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EPA Documents Reveal Truth About Plans for Pesticides; Powerful Victory for Waterkeeper Alliance; The EPA and GMOs Still Need Our Attention; Trump’s Renegotiations of NAFTA; Juniper Ash Provides More Calcium than Milk

EPA Documents Reveal Appointees Plans to Reject Ban of Chlorpyrifos

Image result for pesticides“Chlorpyrifos is still widely used in agriculture — on apples, oranges, strawberries, almonds and many other fruits — though it was barred from residential use in 2000. The E.P.A.’s scientists have recommended it be banned from use on farms and produce because it has been linked to lower I.Q.s and developmental delays among agricultural workers and their children.” – NY Times

Also, a short story by NPR on how bumblebee queens are affected by some widely used and highly controversial pesticides known as neonicotinoids. What a group of scientists in the United Kingdom found isn’t pretty.

Constitution Pipeline Rejected! Second Circuit Court of Appeals Affirms States’ Power to Reject Pipelines

‘On August 18th, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals denied a petition from Constitution Pipeline Company and, in the process, upheld the authority of states to reject projects that impact state water quality standards. This victory is an important reminder to all states that they have the power to stop harmful pipeline projects.’ – Waterkeeper Alliance 

Check out more information on how you can help take action to protect clean water and air here.

Trump EPA lags behind in environmental enforcement: report by Rueters

Image result for no GMO“During President Donald Trump’s first six months in office, the Justice Department collected $12 million in civil penalties as part of 26 civil lawsuits. That compares to $36 million in 34 cases during the Obama administration; $30 million in 31 cases under the George W. Bush administration; and $25 million in 45 cases during the Clinton administration’s first six months, the report by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) found. If this drop-off in environmental enforcement continues, it will leave more people breathing more air pollution or swimming in waterways with more waste,” said Environmental Integrity Project‘s (EIP) Executive Director, Eric Schaeffer, who served as the EPA’s head of civil enforcement from 1997 to 2002.”  – Rueters

Trump Administration’s False Promise to Rural America

“According to a recent article, the Trump Administration intends to increase pressure on Europe and China to accept food containing genetically modified organisms (GMO’s). An Administration task force has been set up to advance these goals, despite a history of European resistance and caution in China. The Administration claims that GMO’s should be accepted on scientific grounds. And it says that its motivation for this policy is to provide large benefits to rural economies that grow these crops, and sustainability. This is undoubtedly aimed at currying favor with an important Trump constituency. But on balance, science does not support the value of GMO’s for rural society or sustainability in the U.S.—just the opposite. Several recent research studies have added to the mounting record of GMO’s contributing to harmful industrial agriculture in the U.S.” – Food Tank

NAFTA Renegotiation: What’s at Stake for Food, Farmers and the Land?

The re-negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the U.S., Mexico and Canada started last week with ‘much at stake for farmers and rural communities in all three countries’. Despite promised gains for farmers, NAFTA’s benefits over the last 23 years have gone primarily to multinational agribusiness firms.

In addition to its focus on trade, NAFTA actually sets rules on investment, farm exports, food safety, access to seeds, and markets.

Image result for small dairy farmers scheme“NAFTA, combined with the formation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the 1996 Farm Bill, led the charge to greater consolidation among agribusiness firms, the loss of many small and mid-sized farms and independent ranchers, the rapid growth of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and further corporate control of animal production through often unfair, restrictive contracts with producers.” – Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy 

“A review of submissions on the talks includes proposals to dismantle Canada’s successful dairy supply management program and eliminate restrictions on trade in GMOs and other agricultural biotechnology.”

iEat Green would like to ally with NRDC, 350.org, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Center for Food Safety, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Friends of the Earth, Global Exchange, Green America, Greenpeace USA, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, the League of Conservation Voters, Food & Water Watch, the Sierra Club, and US Human Rights Network in calling on the Trump Administration to include the following eight issues among their priorities in changing NAFTA:

1. Eliminate rules that empower corporations to attack environmental and public health protections in unaccountable tribunals.
2. Add strong, enforceable environmental and labor standards to the core text of agreement
3. Safeguard energy sector regulation by overhauling overreaching rules.
4. Restrict pollution from cross border motor carriers
5. Require green government purchasing instead of restricting it
6. Bolster climate protections by penalizing imported goods made with high climate emissions
7. Require governments to prioritize policies that minimize climate pollution
8. Add a broad protection for environmental and other public interest policies.
 
I know it is just a dream, but I am still going to hope!
 

‘Sustainable Food is on the Menu at IKEA’ by Food Tank

Since the international initiative of the 2015 Paris Agreement, nearly 200 countries have made commitments to sustainability, “from water conservation and sustainable agriculture programs to small farmer support and human rights impact assessments.” Now, IKEA is one of a few big businesses which aims “to demonstrate [its] support for government efforts and to show how small changes to the way we live can add up to make a big difference to the planet.” ikea meatballsYou might be asking yourself how exactly are they doing this and, well, with vegan meatballs!

“IKEA stores offer a variety of locally sourced, certified, organic, or low-carbon products. And although it accounts for a relatively small percent of total revenue, IKEA’s food—in restaurants, bistros, and markets—brings in customers.  In fact, the company learned in 2016 that 30 percent of IKEA shoppers visit the stores only to eat.”

Also, check out the 12 ways Food Tech is Hacking Food Waste to feel encouraged that the trend towards sustainability is real and happening now. 

What We Can Learn from Indigenous People’s in Agriculture

“Over the centuries, indigenous peoples have provided a series of ecological and cultural services to humankind. The preservation of traditional forms of farming knowledge and practices help maintain biodiversity, enhance food security, and protect the world’s natural resources. There are approximately 370 million indigenous peoples in the world occupying or using up to 22 percent of the global land area, which is home to 80 percent of the world’s biological diversity. The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) affirms that indigenous peoples have the right to own and develop their land and resources and to follow their own traditional ways of growing food.” – Food Tank 

Traditional Foods Provide Necessary Nutrients for Traditional People

Daniel Begay, a graduate student at Northern Arizona University, analyzed the amount of calcium in a laboratory study to assess the amount of calcium in Juniper ash compared to what’s found in a glass of milk. Because most American Indians are lactose intolerant, “they aren’t getting that same source of calcium from dairy products,” Begay says. It turns out that this traditional cooking method is key to many American Indians’ bone health. Read more on NPR here.Image result for juniper ash burn

  
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