12 Vegetables with the Most Pesticides

Sweet bell peppers are atop the list of vegetables found with the most pesticide residue; on a single pepper, there were 11 different pesticides found. The peppers also had 64 pesticides, in total, found on the sample.

The tests, conducted by the Environmental Working Group (recently named as one of our Best of Green award winners, as the Best Natural-Health News Website) and published as part of their Shopper's Guide to Pesticides, are part of the group's ongoing efforts to educate the world about the environmental health implications of what we consume and use every day.

Photo credit: Getty Images / Robin MacDougallBy Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA
on April 28, 2009 10:01 AM

Celery ranks #2 on the list, with the highest of percentage of samples test positive for pesticides -- a whopping 94.1 percent -- and the highest likelihood of multiple pesticides on a single vegetable, with 79.8 percent testing positive for more than one pesticide. So, though celery is one food whose price has recently risen, it's worth it to find it grown organically.

Photo credit: Getty Images / Medioimages / Photodisc

By Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA
on April 28, 2009 10:01 AM

Kale is the first of a handful of leafy vegetables on the list, at #3. 53.1 percent of the samples tested had multiple pesticides, and 10 different pesticides were found on one sample. Once you find an organic variety of kale, it's a delicious and versatile vegetable; try Kelly's Kale & Potato Stew recipe over at Planet Green.

Photo credit: Getty Images / Simon Brown

By Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA
on April 28, 2009 10:01 AM

Lettuce checks in next, with nine different pesticides found on one single sample, and 57 different pesticides overall. And, while washing definitely can help cut back on pesticides, there's no skin on lettuce to protect the inner flesh -- like with, say, a banana -- so lettuce is one vegetable where seeking out organic varieties is worth your time and money.

Try Emeril's Lettuce Soup recipe or Kelly's classic Caesar salad to enjoy the best of lettuce's leafy goodness.

Photo credit: Getty Images / Martin Harvey

By Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA
on April 28, 2009 10:01 AM

Carrots, at #5, are the first vegetable on the list that grows underground to have a high pesticide load. 82.3 percent of tested samples had pesticides found on them, and had 40 different pesticides found in total, so a few inches of soil aren't enough to keep many pesticides away.

Once you find a seasonal, organic source for carrots, they're a wonderfully sweet, versatile vegetable that can be used in a huge variety of ways; try this Carrot & Lentil Soup, Maple-Roasted Carrots, or Carrot Cake for just a few ways to enjoy this delicious taproot.

Photo credit: Getty Images / Michael Blann

By Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA
on April 28, 2009 10:01 AM

Collard greens mark the list's return to leafy vegetables at #6. The hearty green, most often braised, are grown in a variety of climates and seasons, making appearances in farmers' markets on an almost year-round basis in some places. As such, if you can get a good, organic source for collards, you can eat green with them for months out of the year, but going organic is definitely a worthwhile choice.

Photo credit: Getty Images / Trinette Reed

By Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA
on April 28, 2009 10:01 AM

Spinach is the last leafy green on the list, coming in at #7. Used in everything from dips to creamy soup to electricity (really!), spinach can also be used to make a simple, elegant salad.

Photo credit: Getty Images / Susan Trigg

By Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA
on April 28, 2009 10:01 AM

Potatoes take the list back underground; the tuber has been cultivated for 10,000 years (according to the Electronic Journal of Biotechnology) and are the 8th-most pesticide-laden vegetable. If you can find them grown organically, in addition to baked, mashed, fried, and otherwise cooked, potatoes are an excellent candidate for raw preparation (provided you can dehydrate them), including as curried potato chips.

Photo credit: ExperienceLA @ Flickr

By Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA
on April 28, 2009 10:01 AM

Whether you prefer them fresh or baked in casserole, cultivate them from a bush or a pole, or oven-roasted or preserved, green beans round out the top 10 pesticide-laden veggies. The beans, rich in Vitamin C and distributed fresh, frozen, or canned, are usually served with the pods intact, so a thorough washing is their only defense against pesticides. Since that won't get them all off, we think it's best to buy them organic whenever possible.

Photo credit: Chasqui @ Flickr

By Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA
on April 28, 2009 10:01 AM

Summer squash and zucchini round out the top 10; though they're only around for a few weeks in the summer (unless you don't mind a large carbon footprint to go with your pesticides, and buy them trucked or flown in from Mexico or South America), their pesticide load can still pack a punch. When you buy them organic, try them in Emeril's Summer Veggie Saute, or give 'em a quick bath in balsalmic vinegar and olive oil before tossing them on the grill.

Photo credit: Getty Images / Stockbyte

By Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA
on April 28, 2009 10:01 AM

Peppers are next on the list. The (usually) spicy veggie's heat may come from the seeds, but the pepper itself can carry a heavy pesticide load. Finding them grown organically can be tricky, but when you do, try this Chili Pepper and Black Bean Salsa as a zesty alternative to store-bought salsa.

Photo credit: Kyle May @ Flickr

By Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA
on April 28, 2009 10:01 AM

Cucumbers round out this dirty dozen. While you can get your cucumber fix from cucumber soda now, the veggie is most often eaten fresh or lightly cooked, as with Emeril's Cucumber Saute with Basil & Mint. If you're a fan of the 'cuke,' it's worth your time to find them grown organically, and you can enjoy homemade pickles or gazpacho without worrying about eating a side dish of pesticides, too.

