We Are ( Still ) Winning

Victory in Vermont

Today, by a vote of 28 to 2, the Vermont state senate passed H.112, a bill to require mandatory labeling of foods sold in Vermont that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The bill also makes it illegal to call any food product containing GMOs “natural” or “all natural.” Unlike bills passed last year in Maine and Connecticut, which require four or five other states to pass GMO labeling laws before they can be enacted, Vermont’s law contains no “trigger” clauses, making it the first “clean” GMO labeling law in the country.

Read the Press Release: http://orgcns.org/1paAI1i

Love Always
mudra

It’s Official – Russia Completely Bans GMOs



Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev recently announced that Russia will no longer import GMO products, stating that the nation has enough space, and enough resources to produce organic food.

If the Americans like to eat GMO products, let them eat it then. We don’t need to do that; we have enough space and opportunities to produce organic food.” – Medvedev wrote:

Russia has been considering joining the long list (and continually growing) of anti-GMO countries for quite some time now. It does so after a group of Russian scientists urged the government to consider at least a 10-year moratorium on GMOs to thoroughly study their influence on human health.

“It is necessary to ban GMOs, to impose moratorium (on) it for 10 years. While GMOs will be prohibited, we can plan experiments, tests, or maybe even new methods of research could be developed. It has been proven that not only in Russia, but also in many other countries in the world, GMOs are dangerous. Methods of obtaining the GMOs are not perfect, therefore, at this stage, all GMOs are dangerous. Consumption and use of GMOs obtained in such way can lead to tumors, cancers and obesity among animals. Bio-technologies certainly should be developed, but GMOs should be stopped. We should stop it from spreading. ” – Irina Ermakova, VP of Russia’s National Association for Genetic Safety wrote:

A number of scientists worldwide have clearly outlined the potential dangers associated with consuming GMOs. I recently published an article titled “10 Scientific Studies Proving GMOs Can Be Harmful To Human Health,” you can read that in full here. These are just a select few out of hundreds of studies that are now available in the public domain, it seems that they continue to surface year after year.

read on:   http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/04/15/its-official-russia-completely-bans-gmos/

Love Always
mudra

It's sooooooooooo good to read this thread to know we are winning. The best I can do with the bad news threads is scan them these days. Too much negative same old, same old......... Thank you so much (yet again) for your positive slant Mudra.   

Sanicle wrote:It's sooooooooooo good to read this thread to know we are winning.  The best I can do with the bad news threads is scan them these days.  Too much negative same old, same old.........  Thank you so much (yet again) for your positive slant Mudra.    

Thank You Sanicle. Where there are losses there are wins. One seems intimately connected to the other.
I count the wins as I count my blessings , little threads of bright color that may well amount one day, I hope , to
a greater tapestry we will have woven on mother Earth that we will all be proud to stand on.

  

Much Love for You
mudra

Effective Immediately: France Bans All GMO Cultivation

National Assembly has made a sweeping declaration with a new bill, effective immediately. No more genetically modified crops.

On Tuesday, the French lower house of parliament adopted a law immediately banning cultivation of any GMO corn, due to environmental safety concerns. Recently, they also made a halt decree to prohibit planting the only GM crop allowed in the EU – Monsanto’s MON810 corn, with built-in insect resistance. Jean-Marie Le Guen, the minister in charge of relations with parliament, said:

“It is essential today to renew a widely shared desire to maintain the French ban. This bill strengthens the decree passed last March by preventing the immediate cultivation of GMO and extending their reach to all transgenic maize varieties.”

Farmers and seed companies are challenging the rule, as they have blocked similar decrees before, viewing safety concerns insufficient. But Le Guen bound the rule so that member state decisions could not be litigated against. The ban heads back to the Senate for final approval – if rejected, the French National Assembly gets to cast the final ruling. Future strains will be banned even if the EU states approve more.

