Subject: It Does Pay to Fight - Environmental Success Stories
Date: Sun, 07 Jan 2001 09:11:56 -0500
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State
of California, Department of Pesticide Regulation
cc: Carol Browner browner.carol@epa.gov
Dear Mr. Helliker,
I thought you might like to read an article on how the well funded
conservative opposition does its best to make opponents feel like they are
wrong and going against the American way in this week's Healing Our World
commentary, called "It Does Pay to Fight - Environmental Success
Stories," posted on the Environment News Service at:
http://www.ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-05g.html. By Jackie Alan
Giuliano, Ph.D.
It Does Pay to Fight - Environmental Success Stories
Flower in the crannied wall,
I pluck you out of the crannies,
I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,
Little flower - but if I could understand
What you are, root and all, and all in all,
I should know what God and man is.
-- Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Every day, millions of people stand up for what they
believe in, demanding protection for the Earth's species and life support
systems. Injustice abounds in our world, but more people than you think are
willing to take on the long, often arduous, frustrating and demoralizing
battles to protect our world.
The well funded conservative opposition does its best to
make opponents feel like they are wrong and going against the American way.
The corporate controlled mainstream media does its best to represent these
activists as loners and misfits. But these hard fought efforts by individuals
and groups of all ages around the world do have an impact. They are changing
the face of our culture.
Just a few years ago, organic food was considered a
fad. But thanks to the efforts of food activists who have exposed the dangers
of pesticide poisoning, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that pesticide
residues remain on most produce, even after it is washed, the organic food
industry is now a $6 billion a year business.
J.J. Haapala, an organic seed grower and director of
research and education for Oregon Tilth, pours harvested Red Russian kale into
a device that separates the seed from debris. (Click on the url to see Photo
by Brian Prechtel courtesy USDA)
When the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) tried to
expand the organic food standards to include genetically engineered
foods, the use of sewage sludge as fertilizer, and even some pesticide use,
people from around the nation voiced their opposition to these proposals,
which were clearly supported by the powerful non-organic industry. The USDA
received more than 200,000 comments against allowing organic foods to be
produced using these methods.
Recently, the USDA released new organic food standards
that will increase the confidence of organic food buyers everywhere. The new
regulations ban the use of biotechnology and irradiation. Meat producers
claiming to be organic cannot feed antibiotics to the cattle and organic dairy
cows must have access to pasture.
There are currently more than 10,000 farms across the
United States that use organic methods that must now comply with the new
regulations. Activists successfully fought the efforts of the National Food
Processors Association which wanted the USDA to label organic produce with a
statement that such food is no better than other products.
None of these protections would have come about if people
had remained silent.
Millions of people care deeply about how poorly animals
are treated by mainstream culture. Activists have been fighting inhumane
treatment for years, in spite of attempts by the media, politicians, and
industry leaders to represent them as a few bleeding heart liberals or
extremists. But the large number of people who are members of humane
organizations demonstrates that a significant portion of the population puts
compassion before profit.
Chimps are confined for decades in tiny cages. (Click on
above url to see Photo courtesy U.S. Humane Society)
An example of an animal who has been championed by many
caring people is the chimpanzee. There may be no animal more abused by our
culture. Chimpanzees are humans' closest living cousins.
They have more than 98 percent of our genetic code. These intelligent,
social beings have a distinct language amongst themselves as well as distinct
cultures. Research has shown that they plan for the future, teach their young,
use tools, and make moral choices. Chimpanzees in captivity have been taught
American Sign Language, and they even pass their acquired language skills on
to their children.
There are over 1,100 chimps in federally sponsored
laboratories. For nearly every chimp that is used in research, five to 10 have
been killed in the wild. Chimps for research are often caught as babies in
African forests, chased up trees by dogs after their parents are murdered.
After years of being research subjects under often deplorable conditions in
laboratories, they are frequently doomed to live out the remainder of their
lives in tiny cages. Chimps can live up 60 years.
Legislation recently signed by President Bill Clinton
directs the National Institutes of Health to work with humane groups to create
sanctuaries for retired and surplus chimps and allocates funding for this
purpose. This legislation would never have made it through Congress without
the tireless work of many compassionate people and the support of thousands of
concerned citizens who were brave enough to stand up for what is right.
On December 9, 2000, an often isolated group of Utah
Progressives marched from the Utah state capitol in Salt Lake City to the U.S.
