The Garden- South Central Farmers

This is another story that drives me insane. I just do not understand what goes on in the minds of certain people.


The Garden is a 2008 documentary that was nominated for an Academy Award. It is an absolutely amazing film that covers the story of the South Central Farmers, located in South Los Angeles, CA.

This group of about 350 farmers operated the largest urban farm in the country, transforming it from a space filled with junk to a productive community garden, from 1994-2006.

So why were they kicked out? 
The land was originally taken by the city under eminent domain to be used for the Los Angeles City Energy Recovery Project (LANCER). However, after a large amount of community opposition the project was abandoned.  Afterwards, the city sold the property to the L.A. Harbor Department.
In July 1994 the Harbor Department granted a revocable permit to the L.A. Regional Food Bank , which is a private, nonprofit food-distribution network housed across the street from the Lancer incinerator site – to "occupy and use the site as a community garden". So the farmers began their work and everything was peachy.


Then, in 2001, Ralph Horowitz, a part owner in the former property sued the City for breach of contract, for failure to honor the original right of repurchase. The city ended up selling the property back to Horowitz, through a private deal (sketchy), for a nice price of $5,000,000. 


Well, the owner of the land, Horowitz, issued an eviction notice to the farmers in 2004 after they had been farming the land for 10 years.  The farmers filed a lawsuit stating that the selling of the land was invalid, and the LA County Superior Court issued a temporary restraining order and later a preliminary injunction halting development of the property until the lawsuit could be settled. Sadly, the farmers lost the lawsuit and the court raised the injunction, unfortunately allowing Horowitz to proceed. 


Horowitz's plan was to sell the land for $16.3 million dollars, more than three times the amount he paid for it (greedy much?). He told the farmers that if they could pay for the land, he would sell it to them for that price. So with the help and support of celebrities (such as: Danny Glover, Leonardo DiCaprio, Willie Nelson, Daryl Hannah, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Alicia Silverstone) the farmers began raising money. 
They successfully raised over $6 million dollars. They seemed to be losing hope, but as the eviction date neared the  Annenberg Foundation donated the rest of the money.


They did it! They successfully raised $16.3 million dollars to save the garden! 
However, Horowitz cheated them. He refused to sell them the property,
stating that he never thought they would be able to raise the money, and that he would never sell it simply because he did not like the farmers. 
Subsequently, the farm was bulldozed without care. 

The farmers had grown 150 species of plants and used this garden to feed their families,
and after meeting the request of Horowitz, they were still kicked out.
What kind of horrendous, horrible, careless person would do that?

The farmers were giving a small amount of land to begin building another
 farm, but it does not make up for the corrupt and unjust treatment they
received from the city and Horowitz.

The saddest part of this story is that the land that was bulldozed has remained untouched and unused since the eviction day. What was done is wrong. This type of urban farming is what needs to be done and what should be celebrated, not destroyed.
What a waste. 

"Why don't we pay more attention to who our farmers are? We would never be as careless choosing an auto mechanic or babysitter as we are about who grows our food."
— Michael Pollan

France Says NO to Monsanto's Corn!

This brightens my day. 

France has told the European Union to stop Monsanto from selling their genetically
modified MON810 corn to member nations! This is because the ecological minister of France (great man) has read studies that show that GMOs pose a significant environmental risk (duh, welcome to the party).

This is awesome. Let's hope the EU takes their request seriously and are responsible enough to see the evidence, and protect the health of their environment and citizens by banning these crops!

"In addition to contributing to erosion, pollution, food poisoning, and the dead zone, corn requires huge amounts of fossil fuel - it takes a half gallon of fossil fuel to produce a bushel of corn."
-Michael Pollan

Undercover at Smithfield Foods

Things like this are why I started blogging, to spread awareness of the atrocities that happen within industrialized farming.
This video seriously makes me sick. It is absolutely deplorable and downright cruel.
I'll leave it at that and let you watch the video. 

"Only after the last tree has been cut down…the last river has been  poisoned…the last fish caught, only then will you find that money cannot be eaten." - Cree Indian Prophesy

Earth Day Every Day

I learned it in elementary school: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
As cheesy and it may sound, it has more meaning now that ever.

