join the climate justice movement.

credit: Fibonacci Blue

As part of Food Week of Action, the Presbyterian mission, sponsors of the week, bring us a message of climate justice today.

God created the earth, and it is sacred. As Psalm 24:1 proclaims, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it.” Therefore we are called to stewardship of the earth. When we work to protect creation, we are answering God’s call to till and keep the garden (Genesis 2:15). In the face of deepening ecological crises caused by the earth’s warming, our call to act as earth’s caretakers takes on more meaning. Our efforts will curtail the shrinking of sacred waters, the endangerment of living creatures of every kind, and the vulnerability of our brothers and sisters in developing countries.

The Union of Concerned Scientists has identified food, transportation, and energy as the three key personal areas that need action to help stem climate change. The Presbyterian mission have created a resource to educate the public about the actions that they can take personally to protect against the worst effects of climate change.

The advice given is simple and has an aspect of theological reflection, and if undertaken on a large scale has the potential to affect great change. They include measures such as eating local food, organic or sustainable food, eating less meat, and a reduction in personal consumption. If  you want to get more involved in the climate justice movement and take part in the creation of resilient communities that support people and the environment check out Our Power campaign to see what is happening in your area and how you can get involved.

emergency day of action against DAPL

The Sacred Stones Camp at Standing Rock has put out the call for immediate emergency action to stop the drilling below the Missouri River for the Dakota Access Pipeline after yesterday’s announcement by the Army Corps of Engineers of their intent to issue permission to proceed with construction, ignoring a previous order to conduct an environmental impact study on the project before doing so. Without action, drilling will likely begin today, Wednesday February 9, and the pipeline could be completed in 80 days.

If there were ever a time to flood TDP banks, shout outside of Army Corps of Engineers offices, and share this information widely, this is it. Find actions near you today!

We’ll leave you with this excellent quote from indigenous American Kandi Mosset in the Guardian today: “The Dakota Access pipeline is a symptom of the larger problem, which is the fracking that’s continuing to happen. Society as a whole needs to wake up and realize there are no jobs on a dead planet.”

what thanksgiving looks like at standing rock

Photo cred to Deborah Kates of the NYT

Ever late to the party, The New York Times is finally giving Standing Rock some much-deserved coverage. This gorgeous and inspiring video (and its accompanying article) gives sober context to Thanksgiving celebrations all over this country last week.

Caitlyn Huss, 25, a manager of a vegan hostel in Los Angeles, was closing up late one night last month when the tent flap opened and someone dropped off a deer that had just been killed by a car.

“We knew we had to find an elder from the sacred fire to come and bless it, then find someone who could skin it for us,” she recalled. “It was crazy.”

Not incidentally, Severine and Krista spent the afternoon making saurkraut to send to Standing Rock. And foraged apples from a 150 year old tree..

The events that are transpiring in North Dakota, though horrific, are providing a context for new agrarians, Native Americans, veterans, peace activists, climate activists and people from all across the country to unify in a land occupation that is about protecting the commons. We are moved and we are hopeful.

harry, friends, we cannot wait

We can do this

.

ASAP: demand that obama veto the DARK act!

The following message is from our friends at the Cornucopia Institute and references the recent GMO labeling law, so called the DARK (Deny Americans the Right to Know) Act, which purports to mandate GMO labeling while, in reality, does not give the FDA the ability to enforce the act, allows companies to opt for labeling practices that are not –er– exactly labeling, and (perhaps most dangerously) takes the right away from states such as Vermont to enact their own GMO labeling laws.

“President Obama has yet to sign the toothless GMO food labeling bill passed by Congress.  If you already called the President, or signed one of the “unofficial” petitions, urging him to veto the bill you still have one more chance to influence him.  Please sign the official We the People petitionto the White House today urging President Obama to veto this bill.”

federal action on insecticides harmful to bees

EPA is making moves again on neonicotinoid insecticides with report saying— in a dramatic understatement typical of the agency that has rarely regulated agricultural chemicals with any rigor —-that the insecticide in question (imidacloprid): “Potentially poses risk to hives when the pesticide comes in contact with certain crops that attract pollinators.”

You have 60 days to read the “risk assessment” and all interested members of the public are invited to comment—

Did you know that, by law, the agency has to read every single comment from The Public? And each letter becomes part of the permanent public record. If the EPA ignores important evidence in the public record; its decisions can be invalidated in court.

If you have any experience or knowledge of risks of neonicotinoids:

WRITE IT DOWN AND SEND IT IN.

Check out EPA press release HERE!

* * * *

Occupy the Farm protesters hold rally and action to stop development of historic gill tract farmland

Thursday July 16th, 2015, 4pm Rally, 5pm Action

Monroe St. & San Pablo Ave., Albany, CA

On July 16th, 2015, farmers and neighbors of the historic Gill Tract will gather to hold a rally and take action to protect the historic Gill Tract Farm from looming development by UC Berkeley to build a Sprouts Supermarket, and to highlight the public health impacts of the development.

