Organic Bytes: Pesticides, Hormones, & Community Gardens

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Fwd: Organic Bytes: Pesticides, Hormones, & Community Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ORGANIC BYTES #84

 

Health, Justice and Sustainability News Tidbits with an Edge!

 

6/15/2006

 

Subscribe to this Bi-weekly Email Newsletter:

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Written and edited by Craig Minowa and Ronnie Cummins

 

IN THIS ISSUE

 

TAKE ACTION: USDA CLOSE TO APPROVING GENETICALLY ENGINEERED PLUMS

 

L.A. RIOT POLICE INVADE NATION'S LARGEST COMMUNITY GARDEN

 

SUCCESSFUL LAWSUIT FORCES EPA TO PHASE OUT DANGEROUS PESTICIDE

 

TIP OF THE WEEK: MAINTAINING A HEALTHY ORGANIC LAWN AMERICAN

 

MEDICAL ASSOCIATION ASKS GOVERNMENT TO REGULATE SALT

 

NATION'S LARGEST DAIRIES TRYING TO AVOID MONSANTO'S BOVINE GROWTH HORMONE

 

SOME MAJOR U.S. DAIRIES ELIMINATING rBGH OVER THE PAST YEAR

 

COFFEE PROTECTS DRINKERS' LIVERS

 

BEER INGREDIENT REDUCES PROSTATE CANCER RISK

 

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TAKE ACTION: USDA CLOSE TO APPROVING GENETICALLY ENGINEERED PLUMS

 

The United Sates Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now accepting public

comments regarding the commercial approval of a genetically engineered

plum,

known as " C5. " The approval of C5 would be the first widely released

genetically

engineered (GE) tree in the United States. Approval of C5 will also

pave the

way for more GE tree and fruit varieties, including peaches, cherries, and

apricots. GE tree pollen can drift for several miles, leading to

contamination of

neighboring organic crops and indigenous trees. The USDA is currently

accepting

public comments on this issue.

 

Learn more and Take Action:

http://alerts.organicconsumers.org/trk/click?ref=zqtbkk3um_0-1ax23ex3108104 &

 

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L.A. POLICE INVADE NATION'S LARGEST COMMUNITY GARDEN

 

Armed police stormed a community garden in South Central Los Angeles this

week, arresting 25 people including actress Daryl Hannah. The 14 acre

plot of

land, tended by over 350 neighborhood fruit and vegetable farmers for

a decade,

is the largest urban community garden in the country, and a symbol of

hope for

the embattled South Central neighborhood. Although the highly successful

garden provides affordable, mostly organic food for low-income

residents in this

economically depressed area, a ten-year ownership dispute over the

land has led

to a dramatic standoff between neighborhood residents and the powerful

real

estate lobby of Los Angeles. Despite massive public opposition,

multi-millionaire real estate developer Ralph Horowitz obtained a

court order to pave over the

community garden and replace it with an industrial warehouse. After

back-tracking on a proposal to sell the 14 acre plot to neighborhood

residents for $16

million, Horowitz called in the police and bulldozers to clear the

property of

inhabitants. Neighborhood farmers and residents, along with the L.A.

organic

community, have vowed to keep up the struggle and save the community

garden.

 

Learn more:

http://alerts.organicconsumers.org/trk/click?ref=zqtbkk3um_0-1ax23fx3108104 &

 

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SUCCESSFUL LAWSUIT FORCES EPA TO PHASE OUT DANGEROUS PESTICIDE

 

A lawsuit filed by the United Farmworkers of America against the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has forced the agency to begin

phasing out a highly

toxic organophosphate pesticide that has contaminated food and poisoned

farmworkers. The pesticide, azinphos-methyl ( " AZM " ), is used on a

variety of food

crops, including potatoes, cranberries, and peaches. AZM is a highly toxic

neurotoxin derived from nerve agents used during World War II. In

2001, the EPA

found that AZM posed unacceptable risks to farmworkers, but due to

industry

pressure, the agency kept it on the market. " This pesticide has put

thousands of

workers at risk of serious illness every year, " said Erik Nicholson of the

United Farmworkers of America. The EPA will phase out AZM over the

next four years.

 

 

Learn more:

http://alerts.organicconsumers.org/trk/click?ref=zqtbkk3um_0-1ax240x3108104 &

 

_

 

*Soil biota helps provide a stable healthy lawn. If your lawn has been

treated chemically, it will take a couple of years for the soil

microorganisms to

rebuild.