Usually I discuss agribusiness or related articles, but once in a while it is good
to remember the basics.

Our Earth is not a never-ending basket full of resources. At some point, we will run out of things (oil, water, food) and regret that we did not take more care of the planet we live on. It sounds like a big challenge (...it is) but you can make small contributions everyday... like really, it's easy. For example, you can reduce trash from your house by using containers that can be used again. If you live in an area suitable you can also compost- composting helps use things that you would otherwise throw away. Also, start a garden! 


Here are some easy things you can do to be greener (stop being lazy and do some):
- Before you toss something in the garbage, think about the possibility of using it again.
-Don’t use non-stick pans; use cast iron or stainless steel ones instead.
-Lessen the amount of processed, canned, or fast food you consume, and never microwave plastic.
-Buy and support organic.
-Leave your shoes at the door to reduce pollutants in your home (positive: your home is cleaner!).
-Buy natural fibers.
-Use reusable water bottles instead of buying plastic ones.
-Seal outdoor wooden structures that can contain arsenic.
-Filter your water for drinking, cooking, and bathing. 
-Save energy by adjusting the thermostat just a few degrees, buying compact fluorescent light bulbs, opening the drapes for more light, and washing clothes in cold water when possible.
-Recycle as much as possible and buy things made of recycled materials

These things are not hard to do, unless your lazy and unappreciative of the planet your using and living on. Not only will you feel more responsible, but things little efforts really do matter.

“Humankind has not woven the web of life.  We are but one thread within it.  Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.  All things are bound together.  All things connect.”

350.org- Bill McKibben

Of the few heroes I have, Bill McKibben is definitely one of them.

McKibben is the founder of 350.org. This is a grassroots organization committed to spreading awareness of climate change, which is indeed a crisis. Their goal is to reach everyone, everywhere. This is a global movement.

So what does 350 mean? In order to preserve our planet (or what is left of it), scientists say we must reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere from its current level of 392 parts per million to below 350 ppm. So for McKibben 350 not just a number—it's a symbol of what has to happen.


In 2009 350 coordinated 5200 simultaneous rallies and demonstrations in 181 countries (holy shit). CNN called it the 'most widespread day of political action in the planet's history.' Additionally, on 10/10/10, they organized the "Global Work Party"--> a day of climate solutions projects, from "solar panel installations to community garden plantings"--they had over 7000 events in 188 countries.

Most recently they played a part in stopping the construction of the keystone pipeline (success!)

McKibben is from upstate New York very close to where I live, so naturally I identify with him. But I have also heard him speak, and he is incredibly insightful and inspirational. The 350 movement is something to follow. The people are committing to solving real tangible problems that affect every person living on the plant, which everyone should be concerned about.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead

Innovative Wastewater Treatment Technology

Well this is cooooool.

Aqwise Water Treatment!
^click the link!

Aqwise, located in Israel, is paving the way for clean waste-water treatment. They are offering varied treatments for industrial and municipal customers, who want or need to be greener. For some companies this is now a requirement, but requirements aside, it is good for the planet and for people. Water is a dwindling resource that should be treated with care.

According to the article "Aqwise’s technology utilizes biomass carriers, which look like little colorful plastic balls, and mix in the water, and even though to the untrained eye the balls look small, actually they have a large surface area. The bacteria see this as a convenient area to grow on, and this manipulation enables greater biological activity in any given area. This is the secret which enables Aqwise to plan a compact new facility or to make an existing facility more efficient, in many cases without the need to physically enlarge the treatment area."

This is the kid of cool innovative technology that is really effective in the green market.
There is no reason why corporations should be opposed to using this waste-water treatment. I say make it mandatory!

Kudos to Aqwise! 

"Live Green, Love Green, Think Green"

Organic brown rice is now filled with arsenic- great.

Brown Rice Now Sucks.
^link to article!

Well, this is just what we need. Be careful if you are eating brown rice! 

Brown rice is known to be one of the healthiest grains. Many doctors and farmers say that if you are health conscious and are interested in rice that it is definitely the way to go. So I was surprisedwhen I was browsing the news and came across this article.


