If you are a wine drinker, you can help save kids from cancer and protect yourself from pesticides by buying organic wine.

In France, the government conducted a major study of pesticide exposure among people living near (non-organic) vineyards, and one of its most alarming findings was that children in these areas are more likely to get leukemia. Campaigners there blame folpet and spiroxamine, two of the many toxins found in non-organic wine that are also used in the U.S.

U.S. researchers have also identified links between pesticide exposure and childhood cancers. While no studies focus specifically on vineyards, many of the pesticides associated with pediatric cancer are commonly used on wine grapes.

For example, Californians for Pesticide Reform have been campaigning against what they call “The Toxic 13,” thirteen pesticides associated with childhood cancers. Of these, eight are commonly used in non-organic vineyards.

TAKE ACTION: Ban Pesticides Causing Childhood Cancer!

Molly Frey of Frey Vineyards interviews Alexis Baden-Mayer from the Organic Consumers Association:

Frey Vineyards and the Organic Consumers Association make strong partners due to our long-standing shared commitment to organic integrity, transparency, and public education. Most people don’t realize how heavily sprayed conventional wine grapes are—or that wine labels are not required to disclose ingredients. That’s where our missions naturally align. Together, we ask essential questions: Do you know what’s in your wine? Do you know what’s not in organic wine—and why that matters? Both organizations are dedicated to helping consumers understand the hidden inputs in conventional agriculture and the real benefits of organic practices, especially in a category like wine where awareness has lagged behind.

Our partnership works because we are conveying the same core message from complementary angles. Frey Vineyards brings deep, hands-on expertise from within the organic wine movement, having helped pioneer and define the category through decades of education and advocacy. The Organic Consumers Association amplifies that work through its broader reach across food, farming, and environmental health. Together, we share a vision of agriculture that is cyclical, regenerative, and rooted in gratitude for the earth—one that gives back more than it takes. This shared philosophy fuels our collaboration and our hope for a future where organic farming supports healthy people, thriving ecosystems, and a more beautiful world.

Listen here for a bit of history about the OCA and more

Visit Frey Vineyards online and join us in supporting planet-positive wine. Use the code ORGANICCONSUMERS at checkout to enjoy a 15% discount on your Frey Wine purchase, plus, 25% of that sale directly supports the Organic Consumers Association. Thank you, Frey Wines, for your partnership, support, and commitment to organic practices!

Mark Sherman, AP:

“The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear an appeal from global agrochemical manufacturer Bayer to block thousands of state lawsuits alleging it failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller could cause cancer.

The justices will consider whether the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of the Roundup weedkiller without a cancer warning should rule out the state court claims.

The Trump administration has weighed in on Bayer’s behalf, reversing the Biden administration’s position and putting it at odds with some supporters of the Make America Healthy Again agenda who oppose giving the company the legal immunity it seeks.

Bayer disputes the cancer claims but has set aside $16 billion to settle cases. At the same time, it has tried to persuade states to pass laws barring lawsuits. Georgia and North Dakota have done so.

Environmental groups said Bayer wants to keep juries out of the lawsuits because it keeps losing in state courts

TAKE ACTION: Supreme Court Could Block Pesticide Lawsuits: Tell Congress to Protect Our Right to Sue!

READ: “EPA Chief Pulls a Fast One on The Media”

Editor’s Note: Our hearts are rooted in Minnesota’s wilderness country, where our home office and Agroecology Center is nestled in Finland, just 15 miles from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA).

This just in from Save the Boundary Waters:

Bad news: HJ 140 has passed the House of Representatives and now heads to the Senate. This resolution is Representative Pete Stauber’s attempt to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn the 20-year mining ban protecting the Boundary Waters watershed from toxic copper mining. This bill sets a precedent that any past land management decision could be vulnerable to being undone.

This does not mean a mine will be built tomorrow, but it does mean we have even more work ahead. Right now, we need you to take the next step and contact your Senators!

Outdoor Alliance:

“Stop Congress from Undoing Boundary Waters Protections!

Earlier this month, Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN) introduced a resolution that would use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn protections for the Boundary Waters, clearing the way for toxic copper mining in its headwaters. This approach is unprecedented and dangerous: mineral withdrawals like the Boundary Waters protections have never been treated as eligible for recission under the CRA, and if the measure passes, it will bar all future administrative protections for the area. If mining proponents succeeds here, it could set a bad precedent that puts public lands across the country at risk.

Copper mining in this watershed would put clean water, wildlife, recreation access, Tribal treaty rights, and local economies at risk. Once polluted, these waters cannot be restored.”

TAKE ACTION NOW: Tell your members of Congress to vote NO on any resolution that would overturn Boundary Waters protections!

Boundary Waters threats: Pending legislation would turn a federal “no” on mining in the Boundary Waters into a congressional “proceed”

Emma Joyce, The Guardian:

“Before I begin I know it won’t be easy. My pantry is stocked with UPFs, from allegedly healthy crackers to chocolate and biscuits. I’m not even confident I can go a day without them, let alone a working week – especially as the rest of my household won’t be joining me.

