Tell the Senate: Don’t Let Monsanto Run the USDA and EPA! 

Since the new elect President, most of us will agree that the job now is to try to keep as many of “Monsanto’s minions” as possible from winning positions in the USDA, EPA and U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Check out the line-up of Trump’s potential advisor’s on Agriculture and Environmental Policy provided by the Organic Consumer’s Association here!

Take the time to call your Senate, spread the word and motivate others to do the same!

Tell the FSIS: Label Truthfully for Animal Welfare!

Since the DARK act was passed, there is real concern over the impact that “the federal seal of a deeply flawed labeling system” could have on consumers, and not only for reasons related to GMOs but also to animal welfare. Earlier this Fall, federal regulators proposed guidelines that would allow companies to package and label their own food products without official standards or enforcement. This means companies could include terms like “Raised with Care” or “Humanely Raised on Sustainable Farms” on their products (which are arbitrary when defined by those with profit-bias) yet employ still the wide array of inhumane farm factory practices, such as debeaking, and the shackling and castration of live animals. Unfortunate for the animals, yes, and for people, because this type of irresponsible regulation misleads consumers and undermines farmers that actually do provide better care for their animals.

The comment period has ended on this particular regulation, however, you can read what other upset consumers are saying here!

Take direct action now and call your Senate today to let them know what you think! Sign and comment on the petition here to keep GMOs from being our standard in food.

Donate to the Organic Consumers Association (tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic standards, fair trade and public education)

Donate to the Organic Consumers Fund (non-tax-deductible, but necessary for our GMO labeling legislative efforts)

Support OCA’s Regeneration International Project (tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic, regenerative agriculture and climate change)

Friends of the Earth Ask You to Tell the EPA to make Puget Sound a No Discharge Zone!

“Puget Sound” is a national treasure on the northwest coast of Washington State. Few aquatic environments in the U.S. can compare to its natural beauty and marine resources. 

As one of the largest and most productive estuaries in the United States, Puget Sound supports thousands of animal and plant species, from orcas to eelgrass. And local fishermen depend on it for their livelihoods.

But the Sound and its tributaries are threatened by this pollution from ships. Establishing a No Discharge Zone would make a big impact for all the people and wildlife who call it home.”

A Letter from Stacie Orell for the NY Farm to Food Bank Coalition…

Dear Supporter of NY’s Farm to Food Bank Tax Credit Bill,

I’m sorry to report that despite our all-out efforts to urge Governor Cuomo to sign NY’s Farm to Food Bank Tax Credit bill, he vetoed it Monday night along with 71 other bills in a frenzy of vetoing.

The reasons cited in the Governor’s 2016 veto memo are almost identical to those cited in his 2015 veto memo, despite the fact that the bill was amended after the first veto to address all the veto reasons from 2015. Needless to say, we’re none too pleased with his repeat veto, especially since the bill was passed unanimously by the Legislature for the second time.

If, as the Governor said in his State of the State speech in 2015, “We still have a hunger problem … [but] there is no excuse for why any man, woman, or child should go hungry in the state of New York,” then what’s his excuse for vetoing a bill that would increase farmer donations of healthy fruits and vegetables to the emergency food programs that feed New York’s 2.7 million hungry people?

We don’t think there’s a legitimate excuse, so now we are calling upon the Legislature to hold a special legislative session in December to override this misguided veto. As already mentioned, the bill was passed unanimously in both the Assembly and the Senate, which means your Assembly Member and Senator voted in favor of the Farm to Food Bank bill.

Would you please take 5 minutes today to call both of your legislators and ask them to speak to leadership about overriding the veto of the Farm to Food Bank bill (along with overriding the vetoes of other common sense bills) in a special session?

To contact your Assembly Member: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/

To contact your Senator: https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator

[Sample script for call to your Assembly Member and Senator]

“Hi, this is [your name] and I’m calling from [your organization]. We were stunned to learn that the bill that would have provided farm-fresh fruits and vegetables to hungry New Yorkers was vetoed by Governor Cuomo. And we know that over 70 other bills passed by the Legislature — many by wide margins — were also vetoed. So I’m calling today because I hope that you will decide to come back into session before the end of the year and do veto overrides. In the case of the Farm to Food Bank bill, one million hungry children can’t afford to wait any longer.”

If you have another 5 minutes, would you please call Governor Cuomo to express your disappointment with his veto? It’s a good thing to let our legislators know how we feel about the decisions they make on our behalf, good or bad.

Call Governor Cuomo:  1-518-474-8390

[Sample script for call to Governor Cuomo]

“Hi, this is [your name] and I’m with [your organization]. We were stunned to learn that Governor Cuomo vetoed the bill that would have provided farm-fresh fruits and vegetables to hungry New Yorkers and I’m calling to register our disappointment. The Farm to Food Bank bill is a good bill that helps both farmers and the hungry at a low cost to the state. The Governor should have signed it into law.”

Thank you so much for your support of the Farm to Food Bank bill campaign! We truly appreciate all of the actions you’ve taken to date: signing the letter and our petition, calling, tweeting, and emailing the Governor, and now this final push to get the Legislature to override the veto. We remain hopeful that if enough of us weigh in with our legislators, they’ll decide to come back into session and right this wrong.

Finally, please feel free to share with me any feedback you get from your legislators. And please share this email with others who support this bill and want to help. Thank you again!

Best,

Stacie