Recently, I discovered that the first season of Eco Trip is available to watch instantly on Netflix.  Last night, I stayed up way too late learning about chocolate, gold and cotton.

I found the information in the cotton episode particularly appalling.  Cotton is, apparently, classified as a textile, so it isn’t regulated as a food, and the pesticides used in conventional cotton are approved for textile use, but not necessairly food use.  But then parts of the cotton are used to feed livestock and as food additives, so this crop that is grown as a textile actually becomes a part of our food cycle.  Yikes!

Watch this clip, and if you have Netflix, check out the first season of Eco Trip (even better, if you get the Sundance Channel, check out the current season of Eco Trip).  I went into watching the show thinking it wouldn’t teach me anything I didn’t already know, but I was so wrong.  Eco Trip takes a really focused in-depth look at the processes involved in manufacturing simple things we use or eat in every day life.  It’s fantastic.  I’ll probably be up way too late tonight learning about paper napkins, light bulbs, and bottled water.