This time, runners are baring all for a calendar whose proceeds will benefit the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, a charity dedicated to planting fruit trees to benefit communities, especially the needy, and improve the surrounding air, soil and water.

The calendar is the brainchild of the Bimbler's Sound running group and is dedicated to holistic chef and runner Frank Giglio, who recently moved to Arizona. Giglio joined the group in 2006 to improve his fitness, and his running partners often showed up at the deli counter where Giglio worked in Guilford to taste his "green juice," Bimble Burgers and other organic dishes.

Because Giglio's specialties are raw foods and trail running, the calendar combines a recipe of the month with a runner sprinting in the raw.

Locally grown options make for good eatin'

With rising concern for enviromental awareness, many are turning to locally grown food for an alternative to shopping at grocery stores.

"It's important that our generation is aware of the direction our country's food industry is heading," said Jennifer Piper, a sophomore from Marietta. "We need to be more aware of the impact that say, shipping a banana from Central America to a local supermarket has on the environment."

Although organic food means less chemicals are used, organics still have to be shipped - wasting packaging, vehicle emissions and unnecessary handling.

"Local farms practice sustainable produce while large factory farms focus mainly on mass production and profit," Piper said. "Sustainable farms use food production methods that are healthier, do not harm the environment, are more humane to animals and support farming communities."

Shopping locally for food can be costly.

Full Text: China's food quality and safety

The Information Office of the State Council published a white paper titled "China's food quality and safety" here Friday. Following is the full text:

China's food quality and safety

Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China

August 2007, Beijing

The quality and safety of food is a major benchmark of the economic development and people's living conditions of a country. Adhering to the people-oriented approach, the Chinese government has always attached great importance to food quality and safety. Moreover, sticking to the principle of nipping problems in the bud, it has built and improved a supervisory system and mechanism for food safety, strengthened legislation and the setting of relevant standards, exercised strict quality control regarding food, actively promoted international exchanges and cooperation in this respect, and has greatly raised public awareness of food safety.