Fw: Organic Bytes: Crises, Standards, & Solutions

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Organic Bytes: Crises, Standards, & Solutions

Welcome to another exciting issue of Organic Bytes: Health, Justice and Sustainability News

May 7, 2009 Organic Bytes #172Health, Justice and Sustainability News

from the Organic Consumers Associationhttp://www.organicconsumers.org

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In This Issue

In This Issue:-Quotes of the Week: On the Contemporary Crisis-Alert Update of the Week: Swine Flu: Reprieve or Lull Before the Storm? -Health Tip of the Week: Swine Flu and the Pandemic of 1918 -- How Homeopathy Cured Flu Victims-Alert of the Week: Safeguard Organic Standards-Consumer Tip of the Week: Organic & Sustainable on a Food Stamp Budget-Web Video of the Week: Pete Seeger at 90-Headlines and Articles of the Week

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Alert Update of the Week: Swine Flu: Reprieve or Lull Before the Storm?

Scientists and health officials, who scared the wits out of us last week, are today trying to reassure us that the first wave of the Swine Flu--now spreading across the Northern Hemisphere--is apparently not as virulent and life-threatening as future mutated waves of this H1N1 virus might be in the fall. Mexican health officials and the Wall Street Journal also revealed a few days ago that the pigs in Mexico that likely set off the epidemic are not native Mexican pigs, but rather pigs from field Foods' factory farms in the U.S. that were shipped to Mexico.

The rather alarming bottom line, however, is that CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) pose a deadly threat to our health. http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17763.cfm

Swine CAFOs, such as field, as well as giant poultry operations, such as those operated by Tyson Foods and Perdue, produce cheap food by cramming thousands of animals together inside hellish disease-ridden factory farms, injecting pigs and chickens with powerful vaccines and antibiotics to keep them alive, thereby putting enormous pressure on swine and bird viruses and pathogens like MRSA to evolve into dangerous killers. Filthy and disease-ridden factory farms for pigs and chickens, maintained by exploited and often unhealthy farm workers, kept in operation only with massive injections of animal drugs, are a biological time bomb set to explode. Hopefully a mutated H1N1 Swine/Bird Flu virus will not kill millions of us when it returns to the Northern Hemisphere in the fall. Unfortunately many scientists warn us that it is not a question of if, but rather when, a future swine/bird/human virus will kill millions--unless we shut down the CAFOs and transform the current insane global industrial/factory farm agriculture system into a chemical and drug-free organic system, whereby local and regional organic farms produce healthy food for local and regional markets.

Tell President Obama to shut down factory farms now, before it's too late: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27144

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Health Tip of the Week:Swine Flu and the Pandemic of 1918 --- How Homeopathy Cured Flu Victims

A recent comprehensive epidemiological study of some 61,000 confirmed cases of Spanish Flu from 1918-19 by Canadian physician, Dr. Andre Saine, shows that patients treated with a form of alternative medicine called homeopathy had death rates of 0.7 percent compared to death rates in the untreated and from conventional care of 30 percent or more. Is homeopathy something that we should be looking into as a possible source of prevention and cure for the H1N1 virus?

Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17822.cfm

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Alert of the Week: Safeguard Organic Standards

The National Organic Standards Board is supposed to serve as the organic community's watchdog on organic standards. Twice yearly, the NOSB holds public meetings. The Organic Consumers Fund, the voice of organic consumers in the nation's Capitol, has already submitted written comments, and we will also present testimony in person at the May 4-6 meeting, in Washington, DC. Our comments cover several topics the NOSB will be discussing and voting on in May, including:

* biodiversity * modified atmospheric packaging that creates an appearance of freshness even after food has spoiled * organic fraud in the personal care products market * needed oversight of the UDSA NOP by a peer review panel * nanotechnology * phasing out non-organic versions of ingredients when organic becomes available * on-farm burning of elemental sulfur (and the resulting emission of sulfur dioxide, a source of acid rain) to create sulfurous acid for crops like wine grapes that like acidified soil

Please endorse OCF's comments and add your own: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17780.cfm

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Consumer Tip of the Week:Organic & Sustainable on a Food Stamp Budget

Although the organic food movement has been criticized for being elitist, organic sales are still increasing, despite the economic crisis. A surprisingly large percentage of organic enthusiasts are low to middle-income consumers who were not born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Documenting how this can be done, Siobhan and her husband embarked on an experiment to eat only SOLE foods - sustainable, organic, local or ethical foods - on the government-defined, food-stamp minimum: $248 per month for two people.

