I am totally exhausted and burnt out over this debate so let’s stop fighting about it.
Maybe people are causing the earth to get hotter.
image from wikipedia
The folks in the white lab coats are pretty united. More than 90% of scientists are in agreement.
Could they be wrong?
Well, sure. At one point 90% of scientists though the best way to cure a sick person was by draining the dirty blood out of their body. Today we realize that may not be the best plan. Science is organic and ever-changing so…. maybe they’re wrong.
About half of Americans think they are.
Let’s go with that. The scientists are wrong. Global climate change is just a myth. Or… on the off chance that it is really happening, it’s just part of the natural cycle of things. The earth’s climate changes. Such is the nature of our planet.
If we are to work from that premise, then it doesn’t matter how much CO2 your big ol’ gas-guzzler emits or how many gasses are released during the mining of tar sands because so-called “greenhouse gasses” have no significant impact on our planet.
Does that mean that we can just throw all caution to the wind?
Let’s get rid of any consideration of “environmental protection” and think of what the world might look like in the future – even if it stays exactly the same temperature it is today.
We can all keep using plastic bottles and never give a thought to recycling, but then the ocean could end up looking like this.
image from thewellnessenterprise.com
We could all continue to drive our big gas-guzzling cars but then the roads might look like this:
image from sfexaminer.com
The rain forests might look like this:
image from understory.ran.org
Food will be raised like this:
Image from greenanswers.com
Rates of serious chronic childhood illness could look like this:
image from organicvalley.coop
Children could find themselves playing in places that look like this:
image from hungeree.com
Or this:
image from jamminmole.blogspot.com
Or this:
image from umweltverschmutzutzung.wordpress.com
Oh, no! Wait! That’s not what WILL happen in the future.
Those are pictures of the world we live in RIGHT NOW. (Click the pictures to see exactly what each one is all about.) This is what all of our glorious progress has led to. How much worse could it get? I shudder to imagine.
On the other hand, what if we listen to those crazy tree-hugging hippies?
I’m not saying we should cast aside all science and progress. I love technology. I’m typing on a device that was the stuff of science fiction when I was born. It’s very cool! But…
What if we started putting more thought into the efficiency of our buildings?
image from gilmourbiology.wikispaces.com
What if we started growing our food closer to home?
image from urbanhomestead.org
What if we started using less gas-powered motors and more of our own strength to get around?
image from koonceportland.blogspot.com
We might even start to look less like this:
image from werenotfunny.com
And a little more like this:
My friend Stephanie; A tree hugging, nature loving, dog walking kind of girl.
Which world would you rather live in? The world where the economy is deemed more important than the environment? Or the world where we live in harmony with our world to the benefit of all?
Global warming is not the only issue!
When you say, “Oil creates jobs! Mining closer to home means cheaper gas at the pump! It’s my RIGHT to drive a big car/spray chemicals on my lawn/toss my plastic bottle in the landfill!” What you are really saying is “I don’t care what kind of mess I’m creating for people in the future. I only care about myself and my comfort and my convenience right at this moment.”
I get it.
Really! I do.
I cringe at the cost of gas, too. There are times we can’t go to our favorite mall or our favorite zoo or even to visit family because we just can’t afford it.
I love convenience! LAZY hippie mama. Remember?
But I’m trying to do my little part in all the little ways I can. My children and their children deserve that much, at least.
And if you are one of those people that think it doesn’t matter because you “know who made the environment and he’s coming back and going to burn it all up. So yes, I drive an SUV,” (Yes, this is a real comment from a prominent Christian pastor. Read more about it, here.) I have an analogy for you.
What if you built a beautiful playroom for your child, knowing they would only use it for the brief years of their childhood, and you filled it with the best toys there are to be found. Then you put your child in that room and they proceeded to intentionally break every toy, color on the walls and pee all over the floor. Perhaps they kicked holes in the walls or ripped every page out of every book or smashed the windows out.
Would you be angry? Or would you lovingly say, “Oh, that’s OK. The toy room was only temporary, anyway.”
I am a Christian. The Bible I read pretty clearly tells me that God gave us every good thing in our lives as a precious gift. That includes this planet that He created and filled with every thing we would ever need to grow and develop as individuals and as a species. If He comes again during your lifetime are you going to stand in the middle of the destruction, hands on your hips and defiance on your face and say, “Yes! I did this. Who cares? It was only temporary anyway!”
If you do, I have a feeling you may be facing one very angry Father.
I’ll say it once more. It doesn’t really matter if climate change is real. Either way, our planet has been wounded and we must – each of us – do our part in healing her again. The time for debate has long passed. It is time to take action. You don’t need to overhaul your whole life and move to a hippie commune in the forest. You can start making a difference today.
I’m not sure she’s going to be able to finish that piece of watermelon!
On Earth Day we hear a lot about recycling so I decided to recycle this post from last year… with a few updates, to keep things interesting.
When I look at my WordPress stats the one that consistently floors me is the little world map. My humble little blog has been viewed by people in NINETY FIVE different countries! That just completely stuns me. What a world we live in!
Just a generation or two ago, being so effortlessly in communication with, literally, every part of the globe was unheard of! Every day it is becoming increasingly easy to see how inter-connected the entire planet is. My grandparents didn’t worry about pollution in China or over population in India or oil spills in Nigeria. Modern technology has made us more aware that those things do affect us, just as our actions have an effect on everyone else. We cannot pretend to live in an isolated bubble.
That said…
I don’t know if my international readers have noticed this problem; I would love it if you would take a moment to share. Americans are killing the Earth because we just don’t eat enough!
So today, on Earth Day, I’m asking you to please eat more.
OK. So maybe we Americans, chubby people that we are (as a nation. I know that many of you are perfectly fit and you should hold your healthy heads high!), get plenty to eat. But we WASTE SO MUCH!!! Did you know that, in 2004, researchers at the University of Arizona determined that 50% of the “ready to eat” food in the United States is thrown away? Think about that! HALF of the food produced in this nation is thrown in the garbage!