A study that was just released by Dartmouth College revealed that there are potentially dangeously high levels of arsenic being found in brown rice, specifically in organic powered baby formula! They do not disclose the names of any brands in which the elevated levels of arsenic were found, but I would definitively be cautious in the grocery store! Make sure you check labels to see which brands include brown rice syrup. Many products that have brown rice included are cereal and energy bars... yiiiiiiiiiikes.   

“Any scientist who tells you they know that GMOs are safe and not to worry about it, is either ignorant of the history of science or is deliberately lying. Nobody knows what the long-term effect will be.” – Geneticist, David Suzuki, giving the 2008 Commonwealth Lecture in London

Cows Looooove Jazz!

Must. Watch.

This jazz band plays for a herd of cows, and they looove it. This is awesome. 

Carl Sagan

A video that helps put things in perspective, from a very influential man. 

"For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." -Carl Sagan 

Carl Sagan- Pale Blue Dot. 

Farm City- Novella Carpenter

Two words: Novella Carpenter.

Novella is the author of the best-selling book Farm City. I was required to read this book for one of my classes (History of ecology and environmentalism) and as soon as I saw the cover, and read the description, I was intrigued. It is now safe to say that it's completely ahhhhmazing.
The book tells the tale of a urban farmer (Carpenter) in Oakland, California.  Oakland is not exactly what I would picture when I think "urban  farm". When I think Oakland, I think riots, weed, and gangs. Well, I also now think pepper spray thanks to the extremely admirable police officers who handled the Occupy Oakland protesters with suuuch class and respect.
Anyways, Novella chose to start an urban farm on an empty plot of land next to her apartment, in the ghetto of Oakland. She meets a variety of characters and ultimately raises bees, vegetables, and livestock (she forms a special bond with her turkeys, Maude and Harold).

Now, Novella is not some random spoiled brat that decides to grow a garden and become environmentally aware because its the "cool" thing to do. She actually cares where her food comes from and how it is produced. Shes rough around the edges, and has a completely addictive personality. She scrapes together money to pay for her farm, goes dumpster diving, and orders livestock that gets delivered in a box by UPS. Additionally, she drinks, is cranky at times, and is no stranger to curse words. But most of all, she is HILARIOUS. I literally could not put this book down. Its such an exceptional and inspiring piece of work.

Novella doesn't sugar coat anything. Growing your own food is not easy, especially when it comes to livestock. But it IS worth it. One thing she emphasizes is that most Americans have no idea where their food is grown or how it is produced, and that is the problem. Not only is it cheaper and healthier to produce your own food, you have the comforting feeling of KNOWING where your food comes from. Urban farming enables you to enjoy raising and producing your own food. 
The book is divided into three main sections: Turkey, Rabbit, Pig. She discusses everything from being hesitant about naming her animals, to developing relationships with them, killing them, and through drunken tequila filled nights discovering that she is indeed and urban farmer.

I cannot imagine anyone would pass up reading this book. First of all, it is only 185 pages, and its an easy read. Secondly, if you care at all about your food, or if you just want to have a good laugh, I highly recommend it.

"Land really is the best art." -Andy Warhol

Vandana Shiva.

One of my heroes.

Vandana Shiva is a activist, eco-feminist, environmentalist, philosopher, author, and overall immensely intelligent and inspiring individual. Words literally cannot do her justice. One of her main goals is to fight for changes in an unjust agricultural and food production industry.

Below are parts 1, 2 and 3 of her interview "The Future of Food."
It's an enlightening interview that gives you a real look into agribusiness and the affect it has on modern day farmers and consumers.


“Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.”
-Michael Pollan

The Farmers are Fighting Back! Huzzah!

The Farmers v. Monsanto! <-----Link to article!

YES!

This is definitely a step in the right direction.

Farmers filed a a class-action suit against the multinational seed and chemical corporation Monsanto, stating they are no longer able to keep transgenic contamination out of their fields. This is humongous issue, seeing as 90% of the corn, soybeans, wheat, and canola in The United States are grown from genetically modified seeds that are owned by multinational corporations (MNCs) such as Monsanto.

