Current Issues: Take Action!
This page is intended to keep us all informed about current issues in our community, country, or world as a whole, that we can help change for the positive. Use your power as an informed, passionate human being to create a world which our children will be blessed to inherit. Often, it's the little things that make all the difference.==================================================================
updated 8/12/09
GMO Eggplant from Monsanto
Stop Monsanto from destroying the incredible diversity of eggplant in India by introducing GMO eggplant! They've already done this to the corn & soy in the United States, Mexico, Canada and elsewhere... it's tragic, and it's an assault on our food security! Diversity is priceless through generations, as it can respond to changes in the environment and adapt to different areas.... it's a lack of diversity that causes such things as the Irish potato famine.
Our kitchen gardening friends in India have asked for
our help in collecting signatures on a petition to push back against
the wide-scale release of a genetically-modified eggplant seed variety
onto the Indian market. Bt brinjal, as it's called there, is a variety
that is being developed and promoted by the Indian seed company
Mahyco which is partially owned by the American GM seed behemoth
Monsanto - surprise,
surprise. Those working block the release of Bt brinjal point out that
India is home to over 2000 different eggplant varieties, the world's
most precious collection, and that the introduction of a
genetically-modified variety could lead to unintended and unpredictable
consequences for that rich trove of genetic diversity
and for human health. Our Indian colleagues feel it would helpful to
show support for their campaign from outside of India as much of the
pressure to move to
genetically-modified varieties is also coming from outside its
borders. To learn more about the campaign to stop Bt brinjal and sign
their petition, go here: http://iamnolabrat.com/labrat.php
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updated 8/12/09
Healthy Local & Organic School Food!
Real food school lunches here we come!
Our friends at Slow Food USA are running an important and timely campaign called "Time for Lunch"
to advocate for healthier, tastier, and more socially-responsible food
in public school cafeterias in connection with the reauthorization of
the Child Nutrition Act. Please consider joining this important campaign by signing the real food petition, contacting your legislators (if you live in the US), or by organizing an "Eat In."
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No more unnecessary antibiotics in livestock!
The "superbugs" are here and they are in the supermarket meat aisle.
According to the New York Times, scientists discovered MRSA, an
antibiotic-resistant staph infection, in supermarket pork in Louisiana and
Washington D.C. Meanwhile, a brand new strain of MRSA was found earlier
this year in US pigs (and pig farmers), raising fears of even more
virulent, possibly deadly, strains arising soon.
The cause of this explosion of superbugs in livestock is clear -- the
routine administration of antibiotics to healthy animals in factory farms.
In response to this crisis, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) has again
introduced into the House of Representatives the Preservation of
Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act. PAMTA would restrict the use of
sub-therapeutic doses of entire classes of antibiotics in farm animals and
has the support of public health officials and agricultural experts alike.
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