Kinda makes you want to go dumpster diving, eh? Oh. Right. Yeah. Me either. Gross.
My friend, Paul, will be mentally climbing into his pulpit to preach right now about the injustice of people starving in a nation that THROWS AWAY HALF of its food and he is absolutely positively for-ever-and-sure right to do so! I am standing strong with him on this one.
BUT that’s not what I’m getting at today.
Nor am I intending this to be a push for people to eat more “real” food, grow their own and buy local though I am 100% in support of all those things.
Today is Earth Day. The day we randomly selected to pay respects to that big round ball (oblate spheroid – I’m a nerd. I admit it) that God gave us dominion over. And here’s what I’m thinking….
Living in rural Michigan I am surrounded by farms. It’s easy for me to witness what it takes to make food. There are trucks that haul seeds to a giant silo. There are trucks that haul seeds to the farm. There are tractors to til the earth and plant the seeds and spray pesticides & fertilizer on the plants and harvest the ripe food. There are trucks and trains that haul stuff to factories where it is produced into various pre-made dinners or sauces or juices or whatever or to the market where it needs to be sprayed with water or refrigerated or frozen. Then we buy it and DRIVE it home in our cars and more refrigeration or freezing is required before we cook it and eat it. And that’s not even considering the animals and their water and food and milking machines and fans for summer and heaters for winter……. you get the idea.
BUT we only eat HALF!!!! So all that gasoline, the poison sprays going into the ground, the electricity for storage and preparation is FOR NOTHING! AAAARRRRGGHHHHHH!!!
Have you ever seen your child wasting food that you paid hard-earned money for? Didn’t it make you crazy? It drives me up the wall! It is a serious, MAJOR pet peeve of mine. But the truth is, I do it too. I buy too much produce and throw it away when it spoils. I don’t feel like eating the tiny bit of leftover pot roast so I toss it in the trash.
Apparently, as a nation, we are ridiculously, sinfully guilty of this.
So today I’m simply asking you to take care of the Earth by doing what I ask my children to do. Take all you want. But eat all you take!
And for goodness sake, ENJOY IT!
Chubby Hippie Baby (AKA: Captain Spaghetti Beard) is the poster child for enjoying your food. He eats with GREAT enthusiasm.
Well… 8,251 other moms plus their babies and I broke it. In April, 2012 parents and caregivers at 256 locations in 15 countries simultaneously changed all their babies out of cloth diapers and into cloth diapers.
Why?
To show how easy it is to use cloth diapers! It’s also environmentally friendly, super healthy for babies and oh-so-stylish.
You just can’t be this awesome in paper pants!
Tomorrow we’re going to do it again! This time there is a brand new FABULOUS cloth diaper store (They’re online if you need the hook up. Check them out!) just a mere 5 minute walk from my house that is a certified host location so there’s no 50 minute trek to the big city. This means I don’t have to burn fuel to promote sustainability. That’s a good thing!
I thought about using this post to wax poetic about all the reasons I love cloth diapers. I thought about sharing tips if you are thinking of switching but, in the end, I realized that I just wanted to brag that I’m in the Guinness Book of World Records. Also, that I’ve had my best (busiest/most positive response) blog week ever. If you’re reading now, thanks for making it even better!
Hope your weekend is full of fun and laughter and joy. Don’t forget to watch for miracles, they are all around you if you just make the effort to notice.
Are you, too, seeking to save the earth, promote world peace and raise productive citizens without expending too much effort?
Why not follow LazyHippieMama on WordPress, by email or Facebook to get all the updates.
If we work on our goals together, they may be a little easier to achieve!
**Please don’t let the length of this post deter you! This is a very big topic. If you just want the highlights I lit them up for you. If you want the details, I tried my best to provide those too.
This is me, enjoying an especially wonderful meal grown right here on earth.
I am not a farmer, scientist or businessperson. I am a consumer. I am a mother. I am a citizen of earth. As such, I believe I (we all) have a right to know what’s going on in agriculture and to have a voice for or against certain practices. That’s why it concerned me when I began to see quotes like this from the Institue for Responsible Technology:
“It appears there is a direct correlation between GMOs and autism.” –Arden Anderson, MD, PhD, MPH
We know that GMO consumption has been linked to a host of serious conditions…
I was reading one such article (honestly I can’t even remember, specifically, what it was about or how I came across it) recently that used the word, “obviously.” As in, “Obviously GMOs are going to be the death of us all.” (That’s not what it said, I’m sure, but that was the gist.) It was if a little bubble burst in my mind. I snapped a little.
IF IT’S SO FREAKING OBVIOUS WHY IS ANYONE USING IT?!
I really want to understand!
Because my family tends to lean toward the “natural living” side of the aisle I follow a lot of blogs and Facebook pages that cover topics like herbal medicine, organic farming and sustainable energy. The people and groups that put these pages out have been, pretty much across the board, VERY outspoken against GMOs and biotech in general. But I want to look at both sides of the issue. So I went in search of farmers. This is a picture of the county in which I live:
image from airphotona.com
It is not very hard to find farmers around here. The major crops near me are corn, soybeans and tomatoes. Since 93% of soy and 88% of all corn grown in the US is GMO (source) I’m guessing I know quite a few folks that use biotech. I sent out a plea. In addition to posting my questions on this blog, I sent out emails and a Facebook request to my friends.
I eventually received input from 8 “conventional” farmers, 1 “homesteader” who grows her food naturally, though she is not certified organic, and 1 Monsanto employee.
One response I got said, “Why not just do a Google search?”
I have done dozens of searches. The problem I’ve run into is that the majority of the results that come up are posted by those with a vested interest/political agenda that runs toward one side or the other and they don’t seem objective in the least. Many (not all, but several) of these use terms like, “evil, ignorant, intolerant, backward, controlling and greedy” when describing the other side.