MNCs have come to completely dominate agribusiness due to the patents they have on their GMOs and seeds. The government decided years ago that these modified seeds  could be patented since they are seen as unnatural. These patents have made it nearly impossible for organic or family farmers to continue their businesses without being sued for copyright infringement.

This is what happens:
A family farm is situated on "X" amount of acres. They have their own seeds that are not genetically modified. There is another industrialized farm down the road that only grows crops whom seeds have been provided to them by a MNC, such as Monsanto.Through pollination and natural processes, seeds from the MNC farm are carried by wind, animal, etc. to the family farm up the road. Now, since these genetically modified seeds have landed and contaminated the family farms crops, Monsanto can sue them for infringement.

So not only are these farmers suffering from smaller yields, with crops that aren't engineered to look beautiful, but they are being sued because THE WIND has flown patented seeds into their fields. What are they supposed to do?! This a completely natural process and it is ludicrous that Monsanto is able to claim that small farmers are violating their patented seeds because of pollination.

This is not the only way that Monsanto has sued farmers though. They have also been known to sue family farmers just for EXISTING. They claim that they have a negative affect on Monsanto's production because they encourage and "influence" the MNC farmers not to use GMOs. Seriously?

By suing Monsanto these farmers are saying that they also have a right to grow food without contamination from Monsanto!It'll be interesting to see how this turns out.

"Stress increases our nutritional needs, but, sadly, today's standard diet of refined, enriched, preserved, irradiated, genetically modified, pasteurized, homogenized, hydrogenated, and otherwise processed foods doesn't begin to meet our increased nutritional needs. Today's foods are less nutritious than their counterparts of yesteryear, owing largely to methods employed by modern agribusiness to increase agricultural yield and shelf life — at the expense of nutrient content and consumer health." - Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith, The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps

"Top 10 Facts About Monsanto"

Top 10 facts about Monsanto  <--- link

If you care about what Monsanto products you ingest, you should give this a read.

It is truly appalling, disturbing, and disappointing that we live in a society
that has allowed its food industry to come to this.

“You are not Atlas carrying the world on your shoulder. It is good to
remember that the planet is carrying you.” - Vandana Shiva

Crude- Chevron/Texaco in Ecuador

Crude is a documentary that premiered in 2009 covering one of the most epic and controversial lawsuits in history. It is about "big oil and little people", little people meaning about 30,000 indigenous Ecuadorians, and big oil meaning Chevron. Although little, the indigenous people from these Amazonian communities are amazingly inspiring, courageous, and moving.

So here's a little background on Ecuador:
The country is a representative democratic republic, and their current president is the ever so popular Rafael Correa. They're bordered by Colombia, Peru, and the Pacific Ocean. A fun fact: their 2008 constitution made them the first country in the world to recognize legally enforceable Rights of Nature, or ecosystem rights (I'll probably discuss that further at some point). 
They have three main geographical regions: 
1. The coast (la costa)-the land in the western part of the country, including the Pacific coastline
2. The highlands (la tierra)- the high-altitude belt running north-south along the center of the country, also including its mountainous terrain dominated by the Andes mountain range.
3. The Amazon (el oriente)- The Amazon rainforest areas in the eastern part of the country, accounting for just under half of the country's total surface area, though populated by less than 5% of the population.

The Amazonian region of the country is inhabited by ~30,000 indigenous peoples. So what is the connection with Chevron/Texaco? Well, from 1972 to 1993, Texaco (now Chevron) operated development of the Lago Agrio oil field in the Amazonian region.  Chevron is one of the world's 6 "supermajor" oil companies. It's an American multinational energy corporation that is engaged in literally every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries. This includes: exploration and production, refining, marketing, transport, chemicals manufacturing and sales, and power generation.

So, what happened? Ecuadorian farmers and indigenous residents accused Texaco of making residents ill and damaging forests and rivers by discharging 18 billion US gallons of formation water into the rainforest, without any remediation. 

They sued Chevron for extensive environmental damage caused by these operations, which have sickened thousands of Ecuadorians and polluted the Amazon rainforest.

