We’re pleased to share that Monsanto, the maker of rBGH, announced yesterday that it will sell off its dairy hormone business! After years of trying to stifle consumer rejection of its artificial hormone, even Monsanto has now gotten the message: Consumers don’t want rBGH in their milk.

Thank you for all your efforts in advocating against the use of this harmful hormone! In the last year, you’ve helped stop rBGH-free labeling bans in seven states and encouraged Starbucks to go artificial hormone-free. Here’s yet another victory for you to celebrate!

Help us maintain the momentum. Please ask three of your friends to sign our petition encouaging more companies to go rBGH-free.

And stay tuned for further actions on how you can ensure kids get rBGH-free milk in school lunches.

Filmona and Sarah
The Food Team
Food & Water Watch
goodfood(at)fwwatch.org

AUGUST 8th….more things:

At the July 31 meeting we all signed up for one of three smaller groups: FARMER’S MARKET; FUNDRAISING; COMMUNICATION/EDUCATION. When you get this please contact me about joining one of these work-groups. This way we can start getting things done as groups can figure out their own meetings.

LUNCHEONS: We will still have luncheons for awhile. I have to change the day from Thursdays to Fridays. So the luncheon this next time will be FRIDAY, AUG 29TH.
Call for reservations.

FILM: THE NEXT SHOWING OF THE FUTURE OF FOOD WILL BE SEPT 2ND, 3:00-5:00 AT THE LIBRARY.

LOGO:about 8 replies came back. I am going to write Lorena about the bottom one…some suggestions were to change the medium green background to the darker green, and make the V more distinct. We’ll see about that one. If someone wants to start work on the English part of a 3 sided brochure, let me know.
I will ask Lorena about an estimate. She can do the translation.

FARMER’S MARKET: Angeles has gone to rent a place in Tuesday Market starting in 4 weeks. That’s to give us time to get our act together on the market. The idea is to go ahead and start an “organic market” on a small scale by having a puesto in the Tuesday Market. The idea is to have some organic produce to sell, some organic tortillas, possibly eggs, and good coffee to serve with a snacky thing. We need some volunteers off of this listserve to help Kirsten with this project. Please contact Kirsten at kirstenwest2008@yahoo.com REMEMBER…we can talk to people at the market and hand out information about VidaVerde. Since so many Gringos go to the Tuesday market, I would think the booth could become “the place to stop”. And maybe collect donations for VidaVerde also!

ORGANICS: Mary Ann has started visiting organic places and collecting info. She is out of town. To be con’t.

COMMUNICATION/EDUCATION: Angeles is moving so fast, she’s leaving a dust cloud. She has got a group of women in La Joya that want to start planting little gardens around their houses. organic ones. Then she has had several meetings with various people; the last one being with about 150 people from 18 ranchos. The good news is that everywhere she goes to talk about transgenic corn, and foods, there is great interest and no small amount of righteous indignation about Monsanto. The bad news is that Angeles only had 12 DVD’s of Grano a Grano to hand around. She has made a list of people who want them. Another good news is that our VidaVerde sponsored information is spreading faster in Spanish than in English (i.e. to the campesinos/farmers who are our first line of defense against Monsanto.) This DVD, Grano a Grano, that we got in DF at the conference is really a good educational tool for informing about Monsanto, GMO foods in the tiendas, the hazard of transgenic foods, etc. But we need to make more of them. Which comes to money…

MONEY: It was great that people contributed $ at the luncheon! It was enough to pay Angeles for one week and make some DVD copies. But we just have to have a committment for at least another month until we get a fundraiser going. Angeles is doing more work, not less. And the DVD/Talk with Angeles is the best way to educate right now. But it sure would be helpful to have a weekly or monthly committment from people. If people could commit to $50 or $100 a month, it would make my life easier. IF YOU CAN DO IT, PLEASE CONTACT ME ABOUT A MONTHLY COMMITMENT FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS ANYWAY. email or 15 26902

FUNDRAISING: Ahem. Nobody but Yours Truly signed up for the Fundraising Group. OK…i have an idea for starters. I just ordered…hot off the press…the only other film about Monsanto…The World According to Monsanto. Made by a French woman, it has the same basic information and revelations, but shows more of the European story. We could have a “Premiere” showing with drinks and antojitos for fundraising as well as spreading the Word. anyone want to jump in on this? or anyone have another idea?

FILM: CYNTHIA is in L.A. to make contacts about funds for her documentary,
The Seed Underground. If anyone has ideas for funding, please advise.

ATENCION SAN MIGUEL FRIDAY JULY 11 2008

Film Screenings
The Seed UnderGround & The Future of Food
Fri-Sun, July 11-13, 11am & 1pm daily
Cinema Colectiva
5 de Mayo 5, Mineral de Pozos
50-peso donation

Pozos filmmaker Cynthia Buzzard presents selected scenes from her
latest documentary project, The Seed UnderGround, which draws from the
heroes of San Miguel and Oaxaca who are defending Mexico’s native
seeds from extinction.

In association with Vida Verde of San Miguel, The Seed UnderGround
joins the growing global movement working against contamination of our
food supply by genetically modified organisms.

Shot on location in May and June, the documentary features Jes˙s LeÛn
Santos of the Mixteca region of Oaxaca, recipient of the 2008 Goldman
Environmental Prize which honors grassroots environmentalists; Valerie
Nadeau, owner of Arbol de la Vida, an organic farmer of Ciudad Oaxaca
and member of El Pochote, the farmer’s market founded by Oaxaqueño
Francisco Toledo; and Amado RamÌrez Leyva, owner of Itanoni Restaurant
of Ciudad Oaxaca, who specializes in handmade criollo tortillas that
shout political clout.

This film makes you hungry for fresh food and fairness. The Seed
UnderGround screens with The Future of Food each day of the Pozos
ArtWalk. A portion of proceeds benefits Vida Verde of San Miguel.

Cinema Colectiva is Number 3 on the ArtWalk map, one block west of the
JardÌn Principal and Casa Montana. For ArtWalk transportation
reservations, call 01 (442) 293-0091. Blogsite:
www.theseedunderground.blogspot.com.

There is a revolution happening in the farm fields and on the dinner tables of America — a revolution that is transforming the very nature of the food we eat.

Shot on location in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, THE FUTURE OF FOOD examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat as huge multinational corporations seek to control the world’s food system. The film also explores alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture, placing organic and sustainable agriculture as real solutions to the farm crisis today.

THE FUTURE OF FOOD offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade.

From the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada to the fields of Oaxaca, Mexico, this film gives a voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods have been negatively impacted by this new technology. The health implications, government policies and push towards globalization are all part of the reason why many people are alarmed by the introduction of genetically altered crops into our food supply.

www.thefutureoffood.com

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.

-Margaret Mead