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April Meeting

Our monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 8th from 6 - 7 p.m. at Boulder Elementary School. See you there!

Carter's Compost: Traverse City's Bike Powered, Neighborhood Composters

Avoid Eating Genetically Engineered Foods

Posted March 7, 2014 by Jeffrey M Smith & filed under GMOs, Health & Disease.

Why are thousands of physicians advising patients to avoid eating GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) [1] and how did these high-risk foods get onto the market in the first place? The answers are disturbing, even shocking, but may help you get healthy and stay healthy.
Foods with added bacterial or viral genes were quietly slipped into your diet two decades ago. Using the excuse that GMOs weren’t that much different, the FDA didn’t require labels or even a single safety study from GMO makers like Monsanto. But a lawsuit forced the agency to release their files and the truth finally came out.

FDA scientists repeatedly warned that GMOs could create allergies, toxins, new diseases and nutritional problems, and that rigorous safety testing was needed. But the White House had instructed the FDA to promote biotechnology, and Michael Taylor, Monsanto’s former attorney, was put in charge of FDA policy. (Taylor later became Monsanto’s chief lobbyist, and has returned to FDA as US Food Czar.)
Can you trust Monsanto with your family’s health? That company that told us that Agent Orange, DDT and PCBs were safe.
Now Monsanto’s “Roundup Ready” crops are engineered to withstand their Roundup herbicide, which gets absorbed into the food and can’t be washed off. A 2014 study found Roundup the most toxic of all herbicides and insecticides they tested. According to MIT scientist Stephanie Seneff, Roundup may be “the most important factor in the development of multiple chronic diseases and conditions.” She co-authored a seminal paper linking it to obesity, heart disease, inflammatory bowel, IBS, autism, allergies, MS, Parkinson’s, depression, infertility, Alzheimer’s and cancer.
Some GMOs, e.g. corn, have built-in pesticides that break open holes in the stomach of insects. A 2012 laboratory study confirmed that the toxin opens holes in human cells. And a Canadian study found both the toxin and Roundup in the blood of most pregnant women and their fetuses.
If you don’t trust GMOs, you’re not alone. According to a 2013 survey by Hartman Group, over 120 million Americans say they try to avoid them. That number has more than doubled since 2007. [2]
When people eliminate GMOs, they (and their physicians) often report more energy, weight loss, better digestion, reduced allergies and skin conditions, and relief from numerous chronic conditions. [3] Veterinarians, farmers and pet owners describe similar improvements with animals taken off GMOs. According to a research review by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, many of these disorders also afflict lab animals fed GMOs. We believe it is not a coincidence that the rise of these types of health issues in the US population parallels the use of GMOs and Roundup.
In addition to the health dangers, independent studies also show that GMOs don’t increase yields, don’t solve world hunger and massively increase herbicide use.
GMO advocates aggressively deny any evidence against them. According to Nature, a “large block of scientists [...] denigrate research by other legitimate scientists in a knee-jerk, partisan, emotional way.” Tactics include threats, gag orders and termination.
The industry’s own research, on the other hand, is widely criticized as “tobacco science,” carefully designed to cover up problems. And just as a Monsanto man guided FDA policy, GMO review committees worldwide are often stacked with industry representatives who rubber stamp approvals or declare GMOs safe by ignoring data to the contrary.
Now the FDA is considering approval of GMO salmon, as well as allowing GMO mosquitoes loose in the Florida Keys. In fact, countless GMO plants, animals, fish, insects and bacteria are being developed in labs around the world. Each could irreversibly contaminate the gene pool.
Before we replace nature, let’s demand independent, comprehensive long-term safety studies. Until then, stop feeding us the products produced by this immature science.
References:

1. At medical conferences where I spoke about the health risks of GMOs, I polled the audience asking practitioners to rate themselves how active they were, or planned to be, at prescribing non-GMO diets to patients.
2. Hartman Group Sustainability 2013 presentation on consumer eating preferences. Survey showed 39% of Americans polled "deliberately avoid/reduce" GMOs in daily diet. In 2010, it was 25%. In 2007, about 17%.
3. The Institute for Responsible Technology collects testimonials and case studies about health conditions that may be related to a GMO vs. non-GMO diet. Over many years we have interviewed doctors, nutritionists, and consumers, received numerous emails, and solicited comments from audiences at more 90 events. We also collect statement from farmers, pet owners, and veterinarians about impacts on animals                                                                                                                                                                              
4. originally posted at;    http://permaculturenews.org/2014/03/07/avoid-eating-genetically-engineered-foods/

February Meeting

Our monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 11th from 6 - 7 p.m. at Boulder Elementary School. See you there!

December Meeting

Our monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 10th from 6-7 pm at the elementary school. Hope to see you there!

Introducing Growing Community Naturally

Growing Community Naturally is committed to creating a self-sustaining, engaged, educated community through community events, experiential education, and collaborative initiatives. 

Our Vision:

• Community members understand and value high quality, nutritious and locally grown food and support the development of the local food system.

•   People of all economic means can access high quality, nutritious, locally grown food.

• Outdoor experiential learning programs are an integral part of the education system producing well educated, healthy, socially equipped and environmentally conscious citizens.

•  People and communities of Jefferson County (and beyond) have reached a state of wholeness and well being that is self-sustaining.

Our Core Work:

To advance our mission and achieve our goals and objectives, we:

•   Educate, advocate and share lessons learned on sustainable development locally, regionally and nationally to advance local and regional food systems development; land, water and forest conservation; green building; reduce, reuse and recycle practices; and more.

•   Provide training and technical assistance to growers, farmers’ market managers and others working in the local and regional food systems.

•  Work to ensure all people, including low-income families, have access to fresh, local food, as well as nutrition and cooking education that support lifelong healthy eating.

•   Educate children and youth to become environmental stewards and to grow and eat healthy food.

•   Foster local grower access to wholesale and direct markets and processing, aggregation and distribution services.

Our Core Values:

SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability is an ideal state where people’s present needs are met without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their needs. Growing Community Naturally believes in starting where people and communities are and working as partners to preserve our natural resources, and move towards a more just, vibrant food system.

LOCAL

We believe that the development of a local food-based sustainable economy is crucial to building resilience and prosperity for the future of the region.

EDUCATION

Knowledge is power. We believe in the creation of an informed society that is empowered with the skills and understanding to make healthier personal choices, and for some, to support change in the wider society.

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION & INCLUSION

We believe that all people should have the opportunity to participate in the decisions that affect their lives, families, and communities.