Farm Bill 2018: Support Science to Make Change Happen
Together we can transform the U.S. agricultural system to prioritize investments in healthy foods and farms, but we must take action and show our support for the institutions working hard to make change happen. Read the latest from Union of Concerned Scientists on how the 2018 Farm Bill is an opportunity to “change our food system for the better.” And published by the Hill, a review by Democrats for a Better Farm Bill, which proposes several initiatives including how to address rural obesity, diabetes, and opioid crises by deploying the existing Extension Service network against these scourges, as well as modernizing crop insurance to reach more crops while better conserving the land. Your generous support to the Union of Concerned Scientists helps to develop science-based solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future. So, tell Congress we want a Farm Bill that serves the health and well-being of all Americans!!!
Ask McDonald’s CEO to Start Using Antibiotic-Free Pork and Beef
“Antibiotic resistant bacteria kills over 23,000 Americans each year, and big factory farms are part of the problem. They overuse antibiotics to keep animals growing and healthy despite dirty conditions, leading to the development of super-strains of bacteria that spill out into our food and water and cause incurable infections in humans. These super bacteria are resistant to our medicine, meaning our antibiotics are becoming less and less effective for treating serious human illnesses. That’s why we’re calling on the factory farms’ biggest customers to force a change. In 2015, under pressure from activists like you, McDonald’s committed to buying all of its U.S. chicken from farms that don’t overuse medically-important antibiotics. They say they will announce a global policy on antibiotics for their beef and pork soon. If they adopt a strong policy, it would not only put factory farms on notice to curb their irresponsible antibiotic use, it would encourage other big chain restaurants to take action too. We can’t afford to miss this opportunity.” – Consumer Reports
Check out this short clip of Doctor Oz talking about animal husbandry and the banning of antibiotics in Denmark with the founder of the Niman Ranch Pork Company. Another short clip with Dr. Oz and Maryn McKenna (a previous guest on my show and author of Big Chicken) is available here.
Say NO to Arctic Drilling: Let’s Protect our Sacred Land and Wild Life
Last week, Trump officials began their plan to start drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and according to EcoWatch, “the first oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic Refuge could begin as early as the next few weeks.”
“Republicans scored a major victory in December when they passed the Trump Tax Scam, which included a provision that requires the government to hold at least two oil and gas lease sales there in the next decade. The first step will be seismic exploration, a destructive process that would harm the Arctic tundra’s delicate ecosystem for decades – or even permanently – even if oil and gas are never found. The Arctic Refuge includes more than 19 million acres of protected land in northeastern Alaska, and it is home to polar bears, caribou, moose and hundreds of species of migratory birds. It is sacred land to the Gwich’in people, who live just outside the refuge and subsist on migrating caribou. In the 1980s, seismic exploration disrupted the bio-diverse region, leaving ugly scars on the Arctic tundra that are still visible more than 30 years later. Experts worry that further seismic exploration will thaw permafrost, disrupt caribou migration and disturb denning female polar bears.” – Credo Action Team
Tell Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke: Do not allow drilling or seismic exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Click here to sign the petition.
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