Honeybees are critical to our existence because they are the most important pollinators. The honeybee is responsible for pollinating more than ¾ of our agricultural food and without them, life as we know it would diminish. There is a disease called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) which has been baffling bee keepers and scientists alike. While there is no known cure at this point, there are also many hypotheses about the actual cause. Many environmentalists, organic advocates and apiary experts, however, have clearly connected the dots between the negative impact of genetically modified crops such as corn, wheat, rice and soybeans and the agricultural pollution caused by pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, etc. to the contributing factors causing CCD. Author and Master Beekeeper, Gunther Hauk has been a teacher, lecturer, biodynamic gardener and beekeeper for more than thirty-five years. He co-founded the Pfeiffer Center in Chestnut Ridge, NY in 1996 and Spikenard Farm, Inc., (www.SpikenardFarm.org)a non-profit honeybee sanctuary in 2006 which is located in the Floyd, VA. Over the last three decades, he has given many workshops on the successful use of biodynamic principles in gardening and sustainable beekeeping methods throughout the United States. In his book “Toward Saving the Honeybee” (2002) he calls for a radical change from current approaches to beekeeping. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, Gunther will discuss his book and explain the radical change needed in bee keeping to prevent Colony Collapse Disorder and the further decimation of honeybees.

Across America, people still will wait on line to hit the drive thru at Mc Donald’s but when it comes to making the right choice between buying organic and non-organic, most are still clueless. They look for pretty packages and colorful images on the box without really understanding what it is that they are buying. Then you have the mystery foods that are chock filled with high fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate and other interesting ingredients that belong in your child’s science fair project, not on your child’s school lunch menu! Well, one man named Dennis Weaver, has decided to reach the children and teach them what their Wii just can’t ...how to read your labels and make better food choices! He founded an organization called Change Your Food - Change Your Life™ (http://www.changeyourfood.com) in which he uses a fun, musical and educational approach to understanding what organic is about and how to make better food choices. Dennis is also a much loved columnist for NaturalFoodNet.com and is well known as the ultimate Good Food Guide. If you want to kick off the new year the right way and understand what organic is all about, tune in to learn how to shop better, eat better and live better as Dennis Weaver, your Good Food Guide kicks off 2011 in this segment of The Organic View Radio Show.

With New Year’s Eve rapidly approaching, people are solidifying their plans and stocking up on all sorts of libations. All over the world, people toast to the lessons learned in the old year as they welcome in a whole new year. Brand loyal consumers seek only the brands they recognize and are partial to. Others who are focused strictly on the price tag, search for the cheapest bottle of vodka or rum to be added to a mix they are about to concoct for their guests to enjoy. A skilled bartender can fool a novice, especially if using a sugary mix. However, with some of the elaborate festivities in which only top shelf alcohol is served, there is no compromise. So, why is cheap vodka such a big deal? One of the most common problems with vodka is that the cheaper brands taste like rubbing alcohol. This is due to the fact that the grains are processed too quickly and remove the subtle flavors of the grain and esters created during fermentation. For the connoisseur of premium vodka, this is just not an option. The same is true of whiskey. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, Keith Barnes, President of the Bainbridge Organic Distillers (http://www.bainbridgedistillers.com), Washington State’s first organic distillery, will talk about how distilling grains in small batches creates a superb flavor in vodka and whiskey , why American made equipment is superior to factory made equipment from China or Europe and the strict laws and requirements Bainbridge must abide by in order to produce some of the finest hand crafted alcohol in the world! Even Paul Pacult, an international spirits author and judge, rated Bainbridge Legacy vodka as “4, maybe 5 stars” out of 5. He called it “damn near luscious”. So,if you are a connoisseur of fine spirits and want to learn about the strict process involved with producing such a high end organic vodka and whiskey, stay tuned!

