President Obama: Fight Climate Change for a Better Future

In his acceptance speech after winning a second term, President Obama said, “we want our children to live in an America… that isn’t threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet.”  All of us want a brighter future for the next generation, but how bright can their future be if climate change continues unchecked? With the Earth’s temperature rising, ice in the Arctic melting at an alarming rate,  and deadly hurricanes like Sandy becoming more and more common, change needs to happen. Now in his second term, it’s now or never for President Obama to work diligently to combat climate change. The cost of not doing anything is far greater than the cost of cutting carbon. Let’s come together and take advantage of this opportunity to move America toward clean air and clean energy. Send a message to President Obama asking for his plan to fight climate change in his second term – because we can’t afford to wait another four years.

Occupy Sandy Relief Hacks Amazon…In a Good Way

With many people still without heat due to Hurricane Sandy, electric heaters and blankets are some of the few items desperately needed for those affected during the cold winter months. Occupy Sandy has thought of a creative way to help get the exact items victimthee ends. Through Amazon.com’s gift registries, coordinators that are helping to provide aid on the ground, post what they need to these registries – and you buy the items on Amazon to have them shipped to the various locations. Items on the registry include: blankets, flashlights, coolers, garbage bags, diapers, socks, generators, and cleaning supplies. This registry is devoted to concentrating on getting supplies to the recovery sites of most need rapidly, with transparency in the use of donations. In partnership with Occupy Sandy Relief NYC Facebook Page, coordinators will be updating donation usage with photo galleries so you know your items are going to the right people and being used the way they should.

Tell the FDA to Publicly Report Sales & Distribution of Antibiotics for Farm Animals

Did you know that far more antibiotics are given to farm animals than to people? The FDA reported in 2011 that 80 percent of antibiotics used in the U.S. are sold for agricultural purposes. What’s worse, the livestock they’re being fed to are usually not even sick! Low doses of antibiotics are given to factory farmed animals in order to prevent infection — common in densely packed, unsanitary farm conditions — and promote faster growth. Increased use of antibiotics means proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) believes that we can trust pharmaceutical companies to do the right thing. Earlier this year, the FDA published voluntary “guidance” to the meat industry about only using antibiotics in livestock feed with the oversight of a veterinarian.  FDA has explained their position by saying they will “trust but verify.” But one of the many problems with relying on this voluntary approach is that there is not enough public information about how these drugs are used to actually verify anything.  We need to tell the FDA that there has to be better information about antibiotic use in livestock.