[sustainable_tompkins-l] NYPost: opinion - Renewables "A Disaster"

[Tony Del Plato]

NYPost has always been a rag with a good sports section. With an opinion
from the Manhattan Institute: " The Institute serves as a leading voice of
free-market ideas, shaping political culture since our founding in 1977."

The following is an op ed by Rbt Bryce shows free market nonsense at its
worst, despite giving one sentence of congrats to House-elect Ocasio-Corte.
Of course his gripe, his beef with her is that she is a member of Dem Soc
of Am.
Tony

https://nypost.com/2018/07/04/all-renewable-energy-is-a-
prescription-for-disaster/

-- 

“One does not get over history, one just has to come to terms with it.”
Ira Berlin

"This is what (Rachel) Carson lived for: bearing witness to the natural
world in all its mystery, attuning herself to the earth’s rhythms and
eternal cycles, feeling a part of the vast stream of time."
Andrea Barnet

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] We All Could Be Refugees

[Tony Del Plato]

New post on *Design4Peace - Social Justice Art by Leslie Dwyer*
 We All Could Be Refugees
by Leslie Dwyer


I once worked in a refugee camp in Azerbaijan on an education project. The
principal of their makeshift school told me one day he was a principal in a
large school with one hundred staff. Days later he was in a camp struggling
to set up a makeshift school with a handful of teachers. He […]

Read more of this post

*Leslie Dwyer * | June 22, 2018 at
5:30 am | Tags: displacement
, forced
migration
,
immigrant
policy
,
immigrants ,
 immigration
, refugees
, war
 | Categories:
Immigration
, War
and Peace
 | URL:
https://wp.me/p3wIIP-pM

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-- 

“One does not get over history, one just has to come to terms with it.”
Ira Berlin

"This is what (Rachel) Carson lived for: bearing witness to the natural
world in all its mystery, attuning herself to the earth’s rhythms and
eternal cycles, feeling a part of the vast stream of time."
Andrea Barnet




-- 

“One does not get over history, one just has to come to terms with it.”
Ira Berlin

"This is what (Rachel) Carson lived for: bearing witness to the natural
world in all its mystery, attuning herself to the earth’s rhythms and
eternal cycles, feeling a part of the vast stream of time."
Andrea Barnet

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Book Review: Energy

[Tony Del Plato]

Interesting NYT review of energy development over 4 centuries

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/18/books/review/energy-richard-rhodes.html?em_pos=medium=edit_sc_20180619=science-times_art=10=60265274emc%3Dedit_sc_20180619=headline=1
-- 

“One does not get over history, one just has to come to terms with it.”
Ira Berlin

"This is what (Rachel) Carson lived for: bearing witness to the natural
world in all its mystery, attuning herself to the earth’s rhythms and
eternal cycles, feeling a part of the vast stream of time."
Andrea Barnet

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

Re: [sustainable_tompkins-l] Making the Utility Case for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems

[Tony Del Plato]

Thank you Kurt
Tony

On Tue, Jun 12, 2018 at 12:04 PM, Kurt Pipa  wrote:

> There is a link to the report from this page: http://uswateralliance.
> org/resources/publications
>
> Scroll down the page to find the title "Making the Utility Case for Onsite
> Non-potable Water Systems" and click it to go to the report.
>
> Kurt Pipa
>
> On Tue, Jun 12, 2018 at 11:55 AM Tony Del Plato 
> wrote:
>
>> link expired/not good from Ed Gottlieb
>>
>>
>> http://uswateralliance.org/sites/uswateralliance.org/files/
>> publications/NBRC_Utility%20Case%20for%20ONWS_032818.pdf
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Jun 12, 2018 at 10:21 AM, Ed Gottlieb > > wrote:
>>
>>> You might be interested in this report from the National Blue Ribbon
>>> Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems:
>>>
>>> http://uswateralliance.org/sites/uswateralliance.org/
>>> files/publications/NBRC_Utility%20Case%20for%20ONWS_032818.pdf.
>>> <http://uswateralliance.org/sites/uswateralliance.org/files/publications/NBRC_Utility%20Case%20for%20ONWS_032818.pdf>
>>>
>>>
>>> Ed Gottlieb
>>> Member, Tompkins County Water Resources Council
>>> Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator
>>> Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility
>>> 525 3rd Street
>>> Ithaca, NY  14850
>>> (607) 273-8381
>>> fax: (607) 273-8433
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> “One does not get over history, one just has to come to terms with it.”
>> Ira Berlin
>>
>> "This is what (Rachel) Carson lived for: bearing witness to the natural
>> world in all its mystery, attuning herself to the earth’s rhythms and
>> eternal cycles, feeling a part of the vast stream of time."
>> Andrea Barnet
>>
>>


-- 

“One does not get over history, one just has to come to terms with it.”
Ira Berlin

"This is what (Rachel) Carson lived for: bearing witness to the natural
world in all its mystery, attuning herself to the earth’s rhythms and
eternal cycles, feeling a part of the vast stream of time."
Andrea Barnet

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

Re: [sustainable_tompkins-l] Making the Utility Case for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems

[Tony Del Plato]

link expired/not good from Ed Gottlieb


http://uswateralliance.org/sites/uswateralliance.org/
files/publications/NBRC_Utility%20Case%20for%20ONWS_032818.pdf



On Tue, Jun 12, 2018 at 10:21 AM, Ed Gottlieb 
wrote:

> You might be interested in this report from the National Blue Ribbon
> Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems:
>
> http://uswateralliance.org/sites/uswateralliance.org/
> files/publications/NBRC_Utility%20Case%20for%20ONWS_032818.pdf.
> 
>
>
> Ed Gottlieb
> Member, Tompkins County Water Resources Council
> Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator
> Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility
> 525 3rd Street
> Ithaca, NY  14850
> (607) 273-8381
> fax: (607) 273-8433
>
>



-- 

“One does not get over history, one just has to come to terms with it.”
Ira Berlin

"This is what (Rachel) Carson lived for: bearing witness to the natural
world in all its mystery, attuning herself to the earth’s rhythms and
eternal cycles, feeling a part of the vast stream of time."
Andrea Barnet

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

Re: [sustainable_tompkins-l] Cuomo Trashes Plans for Municipal Waste Incinerator in Romulus

[Tony Del Plato]

Thanks Hillary for your notes about where we're at and what needs to be
done to shut down the incinerator
Tony

On Wed, May 16, 2018 at 9:32 AM, Hilary Lambert 
wrote:

> Hi:
> This good statement by Gov Cuomo is in fact just a first step.
> It encourages legislators to step out of the shadows and support a
> necessary bill.
> *Almost all of the work to get that bill made into law this session still
> lies ahead.*
>
> I went to Albany yesterday with folks mostly from Seneca Lake (*Cayuga -
> we must do better!!*) to ask legislators to support this bill, to return
> local control by municipalities over proposed Article 10 energy projects
> like this proposed trash incinerator project - in this case, to the town of
> Romulus and Seneca County.
> *Home rule is essential to NYS and it needs to apply to Article 10
> projects.*
>
> The developers of the proposed incinerator (the mysterious Circular EnerG)
> did not like the reception they were getting via the local permitting
> process in Romulus and Seneca County, so they withdrew from that and went
> to the state-level Article 10 process, maintaining that their
> imported-from-NYC trash burning plant is a “renewable energy” facility —
> thus evading the local community’s negative response to this project being
> sited 3200 feet from a school, in between our two lakes, hundreds more
> garbage trucks daily, affecting air quality and water quality, wineries,
> already harming real estate values - etc.
>
> A *press conference * was held yesterday morning in the Legislative
> Office Building, organized by Yvonne Taylor, Joseph Campbell, and MaryAnn
> Kowalski of the (new) *Seneca Lake Guardian* organization, and Judith
> Enck, retired US EPA admin for our region. Well attended, and boosted by
> the news of Cuomo’s statement.
> Legislative participants/cosponsors: Pam Helming;  Brian Kolb, Phil
> Palmesano, Tom O’Mara, Mike Kusak.
> If you are a constituent, please thank them.
> Live stream of the press conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
> dAGVQvZcimg=share
>
> Our teams (again, thanks to Seneca Lake Guardian and allies) then spread
> out to present our request for support of the two bills - state assembly
> and senate - to numerous legislators.
> A long day, lots of driving, really worth it.
>
> (Note that I was there as private resident, not as exec director of the
> CLWN, because our org’s tax status does not allow lobbying.)
>
> *PLEASE understand that Gov Cuomo saying something encouraging is JUST THE
> START - and PLEASE help if you are asked to do so.*
> *THIS AFFECTS Cayuga Lake as much as it does Seneca - and we all need to
> do our share.*
>
> For more info go to Seneca Lake Guardians website https://
> senecalakeguardian.org/
> and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenecaLakeGuardian/
>
>
> Thanks
> HL
> Hilary Lambert
> Steward/Executive Director
> Cayuga Lake Watershed Network
> POB 348 Aurora NY 13026
>
> “It takes a Network to protect a watershed!”
>
> stew...@cayugalake.org
> www.cayugalake.org
>
>
>
>
>
> On May 15, 2018, at 3:11 PM, Gay Nicholson  wrote:
>
> Oh this is good news indeed
>
>
> --
> Gay Nicholson, Ph.D.
> President
> Sustainable Tompkins
> 309 N. Aurora St.
> 
> Ithaca, NY 14850
> 
> www.sustainabletompkins.org
> 607-533-7312 (home office)
> 607-220-8991 (cell)
> 607-272-1720 (ST office)
>
> g...@sustainabletompkins.org
>
> -- Forwarded message --
> From: Water Front 
> Date: Tue, May 15, 2018 at 3:06 PM
> Subject: [New post] Cuomo Trashes Plans for Municipal Waste Incinerator in
> Romulus
> To: g...@sustainabletompkins.org
>
>
> Peter Mantius posted: "Gov. Andrew Cuomo today strongly condemned plans
> for a proposed $365 million garbage-burning incinerator in Romulus, joining
> a groundswell of opposition that now appears insurmountable.  “The trash
> incinerator project is not consistent with my administra"
> Respond to this post by replying above this line
> New post on *Water Front*
>  Cuomo Trashes Plans for
> Municipal Waste Incinerator in Romulus
> 
>  by
> Peter Mantius 
>
> Gov. Andrew Cuomo today strongly condemned plans for a proposed $365
> million garbage-burning incinerator in Romulus, joining a groundswell of
> opposition that now appears insurmountable.[image: CuomoReady]
>
> “The trash incinerator project is not consistent with my administration’s
> goals for protecting our public health, our environment, and our thriving
> agriculture-based economy in the Finger Lakes,” the governor said in a
> statement Tuesday morning.
>
> Circular Energy 

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Maine Hands Nestlé a Seat on State Environmental Board

[Tony Del Plato]

Nestle Gets Seat on Maine Envir Board

https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/news/maine-hands-nestl%C3%A9-seat-state-environmental-board

-- 

“Someone needs to explain to me why wanting clean drinking water makes you
an activist – and why proposing to destroy water with chemical warfare
doesn’t make a corporation a terrorist.”
Winona LaDuke

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

Re: [sustainable_tompkins-l] California defends adding glyphosate to Prop 65 list

[Tony Del Plato]

Amen

On Fri, Jan 26, 2018 at 5:57 PM, Gay Nicholson <gaynichol...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Well, I think the public has reason to be concerned with it now common
> practice to spray glyphosate on all the cereal crops a few days before
> harvest to make it convenient for farmers and reduce losses if the weather
> doesn't cooperate during harvest season. Another reason to buy organic
> flour, breads, pasta, crackers, etc.
>
> --
> Gay Nicholson, Ph.D.
> President
> Sustainable Tompkins
> 309 N. Aurora St.
> <https://maps.google.com/?q=309+N.+Aurora+St.+Ithaca,+NY+14850=gmail=g>
> Ithaca, NY 14850
> <https://maps.google.com/?q=309+N.+Aurora+St.+Ithaca,+NY+14850=gmail=g>
> www.sustainabletompkins.org
> 607-533-7312 <(607)%20533-7312> (home office)
> 607-220-8991 <(607)%20220-8991> (cell)
> 607-272-1720 <(607)%20272-1720> (ST office)
>
> g...@sustainabletompkins.org
>
> On Thu, Jan 25, 2018 at 8:58 PM, Tony Del Plato <tonydelpl...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> California defends adding glyphosate to Prop 65 list
>> Agrow, 24 Jan 2018
>> J. R. Pegg
>>
>> The US state of California has hit back at a bid by Monsanto, the
>> National Association of Wheat Growers and other agricultural industry
>> groups to derail its decision to add glyphosate herbicide to the
>> Proposition 65 list of cancer-causing chemicals. State officials argue that
>> there is no need to issue a preliminary injunction on the listing,
>> rejecting the allegation by Monsanto and the agricultural interests that
>> they are already being adversely impacted by the decision.
>>
>> The plaintiffs' claim is "unripe and speculative … and does not carry the
>> urgency required" for the listing to be blocked, according to the state's
>> January 22nd filing with the US District Court for the Eastern District of
>> California.
>>
>> California added glyphosate to the Prop 65 list in July 2017, basing its
>> decision on the 2015 declaration by the UN WHO’s International Agency for
>> Research on Cancer (IARC) that the herbicide is a "probable human
>> carcinogen". State regulators argue that they had little choice -- and
>> ample justification -- to list glyphosate based on the IARC decision.
>>
>> The IARC is one of the "authoritative bodies" that the Prop 65 law calls
>> on the state's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) to
>> rely upon for adding substances to its list of chemicals that cause cancer
>> and reproductive harm. Substances listed under Prop 65 may require warning
>> labels and be subject to limits on discharges into surface waters.
>>
>> Monsanto, along with the National Wheat Growers Association and groups
>> representing growers and sellers of soybeans, maize and durum wheat filed
>> suit last November to reverse the listing. Attorneys general from 11 states
>> have joined the litigation in support of the legal challenge. The
>> plaintiffs argue that the IARC is an outlier as an "overwhelming majority
>> of government regulators and other experts" have found glyphosate is not
>> carcinogenic and have "flatly rejected" the international Agency's
>> conclusion.
>>
>> They say that the listing will adversely affect their interests by
>> compelling companies to add warning labels on products that may contain
>> glyphosate despite controversy surrounding the evidence that exposure to
>> the herbicide and cancer in humans. In their request for a preliminary
>> injunction, they argue that they are facing "imminent harm" from the
>> warning label requirements.
>>
>> The OEHHA rejects that claim, noting that the requirements will not enter
>> into effect until July and that it has yet to determine which products will
>> have to be labelled. The plaintiffs may speculate that a Prop 65 warning
>> requirement will cause "an array of harm, from loss of reputation to
>> disruption of food supply and private enforcement litigation" but their
>> "sky-is-falling speculations" do not justify a preliminary injunction,
>> according to the OEHHA.
>>
>> The state agency says that it intends to finalise the "no significant
>> risk level" for herbicide this spring. Exposures below that level will not
>> require a warning label. The state agency adds that  Prop 65 does not
>> "dictate the text of the warning", providing companies the right to "tailor
>> to its individual situation" and to "place the cancer risk in context" for
>> the pub

[sustainable_tompkins-l] California defends adding glyphosate to Prop 65 list

[Tony Del Plato]

California defends adding glyphosate to Prop 65 list
Agrow, 24 Jan 2018
J. R. Pegg

The US state of California has hit back at a bid by Monsanto, the National
Association of Wheat Growers and other agricultural industry groups to
derail its decision to add glyphosate herbicide to the Proposition 65 list
of cancer-causing chemicals. State officials argue that there is no need to
issue a preliminary injunction on the listing, rejecting the allegation by
Monsanto and the agricultural interests that they are already being
adversely impacted by the decision.

The plaintiffs' claim is "unripe and speculative … and does not carry the
urgency required" for the listing to be blocked, according to the state's
January 22nd filing with the US District Court for the Eastern District of
California.

California added glyphosate to the Prop 65 list in July 2017, basing its
decision on the 2015 declaration by the UN WHO’s International Agency for
Research on Cancer (IARC) that the herbicide is a "probable human
carcinogen". State regulators argue that they had little choice -- and
ample justification -- to list glyphosate based on the IARC decision.

The IARC is one of the "authoritative bodies" that the Prop 65 law calls on
the state's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) to
rely upon for adding substances to its list of chemicals that cause cancer
and reproductive harm. Substances listed under Prop 65 may require warning
labels and be subject to limits on discharges into surface waters.

Monsanto, along with the National Wheat Growers Association and groups
representing growers and sellers of soybeans, maize and durum wheat filed
suit last November to reverse the listing. Attorneys general from 11 states
have joined the litigation in support of the legal challenge. The
plaintiffs argue that the IARC is an outlier as an "overwhelming majority
of government regulators and other experts" have found glyphosate is not
carcinogenic and have "flatly rejected" the international Agency's
conclusion.

They say that the listing will adversely affect their interests by
compelling companies to add warning labels on products that may contain
glyphosate despite controversy surrounding the evidence that exposure to
the herbicide and cancer in humans. In their request for a preliminary
injunction, they argue that they are facing "imminent harm" from the
warning label requirements.

The OEHHA rejects that claim, noting that the requirements will not enter
into effect until July and that it has yet to determine which products will
have to be labelled. The plaintiffs may speculate that a Prop 65 warning
requirement will cause "an array of harm, from loss of reputation to
disruption of food supply and private enforcement litigation" but their
"sky-is-falling speculations" do not justify a preliminary injunction,
according to the OEHHA.

The state agency says that it intends to finalise the "no significant risk
level" for herbicide this spring. Exposures below that level will not
require a warning label. The state agency adds that  Prop 65 does not
"dictate the text of the warning", providing companies the right to "tailor
to its individual situation" and to "place the cancer risk in context" for
the public. "Thus, the Court has no concrete warning language to review,
nor any information on the means that will be used to give the warning,"
the state argues.

The Court is set to hear arguments on the motion on February 20th.



