TIP TALKS
The e-Newsletter of the
Toxics Information Project (TIP)
August, 2014
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IN THIS ISSUE
**LIB TALKS: University Bias Concerns, Positive Thrusts,
Consumer Power, Cutting Costs at the Farmers Market
**ACTIONS & ALERTS: Frankencrops, Pollinator Protection,
Consumer Clout vs. Corps. (Sept. 8 Deadline for First Two)
**GOOD NEWS: No National Refuge for Neonicotinoids,
**TIPS & RESOURCES: Tents & Fire Retardants,
Back to School Free of PVCs
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LIB TALKS:
**LOCAL SITUTATION WITH NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE:
UNIVERSITY BIAS & FUNDING RE: GMOS. The University of
Rhode Island (URI) is sponsoring a RI Food Safety Task Force
20th Annual Food Safety Conference, titled “What You Need
to Know About GMOs, Safety, Labeling and Economic Impact”,
at a local Radisson Hotel. Two presenters are professors who
are very Involved in (1) GMO research & promotion and
(2) anti-GMO labeling. No scientific/academic speakers will
be there to present alternative views & data. The others
presenting are a DOH representative & a RI legislator.
The latter is sympathetic, but does not have the credentials
nor focus of the two GMO advocates.
Our RI Food Concerns Group, wishing to provide a balance to
what seems to be a biased program, will be providing informational
flyers to attenders & the public at the entrance before & after the
event. QUESTION: Have you come across a similar situation of
likely industry influence on GMO treatment by a local university?
What was your response? Or, does anyone just have some ideas?
GOOD NEWS: VICTORIES IN LEGISLATION AND REGULATION
On the brighter side, we can look to the success in Vermont, with
a condition-free GMO Labeling Bill passed. There will be a lawsuit,
but friendly forces are gathering to provide support against that.
Also see the items below, one about the banning of toxic pesticides
and another re: saving a large part of Mexico from GMO soybean
planting. On a different concern – note the strong action vs.
artificial turf by national women athletes.
ALERTS, ACTIONS, RESOURCES: This TIP TALKS also
includes a petition vs. the new Round-Up/Agent Orange
FrankenCrop, and one on behalf of the bees & butterflies
vs. pesticides. The third action almost made it into Good
News – because it is from the influential Consumers Union,
now actively on our side re: GMO Labeling, standing up
to the corporate giants.
Consumer power in the marketplace is the focus of the final
TT items: Toxic Tents are a downer, but – it is toward the end
of the season – maybe prices on less toxic replacements
would be low? Anyone with info on alternatives – please
share with me! Also, this gives a heads-up to watch out for
the same toxic fire-retardants in other products. Finally,
we’ve provided a link to the annual update of CHEJ’s
Back-to-School PVC-Free School Supplies Guide.
CUTTING COSTS: I’ve visited several Farmers Markets
recently (not just to buy – sharing info on a new solar
greenhouse Invented & patented by my husband, that
farmers can build themselves). I started noticing several
farmers with signs saying, “No Chemicals Used” or “Grown
Without Pesticides”, etc. This spurred me to two actions.
I found that quite a few farmers, when I flat out asked them,
were very open and detailed on their practices. So, I urged
those who don’t use any pesticides not allowed under
“organic” certification should put out signs saying so –
could help their sales. As a bonus, I was able to buy some
super-cheap yellow squash yesterday, after determining they
were actually pesticide-free. Many small, local farmers can’t
afford the organic certification, but their offerings could be
quite healthy anyway. ASK! (Besides finding a bargain,
doing this helps motivate them to avoid the toxics)/
Blessings, Liberty G
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ACTION ALERTS
(TWO WITH SEPTEMBER 8 DEADLINES!)
TICK, TOCK
(More Agent Orange heading our way)
The clock is ticking on our last chance to stop a ticking time bomb.
On August 6 (2014), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),
over the objections of 50 members of Congress, and more than
500,000 citizens, scientists, farmers and health professionals,
moved one step closer to approving Dow’s new "Agent Orange"
"Enlist" brand soy and corn crops. The crops are engineered to
withstand massive doses of Enlist Duo herbicide, concocted from
a combination of 2,4-D (used to make Agent Orange) & glyphosate,
the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup.