 Read more at http://www.realfarmacy.com/effective-immediately-france-bans-all-gmo-cultivation/#T8CM6at72bWqKeSU.99


Love Always
mudra

Pushing-against-controllers-at-the-local-level

Local Communities Dismantling Corporate Rule, part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Prylnj4NQ8


Local Communities Dismantling Corporate Rule, part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh8l4B4z7GE


  

Love Always
mudra

BREAKING NEWS! We just scored a HUGE win today when a federal appeals court slammed the coal industry for objecting to common sense rules for protecting mountain streams and Appalachian communities from mountaintop removal mining. It's long overdue justice for the people of Appalachia, especially when the lower courts had previously sided with the coal industry!



http://earthjustice.org/news/press/2014/federal-appeals-court-upholds-epa-efforts-to-protect-appalachian-waters-and-communities

Love Always
mudra

Residents in the small ocean-side community of Ogunquit, Maine, voted to become the first town in the state to prohibit the use of pesticides on public and private property for turf, landscape, and outdoor pest management activities. Ogunquit’s ordinance makes the town the second local jurisdiction in the United States in the last year to ban pesticides on both public and private property, and the first to be passed by popular vote, 206 to 172. Ogunquit’s ordinance is modeled on the first private/public pesticide ban in Takoma Park, Maryland, last year. GO OGUNQUIT! THE REST OF THE USA NEEDS TO FOLLOW!

READ: http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=13570

Love Always
mudra

Hungary Destroys All Monsanto GMO Corn Fields

February 10, 2012

Hungary has taken a bold stand against biotech giant Monsanto and genetic modification by destroying 1000 acres of maize found to have been grown with genetically modified seeds, according to Hungary deputy state secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar. Unlike many European Union countries, Hungary is a nation where genetically modified (GM) seeds are banned. In a similar stance against GM ingredients, Peru has also passed a 10 year ban on GM foods.

Planetsave reports:

Almost 1000 acres of maize found to have been ground with genetically modified seeds have been destroyed throughout Hungary, deputy state secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar said. The GMO maize has been ploughed under, said Lajos Bognar, but pollen has not spread from the maize, he added.

Read More: http://www.trueactivist.com/hungary-destroys-all-monsanto-gmo-corn-fields/

Love Always
mudra

Polish Ambassador Permaculture Action Tour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFL-fYHuMFk


  

Love Always

New York bans fracking after health report

New York state will ban hydraulic fracturing after a long-awaited report concluded that the oil and gas extraction method poses health risks, Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration said on Wednesday.

New York Environmental Commissioner Joseph Martens said at a cabinet meeting he will issue an order early next year banning fracking, which has been under a moratorium since 2008. Once that happens, New York will join Vermont as the only states to completely prohibit fracking.

The decision ends what has been a fierce debate in New York over the benefits and pitfalls of fracking, a process that involves pumping water, sand and chemicals into a well to extract oil or gas. Many in the state saw gas drilling as a key economic resource while others argued it was too dangerous.

read on: http://www.vagazette.com/news/sns-rt-us-energy-fracking-newyork-20141217,0,5570678.story

Love Always
mudra

Love Always
mudra

Such a great thread mudra. Thank you for keeping us updated with "good" news. 

Thank you, mudra for sharing good news again.
To bee or not to bee......
Buzzzing Bumblebee is so very happy for the bees

Ewing announces fracking ban in Scotland

The controversy over fracking in the UK has deepened as Scotland imposed a ban on giving the green light to new schemes amid ongoing public opposition to the process.


Scottish energy minister Fergus Ewing announced a moratorium on granting planning consents for fracking developments to allow a full public consultation on the issue.
The move came as Lancashire County Council was forced to delay a decision on two proposed new fracking sites for at least eight weeks to consider new information from a shale company facing the prospect of its applications being turned down.
In a week when the Government promised an outright ban on fracking in national parks and accepted Labour moves to set "necessary conditions" restricting the shale industry as it faced down calls for a UK moratorium, public opposition continues to outstrip support.
A new online survey of 1,000 people found that two fifths (40%) were against fracking, while a quarter (25%) were in favour of it going ahead in the UK.

read on: http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/scottish-politics/ewing-announces-fracking-ban-in-scotland.1422459054


Love Always
mudra

You are welcome Carol and BB.
Thank You for your nice comments.