For 3 years, the commercial development project that is slated to pave the southern 7 acres of the historic Gill Tract Farm has been held off by a lawsuit.  On June 16th, the courts ruled in favor of the UC, citing that their polluting, privatizing, pavement project breaks no state laws, clearing the way for the planned development to begin.

Protesters will hold a rally at the corner of Monroe Street and San Pablo Avenue at 4pm, next to the 7 acres in question.  They will begin with a series of speaker addressing the many issues at hand.

Promptly at 5pm, protesters will begin their planned direct action, using creativity and art as some of the tactics.

 

soul foods, not whole foods (staying abreast of the riots in Baltimore)

Just because Spring is the busiest time of year for farmers doesn’t mean that we’re not taking the time to keep a close eye on the riots in Baltimore. We know that the entrenched system of labor exploitation and land abuse that makes it to be a small farmer in this country is exactly the same system of greed, racism, and oppression that devalues black bodies and black life.  We understand that the success of our (and, in fact, all progressive) movements are not separate but intrinsically linked.

Whole Foods came out last week in support of The National Guard Last week. No surprise here, but we’d like to suggest that, in response, you choose not to support them. Check out this handy (though not complete) list Black Farmers to Buy from Instead of Whole Foods.

click your bit for dairy farmers

seriously. There are about 800 of you reading this posting today.

If those of you who are not in the middle of planting a field could please  click over to Farm Aid and help them make this comment campaign a success?
The farmers among us are STRAPPED hustling to plant in between deluges of rain. So we need all computer hands on deck.

Here is Farm Aid’s Message to you:

Family farmers are some of the hardest-working people I know. Too many of them know what it’s like to risk their land, their homes, and their livelihood, and nobody is more dedicated to doing whatever it takes to succeed. But sometimes hard work isn’t enough to survive, and that’s when family farmers turn to Farm Aid.

Right now dairy farmers are looking to Farm Aid to speak out for them, and I’m asking you to stand with us. The USDA is asking for public comments as it decides what to do about the dairy crisis — send a message right now and tell them farmers need a fair price for their milk.

greenpeace has released a new report

on Nestle’s actions in the rainforests of Indonesia.  You can download the full report HERE.

Nestlé uses palm oil to make a wide array of its products including Power Bar, Coffee Mate, Nestle Crunch Crisp, and Maggi Soup mixes. In the last three years, Nestlé’s use of palm oil has nearly doubled.

A growing demand for palm oil globally is fueling the destruction of rainforests in Indonesia to make way for expanding palm plantations. Fire is often used to clear forests, causing massive, polluting blazes. Illegal canals are cut into ancient peatlands, draining water and releasing methane and other potent greenhouse gases.

conservation stewardship program

if you’re part of an organization you can sign on to this letter to Secretary Vilsack from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

Please consider adding your organization’s name to our letter urging Secretary Vilsack to make critical improvements to the Conservation Stewardship Program and to initiate a 2010 Sign up as soon as possible.

The letter urges Secretary Vilsack to:
•    ensure that the program effectively rewards sustainable and organic farming systems
•    base CSP points and payments on environmental outcomes rather than on when a practice was adopted
•    provide a minimum CSP payment for small farms
•    better define a resource conserving crop rotation to ensure high environmental standards
•    reinstate incentives for the transition of cropland to pasture based production

Deadline COB March 10th.

Click HERE to sign on and read the full letter.

supporting young farmers

Tell USDA to Stop Delaying Implementation of the CRP Transition Option for Beginning and Minority Producers!

farm aid petition

Farm Aid is collecting your signatures until Friday!  Here’s a note from them:

As a Farm Aid supporter, you know that nobody is more committed than we are to helping family farmers keep their land and their livelihood. While we encourage federal efforts to assist farmers, the fact is that not all government policies are created equally — and neither are all farms.

That’s why we need you to join the thousands of others that have already taken action. Urge the federal government to stop giving taxpayer money to destructive factory farms today!

Farmworkers are speaking out against abusive grape concerns

via United Farm Workers:

We’ve been telling you about the outrageous behavior of Giumarra–the world’s largest table grape company, whose labels include Nature’s Partner. Giumarra harvests approximately 1 out of every 10 bunches of grapes picked in the US. Because the company is so huge, their behavior helps set the industry standard. Instead of being an industry leader, Giumarra helps set the standard of routinely abusing their workers.

On Labor Day, we launched a petition that a delegation will hand in to Giumarra/Nature’s Partner. The petition demands that this huge corporation treat the workers laboring in their fields with dignity and respect and stop retaliating against UFW supporters.

leafy greens action

Next week begins the first of seven public hearings regarding a proposed National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement [see Federal Register Notice], that would lay out food safety rules for the growing and marketing of leafy greens. See below for more information about the process and SIGN THE PETITION from NOC member, FOOD & WATER WATCH

The National Organic Coalition (NOC), in collaboration with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) has been working hard on both the proposed legislation (both HR 2749 and now S.510) and participating in these hearings so that food safety guidelines for sustainable, organic, and small farms are reasonable and scale appropriate.