 

_

 

AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION ASKS GOVERNMENT TO REGULATE SALT

 

In an unprecedented move, the American Medical Association (AMA) voted on

June 13 to call on the U.S. government to require salt warning labels

on food

products and to cut salt content in manufactured foods by 50% within a

decade.

The AMA, the largest group of physicians in the U.S., is also asking

the Food

and Drug Administration to revoke salt's status as a food that is

" generally

recognized as safe, " noting there is overwhelming medical evidence

that high salt

intake dramatically increases risk of heart disease, hypertension and

stroke.

Heart disease is the nation's leading cause of death. Foods that would

require warning labels would include everything from conventional hot

dogs to some

canned soups. The Food Products Association, a trade group for the

food and

beverage manufacturing industry, and one of the most powerful lobbying

groups in

Washington D.C. said the new policy is " misguided, " claiming there is not

enough scientific evidence tying salt to negative health effects.

 

Learn more:

http://alerts.organicconsumers.org/trk/click?ref=zqtbkk3um_0-1ax241x3108104 &

 

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NATION'S LARGEST DAIRIES TRYING TO AVOID MONSANTO'S BOVINE GROWTH HORMONE

 

The largest retailers and distributors of milk and dairy products in

the U.S.

are considering eliminating rBGH from their products. According to the

trade

journal Dairy Food and Market Analyst, Wal-Mart and Dean Foods have begun

pressing suppliers for a larger supply of milk produced without rBGH,

in response

to increasing consumer demand. The synthetic hormone rBGH is a genetically

engineered drug designed to make dairy cows produce more milk. The

controversial

hormone has been banned in Europe and Canada due to its links to increased

risks for cancer and antibiotic resistance. Despite these bans, 18% of

U.S. dairy

cows, especially those on factory-style farms, continue to be injected

with

the drug. Over the past few years, millions of consumers have switched

to milk

and dairy products from organic farms, which ban the use of rBGH and

antibiotics. Starbucks, by the way, is still serving up coffee drinks

across the

country that are laced with rBGH--another good reason to patronize local

independently owned coffee shops that offer organic and Fair Trade

alternatives.

 

Learn more:

http://alerts.organicconsumers.org/trk/click?ref=zqtbkk3um_0-1ax242x3108104 &

 

 

 

SOME MAJOR U.S. DAIRIES ELIMINATING rBGH OVER THE PAST YEAR

 

April, 2005 - Tillamook's cheeses: The second largest producer of block

cheese in the U.S.

 

June, 2005 - Eberhard Dairy: Central Oregon's largest dairy processing

plant.

 

Nov., 2005 - Alpenrose Dairy in Portland

 

Feb. 2006 - Darigold's yogurts: A large western U.S. dairy.

 

June 2006 - Garelick: A large East Coast dairy processor, producing 45

million lbs. of milk per month.

 

June 2006 - Meadow Gold and Darigold Farms: Montana's largest milk

producers.

 

 

 

QUICK TIDBITS

 

COFFEE PROTECTS DRINKERS' LIVERS: A study published in the journal

" Archives

of Internal Medicine " indicates that coffee may greatly reduce the risk of

liver damage in those who consume alcohol regularly. Every daily cup

of coffee

reduced the incidence of cirrhosis, a condition that destroys liver

tissue, by

22 percent, according to researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care

Program. However, Dr. Arthur Klatsky, the leader of the study, said

the results

" should not be interpreted as giving a license to drink without worry,

because

of all the other problems connected with drinking. " adding, " the only

proper

advice is to drink less. "

 

Learn more:

http://alerts.organicconsumers.org/trk/click?ref=zqtbkk3um_0-1ax243x3108104 &

 

BEER INGREDIENT REDUCES PROSTATE CANCER RISK: A new study from

researchers at

Oregon State University reveals that a natural ingredient found in

beer may

reduce the risk of prostate cancer. The ingredient, found in the hops

used to

brew beer, is xanthohumol, and belongs to a group of plant compounds

called

flavonoids that can trigger the death of cancer cells along the

surface of the

prostate gland. Researchers are quick to point out the amount of

xanthohumol in

beer is far too low to be of any benefit, estimating it would require

consuming a case of beer per day to activate the positive effects.

German brewers have

already responded by creating a beer with ten times the amount of

xanthohumol, marketing it as a " healthy beer. "

 

Learn more:

http://alerts.organicconsumers.org/trk/click?ref=zqtbkk3um_0-1ax244x3108104 &

 

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