I thought of the farmers I know. Unlike people in most professions, many of them have been working in their current profession since they were toddlers. They have grown up with their fingers in the earth. They are college educated in the science and art of agriculture. The farm is not just where they work. It is where they are born, live and die. It is their home. They pour countless hours into caring for their fields and their animals. Their personal wealth is deeply invested in the equipment and tools of their trade. These are not men and women who are going to read a flashy advertisement and say, “Oh, look! We can buy these new-fangled seeds that cost 4x more than the old ones and we’ll never have to weed again and now we can all just sit around eating bonbons and watching Toddlers and Tiaras!” Are farmers looking to make money and make life a little easier? Sure. Aren’t you? But if 8 out of 10 farmers are using any given product you can bet that there is a very good reason!
Then I thought about the folks working for the biotech companies. These people have a true passion for solving some of the most serious problems facing the human race. When I was a young girl I can remember everyone making a big deal about the world population reaching 3 billion. We are now right at the threshold of 7 billion with the UN forcasting a population in excess of 10 billion by the end of this century. That is a whole big world to feed! Especially when you consider that the climate is changing, creating new problems to be solved. Is there corporate greed? Well, sure. That seems to be a given that no one disputes. But I think there are thousands of scientists and businessmen working in biotech who are truly dedicated to using science to make life better and more sustainable for us all.
It is not fair for either side to dismiss the other.
Keep in mind that they are all eating these foods and feeding them to their families as well.
Nor is it fair for either side to dismiss the concerns of the citizens of this nation. Yes, people can be terrified easily as this great illustration shows. However, individuals are justified in questioning how new technologies will affect their health and environment. History has proven time and again that big business will NOT offer up full disclosure or pull a harmful product from the market at a cost to themselves.
I’ve tried very hard to cut through the hype and the propaganda and the political posturing and find the solid ground beneath. Here is the good, the bad and the big gray in between that I found that seem important for consumers to understand:
THE GOOD STUFF ABOUT GMO
Farmers use GMOs because they are concerned about the environment and want to have the lowest possible impact.
Farmers must make a certain number of “passes” through their field each year. The ground must be tilled, fertilized, planted, weeded, sprayed for insect and disease control, harvested, etc. An average diesel powered tractor gets about 3 MPG. That is a whole lot of fuel being burned. How many resources go into creating that fuel? Shipping it? How much greenhouse gas is released from using it? Biotech seeds are engineered to have the insecticides and herbicides that are crucial to the best possible plant development already tucked inside their genetic makeup. This means that there are less passes of the tractor and fewer toxic chemicals being dumped onto the earth.
While some argue that herbicide use will be increased in the overall population (lawn care, gardeners, etc) because of the evolution of “super weeds” all of the “conventional” farmers that I spoke with first hand said that GMOs significantly reduce their chemical usage and they LOVE not exposing themselves, their workers, and the consumers of their food to these poisonous chemicals. It also means that farmers don’t have to keep tilling up the earth (or at least they don’t have to as often) to get the unwanted stuff out and put the needed stuff in. By tilling less farmers are reducing top soil erosion. Erosion and nutrient depletion are serious concerns and the farmers I heard from see GMO as a possible solution to these problems – or at least a step in the right direction.
Farmers use GMOs because they are cheaper.
Again, based entirely on the farmers I heard from, engineered seeds are a cost savings. The seeds themselves are significantly more expensive and it is illegal to save them from one crop to be replanted the next year. In some cases that can’t be done anyway but, despite these facts, farmers feel that the overall amount of money saved in other resources such as insecticides and labor costs, make them a good financial choice.
Remember, farmers are in business too. They need to remain profitable just like any other business. They use all of the same modern profit and loss tracking tools that other businesses use and they make choices accordingly.
Farmers have more choices than ever before.
Some of the anti-GMO folks out there would have you believe that the average American farmer has been reduced to nothing more than a serf by the big biotech companies. The farmers I spoke with strongly disagree. It is NOT true that farmers are being forced to use products made by Monsanto or any other particular company. Nor are they under contract to use any particular chemical (ie. RoundUp) on their GMO crops.
Biotech manufacturers do design their seed to be most effective used with certain chemicals that they produce and so they will “highly recommend” their own products. If you read the back of your shampoo bottle you will likely see that hair care companies do the same thing. ”For best results with this shampoo we recommend you also use our conditioner and styling products.”
Several of the farmers I heard from used the phrase, “I have more tools in my toolbelt than ever before.” 100 years ago if you had harmful insects you went out and picked them off, one at a time. 50 years ago you could pick them off or spray them. Today you can pick them or spray them or use engineered seeds that chemically resist them. That’s over-simplified, but it’s the general idea. The more choices that are available the more empowered farmers are to achieve maximum efficiency. None of them thought that “designer seed” was the great magic solution to every farming problem. They simply view it as one of many ways to solve certain problems that are inevitable.
GMOs produce higher yields.
I have seen some anti-GMO blogs that say this isn’t so and they have very impressive and complicated-looking charts explaining why but every single farmer I spoke with (including those that expressed some concern about using biotech for various reasons which I will get to) said that they had a higher yield with GMOs.
Higher yield isn’t all about more money in the pockets of farmers. This video does a great job of explaining how much land is available for growing all the food for all the people on earth.
THE BAD & THE BIG GRAY IN-BETWEEN
GMOs may be linked to a variety of health problems in animals and people.
When new technology that sounds “sci-fi” comes out people are always a little leary. We’ve all seen “I am Legend,” and “Jurassic Park.” We recognize that these movies are fiction but what makes them frightening is the very true reality that things can go wrong. There is a law of unintended consequences. You can’t make, “one little change” in nature. It just isn’t possible.
Keeping that in mind, people have questioned the wisdom of genetic manipulation since the days when it was just a dream of the future. When it became reality there was serious concern despite over a decade of research regarding the safety of GMOs. But something unpleasant truly hit the fan in early 2011.
Dr. Don Huber has long been considered one of the nation’s leading experts in plant pathology with more than 50 years of experience and over 100 scientific papers published. He has held prestigious posts within academia and the US government and he wrote a letter to the secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture warning of some very serious concerns he had about “the discovery of an electron microscopic pathogen that appears to significantly impact the health of plants, animals, and probably human beings.”
