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Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin has less than two weeks to either stand with the 90% of his constituents who support a mandatory labeling bill for genetically engineered foods – or cave in to Monsanto’s threat to sue the state if legislators pass H.722.
The bill that once appeared destined to pass on the merits of scientific evidence, overwhelming public support, and support of the majority of Vermont’s progressive legislators, now appears doomed – unless Vermont voters succeed in changing the Governor’s mind.
If the Governor’s words this past week are any indication, he’s already surrendered to Monsanto. But Vermonters, not known for backing down from a fight, are challenging legislators to take on the biotech industry. They’re even offering to raise money for the state’s defense.
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Commercial beekeepers have filed an emergency legal petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to suspend use of a pesticide that is linked to massive honey bee deaths. The legal petition, which specifies Bayer’s neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin, is backed by over one million citizen petition signatures. Add your voice and learn how to protect your neighborhood bees.
OCA and our lobbying ally, the Organic Consumers Fund, put our money where our mouth is. With the 2012 California Ballot Initiative, and GMO labeling legislation gaining momentum in Vermont, Connecticut, Hawaii and other states, we have a real chance to hit Monsanto, corporate agribusiness, and the supermarket chains with the skull and crossbones they fear so much: mandatory labels on genetically engineered food, and a ban on the industry practice of marketing billions of dollars of GMO-tainted foods as "natural." At the same time we are continuing our struggle to strengthen organic standards and significantly expand the market for organic food and products, especially those produced locally and regionally; while warning consumers about the dangers of junk food and chemical agriculture. 
There is nothing safe about toxic pesticides & unlabeled genetically engineered foods. On April 19, 2012 the Occupy Monsanto Genetic Crimes Unit will protest outside of the Food Safety Summit at the Washington, DC, Convention Center. 
In this video, Bill Aal (AGRAWatch) and Alexis Baden-Mayer (OCA) speak to the various national and global aspects of the genetically modified food industry and the concerns for farmers and agriculture here and around the world. Interwoven is the influence of Monsanto and the Gates Foundation, the "charity" of Bill Gates, the 2nd richest person in the world, in government agencies.
The OCA-endorsed Green Polka Dot Box (GPDP) home delivery service for organic and non-GMO foods is up and running. Since October, OCA is happy to report that our staff, as well as hundreds of our members and subscribers, have been ordering and receiving regular home deliveries of organic and non-GMO foods, at 30-50% below the cost of retail, with free shipping on orders of $99 or more. As a result organic consumers who live in "organic food deserts," far from the nearest organic food store, have been able to start buying more organic food, while those of us on a limited budget have been able to buy organic products at a reduced price. 