It is that time of the year when people are getting together to celebrate with friends and family. Often, people will indulge and consume many libations including one of America’s most beloved beverages, beer. For most people, when they hear the word organic they think of fruits, vegetables and vitamins. The organic industry is so much more than that. In fact, for many years, organic beer has been one of the growing areas within the industry. Two people decided that if you are going to drink beer, you shouldn’t have to drink all of the artificial fillers and chemicals that simply ruin the whole experience. Beer should be brewed and bottled the old fashioned way- organically! In fact, their mantra is “Be natural; drink naked! “ Ted Vivatson, President of the Eel River Brewing Co. http://www.eelriverbrewing.com decided to do just that when he founded the company along with Margaret Frigon. Not only is this America’s first Certified Organic Brewing Company, but it is also committed to sustainable brewing practices. All of the organic malt used is sourced right here in the USA, in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, none of their beer is processed with animal by-products . This makes all of their beer certified organic and vegan too! It doesn’t stop there. The facility is a former redwood mill and is 100% bio mass powered. Even all materials used in their packaging are made from recycled materials! In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, Ted Vivatson, President of the Eel River Brewing Co. will talk about how he began brewing beer and how Eel River has changed the way organic beer is brewed in America. If you love beer and want to learn more about the organic beer making process, stay tuned!

Today is a very special segment because it marks a particular milestone for The Organic View, which actually launched just this past July! It is hard to believe that the public response has been as tremendously receptive as it has been. I have had the pleasure of interviewing some of the top leaders in the organic industry as well as environmental and animal rights advocates and activists. So many wonderful people who are not looking for recognition but are doing the right thing because they know someone has got to do it! As a token of gratitude, love and in honor of the true meaning of Christmas, I have invited some very special people to help celebrate Christmas the old-fashioned way, that is, with good friends, good food and good music! Today, my very best Good Food Friend, Dennis Weaver, Founder of Change Your Food, Change Your Life and I will spend this next hour with you as we welcome the Pastor Gary L. Wyatt and my favorite Organic Jazz Singer, Ellen Livesay who will be performing live to help us celebrate the reason for the season!

In America, the beer industry was ruled by one company for many years. Once Budweiser was no longer king, partially due to the fact that they are no longer an American brand, the microbreweries began popping up all over as beer connoisseurs quickly learned old world beer making techniques. However, it was difficult to find the high quality ingredients needed to make a good brew and there were very limited resources. In 1996, Seven Bridges (http://www.breworganic.com ) was founded by a small group of home brewers to make organic beer more widely available to beer loving consumers in North America. It quickly became evident that the quality, availability and selection of organic ingredients was very limited. So, they set out to change this by first making the few available ingredients accessible to home brewers. Soon after, they started developing recipes along with a line of organic beer kits. This would help the novice brewers to brew a high quality organic beer like the pros. Seven Bridges also decided that education was a key component to changing the industry. They went the distance by creating awareness as they educated beer lovers about the importance of using high quality organic ingredients in their recipes. This is what significantly impacts the quality of the beer. By doing this, Seven Bridges successfully helped to fuel the demand for high quality organic beer, organic beer ingredients and an exploding marketplace. Seven Bridges was also involved in the grassroots movement to improve organic standards for beer in the USA. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, Amelia Slayton, Co-Founder , Seven Bridges will talk about the organic beer industry and how Seven Bridges continues to support organic farming! If you have ever wanted to learn about home brewing, sourcing ingredients and techniques used, tune in!

Christmas is a holiday when people use only the best ingredients to make recipes handed down for generations. Whether you are making Italian delicacies such as cannolis, traditional gingerbread cookies or simply want to spruce up your waffles for your Christmas breakfast fare, the secret is in the quality of your vanilla. Vanilla is not just used in the kitchen for sauces, beverages and candy but is also one of the key ingredients used to make perfume and aromatherapy products. Although it has a myriad of uses, it is cherished amongst cooks. Vanilla, derived from the Spanish word "vainilla" means little pod. It is also the second most expensive spice in the world. There is a good reason why. Vanilla comes from an orchid which must be hand pollinated in order to yield large quantities. Nielsen-Massey Vanillas has been producing premium pure vanilla products since 1907. From its ever-popular Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla to custom blends and flavors created for specific customer needs, Nielsen-Massey has earned the reputation as the producer of fine vanillas worldwide. All Nielsen-Massey's vanilla products are Kosher certified and Gluten-free certified. They have been a certified organic producer since 1998. Nielsen-Massey’s Vanilla Extract is also Fair Trade Certified which ensures small-scale farmers in developing countries receive a fair price and use sustainable farming practices. This stabilizes vanilla-producing communities, protects the environment and ensures a consistent supply of ingredients to customers. The Fair Trade Certification has become an essential certification that substantiates quality. To continue to be an award winning company for three generations, quality is paramount! In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, Beth Nielsen, Chief Culinary Officer, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas (http://www.nielsenmassey.com) talks about her family’s growth throughout the century and its contribution to the organic industry.