-- 

“Someone needs to explain to me why wanting clean drinking water makes you
an activist – and why proposing to destroy water with chemical warfare
doesn’t make a corporation a terrorist.”
Winona LaDuke

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

Re: [sustainable_tompkins-l] France bans fracking and oil extraction in all of its territories

[Tony Del Plato]

Thanks. Great news

On Dec 26, 2017 8:54 AM, "Regi Teasley"  wrote:

> FYI
>
> https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/20/
> france-bans-fracking-and-oil-extraction-in-all-of-its-
> territories?CMP=share_btn_link
>
> Regi
> *One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.  *
> *Wm. Shakespeare*
>
>

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

Re: [sustainable_tompkins-l] Holiday wishes

[Tony Del Plato]

I love Aunt Chippy or Zippy! She's hilarious and sounds like people I grew
up with: Shaddap!
season's greetings

On Tue, Dec 19, 2017 at 10:02 AM, Irene Weiser  wrote:

> Holiday wishes from Aunt Chippy
>  :)
>
> Hope yours are filled w/ family, love and laughter...
>
>
> Irene Weiser
> irene32...@gmail.com
> Brooktondale, NY
> 607-539-6856 <(607)%20539-6856>
>
> *Joy to the world*
> *All the boys and girls*
> *Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea*
> *Joy to you and me. *[image: ]
>



-- 


*Creativity is intelligence having fun. Albert Einstein*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

Re: [sustainable_tompkins-l] Gates Foundation Hired PR Firm to Manipulate UN Over Gene Drives

[Tony Del Plato]

Ben & all
I, and I believe most people on the TC sustainability list do as well, care
deeply about the issues of what technologies are employed to engineer or
alter bioloogical processes. Your name calling of Jonathan and your
dismissive attitude does little to convince me of your point of view. Words
have meaning and calling Latham's points as "leftist propaganda" or that he
is being a demagogue, doesn't compute. Ethics matters. Words matter.
Latham's points are valid: "The distinction between “extinction”, “local
extirpation”, and “population control” is not something I invented; they
are not “my words”, although they are words that I use.  They are standard
terminology, and I would expect any competent undergraduate biology student
to be able to distinguish them."
You have taken up a lot of time and space to argue your points. Much of it
appears to be fog. I'll accept some of that as the nuances of what's being
discussed For a lay person, non-scientist, like myself, sorting out the
truth and coming to some understanding of these issues takes a lot of
effort. I appreciate an honest dialogue or debate on the issues we're
discussing, not name calling.
Tony Del Plato

On Tue, Dec 19, 2017 at 5:26 AM, Ben Haller <bhal...@mac.com> wrote:

>   Before launching in, let me first say: I have no idea whether anybody on
> this list even cares about all this.  I also really don’t have endless time
> to spend on this; writing the email below took the better part of the day.
> With the reply below, I think I will have pretty much said my piece;
> continuing beyond this would just be beating a dead horse (if we’re not at
> that point already :->).  So I am hoping not to reply again, and I am happy
> to let Latham have the last word if he wishes as long as I don’t see any
> egregious misinformation that demands correction.  All I ask is that if
> Latham does reply again, you all think critically, read carefully, follow
> his links to see if they actually support his claims, try to avoid
> confirmation bias, and make the best choices you can.  Happy holidays and
> happy new year, everybody.
>
> > Dear Ben
> >
> > I confess to finding your response hard to understand. You have called
> me a liar and a propagandist because of a difference that you claim to see
> between "extinction" (my word) and "extirpation" and "population control"
> (through killing things), which are your words.
>
>   Ah, there’s a lot to unpack there.  First of all, I didn’t call you a
> liar.  I said, of you, “at best he distorts the facts for his own
> propagandistic purposes, and at worst he just outright lies”.  So I gave
> you the benefit of the doubt there – perhaps you are just a propagandist,
> not a liar.  Lying implies knowingly, intentionally telling falsehoods; one
> can be a propagandist who distorts facts without being a liar, out of sheer
> misguided fervor.  It is not clear to me which of those two cases applies
> to you.  I did also call you a “demagogue”, though; I’m not seeing that
> there’s much doubt about that one.
>
>   These epithets are not intended as ad hominem attacks; I trust it is
> clear that I have been making a good-faith effort to prove my case, not
> merely to attack.  My purpose in employing those epithets is simply to
> accurately characterize you; the central question here is whether or not
> you are a reliable and trustworthy source of information, and so when I use
> those words, I am directly addressing that central point.  In any case: no,
> I have not called you a liar, although I did suggest that that was one of
> two likely explanations for your behavior.  Precision in the use of
> language is important, wouldn’t you agree?  Which bring us to the next
> point.
>
>   The distinction between “extinction”, “local extirpation”, and
> “population control” is not something I invented; they are not “my words”,
> although they are words that I use.  They are standard terminology, and I
> would expect any competent undergraduate biology student to be able to
> distinguish them.  You are a biologist with a PhD in genetics, as I
> understand it.  Do you seriously claim not to recognize the difference
> between those terms?  Let’s look at an example.  If someone in the Ithaca
> area goes out to pull some purple loosestrife, which is a highly damaging
> invasive plant that is in the area, with the aim of eliminating it from
> their neighborhood pond (local extirpation) or at least keeping it down so
> that the native plants can thrive (population control), do you accuse them
> of trying to cause the “extinction” of purple loosestrife?  Take a moment
> to think; it is not a rhetorical question, and I would appreciate it if you
> would explicitly respond to it in any reply you se

Re: [sustainable_tompkins-l] Gates Foundation Hired PR Firm to Manipulate UN Over Gene Drives

[Tony Del Plato]

Ben
The terms I referred to:
Genetic use restriction technology (GURT), colloquially known as
*terminator*technology or *suicide seeds*, is the name given to proposed
methods for restricting the use of genetically modified plants by causing
second generation *seeds* to be sterile.
Genetic use restriction technology - Wikipedia
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_use_restriction_technology>

Are gene drives "engineered" in similar ways as GURT?

On Fri, Dec 15, 2017 at 8:12 PM, Ben Haller <bhal...@mac.com> wrote:

>   Hi Tony.  I’m not sure what those other terms mean; they are not
> scientific terms, as far as I know.  A gene drive is simply a genetic
> technology that causes a particular gene to be “driven” through a
> population.  That gene could be anything, for any purpose.  Normally, if a
> new gene is introduced into a population (by humans, or just by the natural
> process of mutation) it will spread slowly, if at all, unless it confers
> some major advantage to the individuals carrying it.  Even a beneficial
> mutation could take many generations to spread throughout a population – or
> it could be lost, even though it is beneficial, just due to random chance.
> A gene drive is a way to speed up that process of spread so that it takes
> fewer generations, is less likely to result in the loss of the new gene,
> and can occur even if the new gene is neutral or somewhat disadvantageous
> for the species.  The Scientific American article I linked to in my
> previous email is probably a good place to start; I haven’t looked at the
> Wikipedia page on gene drives, but it may also provide a reasonably good
> introduction (or it may not).  I would try to google up a better intro, but
> unfortunately right now I have to run out the door.
>
> Cheers,
> -B.
>
>
> On Dec 16, 2017, at 5:28 AM, Tony Del Plato <tonydelpl...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> How do gene drives differ from Terminator Technology or "suicide genes?"
> Tony Del Plato
>
> On Fri, Dec 15, 2017 at 3:09 PM, Allison Wilson <
> a.wil...@bioscienceresource.org> wrote:
>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> Reply from Jonathan Latham:
>>
>> While it is possible (in principle) to use gene drives for purposes other
>> than extinction, it is the immediate current purpose of all major gene
>> drive projects to use them to cause extinctions.
>>
>> Let me quote from Island Conservation's twitter page description of
>> itself (who were major coordinators of the UN CBD in the FOIA'd emails):
>>
>> "Island Conservation's mission is to prevent extinctions by removing
>> invasive species from islands."
>>
>> Imperial College, a Target Malaria partner, says:
>>
>> "The project is researching the use of gene drive technology
>> <http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_7-12-2015-15-20-55>
>>  to
>> reduce the population of malaria-carrying mosquitoes to low enough levels
>> that they can no longer transmit the disease."
>>
>> Likewise, this research (https://www.technologyreview.
>> com/s/609619/farmers-seek-to-deploy-powerful-gene-drive/) on fruitflies,
>> discussed in yesterday's MIT technology review, proposes to eliminate this
>> species.
>>
>>  I.e. all these projects, and quite a few others, intend to reduce or
>> eliminate their targets and not to modify them.
>> Jonathan Latham
>> 
>>
>> Also I would note that The Guardian ( which has launched a website with
>> the Gates Foundation https://www.theguardian.com/gnm-press-office/
>> guardian-launches-global-development-site )wrote an article on the same
>> emails and also called them genetic extinction technologies:
>> https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/dec/
>> 04/us-military-agency-invests-100m-in-genetic-extinction-technologies
>>
>> Here is an interesting article discussing how evolution will “thwart"
>> Gene Drives the way it has thwarted Bt GMO crops and chemical pesticides —
>> through the development of resistance in target organisms —
>> https://www.nature.com/news/gene-drives-thwarted-by-emerge
>> nce-of-resistant-organisms-1.21397
>>
>> Unfortunately even if a technology does not do what proponents claim it
>> will do, it can still cause harm, as we have seen with herbicides and
>> pesticides in general.
>>
>> I think it is important to discuss the science underlying technologies
>> and also the politics, so that people can make fully informed decisions.
>>
>> Allison Wilson
>>
>> Allison Wilson, PhD
>> Science Director
>> The Bi

Re: [sustainable_tompkins-l] Gates Foundation Hired PR Firm to Manipulate UN Over Gene Drives

[Tony Del Plato]

How do gene drives differ from Terminator Technology or "suicide genes?"
Tony Del Plato

On Fri, Dec 15, 2017 at 3:09 PM, Allison Wilson <
a.wil...@bioscienceresource.org> wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> Reply from Jonathan Latham:
>
> While it is possible (in principle) to use gene drives for purposes other
> than extinction, it is the immediate current purpose of all major gene
> drive projects to use them to cause extinctions.
>
> Let me quote from Island Conservation's twitter page description of itself
> (who were major coordinators of the UN CBD in the FOIA'd emails):
>
> "Island Conservation's mission is to prevent extinctions by removing
> invasive species from islands."
>
> Imperial College, a Target Malaria partner, says:
>
> "The project is researching the use of gene drive technology
> <http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_7-12-2015-15-20-55>
>  to
> reduce the population of malaria-carrying mosquitoes to low enough levels
> that they can no longer transmit the disease."
>
> Likewise, this research (https://www.technologyreview.
> com/s/609619/farmers-seek-to-deploy-powerful-gene-drive/) on fruitflies,
> discussed in yesterday's MIT technology review, proposes to eliminate this
> species.
>
>  I.e. all these projects, and quite a few others, intend to reduce or
> eliminate their targets and not to modify them.
> Jonathan Latham
> 
>
> Also I would note that The Guardian ( which has launched a website with
> the Gates Foundation https://www.theguardian.com/gnm-press-
> office/guardian-launches-global-development-site )wrote an article on the
> same emails and also called them genetic extinction technologies:
> https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/dec/04/us-military-agency-
> invests-100m-in-genetic-extinction-technologies
>
> Here is an interesting article discussing how evolution will “thwart" Gene
> Drives the way it has thwarted Bt GMO crops and chemical pesticides —
> through the development of resistance in target organisms —
> https://www.nature.com/news/gene-drives-thwarted-by-
> emergence-of-resistant-organisms-1.21397
>
> Unfortunately even if a technology does not do what proponents claim it
> will do, it can still cause harm, as we have seen with herbicides and
> pesticides in general.
>
> I think it is important to discuss the science underlying technologies and
> also the politics, so that people can make fully informed decisions.
>
> Allison Wilson
>
> Allison Wilson, PhD
> Science Director
> The Bioscience Resource Project
>
> phone: 1 (607) 319 0279 <(607)%20319-0279>
> a.wil...@bioscienceresource.org
> www.independentsciencenews.org
> and
> www.bioscienceresource.org
>
> "Good with Science"
>
>
>
>
> On Dec 4, 2017, at 10:42 PM, Maura Stephens <maurastephe...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> Usually i let stuff on this list lie, even when it is incorrect. But this
> spurious unprovoked and personal attack on a very respected colleague,
> whose research has shone a light on many nefarious practices by “respected”
> organizations, research institutions, and foundations (often in collusion
> with for-profit corporations), is over the top and unacceptable.
>
> Maura
> Sent from my iPhone
> (which takes responsibility for all typos)
>
>
> On Dec 4, 2017, at 7:03 PM, Ben Haller <bhal...@mac.com> wrote:
>
>   Usually I just let the misinformation on this list from Jonathan Latham
> drift on by; life is too short, choose your battles, etc.  But this
> particular piece of misinformation is really pretty problematic.  He writes
> below that "Gene drives are an experimental genetic technology intended to
> cause population extinctions."  That is comparable to saying "ice picks are
> a tool intended to kill people" – yes, you *can* use an ice pick that way,
> but the depiction twists the truth beyond recognition.  Similarly, causing
> population extinctions is one possible way in which gene drives *could* be
> used, but there are a myriad other uses to which they could be put – some
> of which might be extremely beneficial.  For example, it is possible that a
> gene drive might provide us with a way to prevent the spread of malaria by
> genetically modifying mosquitoes in such a way that they no longer transmit
> the malaria parasite, without harming the mosquitoes at all; that is an
> active area of research.  Malaria kills almost a million people a year in
> the third world, and causes major disease for about 300 million people a
> year; eliminating it would be a tremendous boon to many of the poorest
> people on the face of th

Re: [sustainable_tompkins-l] the complexity of cultural evolution

[Tony Del Plato]

It's all about ecology. The relationship between economics culture
environment everything


On Dec 8, 2017 11:21 AM, "Regi Teasley"  wrote:

> Environmental Sociology and Cultural Geography should be part of the
> conversation. Interdisciplinary work can be very fruitful.
> Perhaps, like massive stars, some species (ahem)  have dazzling, short
> lives.
>
> Regi
>
> "Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love
> everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things."  Dostoyevsky.
>
>
> On Dec 7, 2017, at 9:23 PM, Ben Haller  wrote:
>
>   That’s a neat question.  Nowadays there are some schools offering
> degrees in sustainability studies; I’m not sure what that actually
> constitutes, in terms of what you do academically.  In any case, back when
> I was 18 that didn’t exist.  :->  Back then – maybe economics?  That’s what
> it all really comes down to, in my opinion.  Economics encompasses all
> sorts of questions about what humans prefer and value, where those
> preferences come from and what influences them, how those preferences
> interact with politics, and how it ends up structuring society.  And that’s
> where the solutions likely reside, too, in my opinion, because in the end
> most people respond to incentives.  If the economic structure of society
> rewards them for selfishness, pollution, etc., then that is what most
> people will end up doing.  If it rewards them for sharing, recycling, etc.,
> then that is what most people will end up doing.  So the things that I
> think are likely to provide real solutions will come from economics –
> things like a carbon tax, things that manipulate the incentives to which
> people respond.  But I agree that it would really have to end up being
> multi-discliplinary; maybe economics with minors in ecology, sociology, and
> political theory?  :->
>
> Cheers,
> -B.
>
>
> On Dec 8, 2017, at 10:51 AM, Joe Nolan  wrote:
>
>
> Interesting. Speaks to a question I've long pondered, which is, if I could
> go back to being 18 and wanted to study the overall human-planet
> relationship and how to improve it, what academic field would I enter? It
> seems the academic factions have been calcified for so long that there's
> really nobody studying this most-important-of-all phenomena. A few isolated
> philosophy or anthropology classes maybe? I suppose ecological economics,
> as far as that goes - but as far as I'm aware it doesn't address the
> cultural issues that Joe Brewer is talking about.
>
>
>
>
> On 12/6/2017 7:25 PM, Gay Nicholson wrote:
>
> >I'd like to recommend an article on cultural evolution by Joe Brewer
> 
> .
>
>
>
>
>

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Re: [sustainable_tompkins-l] Gates Foundation Hired PR Firm to Manipulate UN Over Gene Drives

[Tony Del Plato]

Way to go Joe. Keep 'em talkin'!
Tony

On Wed, Dec 6, 2017 at 9:37 AM, Joe Nolan  wrote:

>
> I think we can debate the issues and disagree with each other without
> resorting to ad hominem attacks.
> I also think there's an interesting debate to be had between
> tech-optimists and tech-pessimists, if we can muster the patience to have a
> calm discussion.
> Joe
>
>
>
> For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area,
> please visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
> If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom
> Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.
>



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*...if the word integration means anything, this is what it means: that we,
with love, shall force our brothers (& sisters) to see themselves as they
are, to cease fleeing from reality and begin to change it.*

— James Baldwin

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[sustainable_tompkins-l] EU Reapproval of Glyphosate Leaves Environmentalists' Strategy in Tatters; What Now?

[Tony Del Plato]

Dear Friends and Colleagues

Published today (Monday Nov 27th) in *Independent Science News*:

*EU Reapproval of Glyphosate Leaves Environmentalists' Strategy in Tatters;
What Now?*
by Jonathan Latham, PhD

https://www.independentsciencenews.org/health/eu-reapproval-of-
glyphosate-leaves-environmentalists-strategy-in-tatters/

*Synopsis:* Today, in a surprise move, the EU Commission reapproved the
herbicide glyphosate for another 5 year term. The failure of the mass
effort to ban glyphosate from the market requires a rethink of campaigning
against single chemicals. Though a common environmental strategy, it is
flawed. Campaigns against specific chemicals do nothing to prevent them
being replaced by other chemicals and nothing to protect the public from
thousands of other chemicals on the market. Indeed, such campaings actively
backfire, they encourage the public to imagine that all other chemicals are
safe, which is far from true. Here are some ideas for environmental
strategies that do stand a chance of stemming the toxic tide engulfing the
planet.

Apologies for cross posting.

Jonathan

Jonathan Latham, PhD

Executive Director

The Bioscience Resource Project
Ithaca, NY 14850 USA
PO Box 14850-6869

Phone 1-607-3190279 <(607)%20319-0279>
Skype: jonathanlatham2
www.poisonpapers.org
and
www.independentsciencenews.org








Jonathan Latham, PhD
Executive Director
The Bioscience Resource Project
Ithaca, NY 14850 USA

www.independentsciencenews.org
and
www.bioscienceresource.org

jrlat...@bioscienceresource.org
Skype: jonathanlatham2
Tel: 1-607-319-0279 <(607)%20319-0279>
Twitter and Facebook: @Biosrp


“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits
and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic
society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society
constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of
our country.”—Edward Bernays, Propaganda


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With a love so bold
it makes us whole.