The USDA has admitted that approval of Dow’s new crops will
cause the use of 2,4-D to skyrocket from 26 million pounds to
176 million pounds. Scientists predict worse. Dow’s 2,4-D is
already the seventh largest source of dioxins in the U.S.
It’s been linked to a host of ills, including birth defects,
infertility,
allergies, Parkinson’s disease, endocrine disruption & cancer.
It’s unconscionable that the USDA would approve these crops.
Yet the agency is less than 18 days away from doing just that.
Unless we stop it. DEADLINE SEPT. 8. Tell the USDA to
Reject Dow’s “Agent Orange” Crops! Even if you’ve signed
other petitions, sign this one at:
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14698
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TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT POLLINATORS:
ASK YOUR CONGRESS MEMBER TO SIGN ON TO THIS
IMPORTANT LETTER TO THE EPA –
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14696#sthash.NvvvxIka.dpuf
Will your Congress Member Sign? The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
lists nearly 40 pollinator species as threatened or endangered.
Monarch butterflies aren’t faring much better. In California, the
Monarch population has declined by 80 percent over 15 years,
in part due to the extensive use of Monsanto’s Roundup.
Two Congressmen, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) & Rep. John Conyers
(D-Mich.) have written a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Administrator Gina McCarthy, urging her to review and revise pesticide
regulations protecting pollinators. In order to make the letter carry
more weight, they’re asking their colleagues to sign on. In their
letter, Reps. Blumenauer and Conyers refer to recent studies revealing
that “systemic pesticides—including neonicotinoids—are accumulating
in soils & polluting waterways and natural vegetation across the world,
leading to widespread impacts on wildlife inhabiting farmland and
aquatic habitats.”They also point out that much of this pesticide use is
unnecessary and ineffective. Please ask your Congress members to
sign on to the Blumenauer-Conyers “Dear Colleague” letter. The Hope
Is To Get 50 Members To Sign On, Before The Letter Closes On Sept. 8.
WHO’S BEHIND THE ATTACK ON GMO LABELING LAWS?
(Besides Monsanto & Dow) AN ALERT FROM CONSUMERS UNION!
Monsanto has spent millions to keep you from knowing if your food is
genetically engineered. But you may be surprised who else wants to
keep you in the dark. Some of America’s largest and most popular
companies – Coke, Pepsi, Nestle, General Mills – are all spending
piles of cash to stop GMO labeling. So intent are they to not label
their GMO products, that they’re helping wage war against one of
the smallest states in the nation – Vermont – because it had the
guts to pass a labeling law with no strings attached. And they’re
attacking Vermont behind an industry trade group, so shoppers
like you don’t know what they’re up to.
The powerful Grocery Manufacturers Association, some of whose
biggest members include Coke, Pepsi, Nestle and General Mills,
filed a lawsuit to block Vermont’s law. It’s estimated the state’s
600,000 residents could be forced to spend $8 million defending
themselves in the courts from these giants! Show Vermont you’ve
got their back. If you ever drank a Diet Coke, or eaten a bowl of
Wheaties, use your power as a consumer to demand these
companies stop undermining what the people want! Demand
Coke, Pepsi, Nestle and General Mills drop their opposition
to GMO labeling! Sign on in support at:
https://secure.consumersunion.org/site/Advocacy;jsessionid=73FE68BDA2015E62B4B6DF5E3E02E725.app220b?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=2935&autologin=true
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GOOD NEWS
ACTIONS VS. BIRD & BEE TOXIC STUFF
Big news from the U.S. and Mexico! The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(FWS) has announced that genetically engineered (GE) crops and bee
and bird-toxic neonicotinoid pesticides will be banned in National
Wildlife Refuges. The ruling impacts more than 150 million acres of
federal land.
