Julie, Author at Organic Consumers

Finding Common Ground: Can Vegans, Vegetarians and Meat-Eaters Unite for Change?

To eat meat, or not to eat meat: It’s probably one of the hottest debates around the dinner table.

But can vegans and vegetarians unite behind a campaign to #BoycottBigMeat—if the campaign incorporates grass-fed and pasture-raised meat production as part of the solution?

On August 25, the #BoycottBigMeat campaign hosted a Facebook Live discussion about veganism, vegetarianism and how meat is produced. #BoycottBigMeat is a national consumer education and lobbying campaign to advance the transition away from today’s centralized industrial meat production to a system of organic regenerative pasture-raised and grass-fed meat production.

Through conversations like these, we hope to help shrink the divide between vegans, vegetarians and producers of regenerative grass-fed and pasture-raised meat and animal products.

Finding Common Ground: Can Vegans, Vegetarians and Meat-Eaters Unite for Change?Julie2020-09-02T14:20:00+00:00

What If Nestlé and Coke Had to Clean Up Their Own Plastic Pollution?

It’s great when consumers take responsibility for using less plastic, and for cleaning up plastic waste in their communities.

But wouldn’t it be better if the corporations that put all that plastic into the marketplace and environment had to take responsibility for cleaning it up?

TAKE ACTION! Tell Congress to Hold Plastic Polluters Accountable by Supporting the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020!

What If Nestlé and Coke Had to Clean Up Their Own Plastic Pollution?Julie2020-03-03T14:27:00+00:00

Tell the USDA: Kids Deserve Healthy, Organic Fruits and Veggies, Not More Junk Food!

Federal regulations for school lunches—never strong to begin with—are about to get worse.

If Trump’s U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) pushes through its proposed new rules, schools will be allowed to serve up more processed junk food (pizza and fries), and fewer fruits and vegetables.

The rules, masquerading under the pretense of giving schools “greater flexibility” and reducing food waste, are another gift to corporate lobbyists, like the Corn Refiners Association, the Snack Food Association (SNAC International) and yes, the School Nutrition Association.

TAKE ACTION: Tell the USDA: Add Healthy Organic Fruits and Veggies to School Meals, Not More Junk Food!

Tell the USDA: Kids Deserve Healthy, Organic Fruits and Veggies, Not More Junk Food!Julie2020-02-04T16:20:00+00:00

Can Organic Farming Save the World? Yes. But Only Through a Transformation in U.S. Food & Farm Policy

Organic farming is a win-win for people, animals and the planet. But it’s so much more than a set of practices used to grow food.

Organic agriculture takes a holistic approach that embraces Mother Nature—working with as opposed to against nature—to grow healthy, nutritious food while at the same time preserving earth’s natural ecosystems.

When done properly, organic farming is the way of the future. It’s a solution to some of the world’s greatest and most complex problems including climate change, food insecurity and the loss of biodiversity. It has the potential to both save us from climate catastrophe, and produce enough food to feed the world in a way that allows humans to live in harmony with nature.

A new report by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), the worldwide umbrella organization for the organic agriculture movement, shows how organic agriculture can create a better world.

Can Organic Farming Save the World? Yes. But Only Through a Transformation in U.S. Food & Farm PolicyJulie2019-10-10T15:15:00+00:00

‘The Devil We Know:’ How DuPont Poisoned the World with Teflon

A new Netflix documentary titled, “The Devil We Know,” tells the story of DuPont’s decades-long cover-up of the harm caused by chemicals used to make its popular non-stick Teflon™ products. The film shows how the chemicals used to make Teflon poisoned people and the environment—not just in Parkersburg, West Virginia, where DuPont had a Teflon plant, but all over the world.

It all began in 1945, when DuPont, renamed DowDuPont following its 2017 merger with Dow Chemical, began manufacturing Teflon, a product best known for its use in non-stick cookware, but also widely used in a variety of other consumer products, including waterproof clothing and furniture, food packaging, self-cleaning ovens, airplanes and cars.