-Andrea Weiser, from "Threadbare Happiness"

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[sustainable_tompkins-l] Mexico revokes monsanto soy permit

[Tony Del Plato]

Mexico's sanitation department revokes Monsanto's permit for a soy line in
7 states after finding the seed growing where it was not authorized.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-monsanto-mexico/
monsanto-says-mexico-revokes-permit-to-market-gmo-soy-in-
seven-states-idUSKBN1DO0BC

#Business News
November 23, 2017 / 11:43 PM / Updated 10 hours ago
Monsanto says Mexico revokes permit to market GMO soy in seven states

Reuters Staff

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Monsanto Co said on Thursday that Mexico’s
agriculture sanitation authority SENASICA had revoked its permit to
commercialize genetically modified soy in seven states, criticizing the
decision as unjustified.
FILE PHOTO: Monsanto logo is displayed on a screen where the stock is
traded on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City,
U.S., May 9, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

Monsanto said in a statement that the permit had been withdrawn on
unwarranted legal and technical grounds. The company said it would take the
necessary steps to safeguard its rights and those of farmers using the
technology, but did not elaborate.

SENASICA officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Mexican
newspaper Reforma cited a document saying the permit had been withdrawn due
to the detection of transgenic Monsanto soya in areas where it was not
authorized.

Monsanto rejected that argument, saying in its statement that authorities
had not done an analysis of how the soy on which their decision was based
was sown.

The revocation applies to the states of Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi,
Veracruz, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo and follows a 2016
legal suspension of the permit.

Reporting by Dave Graham and Noe Torres; editing by Richard Pullin
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


-- 
Let’s fill in all the weak spaces

With a love so bold
it makes us whole.

-Andrea Weiser, from "Threadbare Happiness"

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[sustainable_tompkins-l] How Internet Co-ops Can Protect Us From Net Neutrality Rollbacks

[Tony Del Plato]

This link is sent to you from http://www.yesmagazine.org You are receiving
this mail because someone read a page at YES! Magazine and thought it might
interest you. It is sent by tonydelpl...@gmail.com with the following
comment: "


Or" How Internet Co-ops Can Protect Us From Net Neutrality Rollbacks
Smaller internet service providers offer alternatives and could disrupt the
monopolies. http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/how-internet-co-
ops-can-protect-us-from-net-neutrality-rollbacks-20171122
--
YES! Magazine Site Administrator





-- 
Let’s fill in all the weak spaces

With a love so bold
it makes us whole.

-Andrea Weiser, from "Threadbare Happiness"

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[sustainable_tompkins-l] WHO cancer agency says its ruling on glyphosate was evenhanded

[Tony Del Plato]

Good story on IARC's response to US House Science Committee's request for
IARC to testify before the Committee.  The letter from Christopher Wild,
Director of IARC is here:  http://governance.iarc.fr/ENG/Docs/CPWild-LSmith;
ABiggs.pdf

Michael Hansen

WHO cancer agency says its ruling on glyphosate was evenhanded

November 20, 2017

The director of the UN International Agency for Research on Cancer rebutted
criticism of his agency’s listing of glyphosate, the most widely used
herbicide in the world, as probably carcinogenic to humans, saying the
criticism included “repeated misrepresentations” of the IARC’s
deliberations. In a letter to two Republican leaders of the House Science
Committee, IARC director Christopher Wild
 said the
group’s March 2015 classification of glyphosate was the consensus of an
international panel of scientists “based on their critical review of the
published scientific literature.”

U.S.-based Monsanto, which launched the GMO crop boom by genetically
engineering field crops to tolerate glyphosate, has vigorously defended the
safety of the weedkiller. Assessments by other regulators have said the
product poses no risk. For two years, the European Union has been unable to
decide whether to extend its license, which expires in mid-December, for
use of the chemical. An EU appeal committee may attempt to reach a decision
next Monday, said the news site Euractiv

.

House Science chairman Lamar Smith

has
probed for months into the IARC decision. On Nov. 1, he wrote the IARC for
information following published reports that it had disregarded studies
that indicated glyphosate did not cause cancer and to root out who had
rewritten drafts of the proposed IARC finding. Smith and subcommittee chair
Andy Biggs said a published report maintained that epidemiologist Aaron
Blair “withheld critical research from the IARC” that “could have
prevented” the listing of glyphosate as a probable carcinogen.

“It is false to assert Dr. Blair was in a position to withhold critical
information from IARC,” said Wild in a written reply, because the material
had not been published. The IARC panels review only published research and
do not look at “unpublished or ‘secret data’ unavailable publicly.”

In addressing differences between drafts and the final IARC monograph, Wild
wrote, “Most of these differences specifically relate to a review article
co-authored by a Monsanto scientist and which has been the subject of
investigative reporting concerning ‘ghost writing.’ ” The working group
decided the material in the article was insufficient to support the
conclusions “reached by the Monsanto scientists and other authors.” The
IARC said that its evaluations represent “the scientific consensus of the
whole working group,” and that there are no individual authors. The
monographs are “the preserve of working group members,” whose deliberations
are confidential, in order to assure independence, said the IARC chief.

Wild also dismissed the contention by Smith and Biggs that Christian
Portier, in a conflict of interest, had steered the IARC into reviewing
glyphosate. The congressmen said that “Portier made at least $160,000” as a
consultant to law firms that sued Monsanto over glyphosate. Portier worked
for the firms at the same time that he chaired an IARC committee that
proposed the review of the chemical, they said.

“In April 2014, when Dr. Portier chaired the Advisory Group … he did not
have any contractual relationships with litigation lawyers relating to
glyphosate nor any other declared activities that could be construed as
creating a real or perceived conflict of interest,” wrote Wild. The
advisory group had 21 members.

In closing his three-page letter, Wild, who is based in Lyon, France,
parried Smith’s broad hint of a congressional investigation of the
scientific integrity of the IARC and its cancer assessments. Where Smith
asked for names of potential witnesses for a hearing, Wild responded that
the IARC “is not in a position to provide witnesses for any potential
hearing.” He said the lawmakers were “welcome to visit the agency and pose
your questions to me and my staff.”

Michael Hansen, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Consumers Union
101 Truman Ave.
Yonkers, NY 10703
o: 914-378-2452 <(914)%20378-2452>
c: 917-774-3801 <(917)%20774-3801>

-- 

Let’s fill in all the weak spaces

With a love so bold
it makes us whole.

-Andrea Weiser, from "Threadbare Happiness"

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Re:[sustainable_tompkins-l] sustainable_tompkins-l digest: November 19, 2017

[Tony Del Plato]

Thanks to all the paw paw stories & facts. Now I've got to try them.
Tony

On Sun, Nov 19, 2017 at 12:07 AM, Sustainability in Tompkins County digest <
sustainable_tompkins-l@list.cornell.edu> wrote:

> SUSTAINABLE_TOMPKINS-L Digest for Sunday, November 19, 2017.
>
> 1. Re: Fwd: Pawpaw Fruit
>
> --
>
> Subject: Re: Fwd: Pawpaw Fruit
> From: Joey Gates <solkitch...@gmail.com>
> Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2017 11:46:36 -0500
> X-Message-Number: 1
>
> They are also juglone tolerant. My grove is nestled in with walnuts that
> are slowly being taken down due to disease. They like starting as an
> understory while developing a tap root and then having opening to more
> light later.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Nov 17, 2017, at 12:23 PM, Sarah Gagnon <Joel.and.sarah.gagnon@
> lightlink.com> wrote:
> >
> > I have been growing them for over 30 years, but only getting meaningful
> crops in the last few. This year's crop was the best and most productive
> ever. I had enough to sell some to Greenstar. Not sure how long my 40
> pounds will last, but if you can get one or more to try, they are a good
> example of how good this fruit can be.
> > If you like them, they are very easy to grow organically, requiring no
> spraying whatsoever to come out fine. Nothing much bothers the trees (not
> even deer). The tree is very attractive and can be grown with little or no
> pruning. It grows taller and thinner in the shade -- and it will grow even
> under maple trees, so we're talking serious shade tolerance! In the open,
> it is shorter and stockier. The fall foliage is a lovely yellow. There are
> many selected strains that produce larger fruits, but I have never observed
> much variation in flavor. They are all good when ripe. Like bananas, their
> flavor intensifies as they go from just   ripe to overripe. I find the
> dead ripe ones a bit much -- almost cloying. They can be kept in the just
> right stage for a week or more by refrigerating them. Like refrigerated
> bananas, they turn black, but don't mind the color. Some people eat just
> the flesh and eschew the skins. I don't mind the skins. They add a bit of
> texture, some nutrition, and make eating the fruit a lot less messy.
> >
> > Joel Gagnon
> >
> >> On 11/17/2017 8:29 AM, Elizabeth Gabriel - Groundswell wrote:
> >> They are such a lovely fruit!  But we don't eat them all the time
> mostly because they haven't been cultivated on a commercial level because
> they brown and bruise so easily - most consumers wouldn't be interested in
> them.  They are harvested just about at ripe, but as they ripen, in some
> cases the browner and uglier they look, the better they taste (to a point
> of course :)
> >>
> >> There's a Paw Paw festival in Ohio and more of a market in some places
> in the country. Mostly they are sold pulped and frozen, so they keep their
> orange color.
> >>
> >> Thanks for the video.
> >>
> >> Elizabeth Gabriel
> >> Director
> >> 607.793.3383
> >>
> >> We're Hiring!
> >> ---
> >> Coming up
> >> Farming for Justice Group: Nov 15, 5:30PM - 7:00PM
> >> Building Permanent Raised Beds: Nov 18, 9:00AM - 2:00PM
> >> Exploring Our Roots: Food Justice History, Understanding & Action: Dec
> 9, 10AM-3:30PM
> >> Farm Business Planning Course: 9 Weeks Jan 9 - Mar 6 2018 (Tuesdays
> 6-9PM)
> >> Agriculture & Climate Change Workshop: Feb
>  3, 10:00AM - 3:00PM
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> LIKE US ON FACEBOOK • subscribe to our newsletter
> >>
> >>
> >>> On Fri, Nov 17, 2017 at 8:15 AM, Sandra J. Repp <sj...@cornell.edu>
> wrote:
> >>> I believe that the Cornell Orchards store across from the Vet School
> has pawpaws for sale right now, if you are inspired to try them.
> >>> https://hort.cals.cornell.edu/about/facilities/cornell-orchards
> >>>
> >>> Cornell Orchards | Horticulture Section
> >>> hort.cals.cornell.edu
> >>> Information about Cornell Orchards, including retail fruit sales.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> From: bounce-122054920-12863...@list.cornell.edu <
> bounce-122054920-12863...@list.cornell.edu> on behalf of Tony Del Plato <
> tonydelpl...@gmail.com>
> >>> Sent: Thursday, November 16, 2017 9:57:24 PM
> >>> To: SUSTAINABLE_TOMPKINS-L
> >>> Subject: [sustainable_tompkins-l] Fwd: Pawpaw Fruit
> >>>
> >>> WATCH: The Pawpaw frui

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Fwd: Pawpaw Fruit

[Tony Del Plato]

*WATCH: The Pawpaw fruit is more American than any apple you've eaten.*

though I've heard of them, I have never seen or eaten one. This short video
explains why
Pawpaws trees are native to the US & Canada - so why don't we eat pawpaw
fruit pies all the time? Well, they're not exactly well-suited to modern
agriculture practices
Tony Del Plato

http://digg.com/video/what-are-pawpaw-fruits?utm_source=
digg_medium=email

-- 
Let’s fill in all the weak spaces

With a love so bold
it makes us whole.

-Andrea Weiser, from "Threadbare Happiness"

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Iowa farm groups sue California after it lists Roundup ingredient as cancer-causing chemical

[Tony Del Plato]

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/2017/11/15/
iowa-farm-groups-monsanto-sue-california-roundup-glyphosate-
cancer-causing-chemical/866446001/

Iowa farm groups sue California after it lists Roundup ingredient as
cancer-causing chemical


Monsanto Co. and nearly a dozen state and national farm groups are suing
California over the state's decision to list the popular ag chemical
glyphosate as a carcinogen.

"The impact on farmers could be ... very detrimental," said Kirk Leeds, CEO
of the Iowa Soybean Association.

The soybean group, the Agribusiness Association of Iowa, and the National
Corn Growers Association are among the groups suing California over its
decision to add glyphosate to its list of cancer-causing chemicals.

Glyphosate is a key ingredient in Monsanto's top-selling weedkiller Roundup.

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment made the
decision in July.

The agency said Wednesday it followed proper procedures in listing the
herbicide and "stands by its decision."

California's Proposition 65, a ballot initiative passed in 1986, requires
the state to protect drinking water sources "from being contaminated with
chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm."

It also requires businesses to warn California users about their chemicals'
dangers.

The decision would not only hurt Monsanto, the St. Louis company said, but
also "crops grown by U.S. farmers who use the herbicide, and food products
derived from those crops."

"Products with even trace residues of glyphosate" sold in California could
be required to add a label in 2018 that Monsanto says would be "false and
misleading."

Leeds, the soybean association CEO, said the classification is inaccurate
and its listing could be "a devastating blow to Iowa soybean farmers and an
industry valued at more than $5 billion."

“Glyphosate is one of the safest herbicides ever developed and has been
rigorously tested by the U.S. government for decades, continually passing
as non-carcinogenic," Leeds said in a statement.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has allowed glyphosate use since
the 1970s, and it has come under regular review.

California's efforts to list glyphosate as a carcinogen could result in
farmers abandoning the chemical, which could require growers to use more
tillage to eliminate weeds, Leeds said.

Or turn to harsher chemicals. "It's a much safer herbicide than many
others," he said.

Growers also could be required to segregate crops grown with gylphosate,
adding costs for consumers.

The lawsuit said 250 crops are grown using glyphosate.
Join now for as low as
$29  / yr
Subscribe Now


Leeds said in a statement the listing "violates the First Amendment of the
U.S. Constitution because it compels the plaintiffs in the case to make
false, misleading and highly controversial statements about their products."

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a World Health
Organization group, determined in 2015 that glyphosate probably causes
cancer in people.

Leeds said the French organization's determination that "glyphosate
is 'probably carcinogenic' counters the conclusion of every global
regulator that has examined the issue over the past 40 years."

"Not only does the scientific community disagree with IARC’s findings, the
organization’s internal process for reviewing glyphosate — along with other
‘possible’ or ‘probable carcinogens’ like French fries and coffee — has
also been roundly criticized," he said.

Monsanto sued the California agency in 2016 to block glyphosate's
potential listing. The case was dismissed in March, but the seed and
chemical company is appealing the ruling.

Also joining in the lawsuit against California: Associated Industries of
Missouri, Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Missouri Farm Bureau,
North Dakota Grain Growers Association, South Dakota Agri-Business
Association and the United States Durum Growers Association.


-- 
Let’s fill in all the weak spaces

With a love so bold
it makes us whole.

-Andrea Weiser, from "Threadbare Happiness"

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Community Energy Presentation

[Tony Del Plato]

*“Affordable Renewable Energy for All”*

A presentation by Krys Cail, Shad Ryan & Stefan Minott about the benefits
of locally owned & managed community-scale energy systems based upon upon
solar and wind power. Community energy can provide electricity for home
owners, renters, businesses, libraries and municipal agencies from one
community renewable generation facility. They will discuss the complex
energy policy terrain in New York State and what the NYS Energy Research &
Development Administration (NYSERDA), NY-Sun and USDA have to offer rural
communities that want to reduce electricity costs.

*Thursday, November 16, 2017 at 7pm *

*First Baptist Church, Interlaken, New York*

At the corner of Main Street & West Avenue (NYS Rts 96 & 96A)


*Solar Seneca in association with **Distributed Energy/Distributed Equity
(DE2*)


All Welcome. Free of charge.

Contact: Tony Del Plato

tonydelpl...@gmail.com or (607) 351-6847

-- 
Let’s fill in all the weak spaces

With a love so bold
it makes us whole.

-Andrea Weiser, from "Threadbare Happiness"

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Insect Protein Interviews

[Tony Del Plato]

>
>
> 3. Fwd: Insect Protein Interviews
> Okay Gay, Eli and other bug lovin' folks,
>
I tried to persuade the Moosewood Restaurant group to regain "the cutting
edge cuisine" by serving up bugs. (we could have stilled claimed a
vegetarian menu! Then again, we do serve seafood) No luck. In China & other
parts of Asia, it's a part of their diet. As most people on this list
probably know, humans have eaten everything (and in some parts of the world
still do) and bugs are a good source of protein! On a more serious note,
I'm reading how the insect population is down (esp bees) and that will
alter the balance dramatically. So who wants to talk bugs?
Tony Del Plato

> --
>
> Subject: Fwd: Insect Protein Interviews
> From: Gay Nicholson <gaynichol...@gmail.com>
> Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2017 17:13:37 -0400
> X-Message-Number: 3
>
> Ok, ST Friends - who is game for this?  Insects as part of our local foods
> diet?
>
>
> -- Forwarded message --
> From: Eli Shanks <els...@cornell.edu>
> Date: Mon, Oct 23, 2017 at 5:03 PM
> Subject: Insect Protein Interviews
> To: i...@sustainabletompkins.org
>
>
> Dear Sustainable Tomkinsers,
>
> My name is Eli Shanks I am conducting a study at Cornell with my research
> partner Candace Choe, attempting to discover consumer perceptions on eating
> insects.  We are looking for people who have eaten insects, or eat insects
> regularly, who think it should be a part of the American diet in some
> capacity.  Do you think this is something people in this list-serve would
> be interested in?  If so, please have them contact me at
> els...@cornell.edu.
>
> The interview will take around 45 minutes and will pay $5.
>
> Best,
> Eli
>
> --
>

-- 
Let’s fill in all the weak spaces

With a love so bold
it makes us whole.

-Andrea Weiser, from "Threadbare Happiness"

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] ACT NOW! - Tell Your Reps to VOTE NO on the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act

[Tony Del Plato]

-- Forwarded message --
From: Nuclear Information and Resource Service 
Date: Mon, Oct 23, 2017 at 10:50 AM
Subject: ACT NOW- Tell Your Reps to VOTE NO on the Nuclear Waste Policy
Amendments Act!
To: tonydelpl...@gmail.com




Tell your US
Representative


to Vote "NO!" on
HR 3053!

