Our food of today is not the food of our Grandparents or even our Parents.. We should be concerned.

What is organic?

Organic food is just simply bringing it down to the simplest form of production. The way food is supposed to be. It is growing it without synthetic chemicals, no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, no genetically modified organisms and no irradiation. Livestock needs access to the outdoors and pasture. They are not to be given any forms of antibiotics or growth hormones and they are to be fed 100% organic feed, no animal byproducts and no genetically modified feed, which most conventional livestock animals are fed.

Choosing organic is not just for the obvious health benefits. It's also to support the family farm, good stewardship of the land, responsible business practice, and healthy strong communities. It is just plain common sense. The more you give back to the land the more the land will give back to you. Nature will never steer you wrong. Remember, God gave us this land as a loan, we are supposed to take care of it.

Sometimes a life, like a house, needs renovating, the smell of new wood, new rooms in the heart, unimagined until one begins the work. One rebuilds because the structure deserves a renewing.

- Doris Schwerin

Genetically engineered?

Genetically engineered, genetically modified, biotech however you want to say it, is all bad news. It was put on our supermarket shelves in 1994 by the Flavr Savr tomato. What a hit that was! It is the process of passing genes from one kingdom to another. Not just from one animal to another or one plant to another, oh no, we've entered the twilight zone with this one. How would you feel if we told you it's about putting an animal gene in a vegetable or a human gene in a pig? Would that concern you? What if we told you that you are already eating this stuff and it is not labeled? Concern you more? Well sit back my friend (maybe put on your Green Girl shirt for comfort) and let us navigate you on the education and awareness highway through the "Franken Food Controversy". Hang on; it might be a bumpy ride. We smell something funny up ahead..

"With GE, one can mix genes not only from widely different plant families, one can put genes from any organism on earth, or can create genes which have not existed before and put them, into plants." Michael K. Hansen, Ph.D. Research Associate Consumer Policy Institute/Consumers Union

We're not very "techie" but if you like that kinda stuff check this link out: www.biotech-info.net

Taken from the "New Yorker in 1993" Some interesting concoctions they were mixing up back then.

• an anti-freeze gene from an Arctic flounder put into a tomato, in hopes of producing a tomato that could be chilled without being damaged
• a potato with a chicken gene
• a potato with a wax-moth gene
• a tobacco with a firefly gene (the plants glow in the dark)
• a trout gene into a carp
• two of the country's largest breeders of chickens have done research to develop birds that will grow faster with less feed
• in an effort to produce leaner pork, researchers at the Department of Agriculture's main research center, in Beltsville, Maryland, spliced a human gene into a pig embryo. The pig was born cross-eyed and with a strange, wrinkled face and with arthritis so severe that it could hardly stand, but the meat was indeed much leaner.

After looking at this list one thing comes to mind. (Lazy) Have we become so lazy that we have to change our food to fit into our dysfunctional lifestyle? Don't we believe in hard work anymore, getting dirty or the pride that comes from doing something worthwhile? Wake up people! We don't need a tomato to last as long as a Twinkie or a burger and fries and all the other junk food to mutate somehow in our guts so we can eat more of it. Come on, we can do better than that. Now, we're not saying to get rid of all junk food, move into the VW, eat couscous, and stop shaving your armpits. But, if that's your bag, good for you! We just think a tomato should stay a tomato and a potato should stay a potato. Junk food should stay just that, junk food, not "Franken-Freak" junk food. Get our drift? Too much to ask? We think not.

Let's try to think of it this way. The car you drive, diesel or gas? Motor oil or olive oil? (We know, kinda silly, we're just trying to make a point here, bear with us) What do you think would happen if you put in the wrong stuff? Would your car run? Maybe, for awhile, but not for long that's for sure. Cars were made to recognize and run off of certain fuels. You mess with the fuels, you're going to be calling for a cab. Well you say "what does this have to do with us?" Well, our bodies were made, designed, and created to recognize and distribute certain fuels (nutrients) throughout our bodies. Our bodies were programmed to "run" off of these fuels (food). Give our body a banana, and our bodies know exactly what to do with it. Give it a cookie, that too, no problem. Now throw in a mutated gene that our bodies were not programmed to recognize because it was created by some, so called, scientist and whamo! Who knows what will happen. Where will it go? How will it be broken down or will it be stored somewhere? Don't know and we personally don't want to find out.

