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Genetically Modified (GMO) Organisms Take Action! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Political/Community Action
As of the present writing, only about 50 Congressmen (out of over 400) have endorsed the GM labeling bill currently before Congress. A similar piece of legislation is being introduced into the US Senate. It is vitally important that 100,000 or more letters be sent to Congress urging them to support these bills. It is best to write a personal letter, what has the most impact. Form letters are also available. Many health food stores carry them, or they can be downloaded at the Web site www.thecampaign.org. Make copies for your self and 5-10 friends and family members. Several letters may also be collected and sent in a single envelope. Emails can also be sent, but do not have as much impact or influence as postal letters. Even with form letters, adding a personal note explaining you views on the subject doubles the weight placed on the letter by legislators. At The Campaign's Web site, additional form letters are also available to the President, Vice President, political candidates, Department of Agriculture, EPA, and FDA - plus media contacts and major food companies. The media contact service on the web allows you to instantly reach hundreds of newspapers, magazines, radio stations and the like, in each of the 50 states - to tell them to cover this issue.
A petition is also attached and further copies are available through the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) at www.purefood.org and at most local health food stores. The OCA petition calls for 30% of US produce to be organic by the year 2010. At the present rate of growth, 10% of European produce will be organic by 2005. Australia has already passed 10% and Sweden and Switzerland are not far behind.
There are many activist organizations working on the GM issue. A few prominent ones are The Campaign, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Bioengineering Action Network, RAGE, Organic Consumers Association - and locally NOFA, the Greens, and Americans for Safe Food.
Contact school officials asking them to follow the example of the Berkeley, California district - eliminating GM products or offering organic food in cafeterias.
See websites listed were updates are available as to local events. Consumer Action
Educate your family on this issue and buy organic products whenever you can.
Call and send a letter to the largest companies that distribute GM foods. Ask them to change their policies (see a sample list below). For more information send them an email on their site - to be part of their listserve to contact companies. You can also reach the Network by mail at 35 Asticou Road, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 or call 617-522-9605. As a result and as of this writing, 17 companies have taken positive steps. This includes Hain's Food Group, the largest health food conglomerate along with Wild Oats and Whole Foods, the largest health-oriented supermarkets in the US. A sample letter to a corporation, which should be restated in your own words, might be : Dear President, I am writing to express my very serious concern about genetically engineered ingredients in your products. Research has shown many negative health and environmental effects such as ……what effects me and my family. Other companies have begun to take steps to eliminate these ingredients and I am urging you and XXXX Corporation to do the same.
Join (or start) a local network of people, who individually or together contact nearby supermarket and food storeowners about the seriousness of this issue. Ask the owners to survey their suppliers for GM-free products, as well as their own private-label products - and to make a list of all GM free products available to their customers.
Divest of shares in GM producing or distributing companies, or use shares for shareholder protests. List of Largest US Food Distributors :
Personal Action
Knowledge, understanding, commitment and resolve precede action. Attached are brief lists of resources - books, videos, tapes, conferences and Internet resources for more information on the issue of genetically engineered foods.
Share information, a video, book or tape about GM foods with friends and family members. Write a letter to your newspaper. Inform others through your personal WebPages and links.
When we buy organic products we not only enhance our own personal health, but support businesses and farms committed to a clean environment plus not destroying the living web of nature.
Articles See the Web site of www.thecampaign.org, www.purefood.org, and www.sage-intl.org.
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