Dear
Friend,

*Contact your US Representatives NOW
*
and tell them to vote *NO *on the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of
2017 (*H.R. 3053*)—a nuclear waste bill that threatens nearly every state
with decades of nuclear waste shipments.  The vote could be taken as soon
as this week!

*Please Call 202-225-3121
*
to be connected to your Representative’s office and ask if you can count on
them to *VOTE NO* on H.R. 3053. Then let us know via this *quick form
.*


If the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017 (H.R. 3053) passed, it
would:

   - *revive *the failed, canceled Yucca Mountain
   
(NV)
   site as a nuclear dump, despite volcanoes, earthquakes, its inability to
   isolate the waste and violations of environmental justice, Western Shoshone
   sovereignty and state authority.
   - *direct *the Department of Energy (DOE) to contract for a private
   corporate centralized “interim” parking-lot dum
   
p
   and allows DOE to set up additional supposedly temporary storage sites
   (called Centralized “Interim” Storage-CIS or Monitored Retrievable
   Storage-MRS), all of which are illegal under current law.
   - *trigger *thousands of intensely radioactive shipments on our roads,
   rails and waterways over decades…an unprecedented, massive, multi-decade,
   high-level nuclear waste shipping campaign from over 100 nuclear reactors
   through 44 states to the inoperable Yucca Mountain site or allegedly
   “interim” sites. The waste would have to move again from interim sites when
   a permanent site is opened, multiplying transport risks.
   - *weaken *environmental and safety requirements for this deadly waste.

*This dangerous bill must be stopped now—contact your Congressional
representatives.
*

It would launch thousands of shipments of the deadliest radioactive nuclear
waste ever made via truck, train, and/or barge shipments through 45 states,
including the hearts of many major cities and farmlands, headed for Yucca
Mountain, Nevada and supposedly “interim” parking lot dumps. These
shipments would pass through 370 of the 435 congressional districts across
the U.S.

*This is a major fight you can help win! *


*Additional *information on Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017
(H.R. 3053), organizing and educational resources to use in your community,
and transportation maps and statistics are available on our Don’t Waste
America campaign page

.

Thanks for all you do,


Diane D’Arrigo
Radioactive Waste Project Director



Contact Us:


*Nuclear Information  and Resource Service*

6930 Carroll Ave, Ste. 340

Takoma Park, MD 20912
(301) 270-6477
www.NIRS.org

*Connect with Us:*

[image: Facebook]

 [image: Twitter]

 [image: YouTube]

 [image: Donate]


*Email Preferences:*

*UNSUBSCRIBE*


[image: empowered by Salsa] 



-- 
Let’s fill in all the weak spaces

With a love so bold
it makes us whole.

-Andrea Weiser, from "Threadbare Happiness"

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Review of Hawken's new book "Drawdown"

[Tony Del Plato]

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15583072.PROFILE__The_environmentalist_whose_new_book_is_the_blueprint_for_saving_the_world/

-- 
Let’s fill in all the weak spaces

With a love so bold
it makes us whole.

-Andrea Weiser, from "Threadbare Happiness"

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] What we can do to reverse the ill effects of climate change....

[Tony Del Plato]

And we can do it in 30 years, says Paul Hawken editor of a blueprint for
getting us out of the climate mess we're in.
Tony Del Plato

http://www.drawdown.org/

-- 
Let’s fill in all the weak spaces

With a love so bold
it makes us whole.

-Andrea Weiser, from "Threadbare Happiness"

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Too Big to Feed Us

[Tony Del Plato]

The following is from Michael Hansen, Senior Scientist at Consumers Union.
Tony Del Plato

A new report, Too Big to Feed Us, about consolidation (mega-mergers
resulting in vertical and horizontal consolidation) in the food system has
just been released (at:  http://www.ipes-food.org/
images/Reports/Concentration_FullReport.pdf).  Some of the more frightening
statistics include:  3 companies supply over 90% of the breeding stock for
broilers, layer hens, turkeys and pigs; 4 firms control 53% to 75% of all
animal slaughter, depending on species; 5 companies have more than half of
the farm machinery market; and 3 mega-companies (Dow/DuPont,
Bayer/Monsanto, Syngenta/ChemChina/Sinochem) will have over 70% of the
agro-chemical industry.

This report paints a pretty bleak global picture of the agri-food systems,
but does have recommendations for what needs to be done.  A very important
and excellent report that deserves reading and spreading far and wide.

Michael Hansen, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Consumers Union
101 Truman Ave.
Yonkers, NY 10703
o: 914-378-2452 <(914)%20378-2452>
c: 917-774-3801 <(917)%20774-3801>

-- 

Let’s fill in all the weak spaces

With a love so bold
it makes us whole.

-Andrea Weiser, from "Threadbare Happiness"

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] BASF to harvest seeds, herbicide businesses from Bayer for $7 billion

[Tony Del Plato]

Ah, capitalism. Remember when Bayer was about to buy Monsanto (earlier this
year)? Well another big fish, BASF, is in the pond and is gonna try to
swallow Bayer. May they all gag!
Tony


https://in.reuters.com/article/basf-seeds-bayer/basf-
to-harvest-seeds-herbicide-businesses-from-bayer-for-7-billion-idINKBN1CI0S9
BASF to harvest seeds, herbicide businesses from Bayer for $7 billion
Maria Sheahan 

EDITED











BASF has agreed to buy seed and herbicide businesses from Bayer for 5.9
billion euros ($7 billion) in cash, as Bayer tries to convince competition
authorities to approve its planned acquisition of Monsanto.

BASF, the world’s third-largest maker of crop chemicals, has so far avoided
seed assets and instead pursued research into plant characteristics such as
drought tolerance, which it sells or licenses out to seed developers.

But Bayer’s $66 billion deal to buy U.S. seeds group Monsanto, announced in
September 2016, has created opportunities for rivals to snatch up assets
that need to be sold to satisfy competition authorities.

Bayer said it would use the proceeds to partly refinance the Monsanto
acquisition.

Bayer has to sell the LibertyLink-branded seeds and Liberty herbicide
businesses, which generated 2016 sales of 1.3 billion euros, because they
compete with Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer and Roundup Ready seeds.

LibertyLink seeds, used by soy, cotton and canola growers, are one
alternative to Roundup Ready seeds for farmers suffering from weeds that
have developed resistance to the Roundup herbicide, also known as
glyphosate.

The spread of Roundup-resistant weeds in North America has been a major
driver behind Liberty sales.

“BASF’s decision to acquire seeds assets represents something of a change
to its prior view on its needs to respond to recent industry consolidation
in agriculture,” Morgan Stanley analysts said.


Bayer said it continued to work with the authorities to close the Monsanto
purchase by early 2018.

Deutsche Bank advised BASF on the deal, while BofA Merrill Lynch and Credit
Suisse advised Bayer. ($1 = 0.8442 euros)






-- 
Let’s fill in all the weak spaces

With a love so bold
it makes us whole.

-Andrea Weiser, from "Threadbare Happiness"

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] FBI’s Hunt for Two Missing Piglets Reveals the Federal Cover-Up of Barbaric Factory Farms

[Tony Del Plato]

The FBI’s Hunt for Two Missing Piglets Reveals the Federal Cover-Up of
Barbaric Factory Farms

https://theintercept.com/2017/10/05/factory-farms-fbi-missing-piglets-animal-rights-glenn-greenwald/

-- 
Let’s fill in all the weak spaces

With a love so bold
it makes us whole.

-Andrea Weiser, from "Threadbare Happiness"

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Fwd: [geactivists] Are GMO Pesticides Supertoxins? A New Analysis Raises Questions of Food and Environmental Safety (Press Release)

[Tony Del Plato]

-- Forwarded message --
From: Jonathan Latham 
Date: Thu, Oct 5, 2017 at 8:02 AM
Subject: [geactivists] Are GMO Pesticides Supertoxins? A New Analysis
Raises Questions of Food and Environmental Safety (Press Release)
To: Geactivists list 


*Press Release:*

*Are GMO Pesticides Supertoxins? A New Analysis Raises Questions of Food
and Environmental Safety*

Oct 4, 2017, The Bioscience Resource Project, Ithaca, New York, USA


*Summary: The chief benefit claimed for GMO pesticidal Bt crops is that,
unlike conventional pesticides, their toxicity is limited to a few insect
species. Our new peer-reviewed analysis systematically compares GMO and
ancestral Bt proteins and shows that many of the elements contributing to
this narrow toxicity have been removed by GMO developers in the process of
inserting Bt toxins into crops. Thus, developers have made GMO pesticides
that, in the words of one Monsanto patent, are "super toxins". We
additionally conclude that references to any GMO Bt toxins being "natural"
are incorrect and scientifically unsupportable.*

New Publication Title: *The Distinct Properties of Natural and GM Cry
Insecticidal Proteins*

Authors: *Jonathan R. Latham, Madeleine Love & Angelika Hilbeck*
(2017), in *Biotechnology
and Genetic Engineering Reviews*, 33:1, 62-96,

DOI: 10.1080/02648725.2017.1357295.

*Background:*

Bt toxins are a diverse family of protein toxins produced in nature by the
bacterium *Bacillus thuringiensis*, which is a gut pathogen of many
species. Naturally occurring toxins (also known as Cry toxins) of *B.
thuringiensis* are believed to all have very limited toxicity ranges. These
toxins exist in nature as crystals packaged around DNA. Through a complex
sequence of unpacking and protein processing steps these molecules are
converted to active toxins and kill their targets by creating holes in the
membranes of the gut lining of their victims.

Commercially, GMO pesticidal corn, cotton, and soybeans are widely grown
around the world. GMO Bt crop varieties constitutively synthesize these Bt
toxins and can contain numerous different Bt transgenes (1), each with
somewhat different pest control properties. For this publication,
we reviewed biosafety application documents for 23 globally traded Bt
pesticidal GM crop events as well as peer-reviewed research and patents. We
sought to compare GM proteins with natural ones. Our analysis is the first
to explore the chemical and functional differences between GMO Bt toxins
and natural ones.

The findings:

Our review describes numerous differences between naturally occurring and
GM Bt proteins. Some are intentionally introduced but others are
inadvertent in origin. First, all GMO Bt toxins are soluble proteins rather
than crystalline structures; many GMO Bt toxins are truncated proteins;
parts of natural Bt toxins are often combined to make hybrid GMO molecules
that don’t exist in nature; GMO Bt toxins often have added to them
synthetic or unrelated protein molecules; GMO Bt toxins may be mutated to
replace specific amino acids. Sixth and not least, all GMO Bt proteins are
further altered inside plant cells. GMO crop plants themselves thus cause
changes to the nature of Bt toxins.

Implications:

Surprising as it may seem, these changes are poorly taken into account in
GMO risk assessment. For example, GMO regulators frequently refer to the
"history of safe use" of specific natural Bt toxins. Regulators also
controversially allow most tests of safety to be on surrogate toxins,
rather than GMO crops themselves (2). Our next question was therefore to
determine whether these physical changes enhanced Bt protein toxicity,
which would imply real world food and biosafety implications.

In the publication, we identify clear theoretical reasons, and sometimes
direct evidence, to suppose that each of the six types of changes noted
above enhances Bt toxin activity. For example, Ciba-Geigy measured their
Bt-176 toxins to be 5-10 times more toxicologically active when inserted
into plants. Monsanto patented a series of novel Bt toxins with up to
7.9-fold enhanced activity and called it these "super toxins" having "the
combined advantages of increased insecticidal activity and concomitant
broad spectrum activity." The most powerful of these is now found in
commercial MON863 corn. Additionally, there are theoretical reasons to
expect all GMO Bt toxins to have broader spectrums of activity. Natural Bt
toxins are large, insoluble, and non-toxic precursors requiring unusual
chemical conditions to become active toxins, but thanks to the processing
undergone by all GMO Bt proteins these are far closer to the
toxicologically active form having bypassed key specificity requirements.

Conclusion:

Apparently ignored by GMO biosafety regulators, Bt developers have been
commercialising pesticide-containing GM crops with increased and broadened
toxicity, undermining the chief safety 

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer & the Corruption of Science

[Tony Del Plato]

Carey Gillam has spent the last two decades researching and writing about
Monsanto’s efforts to dominate global agriculture as a purveyor of
specialty seeds and the well-known and widely used weed killer called
Roundup. The research has led him to a dark place - evidence of decades of
deception surrounding Roundup and its active ingredient glyphosate, and the
impacts on people and the environment.


He has pulled it all together in a new book titled *Whitewash: The Story of
a Weed Killer, Cancer and the Corruption of Science

by
Carey Gillam*


For him, *Whitewash *is more than an exposé about the hazards of one
chemical or the actions of one company. It’s also a call to remember the
lessons of Rachel Carson and *Silent Spring* as evidence mounts that we are
in a very precarious point as the push for pesticide dependence and the
drive for corporate profits take precedence over people’s lives and our
environment.



*Erin Brokovich* said about Whitewash: “I am hopeful that Carey’s book will
be a wake-up call for more transparency about the dangers surrounding many
chemicals in the marketplace.” My hope is that you will help share the
messages and revelations contained in *Whitewash* with as many people as
you can.


As the new administration in Washington sets about slashing pesticide
regulations and contributing to heightened concerns about political
interference in scientific research,Help is needed to make sure this book
resonates and doesn’t fall victim to the chemical industry interests who
are already working to quash it. Time is of the essence. Both the EPA and
the European Commission are currently analyzing whether to keep glyphosate
on the market or limit its use, and there is rising global interest in the
safety of this deeply pervasive pesticide. Truth and transparency must lead
during this critical time.


Carey Gillam will be testifying at the EU hearing next Wednesday

Oct
9 on the Monsanto Papers!


-- 
Let’s fill in all the weak spaces

With a love so bold
it makes us whole.

-Andrea Weiser, from "Threadbare Happiness"

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] EPA buys Pruitt $25,000 Booth for Secret Communications

[Tony Del Plato]

https://www.chem.info/news/2017/09/epa-buys-pruitt-25000-
booth-secret-communications?et_cid=6113649_rid=
821476188=top_cid=6113649_rid=821476188&
linkid=https%3a%2f%2fwww.chem.info%2fnews%2f2017%2f09%2fepa-
buys-pruitt-25000-booth-secret-communications%3fet_
cid%3d6113649%26et_rid%3d%%subscriberid%%%26location%3dtop

EPA Buys Pruitt $25,000 Booth For Secret Communications
*4 hours 52 min* ago
1 Comment

by MICHAEL BIESECKER, Associated Press

EPA buys Pruitt $25,000 Booth for Secret Communications

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is spending nearly
$25,000 to provide Administrator Scott Pruitt something none of his
predecessors have had — a custom soundproof booth for making private phone
calls.

EPA did not respond to questions on Wednesday from The Associated Press
about the government contract for the "privacy booth for the administrator"
ordered last month, according to a summary of the contract listed in a
federal procurement database. The contract for the booth, due for delivery
by Oct. 9, was first reported by The Washington Post.

EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman told the newspaper that the booth would serve as
a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, known as a SCIF, which are
secure rooms used to house computers and equipment for communicating over
classified government networks.

"Federal agencies need to have one of these so that secured communications,
not subject to hacking from the outside, can be held," Bowman said.

But former EPA officials told AP that explanation doesn't make much sense.

There is already a SCIF at EPA headquarters in Washington where officials
with the appropriate levels of security clearance can go to access
classified information. EPA employees rarely deal with government secrets.
The agency does occasionally receive, handle and store classified material
because of its homeland security, emergency response and continuity
missions.

Stan Meiburg, who served as EPA's acting deputy administrator until earlier
this year, said he only ever needed to enter a SCIF a handful of occasions
each year.

"It's a head scratcher, for sure," Meilburg said of Pruitt's cone of
silence. "I'm having trouble figuring out what could be the possible
business case for this."

The booth ordered for Pruitt is being built by Acoustical Solutions, a
Richmond, Va.-based company that sells more economical versions retailing
for about $5,000, designed for people taking hearing tests. The company's
president, Joe Niemann, declined to discuss what modifications were being
made for Pruitt's special order.

"We shouldn't talk about our customers," Niemann said.

Liz Purchia Gannon, who worked as EPA's chief spokeswoman during the Obama
administration, called Pruitt's purchase "bizarre."

"It seems like the height of paranoia," Purchia Gannon said. "As someone
who spent a lot of time in the administrator's office, I can tell you that
there was nothing like this previously."


-- 
Let’s fill in all the weak spaces

With a love so bold
it makes us whole.

-Andrea Weiser, from "Threadbare Happiness"

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Yucca Plastic

[Tony Del Plato]

This 2 min video is a great tale of entrepreneurial genius. Maybe we'll
follow Kenya's example and ban plastic bags made from petroleum and
Indonesia finding an alternative. Of course every invention has "energy
requirements" that are part of the costs of new "green" products.



https://youtu.be/dXklBP53VT4

-- 
*Your own wounds can be healed with weeping, your own wounds can be healed
with singing; but the widow, the Indian, the poor man, the fisherman, stand
bleeding right there in your doorway.*
~Pablo Neruda

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Byssus or Sea Silk

[Tony Del Plato]

Sea Silk Byssua
Italian or other, this is a fascinating story & product
Tony

https://youtu.be/YVfkbXz8TPo

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Why is everything going wrong?

