ESSAY OF THE WEEK
Slow Revolution
If you think our 21st Century food and farming system, and the government-corporate cabal that props it up, are spiraling out-of-control, you’re not alone.
Chemical-intensive, energy-intensive, climate-destabilizing factory-farmed and genetically engineered food and farming are destroying not only our health and our environment, but also the soil fertility, biodiversity, and climate stability that make civilization possible.
That’s probably why U.S. sales of certified organic products have seen four decades of steady growth, at a rate of 10-15 percent. And why sales will likely hit $40 billion in 2014. According to the latest poll, nearly half of U.S. households now prefer organics, and most consumers buy organic foods and products at least on an occasional basis.
Yet despite the fact that sales of organics are growing five times faster than sales of conventional foods, organics still make up only 5 percent of all grocery store purchases, and only 10 percent of retail fruits and vegetables.
So what’s holding back the Organic Revolution?
ACTION ALERT
Tick, Tock
The clock is ticking on our last chance to stop a ticking time bomb.
On August 6 (2014), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), over the objections of 50 members of Congress, and more than 500,000 citizens, scientists, farmers and health professionals, moved one step closer to approving Dow’s new Enlist "Agent Orange" brand soy and corn crops.
The crops are engineered to withstand massive doses of Enlist Duo herbicide, concocted from a combination of 2,4-D (used to make Agent Orange) and glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup.
The USDA has admitted that approval of Dow’s new crops will cause the use of 2,4-D to skyrocket from 26 million pounds to 176 million pounds. Scientists predict worse.
Dow’s 2,4-D is already the seventh largest source of dioxins in the U.S. It’s been linked to a host of ills, including birth defects, infertility, allergies, Parkinson’s disease, endocrine disruption and cancer.
It’s unconscionable that the USDA would approve these crops. Yet the agency is less than 18 days away from doing just that. Unless we stop it.
Deadline September 8: Tell the USDA to reject Dow's 'Agent Orange' crops!
Photo Credit: RHiNO NEAL via Compfight cc
ACTION ALERT
Will your Congress Member Sign?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists nearly 40 pollinator species as threatened or endangered.
Monarch butterflies aren’t faring much better. In California, the Monarch population has declined by 80 percent over 15 years, in part due to the extensive use of Monsanto’s Roundup.
Two Congressmen, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) have written a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy, urging her to review and revise pesticide regulations protecting pollinators. In order to make the letter carry more weight, they’re asking their colleagues to sign on.
In their letter, Reps. Blumenauer and Conyers refer to recent studies revealing that “systemic pesticides—including neonicotinoids—are accumulating in soils and polluting waterways and natural vegetation across the world, leading to widespread impacts on wildlife inhabiting farmland and aquatic habitats.”
They also point out that much of this pesticide use is unnecessary and ineffective.
Please ask your Congress members to sign on to the Blumenauer-Conyers “Dear Colleague” letter. We’re hoping to get 50 Members to sign on, before the letter closes on September 8.
Photo Credit: jenny downing via Compfight cc
SUPPORT THE OCA & OCF
Our Voices, Our Vigor, Our Votes
"Powerlessness is a self-fulfilling prophesy.” – Robert Reich, Aug. 18, 2014
In his most recent blog post, educator, economist and author Robert Reich laments the powerful influence of corporations on public policy.
It’s no wonder, writes Reich, that Americans feel powerless.
If you’ve been working with us, and the rest of the “Millions against Monsanto,” you can relate. You face—and face up to—Monsanto’s power and influence, every day.
No doubt, Monsanto believed that when it used its power and influence to defeat California’s GMO labeling law, we’d give up. We didn’t. And when history repeated itself the following year in Washington State, once again, we vowed to continue the fight.
Today, less than two-and-a-half months away from two critical GMO labeling votes, this time in Oregon and Colorado, we remain committed to what Reich says is essential to restoring democracy: mobilizing and organizing.
The monied interests are doing what they do best—making money. The rest of us need to do what we can do best—use our voices, our vigor, and our votes.
Thanks to you, to your voices, your vigor—and your generous and loyal support—we are all growing more powerful. Together.
Donate to the Organic Consumers Association (tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic standards, fair trade and public education)
Donate to the Organic Consumers Fund (non-tax-deductible, but necessary for our legislative efforts in Oregon, Vermont and other states)
FACTORY FARM BOYCOTT
Fish Follies
Consumers are up in arms over plans by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to approve the first genetically engineered fish—dubbed “frankenfish.”
But what many consumers may not realize is that much of the non-GMO fish, especially farmed fish, in today’s supermarkets is equally detrimental to human health. It’s also harmful to the environment and economically unsustainable.
That’s not to say that all wild-caught fish is safe or sustainable. Nearly a third of the world's fisheries are currently in collapse, "unable to regenerate their populations fast enough to keep pace with the rate at which they are being caught or killed." That's according to an interview, conducted by the Rodale Institute, with actor Ted Danson, author of Oceana. (To help consumers navigate the waters of wild-caught fish, the Rodale Institute recommends consumers follow the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Seafood Watch” guide, also available as a downloadable smartphone app).
The FDA has yet to rule on GMA salmon. In the meantime, consumers should know how, and why, to avoid all farmed fish, Frankenfish or not.
Photo Credit: jenny downing via Compfight cc
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Swarm Report
Chanting “When the bees go, we go,” activists in Chicago, led by OCA and Bee against Monsanto, swarmed a Home Depot store on August 16, National Honeybee Day. The buzzing activists demanded a refund for a flowering plant, purchased at Home Depot and pre-treated withbee-killing neonicotinoids. (Video credit: Video credits go to Mike Kalas & Jason S. Page,multikulti)
The OCA sent out hundreds of flyers and bumper stickers to activists in dozens of states, in support of National Honeybee Day. We also lent support to actions in Chicago and Portland, Ore.
More on the Portland, Ore. swarm
TRAVEL PROMO
Curious about Cuba?
Now’s your chance to learn more about Cuba’sorganic revolution. And find out how this island nation in the Caribbean Sea has evolved into a leader in sustainability.
Join a group of passionate explorers and researchers, food production and policy professionals as they travel the cities and farms of Cuba, November 21-30. Be prepared to transform your vision of sustainable food chains and cooperatives, in a country with a long and colorful history of agricultural reform.
LITTLE BYTES
Essential Reading for the Week
More Pesticides and Herbicides Coming to Our Food
Why George Monbiot Is Wrong: Grazing Livestock Can Save the World
Jamie Oliver Launches Latest Food Offensive
New Poll: 45% of Americans Seek Out Organic Food
How GMO Crops Conquered the United States
NOSB Voting Scorecard: Influence Peddlers Eroding Organic Standards
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