Ok, were not experts on the human body or even on all this "science" stuff, but come on, you have to admit it makes a little sense.

Beware: These crazy scientists will try to fool you with all their fancy talk and high intellectual verbiage. Don't be outwitted, how do you know that underneath their starchy white lab coats you won't find a crazy glue sniffer? They try to make us feel intellectually challenged by all their big fancy words so we just surrender to their intellect. Well, we're not buyin' it. Take this opportunity to think for yourself and make your own conclusions. Don't be persuaded by the smell of their fancy burrito.

Do you think all of this "science" is just an extension of traditional crop breeding? Well that is exactly what they want you to think. We personally don't think so. When have you ever heard of a crop breeder crossing the partridge with the pear tree, in a literal sense? Maybe someday we will have a half chicken half fish living in the sea, who knows! It's just utterly outrageous to think that it's even remotely in the same league.

Basic crop breeding or hybridization has been going on since the 1930's. It has helped farmers in many ways.

"Methods used in traditional breeding that generate trans-genic plants by non-recombinant methods are widely familiar to professional plant scientists, and serve important roles in securing a sustainable future for agriculture by protecting crops from pest and helping land and water to be used more efficiently." Wikipedia

"Because conventional breeding, including hybridization and wide crosses, permits the movement of only an extremely tiny fraction of all the genetic material that is available in nature, and only allows mixing, and recombination, of genetic material between species that share a recent evolutionary history of interacting together, one would expect that the products of conventional breeding would be more stable and predictable." (a little techie, but good to know)

Need a bit more info. check this link out.

www.panna.org

Well, you might be saying to yourself "Ya know, I just don't think the health issues are that worrisome." and you just might want to try some of this "Franken Freak Food". That's cool, it's your choice. But did you know that they are not giving that choice to everyone? And that they are planting this stuff in open fields? It's not contained in a tightly sealed off lab somewhere in tin-buck-two. Oh no, it could be very close to your own backdoor. From the ISAA Brief: in 2006 the total acres of biotech crops in the U.S. were up to 54.6 million hectares (135 million acres)! That doesn't seem very contained or just a small test plot now does it?

This is concerning because plants are living breathing beings. The seeds blow around, pollinate with other plants, and contaminate other fields. Let alone, animals eat this food. Look into the monarch butterflies and now the bees! A lot of freaky deaky things are happening. Are we to blame? Did you know that if an organic farmer finds genetically engineered plants in his field he can't sell his crop as organic? Not very fair, in our eyes.

To the crazy glue sniffers (if that's who you are) we tell you, if you want to tinker with our food and mix genes around to fit your sick plan of who knows what. I guess we can't stop "science" but, do it in a way that is 100% contained and give us a choice as to whether we want to put it in our bodies. You do not have the right to make that decision for us. Period.

Just this year a bio-science company had a comment period for a "pharma" crop to be planted on 3000 acres in Kansas(tornado ally) good luck at keeping this contained! Get real. It is a rice crop genetically engineered to express human proteins. Their first attempt was Missouri but the largest buyer of rice, Anheuser-Bush, said no way. They would stop buying rice from the state if the deal went through. Good for you Anheuser!

The same day that this rule was announced, USDA revealed that a type of rice seed in Arkansas had become contaminated with a different variety of genetically engineered rice, LL62, that was never released for marketing. The error was discovered in the course of an ongoing investigation into the widespread contamination of U.S. rice by yet another gene-altered variety, LL601, which has seriously disrupted rice exports.

Those problems, along with the previous discovery of unapproved, gene-altered StarLink corn in food and the accidental release of crops that had been engineered to make a vaccine for pig diarrhea, undermine the USDA's credibility, critics said.

Sounds like the really got it under control, huh?

Don't know what a "pharma" crop is?

