| SUBSCRIBE & Read Past Issues | OCA Homepage | Donate Ten Ways Monsanto and Big Ag Are Trying to Kill You - And the Planet Energy-intensive industrial farming practices that rely on toxic chemicals and genetically engineered crops are not just undermining public health, they're destroying the planet. Here's how: #1 Generating Massive Greenhouse Gas Pollution (CO2, Methane, Nitrous Oxide) and Global Warming, While Promoting False Solutions Such as Industrial Biofuels, So-Called Drought-Resistant Crops, and Genetically Engineered Trees #2 Polluting the Environment and the Soil-Food Web with Pesticides, Chemical Fertilizers, and Persistent Toxins, Including Dioxin #3 Draining and Polluting Wetlands and Aquifers, Turning Farmland into Desert #4 Poisoning Wells and Municipal Drinking Water, Lakes, and Rivers #5 Chopping Down the Rainforests for Monoculture GMO Crops, Biofuels and Cattle Grazing #6 Increasing the Cost of Food, While Reducing Nutrition and Biodiversity #7 Spawning Pesticide-Resistant Superbugs and Weeds, and Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria #8 Generating New and More Virulent Plant, Animal and Human Diseases #9 Utilizing Wasteful Fossil Fuel-Intensive Practices and Encouraging the Expansion of Natural Gas Fracking and Tar Sands Extraction (Which Destroy Forests, Aquifers, and Farmland) #10 Stealing Money From the 99% to Give Huge Subsidies to the 1% Wealthiest, Most Chemical and Energy-Intensive Farms and Food Producers It's not enough to stop eating genetically engineered food. If we want a liveable planet we've got to boycott all factory farmed food and make the Great Transition from energy and chemical-intensive agriculture to a relocalized and organic system of food and farming. The World According to Monsanto is a recipe for disaster. Monsanto and Big Ag contaminate every link in the food chain, threatening the very foundation of life: living nutrient-rich soil, clean water, resilient crops, healthy animals, stable climates, and diverse food sources. The good news is that agro-ecological and organic methods can reverse this threat and sustain food production for future generations, but we don't have much time to turn things around. Take Action Learn more: "What About the State of Our Planet, Mr. President?" By Will Allen and Ronnie Cummins The Farm Bill: Subsidizing Pollution, Junk Food, and the Richest 1% Support the OCA and the OCF  In 2012, whether we're talking about getting antibiotics out of animal feed or labeling GMOs, we're fighting harder than ever. With the 2012 California Ballot Initiative, and GMO labeling legislation gaining momentum in Vermont, Washington, Connecticut, Hawaii and other states, we have a real chance to hit Monsanto with the skull and crossbones they fear so much - mandatory labels on genetically engineered food. We also plan to step up our efforts to strengthen organic standards and significantly expand the market for organic food and products, especially those produced locally and regionally.
Please be as generous as you can during our January and February fundraising drive. Donate to the Organic Consumers Association (tax-deductible) Donate to the Organic Consumers Fund (non-tax-deductible, but necessary for our efforts in California) Urgent Action Needed to Label GMOs in Your State!  Sixteen states are currently considering legislation to label GMOs. Please contact your state legislators to encourage them to support or introduce GMO labeling bills.
Take Action by Choosing Your State! All eyes are on Washington state this week, as we try to get two GMO labeling bills passed out of the Senate and House agriculture committees this week. Public support is strong and last week's hearings were packed, but Monsanto lobbyists are trying hard to kill the bills. Take Action in Washington State! The California legislative effort to label genetically engineered fish suffered a setback when a bill to label genetically engineered salmon failed 9-7 in committee earlier this month. The sad truth is that California politicians appear to care more about what Monsanto and corporate agribusiness want than the 90% of their constituents who have expressed their view over and over again that they want labels on genetically engineered food. This is why OCA, Food Democracy Now, Mercola.com, the Sierra Club, Center for Food Safety, Pesticide Action Network, and LabelGMOs.org, along with our allies in the organic business community have united to put a citizen Initiative on the ballot in November 2012 that will require labels on all genetically engineered foods and food ingredients, and outlaw the common practice of labeling or advertising hundreds of GMO-tainted processed foods as "natural" or "all-natural." Learn More and Take Action in California! Fair World Project Alert: Fair Trade Progress  After over 2000 letters from concerned consumers, Fair Trade USA (FTUSA; formerly TransFair USA) has released its revised draft Multiple Ingredients Product Policy. Organic Consumers Association's Fair World Project (FWP) is pleased that FTUSA has incorporated feedback from various stakeholder groups on important issues, especially with respect minimum ingredient requirements for fair trade products and strengthening the commercial availability requirement to source fair trade ingredients. The commercial availability requirement is a particularly crucial market driver to expand markets for fair trade farmers. However, there are a number of critical areas for improvement, which are outlined in the Fair World Project's recent statement regarding FTUSA's new revisions.
Take action below and urge Fair Trade USA to uphold the integrity of the fair trade movement and to revise its draft policy for multiple ingredients products to incorporate FWP's concerns over labeling, =product transition timelines, and transparency regarding commercial availability and ingredient exemptions. Take Action Little Bytes: Top Stories of the Week  Petition Tells Obama: 'Cease FDA Ties to Monsanto'
Monsanto Named the "Worst Company of 2011" Why Does Agriculture Keep Getting a Climate Pass? Bee Colony Collapse Disorder May Affect Our Food Supply Washington Wheat Farmers Throw Support Behind Required Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods Sponsored Message CONSERVacations Special rates for OCA members on a green Costa Rica vacation March 17-24: 8 days and 7 nights for $999.00!  Beatrice Blake, guidebook author and community ecotourism expert, has designed a special itinerary for OCA members that visits sustainable coffee farms near Palmichal de Acosta and organic farms in Altamira at the entrance to La Amistad International Park. These community-owned farms are members of ACTUAR, the Costa Rican Rural Tourism Association, which just won the Responsible Tourism Award at the Educational Travel Conference.
Between village and farm experiences, you'll hike in the cloud forest to see the Resplendent Quetzal. You'll end the trip with a couple of days relaxing and exploring the beaches near Villas Gaia on the Pacific Coast. You will be accompanied by an experienced bilingual naturalist, who can help you exchange ideas with the people you visit and see birds and wildlife that you wouldn't see on your own. Go here to learn more. Connect With OCA! | 
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