzsche

I would walk along the quais when I had finished work or when I was trying to think something out. It was easier to think if I was walking and doing something or seeing people doing something that they understood. -Ernest Hemingway

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. -John Muir

Walking is the great adventure, the first meditation, a practice of heartiness and soul primary to humankind. Walking is the exact balance between spirit and humility. -Gary Snyder

Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn – that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness – that season which has drawn from every poet worthy of being read some attempt at description, or some lines of feeling. -Jane Austen, Persuasion

I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me. -Noël Coward

Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow. -Henry David Thoreau

The true charm of pedestrianism does not lie in the walking, or in the scenery, but in the talking. The walking is good to time the movement of the tongue by, and to keep the blood and the brain stirred up and active; the scenery and the woodsy smells are good to bear in upon a man an unconscious and unobtrusive charm and solace to eye and soul and sense; but the supreme pleasure comes from the talk. -Mark Twain

Walking: the most ancient exercise and still the best modern exercise. -Carrie Latet

But the beauty is in the walking – we are betrayed by destinations. -Gwyn Thomas

Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. -Soren Kierkegaard

I haven’t got any special religion this morning. My God is the God of Walkers. If you walk hard enough, you probably don’t need any other god. -Bruce Chatwin 

My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing. -Aldous Huxley

I dream of hiking into my old age. -Marlyn Doan

When you have worn out your shoes, the strength of the shoe leather has passed into the fiber of your body. I measure your health by the number of shoes and hats and clothes you have worn out. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

You need special shoes for hiking – and a bit of a special soul as well. -Terri Guillemets

I have two doctors, my left leg and my right. -G.M. Trevelyan

Many people nowadays live in a series of interiors… disconnected from each other. On foot everything stays connected, for while walking one occupies the spaces between those interiors in the same way one occupies those interiors. One lives in the whole world rather than in interiors built up against it. -Rebecca Solnit

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day. -Henry David Thoreau

If I could not walk far and fast, I think I should just explode and perish. -Charles Dickens

Meandering leads to perfection. -Lao Tzu

ALSO CHECK OUT:

50 Quotes About Meditation And Yoga

40 Best Quotes About Solitude

30 Best Quotes About Staying Well Physically and Spiritually

30 Best Quotes About Nature

Want to see more quotes? Go here.

Images: Stephen Heron, Vinoth Chandar, Iryna Yeroshko

A government assault on the pomegranate.

Everyone knows that juice is good for you. But can a company claim that its benefits extend beyond general healthfulness? That was the question at hand last week, when a judge ruled that pomegranate juice purveyor Pom Wonderful was misleading customers by saying that its product reduces the risk of heart disease, prostate cancer, and impotence. The ruling came two years after a complaint from the Federal Trade Commission contending that Pom’s advertising was false and misleading.

Though the decision clearly stated that the juice company had insufficient evidence to support its claims, Pom reacted with a set of full-page celebratory advertisements in publications like the New York Times, with pull-out quotes from the ruling about the health benefits of pomegranates, which many critics say were taken out of context. The case begs the question: is pomegranate juice the “antioxidant superpower,” “death cheater,” and “life preserver” that Pom claims it is? Or is it no different than a glass of Tropicana?

When Stewart and Linda Rae Resnick started Pom Wonderful in 2002, few were familiar with the sweet, juicy, seed-filled pomegranate. But thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign on the fruit’s health benefits, pomegranates soon started showing up in everything from muffins to green tea to vodka, with Pom at the center of the frenzy.

Though the fruit originally hails from modern-day Iraq and Iran, Pom’s juice comes from pomegranates grown in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Pom promotes its juice as coming from “tree to bottle,” without added sugars, colorants, or low-grade fruit juices. In fact, in an interesting twist, Pom has previously sued competitor brand Minute Maid for false and misleading advertising surrounding its Enhanced Pomegranate Blueberry Juice, which contains just 0.3% pomegranate juice. The full story, from Pom’s point of view, is available in an article titled The True Story Behind Pomegranate Juice: Why POM is the Real Deal and Why Minute Maid is a Deceptive Sham. (Those juice guys sure don’t mince words.)