"Pharma" crops are GM crops used to produce drugs and industrial chemicals. Put into plants right there in the fields! Hello! It would be nice if this corn or rice was a funky red or orange color that screamed out "Hey, guys don't eat me I'm full of insulin!" Nope doesn't work like that. It looks just the same as your corn in your own garden. We've heard the talk from these big bio-science companies, they say they will be able to save so much money on production because the production cost is sun, rain and soil. Wow, and we thought they cared about us, not their bottom line.

Check out this You tube video from the BBC. This one is pretty smelly:

Let's see if we can break this code so you can get a good whiff of their true stink. First, we have to see what these crazy glue sniffers are claiming: They claim they are doing this to create a stronger plant, produce higher yields, more profit for the farmer and oh don't forget to stop world hunger (they like to play that card). Now, let's open our Green Girl notebook and see what we find.

Let's start with create a stronger plant. In our opinion to create a stronger plant you will first need:

• a seed that does not have DNA of an animal, bacteria or fungus inserted into it. Just a plant seed that's all. (Is that too much to ask?)
• The seed should not be owned, patented or controlled by anybody.(If you didn't know these crazy glue sniffers can patent their seeds. Shouldn't a patent be for something that can't replicate itself in someone else's field?)
• You will also need, well balanced soil, organic fertilizer, bio-diversity, maybe by crop rotation, or planting different plants together that help each other out (companion planting) example, planting garlic by tomatoes will help keep aphids away.
• Lastly, dedicated, passionate farmers who love what they do, are paid a fair price and are able to save their own seeds as has been a standing tradition of many farmers.

Now, let's see what the "Franken Seeds" have to offer.

• Seeds that have new DNA that can never be replicated by nature.
• Seeds that are owned and patented by a big seed company. (They have now become owners of life.)
• Farmers who have to sign contracts with these big seed companies ensuring that the farmer will no longer save his seeds, or he will be sued.
• Farmers also have to buy the herbicide or pesticide that the paticular seed was genetically engineered to be resistant to. (Sold by the same company, of coarse.)
• Soil, which is depleted of most nutrients because of over processing and because of using to many chemical fertilizers and to many herbicides.
• No bio-diversity and no care for the land. They drench the soil with herbicides trying to eradicate all weeds and with all this "Superweeds" are being born. Think of it as using too many antibiotics, sooner or later it becomes resistant. They think they are saving the farmer time and work but in the long run destruction to our environment is eminent.
• Farmers, that are not happy with what they are doing, stressed out, and feeling like they are owned by these big companies that sell them empty promises.

Are you starting to smell it yet?

Higher yields?

Many studies have been done on this and they all have different conclusions, what we believe happens is that in the beginning the biotech crops may seem to produce the higher yields, but as the years tick on, the soil gets so poor because fertilizers and pesticides have been used so much that the life of the soil is lost. New weeds will develop, new bugs will become resistant and the crops will suffer. Remember if a genetically engineered seed was made to resist a certain herbicide that is the only herbicide used on that crop, no bio-diversity. Over use of the herbicide will cause the weeds to become resistant to the herbicide as well, requiring the farmer to apply the herbicide more frequently and at higher concentrations. Same goes with pesticides. If you only use the same pesticide over and over again soon the bugs will become resistant as well. No care for the soil or the environment is being taken into account. If you take care of the soil it will take care of you. If you abuse the soil it will also abuse you. How many more examples do people need to understand this? After this catastrophe, what will probably happen is that a new genetically engineered seed will be developed, or some new chemical that they can spray will be available to compensate for this lost production and this whole sick cycle will happen all over again. Just a band aide, nothing else.

Take a look at what is happening to our soil.

Grow Biointensive

Now, organic crops on the other hand have the exact opposite effect. If they acquire land that was previously used conventionally yields may start off low because of the poor quality of the soil from years and years of abuse but, after continued care for the soil and the environment production will increase and better quality plants that resist diseases on their own will be produced. You nurture anything and it will thrive. It may take time but taking a shortcut will produce nothing but a shortcut. Our world has taken to many shortcuts don't you think?