Read their story here:http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17726.cfm

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Web Video of the Week:The Power of Music--Pete Seeger at 90

Watch this American Masters piece from PBS on Pete Seeger, who is celebrating his 90th brithday this week. Seeger has spent his lifetime and his musical career focusing on issues of peace, social justice and the environment. His birthday serves as a good opportunity to showcase how this individual has used the power of music to affect millions for a better future.

Watch: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17803.cfm

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Articles and Headlines of the Week:

1) Putting Organic Baby Food to the Test Grist Magazine compares popular organic baby food brands' prices, packaging and corporate practices. Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17769.cfm

2) Parabens Hidden on Product Ingredients Labels as 'Honeysuckle Extract' Some companies are tricking consumers into thinking their products do not have Parabens, but the potential toxin is actually present and hidden in the ingredients list as "Japanese Honeysuckle", a natural source of Parabens but chemically identical to the synthetic variety. Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17679.cfm

3) Study Finds Food-Wrapper Chemicals in Blood "A new scientific study has for the first time found a new group of chemicals used in coatings on food wrappers in human blood..." Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17767.cfm

4) Honeybee Collapse Strikes JapanUp to Fifty Percent of Honeybees Gone The phenomenon is known as colony collapse disorder, in which large numbers of worker bees simply vanish. This wide scale collapse of bee populations could mean food shortages... Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17704.cfm

5) When Big Business and Academia Mix, Where is the Line? Monsanto has appointed a new member to its board of directors. Chicoine will receive nearly a half million dollars for his new position with Monsanto, and, at the same time, he will continue to serve as the Land Grant president with the University of South Dakota, overseeing academic ag research funded, in part, by Monsanto. Is it enough for him to claim there will be no bias? Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17823.cfm

For an Overview of Monsanto's Greenwashing efforts see: Blood Money: Monsanto and Its Philanthropy http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17815.cfm

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ORGANIC BYTES is a publication of:ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION6771 South Silver Hill DriveFinland, Minnesota 55603Phone: (218)- 226-4164Fax: (218) 353-7652

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From: Organic Consumers Association <oca@...>Subject: Organic Bytes: Crises, Standards, & Solutionsepifany97523@...Date: Thursday, December 10, 2009, 11:08 AM

December 10, 2009

Organic Bytes #203: Organics, Greenwashing & the Copenhagen Climate Talks

Health, Justice and Sustainability Newsfrom the Organic Consumers Association

Edited by: is Baden-Mayer and Ronnie Cummins

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Special Issue

The Copenhagen Climate Talks

Video/Action of the Week: Scrap Cap & Trade, Force EPA to Crack Down on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Pollution!

Action Updates: Art for the Climate, the World Wants a Real Deal

Corporate Climate Criminal: Monsanto Nominated for Angry Mermaid Award

Climate Justice Heroes: La Via Campesina in Copenhagen

Zero Waste for Zero Warming: More Compost, Less GHGs from Landfills

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Video and Action of the Week

Scrap Cap & Trade: EPA Do Your Job!

This week, we share two great videos that explain what's gone wrong with Congress's climate change bill and why letting greenhouse gas polluters make money off their hot air, i.e., cap and trade, is a bad idea.

We urge you take action in support of EPA's recent, long overdue announcement that it will henceforth consider and regulate greenhouse gases for what they are - hazardous pollutants that represent a threat to our global climate and indeed all life on the Earth.

Watch the videos and take action

Action Updates

Art for the Climate

Thanks to all of the OCA activists who sent beautiful banners for use in the December 4th "Art for the Climate" action at the White House. Your work was picked up by multiple newswires and printed in newspapers across the country.

More photos and videos of Art for the Climate

Join this Weekend's Actions!

Tck Tck Tck has called for a worldwide weekend of actions December 11-13 under the theme, "The World Wants a Real Deal." Organic activists around the world are bringing our message, that organic agriculture, practiced worldwide, can sequester 40% of current greenhouse gas emissions, to the events. Among many actions across the globe, the Biological Farmers of Australia are making organic farming's contribution to solving global warming a highlight of the Brisbane Walk Against Warming on Saturday December 12th.

Join an action in your city

Corporate Climate Criminal

Monsanto Nominated for Angry Mermaid Award

Who are the worst corporate climate criminals? Which disaster capitalists are using the most muscle to profit from a warming world and force false solutions on governments and tax-payers? Would it surprise you to hear that Monsanto is among eight corporations in the running to receive what climate activists have dubbed the "Angry Mermaid" Award? Watch the Angry Mermaid video & vote for Monsanto!

