Support our Kickstarter

GMOs & You

Erin Shaw
ExperimentGMO.jpg

Join Project Butterfly, Evolver Los Angeles & Organic Authority as we welcome leading experts on genetically modified foods for a candid panel discussion on the issue and how we can help California become the first state to make the labeling of all food containing GMOs a mandatory practice.

According to the California Department of Health and Agriculture, nearly 80 percent of all processed foods sold in the U.S. contain genetically modified ingredients. Ninety-three percent of all soy and cotton, 90 percent of canola and 86 percent of corn grown in the U.S. are genetically modified.

The rise in food allergies, asthma, birth defects and many other serious human health issues associated with GMOs has the public demanding transparency on par with regulations throughout the rest of the developed world.

In 2011, the USDA approved the deregulation of genetically modified alfalfa, sugar beets, HoneySweet plums, Kentucky bluegrass, and the first-ever GMO animal intended for human consumption: Aqua Bounty's AquAdvantage salmon.

As GMOs become more prevalent in our food system, farmers are experiencing unprecedented issues including pesticide resistant 'superweeds' and insects, and soil quality issues. Scientists have discovered new pathogens found in livestock fed GMOs and declining butterfly populations have been linked to the glyphosate pesticide commonly known as Monsanto's Roundup, which has also been found in ground water, rain water and air samples.


The Panel Features:

David Bronner: CEO of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps. Fresh off a 2 week 313-mile march from New York City to Washington DC, David will share stories from the Right2Know March and why we need to label GMOs now.

Pamm Larry: a grandmother from Chico, CA. On January 20 of this year, she had the idea that it was time for the people of California to vote on a ballot initiative to label genetically engineered foods and to remind people of the power we hold when we unite for change. She learned about the initiative process, developed a strategy and "came out" on March 10. Since that day, starting as one, she has been traveling around the state, meeting with folks and sparking local groups to educate their communities about GMOs and their chance to get them labeled. She is excited to now be part of an ever growing coalition that will get GMO Labeling on the ballot, then voted in YES in 2012.

Jeremy Seifert: a filmmaker and activist who is traveling the country with his award winning film DIVE! Living Off America's Waste, and speaking about the interrelated issues of food waste, hunger, and the environment. Jeremy is passionate, charismatic, and exceedingly heartfelt. He has begun work on his next film project looking at genetically modified foods in the U.S. and around the world. When Jeremy isn’t working on a film project or speaking to the public, he spends his time gardening and raising urban chickens with his wife, Jennifer, and three children, Finn (5), Tennessee (2), and Pearl (6 mo.).

Jill Ettinger: spent more than a decade working closely with some of the largest manufacturers in the natural products industry. She is now the news writer for Organic Authority, the leading online resource for organic food and lifestyle information. Her focus includes genetically modified foods, the vegan diet, natural plant and herb medicines, sustainability and world culture. Jill was published in the anthologies "Toward 2012: Perspectives on the Next Age" and "What Do You Believe?" She is co-director of Evolver Los Angeles, hosting an array of events to help foster creative community and urban transformation.

Moderated by: Laura Klein, Publisher, OrganicAuthority.com - Laura Klein co-founder of OrganicAuthority.com upgrades the fading “grungy” image of what it means to go green. A trained chef with roots in the organic food movement, Laura is a living embodiment of the green lifestyle. She brings intelligence, intoxicating energy and girl-next-door approachability to the subject of living green.


Project Butterfly Loft
821 Traction Avenue
Nov 15th, 8:00 pm (doors 7:30)
$20 (proceeds going to Cal Ballot initiative)
email: evolverlosangeles@gmail.com

 

 

Tags:

Comments

Your article is pretty

Submitted by urdukahani on Tue, 11/08/2011 - 04:39.

Your article is pretty well-planned along with being very shrewd and informative.I throughly really enjoyed your new word and hope there may be likely to a lot more.

 African Mango Plus

lets look at the science.

Submitted by solitaire on Thu, 11/10/2011 - 15:00.
I am concerned with GMO products, especially the thought of them effecting their wild counterparts but there are some discrepancies with the anti GMO movement. being a student researcher at Rutgers University [agricultural science department] obviously GMOs are a hot issue that comes up a lot. --AquaBounty Salmon has not been approved for retail circulation yet. --A loss of soil fertility is largely due to management practices as well as chemical fertilizers and has NOTHING to do with GMO products. --meat is currently becoming more risky to consume because of the overfeeding of grains to our livestock, not GMO feeds (which, in fact, there is some evidence to suggest that livestock can differentiate between GMO and non GMO feeds and are less likely to want to consume them ;] ) FINALLY this panel, as a scientist, really worries me. There are no scientists, no members of the opposition and really no one who is anywhere near qualified to comment on GMOs and any potential health risks they may pose. w.

I agree there is a need to

Submitted by Erin Shaw on Thu, 11/10/2011 - 17:44.
I agree there is a need to look at the science, although that's not the point of this panel. It's true that the speakers are all opposed to GMOs, but it's not about whether GMOs are good or bad, but whether or not consumers have the right to know if they're eating genetically modified foods. And you're right that there is a lot of misinformation on both sides, and conflation of pesticide chemicals with crops that are altered at the cellular level. Although it's called "The Experiment," I view this panel as more about food and environmental politics than science. If we were aiming to have equal representation of pro- and anti-GMO speakers, I wonder if we could find a proponent of GMOs who would favor the labeling legislation? Also, that animals can differentiate between GMO and non-GMO foods is pretty amazing! Thanks for your input.