Dr. Huber’s letter spread like wildfire around the globe. He was not the only one expressing concern. There are a wide variety of scientists saying, if not the same thing, very similar things. Here is one link that gives the entire content of Dr. Huber’s original letter as well as information from others.
One part of Dr. Huber’s letter stated:
The pathogen may explain the escalating frequency of infertility and spontaneous abortions over the past few years in US cattle, dairy, swine, and horse operations…
Here is something I found very interesting. Around the time all this happened, about 2 years ago, these were some actual comments on blogs discussing Dr. Huber’s allegations.
“wouldn’t meat and dairy prices skyrocket if cows were dying and becoming infertile?”
From here in 2013 I can say, well… yes. We have seen that happen, as this link points out. Now, this link is old and there are dozens of factors ranging from weather to politics that can have an effect on food prices. I’m just saying… meat and dairy cost more now than they did then.
Another commentor said:
Debunking this is like debunking the rumors that were spread that food safety bill was going to ban seed saving and force farmers to use Monsanto seeds. (Feb. 28, 2011)
Said bill has been passed… sort of. Farmers aren’t being forced to use Monsanto seeds (see “choices,” above) but seed saving has been banned and biotech has, just in the past month, been granted power over the authority of the court that no business has ever had in the history of our nation.
So the crazy conspiracy theorists of 2 years ago were right, at least in part. It makes me think about the old saying, “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.”
But here’s where it gets gray:
Dr. Huber never put any evidence behind his study. At least, not the kind of evidence that makes it difficult for other scientists to disagree with his findings. As far as I can find, he continues to stand by his statements but he still hasn’t convinced the majority of his peers. In her post, “Extraordinary claims… Require Extraordinary Science,” Anastasia Bodnar discusses all of this and she concludes with this:
Why would a reasonably well published scientist suddenly throw away everything we know about the scientific method to make claims about biologically impossible organisms with no evidence? Why is so little evidence presented and why is the evidence that is presented given as anecdotes instead of hard science? Most importantly, why would he make claims without going through the peer review process to ensure that his claims would be at least vetted by his peers?
Feel free to slog through all that, if you like, but here’s the gist.
From OSU:
Based on the number of acres I’ve walked, the samples we have received, the talks and literature I have attended and read; and our own research here at the OARDC, this statement just isn’t true. I cannot document that there has been an increase in over 40 diseases in this state, nor in the north central region since 1998 when roundup ready soybeans were first widely planted in Ohio.
From Purdue:
…evidence to support these claims has neither been presented to nor evaluated by the scientific community. The claim that herbicides, such as glyphosate, can make plants more susceptible to disease is not entirely without merit. Research has indicated that plants sprayed with glyphosate or other herbicides are more susceptible to many biological and physiological disorders The claim that plant disease has “skyrocketed” due to glyphosate usage is also unfounded.
And I may as well take this moment to mention that Biotech got this endorsement from the head of the European Union’s Chief Scientific Adviser:
“There is no substantiated case of any adverse impact on human health, animal health or environmental health, so that’s pretty robust evidence, and I would be confident in saying that there is no more risk in eating GMO food than eating conventionally farmed food,”
So then, why, you may ask, is all this included under “bad?”
Well… because as this site, and this site, and this site, and this site, and this site, and this site,and this site, and this site, and hundreds of others (Admittedly a random sampling. Some I read very carefully. Some, not so much.) are expressing at least some level of concern over a growing body of anecdotal evidence that people and animals eating GMOs are experiencing a variety of health issues ranging from increased allergies to respiratory problems to infertility.
Anecdotal evidence is not good science and it is not proof of anything. But it should be enough to warrant serious ongoing investigation from the scientific community.
Two of the nine farmers I spoke with had anecdotal evidence that GMOs were causing negative issues on their farms.
We fed our hogs from our own GM crop and started seeing health problems we’d never seen before with spontaneous abortion and some major digestive problems. We switched feed and the problems cleared up. (I asked if the new feed was still GM, just a different brand, and did not receive a response at the time of writing this) We still grow GM on our farm but we have cut back.
When my father switched to Monsanto seed we thought it was great because it was less time intensive and yielded a higher profit. Within 2 years we had experienced 100% colony collapse in our honey bees. He blames it on the new plants and won’t grow them any more. Our new hives have been unaffected.
Confused yet?
It gets murkier.
Beekeeping.com says that so far there seems to be no indication that GMOs negatively affect honeybees. In fact, less use of insecticides may be helpful.
Insecticide-resistant GMOs is another situation Dr. Williams says. Plants may be modified to contain Bt toxin, proteinase inhibitors, and chitinases. The benefit of such plants is that they require little or no insecticide application, decreasing, or in some cases eliminating, chemical application altogether. In a similar argument paralleling that related to herbicides, it is suggested this is a potential benefit to honey bees because it minimizes their potential exposure to harmful chemicals. In addition, the materials mentioned above are generally far less toxic in general than so-called hard or synthetic insecticides.
But this article links the very effectiveness of GMOs in preventing milkweed to a decrease in habitat for pollinators (in this case, butterflies) which is causing them to die off.
According to this Ag Weekly article there are about 10 possible contributors to CCD, with the most likely scenario being that it is an interplay between several of them. GMOs, pesticides and monocultures are only 3 of the 10.
Likewise, there is hearty debate over the existence of “super weeds,” the long term effects of GM on the soil, the ways that GM crops change the non GM plants around them and more.
I put all this under “THE BAD AND THE GRAY” because it seems obvious that the jury is still out on the GM issue.
In the mean time, these crops are being grown all around the world.
Image from humanityinthemirror.com
We can not be CERTAIN that they aren’t harmful.
Crops have been naturally bred to enhance certain traits for a millennium or more but what we are doing in this generation – short-cutting the process – has never been done before in the whole history of the planet. Our understanding of genetics is vast and growing every day but there is still much to learn.