Do you love fairy tales, Disney movies and books about horses or other animals? Have you ever come across a piece of artwork that took you back into time to a favorite book that you read as a child? As a Master Gardener, Bee Keeper, animal lover and avid reader, I am always intrigued by art work which captures a moment in time in an animal’s existence or perhaps something from nature. Whether the scene is from a fairy tale, a living room couch or something out in the wild, nature has a calming effect, touching your heart and soul. Quite often I have observed artists at work at places like the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Central Park and even on the streets of Paris. It was amazing to watch the creativity flow magically onto paper. Melody Lea Lamb is an artist and illustrator who paints miniatures (ACEOs) of woodland animals & fantasy beings like mermaids and fairies. She is also a successful children’s book illustrator. Her attention to detail makes you feel as though you are really part of the story. The animals that she creates could be your own pet, just waiting for you to rub its fur and snuggle with it on the couch. It truly takes a connection with nature and love of life to possess the attention to detail that Melody demonstrates. Is Melody an artist that can talk to animals—or a lover of fur and paws, with the ability to draw like a dream? Her fans can’t tell where one gift ends and another begins. All creatures great or small, real or imaginary inspire Melody’s brush. So, what does it take to draw animals with such skill? What inspires her work? If you have a flair for art can you make a living from it? How hard is it to draw fairies and scenes from nature? In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, artist Melody Lea Lamb (http://www.melodylealamb.com) will talk about what it is like to create her magical world of art. Stay tuned!

Camellia sinensis is the botanical name for what is commonly referred to as tea. Not all teas are the same. There are a myriad of teas available ranging from: black teas, green teas, white teas, herbal teas, fruit teas, blended teas, etc. Let us not forget Rooibos Teas, Aspalathus linearis, commonly referred to as red teas which are from South Africa, also referred to as rooibos bush or “red bush” teas. Did you know that tea is one of two beverages that can be equated to wine? Most people have no idea just how much time, energy and effort goes into the cup of tea that is randomly sipped at diners, restaurants and cafes alike. The altitude, soil conditions, and climate directly impact each crop and can drastically affect the quality of the tea harvested. For connoisseurs, the way in which tea is harvested, dried, and processed will also affect each cup and therefore special attention must be given throughout the entire process. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, Eric Ring, tea expert, who is responsible for the production and purchasing of tea for Choice Organic Teas, will be my guest to talk about tea selection, harvesting, the importance of Fair Trade and Non-GMO certification and how consumers can learn how to select a good cup of tea! Stay tuned!

Christmas is the time of the year when you just can’t help but indulge in so many holiday treats and delicacies. People look forward to specialty traditional dishes and desserts that require a lot of time, energy, and effort. As always, everything is prepared with careful attention to all of the ingredients used in anticipation of outdoing the efforts of the previous years. However, one of the most common concerns about holiday feasting is the over indulgence of too many artery clogging foods. What if this year, you decided to incorporate other options into your Christmas fare? What if you spent only a fraction of the time cooking? What if you actually lost weight instead of gaining weight this year? In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, Celebrity Chef Bryan Au will talk about how easy it is to make organic raw vegan dishes, how inexpensive it is and explain the options you need to know so that you can incorporate new healthier choices into this year’s feast which can then be carried on as part of your new holiday traditions. He will talk about his amazing Christmas recipes as he shares some new favorite tips and tricks to make your celebration hip, healthy, and happening! Stay tuned!