Tag Archives: civicissues

American has been the central of farming for several years, thanks to the fertile soil found in the heartland of our country. Unfortunately, in recent years, big companies (mainly Monsanto) have been taking over the way we farm. This may be a stretch from the typical “environmental” issues post, but it nonetheless is an issue that involves our farmland and our health. With this is mind, I have decided to make a sort of “preview post” of my advocacy project. This project will essentially work to educate the general consumer body on Genetically Modified Organisms, and explain the power that purchasers have to control what we eat. Hopefully, in the near future, action will be taken by the consumer body to encourage the labelling of GMOs and discourage the oppression of our nation’s farms and farmers.

Traditionally, when we think of the American farm, the image that has been engrained into our heads by looking at the “Farm Fresh” logo on tons of food packages. This picture of a classic farmer and farm that is painted by the industry is almost completely gone in today’s America. The reality is more of a big open field, a suppressed farmer, and tons of emission-realeasing machines that harvest all of our food. Why haven’t we done anything about this? Do we simply not care? No. The more likely reason is that we didn’t know. There has essentially been a “veil” dropped between the producer and consumer, to the point that we have no idea where most of our food comes from. This is exactly the way these big overbearing companies like Monsanto want it, because an ignorant consumer is a big money maker. Well the solution seems simple, wouldn’t it just be easier to avoid Monsanto products all together, effectively improving our health by avoiding Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). The answer isn’t that simple, mostly because we don’t actually know which products are GMO Monsanto products. Monsanto and associated companies have fought tooth and nail to prevent any GMO labeling laws from being passed in our country. They are essentially saying that they don’t want the American consumer, who is spending their money and their health on this product, to know what they are actually putting on their table. That isn’t to say that Monsanto’s current method hasn’t been fought. On May 8, 2014, Vermont finally passed their GMO labeling bill into law. The specifics of the bill state that all products containing Genetically Modified Organisms must be labeled as such by July 1, 2016. Vermont became the first state to successfully pass this bill, although several other states have been working on the bill. Naturally, Monsanto wasn’t going to go down without a fight, so they sued the state of Vermont in a lawsuit costing millions of dollars and is still continuing today. Several other state, such as Maine, have passed laws that state that they will continue with GMO labeling when their neighboring states do. The purpose of this is to essentially ensure that what is happening to Vermont doesn’t happen to them, and if it does they will have the support of neighboring states to aid in their legal battle. Vermont is essentially fighting this battle by themselves, due to the fact that their law does not depend on other states. However, as legal analysts  predict that Vermont will win, we can look forward to seeing more states follow their lead. On the other hand, tons of states have a proposed bill for GMO labelling in the governmental works, but most have been shot down by the conveniently placed Monsanto ex-employees that litter our government. Thanks to these governmental ties, Monsanto has officially been above the law since Obama signed “The Monsanto Protection Act,” stating that federal courts cannot in any way stem the sale and production of GMO seeds, no matter what health risks may come into light.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfIxmI-Q3fY

While our government has the important job of ensuring our safety, we also have the quintessential role of controlling what we consume. If we look into a food market, we as consumers might seem powerless, we are simply able to by what is in front of us, so how could we have any power? Well let me ask this, what if we all stopped buying anything? Companies would go out of business; we are their source of revenue, and they know that. Sure we aren’t just going to stop going to our local Giant and magically come up with another food source, but we can control what we buy while at the supermarket. By picking and choosing exactly what we buy at the supermarket, and having an important reason backing up our choices, we control our economy. An educated and aware consumer is a danger to the very foundation of fear, mystery, and domination that Monsanto has built up over the years. It is super easy to find a list of companies that use Monsanto products online (seriously just type in “Monsanto is Evil” into Google and it will come up). Thousand upon hundreds of consumers have decided to boycott the company, effectively sending the message that they do not approve. Here is a list of the companies: Trust me, I know that as consumers it is difficult for us to change what we eat. In fact, after seeing the list, I was extremely upset to find that my favorite Fruit & Nut granola bars contained Monsanto products. It’s not always easy to take a stand, but in the end, it is worth it for the future of our farmers and our health. In fact, more and more celebrity figures are taking a stand against what may be the most hated company in America. Neil Young has dedicated a album, The Monsanto Years, to the oppression that the company has over America. In the end, our state governments has to follow the example of Vermont, and us as consumers have to educate ourselves and realize that we have an extreme amount of power over our economy.

To learn more about Monsanto and their oppression of farmers and our food source, check out the following links:

1.) The movie Food, Inc. is a great source to look at to gain basic knowledge.