More about pesticides in fruits and veggies
EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides
12 Fruits with the Most Pesticides
Avoid Pesticides in Fruit and Veggies

Photo credit: Getty Images / Alex Cao

By Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA
on April 28, 2009 10:01 AM

China's Cars Come in Green: Dispatch from the Shanghai Auto Show

by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 04.21.07

The simple fact that global automakers are throwing everything they have into two auto shows spaced just months apart speaks volumes about the former Bicycle Kingdom's appetite for the car. That the second show, starting in Shanghai on Earth Day, has gone eco-friendly is an acknowledgment of just how unhealthy that appetite could continue to be -- and a reminder of China's great opportunity to leapfrog to sustainable technologies, integrating green into its growth from the get-go. What's not helping the situation are low gas prices, which are controlled by the government (in Beijing, where over 1000 new cars hit the streets a day, a gallon of 93 octane gasoline costs a paltry $2.30). What is helping -- in spite of the upper class and government penchant for SUVs and luxury sedans -- is an ongoing push for small cars. An auto consumption tax introduced last year for instance, slashed taxes on low-emission vehicles and raised taxes on high-emission vehicles. In general, too, China's economical car culture remains stuck on smaller, more efficient models. Car manufacturers are listening. Among the show's highlights:

The newest Chevy Volt, Chinese hybrids and more below the fold...

Diesel: Volkswagon's Polo BlueMotion: as we reported earlier, this diesel gets 62 mpg average fuel consumption with 102g/km CO2 output, making it one of the cleanest internal combustion vehicles in the world. Though available in Europe, the BlueMotion (pictured above) is not yet sold in the U.S. due to current emission regulations. (VW's other greenery includes the Magotan, otherwise known as the Passat, which features an economical and low-emission engine, along with their highly efficient TFSI engine, to be manufactured in China.)

Fuel-cell: GM will show off its latest version of the sweet hybrid/electric Chevrolet Volt, with a fifth-generation E-Flex fuel cell stack; the prototype is more advanced than the one shown in Detroit three months ago, no longer relying upon a small gasoline engine as a backup. Honda will show its FCX Concept Car, its new fuel-cell vehicle, alongside its experimental Home Energy Station, which would provide hydrogen home refueling. Shanghai Automotive Industries Corp. (SAIC) will display a fuel-cell sedan with a fourth-generation stack, peak power output of 60 kW / 80.5 hp and a top speed of 150 km/h / 93 mph.

Hybrid: Like Chivas or the ubiquitous Audi A6, Buick is loved in China, and soon it will repay that love with its first ever hybrid model. The hybrid LaCrosse, which will be available by 2008, will not be sold in the U.S., not yet. Even sexier -- but less of a sure thing -- is Buick's new concept car, the gullwing Riviera, which has been outfitted with the same hybrid system set to be used in the LaCrosse. Meanwhile, Ford Motor Co.'s 52 models at the show will include its hybrid SUV, the Ford Escape; the Prius, already available in China, will show, alongside some hybrid Lexuses, like the LS600h L. China's first domestic hybrid cars come from Cherry and Roewe (or Rong Wei). The latter, a subsidiary of SAIC, has hybridized a Rover 75 (the company recently bought UK's MG Rover). Chery's hybrid is based on its A3 supermini. As a so-called mild hybrid, it is not able to run in electric-only mode, but the extra help given by the electric motor allows for fuel consumption of up to a claimed 94.2 mpg. Changan has a new hybrid gasoline-electric minivan. Meanwhile, SAIC is investing one billion yuan (US$129 million) in cleaner, more energy efficient vehicle technologies. The company hopes to produce 50,000 electric vehicles of various types by 2010, about 95 percent of which will be hybrids.

Natural gas: VW's EcoFuel Touran tall wagon is fueled by compressed natural gas, reducing CO2 emissions by twenty percent and NOx and CO emissions by eighty percent. Through a joint venture with Volkswagen, SAIC is aiming to produce 500 Touran hybrids before the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Flex fuel: Honda's Fit FFV, runs on either 100% ethanol or a wide range of ethanol-gasoline fuel mixtures; the company has been producing and selling this in Brazil since the end of 2006.

Two big questions remain: considering that China's love for fuel efficient cars has more to do with wallets than pollution, how will domestic and foreign car makers (along with the government) encourage more advanced (and slightly costlier) fuel efficient vehicles? The Prius may be available in Beijing, but the only one I've seen is on a billboard.

Second, and related to the first: will foreign automakers transfer their green technology to their Chinese partners? As the New York Times reports:

Multinationals face repeated demands from Chinese joint venture partners to share the most advanced technology available. Katsumi Nakamura, president and chief executive of Dongfeng Motor, a joint venture in Hubei province between Nissan Motor and the Dongfeng Group of China, said that the Dongfeng side had tried to negotiate an agreement that would require the sharing of the latest technology.

But at Nissan's insistence, the final pact only calls for the sharing of "appropriate" technology. There may not be enough demand in China for advanced technologies like hybrid engines to justify the cost of setting up production in China that duplicate those in Japan, Nakamura warned.

Auto executives are reluctant to mention the illegal copying of technology in China, a problem that discouraged Chrysler from even trying to build minivans in China in the 1990s.

But, as Larry Burns, GM vice president of R&D, put it, “It’s in the best interest of the United States for China to diversify its energy resources.”

For cars, black is still the color of choice in China these days -- it's the best way to conceal all that stuff that comes out of the cars. But as long as the car obsession continues to grow -- and as long as China wants its economic growth to be sustainable -- green will need to be the new black.