Environment
Wake Up Worlds articles dealing with any issues related to mother earth and her environment.
Study on Monsanto Corn Suggests GMO Trees could Devastate Forest Ecosystems
May 11th
11th May 2012
“Some trees are being genetically engineered to contain the Bt toxin,” notes Anne Peterman of Stop GE Trees. “This could be a tremendous threat to forest ecosystem soils, in which beneficial fungi are a key component of the forest ecosystem.”
The feds have allowed seven southeastern states to plant GM forests. See Alien Forest, Alien Ocean, Alien Sky; and watch the award-winning documentary, “A Silent Forest: The Growing Threat, Genetically Engineered Trees” (2005, 46 mins) which details the appalling effects allowed by the Monsanto-owned federal government. (You can buy the full length film at Amazon.)
Continue Reading – Study on Monsanto Corn Suggests GMO Trees could Devastate Forest Ecosystems
Vinegar Kills Weeds Naturally. Give Monsanto’s Roundup the Heave Ho
May 8th
8th May 2012
By JB Bardot - naturalnews.com
There’s been lots written recently about the toxicity of Monsanto’s poster child product Roundup, exposing how harmful it is for the earth and how poisonous it is on exposure for both animals and humans. However, what is not common knowledge to most organic gardeners and back yard enthusiasts is how they can manage weed control safely without the need for dangerous pesticides. Use vinegar to kill weeds naturally and safely, with no side effects to you, your pets, wildlife and mother earth. Killing weeds naturally with vinegar allows you to target exactly what weeds to eradicate, and it’s cheap and easy to use.
Vinegar is not choosy and cannot differentiate between broad-leaf weeds, narrow-leaf weeds, grass, flowers or vegetables. If you’re not careful when applying vinegar for weed control, it will kill whatever it touches. So although it’s eco-friendly and biodegradable, it takes a little forethought to manage an effective application.
Continue Reading – Vinegar Kills Weeds Naturally. Give Monsanto’s Roundup the Heave Ho
Letter Shows Monsanto Planted GMOs Before USDA Approval
May 4th
4th May 2012
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World
Did Monsanto actually plant genetically modified alfalfa before it was deregulated by the USDA? There is some shocking evidence that, until recently, was withheld from the public showing that Monsanto’s genetically altered alfalfa may have been set free in 2003 — a full two years or more before it was deregulated in 2005. In a letter, obtained by NaturalSociety with permission to post for public viewing, it becomes clear that the USDA may have turned a blind eye to the entire situation, allowing widespread GMO contamination of GMO-free crops.
Amazingly, the letter actually proves that the USDA was fully aware of the situation. In order to fully understand the intricate details of this event, it is first important to understand a few key factors regarding alfalfa and its connection to the entire food supply.
Continue Reading – Letter Shows Monsanto Planted GMOs Before USDA Approval
Seven Ways to Be a Better Recycler
Apr 28th
28th April 2012
By Courtney Craig - houselogic.com
Most Americans recycle — but there’s a right and a wrong way to recycle properly.
If you do just one thing to “live green” and care for the environment, chances are it’s recycling. About three-quarters of people in the U.S. recycle, and the EPA says that recycling “generates a host of financial, environmental, and social returns.”
What a lot of folks don’t know, however, is that it takes a little know-how to be a really good recycler. That’s because improper recycling can introduce impurities that gum up the recycling works.
The good news? It doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to be a smart recycler. Here are some great tips on how to be a top-notch recycler at your house:
Mystery of the Disappearing Bees: Solved!
Apr 24th
24th April 2012
By Richard Schiffman - blogs.reuters.com
If it were a novel, people would criticize the plot for being too far-fetched – thriving colonies disappear overnight without leaving a trace, the bodies of the victims are never found. Only in this case, it’s not fiction: It’s what’s happening to fully a third of commercial beehives, over a million colonies every year. Seemingly healthy communities fly off never to return. The queen bee and mother of the hive is abandoned to starve and die.
Thousands of scientific sleuths have been on this case for the last 15 years trying to determine why our honey bees are disappearing in such alarming numbers. “This is the biggest general threat to our food supply,” according to Kevin Hackett, the national program leader for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s bee and pollination program.
Until recently, the evidence was inconclusive on the cause of the mysterious “colony collapse disorder” (CCD) that threatens the future of beekeeping worldwide. But three new studies point an accusing finger at a culprit that many have suspected all along, a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids.
Continue Reading – Mystery of the Disappearing Bees: Solved!
Blamed for Bee Collapse, Monsanto Buys Leading Bee Research Firm
Apr 20th
20th April 2012
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World
Monsanto, the massive biotechnology company being blamed for contributing to the dwindling bee population, has bought up one of the leading bee collapse research organizations. Recently banned from Poland with one of the primary reasons being that the company’s genetically modified corn may be devastating the dying bee population, it is evident that Monsanto is under serious fire for their role in the downfall of the vital insects. It is therefore quite apparent why Monsanto bought one of the largest bee research firms on the planet.