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.

- Beverly Sills

More profit?

What does it cost in the long run is what we should concentrate and give our attention to. When you look for a loan you look at how much this loan will cost you over the long run not just the first month. It may cost only a few hundred the first month but thousands over a year. The cost of biotech is high. It starts with the cost for the seeds, the fertilizers and herbicides. Then it trickles down to the cost on our environment, toxic water, toxic soil and toxic air. Farmers are then affected because they are owned and controlled by these big corporate giants, they have no identity anymore. (they lose the passion) It then effects our economy and taxes because new technology has to be implemented to combat the destruction of our environment and local family farms are being wiped out to big factory farms.(not good for the local economy) Lastly, the cost of our healthcare is increased, because farm workers are becoming sick from all the toxic residues and communities are being affected from contaminated water and food. Harmful pathogens are created when you combine genetically engineered food with factory feed lots. Animals are not treated fairly and are not fed the food they are designed to eat, grass. You make your own decision on who makes the most profit, sometimes money is not everything.

Grab your clothes pin were not done just yet.

Feeding the world?

We think this is funny when they say we will not be able to feed the world without biotech. Feed the world! Why don't they just take the excess food off of our Country! We are the most fed and undernourished society today. We are also a very wasteful society. Think of the millions and millions of restaurants in this country and think about what is wasted each night. We have more than enough food to feed the world. We do not need a corporate controlled "magic" seed to end world hunger. We need people in control who actually care about a solution and not just a temporary fix. World hunger has been defined as an economic and social deprivation not a food scarcity problem. People just don't have the access to produce their own food or the money to buy it. Biotech will not end world hunger it will just drop us further into reliance on the big corporate giants for seeds and chemicals. He who owns the seeds, controls the food. Scary. These big seed companies can not put a patent on anything "natural" so isn't it logical to think that they would tell us that biotech is the only way to feed the world? Think how much money, control and power they would have. Point worth to ponder.

So, everyone did we break the code for you? We leave it up to you to make your own conclusions but you have to admit, there is a little funk in the air. Pee-U!

The next part to this story is that this food is not labeled! The government treats this "Franken Freak" food no differently than any other. They also talk in circles when they talk about safety. The FDA tells us that it is up to the developers to ensure these products are safe and the developers, say it is ultimately the FDA's job to make sure that all food is safe. There have been no long term safety studies and no way of knowing of any suspected health problems because people aren't even aware they are eating this food. They are creating new proteins in our food that we have never ever been exposed to before, and they are not testing it! Sounds like a con job to us. What do you think? All we ask for is a choice it's that simple.

Our big question to them is that if this food is so safe and you are so confidant that it will not harm us, then why the hesitation in putting it on the label? We should want to eat it right? Wrong-o! Not us! How about you?

Join Green Girl in the right to know label act! Visit the OCA website and send a letter to your congressmen! Tell them to support the food right to know act! No time to waste! Do it now! Stick a label on it.

Decomcracy Inaction

Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of men, but from doing something worthwhile.

- Sir Wilfred Grenfell

Want a list of some of the products containing GMO ingredients? Check this webpage: (hang on to your undies, you might be surprised)

True Food Now

We hope all of this has sparked your curiosity and you want to check more things out for yourself. We could go on and on about this issue but there are so many good websites out there to educate you further. Please take the time and look at these three videos right now.

(Remember, it's very easy to have a false sense of where our food comes from. Just don't make it inconvenient to understand the truth.)

Videos you can watch right now!

• Watch this video and get information about the health concerns: Seeds of Deception
• Watch this video Heartbreak in the heartland. Find out what the big seeds companies are doing to the family farmer: The Campaign
• Watch this video it's about the first 10 mins. of the movie The Future of Food. Hopefully it will entice your curiosity enough that you will rent the movie: The Future of Food
• This is an excerpt from the book Seeds of Deception by Jeffrey Smith:

On May 23, 2003, President Bush proposed an Initiative to End Hunger in Africa using genetically modified (GM) foods. He also blamed Europe's "unfounded, unscientific fears" of these foods for hindering efforts to end hunger. Bush was convinced that GM foods held the key to greater yields, expanded US exports, and a better world. His rhetoric was not new. It had been passed on from president to president, and delivered to the American people through regular news reports and industry advertisement.