2.) Monsanto’s bogus- echem, I mean “carefully worded”- response to the Food, Inc. movie.

3.) Pennsylvania‘s current stance on GMO labeling.

Just as my last post was a somewhat different take on the civic issue of environmental protection, this post will further look into the various aspects of taking care of our world. While the scientific components of this concept are very important, the influence that today’s culture has on nature is surprisingly relevant. Specifically, many celebrities today have taken action, no matter how small, to raise awareness and show the importance of our environment. Whether it is through their work, charitable activities, or even through public statements, many famous individuals have taken to making their opinions known.

One of the less thought about ways of environmental protection advocacy is in the form of subtle mentioning. In other words, outright support is powerful, but just as powerful is a simple statement that speaks for itself. One can most often find an example of this in music and other art forms. For instance, the song “Don’t Panic,” which was released as a single by Coldplay in 2001, has an accompanying music video that projects an interesting idea about pollution and climate change.

The video begins with a sort of moving illustration of what one can assume is the water cycle. However, in the lower right hand corner, we can see a factory pumping waste into a lake that is then included as part of the cycle, and thus contaminates the water supply shown. While Chris, Johnny, Will, and Guy’s heads on illustrated bodies might be a bit “interesting,” I believe that the overarching theme of the video, and potentially the song as well, is that climate change and pollution can be harmful to us as the human race. Included in the song itself are lines such as “We live in a beautiful world,” closely followed by “All of us are done for,” and while these lyrics may be a bit overdramatic regarding the topic at hand, I do believe that they send an effective message. Yet, while Coldplay as a band (and especially Chris Martin as an individual) has openly supported various causes, such as free trade, environmental protection has never particularly been on that list. At the same time, Coldplay certainly projects their feelings and opinions into their work, so we can thus conclude that this particular piece is meant to send a message about the dangers of pollution and disrespect toward the environment.

To Learn More About The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Click On The Above Picture.

In addition subtle messages in song and art, celebrity support of the environmental cause can most commonly be seen through charitable acts. Almost all (decent) celebrities either openly support a charity, or have formed their own charity; effectively using their fame and financial advantage to support certain causes. Many have taken up environmental protection as the issue that they openly support. For example, one such celebrity is Leonardo DiCaprio, whose “Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation” supports various environmental causes, including wildlife preservation and endangered animal protection. One of the most well-known projects that DiCaprio’s foundation has worked on and supported is the “Save Tigers Now Campaign.” This project which is supported by the joint efforts of the World Wildlife Fund as well as DiCaprio, has a goal to double the population of wild tigers, which has dropped to a dangerously low number of 3,200,  by the year 2022. Not only has DiCaprio pumped millions of dollars into

At Least He’s Protecting Our Environment.

this cause, he has also openly been an ambassador for the campaign. DiCaprio had featured in several video messages and appeared at various benefits, not only for the tiger campaign, for but other causes supported by his foundation as well. So clearly, with or without an Oscar (hang in there, Leo), DiCaprio’s fame is certainly being put to good use.

Click To Learn More About Ellen Degeneres And The Environment.

Furthermore, another important method of environmental support is using fame to support an important cause. Celebrities are followed constantly, with their personal life and their own opinions being tattooed on our eyes day after day. Fortunately, some celebrities have found a way to use their excessive fame for good. With everything that famous individuals say being spread far and wide through the depths of the internet, the statements that these people make are extremely influential, regardless of the topic. However, some of these celebrities, such as Ellen Degeneres, have made statements about their belief in the environment. These individuals understand the power that their words can have, and thus use this concept to their advantage. Ellen is certainly one of these examples, as she is quoted saying, “If we’re destroying our trees and destroying our environment and hurting animals and hurting one another and all that stuff, there’s got to be a very powerful energy to fight that. I think we need more love in the world. We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. I definitely want to contribute to that.” While this quote generally supports a lot of different causes on Ellen’s agenda, the mention of the environment in this statement provides a powerful tool. Seeing as Ellen connects the concept of destroying our earth’s natural land and animals with a lack of love, she certainly makes an important connection between ethics and the environment. Due to the effectiveness of this one simple statement, we can clearly see how Ellen, in some small way, has contributed to environmental protection.

Overall, advocacy for our environment can come in all different types and forms, including music, charity, and public advocacy. The above mentioned people and groups have used their notoriety to advance the field of environmental protection in various ways. Therefore, while the concept of environmental protection is often considered a scientific concern, one must not underestimate the power of pop culture to influence important civic issues. As is the case with any popular issue during any time period, with the right people in the correct positions, words and examples can work wonders; which is exactly what is happening due to the influence of these popular cultural icons.