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• Increasing
  fuel efficiency by just 3% would reduce U.S. dependence
  on foreign oil more than all of the agrofuels combined.
• The
  amount of grain it takes to fill an average gas tank with
  ethanol would be enough to feed a person for a year (source:
  Foreign Affairs)
• If
  the United States stopped growing food and converted its
  entire grain harvest into ethanol, it would satisfy less
  than 16 percent of its automotive needs. (source: Earth
  Policy Institute)
• The
  majority of U.S. biofuels are produced from pesticide
  intensive genetically engineered crops (soy, corn).
• Monocultures
  of soy and sugar cane in Latin America and palm oil in
  Indonesia and Malaysia have led to massive deforestation
  and the loss of invaluable biodiversity.
• Current
  methods of industrial-scale biofuel production worsen
  global warming by increasing deforestation and degradation
  of peatlands and soils, while also creating more nitrous
  oxide emissions from fertilizer use.

OCA
WEB FORUM TOPIC OF THE WEEK

OCA’s web forum provides an online discussion space for
like-minded folks. Over 1500 people have registered to the
forum and are posting thoughts about everything from organic
gardening to food safety to sustainability issues. This
week’s feature topic is on bio-fuels. What’s good about
them, what’s bad about them, and what role do they have
in the future of the sustainability movement.
Click
here to read what other people have to think and join in
the discussions: /old_articles/forum/index.php

TIP
OF THE WEEK: UNCHAIN YOUR HEART:

Tis that time of year when more than 20 million Americans
are buying sweets and flowers for their loved ones on Valentine’s
Day. Unfortunately, these tokens of love aren’t as sweet or
pure as they may appear. Over 40 percent of the world’s conventional
chocolate (i.e. non-organic and non-Fair Trade) comes from
Africa’s Ivory Coast, where the International Labor Organization
and US State Department have reported widespread instances
of child slavery. Meanwhile, commercial flowers, most of which
are produced in countries such as Colombia, are the most toxic
and heavily sprayed agricultural crops on Earth. In order
for you to deliver your bouquet to your beauty, poorly paid
workers in Third World countries put in up to 18 hour work
days for poverty wages during peak flower buying times such
as Valentine’s Day. But don’t let the bad news squelch your
Valentine’s plans. Show your love by choosing Fair Trade and
organic flowers and chocolate for your Valentine’s Day gifts.
Check out OCA’s Buying Guide, watch an entertaining flash
movie and take action against the 5 major chocolate and flower
corporations: /old_articles/valentines/

FOOD
SAFETY ALERT:

In the last issue of Organic Bytes, we highlighted Robyn O’Brien
as the activist of the week. Robyn’s organization, AllergyKids.com,
is working with the OCA to close a loophole in U.S. food labeling
regulations that is allowing common foods to contain dangerous
new allergens without labeling. Specifically, the U.S. Food
Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act fails to highlight
and require labels for the now commonplace foreign or "novel"
gene-spliced proteins and allergens in soy, corn, canola and
other food products. According to Daniel Sheehan, an FDA scientist,
American children are part of "a large, uncontrolled
and basically unmonitored human infant experiment." Contact
your Congress-members to require labels on gene-spliced foreign
proteins and allergens in food products, which are contributing
to the epidemic of food allergies, autism, ADHD and asthma
in our children.
Learn more and take action: /articles/article_9979.cfm

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parody

HEALTH
SURVEY OF THE WEEK:

Last week, the polling body Synovate and the BBC released
results of a survey analyzing how people around the world
view fast food, dieting and exercise. One of the questions
of the survey was "I like the taste of fast food too
much to give it up." 44 percent of Americans agreed
with the statement while only 19 percent of the French agreed.
For the first time, the UK gained the dubious honor of being
the fast food capitol of the world with 45 percent of people
saying they couldn’t give up the greasy grub. When it comes
to weight loss, over half of surveyed American, French and
British people said they cut down on food to shed pounds,
while Malaysia had the highest percentage of people connecting
weight loss to herbs and supplements. Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates are among the top users of low-fat
products and meal replacements, but also gym memberships
and home exercise equipment.
Learn more: /articles/article_9928.cfm

QUICK
TIDBIT:

The American Academy of Pediatrics is calling on the ABC
television network to cancel the premiere episode of Eli
Stone, in which a mother wins a $5.2 million lawsuit charging
her son got autism from a vaccine. The Academy claims airing
the program may cause more people to question the safety
of vaccinations. In related news, a recent poll in OCA’s
web forum found that 72% of the survey participants avoid
all vaccinations, 11% avoid some vaccinations, 12% get all
of their vaccinations, and 4% believe vaccinations should
be required by law. /old_articles/forum/index.php?showtopic=679

WEB
VIDEO OF THE WEEK:
SWEET MISERY – A POISONED WORLD
If you’re still eating foods containing the artificial sweetener
aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal, diet drinks, etc.), you need
to watch this documentary. Aspartame was approved for widespread
use in the U.S. in July of 1983. Within six months, brain
tumor rates climbed 10%, diabetes went up 30% and brain
lymphoma tumors skyrocketed 60%. Learn how this toxic chemical
was scandalously approved by the FDA and is now one of the
most widespread food additives in the U.S.
Watch it now: /articles/article_9978.cfm