The message was part of a master plan that had been crafted by corporations determined to control the world's food supply. This was made clear at a biotech industry conference in January 1999, where a representative from Arthur Anderson Consulting Group explained how his company had helped Monsanto create that plan. First, they asked Monsanto what their ideal future looked like in 15 to 20 years. Monsanto executives described a world with 100% of all commercial seeds genetically modified and patented. Anderson Consulting then worked backward from that goal, and developed the strategy and tactics to achieve it. They presented Monsanto with the steps and procedures needed to obtain a place of industry dominance in a world in which natural seeds were virtually extinct.

Integral to the plan was Monsanto's influence in government, whose role was to promote the technology worldwide and to help get the foods into the marketplace quickly, before resistance could get in the way. A biotech consultant later said, ‘The hope of the industry is that over time, the market is so flooded that there's nothing you can do about it. You just sort of surrender'.

Four goals for a meaningful life: Seek out a need of the world, Work, Forget self, Trust God.

Author Unknown

Factory Farming?

Another reason to choose organic or sustainable is because of the practices used in Factory Farming or another term for them is a CAFO, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation. (just the name sounds sick)

Factory Farms are not just hurting the animals they are hurting our communities and our environment. Did you know? According to a report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the livestock sector of factory farming generates more greenhouse gas emissions than transportation. It is also a major source of land and water degradation. It is a disgusting practice that helps no one.

These animals are fed so much and live in such close quarters that they can barely move. You wonder where food borne illness comes from, your looking at it. Diseases and viruses are spread so easily that these poor animals have to be injected with so many drugs and antibiotics just to get them to survive to slaughter. Then they are packaged and placed on our supermarket shelves full of all that goodness! Next time you see those low priced steaks or those cheap pork roasts on the shelves don't forget the real cost of production.

Organic meets and dairy are more expensive no doubt about it. But the goodness (karma) whatever you want to call it, you are bringing back into this world far surpasses that additional cost. Also, don't forget the farmer should get paid a fair price. Put the money back into supporting our communities by buying from local organic farmers. They are the ones putting the goodness back into our soil, water and air not polluting it with chemicals and tons and tons of manure (sick). Let's get passion back into our farming and treat our farmers fairly so they don't have to sell out. The grass is greener on the other side, literally!

Find a local organic farm near you, right now!!

Local Harvest

Want to find out more? Click into these two websites:

Factory Farming

Factory Farm

• Want to find out Pork's dirty little secret? Check this out: Rolling Stone
• Want a cool way to become more aware? Go inside the meatrix and watch all the 3 movies. Very cool..

The Meatrix

• Be aware of what is in our milk here in the US and not allowed in Europe or Canada. Start making a change.

We know there are many other reasons to choose organic food or sustainable agriculture, like the decision to put cloned animals into our food system, Great! By the way, it looks as though they are not going to label this one either. What we need you to do is let your voice be heard. Tell everyone you know about this problem and make wise buying choices. With all of us banning together we can make this change happen!!!

The mouths aren't going to take it anymore! Look at this: Mouth Revolution

Now for the GOOD news!! Many, many people are passionate about this movement and we are happy to pass this information on to you. The websites at the right are chock full of good information and many help you find local sustainable farmers near you. The "change" can't happen without education and awareness. It's all up to you now. Stand up and let your voice be heard!

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Proverbs 4:7

Below is an except for the farm aide website:

Imagine the countryside dotted with many small farms on the land, contributing to strong and vibrant local economies. Imagine our streams and waterways clean and protected for future generations. Imagine that the food you buy is fresh, grown locally, and free of unnecessary additives and chemicals. All of these "imaginings" are within our reach-but they will not be realized without our determined insistence for a new direction of food and farm policy to guide how our food is to be grown, and by whom

Can you see it? We Can!! Be Cool, Choose Organic!