[Tony Del Plato]

This is a long piece by Naomi Klein. Her son asked her parents: why is
everything going wrong? While our attention is focused on the devastation
caused by water, lots of water, Klein writes about what should have been a
vacation with her 5 yr old child and husband. Instead she paints a gloomy
picture of wildfires in British Columbia, a third of the province.
Greenland is also experiencing wildfires. Do you believe that Greenland, a
country made of ice is partly in flames? The fires around LA and the
Pacific northwest burning out of control.  Her son is old enough to begin
understanding what the adults are talking about. She and husband tried to
"enjoy themselves."
Tony

https://theintercept.com/2017/09/09/in-a-summer-of-wildfires
-and-hurricanes-my-son-asks-why-is-everything-going-wrong/


-- 
President Trump says every American will win big from tax cuts on
businesses and the wealthy. It's a tough sell because it's not true.
NYT Editors

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Ozharvest Markets DownUnder & the Friendship Donations Network in Ithaca

[Tony Del Plato]

>From the Ithaca Friendship Donations Network to Ozharvest Markets, getting
good food to people regardless of income.
check it out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShpBB63ZiqY

-- 
President Trump says every American will win big from tax cuts on
businesses and the wealthy. It's a tough sell because it's not true.
NYT Editors

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Soy Fashionistas

[Tony Del Plato]

Tofu & clothing from the same production process in Indonesia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOhNM2Y2Auc


-- 
Nothing in the world
is as soft and yielding as water.
Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible,
nothing can surpass it.
The soft overcomes the hard;
the gentle overcomes the rigid.
Everyone knows this is true,
but few can put it into practice...
True words seem paradoxical.
[Tao te Ching]

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] No More Plastics

[Tony Del Plato]

No More Plastics

https://youtu.be/dXklBP53VT4

-- 
Nothing in the world
is as soft and yielding as water.
Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible,
nothing can surpass it.
The soft overcomes the hard;
the gentle overcomes the rigid.
Everyone knows this is true,
but few can put it into practice...
True words seem paradoxical.
[Tao te Ching]

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Traces of Controversial Herbicide Are Found in Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

[Tony Del Plato]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/25/dining/ben-and-jerrys-
ice-cream-herbicide-glyphosate.html?hpw=food&
action=click=Homepage=well-region=
bottom-well=bottom-well
Traces of Controversial Herbicide Are Found in Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

By STEPHANIE STROM JULY 25, 2017


A growing number of foods commonly found in kitchens across America have
tested positive for glyphosate, the herbicide that is the main ingredient
in the popular consumer pesticide Roundup, which is widely used in
agriculture. But few brands on that list are as startling as the latest:
Ben & Jerry’s, the Vermont ice cream company known for its family-friendly
image and environmental advocacy.

The Organic Consumers Association announced Tuesday that it found traces of
glyphosate in 10 of 11 samples of the company’s ice creams — although at
levels far below the ceiling set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Rob Michalak, global director of social mission at Ben & Jerry’s, said the
company was working to ensure that all the ingredients in its supply chain
come from sources that do not include genetically modified organisms, known
as G.M.O.s. None of its plant-based ingredients, for instance, come
from a genetically
engineered crop

like
corn or soy, where glyphosate is used in production. The company is also
trying to figure out a cost-effective way for the dairy farms that supply
its milk to use non-G.M.O. feed.

“We’re working to transition away from G.M.O., as far away as we can get,”
Mr. Michalak said. “But then these tests come along, and we need to better
understand where the glyphosate they’re finding is coming from. Maybe it’s
from something that’s not even in our supply chain, and so we’re missing
it.”

Consumer groups around the country, including the Organic Consumers
Association, have begun raising awareness of glyphosate in food, because
some studies have linked it to a variety of diseases. The International
Agency for Research on Cancer, a unit of the World Health
Organization, declared
this year

that
it “probably” could cause some cancers. The agency reviewed scientific
studies involving people, laboratory animals and cells to assess whether
glyphosate might cause cancer.

Monsanto and other companies that make products containing glyphosate hotly
dispute those studies and say there is no reason for concern. Government
and other regulators tend to agree that very low levels are not harmful to
humans.

Ronnie Cummins, a founder and the international director of the Organic
Consumers Association, said the amount found in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream
would not violate any regulations. “Not everyone agrees with the acceptable
levels governments have set,” Mr. Cummins said. “And, anyway, would you
want to be eating this stuff at all?”

It’s far from clear. Divergent findings over glyphosate’s impact on health
have divided governments, scientists, regulators and even the World Health
Organization, with its International Agency for Research on Cancer linking
it to cancer and another unit of the organization insisting on its safety.

Here is what we know:

• The levels of glyphosate found in Ben & Jerry’s ice creams are, indeed,
small, according to government regulators and the scientist who did the
testing.

Among the flavors tested, Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie showed the
highest levels of glyphosate, with 1.74 parts per billion, and glyphosate’s
byproduct aminomethylphosphonic acid registering 0.91 parts per billion.
The Test Results

The amounts of glyphosate (the herbicide used in Roundup) found in a pint
of each flavor of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, in parts per billion.

Cherry Garcia

No detectable glyphosate

Vanilla

(2 samples tested)

0.05 to 0.25

Half Baked

0.05 to 0.25

Americone Dream

0.05 to 0.25

Chocolate Chip

Cookie Dough

0.05 to 0.25

Phish Food

0.42

The Tonight Dough

0.42

Peanut Butter Cup

0.57

Peanut Butter Cookie

0.91

Chocolate Fudge

Brownie

1.74
The Organic Consumers Association

Such amounts might seem negligible. John Fagan, the chief executive of the
Health Research Institute Laboratories, which did the testing for the
Organic Consumers Association, calculated that a 75-pound child would have
to consume 145,000 eight-ounce servings a day of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate
Fudge Brownie ice cream to hit the limit set by the Environmental
Protection Agency, the government body charged with setting a ceiling on
the amount of glyphosate allowed in food.

An adult would have to eat 290,000 servings to hit the agency’s cutoff, Dr.
Fagan said.

Even European regulatory limits for glyphosate consumption, which are
almost six times lower than limits in the United States, find that a 

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Wash Post: 10 Mega-myths about farming to remember on next grocery run

[Tony Del Plato]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/
wp/2017/07/24/10-mega-myths-about-farming-to-remember-on-
your-next-grocery-run/?utm_term=.f57456c0afef
Speaking of Science 
10 mega myths about farming to remember on your next grocery run
By Jenna Gallegos July 24 at 8:00 AM

Most of us don’t spend our days plowing fields or wrangling cattle. We’re
part of the 99 percent of Americans who eat food, but don’t produce
it. Because of our intimate relationship with food, and because it's so
crucial to our health and the environment, people should be very concerned
about how it’s produced. But we don’t always get it right. Next time you’re
at the grocery store, consider these 10 modern myths about the most ancient
occupation.

*1. Most farms are corporate-owned*

This myth is probably the most pervasive on the list. It is also the
furthest off-base. Nearly 99 percent of U.S. farms are family-owned
.
The vast majority of these are small family farms, but the bulk of our food
comes from large family farms.

*2. Food is expensive*

Americans spend a considerably smaller percentage of their income

 on food than they did in the 1960s. Americans also spend among the least
amount worldwide

on
food as a percent of income. We spend less of our money on food than people
in many other developed nations.

Between 10 and 20 percent

 of the cost of food actually reaches the farmer. That means when commodity
prices rise or fall, food costs remain relatively constant, buffering
consumers from spikes in their grocery bills.

That’s not to say that food isn’t difficult for some American households to
afford, and nutrition and obesity experts worry about the relatively high
cost of nutrient-rich versus calorie-dense foods.

*3. Farming is traditional and low tech*

Self-driving cars are still out of reach for consumers, but tractors have
been driving themselves around farms for years. And driving tractors isn’t
the only role GPS plays on a farm. Farmers collect geospatial data to
monitor variations across a field in soil type, water and nutrient use,
temperature, crop yield and more. The average farmer on Farmer’s Business
Network , a social
media-like platform for farm analytics, collects about four million data
points every year. Artificial intelligence helps sort through all this data
and maximize performance within a field down to the square meter.

The seeds farmers plant are also carefully crafted by years of
state-of-the-art research to maximize yield and efficiency. Gene sequencing
and molecular markers help track the best traits when breeding new crops.
Chemical mutagens and radiation speed up evolution by introducing new
mutations. And genetic engineering enables scientists to move genes between
species or turn off genes for undesirable characteristics.

Organic farms are not necessarily any less high-tech. Except for genetic
engineering, all the above technologies improve yields on many
USDA-certified organic farms.

With all this technology going into modern farms, the demand for skilled
workers in the agriculture sector is also rising. In 2015, the United
States Department of Agriculture

 reported that jobs in food and agriculture outnumber degrees granted in
those fields nearly two to one. Of those job opportunities, 27 percent are
in science, technology, engineering or math.

That’s why I switched from a largely pre-med major to plant biology for my
PhD. I grew up in a farm and ranch community on the dry eastern plains of
Colorado. There, slim margins prevent many farmers from investing in the
newest technologies, so I wanted to help make better seeds more affordable.

*4. A pesticide is a pesticide is a pesticide*

Pesticide is a generic term for a range of compounds. Different classes
target certain types of pests: herbicides for weeds, fungicides for fungi,
insecticides for insects, rodenticides for rodents. Some kill very
specifically. For example, certain herbicides target only broad-leafed
plants, but not grasses. Others, like certain insecticides that can also
harm larger animals at high doses, cross categories.

Pesticides fight bugs and weeds in organic and conventional fields. The
difference is that organic pesticides cannot be synthesized artificially.
This does not necessarily mean they are less 

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Henry Wallace Award to Standing Rock Sioux

[Tony Del Plato]

This award ceremony, narrated by Bill Moyers, highlights the power and
righteousnes of the people mobilized to defend mother earth at Standing
Rock, The Standing Rock Indian Reservation is located in North Dakota and
South Dakota in the United States, and is occupied by ethnic Hunkpapa
Lakota, Sihasapa Lakota and Yanktonai Dakota.

https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/native-news/standing-
rock-sioux-renewable-energy/?mqsc=ED3897760


-- 
“Someone needs to explain to me why wanting clean drinking water makes you
an activist – and why proposing to destroy water with chemical warfare
doesn’t make a corporation a terrorist.”  Winona LaDuke

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Glyphosate Added to CA List of Hazardous Chemicals

[Tony Del Plato]

-- Forwarded message --
From: Organic Consumers Association 
Date: Thu, Jul 6, 2017 at 12:41 PM
Subject: July 7: A Big Day for Monsanto Activists
To: tonydelpl...@gmail.com




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https://www.organicconsumers.org/newsletter/organic-bytes-554-july-7-big-day-monsanto-activists/celebrate>
TOP NEWS OF THE WEEK Celebrate!
[image: WIN scrabble tiles]


On July 7 (2017), California will add

glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, to the
state’s list of chemicals and substances known to cause cancer.

Before we dive into the weeds in terms of what the listing does and doesn’t
mean, and may or may not lead to, let’s take a moment to recognize that
this is a landmark decision in the ongoing battle against Monsanto’s
flagship weedkiller.

Every activist who has engaged in this fight deserves to take a moment to
bask in this victory.

*It’s not everything we need, or everything we want—but California’s
decision, upheld

by the courts, represents a major step forward in a decades-long fight to
expose the truth about Roundup and protect the public from its
cancer-causing effects.*

The full impact of the decision remains to be seen. How much glyphosate
will need to be present before a product is required to carry a warning?
How many foods will exceed the glyphosate residue limits set by
California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA)?

*Will Monsanto find a way to keep those warnings off all labels? Including
foods and weedkillers?*

Time will tell. And activists will need to remain vigilant.

*But today, it’s celebration time.*

*Read OCA’s blog post: 'California to Warn Consumers About Monsanto’s
Glyphosate—But How Much and How Soon?'

*
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https://www.organicconsumers.org/newsletter/organic-bytes-554-july-7-big-day-monsanto-activists/round-it>
ACTION ALERT Round It Up!
[image: Cowboy silhouette with a lasso rounding up Roundup]


What better way to celebrate California's addition of glyphosate to its
Prop 65 listing
of
chemicals "known to cause cancer" than to get rid of Roundup in your own
community.

Moms Across America chose to designate July 7 as National Return Roundup
Day. The idea was triggered in part by Linda Mulligan, a New Hampshire high
school teacher who teaches

a "Random Act of Kindness" class. Students are required to come up with a
random act of kindness for each day of the week. On one of those days, the
students went into barns and garages, gathered up containers of Monsanto's
Roundup herbicide, and took them back to their local hardware stores.

*National Return Roundup Day is a great idea—but why limit it to one day?
And why stop there? There are countless ways to #ResistGlyphosate,
beginning in your own community. Here's how to get started:*

   1. *Join
   
a
   local #Resist & #Regenerate Meetup,* or start a new one,
   

   to connect with neighbors interested in starting a local #ResistGlyphosate
   action team.
   2. *Roundup the Roundup!* Start with Roundup containers in your own
   garage. Return them to your local 

[sustainable_tompkins-l] GMO propaganda film: Food Evolution

[Tony Del Plato]

Marion Nestle takes umbrage:

http://www.foodpolitics.com/2017/06/gmo-industry-propaganda-film-food-
evolution/

Jonathan Latham, PhD
Executive Director
The Bioscience Resource Project
Ithaca, NY 14850 USA

www.independentsciencenews.org
and
www.bioscienceresource.org

jrlat...@bioscienceresource.org
Skype: jonathanlatham2
Tel: 1-607-319-0279 <(607)%20319-0279>

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits
and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic
society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society
constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of
our country.”—Edward Bernays, Propaganda




-- 
“Someone needs to explain to me why wanting clean drinking water makes you
an activist – and why proposing to destroy water with chemical warfare
doesn’t make a corporation a terrorist.”  Winona LaDuke

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Mexico's native crops hold key to food security - ecologist

[Tony Del Plato]

Fantastic quote: "They haven't gone to university, and they don't have a
degree - but they damn well know how to do these things," he said. For
example, they discover and incorporate new knowledge as they exchange seeds
with peers from different areas."

http://news.trust.org/item/20170613173534-rvw1z
INTERVIEW: Mexico's native crops hold key to food security - ecologist
by Sophie Hares / Thomson Reuters Foundation
13 June 2017

(EDITED)

Mexico's ancient civilisations cultivated crops such as maize, tomatoes and
chillies for thousands of years before the Spanish conquerors arrived - and
now those native plants could hold the key to sustainable food production
as climate change bites, said a leading ecologist.

José Sarukhán Kermez, who helped set up Mexico's pioneering National
Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) 25 years
ago, said that analysing the genetic variability of traditional crops, and
supporting the family farmers who grow most of the world's food offered an
alternative to industrial agriculture.

"We don't need to manipulate the genetic characteristics of these
(crops)... because that biodiversity is there - you have to just select and
use it with the knowledge of the people who have been doing that for
thousands of years," said Sarukhán, CONABIO's national coordinator.

Making use of the knowledge held by indigenous groups is "absolutely
essential", said Sarukhán. "That requires working with a wide range of
people, from local cooks to small-scale farmers, especially in states like
Oaxaca and Chiapas in the south of Mexico where indigenous farmers have a
strong traditional culture, he said.

"They haven't gone to university, and they don't have a degree - but they
damn well know how to do these things," he said. For example, they discover
and incorporate new knowledge as they exchange seeds with peers from
different areas.

CONABIO is hoping to win some $5 million in funding from the Global
Environment Facility for a five-year project worth more than $30 million to
speed up research into indigenous crops. CONABIO's information on the
genetic adaptability of native plants will enable scientists to develop new
lines that can tolerate wetter or more arid conditions as the climate
changes, he said.






-- 
“Someone needs to explain to me why wanting clean drinking water makes you
an activist – and why proposing to destroy water with chemical warfare
doesn’t make a corporation a terrorist.”  Winona LaDuke

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] The strange case of the orange petunias

[Tony Del Plato]

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6340/792
Sellers will not be prosecuted for "honest mistake".

Jonathan Latham, PhD
Executive Director
The Bioscience Resource Project
Ithaca, NY 14850 USA

www.independentsciencenews.org
and
www.bioscienceresource.org

jrlat...@bioscienceresource.org
Skype: jonathanlatham2
Tel: 1-607-319-0279 <(607)%20319-0279>

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits
and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic
society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society
constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of
our country.”—Edward Bernays, Propaganda




-- 
“Someone needs to explain to me why wanting clean drinking water makes you
an activist – and why proposing to destroy water with chemical warfare
doesn’t make a corporation a terrorist.”  Winona LaDuke

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Glyphosate: Inconvenient data buried as 'confidential business information.'

[Tony Del Plato]

Inconvenient data buried as 'confidential business information.'

*After the European Parliament obtains the release of Monsanto's data, a
very different picture emerges about the safety of its product.*

June 4, 2017

By Pete Myers
Environmental Health News

The key ingredient in the most widely used herbicide in the world, Roundup,
is stirring up controversy again.

A new analysis of previously confidential data has revealed serious errors
in the supposedly scientific justification that glyphosate is safe.

The analysis comes from a real silverback in the environmental health
field: Dr. Chris Portier, retired Director of the US National Center for
Environmental Health and formerly the director of the US Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry. He finds that the European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemical Agency (EChA) missed eight
instances where statistically significant increases in tumors occurred in
animals exposed to glyphosate.

Portier was only able to obtain access to these data, which had been
submitted for review by Monsanto, because in 2016 members of the European
Parliament requested that the data be made available for public scrutiny.
This request—and the delayed release of the data in the first place—was
necessary because the data had been considered confidential information by
EFSA and EChA.

>From Portier’s letter:

In these additional analyses, I found eight significant increases in tumor
incidence that do not appear in any of the publications or government
evaluations presented by both EFSA and EChA.

He also observes:

Transparency is an important aspect of the scientific process and I applaud
EFSA for allowing limited access to the raw data from the animal studies of
glyphosate. However, scientific rigor is required and the tumors identified
in Table 1 may be interpreted as a failure by the agencies involved in
these assessments to carefully review and analyze all of the available data
before rendering a decision that there is no evidence that glyphosate is
carcinogenic to humans.

Finding these lapses, Portier adds:

I am concerned that other areas of the EFSA review [e.g. reproductive
toxicity and endocrine disruption] may have also received inadequate
evaluations. Since the industry-supported scientific evidence is not
available to external scientists, I am unable to evaluate these data and
determine if there are positive findings.

In summary, after numerous scientists from EFSA, from EChA, from BfR and
from the Glyphosate Task Force have reviewed and evaluated this massive
amount of data, there are still serious omissions in the way in which these
data have been assessed and reported. I respectfully ask that the agencies
involved in the evaluation of glyphosate conduct their own analyses of the
tumor sites presented in Table 1 and amend the record of their decision as
appropriate rather than simply ignoring these observations.

Could it be that this was a one-time error? Or is it possible that this
occurs regularly with the many other chemicals that go through safety
reviews in which the original studies are protected from independent
analysis by concerns over "confidential business information."

