Published on July 02, 2008
- Fact Sheets:
One of the many factors contributing to factory-scale dairy operations is recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH or also sometimes called rBST), an artificial growth hormone developed by Monsanto to increase dairy cows milk output. Industrial agriculture proponents proclaim that farming on a large scale, and using technology such as rBGH, is better for the environment. That's just plain wrong.
Published on June 25, 2008
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The $60 billion global bottled water industry has grown rapidly in recent years. To keep up with the expanding market, corporations are looking for new water sources. Once they identify good or easy targets, they come into communities, bottle their water, slap a corporate logo on it and sell it to stores across the country. The profits are great and the resource is cheap. The corporations benefit. The communities dont.
Published on June 07, 2008
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On May 30, 2008, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the federal agency in charge of making sure that projects occurring in our nation’s waters are safe for humans and the environment, issued a permit for a bizarre experiment in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. The project is to condition 5,000 hatchery-raised fish to associate a specific sound with being fed. The plan is to release “Pavlov’s fish” into the wild and then later call them back by playing the sound to be caught. Right now there is simply not enough information available about the project to determine if it should be allowed. We do know that open water fish farm projects can cause problems for essential fish habitats, our marine environment, and the economy of coastal communities.
Published on May 11, 2008
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From its humble beginnings as a father-and-son ham-curing operation in rural America more than 70 years ago, Smithfield Foods has grown into a 7.75 billion Euro-per-year, multinational meat conglomerate with operations in 13 countries on three continents. Of late, Virginia-based Smithfield has been expanding aggressively into Eastern Europe, where its operations have stirred controversy because of their threats to local farming economies, the environment and animal welfare.
Published on May 03, 2008
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Cutting down on our attachment to using bottled water, which may actually be less safe in many cases than tap water, starts with us – by not buying bottled water unless absolutely necessary, whether at the store or restaurants or wherever. But we can also spread the word to our favorite establishments to start kicking the bottled water habit themselves. And restaurants are a perfect place to start, particularly restaurants at which you are a frequent or even regular customer.
Published on May 01, 2008
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Ocean fish farming is also called open ocean aquaculture or offshore aquaculture. It is the practice of growing finfish in huge, often over–crowded cages out in open ocean waters. Before any regional or federal plan for ocean fish farming moves forward, we need to better understand how these intensive fish farms affect human health, the economies of local fishing communities, wild fish populations, marine mammals, endangered species, birds, and essential fish habitat.
Published on April 19, 2008
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In September 2007, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council released a draft of an amendment that would streamline the permitting and regulation of offshore aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico. This draft fails to adequately address significant threats that offshore aquaculture can pose to consumer health, the marine environment, and coastal communities.
Published on March 10, 2008
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The Bush administration promotes the development of a $1 billion offshore aquaculture industry as a way to provide U.S. consumers with a healthy supply of seafood.1 However, fish production on an industrial scale, in which mass quantities of fish are raised in submerged cages that are up to 80 feet in diameter, would require heavy use of chemicals, such as hormones and antibiotics.
Published on March 04, 2008
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When the U.S. Offshore Aquaculture bill was sent to Congress, Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez said: “Today’s action will create jobs and revenues for coastal communities and U.S. businesses by allowing for the expansion of an underutilized industry.” Unfortunately, previous international experience indicates that it is actually more likely that offshore aquaculture will diminish local jobs than create them.
Published on February 15, 2008
- Fact Sheets:
Take Back the Tap: Act Now to Protect America‚ Water, featuring Maude Barlow‚ "Blue Covenant".
Published on February 15, 2008
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Ocean desalination — a process that converts seawater into drinking water — is being hailed as the solution to water supply problems. Proponents of desalination claim that this technology will create a reliable, long-term water supply, while decreasing pressure on other over,drawn water sources. But desalination facilities have the potential to create more problems than they solve.
Published on February 14, 2008
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Ocean desalination — a process that converts seawater into drinking water — is being hailed as the solution to water supply problems. Proponents of desalination claim that this technology will create a reliable, long-term water supply, while decreasing pressure on other over,drawn water sources. But desalination facilities have the potential to create more problems than they solve.
Published on January 03, 2008
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A close look at data from more than 1,000 U.S. utilities and existing academic research reveal that private water companies are not only no better performing, but are also more expensive than publicly owned utilities.
Published on November 19, 2007
- Fact Sheets:
The U.S. Department of Commerce strongly supports the National Offshore Aquaculture Act of 2007 and its purported promise for the nation’s economy. The department manages marine resources through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and promotes new technology through the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Published on November 15, 2007
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While the U.S. government hailed the fact that irradiation had been used to kill any pests that might have been living in or on the fruit before its overseas ride, consumers should question how exposing mangoes to high levels of ionizing radiation affects the nutritional quality of the fruit.
Published on October 19, 2007
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The 2007 National Offshore Aquaculture Act would allow open ocean aquaculture, or fish farming, from three to 200 miles off of U.S. coasts. Below is a list of chemicals that are already approved for use in the production of fish raised in off-shore cages. If the industry develops, pharmaceutical and aquaculture companies can be expected to petition federal agencies to approve a broader range of chemicals, creating additional concerns for consumer health and the environment.
Published on September 10, 2007
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The Food and Drug Administration has dismissed evidence of health risks for both humans and cows in order to approve the use of rBGH. This fact sheet provides a sampling of research that raises serious concerns about the safety of rBGH/rBST
Published on August 23, 2007
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Irradiation is an expensive, ineffective, and impractical technology for addressing food safety.
Published on August 23, 2007
- Fact Sheets:
The nuclear industry, the food industry and the U.S. government have insisted for a half-century that irradiated foods are safe, nutritious, and taste just like regular food. They say irradiation facilities are not dangerous. They say the technology does not threaten American agriculture.
Published on August 23, 2007
- Fact Sheets:
Recent outbreaks of E. coli bacteria in lettuce, spinach and onions have reinvigorated interest in irradiation as a way to prevent food-borne illness. The worst outbreak was caused by contaminated pre-cut spinach from California, which killed three people and sickened more than 200 others in 26 states.