It can be found in public company reports hosted on mainstream media that Monsanto scooped up the Beeologics firm back in September 2011. During this time the correlation between Monsanto’s GM crops and the bee decline was not explored in the mainstream, and in fact it was hardly touched upon until Polish officials addressed the serious concern amid the monumental ban. Owning a major organization that focuses heavily on the bee collapse and is recognized by the USDA for their mission statement of “restoring bee health and protecting the future of insect pollination” could be very advantageous for Monsanto.
Continue Reading – Blamed for Bee Collapse, Monsanto Buys Leading Bee Research Firm
Mother Who Took on Monsanto, Wins Global Prize
Apr 19th
17th April 2012
By Kristin Schafer - momsrising.org
Hats off to this mother of three who got fed up and took charge. Thirteen years ago, Sofía Gatica’s newborn died of kidney failure after being exposed to pesticides in the womb. After the despair came anger, then a fierce determination to protect the children in her community and beyond.
Today, she’s one of six grassroots leaders from around the world receiving the Goldman Environmental Prize, in recognition of her courageous – and successful – efforts.
We at Pesticide Action Network are deeply honored to host Sofía as she travels to San Francisco for tonight’s ceremony and celebration. And personally, I look forward to meeting a mom with the chutzpa to take on Monsanto to protect her children.
Continue Reading – Mother Who Took on Monsanto, Wins Global Prize
Street Riots Form in Response to Monsanto Intrusion into Nepal
Apr 18th
18th April 2012
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World
After the Nepalese government decided to allow Monsanto into their borders and subsequently force farmers to use genetically modified seeds, the citizens took to the streets. The starving nation let Monsanto in despite recent and massive bans in a number of EU countries. In addition, Monsanto’s GMO crops have been shown by a team of 900 scientists to be virtually ineffective at combating starvation — in fact, they perform way worse than traditional and sustainable agriculture.
Continue Reading – Street Riots Form in Response to Monsanto Intrusion into Nepal
GMO Takedown: Do You Have the Guts?
Apr 17th
17th April 2012
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World
If you have not noticed, a revolution is underway! Our high-tech rifles, horses, catapults and cannons are the internet, petitions, rallies, protests, and other acts of civil disobedience. We are using our passionate hearts and community networking, our growing activism, intelligence, and courage to take claim of our liberties. The core of this revolution is the same force at work in revolutions past: the heart’s innate desire for freedom, justice, and unhampered joy. Yours, mine, all of our hearts.
Since my passion is healthcare and holistic medicine, which derives its power, protocols, and principles from nature, and specifically the integrity and vitality of natural products, I will share with you what I consider the most crucial aspects of our relationship to GMO, biotechnology, and organic foods—the crux of our new global healthcare crisis.
Explosive: Monsanto ‘Knowingly Poisoned Workers’ Causing Devastating Birth Defects
Apr 13th
13th April 2012
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World
In a developing news piece just unleashed by a courthouse news wire, Monsanto is being brought to court by dozens of Argentinean tobacco farmers who say that the biotech giant knowingly poisoned them with herbicides and pesticides and subsequently caused ”devastating birth defects” in their children. The farmers are now suing not only Monsanto on behalf of their children, but many big tobacco giants as well. The birth defects that the farmers say occurred as a result are many, and include cerebral palsy, down syndrome, psychomotor retardation, missing fingers, and blindness.
Monsanto’s Roundup Ignites Morphological Changes in Amphibians
Apr 9th
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World
Monsanto’s Roundup, which is the most popular herbicide used today, has been found to ignite morphological changes in amphibians. The research, conducted using tadpoles, found that environmentally relevant concentrations of Roundup are enough to cause two species of amphibians to actually change shape. This is the first research to show that herbicides can have such an affect on animals.
Setting up outdoor tanks closely resembling the environment of natural wetlands, study researcher Rick Relyea, University of Pittsburgh professor of biological sciences in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and director of Pitt’s Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology, added 3 tadpoles to each tank and exposed them to a range of Roundup concentrations over a 3 week period.
Continue Reading – Monsanto’s Roundup Ignites Morphological Changes in Amphibians
Monsanto Threatens to Sue Vermont if Legislators Pass GMO Labelling Bill
Apr 6th
6th April 2012
By Will Allen and Ronnie Cummins - AlterNet
What it really comes down to this: Elected officials are abandoning the public interest and public will in the face of corporate intimidation.
The world’s most hated corporation is at it again, this time in Vermont.
Despite overwhelming public support and support from a clear majority of Vermont’s Agriculture Committee, Vermont legislators are dragging their feet on a proposed GMO labeling bill. Why? Because Monsanto has threatened to sue the state if the bill passes.
The popular legislative bill requiring mandatory labels on genetically engineered food (H-722) is languishing in the Vermont House Agriculture Committee, with only four weeks left until the legislature adjourns for the year. Despite thousands of emails and calls from constituents who overwhelmingly support mandatory labeling, despite the fact that a majority (6 to 5) of Agriculture Committee members support passage of the measure, Vermont legislators are holding up the labeling bill and refusing to take a vote.
Continue Reading – Monsanto Threatens to Sue Vermont if Legislators Pass GMO Labelling Bill