And we are throwing these modified seeds into an environment which is already toxic from a whole host of sources. It is very difficult to establish a clear link between GMO and… say… autism, for example. It is not difficult at all to see that the youngest generation is suffering from a myriad of health issues that were considered rare or even unheard of just 50 years ago. What has changed in 50 years? Our food has changed in a big way… but other things have changed, too. So where does the problem lie?
The greatest concern that I have, after researching more on this topic than I have any other topic in a very long time is that history repeats. If you look at the history of DDT, Thalidomide, tras-fats, and countless other examples new science is not always good science and by the time concerns are proven to be valid massive damage has already been done. Just because a product has been studied extensively doesn’t mean that we know everything there is to know about it – especially when people use that product over prolonged periods of time.
Further, the new legislation protecting Biotech from legal action gives these companies unprecedented authority to move forward with their business despite what scientists find in the future. This means that, assuming someone comes up with the millions (billions?) of dollars needed to host such a study and figures out a way to conduct it without interference from other environmental toxins and takes the several years needed to observe the test subjects and evaluate their findings and publish it and be reviewed by their peers and accepted by the scientific community and present those accepted findings to congress and let them debate about it and the US government deems there to be a problem… an entire generation or more will have been irrevocably affected. The process will take decades.
Why can’t we just trust Monsanto to provide a product that is safe? Here’s a quote from them:
A Monsanto official told the New York Times that the corporation should not have to take responsibility for the safety of its food products. “Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food,” said Phil Angell, Monsanto’s director of corporate communications. “Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA’s job.” (source)
I don’t mean to put everything on Monsanto. They are a bit of a fall guy in all this. There is good reason. You can thank Monsanto for historical gems like PCBs and DDT which, while extremely effective in doing what they were created to do, were eventually deemed to be horrendously dangerous as well with the detriment far out-weighing the benefit. In both of these cases and others Monsanto knew the dangers and downplayed them for decades but didn’t want to pull their product because it would have hurt their bottom line.
That said, they haven’t stayed in business so long or become so big by creating crappy products. Nor are they the only game in town. Pioneer, Syngenta, Dow Chemical, Bayer (yes, the drug company), Aqua Bounty, Mendel Biotech and dozens of others around the world are working to develop new biotech products, using genetic modification on crops as well as animals.
It’s not unlike McDonald’s in the fast food industry or Wal-Mart in retail. If McDonald’s disappeared tomorrow we would still be a chubby nation and if Wal-Mart were to close its doors forever there would still be big retailers preventing the revival of the “mom and pop” store. Therefore, when you hear things like, “Monsanto protection act,” keep in mind that if Monsanto were to go out of business tomorrow GMOs would still be around.
SO WHAT THE HECK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS INFORMATION?!
You, as a consumer, need to be informed.
Be aware of legislation that is in the works. Know why it is being proposed and don’t just fly off the handle in response to something that “seems” bad. Remember all that stuff in the beginning of the article? Farmers… the people who know the land the best… are widely in support of the use of biotech. Ag science must move forward to meet the demands of the world.
Know what labels mean. Big businesses of all types got big by doing several things well. One of those things is marketing. Clever advertisers know that people fear what they don’t understand and they will play on those fears. One example that was pointed out to me is that there is an expensive brand of popcorn being actively marketed as, “Non GMO.” What that label doesn’t mention is that, at this point, there is no GMO popcorn on the market in the USA. In that case you are paying extra for the label.
Understand that, if your choice is between a “conventional” piece of produce and a “GMO” piece of produce you are choosing between one set of potential risks and another. Most farmers would choose the GMO.
Organic is great and growing your own may be even better (all 9 farmers and the Monsanto employee I talked to agreed strongly on this point) but, when voting and putting forth your opinion, keep in mind that there are billions of people for whom that isn’t an option at this time. New technology in hydroponics, “vertical farming” and more is great but still new. Biotech is one aspect in the massive field of Ag Science. That said, if you have concerns, be empowered! Take your food destiny into your own hands! Our family is doing this more every day and we find it deeply satisfying to feast on food we’ve grown and prepared ourselves. There is more information available today than ever before about urban homesteading. Heirloom seeds are being circulated at a rate much higher than 20 years ago, thanks to the internet.
Be aware that the market is driven by consumers. If you cry about GMOs but you make no attempt to avoid purchasing them all that crying is just white noise. For better or worse your dollars count more than your words in this country.
When it all comes down to it, I can’t say it better than Mike Haley who emailed me this comment:
The simple act of farming impacts the environment we operate in, both in positive and negative ways. This is true for all types of farming large or small, conventional or organic. I think its important we are constantly monitoring the effects our practices have on our environment and work towards ways that we can minimize any negatives while working to satisfy the needs of our customers.
or Katie Pratt who said this:
The gold standard would be for people to develop an appreciation for the places and people who raise their food and an appreciation for food in general.
A few notes:
I would like to take a moment to send out my sincerest thanks to the men and women who took the time to answer my questions and help me sort through all of this information. It was clear in speaking/emailing with each of you that you have all given this subject a great amount of thought and want what is best for us all. I hope that I presented the information you shared fairly and accurately.
If you would like to know more about GMOs and, like me, find the mountains of rhetoric and propaganda online to be intimidating, here are a few links in addition to those already mentioned that were passed on to me by those closest to the debate. They were very helpful!
It is my most sincere hope that this post is helpful to someone and that it can generate a conversation that is productive. Along those lines, I would love it if you would comment, debate, agree, disagree, add, edit and question. I only ask that you be polite. As always, here in LHM land where I am queen, mean spirited name-calling and excessive foul language will result in your comments being deleted.
Are you, too, seeking to save the earth, promote world peace and raise productive citizens without expending too much effort?
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If we work on our goals together, they may be a little easier to achieve!
I have an honest question. I am not being sarcastic or trying to start an argument. I really want to understand something and I need your help.