Please Donate

OCA Needs Your Help to Spread the Organic Revolution

OCA and our national, now international, network of organic consumers understand that we have a positive healthy solution for the nation and the world's food, health, economic, and climate crisis: organic food, farming, and ranching. But to get out our all-important message we need your support and your donations. So please send us a tax-deductible donation today.

PLEASE DONATE

Climate Justice Heroes

La Via Campesina - A Global Small Farmer Network - Leave Farms for Copenhagen

Excerpt from speech of Henry Saragih, general coordinator of Via Campesina at the opening session of Klimaforum:

"New data that has come out clearly shows that industrial agriculture and the globalized food system are responsible for between 44 and 57% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. This figure can be broken down as follows:

(i) Agricultural activities are responsible for 11 to 15%,

(ii) Land clearing and deforestation cause an additional 15 to 18%,

(iii) Food processing, packing and transportation cause 15 to 20%, and

(iv) Decomposition of organic waste causes another 3 to 4%.

It means that our current food system is a major polluter. If we genuinely want to tackle the climate change crisis, the only way we have to go forward is to stop industrial agriculture.

Carbon trade mechanisms will only serve polluting countries and companies, and bring disaster to small farmers and indigenous peoples in developing countries.

By taking agriculture away from the big agribusiness corporations and putting it back into the hands of small farmers, we can reduce half of the global emissions of greenhouse gases. This is what we propose, and we call it Food Sovereignty..."

Read the full speech

Zero Waste for Zero Warming

More Compost, Less GHGs from Landfills

When composted and returned to the soil, organic matter provides multiple benefits. It locks carbon in soil; improves the structure and workability of soils (reducing the need for fossil fuels for plowing and tilling); improves water retention (irrigation is a heavy consumer of energy); displaces energy-intensive synthetic fertilizers; and results in more rapid plant growth (which takes CO2 out of the atmosphere).

But, when organic waste ends up in landfills, the organic content (paper, yard waste and food scraps) putrefies, producing methane (CH4), a greenhouse gas 20-70 times more potent and damaging than carbon dioxide (CO2).

The Solution: Zero Waste

A far better approach is known as Zero Waste, which aims to close the loop on all material used in the economy. Under Zero Waste, each element of a source-separated waste stream is subjected to minimal treatment so that it can be reused. Clean, source-separated organics (including kitchen discards) are composted or subject to anaerobic digestion; usable goods are repaired and re-used; other materials are recycled.

Besides saving resources and money, and generating green jobs for local communities, Zero Waste produces far less pollution than so-called waste disposal techniques. It eliminates methane emissions from landfills by diverting organics; it eliminates greenhouse gas emissions from incinerators by closing them; it reduces greenhouse gas emissions from industry by replacing virgin materials with recycled materials; and it reduces greenhouse gas emissions from transport by generally keeping such materials close to the end-user.

Watch the Zero Waste Zero Warming video

LOCAL OR NEWS OF THE WEEK

OR: Get Involved Locally!

Learn more about OCA related action alerts and other news in OR here.

Join OR discussion groups in our forum.

Post events in OR on our community calendar.

Message from our Sponsors

USDA Certified Organic Household Cleaners are Finally Here!

Greenology Products has made history.

The word "natural" continues to remain undefined and is often confusing to consumers. Many manufacturers push the boundaries of what is truly considered natural. Because of this, Greenology Products spent 18 months developing a line of organic All-Purpose, Bathroom, Glass & Kitchen Cleaners that met NOP (National Organic Program) requirements and are certified by the USDA. We have recently won approval for the world's first and only certified organic Laundry Detergent as well. It wasn't easy, but we were on a mission to change the way cleaning products are produced and used by families and businesses.

Wanting to significantly raise the standards bar in cleaning was easy motivation for us because so much evidence points to chemical related health symptoms and poor indoor air quality at home, school and work.

As for performance, our Glass cleaner was given a "BEST" rating by the New York Times in a May 14th, 2009 review against 19 other national brand Glass cleaners. Not only are we certified organic, but the products work extremely well and are competitively priced against the national brands. It's a win for consumers and families.

Please visit us online athttp://www.greenologyproducts.comOr call toll free:1 877-GREEN-50 (473-3650)

Please forward this publication to family and friends, place it on web sites, print it, duplicate it and post it freely. Knowledge is power!

Organic Bytes is a publication of Organic Consumers Association

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