Federal building to protest the United States electoral college and
"anti-democratic" process. (Click on above url to see the Photo by
Jonny Jemming courtesy Indymedia.org)
It is often difficult to stand up for compassion and
truth. All around us are displays of values by the corporate controlled media
that suggest only a few weak people care for other people and other life
forms. We are constantly told that being independent and free of
responsibility should be our ultimate goal, along with owning the most stuff.
Fear of being ridiculed and singled out keeps many of us
silent. Many people are intimidated by the threat that they will be labeled a
radical, different, or even unchristian. It takes a special kind of courage to
withstand these labels from friends, coworkers, and even family.
Everyone has the potential to become a champion for
justice and compassion. You don't have to know everything about an issue, and
you don't have to be fearless. All you need is practice connecting with your
heart and trusting your gut reaction to what is right and what is wrong.
Keep informed about the happenings in your community and
in the world through alternative news sources. Use the newspaper to get ideas,
but always do your own research. With the Internet, it is easier than ever.
Decide that you are going to care and then decide what you care about.
Choose how far you want to go. Do you want to write
letters and email? Do you want to take part in an active protest? There are
many different forms of activist expression. All are important.
Find the groups and organizations that share your views
and join them. They can provide you with information and can help magnify your
voice. And you won't feel so alone anymore.
Resist the urge to fit in with what you perceive to be
the norm. Take the risk of being
who you want to be, someone that a child could look up to and be proud of.
Decide how you would like to be remembered.
Work to redefine the concepts of power and strength and
security. Maybe we really get our strength from giving all that we have to
another and opening up our lives to our neighbors instead of building higher
and higher walls.
ALWAYS concern yourself with the suffering of another,
whether human or animal. Move that snail off the sidewalk. Help that lost dog.
Buy a sandwich for a homeless person. Don't
look away.
This new year marks the beginning of a challenging time
for us all. The new conservative
presidency in the U.S. has begun to turn back the clock, as every executive
branch leader is being hand picked to promote the greed based conservative
agenda. We must all find our voices and our hearts and protect what is left of
our world. We must show those that would put profit and greed before life that
such obscene priorities will not be tolerated.
What we choose to do every day has an incredible effect
in our world. Choose with your heart and your soul. Don't be afraid - there's
more of us out there than we can possibly imagine.
RESOURCES
1. Polish your activist skills with the Protest.net
Activist Handbook at: http://protest.net/activists_handbook/
2. Learn about scores of activist opportunities at:
http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/index.cfm
3. Use your dollar as a potent activist tool. Check out
Coop America's Boycott Action News at: http://www.coopamerica.org/boycotts/index.html
4. Keep an eye on the conservative efforts to undo the
progress that has been made from the Conservative Caucus website at: http://www.conservativeusa.org/
5. Stay involved with the organic food movement at:
http://www.purefood.org/index.htm
6. Keep track of corporate abuses through Corporate Watch
at: http://www.corpwatch.org/
7. Make sure the new administration doesn't weaken the
Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Justice program. Watch it at:
http://es.epa.gov/oeca/main/ej/index.html
8. Filter your media intake through Fairness and Accuracy
in Reporting at: http://www.fair.org/
9. Change your food choices with the help of EarthSave
at: http://www.earthsave.org/
10. Find out who your Congressional representatives are
and e-mail them. Demand that they stay strong and work harder to protect our
health, the environment and animal rights. If you know your Zip code,
you can find them at: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ziptoit.html or
you can search by state at: http://www.webslingerz.com/jhoffman/congress-email.html.
You can also find your representatives at: http://congress.nw.dc.us/innovate/index.html.
[Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D. is a writer
and teacher in Seattle. He can be found thinking about his son who will be
born in this new year and what kind of world will greet him. Please send your
thoughts, comments, and visions to him at jackie@healingourworld.com and visit
his website at http://www.healingourworld.com]
© Environment News Service (ENS) 2000.
All Rights Reserved.
Well Mr. Helliker, it has been said by many Christians
that you can not serve G-d and mammon - I have always said "What is not
done for love is done for money.' Sophocles
said: "One word frees us all of the weight and pain of life; that word is
love." I am sure Sophocles
did not mean love of self, power and/or money.
what are you sure of?
Respectfully, Stephen
L. Tvedten
If you would like to be included in our mailing list for continuing
information on pesticides, Email Us.
with "subscribe" in the subject line.
Click Here to Add Comment