I’ve read a lot about how GMOs are the most evil thing to come along since Emperor Palpatine (yes, I’m a nerd). I have forwarded a lot of this info along and done my share of ranting about how we need to live more naturally, but today I was reading an article that discussed the so-called “Monsanto Protection Act.” One of the reader comments at the end was this:
Monsanto makes some excellent lawn-care products, and the company’s contribution to world agriculture is immeasurably efficacious. Senator Roy (who introduced the rider) speaks Blunt truth to Algorites & Redfordist tree-huggers.
There were many more along the same lines. But I have heard repeatedly that GMOs actually cause more harm than good to world agriculture. Examples are this site, and this site, and this site.
In fact, I did a Google search for “why farmers use GMOs” and had to click to the 3rd page of results before I found a farmer discussing why he uses some GMOs. However, I found much of what he had to say, while worthwhile and well-said, didn’t really answer the question.
I live in a tiny farming community surrounded by tiny farming communities. My father always makes a comment you know you’re getting close, “when there’s corn on the left and beans on the right.” It’s true. There are miles and miles and miles of corn and soybean fields all around me. From what I have seen the men and women who run those farms are smart, wise, hard-working people who have been raised with great knowledge of their trade from the time they were little children. They know their business! I can’t even keep a houseplant alive. They know a LOT of things I don’t know about seeds and large-scale farming.
So… I’m asking them and any of you to answer my question because I really want to know. Please no “trolls.” This is not meant to be a fight or a nasty discussion, but rather a chance to see another side of a debate.
Why do farmers use GMOs?
UPDATE: I have had two people contact me, privately, and say that they would love to share their experience but didn’t want to do so publicly because they didn’t want to start “issues” with their friends and family. Obviously this is a very “hot button” topic among farmers. If you would like to share, but don’t want to comment here, please feel free to email me at lazyhippiemama@hotmail.com.
Are you, too, seeking to save the earth, promote world peace and raise productive citizens without expending too much effort?
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If we work on our goals together, they may be a little easier to achieve!
Do you ever have those times where you just know that God (the Universe, Fate, Karma) is trying to tell you something? Perhaps you wake up thinking about your Uncle Joe. And then you see a commercial about a guy named Joe. When you get to work someone in the break room asks you, “want some Joe?” You go to Yahoo and see a headline, “Where is Joe?” It starts to occur to you that you really need to call your Uncle Joe.
That’s been happening to me.
I can’t get away from “the Sabbath.” Everywhere I look, there it is. People send me articles about the Sabbath. My daily devotional is about taking Sabbath time. My youth group kids ask me about the Sabbath.
God is stalking me.
I have learned the hard way, over the years, that I need to pay attention when this happens. Things work out better if I listen to the still, small voice, rather than waiting for the brick over the head.
So I’ve been thinking and praying about what the Sabbath is supposed to look like. I found a great website that talks about how Orthodox Jews honor Shabbat. Here is a snippet:
The rabbis who wrote the Talmud established 39 categories of work that cannot be performed on the Sabbath according to the Hebrew Bible. These include cooking, washing clothes, constructing, repairing, writing, making a fire, cutting, fishing, and so on.
The Sabbath restrictions do not prohibit everything that takes effort. On the contrary, Jews are encouraged to play games, take a stroll, study the Torah, sing, attend lectures, or make love with their spouse on the Sabbath. It is work that is forbidden on the Sabbath – play is encouraged.
The idea of Shabbat comes from the Book of Exodus, chapter 34. This is where God gave Moses the 10 commandments. He tells Moses, “I made the earth in six days and then I rested. Likewise, you should work hard for six days and rest on the seventh.”
It’s a gift! God knew that our lives would be full of busy-ness. He wanted us to give us a break.
Now, being a bit of a hippie (in case you haven’t noticed), my mind wandered a bit further down the trail. Maybe it’s not just meant for US, as individuals. Here we are, hunting and gathering and tilling and buying and selling and wandering to and fro… maybe God wanted us to give the earth – all of creation – a regular period of rest.
That thought made me think about the upcoming Earth hour (read last year’s Earth Hour post here), which is coming up next Saturday, March 23 from 8:30-9:30. Earth hour is an annual event, where everyone is asked to turn off their lights and other electric devices in order to save a bit of energy and raise awareness about how MUCH we all consume. (Go to www.earthhour.org for details)
What if all 314 million Americans turned off their power and refrained from driving, not just for an hour, but for an entire day each week? The positive impact on our planet would be vast! (Or at least the negative ways we impact our planet would be vastly diminished.) I can’t even fathom the impact of a large portion of the other 7 billion people on the planet following suit! What if all those people “unplugged” and spent that day talking, laughing and playing with their loved ones? Whether you agree with my religion or not, surely you can see the value, to us as individuals AND to our lovely planet, in a time of sweet, beautiful, rest from the chaos of every day life.
I talked with Handsome Hippie Hubby about all this.
If I haven’t said it before, he is a kind, generous, gentle, infinitely patient guy. He has never once sighed or rolled his eyes or smacked his forehead when I’ve come to him saying, “So, I’ve been thinking…”
If you had any idea how often I say that you would have massive respect for HHH.
He agreed that he was willing to “honor the Sabbath” with me… sort of. We don’t have a day in which neither of us work and Sweet Hippie Daughter doesn’t have any lessons or such she needs to be at. The best we could do was Tuesday – starting after band class – until Wednesday morning. HHH was willing to give it a month and “see how it goes.” I lobbied for six weeks but got the raised eyebrow. OK. I know when to quit. One month it is.
So, starting tomorrow, we will be “off the grid” every Tuesday afternoon and evening. We will turn off the lights, the TV and the computers (this is a very big deal in a house where everyone old enough to read has their own blog) and the cell phones. We will park the car and put away the lawn mower and we will just… be. Maybe we will take a walk or play a game or read a book together or just sit around the table and tell silly jokes. We will rest.
I suspect it’s going to be a great experience. I’ll let you know how it goes.
What do you think? Would your family benefit from “a Sabbath rest?” Would the earth benefit? What do you think Shabbat should look like?
