VegFamily News

PenPoints July 1, 2007

The other day I was speaking to a friend about DEET containing products. I had voiced my concern that these substances were not that healthy and may perhaps cause cancer. My friend replied that it seemed that most things produced these days, were harmful to one's health. He then asked for my advice on not getting overwhelmed by this type of information.

This is a good question and one that many of us face daily. How can we affect change and not get bogged down by the negativity? How can we not get overwhelmed by the huge amount of information out there? Two words that come to my mind are experience and rhythym.

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As we begin to experience new ways of living, be it incorporating new food choices, or making our lives more eco-friendly,etc., we begin to intuit more. We begin to trust our decisions and choices become clearer. From this clarity, rhythms in our daily life form as new habits replace the old.

Likewise, as we begin to try to affect change beyond our personal lives, we can start acting and creating new habits. For instance, I now make it a practice to check a few awareness/action oriented websites such as Organic Consumers Association and Center for Food Safety. Many times they will have petitions going or recommendations to call congress regarding specific topics. This is now a part of my routine. I sign a few petitions, and make a few calls and then I go on with my day. Perhaps if it is a pressing situation that really speaks to me I will put flyers up at local health food stores or email friends regarding this matter. Yet I do still go on with my day. I do not just focus on the challenges but also the victories that are won each day!

We must realize that this is a time of change. The greatest gift that we can give to ourselves and society at large is to keep on learning—keep on experiencing and keep on sharing that which we learn. With this in mind, here are a few items of interest to keep an eye on!

Alerts

Support H. R. 1726. This bill is one of the first of its kind and has the potential to improve animals' daily lives. If passed, this bill would mandate that the USDA could not buy products from any animals who were not raised in compliance with certain living standards. Contact your representative and senators and ask for their support. For more information see: http://www.farmsanctuary.org/campaign/fed_stewardship07.htm
As soon as the next harvest, the California Almond board has stated that almonds must be pasteurized. This includes all almonds, even raw organic almonds. Labels however will not change and nuts will still be sold as "raw." This decision brings up many concerns. First off raw nuts are very different from pasteurized nuts, being vital and full of enzymes. Secondly, according to Organic Consumers Association the chemical that may be used to pasteurize the nuts, propylene oxide is toxic. Lastly, this act of falsely labeling food and also degrading its quality takes away a very important right of the average citizen—that of healthy food. With this decision, we have few options. Please consider contacting the California Almond board at 209-549-8262 and letting them know that this is not acceptable. They state that there was a public comment period, in which very few people responded. Unfortuantely, very few people knew about this.
Repeal Section 123 Farm Bill 2007. Recently a provision was passed in a House Agricultural Subcommitee that takes away a state's right to ban commerce, thought to be unsafe, as long as it meets federal requirements. This provision would nullify such actions as Mendocino CA banning the sale of genetically modified food items. Please see http://www.democracyinaction.org to sign a petition and ask that this provision be repealed.

And the good news...

Berkeley, CA recently passed Measure G which plans to cut the city's greenhouse emissions eighty percent by 2050. In doing so, the city is a leader in developing concrete ideas on achieving this commendable goal. Both Nebraska and Kansas have introduced legislature to ban mercury in vaccines. If you live in these states consider giving your legislature a call. For all others, take note and see where your state stands on this issue. For more information visit http://www.nomercury.org/
Ten Thousand Villages - Trading fairly for sixty years. Welcome to Ten Thousand Villages, a company dedicated to supporting international artisians with living wages. Please check out their website to browse their offerings. Give a beautiful gift while giving someone else a chance at a better life! http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/php/about.us/index.php

Progressive Media
This month, we offer not only one book but an entire publishing company, New Society Publishers. As their name says, this company's mission is to support and help create, through awareness, a new society based on conscious, thoughtful decision making. New Society has saved almost 10,000 trees by printing its books on 100% recycled paper. Going a step further, they have recently gone carbon neutral! For more information please visit http://www.newsociety.com/.

Penelope Sullivan holds a Bachelors in Holistic Nutrition and is a Certified Family Herbalist through the School of Natural Healing. She is currently completing their Master Herbalist course.

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