I'm trying not to be cynical, but I can't stop thinking that perhaps the
need for confidentiality was generated by the inconvenience of the data.

Here is a link to

Portier's
6-page letter.

Here is a link to  a review of glyphosate I led two
years ago that also reached conclusions inconsistent with the regulatory
agencies' findings.

And you can find more than 1,500 stories on glyphosate, including a June 2
EurActiv story on Portier's letter here in our archives
.

-- 
“Someone needs to explain to me why wanting clean drinking water makes you
an activist – and why proposing to destroy water with chemical warfare
doesn’t make a corporation a terrorist.”  Winona LaDuke

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Arctic Seed Vault Threatened

[Tony Del Plato]

Seed vault in Arctic threatened.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/19/
arctic-stronghold-of-worlds-seeds-flooded-after-permafrost-melts?CMP=share_
btn_fb



-- 
“Someone needs to explain to me why wanting clean drinking water makes you
an activist – and why proposing to destroy water with chemical warfare
doesn’t make a corporation a terrorist.”  Winona LaDuke

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Call to Action; Protect Cayuga Lake; Contact the Governor TODAY!

[Tony Del Plato]

PLEASE NOTE: THE MAP OF CARGILL PLANS DELETED DUE TO FORMATTING & SIZE
CONCERNS
Tony


> To *All* who enjoy living around Cayuga Lake,
>
>  In 1994, the largest salt mine in the United States - the Retsof Mine
> outside Geneseo - collapsed, flooded and permanently closed, after damaging
> a freshwater aquifer, drying drinking wells, creating sinkholes, destroying
> roads, and releasing methane and natural gas. This occurred 67 miles from
> Cayuga Lake. What if the salt mine under 22% of Cayuga Lake had a similar
> failure? Our lake is ALREADY severely impacted with contaminants and
> invasive species, and there are big businesses who continue to put our most
> precious resource, our lake, at risk.
>
>
>
> We write to you today with a request to pick up the phone or send a
> letter. The aim is to bring transparency and environmental review to the
> expanding salt mine beneath our Cayuga Lake. We need the Governor and the
> DEC to know we care about this lake and want to protect it.
>
>
>
> Any day NY DEC could issue a permit to allow Cargill to drill a new shaft
> to access the northern reaches of their mine (in Lansing, across from
> Taughannock Park). This proposed shaft project urgently needs a substantive
> and unbiased environmental review * before* being issued a permit.
>
> Here’s our request of you who enjoy Cayuga Lake and want it available for
> the future.
>
>
>
> 1. *Call* Governor Cuomo: *518-474-8390 <(518)%20474-8390> (press 2
> after the recorded message to get a live person)*
>
> After you’ve called, *email* him here: http://governor.ny.gov/contact
> /GovernorContactForm.php
>
>
>
>   *AND*
>
>
>
> 2.   If you have energy, *call* NYS DEC Commissioner, Basil Seggos at*
> 1-518- 402-8545 <(518)%20402-8545> *
>
> After you’ve called, *email* him: basil.seg...@dec.ny.gov
>
>
>
>   *LASTLY*
>
>
>
> 3. Please *track* that you’ve made contact here: Tracking form link
> 
>
>
>
>
>
> *What do we want the Governor and the DEC to do regarding Cargill’s
> Application?  *
>
>
>
> *Here are your requests!*
>
>
>
>- *Require* a DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Statement) for both
>parts of the Shaft 4 project: a 2,500-ft deep shaft and a one-mile tunnel
>to connect the shaft to the mine
>
>
>- *DELAY* the permit for Shaft #4, at least until an adequate DEIS has
>been completed
>
>
>- Complete *public meetings* on these projects in all communities that
>could potentially be affected by impacts to Cayuga Lake:  Ithaca, Lansing,
>Genoa, Ledyard, Aurora, Cayuga, Springport, Union Springs, Aurelius,
>Montezuma, Ulysses, Covert, Sheldrake, Canoga, and Seneca Falls
>
> *Here are talking points for your phone calls and emails*
>
> ·  There is a salt mine under 22% our lake that continues to expand.
> An Environmental Impact Statement is needed.
>
> ·  New Yorkers own the lake and it is the State’s responsibility to
> ensure our resources are protected.
>
> ·  Independent geologists have reviewed documents related to the
> Cargill’s existing mine and proposed Shaft #4 and are concerned about the
> risk of flooding during proposed shaft construction by upward reaming
> drilling.
>
> ·  Cargill’s existing shafts are already draining groundwater
> resources from a very large area into the mine. A 4th shaft will worsen
> this problem. The proposed storage of Shaft 4 leakage waters in the mine is
> risky and should not be allowed.
>
> ·  The old salt mines under the Town of Lansing are unsafe due to
> pillar erosion caused by the storage of under-saturated shaft leakage
> waters in the old #4 level salt.
>
> ·  We CANNOT have a repeat of the Retsof mine, which collapsed in the
> same geologic group only 67 miles away in 1994. -- The Retsof Mine collapse
> caused long term salinization of a freshwater aquifer, left drinking wells
> dry, created sinkholes, destroyed roads, and released methane and natural
> gas.
>
> ·  There is no closure plan for this mine. For the safety of residents
> and our valuable resources, the State must require an adequate and
> publically-vetted closure plan.
>
> ·  The value of the post-closure bond, $3.5M, is completely
> insufficient financial security for Cayuga Lake, a multi-billion dollar
> asset. The bond must be raised orders of magnitude to protect our lake
> ecosystem, water resources, and tourism.
>
> ·  We need more transparency from Cargill and DEC regarding the
> operation of this mine and potential risks involved to Cayuga Lake and its
> nearby residents. This is crucially important, considering the collapse of
> the Retsof Salt Mine, located not far away.
>
>  Further Information:
>
>- *Cargill*
>
> - DEC has variously maintained that the mine is grandfathered in
> and has never needed an Environmental Impact Statement, they see no
> potential adverse environmental impacts, and Cargill does not recognize
> their 

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Tigerswan Counter-terrorism Campaign Vs DAPL Resisters

[Tony Del Plato]

Tigerswan Counter-terrorism Campaign Vs DAPL Resisters
from The Intercept

https://theintercept.com/2017/05/27/leaked-documents-reveal-security-firms-
counterterrorism-tactics-at-standing-rock-to-defeat-pipeline-insurgencies/

-
“Someone needs to explain to me why wanting clean drinking water makes you
an activist – and why proposing to destroy water with chemical warfare
doesn’t make a corporation a terrorist.”  Winona LaDuke

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Monsanto bombshell

[Tony Del Plato]

Newly unsealed documents prove that Monsanto covered up evidence that the
main ingredient in Roundup was a carcinogen for nearly 20 years.

Newly unsealed documents prove that Monsanto covered up evidence that the
main ingredient in Roundup was a carcinogen for nearly 20 years.



A federal judge in the United States recently ordered Monsanto to release
250 pages of internal documents, and what they revealed is practically
criminal: *Monsanto has known for 17 years that glyphosate, the main
ingredient in its pesticide Roundup, could cause cancer. *

*And they launched a massive coverup to make sure we never found out. *

The released documents -- dubbed the "Monsanto papers" -- show the
agricultural giant has been manipulating research, colluding with a senior
government official at the US Environmental Protection Agency, and
providing bogus articles to government agencies -- all to refute the fact
that glyphosate is a carcinogen.

*Monsanto has proven itself completely untrustworthy and an ongoing risk to
public health.* It should never be allowed to merge with Bayer -- which
would only make both companies more powerful and give them control over our
food supply from seed to plate.

Here's what happened: In 1999, Monsanto commissioned a researcher to study
glyphosate and prove that it does not cause cancer. However, the scientist
found just the opposite -- that glyphosate had properties likely to be
carcinogenic.

*Rather than do the ethical thing and stop using glyphosate, Monsanto
buried the study and began a massive campaign to "prove" that glyphosate
did not cause cancer. *

Internal corporate communications uncovered by the courts show that
Monsanto *conspired with an EPA deputy director to stop reviews of the
effects of glyphosate* by government agencies. The same EPA official also
tipped off the company to a glyphosate report released by the International
Agency for Research on Cancer, giving Monsanto the time it needed to build
a public relations onslaught against the findings.

The agri-giant paid for their own studies defending glyphosate use, and
then hired scientists to write articles for academic journals using the
studies. These articles were then used by the EPA and the European Food
Safety Authority to determine that Roundup was safe to use on food crops.

*And we only know about the coverup because of a lawsuit by people claiming
they got cancer from using Roundup.*

Now, even though the International Agency for Research on Cancer has
classified glyphosate as a probable carcinogen, Monsanto is *still denying*
that Roundup is harmful.

*Monsanto needs to be held accountable for the damage it's done to the
environment and to the people who use its products. *

SumOfUs is continuing our fight to stop Monsanto and Bayer from merging
into the largest agribusiness in the world. We're continuing to pressure
antitrust regulators in Europe and the U.S., using some of the best legal
minds to prove that the merger is a violation of monopoly laws. We're
campaigning along with farmers and consumers to show the public how harmful
a Monsanto-Bayer partnership is, and we're reaching out to Bayer
shareholders to let them know how much they'll lose in this merger.

*Together we can stop Monsanto and Bayer's mega merger. *Will you chip in
to help keep up the fight?

*If you've saved your payment information with SumOfUs, your donation will
go through immediately:*

Donate $60 now

Donate $90 now

Donate $120 now


Chip in another amount


Thanks for all that you do,

Kat and the team at SumOfUs



**
More Information:

Documents Prove Monsanto Has Known Roundup Was Dangerous For Years
, *Konbini*,
March 21, 2017

Monsanto Weed Killer Roundup Faces New Doubts on Safety in Unsealed
Documents 
, *The New York Times*, March 14, 2017




SumOfUs is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to
hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new,
sustainable path for our global economy.

This email was sent to tonydelpl...@gmail.com. | Unsubscribe




-- 
“Someone needs to explain to me why wanting clean drinking water makes you
an activist – and why proposing to destroy water with chemical warfare
doesn’t make a corporation a terrorist.”  Winona LaDuke

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Cornell Seeking to Release GMO Moths

[Tony Del Plato]

Cornell seeking to release genetically modified moths. Tony Shelton is the
lead scientist at Cornell's Geneva Agriculture Station.


https://www.ecowatch.com/diamondback-ge-moth-2417698090.html





-- 
“Someone needs to explain to me why wanting clean drinking water makes you
an activist – and why proposing to destroy water with chemical warfare
doesn’t make a corporation a terrorist.”  Winona LaDuke

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Fwd: [geactivists] Sharing a huge victory

[Tony Del Plato]

Michael,
Below is CFS lead attorney on the victory, limited as it was, to your
points about the victories for Bayer & chemical industry
Thanks for your deeper read into the legal decision on neonicotinoids. The
law is like that: some validated points for one side and some for the
other. Strange in that it doesn't feel like a win-win. Maybe just
minimizing the loses is not enough to call it a gain.
best
Tony

-- Forwarded message --
From: George Kimbrell <kimbre...@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, May 18, 2017 at 1:32 PM
Subject: Re: [geactivists] Sharing a huge victory
To: "tonydelpl...@gmail.com" <tonydelpl...@gmail.com>, Laurel Hopwood <
lhopw...@roadrunner.com>, GEAN <geactivi...@lists.riseup.net>


Hi Tony,
It is true that the decision went against us on our FIFRA (pesticide law)
claims.  We won the Endangered Species Act claims, lost the FIFRA claims.
The press release says that on its face.  That said, the fact we prevailed
at all, in the face of many arguments from the chemical industry and EPA ,
in 4 years of hard-fought litigation, was a significant, and in this neonic
pesticide context, unprecedented, victory.

What will happen now is undecided, as all the Court has held is that the
EPA violated the law in approving 59 different neonic pesticide products.
The parties will now proceed to the remedy stage of the case, in which they
will present their views on what the Court's remedy for EPA's violations of
law should be.  So the battle will wage on for a while longer.  And we will
keep you posted on the eventual resolution of that stage, likely in at
least several months time.

Regards,
George


----------
*From:* Tony Del Plato <tonydelpl...@gmail.com>
*To:* Laurel Hopwood <lhopw...@roadrunner.com>; GEAN <
geactivi...@lists.riseup.net>
*Sent:* Friday, May 12, 2017 5:48 AM
*Subject:* Re: [geactivists] Sharing a huge victory

Laurel n' all,
According to someone who read the legal decision, "the court ruled mostly
in favor of Bayer and the EPA. " The oress release sounds like a victory
for bees & living things but is there more to the decision that will
continue the use of neonicotinoids?
Thanks
Tony Del Plato
Interlaken NY


On Tue, May 9, 2017 at 7:19 PM, Laurel Hopwood <lhopw...@roadrunner.com>
wrote:


*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
*Court Holds Bee-killing Pesticide Approvals Violated the Law*
*EPA must analyze risks to endangered species*
*SAN FRANCISCO—*A Federal Court has ruled
<http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/files/2017-5-8-dkt-269--order--granting-and-denying-in-part-msjs_54860.pdf>
 that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) systematically violated the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) – a key wildlife protection law – when it
approved bee-killing insecticides known as neonicotinoids. In a case
ongoing for the last four years, brought by beekeepers, wildlife
conservation groups, and food safety and consumer advocates, Judge Maxine
Chesney of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
held that EPA had unlawfully issued 59 pesticide registrations between 2007
and 2012 for a wide variety of agricultural, landscaping and ornamental
uses.
“This is a vital victory,” said George Kimbrell, Center for Food Safety
legal director. “Science shows these toxic pesticides harm bees, endangered
species and the broader environment. More than fifty years ago, Rachel
Carson warned us to avoid such toxic chemicals, and the court’s ruling may
bring us one step closer to preventing another Silent Spring.”
Seeds coated with bee-killing neonicotinoid insecticides are now used on
more than 150 million acres of U.S. corn, soybeans, cotton and other crops
– totaling an area bigger than the state of California and Florida combined
– the largest use of any insecticides in the country by far. Additional
proceedings have been ordered to determine the correct remedy for EPA’s
legal violations, which may lead to cancelling the 59 pesticide products
and registrations, including many seed coating insecticides approved for
scores of different crop uses.
The court’s ruling went against other claims in the lawsuit based on the
plaintiffs’ 2012 petition and their procedural argument that EPA had not
published several required Federal Register Notices. The beekeepers and
others plaintiffs were relying on a petition filed in March of 2012, at
which time the scientific evidence of the harm to bees, other critical
species and the broader environment was far less developed. The original
petition however is still lodged with EPA, and as such, its resolution is
not yet fully decided.
“Vast amounts of scientific literature show the hazards these chemicals
pose are far worse than we knew five years ago – and it was bad even then,”
said CFS attorney Peter Jenkins. “The nation’s beekeepers continue to
suffer unacceptable mortality of 40 percent annually and higher. Water
contamination by these insecticides is vi

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Action Needed on Release of GE Moth in Finger Lakes

[Tony Del Plato]

Submit your comments to APHIS by May 19 deadline





*Promoting Local Organic Food and Farming*
*

*

*WHAT YOU (FARMERS & CONSUMERS) NEED TO KNOW!*

*Why Oppose the Open Air Release of the Genetically Engineered Diamondback
Moth?*
* Please click here for comment point details

*

1. Impact on human and animal health and the environment
is unknown, as is the impact on non-targeted species exposed to the GDM
larvae. The use of a tetracycline antibiotic to breed the GDM could result
in anti-biotic resistant bacteria that spread into the environment and food
chain.

2. Impact on brassica farming is unknown. This trial could

create a problem that doesn't exist today, with negative consequences to
the vital brassica farming business and farm economy in NYS.

3. There is potential for contamination and other unintended consequences.
There are no bio-security measures in place to protect those who do not
want exposure.

*Dear Krys,*

*PLEASE ACT BY MAY 19!*

* OPPOSE THE OPEN-AIR RELEASE OF THE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED DIAMONDBACK
MOTH*
*USDA's comment period is open until this Friday, May 19. Here's why we're
asking you to object to the proposal now:*

Cornell University has applied for a USDA permit to conduct the first *Open
Air Release of a Genetically Engineered Diamondback Moth* at the Geneva
(NY) Experiment Station.

Diamondback moths are a potential pest to brassica plants (broccoli,
cabbage, cauliflower, kale, etc.) This new GM insect is intended to reduce
pest populations of diamondback moths by engineering a new female lethality
trait into male GDM  - female larvae die, and males reproduce until the
population is destroyed.

Those pushing this technology *have not completed any worldwide assessments
of health and environmental safety,* and only cursory environmental reviews
have been conducted by the USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS).

Unless and until all environmental and health impacts have been reviewed, *it
is reckless to release hundreds of thousands of novel organisms around the
citizens and farms of New York State.  *

*CLICK HERE

**for
suggested comment points *

*Then Submit Your Comments Today to the USDA

*
(click on the blue "comment now" button)

For more information, see the complete USDA/APHIS permit

and the environmental assessment
.
Check out a
comprehensive review/summary of concerns

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Edible Flatware! Goodbye plastics?

[Tony Del Plato]

Edible flat ware? Made from millet? Will be looking for the reviews of this
new technology. Check this out.

https://facebook.com/ThisIsZinc/videos/663647747169228/



-- 
“Someone needs to explain to me why wanting clean drinking water makes you
an activist – and why proposing to destroy water with chemical warfare
doesn’t make a corporation a terrorist.”  Winona LaDuke

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Big Agro on Campus

[Tony Del Plato]

According to Michael Hansen, Senior Scientist at the Consumers Union:
"Excellent story by Canadian investigative journalist Bruce Livesey about
pesticide industry funding, particularly at University of Guelph, and how
that has lead to research on pesticides such as glyphosate, atrazine and
neonics which find, not surprisingly, that these pesticides are safe and
have no adverse environmental impacts.  The part of glyphosate and how Len
Ritter came to the product's defense after the IARC wasn't surprizing given
Dr. Ritter's long support for pesticides and the role he played in trying
to get rbGH approved in Canada and approved at Codex (which is only
slightly referred to in this story). An excellent piece of reporting."


https://thewalrus.ca/big-agro-on-campus/


Big Agro on Campus
Universities claim industry-funded research on chemical & pesticide safety
is scientifically sound. Not everybody is convinced.
by Bruce Livesay; Illustration by Katie Carey
April 11, 2017

IIn early 2014, New Brunswick’s Department of Natural Resources (dnr) was
facing a crisis. Rod Cumberland, former chief deer biologist for the
province, had been waging a media and letter-writing campaign to draw
attention to an unfolding disaster in the province’s forests—namely, the
collapse of the white-tail deer population, which had dropped to 70,000
from a peak of 286,000 in 1985.