One of the key ingredients in DuPont’s Teflon was C8, a toxic, man-made chemical created by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, better known as 3M, to make Scotchgard. The chemical, also known as PFOS or PFOA, is what gave Teflon its non-stick properties.

Both 3M and DuPont were well aware of the health hazards associated with C8. But that didn’t stop DuPont from dumping the toxic chemical into local waterways, where it made its way into public drinking water and subsequently sickened thousands of people, and ultimately killing many of them.

‘The Devil We Know:’ How DuPont Poisoned the World with TeflonJulie2019-07-31T21:49:00+00:00

Your Support Needed to Help End Industrial Fish Farms

When you hear “factory farm” you probably think cows and pigs and chickens.

But there’s another type of factory farm, one that pollutes our oceans and produces one of the most toxic foods in the world: industrial ocean fish farms.

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress: Support the “Keep Fin Fish Free Act” to Ban Industrial Ocean Fish Farms

Your Support Needed to Help End Industrial Fish FarmsJulie2019-05-29T16:11:00+00:00

Superbugs to Kill More People than Cancer if Industrial Agriculture Doesn’t Ditch Antibiotics and Pesticides

Industrial agriculture is perpetuating one of the greatest threats to mankind. From the rampant overuse of antibiotics in factory farm animals to the heavy spraying of pesticides on food crops, industrial agriculture has given rise to deadly antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

The germs are multiplying so rapidly that the number of deaths caused by drug-resistant infections could outpace those caused by cancer in the next three decades, according to a study funded by the British government. More than 10 million people worldwide could die from drug-resistant infections in 2050, surpassing the eight million projected to die from cancer, the study found.

Antibiotic resistance is sometimes attributed to the over prescription of antibiotics in hospitals and clinics. But the main driver is the use of human drugs in livestock raised on factory farms. Nearly 80 percent of antibiotics in the U.S. are administered to conventionally raised cows, pigs and chickens to promote growth and treat disease. This means exposing healthy animals to antibiotics over long periods of time.

Superbugs to Kill More People than Cancer if Industrial Agriculture Doesn’t Ditch Antibiotics and PesticidesJulie2019-04-24T17:27:00+00:00

Demand to Know! Is the CDC Colluding with Coke?

A new study suggests that people who frequently drink sugar-sweetened drinks, including soda, increase their risk of death from cardiovascular diseases, and to a lesser extend, cancer.

We think that’s all the more reason it’s time to investigate recent allegations that Coca-Cola is colluding with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to downplay the negative health consequences associated with drinking Coke.

TAKE ACTION: Ask the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform to investigate Coca-Cola’s influence on the CDC.

Demand to Know! Is the CDC Colluding with Coke?Julie2019-03-21T20:33:00+00:00

Judge in Second Roundup Cancer Trial Worked for Firm that Defended Monsanto

On March 12, both sides in the Edwin Hardeman vs. Monsanto case delivered their closing arguments in San Francisco Federal Court. Hardeman sued Monsanto (now owned by Bayer), alleging that his longtime use of Roundup weedkiller caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer.

The jury could return its verdict any day now. The six-juror panel must return a unanimous decision, or a mistrial will be called. A new trial would likely take place in May. If the jury returns a guilty verdict, the case will enter the second phase, where Monsanto’s liability will be determined and damages may be awarded to the plaintiff.

This week’s closing arguments followed a recent favorable ruling for the plaintiff—this despite new revelations about Chhabria’s past ties to Monsanto.

Judge in Second Roundup Cancer Trial Worked for Firm that Defended MonsantoJulie2019-03-13T16:06:00+00:00

Arsenic in Your Fruit Juice? Tests Say Yes.

Are there heavy metals lurking in your fruit juice?Yes, according to a recent analysis by Consumer Reports (CR). CR tested 45 fruit juices in four popular flavors—apple, grape, pear and fruit blends—sold in the U.S.

Arsenic in Your Fruit Juice? Tests Say Yes.Julie2019-02-13T17:49:00+00:00

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