Lets talk about the lawsuit. In 1993, a group of Ecuadorean natives sued Chevron's predecessor in Manhattan federal court, claiming that Texaco dumped billions of gallons of toxic oil waste into the water supply of the Amazon, wrecking the environment and spreading disease. Eight years later, Texaco - newly acquired by Chevron - claimed the American courts had no jurisdiction over the case and successfully removed the case to a provincial court in Lago Agrio, Ecuador.

Throughout the many phases of litigation, Texaco and Chevron have blamed the state-owned Petroecuador for the spills while denying and downplaying the scope of the damage. But I mean it didn't really matter, because what Ecuadorian court is going to find an enormous multinational oil company guiltyby ruling in favor of indigenous groups? Well that is exactly what happened. 

On 15 February 2011, a court in Ecuador fined Chevron $8.6 billion for refusing to issue and apology and $9.5 billion in remediation costs for pollution to the country's Amazon region by Texaco between 1972 and 1992, with campaigners claiming loss of crops and farm animals as well as increased local cancer rates.

This was the  first time that indigenous people have successfully sued a multinational corporation in the country where the pollution took place. That is huge! But of course, there is a downside. 

Chevron described the lawsuit as an "extortion scheme" and refused to pay the fine. They have literally vowed to never pay (biiiiiiig surprise). Since they have no international obligation to pay, and no assets in Ecuador for the government to seize, what can they really do? And although the Ecuadorians expressed happiness that Chevron was declared guilty, they also expressed dismay that the awarded money would not be enough to make up for the damage caused by the oil company (they initially sued for a greater amount). 

This is the type of shit that drives me crazy. I don't only have a degree in environmental science but also Latin American studies and Spanish, so naturally I'm aware of problems like these. But I believe this is the sort of issue and injustice that everyone should be aware of.  Companies can't get away with shit like this. This case was monumental and noteworthy because it set a precedent for multinational corporations that think they can enter a foreign country, pollute the hell out of it, destroy lives, and then leave without any remediation or consequences.  This lawsuit says enough is enough. Poverty stricken people in developing nations are no longer going to allow it, and if you choose to ignore them, you will be punished. 

Nonprofit organization Amazon Watch (AW) described the outcome of the case as "unprecedented". AW was founded in 1996 and is based out of San Francisco, CA. It works to protect the rain forest and the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon basin. It also partners with indigenous and environmental organizations in Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Brazil in campaigns for human rights, corporate accountability and the preservation of the Amazon's ecological systems. 

Chevron has issued two Ecuadorian appeals, and an appeal in the U.S., which have all been unsuccessful. They have recently issued yet ANOTHER appeal arguing that an appellate court based its ruling on “fraudulent” evidence (bullshit). Who knows if they will ever pay, but here is a link to one of the most recent articles covering the latest appeal: http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=464455&CategoryId=10718. 

I hope everyone gets a chance to see the documentary mentioned above, I promise it is worth it. These aren't the only people who have been exploited bye multinational corporations, they are simply the first who successfully took a stand against it. There are still thousands of people suffering environmental and health consequences odue to exploitation by big business. These are the type of people who need all the support they can get. 

"God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools." - John Muir

National Meat Association v. Harris

I think this is an appropriate article for my first blog.
I don't exactly know what I'm doing, but I know that I have a lot to say. So, here goes nothin'.

I'm a young liberal student, and I may sound naive, but I cannot read something like this and keep my mouth shut. Since so many people pay no attention to cows (unless discussing what type of steak they'd like for dinner) I decided to blog. Now, I have a special place in my heart for cattle, but my feelings extend to all livestock, including pigs <3, sheep, and goats. 

This is a CNN article: http://articles.cnn.com/2012-01-23/us/us_scotus-livestock_1_number-of-animal-rights-humane-society-wayne-pacelle?_s=PM:US from January 23, that discusses the humane treatment of livestock by state.

