2014 could be a big year for GMO labeling in New York and the northeast. Pending in the New York legislature is a GMO food product labeling law – Assembly Bill A.3525 (Rosenthal) and Senate Bill? S.3835 (LaValle). This legislation would mandate identifying labels on GMO, or genetically engineered (GE), seed, seed stock, and foods offered for retail sale in New York. In order for these bills to pass, we have to continue to put pressure on our elected officials and let them know that we want GMOs labeled. At the same time that these labeling bills are being introduced in New York, a House and Senate conference committee is hashing out the details of the 2013 Farm Bill, which could put state’s ability to label GMOs at risk. Within the House version of that bill is an amendment offered by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) that has the potential to wipe out states? rights to label genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The amendment includes sweeping language about regulating states? rights to regulate food and farming. But there’s still time to keep this dangerous amendment out of the final version of the Farm Bill. Please call your U.S. Representative and two Senators today and ask them to oppose the King Amendment and support states’ rights to regulate food and farming. You can search for your representative’s phone number here: http://www.opencongress.org/people/zipcodelookup If you are a New York State resident, contact your NYS Assemblyperson and your NYS Senator and tell each of them you want them to support (and co-sponsor) the GMO labeling bills.

Keep Radioactive Frack Wastewater Off Our Rivers

Pollution and degradation from gas drilling and fracking are having major negative impacts on our river. Frack waste is so toxic that even the Coast Guard has recognized that its radioactivity and hazardous components warrant special limits on its transport. oppose the Coast Guard’s proposal to allow shale gas extraction (“frack”) wastewater to be carried on the nation’s rivers. As a Nation, we drink water drawn from rivers and want to protect the living communities whose lives depend on them. We cannot risk the pollution this wastewater will bring through spills, accidents and cumulative degradation. If we all speak up, we can stop this. Click here to sign the petition.

Help the Northeast Farmer Project Make More Small Farm Videos

For the past 7 years the Northeast Beginning Farmer Project has helped thousands of new and aspiring farmers get started, by providing trainings and connections to the resources they need to develop strong farm businesses. Being able to hear advice from real farmers–and seeing how things are produced on the farm–is priceless both for these new farmers and for any eater interested in how food is produced. The Northeast Beginning Farmer Project started producing videos in 2008, starting with a series called “Voices of Experience,” which provides farm business advice from successful small farmers, and “Video Mentors,” which shows behind-the-scenes production techniques for vegetables, fruits, poultry, pigs, and more. They’ve made these clips freely available on their YouTube channel. Funding to allow these videos to continue to be made, and continue to bring much needed information to help beginning farmer’s flourish is needed. Click here to help support this worthy project.

Nestl?: Stop Draining Pakistan Dry!

Nestl? is draining developing countries? groundwater to make its Pure Life bottled water, destroying countries? natural resources before forcing its people to buy their own water back. Now Nestl? is moving into Pakistan and sucking up the local water supply, rendering entire areas uninhabitable in order to sell mineral-enriched water to the upper class as a status symbol, while the poor watch wells run dry and their children fall ill. Nestl??s aggressive water grab is already descending like a plague on parts of Pakistan. In the small village of Bhati Dilwan, villagers have watched their water table sink hundreds of feet since Nestl? moved in. Children are getting sick from the foul-smelling sludge they?re forced to choke down. Dirty water kills more children around the world than AIDS, malaria, war, and traffic accidents combined — and Nestl? has a big hand in it. Nestl??s aggressive policies are depriving thousands of people around the planet of the basic water they need to survive, all to pump up the company?s bottom line. Please join in taking a stand against corporate seizure of our natural resources today.