The Good

As far as juices go, pomegranate is pretty exceptional. One 8-ounce bottle provides about 50 percent of an adult’s recommended daily allowance of vitamins A, C, and E; 100 percent RDA of folic acid; and 13 percent RDA of potassium. In 2008, a UCLA study ranked it the healthiest fruit juice, above red wine and concord grape juice, because of its high levels of disease-fighting antioxidants.

Claims that pomegranate juice can help fight prostrate cancer originated in a series of studies reported in Harvard Men’s Health Watch in 2007. In the first study, pomegranate fruit extracts were shown to slow the growth of cultured cancer cells. Those cancer cells were then implanted in mice, which developed smaller tumors than untreated animals after receiving water laced with pomegranate juice. In another study, of men living with prostrate cancer, drinking pomegranate juice lengthened PSA doubling time and slowed tumor growth.

The same article referenced previous studies of pomegranate juice’s effect on heart disease, which showed that it can protect bad cholesterol from oxidative damage. Two small clinical trials also showed that pomegranate juice can lead to a decrease in carotid artery thickness and an improvement in cardiac blood flow.

But while the Harvard studies suggest a correlation between pomegranate juice consumption and better health, the article made sure not to state a direct causal relationship. It concluded:

The bottom line: Early studies raise hopes that pomegranates may have potential benefits for prostate cancer and heart disease, but more research is needed to determine whether these hopes are justified.

The Bad

Pom’s troubles began about two years ago, in September 2010, when the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint against Pom for deceptive and misleading advertising, particularly relating to claims about the juice’s prevention and treatment of heart disease, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction. “Any consumer who sees POM Wonderful products as a silver bullet against disease has been misled,” said David Vladeck, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a CBS News report.

On May 17, the complaint reached a conclusion with a cease-and-desist order from FTC chief administrative judge D. Michael Chappell, which stated:

The greater weight of the persuasive expert testimony demonstrates that there is insufficient competent and reliable scientific evidence to substantiate claims that the Pom products treat, prevent or reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction or that they are clinically proven to do so.

The ruling mentioned similar findings on Pom’s claims regarding heart disease and prostate cancer, and it ordered Pom and parent company Roll Global to submit ad and marketing materials, complaints, and comments to the FTC for the next five years.

Though some might see the ruling as devastating, Pom Wonderful seemed to view it as a win. On its website, Pom announced that it was “vindicated,” and in a corporate press release, it stated: “In a 335 page ruling, the FTC’s Administrative Law Judge has upheld POM Wonderful’ s right to share valuable, scientifically-validated information about the health benefits of its safe food with consumers.”

Pom also followed up the ruling with a number of provocative advertisements published last week, taglined: “FTC vs. POM: You be the judge.”

In the advertisements, Pom quotes statements from Judge Chappell’s ruling, which state that the health benefits of pomegranate juice are not in doubt and that pomegranate juice provides a benefit to erectile and prostate health.

But food scientist and activist Marion Nestle, who authors the blog Food Politics, decided to fact-check these quotes. One ad, for example, reads:

Competent and reliable scientific evidence supports the conclusion that the consumption of pomegranate juice and pomegranate extract supports prostate health, including by prolonging PSA doubling time in men with rising PSA after primary treatment for prostate cancer (page 282).

But after that quotation in the actual FTC document, the paragraph continues:

However, the greater weight of the persuasive expert testimony shows that the evidence relied upon by Respondents is not adequate to substantiate claims that the POM Products treat, prevent, or reduce the risk of prostate cancer or that they are clinically proven to do do so.

It’s the same story with another Pom-celebrated quote:

Competent and reliable scientific evidence shows that pomegranate juice provides a benefit to promoting erectile health and erectile function (page 198).

Followed immediately by:

There is insufficient competent and reliable scientific evidence to show that pomegranate juice prevents or reduces the risk of erectile dysfunction or has been clinically proven to do so.

The Questionable

The FTC’s ruling itself was considered a blow to Pom Wonderful and the pomegranate industry as a whole. But the company’s response seems to have damaged its reputation even more. Forbes columnist David Vinjamuri sums it up well:

Corporate communications groups rarely get high points for transparency, but this release shows a singular lack of accountability to the consumer that hurts POM Wonderful, its sister brands and the consumer brand community as a whole.