Cumberland was convinced that he had identified the culprit: glyphosate,
the world’s most popular weed killer, which is sold primarily by Monsanto,
an agrochemical multinational. Glyphosate is sprayed on 15,000 hectares of
New Brunswick’s Crown land each year, and Cumberland believes the herbicide
is wiping out the animal’s food source. “Each white-tail eats about a ton
of food a year,” he explains, “so we were basically removing enough food to
feed 32,000 of them annually.”

Industry-funded scientists often demand an incredibly high standard of
proof before they will accept something as toxic.

This originally appeared in the May 2017 edition under the headline
“Science for Sale.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Bruce Livesey has produced investigative journalism for CBC, Global
TV, the *Globe
and Mail*, and the *National Observer*.

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
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Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Why I Didn't March With Liberal Nerds

[Tony Del Plato]

https://ejfood.blogspot.com/2017/04/march-for-science-why-i-will-not-be.html

*Racism; blindness to capitalism in science communities allows continued
exposure and risk disparities*

A FAILURE TO CONFRONT RACISM and CAPITALIST CONTROL OF SCIENCE UNDERMINES
TIES TO OTHER MOVEMENTS

--

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
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Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Scott Pruitt approves dangerous pesticide

[Tony Del Plato]

Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt just overruled
the recommendation of EPA scientists, rejecting a petition to ban the
dangerous pesticide chlorpyrifos.1

EPA studies show that this pesticide affects fetal brain growth during
pregnancy and causes neurological disorders. But instead of listening to
his own agency's research, Pruitt sided with Dow Chemical and a way of
thinking that puts business as usual ahead of protecting our health.2

This is exactly the kind of thing we were afraid of when President Trump
selected Scott Pruitt to run the EPA -- an agency that Pruitt sued 14 times
as Oklahoma's attorney general.3 Now it's up to us to raise awareness and
take action.

* Will you chip in to help us demand a reversal of this anti-science
decision?
*

Chlorpyrifos is so toxic that it has been banned from use in household
products since 2000. In the last decade, several large-scale studies have
found that children with the chemical in their bloodstream had lower IQ
scores than children who didn't, and that farmers who used
chlorpyrifos-based pesticides suffered from memory loss and other
neurological disorders.4 To combat the effects, farmers now wear protective
clothing when using chlorpyrifos.5

* Think about that. The chemical is so dangerous that farmers have to wear
protective clothing, but they're spraying it on our fruit trees and
vegetable plants.*

In 2007, a coalition of environmental groups filed a petition to ban the
use of chlorpyrifos.6 The law was on their side: Legally, the EPA is
required to ban use of a chemical if it cannot be proven safe.7

*But now Scott Pruitt shut down any further review of chlorpyrifos until
2022, putting people at risk for years to come.*8

We're committed to continuing our work to protect bees, achieve 100%
renewable energy, and more. But we need your help to hold Scott Pruitt
accountable and make sure the EPA can continue its work protecting us and
our environment.

*Will you chip in to help protect our health and environment?
*

Thanks for making it all possible.

Yours,

Heather Leibowitz
Environment New York Director

1. E.P.A. Chief, Rejecting Agency's Science, Chooses Not to Ban Insecticide
,
The New York Times, March 29, 2017
2. Ibid.
3. Scott Pruitt won't protect America's air, water or families
,
Environment America, February 2, 2017
4. EPA Decides Not To Ban A Pesticide, Despite Its Own Evidence Of Risk
,
NPR, March 29, 2017
5. Ibid.
6. Pruitt chooses not to ban pesticide after scientists find neurotoxicity
,
Ars Technica, March 30, 2017
7. E.P.A. Chief, Rejecting Agency's Science, Chooses Not to Ban Insecticide
,
The New York Times, March 29, 2017
8. Ibid.


Environment New York: Clean Air, Clean Water, Open Space
255 W. 36th St., Ste. 1201, New York, NY 10018, (646) 473-0905
Facebook

| Twitter



-- 

*"The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even
heard,but must be felt with the heart." *

*— Helen Keller  *

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Researchers find glyphosate in pregnant women, worry about impact on infants

[Tony Del Plato]

https://thefern.org/ag_insider/researchers-find-glyphosate-pregnant-women-
worry-impact-infants/
Researchers find glyphosate in pregnant women, worry about impact on infants

By Rene Ebersole ,  April
7, 2017


A team of scientists this week released early results of an ongoing study
spotlighting concerns about the rising use of pesticides and reproductive
risks to women and children. The researchers tested and tracked, over a
period of two years, the presence of the common herbicide glyphosate in the
urine of 69 expectant mothers in Indiana.

The team – led by Paul Winchester, medical director of the neonatal
intensive care unit at the Franciscan St. Francis Health System and
professor of clinical pediatrics at Riley Hospital for Children in
Indianapolis, Ind. – found glyphosate residues in 90 percent of the women,
and high levels of those residues appeared to correlate with shortened
pregnancies and below-average birth weights adjusted for age. The findings
alarmed the researchers because such babies are at increased risk of
diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and lower cognitive
abilities. “Gestational age maximizes the size of your brain at birth, and
any shortening is essentially a reduction of IQ points,” Winchester said in
an interview with FERN’s Ag Insider. “It has not just health, but lifetime
achievement implications.”

This is the first time that anyone has demonstrated glyphosate is present
in pregnant women in the U.S., according to Winchester. However, the
results were limited by a small sample size. He and his colleagues plan to
submit their research to a peer-reviewed journal within the month and they
hope to expand the study later this year.

“The fact that we were able to find adverse effects on the small number of
people we measured would imply a larger study is needed immediately to find
out if this is prevalent everywhere,” Winchester says. “This is a critical
piece of information that I think people should be concerned about.”

Glyphosate is the world’s most popular herbicide and the key ingredient in
Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer. Globally, 9.4 million tons of glyphosate
have been sprayed on crops, lawns, and gardens since the chemical was
released on the market in 1974.

In response to the new study, Monsanto released a statement from staff
medical experts Katie Karberg and Liza Halcomb. “As physicians and mothers
ourselves, nothing is more important to us than the health and wellbeing of
children. We stand by the safety of our products and the extensive
regulatory oversight provided by agencies like the U.S. EPA,” the Monsanto
officials said.

Currently, concerns about the safety of glyphosate are at the center of a
major national lawsuit. Monsanto is being sued by hundreds of U.S.
consumers who say the company did not warn them, despite evidence, that the
chemical can cause cancers such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood disease. A
key piece of testimony in the suit is a 2015 International Agency for
Research on Cancer (IARC) report stating that glyphosate is “probably
carcinogenic to humans.” Monsanto contests the listing, citing rulings by
the EPA, the European Chemicals Agency, and the European Food Safety
Authority that did not find cancer risks.

In response to the new study, Monsanto said: “The sample size in this
unpublished and non-peer reviewed research is extremely small and not
replicated. No conclusion about causation is supportable.” It also
dismissed the scientists’ findings as “fear-mongering at its worst by
activists and NGOs who are opposed to modern agriculture.”

Winchester has long studied the risks posed by agrochemicals, finding in a 2009
study  that high
levels of the farming chemical atrazine in water was associated with
increased risk of genital birth defects in children.

In the glyphosate study, Winchester and his colleagues considered whether
water might again be the exposure route for the pregnant women they
monitored. After testing water samples, the scientists concluded that it
was not the source. They suspect diet may play a role. The Food and Drug
Administration, however, recently suspended

the
testing of glyphosate residues in food, citing the need for improved
validation methods.

Experts say the spread of weeds resistant to glyphosate in the Midwest is
triggering intensification of herbicide use over longer periods of time.
“Until this year, most herbicides in the Midwest were sprayed during a
six-week window, but now heavy herbicide spray season will last at least
four months, placing more women and children at heightened risk,” Phil
Landrigan, dean for global health at Mount Sinai Medical School and a
member of the research team, said in a statement. As a result, he and his
colleagues predict the risk of 

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Was Trump's Victory about Racism or Class?

[Tony Del Plato]

The following story from The Intercept is based on a study about what
motivated people to vote for Trump. The conclusion might be surprising but
it does point to the fact that to understand a problem, we have to
correctly identify the cause. In my mind both race & class identities
contributed to Trump's win. The sad thing is that while Trump supporters I
know have identified race as an issue for them, they also supported the
economic elite because the rich obviously are successful. Many working and
middle class stiffs block out the FACT that the rich are ripping them off
with tax breaks and the destruction of the social safety net.
Tony Del Plato

https://theintercept.com/2017/04/06/top-democrats-are-wrong-trump-supporters-were-more-motivated-by-racism-than-economic-issues/

-- 

*"The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even
heard,but must be felt with the heart." *

*— Helen Keller  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Keller>*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] robots jobs. energy & populations

[Tony Del Plato]

Good graphs. These are NOT certainties. Only projections if certain trends
continue. Lots can happen between now & 2100
tony del plato


http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170330-5-numbers-that-will
-define-the-next-100-years?ocid=ww.social.link.googleplus



*"The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even
heard,but must be felt with the heart." *

*— Helen Keller  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Keller>*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Fwd: Winona LaDuke at SU Wednesday 29 March 2017

[Tony Del Plato]

Democratizing Knowledge is pleased to host….
An Evening WithWinona LaDuke
5:00 pm
Wednesday March 29, 2017 Shemin Auditorium, Shaffer Art Building
Winona LaDuke is an internationally renowned activist working on issues of
sustainable development renewable energy and food systems. She lives and
works on the White Earth reservation in northern Minnesota, and is a two
time vice presidential candidate with Ralph Nader for the Green Party. She
is Program Director of Honor the Earth, and founder of the White Earth Land
Recovery Project, one of the largest reservation based non profit
organizations in the country. She also works nationally and internationally
to protect Indigenous plants and heritage foods from patenting and genetic
engineering. A graduate of Harvard and Antioch Universities, she has
written five books, including Recovering the Sacred, All Our Relations and
a novel- Last Standing Woman.
Contact Hayley Cavino (hcav...@syr.edu x8750) if you
require accommodations. CART will be provided.
In collaboration with: Skä•noñh - Great Law of Peace Center, Women’s &
Gender Studies, Native American Studies, Native Sudent Program, & Dept. of
Religion.


*Hayley Marama Cavino, M.S. (Hons) / C.A.S. *[image:
cid:image001.png@01D2975B.FDB45E00]
Tribal Affiliations | N. Whitikaupeka / N. Pukenga (N.Z)
Program Coordinator | Democratizing Knowledge
Adjunct Instructor | Native American Studies
Syracuse University *| *202 Tolley Hall
*t: *(315) 443-8750
*e:* hcav...@syr.edu
http://democratizingknowledge.syr.edu/


[image: cid:image002.png@01D2975B.FDB45E00]




-- 

*"The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even
heard,but must be felt with the heart." *

*— Helen Keller  *

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Short Answers to Hard Questions About Climate Change

[Tony Del Plato]

Short Answers to Hard Questions About Climate Change

By
JUSTIN GILLIS

The issue can be overwhelming. The science is complicated. We get it. This
is your cheat sheet.
Or, copy and paste this URL into your browser: https://nyti.ms/2jRFIrp

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 --

*"The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even
heard,but must be felt with the heart." *

*— Helen Keller  *

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] EPA Official Accused of Helping Monsanto `Kill' Cancer Study

[Tony Del Plato]

   - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-14/
   monsanto-accused-of-ghost-writing-papers-on-roundup-cancer-risk
   


   - *EPA Official Accused of Helping Monsanto 'Kill' Cancer Study*
   - Joel Rosenblatt, Lydia Mulvany & Peter Waldman
   - March 14, 2017
   - Monsanto is fighting suits claiming it hid Roundup health risk
   - ‘I should get a medal,’ regulator allegedly bragged to company.


-- 

*"The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even
heard,but must be felt with the heart." *

*— Helen Keller  *

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Judge Threatens to Sanction Monsanto for Secrecy in Roundup Cancer Litigation

[Tony Del Plato]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/judge-threatens-to-
sanction-monsanto-for-secrecy-in_us_58c2de66e4b0c3276fb78433
Carey Gillam, ContributorI am a veteran journalist and research director
for U.S. Right to Know, a non-profit consumer education group.

Judge Threatens to Sanction Monsanto for Secrecy in Roundup Cancer
Litigation
03/10/2017 01:59 pm ET


Nearly a year after a mysterious leak of industry-friendly information from
the Environmental Protection Agency, many pressing questions remain about
the agency’s interactions with agribusiness giant Monsanto Co. and its
handling of cancer concerns with Monsanto’s top-selling herbicide. But
thanks to a federal court judge in California, we may soon start getting
some answers.

The transcript of a recent court hearing  reveals
that Judge Vince Chhabria , who is overseeing
a combination of more than 55 lawsuits filed against Monsanto in the U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of California, warned Monsanto
that many documents it is turning over in discovery will not be kept sealed
despite the company’s pleas for privacy. He threatened to impose sanctions
if Monsanto persists in “overbroad” efforts to keep relevant documents out
of public view.

The litigation against Monsanto has been filed by people from around the
United States who allege that exposure to Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide
caused them or their loved ones to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of
cancer that originates in the lymphatic system and has been on the rise in
recent decades. While those lawsuits are being handled together as
“multi-district litigation” (MDL) in San Francisco, hundreds of other
plaintiffs are making similar allegations in multiple state courts as well.
And the teams of lawyers involved say they are continuing to meet with
prospective additional plaintiffs.

“I have a problem with Monsanto, because it’s —- it is insisting that stuff
be filed under seal that should not be filed under seal,” Judge Chhabria
stated in the hearing. When documents are “relevant to the litigation, they
shouldn’t be under seal, even if they are not – are embarrassing to
Monsanto, you know, even if Monsanto doesn’t like what they say.”

This week the judge also gave a green light – over Monsanto objection - to
a plaintiffs’ request to obtain documents and depose a former Monsanto
official from Europe. Other Monsanto officials are to be deposed within the
next few weeks.

The central question to the mass of lawsuits is causation – can Roundup
cause cancer, and has Monsanto wrongly covered up or ignored the risks. But
the litigation is also threatening to pull back a curtain of secrecy

that
cloaks the government’s work with Monsanto and its assessment of
glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup. There were concerns expressed
years ago inside the EPA that glyphosate could be carcinogenic, and many
independent scientists have pointed to research that raises red flags about
both glyphosate and the formulated version that is Roundup. The
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2015 classified
glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen
.
But the EPA has been steadfast in its assessment that glyphosate is not
likely carcinogenic.

Now plaintiffs’ attorneys allege they are finding evidence in the discovery
documents of apparent collusion

between
Monsanto and at least one high-level EPA official, though Monsanto
vehemently denies that.

Monsanto has made billions of dollars a year for decades from its
glyphosate-based herbicides, and they are the linchpin to billions of
dollars more it makes each year from the genetically engineered
glyphosate-tolerant crops it markets. As it moves toward a planned merger
with Bayer AG
,
defending the safety of what has been the world’s most widely used weed
killer is critical.

So far, Monsanto had turned over close to 10 million documents to lawyers
for the plaintiffs. Among those documents are some that detail Monsanto’s
interactions with EPA officials, including Jess Rowland, head of the EPA’s
Cancer Assessment Review Committee (CARC). A report by that committee
 was leaked to the public on April 29 of last year,
posted on an EPA website when it should not have been, the agency said. The
report stayed on the website only until May 2 before being deleted, but it
was long enough for Monsanto to copy the report, and tout it on its website

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Water

[Tony Del Plato]

This technology is spot on.

https://facebook.com/yooDesignStudio/videos/10154052675781044/

-- 

*"The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even
heard,but must be felt with the heart." *

*— Helen Keller  *

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] The Real Bowling Green Massacre

[Tony Del Plato]

In case you missed this story or didn't know the history (I didn't), then
here's the real Bowling Green Massacre
The history we weren't taught in high school or college. Always a good idea
to read different sources. The alt-fact lunatics can only get away with
their lunacy for so long. Looking forward to the reaction of those who
"believed" the rump and his skanky staff, then realize they'd been
"trumped." ha ha.
Tony





https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/history/events/real-bo
wling-green-massacre-2/?mqsc=ED3870595


-- 

" And there is no doubt that a shift towards renewables is more than a
shift in power sources but also a fundamental shift in power relations
between humanity and the natural world on which we depend. The power of the
sun, wind, and waves can be harnessed, to be sure, but unlike fossil fuels,
those forces can never be fully possessed by us. Nor do the same rules work
everywhere.
from Naomi Klein, "This Changes Everything"


-- The main thing in one's own private world is to try to laugh as much as
you cry.
Maya Angelou

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] In America’s Heartland, Discussing Climate Change Without Saying ‘Climate Change’

[Tony Del Plato]

The strategy of talking about the weather, water and farming without
"climate change" is appealing. Seems like building a point of view from the
ground up. How do "environmentalists" engage climate change skeptics who
are not necessarily shills for the oil/gas industry?

Tony Del Plato


In America’s Heartland, Discussing Climate Change Without Saying ‘Climate
Change’
<http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=pMJKdIFVI6og8d+ofNlzG4IL+h7ABJKs_id=00ba810efe56591c73b506e9c3c51763_type=eta_id=1485880681551906_id=0>
By
HIROKO TABUCHI

Even as conversations about the subject remain contentious, the environment
is becoming a concern no one there can ignore.
Or, copy and paste this URL into your browser: https://nyti.ms/2jHHdZ5
<http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=pMJKdIFVI6og8d+ofNlzG4IL+h7ABJKs_id=00ba810efe56591c73b506e9c3c51763_type=eta_id=1485880681551906_id=0>
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-- 

" And there is no doubt that a shift towards renewables is more than a
shift in power sources but also a fundamental shift in power relations
between humanity and the natural world on which we depend. The power of the
sun, wind, and waves can be harnessed, to be sure, but unlike fossil fuels,
those forces can never be fully possessed by us. Nor do the same rules work
everywhere.
from Naomi Klein, "This Changes Everything"

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] DAPL 1/27/17

[Tony Del Plato]

1/27/17
Dahr Jamail(to Cindy Squillace and others attending the Joanna Macy
retreat)

11:35 AM (45 minutes ago)



I feel the support and am so deeply grateful to have connected with all of
you…the timing of our retreat at Ghost Ranch could not possibly have been
better.