Feeling ambitious, I called Prof Mark Lawrence from Deakin University to help me understand the difference between processed food and ultra-processed food. A rough rule of thumb, he says, is to avoid products with a long list of ingredients. Steer clear of the middle supermarket aisles, and don’t buy products made with ‘chemical-sounding’ ingredients. ‘Those are a big clue that it’s ultra-processed,’ he says.

Lawrence adds: ‘This isn’t poor behavior on behalf of most people. These products are now so engineered into our food systems … It’s really difficult to avoid them.’

Before I get started, I familiarize myself with the the Nova classification system, which lists food by its level of processing. Level one includes fruit, vegetables, nuts, milk, coffee, tea, pasta and rice. Level two is ‘processed culinary ingredients’ including butter, honey and oils. There are processed foods, such as canned fish, freshly made bread and cheeses. Four is UPF territory – processed bread, ice-cream, chocolates, energy drinks, chicken nuggets, pastries and sweetened juices. So, basically everything I have in my fridge and freezer.”

Learn more

TAKE ACTION: Stop the Junk Food Lobby’s “Americans for Ingredient Transparency”

b by Sam Delgado, Civil Eats:

“When people walk or drive past urban gardens, they often just see what’s on the surface. Raised beds on a small plot. Seedlings poking through the dirt. Perhaps bright pops of colorful produce, like tomatoes or peppers.

But when Kate Brown, an environmental historian at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), looks at urban gardens, she sees a deep-rooted history of activism and sustainability—one that spans centuries, continents, and communities.

Brown distilled her research on the subject into her forthcoming book, Tiny Gardens Everywhere: The Past, Present, and Future of the Self-Provisioning City. The chapters cover feudal England, 19th-century Berlin, and early 20th-century Washington, D.C., as well as modern-day Chicago; Mansfield, Ohio; and Montgomery, Alabama, traversing time and space to illuminate their connected stories.”

Throughout, Brown reveals a common thread: Unused urban spaces disparaged by the powerful as “wastelands” were, in reality, areas where working-class and poor communities used gardening to build self-sustaining livelihoods

by Alexa Friedman, Ph.D. & David Andrews, Ph.D., Environmental Working Group (EWG):

“Hundreds of personal care products people use every day may contain the toxic ‘forever chemicals’ known as PFAS, according to a Food and Drug Administration report.

As of 2024, more than 50 PFAS ingredients were used in almost 1,700 unique products, the report finds. The ingredients are added to cosmetics with claims of improving product texture, durability and water resistance and enhancing skin-smoothing or shine effects. The report shows many Americans could be applying products with PFAS ingredients to their face, eyes and skin daily, sometimes multiple times a day. 

PFAS are toxic chemicals linked to many health harms, even at very low doses, including suppression of the immune system and reduced vaccine effectiveness, increased risk of cancer and harm to fetal development.

The December report was required by the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022, the first major change to cosmetic regulation in decades. It mandated that, starting in 2023, cosmetics makers report annually to the FDA each product they make and ingredient they use. The data submitted so far gave the FDA the information it needed to write the report.”



EWG recommends avoiding cosmetics with intentionally added PFAS. Learn how to avoid exposure.

TAKE ACTION: Tell Your State Legislators to Ban PFAS Pesticides!

Brian Bienkowski, The New Lede:

“In a widely anticipated move, House Republicans released a draft bill that would roll back several provisions in the nation’s premier chemical safety law with the stated goal of bolstering manufacturing and innovation. 

The bill would amend the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), a federal law under which the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) evaluates chemicals to make sure human and environmental health will be protected before chemicals are put into the marketplace. 

Under the proposal, chemicals approved in certain other countries would be fast-tracked by the EPA and the agency would be required to prioritize chemicals that are designed to be substitutes for more harmful ones or chemicals aimed at easing supply-chain risks for critical materials. 

The House Subcommittee on Environment will hold a hearing on the draft bill on January 22.”

This bill is a chemical lobby wish list

READ: “EPA, Pesticides, and Children’s Health” by Ben Ahmad

Treat your loved ones to delicious organic chocolate from Equal Exchange, which partners directly with farmers to ensure fair prices and sustainable livelihoods.

Pair your chocolate with a bottle of award-winning organic wine from Frey Vineyards. Since 1980, have been producing award-winning Organic and Biodynamic wines without added sulfites. Use the code ORGANICCONSUMERS at checkout to enjoy 15% off your purchase, and 25% of the sale will support the Organic Consumers Association.

Birchbark Books is operated by a spirited collection of people who believe in the power of good writing, the beauty of handmade art, the strength of Native culture, and the importance of small and intimate bookstores.

You can also explore Ten Thousand Villages for handcrafted products that support artisans in under-resourced communities.

SERRV International offers a range of fair trade gifts and foods that support artisans and farmers worldwide.

For a more conscious beauty gifts, check out Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database to find safe cosmetics.

Find local flowers at Local Harvest.

Aloha Bay is very committed to helping farmers, crafts people, and other workers to earn a decent income while maintaining their traditional lifestyles with dignity and hope for their future.

Have a heart this Valentine’s Day. Let your loved ones know you care with fair trade and sustainable products to show your love and care for the planet and its people.

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