In this case, no one seems to be debating the fact that pomegranate juice is good for you. Taken in moderation as part of a healthful diet, it’s a great source of antioxidants and vitamins. But as with all juices, Pom’s health benefits have to be weighed against its natural sugar content, which clocks out at a whopping 31 grams per 8-ounce bottle – nearly as much as a can of Coca Cola.

In short, if you like fruit juice and enjoy the taste of pomegranates, by all means drink Pom. But if you’re looking to prevent and treat disease, you’d be better off reevaluating your entire diet and lifestyle, rather than relying on the “miracle juice” that Pom says it is.

SEE ALSO:

Behind the Label: The Kashi Controversy

Behind the Label: Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value

Behind the Label: McDonald’s See What We’re Made Of Campaign

Behind the Label: Chipotle, Food With Integrity

Check out all Behind the Label columns here.

Images: Pom Wonderful

Loofah: at last, a bamboo alternative.

The Lufa Series by Mexican designer Fernando Laposse offers followers and observers of sustainable design a welcome departure from bamboo. True. The material is fabulously eco, but ubiquitous to the point of leaving one bamboo’d out.

Alternatively loofah, an edible fruit related to the pumpkin and cucumber, grows abundantly and rabidly. Like bamboo, it can also be harvested with minimal impact.

Bath enthusiasts have long loved the loofah for its exfoliating prowess; now Laposse is experimenting with the fibrous sustainable fruit in furniture design.

The result: lather it up. Laposse’s Lufa Series is lightweight, textured and insulating. In its natural or pressed-down state, it compliments the wood, cement and terra cotta the designer uses as a framework.

As you can see with his room partition, the material is also transluscent, gently diffusing any light source within or outside of the room.

Laposse’s loofah desk gives the impression of something much heavier.

Fermando Laposse is a recent graduate of Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts, in London. Who knows? He just might have discovered the new bamboo.

When experience can be a bonus.

“A dame that knows the ropes isn’t likely to get tied up.”

-Mae West

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Image: .curt

Every day is better with a new track.

Les Enfants Terrible – Sundrop by Les Enfants Terrible

Every day we bring you one track for a little musical inspiration. Have a track you want to submit? Email us at contact@ecosalon.com.

Image: Les Enfants Terrible

A seat with a view.

“Journeys are the midwives of thought,” said Alain de Botton in The Art of Travel. “Few places are more conducive to internal conversations than a moving plane, ship or train.” Indeed, some of our favorite travel memories are of the moments in transit: the anticipation of touching down in a new airport, the bone-rattling foreign tuk-tuk rides, the changes in landscape as you traverse a country by train. “At the end of hours of train-dreaming, we may feel we have been returned to ourselves – that is, brought back into contact with emotions and ideas of importance to us,” Botton said. Let this photo collection of scenes from planes, trains, and automobiles take you on a mental journey, and allow your thoughts to roam free.

(above) Reymert, Arizona, USA

Barcelona, Spain

London, England

Valle d’Aosta, Italy

Estrella, Arizona, USA

Malla, Spain

Baghdad, Iraq

Cebu, Philippines

Fuefuki-shi, Japan

Fiji

Arnessysla, Iceland

Bangalore, India

Mt. Fuji, Japan

Glasgow, Scotland

Punta Cana, Mexico

Naperville, Illinois, USA

Copenhagen, Denmark

Lima, Peru

Madrid, Spain

Bangkok, Thailand

Venice, Italy

Edinburgh, Scotland

Phoenix, Arizona, USA

San Francisco, California, USA

Holland

Costanero Norte, Chile

Transsiberian Railway, Russia

Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska, USA

Montevideo, Uruguay

Chicago, Illinois, USA

SEE ALSO:

40 Gorgeous Photos of Europe

40 Gorgeous Photos of North America

40 Gorgeous Photos of Latin America

40 Gorgeous Photos of Asia

40 Gorgeous Photos of Africa

25 Photos of Islands Threatened by Climate Change

View more photo collections here.