 

Love from me
mudra

2/04/2015 -- ALERT : Oklahoma BANS FRACKING injection after 4.0M+ earthquake swarm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ipl7nXbfNo



Love Always
mudra

TTIP: Activists triumph as contentious US free trade deal clause suspended




A proposed free trade deal between the European Union and the United States has suffered a huge setback after the most controversial element was taken off the negotiating table in the face of huge public opposition in Britain and other parts of Europe.

Plans to protect foreign investors from decisions by national governments have been set aside by negotiators after an unprecedented 150,000 objections in an EU-wide consultation exercise.  Some 52,000 came from Britain, even though David Cameron is one of the EU leaders keenest on what would the biggest trade deal ever. It is now unlikely that a deal will be struck by the end of this year.
Read more:
Cameron attempts to rally support for controversial trade deal
NHS needs protecting from US trade deal, says Labour
TTIP just the tip of the iceberg of EU's relationships with corporations
Campaigners fear the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) would allow US multinationals to override laws protecting the environment, consumer rights and food standards by allowing them to sue EU governments. Critics also warn that the National Health Service could be undermined by US health giants bidding for NHS contracts for private firms. They fear that companies which lost NHS work could sue the Government. The EU insists the NHS would be exempt from the trade deal.  
When the US-EU talks resume next month, they will not cover the proposed investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS). That part of the agreement is now “suspended” after the public revolt while the European Commission decides by this summer whether to abandon ISDS altogether. There is also strong public hostility in Germany, where opponents fear US companies could bypass national courts by going to international arbitrators.

read on: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ttip-activists-triumph-as-contentious-us-free-trade-deal-clause-suspended-9976090.html

Love Always
mudra

Bolivia passes "Law of Mother Earth" which gives rights to our planet as a living system

The Law of Mother Earth ("Ley de Derechos de La Madre Tierra") holds the land as sacred and holds it as a living system with rights to be protected from exploitation, and creates 11 distinguished rights for the environment. It was passed by Bolivia's Plurinational Legislative Assembly. This 10 article law is derived from the first part of a longer draft bill, drafted and released by the Pact of Unity by November 2010. Can we please spread this law? There has to be a way for the free market to interoperate with reverence for this planet. Period.

In accordance with the philosophy of Pachamama, it states, "She is sacred, fertile and the source of life that feeds and cares for all living beings in her womb. She is in permanent balance, harmony and communication with the cosmos. She is comprised of all ecosystems and living beings, and their self-organisation."
"It makes world history. Earth is the mother of all," said Vice-President Alvaro García Linera. "It establishes a new relationship between man and nature, the harmony of which must be preserved as a guarantee of its regeneration."
The law enumerates seven specific rights to which Mother Earth and her constituent life systems, including human communities, are entitled to:

Read on: https://www.minds.com/blog/view/370619333145006080/bolivia-passes-law-of-mother-earth-which-gives-rights-to-our-planet-as-a-living-system

Love Always
mudra

After Decades of Struggle, Salvadoran Communities Declare Territory Free of Mining

Carrying palm fronds and flowers, women and children walked into the center of town along roads strewn with fallen mangos. Blue-crowned motmots flitted from tree to tree while a pandemonium of parakeets flew past overhead, punctuating the quiet morning with their raucous squawking. It was nearly time for Palm Sunday celebrations, but people were also congregating to determine the future of their territory, nestled in the mountains of the Chalatenango department in northern El Salvador.

