World’s First Test Tube Burger Has Arrived

On Monday, the world’s first test-tube burger was served in London. The burger, made from 20,000 strips of cultured meat mixed together with lab-grown animal fat, took nine weeks to grow and $384,000 to develop. The scientist behind it, Mark Post, from the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, hopes that laboratory-grown meat may one day provide a solution to the problem of increasing global demand for meat and protein. Although the thought of test tube meat is somewhat frightening (since it is a far stretch from a whole, natural food), compared to our current system of meat production, and the high price of environmental destruction that comes with it, lab-made meat might be a better option. Of course, you can always just skip the meat entirely!

Bihar School Deaths Highlight India?s Struggle With Pesticides

On July 17th, 23 Indian schoolchildren in the village of Dharmasati Gandawa in Bihar died after they ate a free school lunch that was made with cooking oil tainted with the pesticide monocrotophos. The police say that the cooking oil might have been kept in a container that once held the pesticide. This devastating event highlights a larger problem in India – the wide spread use of biocides in cities, villages, homes and fields. The organophosphate monocrotophos is widely used in India even though several other countries, including the US, have banned the chemical because it has ?high acute toxicity,? according to the World Health Organization. Since they are often cheap yet effective, these chemicals continue to be used even though their specific instructions and proper use are often unknown to the users. As a result, Indians are getting sick or dying from the widespread use of these chemicals. In response, there is a growing movement to reduce the heavy use of pesticides and other agrochemicals that began 40 years ago. The Indian states of Sikkim and Kerala are already working toward converting their states completely to organic methods by 2015. Presently, certified organic farming accounts for only one percent of India?s agricultural production but a grassroots effort is well on its way to increasing the numbers.

EPA Fracking Cover Up

Last week,? EPA whistle-blowers announced that in 2012 the EPA abandoned an investigation of fracking-related water contamination in Dimock, Pennsylvania after an EPA staff member raised the flag that it was likely caused by fracking. This is not the first time the EPA failed to protect people from dangerous fracking chemicals that contaminate drinking water. Investigations in Pavillion,Wyoming and Weatherford, Texas, have also been dropped despite strong evidence of toxic contamination. A study conducted by Duke scientists published in June indicates that drinking water wells near natural gas production in northeastern Pennsylvania, including Dimock, are at greater risk of methane contamination than those farther away. Methane is the primary component in natural gas. In enclosed spaces, such as sheds and basements, it poses the risk of asphyxiation and explosion. It is clear that fracking poses huge risks to people, animals, and the environment. With the government failing to protect us from this highly destructive process, making our opposition heard is necessary. Click here to find out what you can do to prevent fracking from entering New York state.