In California there was previously a state law mandating the "humane treatment" of downed livestock headed for the slaughterhouse. Basically, "downed" livestock is livestock that has been abused to the point that they cannot even stand.
When this happens, instead of being humanely euthanized, they are just shipped off to be butchered even sooner. What a great idea huh? I'm sure there are tooons of Americans who are just salivating at the idea of eating meat that came from a cow who could not even stand after being overfed and pumped full of antibiotics.
Anyways, this law was a step in the right direction. It did not solve the source of the problem, but humanely euthanizing the animals when they are downed is a far better option than sending them to the slaughterhouse. This law was implemented in 2009 after the Humane Society posted extremely disturbing, and scarring, undercover footage of cattle being abused at a California slaughterhouse.  The workers were seen "dragging, prodding and bulldozing weak, 'non-ambulatory' cows into slaughter pens. Water from hoses was used on some cattle lying on their sides, to force them to their feet". These cows were so overweight from overfeeding that their legs literally could not hold them. Have you ever seen an obese human (not a rare sight these days), who is forced to travel in a wheelchair because their legs cannot hold them? Same thing. Except the cattle have no choice but to lay on the ground while they whither away.
The undercover footage is extremely disturbing, but I encourage every person to watch it, and hopefully the level of cruelty can be understood. The footage can be seen above. 

Under this penal code, if not humanely euthanized,  there would be criminal charges for the sale, purchase or shipment of the animals. So, getting to the point, this court case was brought by a meat trade group on behalf of pig farmers in California, who opposed this law. To sum it up, the Obama administration sided with pork producers (of course) and decided that it was okay for this to happen. The article states that "The Supreme Court has long ruled that interstate commerce is under federal jurisdiction, trumping any state efforts to regulate it". Well, no shit.  Obvioussssly money and abuse trumps cruelty and common moral sense. Since Congress kisses Monsanto's ass  and other multinational corporations that deal in agribusiness, why would this law ever have any teeth? I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.


This isn't anything new. Since America's demand for meat is so high, cattle is increasingly being abused for production purposes. When most people think of a cattle farm, they picture acres of green grass being grazed on by cattle. Well, that would be a dream for these animals. This  livestock is piled together so close they can barely move, forced to eat corn (which is not in their natural diet), live in feet upon feet of their own feces, and be pumped full of antibiotics to prevent diseases from spreading (as a result of this treatment).
Is this the kind of meat we really want to eat? Now I admit, as much as I try to buy organic, there are times when I go to the grocery store and buy a cheap pound of ground beef. However, my conscience always kicks in. In the back of my mind I'm always picturing the helpless cattle that cannot even stand due to this abuse, all so that we can have a hamburger. When people tell me that it doesn't matter,  and that "animals are made to be eaten", I always think, what if this was your friend, husband, or child? How would you feel if the situation was reversed? What if your child was pumped full of antibiotics, forced to eat unimaginable amounts of food that is not natural to them, gain weight to the point that they cannot walk, live in 2 feet deep of shit, and then shipped off to be butchered and sent to McDonald's? I'm guessing you wouldn't be supportive.Although I feel that I've been naturally programmed to sympathize with the less fortunate and with animals, that is not why I think this is wrong. These corporations and farmers are completely heartless; fact. I admit, I am not the best environmentalist or most aware consumer; I buy genetically modified food from price chopper and once in a while I eat foods that have are loaded with fructose syrup. But every time I eat something I try to be better. I make a conscious effort to be aware of what I put into my body, and how it affects me.

Now I admit, I looove cows. I think they're the most adorable lovable creatures. However, I eat them. I'm not supporting vegan-ism or vegetarianism, but is it that much to ask to humanely butcher our food? Do we really have to make their lives miserable before we butcher them for the sake of a Big Mac?

"Globalized industrialized food is not cheap: it is too costly for the Earth, for the farmers, for our health. The Earth can no longer carry the burden of groundwater mining, pesticide pollution, disappearance of species and destabilization of the climate. Farmers can no longer carry the burden of debt, which is inevitable in industrial farming with its high costs of production. It is incapable of producing safe, culturally appropriate, tasty, quality food. And it is incapable of producing enough food for all because it is wasteful of land, water and energy. Industrial agriculture uses ten times more energy than it produces. It is thus ten times less efficient.”
― Vandana Shiva