Are you, too, seeking to save the earth, promote world peace and raise productive citizens without expending too much effort?
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If we work on our goals together, they may be a little easier to achieve!
Over the past few months I have written a few posts (like this one) in which I discuss the importance of eating real food.
These posts have each been met by one or more people saying, “I’ve been eating this way my whole life and I’m OK. I think you are making too big of a deal about it.”
Let me begin by saying, I understand where you are coming from! I have only given “real” food any serious thought at all in the past year or so and, even with strong feelings about it, I often cave in to things like frozen pizza, fast food and lunch meat because they are cheap and easy and… let’s face it… awesomely delicious.
Go ahead, real foodies. Tell me your cauliflower patty is JUST as tasty as a Big Mac. I don’t believe you.
Anyway… I digress…
The point is, I understand.
Further, I would like to say that if you were raised on a steady diet of Poptarts and Bar S hotdogs (you know who you are) and you now make an earnest effort to add some canned peas to your pasta I applaud you! All progress is good progress!
And I recognize that it is virtually impossible to live in our modern society without ingesting SOMETHING that SOMEONE says is “toxic.” For example, I switched from a popular brand of canned beans to Meijer brand organic canned beans and was feeling pretty proud of myself until someone pointed out that canned goods almost universally contain BPA. Well… again, all progress is good progress. I can only do so much.
So, now that I’ve said all that, please allow me to say this:
Unless you are under the age of 20, you have NOT been “eating this way your whole life.”
American food has changed DRASTICALLY in the past generation!
In the past 50 years, the nutrient and mineral content in our food has decreased drastically. Selective breeding, genetic modification and poor treatment of the soil itself means that we have larger food, that is more carbohydrate-intense but lacking in protein, amino acids and as many as 6 key nutrients. (Click here for more)
In the past 2 generations, mercury levels in seafood have doubled. (Click here for more)
The first GMO (genetically modified organism) food (a tomato) was marketed to the public in 1994 – a mere 18 years ago. They were touted as the perfect solution… plants would yield a higher production, bigger fruit, and be more resistant to drought and disease. The problem is that some research shows that the human body does not recognize these new creations as food. The result is damage to the kidneys and liver and digestive tract, poor metabolism of the nutrients, and more. Worse, some studies show that the effects of GMOs are cumulative through generations (see picture, below). If that is the case, we don’t know what it is doing to our children and their children because the first generation of people who have eaten GM foods their whole lives are only just beginning to have children of their own. None of this even touches on what happens when the animals we eat are fed GMOs. If they are affected on a very basic, cellular level, and then we eat that “tainted” meat (eggs, milk, etc), how does it affect us? (Click here for more) The fact is that there simply has not been enough research done on GMO foods to know if they are safe. Maybe they are fine. But there is a good chance that they are not. For that reason dozens of countries have partial or total bans on the use of GMOs or they require companies to label their products if they have been modified. The US has no such restrictions or requirements because it would be too expensive for the food manufacturers. Don’t even get me started on the politics of THAT! Currently, up to 85 percent of U.S. corn is genetically engineered as are 91 percent of soybeans and 88 percent of cotton (cottonseed oil is often used in food products). It has been estimated that upwards of 70 percent of processed foods on supermarket shelves–from soda to soup, crackers to condiments–contain genetically engineered ingredients.
Since the 1950s the use of antibiotics in farm animals has skyrocketed. The result? We now have “super bacteria” that are resistant to antibiotic treatment. This means that now, when we get sick, it is MUCH harder to treat than it was 50 years ago because the drugs we have are no longer effective. (click here for more)
In 1993 rGBH was introduced to milk-producing cows in order to produce more milk from each animal. This hormone has been linked directly to an increased risk for breast, prostate and other cancers in humans. Again, the children who were raised drinking this milk are only beginning to reach adulthood. The effects of this drug on the animals that provided their food will only begin to show up in the next 10-20 years. By then, a whole new generation will have been affected. (click here fore more)
A cow, treated with rGBH, now infected with mastitis.
I could go on and on telling about new additives, drugs, science, etc that have been introduced in relatively recent times.
There is another side of all this, as well.
What do all of these “advanced” farming practices do to our planet?
They result in massive soil erosion the pollution of ground water, the disruption of local ecosystems and more. In turn, that results in the need for MORE chemicals, genetic modification, etc which results in more problems, and so on. (click here for more)
And where are we, as a society, in terms of health?
Life expectancy in Americans is actually decreasing. Children born now can expect to die at a younger age than their parents and grandparents. (more)
In 1958 1.5 million people were diagnosed with diabetes. In 2010 there were nearly 19 million people being treated for the disease. (more)
In 1962 about 13% of the population was considered obese. Today those numbers are fast approaching the 50% mark. (more)
Liver, thyroid, breast, testicle cancers (all mentioned above as being connected to pesticides and GMOs) and more have increased steadily since 1992. (more)
Rates of autism have increased by an astonishing 78% in the past 10 years. (more)
Mental disorders are on the rise among young people. (more)
The number of women struggling to get pregnant and maintain their pregnancies rose 40% between 1982 and 2002. (more)
Is it coincidence that, in the same time period that we have altered our food in nearly every conceivable way we have watched our population’s incidence of health issues rise exponentially?
The solution (or at least progress toward the solution) lies in organics.
Organic food, by legal definition can not contain any GMOs, artificial chemicals or preservatives, hormones or antibiotics. Organic food goes through minimal processing. (There are exceptions, but the rules generally follow those guidelines.) And if a farmer wants to label his food “organic” he must farm in a way that gives back to the earth as much as he takes out.
When all is said and done, I again have to say that any nutritious food (fruits, veggies, lean meats, eggs, milk, etc) is better than none. I know that, for some people, the luxury of spending even a few extra dollars each month is just not possible. I get that.
But for many, we are making a conscious choice to save money on food so that we can spend it on the latest technology or the nicest name brand clothes or…. so so many other things.