The population of Nueva Trinidad voiced its resounding opposition to mining in an official municipal consultation process on March 29. In seven community voting centers, 99.25 percent of participating registered voters cast their ballots against metallic mining in Nueva Trinidad. The third consultation of its kind in the country, the local exercise in participatory democracy is the latest manifestation of the thriving national movement against mining in the small Central American nation.

read on: http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/30189-salvadoran-communities-declare-territory-free-of-mining

Love Always
mudra

France has made it illegal for supermarkets to throw away food

Here’s some good news. France has outlawed supermarket food waste, compelling groceries to instead donate the unwanted food to a charity or allow for it to be processed into compost, animal feed, or energy.
Food waste is a serious issue and some chains’ practices of destroying or even adding chemicals such as bleach to their tossed out food are coming under scrutiny: “It’s scandalous to see bleach being poured into supermarket dustbins along with edible foods,” said Guillaume Garot, a French politician who sponsored the new bill.
Consider the situation here on the home front. According to the Department of Agriculture the United States wastes an incredible amount of food.

“…An estimated 133 billion pounds, or 31 percent of the 430 billion pounds of food available for human consumption in the United States in 2010, was not eaten. At 2010 retail prices, this translates into $161.6 billion worth of food.”

Love Always
mudra

mudra wrote:France has made it illegal for supermarkets to throw away food

Here’s some good news. France has outlawed supermarket food waste, compelling groceries to instead donate the unwanted food to a charity or allow for it to be processed into compost, animal feed, or energy.
Food waste is a serious issue and some chains’ practices of destroying or even adding chemicals such as bleach to their tossed out food are coming under scrutiny: “It’s scandalous to see bleach being poured into supermarket dustbins along with edible foods,” said Guillaume Garot, a French politician who sponsored the new bill.
Consider the situation here on the home front. According to the Department of Agriculture the United States wastes an incredible amount of food.

“…An estimated 133 billion pounds, or 31 percent of the 430 billion pounds of food available for human consumption in the United States in 2010, was not eaten. At 2010 retail prices, this translates into $161.6 billion worth of food.”

Love Always
mudra

This is outstanding! I hope the US follows suit along with other nations who aren't doing this already.

Carol wrote:

mudra wrote:France has made it illegal for supermarkets to throw away food

Here’s some good news. France has outlawed supermarket food waste, compelling groceries to instead donate the unwanted food to a charity or allow for it to be processed into compost, animal feed, or energy.
Food waste is a serious issue and some chains’ practices of destroying or even adding chemicals such as bleach to their tossed out food are coming under scrutiny: “It’s scandalous to see bleach being poured into supermarket dustbins along with edible foods,” said Guillaume Garot, a French politician who sponsored the new bill.
Consider the situation here on the home front. According to the Department of Agriculture the United States wastes an incredible amount of food.

“…An estimated 133 billion pounds, or 31 percent of the 430 billion pounds of food available for human consumption in the United States in 2010, was not eaten. At 2010 retail prices, this translates into $161.6 billion worth of food.”

Love Always
mudra

This is outstanding! I hope the US follows suit along with other nations who aren't doing this already.

Maybe there is some hope for this Carol :

Arash Derambarsh, the local councillor who kick-started the fight against food waste in his own Paris suburb, seeks to convince other countries to follow France's lead and eliminate food waste.



The internet was in a frenzy when France recently passed legislation making it illegal for stores to purposely waste discarded food. As many pointed out in the comments section of True Activist’s coverage, such an intelligent plan deserves to go global – and now it just might!

Arash Derambarsh, the local councillor who kick-started the fight against food waste in his own Paris suburb, has grand ambitions to convince more countries to follow France’s lead.

Derambarsh believes it is “scandalous and absurd” that food is wasted and in some cases deliberately spoiled while the homeless, poor, and unemployed go hungry.

And who can disagree? At present, the world wastes 1/3 of its food supply – and such a statistic is far from acceptable.

Arash took action by persuading French MPs to adopt the regulation banning deliberate food waste after a petition he initiated gained more than 200,000 signatures and celebrity support in just four months.


Read More: http://www.trueactivist.com/the-man-who-stopped-frances-food-waste-seeks-to-globalize-the-law/?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=fb&utm_campaign=sh

Love Always
mudra