TIP TALKS
The e-Newsletter of the
Toxics Information Project (TIP)
April, 2015
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IN THIS ISSUE
**LIB TALKS: A Flurry of Activity, Pesticides, GMOs,
Antibiotics, New Spring-Summer TIP Flyer, Another Way
to Love the Bees - Local Beekeeper – She’s a Honey!
**GOOD NEWS FROM NEAR & FAR: Actions on GMOs
by Chipotle, on Antibiotics by Tyson, on a School Pesticide
Ban by a CT Kennedy, on Neocotinoids by Lowes,
**ACTIONS & ALERTS FOR YOU: Corporations &
Politicians Are Acting – Join Them, Tell True Value
and Ace to Be Next to Dump Bee-Killers, Sign the
CFS Pollinator-Protection Petition, Call for Getting
Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Out of Our Food;
** RESOURCES: TIP TALKS Spring/Summer Flyer,
Book Expose of GMO Shenanigans, Updated Organic Farms
List, Honey Farm & Products, Green Kitchen Gadgets
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LIB TALKS
AWARENESS & ACTIVITY IS GROWING! There is
so much news about actions being taken as well as
actions for you to take, it has been hard to organize
the newsletter – lots of overlap. However – it’s all good!
Consumers, corporations and politicians are getting
the word about pesticides on farms, yards & playing
fields, that kill bees & threaten kids. There is more and
more notice being paid to GMOs & antibiotics in our
food and some changes are being made. Legal moves
are being worked on at the state level. Read about
some of the successes & make your own moves
Sign more petitions and, most of all, Let Retailers
And Manufacturers Know What You Want!! They
Are Listening!
RESOURCES ABOUND: Included – our SPRING/SUMMER
TIP TALKS, “BEAUTY OR THE BEAST”: “Which is Your Lawn,
Yard, Garden, Farm or Kid’s Playing Field?” It’s a comparison
of the options, with ideas, info and humor. Download – and
share with your neighbors, family and friends! Go to:
http://toxicsinfo.org/lesstoxic.htm for description & link.
(Also see other landscaping & gardening info & resources,
same page). Note: :I encountered a great local beekeeper,
a honey of a gal named Annie B., who is concerned about
protecting her tiny partners and has a bunch of sweet offerings
(pure honey & made with honey). See her contact & web info
below – if in RI, visit!
RESOURCES FOR TIP: We are most grateful for the
support of our local State Representative, Aaron Regunberg,
and RI State Senator, Gayle Goldine, with whose assistance
we will be able to do some updating on our website this year.
– Thank you both!
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GOOD NEWS: CORPORATIONS SHIFT
TOWARD HEALTHIER PRACTICES
CHIPOTLE IS GOING GMO FREE - & GIVING GREAT INFO
ON THEIR WEBSITE. Really worth a read – and for sharing!
Check it out at: http://chipotle.com/food-with-integrity and
http://chipotle.com/gmo
TYSON FOODS TO END USE OF HUMAN ANTIBIOTICS
IN U.S. CHICKENS BY 2017 Tyson's move will help the company
meet a deadline recently outlined by McDonald's Corp. for its U.S.
restaurants to gradually stop buying chicken raised with human
antibiotics over the next two years.
http://news.yahoo.com/tyson-foods-plans-cut-human-antibiotics-u-chicken-090854811--finance.html;_ylt=A0LEVr6dSUBVifsA15RjmolQ
SENATOR KENNEDY WANTS CONNECTICUT TO
BAN THE USE OF DANGEROUS PESTICIDES
ON PUBLIC PLAYGROUNDS Current CT Senate Bill 1063
bans the use of pesticides on fields at K-8 schools and day
care, and CT state Senator Ted Kennedy, Jr. wants to extend
the bill to include municipal playgrounds.
www.nhregister.com/general-news/20150425/senator-kennedy-wants-connecticut-to-ban-the-use-of-dangerous-pesticides-on-public-playgrounds
GOOD NEWS & FOLLOW-UP ACTION ON NEOCOTINOID
PESTICIDES Thanks to a strong network of allies working on
this campaign, Lowe’s has joined the growing number of retailers
that are taking action on neonics -- Lowe’s will phase out neonics
and plants pre-treated with them by the spring of 2019. It is also
working with suppliers to minimize pesticide use overall and move
to safer alternatives. This progress is encouraging, but we
can’t stop now. FIRST, THANK THEM – LET THEM KNOW
YOU CARE! THEN, START SIGNING BELOW.