If there is even a CHANCE that all of those health concerns can be minimized for your family by simply purchasing one brand of apples instead of another, isn’t it worth a little sacrifice?
It is time for all of us to open our eyes and be aware of what the food industry is pushing on us because, if you are an adult, the fact of the matter is you have NOT been eating like this your whole life and, chances are you are NOT OK. Chances are you are suffering from cancer or diabetes or digestive issues or attention problems or arthritis or migraine headaches or sleep disorders or fibromyalgia or some combination of the dozens of diseases linked to “frankenfoods.”
One last thing: one person said that they had no issue with the pesticide and GMO companies because they provide jobs and contribute to the economy. In response, I have to ask, how much has the exponential increase in sickness cost our nation? Where will our economy be when the resources of our land have been plundered to the point that the very ground under our feet becomes toxic? What job is worth stealing years of healthy living from the current generation of young people?
I’ll climb off my soapbox now. Thanks for reading today’s hippie rant. Here’s to a tomorrow full of healthy nutritious food!
Are you, too, seeking to save the earth, promote world peace and raise productive citizens without expending too much effort?
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If we work on our goals together, they may be a little easier to achieve!
This is a great project for anyone who has a backyard. Or a patio. Or lives near a tree. Or in a house with windows.
I bet that’s you!
Whether you are a homeschool family, an avid bird-watcher, or just someone who appreciates the beauty of nature, you can take part.
Each year, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada and Wild Birds Unlimited unite in asking people to take a few minutes and note which birds are active where the live.
You can spend as little as 15 minutes on a single day counting birds, or you can take 4 entire days doing nothing else. It’s up to you.
By enlisting the participation of many, scientists are able to get a massive sampling of the bird population. Which species are thriving? Where are the migratory birds at this time of year? How is the population being affected by human development of the land?
The answers to these questions can help us all understand how best to move forward in caring for our planet and creating a healthier future for all of us.
As you enter your own information, you are able to see the information gathered by others. As a homeschooler I can think of countless ways this could lead to learning in all sorts of subjects! The GBBC website has some great printable worksheets and interactive learning games for kids.
The count takes place from February 15-18 this year, and your help is needed!
If you would like to know more about registering to participate or becoming a GBBS ambassador and helping to spread the word for this important event, please click the picture to go to the website.
Enjoy your backyard wildlife!
* For another great backyard wildlife project, go here.
Are you, too, seeking to save the earth, promote world peace and raise productive citizens without expending too much effort?
Why not follow LazyHippieMama on WordPress, by email or Facebook to get all the updates.
If we work on our goals together, they may be a little easier to achieve!
As I’ve mentioned before, the “lazy” in my URL comes from my unwillingness to completely uproot my lifestyle in order to “be green.” Lucky for me, it’s pretty easy to reduce Santa’s carbon footprint. All it takes is a little awareness!
* Buy local! If you shop close to home, for items made close to home, you are using less fuel to drive to the store. The manufacturer is using less fuel to deliver the products. You will, most likely, be shopping in a smaller, more sustainable building. Added bonus – you’ll be helping to keep jobs and tax money close to home.
* Get a real tree. On average, people throw away their artificial trees after about 7-8 years. They are made from petroleum products. The production burns energy and creates pollution. They are difficult to recycle and take up a lot of space in the landfill. On the other hand, your real tree creates oxygen throughout its early years. Pines are fast growing and Christmas tree farms are constantly replenishing what they cut. And, after Christmas, it is, in most places, easy to have your tree recycled into mulch. Also, real trees make your house smell great so you don’t need to buy scented candles and air fresheners full of toxic chemicals.
* Use paper wrapping paper and save it for re-use or recycle it. The shiny foil stuff and bags are harder to recycle and require greater resources to manufacture. Even better, do what my grandpa did and wrap all your gifts in the funny pages of old Sunday papers. We used to love it!
* Switch to LED lights, which burn less energy and put them on a timer so they are only on in the dark hours.
* Buy organic food for your Christmas dinner. I know, I know. Organics are more expensive. Last time I went shopping “regular” butter was $2 a pound, while organic was $6. Yipe! I just can’t afford that! However, if you pay attention, you may be surprised. On the same trip, at the same store, my organic scallions, potatoes, avocados, coffee and apples were all about the same price or less than the other stuff. ”Organic” doesn’t just mean that you’re not consuming chemicals. It means that the farmer is meeting certain regulations that require him to leave the earth in better condition than he found it.
* Be careful about batteries. Batteries are highly toxic when we dump them in landfills. Try to buy toys that don’t need them and, if you do need to use them, be sure to recycle carefully.
All of those tips are great, but the most important tip of all is to enjoy the beauty of the season. Hold your loved ones close! If we’ve learned anything this year, it’s that life is unpredictable. Don’t get so caught up in the rush that you forget to be in the moment.
Finally, don’t forget that, for some, the holidays are the hardest weeks of the year. If a loved one or neighbor is struggling, take time to love them. After all, isn’t the Ultimate Love what Christmas is all about?
Merry Christmas, my dear readers. Thank you for being a part of this online community!
I’ve watched this clip over and over. It is beautiful and horrible and wonderful and extraordinary!
What an extraordinary, beautiful, awe-inspiring planet we’ve been charged with taking care of!
Sadly, as beautiful as this is to watch, it is a sign of a real problem. We need to do better, to care more, to work together to tend to our precious planet.
But… there is hope! When people who care are determined to make a difference, good things nearly always follow. We humans are a powerful group when we come together with a common purpose!
I love that, just before things start to move the man on the phone is, essentially, saying that the trip is a bust – nothing is happening, and then, seconds later, he is filming something that has never been filmed before on such a massive scale. Don’t give up on your dreams too soon!
May your frosty Monday morning be filled with hope and wonder and inspiration!
As I’ve mentioned before, the “lazy” in my URL comes from my unwillingness to completely uproot my lifestyle in order to “be green.” Lucky for me, it’s pretty easy to reduce Santa’s carbon footprint. All it takes is a little awareness!