Meanwhile, beekeepers in Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula are celebrating
a major victory over Monsanto. A district judge withdrew the corporate
giant’s permit to plant genetically engineered Roundup-ready soybeans
on 625,000 acres of cropland. The judge was convinced by scientific
evidence demonstrating that GMO crops pose a major threat to honey
production. This is huge for the birds and the bees. And for us. Get
the full story at: http://foodrevolution.org/blog/birds-and-bees/
Also see:
www.care2.com/causes/4-states-just-got-a-little-bit-safer-for-bees.html?cid=email_na#
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PLAYERS AGAINST ARTIFICIAL TURF
AT WOMEN'S WORLD CUP RETAIN LEGAL COUNSEL
www.si.com/planet-futbol/2014/08/05/womens-world-cup-artificial-turf-legal-counsel
A group of around 40 national team players from around the
world who are fighting against the use of artificial turf at the 2015
Women's World Cup in Canada have retained legal counsel, reports
The Equalizer. No senior men's or women's World Cup has ever
been played on artificial turf, but all six venues that will host next
year's World Cup are set to use the playing surface instead of
natural grass. According to the report, the group's lawyers sent
a letter to FIFA and Canada Soccer arguing that the surface is
"second-class" and gender discriminatory, and that it violates
provisions of Canadian law such as human rights codes.
WHY IS THIS GOOD NEWS? TAKE A LOOK AT THESE ARTICLES:
How did rubber tires -- once considered by many states a
hazardous waste -- get in places where children play - such
as toddler playgrounds and synthetic turf fields.? Here are
just a few of the many web pages detailing the concern:
Shock-Inducing Artificial Grass In Mijas Playground Sparks Protest
July 1, 2014 The Olive Press – Spain
www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2014/07/01/shock-inducing-astroturf-in-mijas-playground-sparks-protest
Debate Continues Over Artificial Turf Fields & Human Health Concerns
By Colin Kennedy, 08/24/14 New Haven Register
www.nhregister.com/health/20140824/debate-continues-over-artificial-turf-fields-and-human-health-concerns
Concerns On Artificial Turf Field (Op-Ed To Town Journal, North Jersey)
February 13, 2014 By Jill Riera, BS Health Education, MA Health
Education, CHES (Certified Health Education Specialist) adjunct
professor of Public Health at William Paterson University
www.northjersey.com/opinion/concerns-on-artificial-turf-field-1.648562
Fieldturf Now Adds Yet Another Toxin To Their Rubber Tire Infill
And Artificial Grass Components
www.fieldturf.com/artificial-turf-news/fieldturf-launches-fir
e-retardant-infill-and-fiber-synthetic-turf-component/#.T8hEr-LnNUM.email
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SEASONAL TIPS & RESOURCES
TENT CAMPING IN AMERICA IS ONE BIG TOXIC EXPERIENCE
August 8, 2014 | Believe it or not, many U.S. state governments and
the government of Canada require the use of toxic chemicals in tents
– all kinds of tents, from children’s play tents to camping tents to
circus tents – even though the chemicals have been proven harmful
and they often provide minimal benefit. The states with these laws
are Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, Minnesota,
Michigan, & California. (New Jersey also requires these chemicals
in sleeping bags.)
The chemicals in question are flame retardants. While the laws were
likely passed by well-meaning legislators decades ago, more facts
have come to light about the safety and effectiveness of the flame
retardant chemicals themselves as well as about the motivations
of those who lobbied for the laws in the first place.
Even if you do not camp or use tents, this case is important as
flame retardants are commonly used in many household items
such as children’s pajamas, furniture, and electronics and because
it illustrates a failure in our legal system to keep consumers safe
and allow them to make informed decisions. Learn more at:
www.alternet.org/personal-health/tent-camping-america-one-big-toxic-experience
CHEJ 2014 BACK-TO-SCHOOL GUIDE
TO PVC-FREE SCHOOL SUPPLIES
The Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ) has created this
fifth-annual Back-to-School Guide to PVC-Free School Supplies to
empower you to make smarter, healthier shopping choices for a
toxic-free future. This guide lists the most common back-to-school
supplies made out of polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl) plastic and
suggests safer PVC-free alternatives for your children Find it at:
http://chej.org/wp-content/uploads/PVC-Back-to-School-Guide-2014-REP-015.pdf*
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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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