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ACTIONS & ALERTS
TELL TRUE VALUE & ACE – TIME TO JOIN THE SMART CROWD!
The next-largest garden retailers, True Value and Ace, have yet
to make any similar commitments on bee-killing pesticides. If we
can get them to join Lowe’s, it would be a huge step forward in
ensuring that everyone can plant bee-friendly gardens!
Take action now: Urge True Value and Ace to help protect bees!
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/tell-true-value-and-ace?source=c.em&r_by=11500397
MORE SAVING THE BEES – ACTION & INFO FROM
CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY & BEYOND PESTICIDES
www.centerforfoodsafety.org/issues/304/pollinators-and-pesticides/join-the-bee-protective-campaign#
TELL FOOD COMPANIES TO STOP PUTTING
ENDOCRINE DISRUPTERS IN OUR FOOD!
Would you eat something that some cosmetics companies won’t
put in their products? You might be. A new EWG analysis has
found propyl paraben, a preservative linked to endocrine disruption
and not allowed in food sold in the European Union, in nearly 50
U.S. snack foods, including Sara Lee cinnamon rolls, Weight
Watchers cakes, Cafe Valley muffins, and La Banderita corn tortillas.
Some cosmetics companies have removed propyl paraben from
their formulations, so why aren’t food companies doing the same?!
It’s time to stand up for the health of all consumers. Tell Sara Lee,
Weight Watchers & other food companies to stop using the
endocrine-disrupting preservative propyl-paraben in their food NOW!
Click here to add your name to EWG’s petition:
http://action.ewg.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=2139&tag=201504PPActionCenter&_ga=1.259824910.549968364.1412022888
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RESOURCES
“INTRIGUING” BOOK: “ALTERED GENES, TWISTED TRUTH”
How the Venture to Genetically Engineer Our Food Has Subverted
Science, Corrupted Government, and Systematically Deceived the
Public (Published 3-20-15) A New Book by public interest lawyer,
Steve Druker, provides a first hand account of intrigue and subterfuge.
www.amazon.com/Altered-Genes-Twisted-Truth-Systematically/dp/0985616903/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=yebo066-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=Y7WJXVDZEHSN6JVP&creativeASIN=0985616903
2014 LIST OF CERTIFIED USDA ORGANIC OPERATIONS
The National Organic Program (NOP) oversees USDA-accredited
certifying agents and their certification of organic production and
handling operations As of the end of 2014, 19,474 organic farms
and handling facilities in the United States were certified to the
USDA organic standards, a growth of 5.2% over 2013.
Worldwide, there are now 27,814 certified organic production
and handling operations. The certified operations list allows
buyers, sellers and the public to identify and connect with
certified organic businesses stakeholders across the supply
chain. Access the list of certified organic operations here:
http://apps.ams.usda.gov/nop/
ANNIE B’s HONEY FARM:
Annette Birman (Annie B)
15 Alaska Street, Cumberland, RI 02864 401-481-8293
info@anniebsfarm.com, http://anniebsfarm.com
Products: (Pure, raw honey, honey straws, lip balm, pollen pellets,
skin cream & more) Online ordering: http://anniebsfarm.com/shop/
6 GREEN KITCHEN GADGETS
Are you looking to reduce your ecological footprint? You might
want to start in the kitchen. American kitchens use up to 15 percent
of a household's total energy, and we toss about $165 billion worth
of food per year -- yikes! Worry not: Sierra magazine gathered six
gadgets – from a hand-operated expresso maker to a solar cooker
– that will help you reduce food and energy waste. (Along with
the pollution from most energy generation)
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CONTACT US WITH YOUR THOUGHTS,
COMMENTS, QUESTIONS!
AND BY THE WAY – WE’RE SMALL, WE’RE ACTIVE,
WE DON’T BOTHER YOU WITH LOTS OF PITCHES
FOR MOOLA – BUT WE REALLY DO NEED SOME HELP!
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EASY WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR WORK:
BENEFIT TIP WHILE SURFING OR SHOPPING THE WEB at:
www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=818190
BENEFIT TIP WHILE SHOPPING ON THE WEB AT:
www.igive.com/welcome/warmwelcome.cfm?c=38382&m=0
OR MOST OF ALL, MAKE A DONATION:
Mail a check to TIP at the address above.
(We are a tax deductible organization)
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Liberty Goodwin, Director
Toxics Information Project
P.O. Box 40572,
Providence, RI 02940
Tel. 401-351-9193
Website: www.toxicsinfo.org
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