On a related note, we just published a longer interview I did with a member
of the Standing Rock Legal Collective-it gives a good overview of many of
the tactics being used there (physically and “legally”) against the Water
Protectors, and I thought I should pass this along to everyone so we are
clear about what we are facing as we are on the front lines…as we are ALL
on the front lines now. Please read and distribute as you see fit.



http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/39243-missile-launchers-at-standing-rock-weaponized-law-in-action



Breathing through the fear and anger, and standing with you and for Gaia,

Dahr

-- 

" And there is no doubt that a shift towards renewables is more than a
shift in power sources but also a fundamental shift in power relations
between humanity and the natural world on which we depend. The power of the
sun, wind, and waves can be harnessed, to be sure, but unlike fossil fuels,
those forces can never be fully possessed by us. Nor do the same rules work
everywhere.
from Naomi Klein, "This Changes Everything"

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Join the Resistance to KXL & DAPL

[Tony Del Plato]

-- Forwarded message --
From: Duncan Meisel - 350.org <3...@350.org>
Date: Thu, Jan 26, 2017 at 1:44 PM
Subject: Massive opposition
To: tonydelpl...@gmail.com


Hey -

The path to defeating Trump's pipelines is through overwhelming, unyielding
opposition. Thank you for standing up to be a part of it -- can you share
this with your social networks and help build the movement that will stop
Dakota Access and Keystone XL?

Click here to share on Facebook


Click here to tweet


With immense gratitude,

Duncan
--

350.org is building a global climate movement. Become a sustaining donor to
keep this movement strong and growing. 

You can update your contact information, location, or language here
,
or if you're 100% sure you never want to hear from 350.org again you can click
here to unsubscribe.




-- 

" And there is no doubt that a shift towards renewables is more than a
shift in power sources but also a fundamental shift in power relations
between humanity and the natural world on which we depend. The power of the
sun, wind, and waves can be harnessed, to be sure, but unlike fossil fuels,
those forces can never be fully possessed by us. Nor do the same rules work
everywhere.
from Naomi Klein, "This Changes Everything"

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] GOP Hit list is Long & Sweeping

[Tony Del Plato]

http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060048686
As Obama exits, GOP hit list is long and sweeping
Arianna Skibell
January 20, 2017

(edited)

Environmental and regulatory reforms more likely to fly under
President-elect Donald Trump ...  The list includes proactive measures that
would change the way rules are promulgated, reactive regulatory rollbacks,
changes to judicial review, and modifications to bedrock environmental laws
like the Endangered Species Act and Clean Air Act. The list is long.

Regulatory reform

The "Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act," S. 119, the
"sue-and-settle" bill, would prevent environmental and other groups from
compelling federal agency action through litigation. The measure requires
that consent decrees and settlements be filed only after interested parties
have had a chance to comment. The bill stipulates that 60 days be left
between proposal and filing. Courts would then be required to incorporate
the public comments into their decisionmaking. The bill also makes it
easier for a new administration to petition a court to modify consent
decrees approved during past administrations.

The "Secret Science Reform Act," the latest version of which is still
forthcoming, would fundamentally alter how science is used in crafting
environmental policy. It would require that EPA use only "transparent or
reproducible" science to develop regulations and that such scientific data
be posted online so that they can be scrutinized. Proponents argue that the
legislation simply makes science transparent. Democrats and scores of
scientific organizations say the measure would have a crippling effect.
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) said the bill would be one of his top priorities
this year.

The new Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)
wants to overhaul the Endangered Species Act, adding to the list of key
Republicans eyeing the landmark law for reforms.

Carcinogens: In 2015, the World Health Organization's International Agency
for Research on Cancer (IARC) declared glyphosate — a key ingredient in
Roundup, marketed by Monsanto Co. — a probable carcinogen, stirring
controversy over the agency's research methods among industry. Then, last
fall, reports surfaced that WHO petitioned its scientists to withhold
documents on the glyphosate study. EPA has since approved the use of the
chemical, infuriating green groups, who are likely to go to court over the
matter (Greenwire, Nov. 2, 2016).

"Safer Choice": EPA developed a program in which companies voluntarily
submit their products to the agency, which confirms that chemicals of
concern are not present. Then, the companies receive permission to use an
EPA-approved label to tout the products' benefits to consumers. The program
has had an impact not only at niche operations but at major corporations
like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. But many manufacturers of chemicals and groups
have pushed back against the program, including the American Chemistry
Council (E News PM, April 28, 2016).

The "Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act," which passed the House last year, would
require monetary sanctions on attorneys who file "baseless" lawsuits in
federal courts. Under the current system, it is up to the judge's
discretion whether or not to impose sanctions. The bill would also make it
impossible for parties and their attorneys to avoid sanctions by
withdrawing frivolous claims within 21 days. Mandatory sanctioning was in
place from 1983 to 1992 but was repealed after it was shown to increase,
rather than decrease, nonmeritorious lawsuits. The American Bar Association
opposed the bill.





-- 

“The wealthy,” Obama claimed last Tuesday night “are paying a fair share of
taxes.” Yes, he actually said that.  Quick, someone go tell Bernie Sanders
that Obama actually said that.

from Paul Street, Hit the Road Barack

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
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If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Fwd: Monsanto, EPA Seek to Keep Talks About Glyphosate Cancer Review a Secret

[Tony Del Plato]

-
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carey-gillam/monsanto-epa-seek
-to-keep_b_14250572.html

Monsanto, EPA Seek to Keep Talks About Glyphosate Cancer Review a Secret
 01/18/2017 03:17 pm ET | *Updated* 34 minutes ago

   -
   

   -
   

   -
   

   -
   

   -
   



Carey Gillam  
Veteran journalist; Research Director for
U.S. Right to Know, a non-profit consumer education group

[image: 2017-01-18-1484765463-9820961-scalesofjustice.jpg]


Monsanto Co. and officials within the Environmental Protection Agency are
fighting legal efforts aimed at exploring Monsanto’s influence over
regulatory assessments of the key chemical in the company’s Roundup
herbicide, new federal court filings show.

The revelations are contained in a series of filings made within the last
few days in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
as part of litigation brought by more than 50 people suing Monsanto. The
plaintiffs claim they or their loved ones developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma
(NHL) after exposure to Roundup herbicide, and that Monsanto has spent
decades covering up cancer risks linked to the chemical.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs want the court to lift a seal on documents that
detail Monsanto’s interactions with former top EPA brass Jess Rowland
regarding the EPAs’ safety assessment of glyphosate, which is the key
ingredient in Roundup. Monsanto turned the documents over in discovery but
marked them “confidential,” a designation plaintiffs’ attorneys say is
improper. They also want to depose Rowland. But Monsanto and the EPA object
to the requests, court documents show.

The EPA has spent the last few years assessing the health and environmental
safety aspects of glyphosate as global controversy
over the chemical has mounted. The
World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer
(IARC) declared in March 2015 that glyphosate is a probable human
carcinogen,
 with
a positive association found between glyphosate and NHL. Monsanto has been
fighting to refute that classification.

Rowland has been key in Monsanto’s efforts to rebut the IARC finding
 because until
last year he was a deputy division director within the health effects
division of the EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs, managing the work of
scientists who assessed human health effects of exposures to pesticides
like glyphosate. And, importantly, he chaired the EPA’s Cancer Assessment
Review Committee (CARC) that issued an internal report in October 2015
contracting IARC’s findings. That 87-page report ,
signed by Rowland, determined that glyphosate was “not likely to be
carcinogenic to humans.”

The EPA finding has been highly valued by Monsanto, helping bolster the
company’s defense against the Roundup liability lawsuits
,
and helping shore up market support for a product that brings in billions
of dollars in revenues to the company annually. The EPA’s stamp of approval
for the safety of glyphosate over the last few decades has also been key to
the success of Monsanto’s genetically engineered, glyphosate-tolerant
crops, which have been popular with farmers.

But the handling of the CARC report raised questions when it was posted to
a public EPA website on April 29, 2016 and kept on the site for only three
days before being pulled down. The agency said the report was not final and
that it should not have been posted, but Monsanto touted the report
as
a public affirmation of its safety claims for glyphosate. The company also
brought a copy of the report to a May court hearing in the Roundup
litigation as a counter point to the IARC cancer classification. Shortly
after the CARC report was removed from the EPA website, Rowland left his
26-year career at the EPA.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys have asked to depose Rowland  to
learn about that situation and other dealings with Monsanto. But, along
with Monsanto’s objection to releasing the documents that relate to its
conversations with 

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Democracy at Work: Richard Wolff Livestream from Munich

[Tony Del Plato]

Dear friends:
As one who has been involved the cooperative movement to varying degrees
for decades, including workplace ownership/self-management, this event
sounds exciting (see the list of people on the panel). I thought you'd be
interested as well.
in solidarity
Tony Del Plato
[image: d@w]
<http://www.democracyatwork.info/r?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdemocracyatwork.info%2Fdonate=29f17231485d069f58eb5f590b6f19ad_source=democracyatwork_medium=email_campaign=011317_actvism=1>


Anthony --

This weekend, *Richard Wolff* will join a livestream with acTVism Munich
<http://www.democracyatwork.info/actvism_20170115?e=29f17231485d069f58eb5f590b6f19ad_source=democracyatwork_medium=email_campaign=011317_actvism=2>
for a panel on *Freedom & Democracy* alongside *Jürgen Todenhöfer*, *Jeremy
Scahill*, *Paul Jay*, *Srećko Horvat* and *Edward Snowden.* We invite you
to join thousands of viewers around the world who will tune in this Sunday:



*[image: actvism_munich.png]
<http://www.democracyatwork.info/actvism_20170115?e=29f17231485d069f58eb5f590b6f19ad_source=democracyatwork_medium=email_campaign=011317_actvism=3>
acTVism
Munich Livestream:*
*Freedom & Democracy - Global Issues in Context*
January 15, 2017 at 1pm EST (US time)
*RSVP to receive an email
<http://www.democracyatwork.info/actvism_20170115?e=29f17231485d069f58eb5f590b6f19ad_source=democracyatwork_medium=email_campaign=011317_actvism=4>
with a direct link*
*available 2 hours before the live event. *

*About:* “At the end of the Second World War a new era of globalization of
capital and production began that continues on today and is enforced
through manifold free trade agreements. In addition, the disparity between
rich and poor is growing ever larger and global society is experiencing the
increasing regression of stability and civil rights. Are these events
interconnected? Can we see a pattern? We will speak with international
experts about supposed structures and connections to find out if and how we
can make a change for the better of all.”

Anyone is welcome to view the livestream and we hope you can join!

Thank you for your support,
*The [image: d@w] Team*
Democracy at Work







[image: Donate]
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-- 
-- The main thing in one's own private world is to try to laugh as much as
you cry.

Maya Angelou



-- 

“There are victories and defeats in politics,” said Mario Soares in 1986,
“and what is necessary is to maintain your convictions, to keep battling.”

*an indefatigable Portugese political animal*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] James Hanson RS Interview: Is there time left?

[Tony Del Plato]

A great interview where james Hanson advocates for new, smaller, safer more
efficient nuclear power plants to help provide enough energy as we power
down from fossil fuels.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/will-we-miss-
our-last-chance-to-survive-climate-change-w456917


-- 

“There are victories and defeats in politics,” said Mario Soares in 1986,
“and what is necessary is to maintain your convictions, to keep battling.”

*an indefatigable Portugese political animal*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] France Lets Workers Turn Off, Tune Out and Live Life

[Tony Del Plato]

Vive La France!


France Lets Workers Turn Off, Tune Out and Live Life

By
ALISSA J. RUBIN

A raft of measures meant to balance modernity and tradition will make it
easier to unplug from work email, protect the environment and get divorced.
Or, copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://nyti.ms/2iYBTzK

*Not a Subscriber*? To get unlimited access to all New York Times articles,
subscribe today. See Options




-- 

*“The only way we can endure man’s inhumanity to man, is to make our own
lives an example of man’s humanity to man.” Alan Paton*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] The Lithium Rush or How Indigenous Peoples Get Screwed Again

[Tony Del Plato]

“There’s a good side and a bad side to mining,” Donigian said. The good
side is the economic benefit; the bad side is potential pollution and water
shortages. Even beyond that, many worry what will have been accomplished in
20 or 40 years once the lithium companies exhaust the reserves.
from Washington Post Article

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/batteries/tossed-aside-in-the-lithium-rush/?utm_medium=email_source=digg

-- 

*“The only way we can endure man’s inhumanity to man, is to make our own
lives an example of man’s humanity to man.” Alan Paton*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Cancer Questions, Controversy and Chorus at EPA Glyphosate Meetings

[Tony Del Plato]

Cancer Questions, Controversy and Chorus at EPA Glyphosate Meetings
 12/16/2016 03:21 pm ET | *Updated* 3 minutes ago

   -
   

   -
   

   -
   

   -
   

   -
   



Carey Gillam  
Veteran journalist; Research Director for
U.S. Right to Know, a non-profit consumer education group

[image: 2016-12-16-1481918912-5133429-EPA_800px.jpg]


In terms of entertainment value, the Environmental Protection Agency had it
all this week.

The agency held a four-day-long gathering
 of
scientists aimed at the rather dry task of analyzing numerous research
studies connected to cancer concerns swirling around a chemical called
glyphosate. Glyphosate is the world’s most widely used herbicide and is the
key ingredient in Monsanto Co.’s Roundup brand. But along with the slicing
and dicing of data came razor sharp debate, questions about chemical
industry influence over regulators, and even a bit of theater as one group
of environmental activists interrupted proceedings to break out in song
. Their refrain?
“Monsanto is the Devil. No Glyphosate.”

The meetings brought together a roster of scientists

with
expertise in epidemiology, toxicology and related expertise to advise the
EPA on whether or not the agency has properly determined that the weight of
evidence indicates glyphosate is “not likely to be carcinogenic”

to
humans. The determination runs counter to the classification made in March
2015 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an arm of
the World Health Organization. IARC said a review of scientific research
shows that glyphosate is a “probable human carcinogen.”


The EPA’s determination is crucial on many fronts - Monsanto is currently
defending itself against more than three dozen lawsuits
claiming
glyphosate-based Roundup gave people non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), a type of
blood cancer; both the EPA and the European Union are assessing
re-registrations of glyphosate to determine if limits should be placed on
the chemical; and Monsanto is attempting a $66 billion merger with
German-based Bayer.

But while the EPA may have hoped for resounding support from the Scientific
Advisory Panel (SAP) it assembled, from the outset of the meetings on
Tuesday, concerns were raised by some of the experts about the quality of
the EPA’s analysis. Some scientists were concerned that the EPA was
violating its own guidelines in discounting data from various studies that
show positive associations between glyphosate and cancer. Several of the
SAP members questioned why the EPA excluded some data that showed
statistical significance, and wrote off some of the positive findings to
mere chance.

Monique Perron, a scientist in the Health Effects Division of EPA’s Office
of Pesticide Programs, explained that “professional judgment” played a role
in looking at the “weight of evidence” from various studies. The EPA looked
at both published studies as well as unpublished studies conducted by
industry players like Monsanto, according to Perron. The IARC review
focused on published, peer-reviewed research.

The public comments portion of the agenda opened with an interesting twist
as a representative from the Italy-based European Food Safety Authority and
one from the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) took to the
microphones to weigh in on their perceptions of glyphosate’s safety. Both
said their own assessments were largely in line with the EPA view, that
glyphosate is not a cause of cancer.

The BfR, which is part of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture in
Germany, advised EFSA and drafted the report that EFSA issued in November
2015 that declared glyphosate was “unlikely to be carcinogenic.” That
report has been the subject of some controversy because the BfR relied on
the advice of the Glyphosate Task Force, the consortium of chemical

[sustainable_tompkins-l] How “open source” seed producers from the U.S. to India are changing global food production

[Tony Del Plato]

The food movement can't be stopped.


https://ensia.com/features/open-source-seeds/

How “open source” seed producers from the U.S. to India are changing global
food production 

How “open source” seed producers from the U.S. to India are changing
global...
Around the world, plant breeders are resisting what they see as corporate
control of the food supply by making s...





-- 

*“The only way we can endure man’s inhumanity to man, is to make our own
lives an example of man’s humanity to man.” Alan Paton*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Throwback Tuesday December 13 Lunch @ Moosewood!

[Tony Del Plato]

Besides us Oldies n' Goodies of Moosewood cooking & serving you, we're
donating 10% of sales to the Women's March in DC

Come celebrate Moosewood and 44 yrs in business in January.

Buon'appetito!

Tony

Throwback Tuesday December 13 Lunch

Serving Lunch from 11:30-2:30 Old School!



*Soups*Cup=3.00 Bowl=4.50:

(gf) *Creamy Hungarian Mushroom*

(v) (gf) *Thai Butternut Squash*

*Entrées*Each=12.00 (served with choice of side salad or
cup of soup)

(v) *Sichuan Noodles* with gingered broccoli and carrots and baked tofu and
spicy peanut sauce

(gf) *Rumpledethumps*—cheesy mashed potato-cabbage-broccoli casserole

*Salmon Croquettes* with roasted potatoes and aioli


*Daily Special*   Cup =8.50Bowl=10.00

Choice of soup, large tossed salad, and bread (or rice)


*Salad Dressings*:  L.D.’s Creamy Green (spinach-basil)

 Floating Cloud (ginger-miso)

 Lemon-Tahini

 Feta-Garlic

 *Drink Special: **Pumps On The Ground*-a hot cider toddy


Our regular drink and dessert menus available too!

-- 

*“Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Moving Beyond the Two-Party Agricultural System

[Tony Del Plato]

 *Thursday **Moving Beyond a Two-Party Agricultural System*
*
(12/1,
12:20-1:10pm, 160 Mann)* Organic farmer Amy Hepworth will speak about a
sustainable approach to farming and a hybrid system that combines the best
practices of both organic and conventional farming. LIVESTREAM


*- “Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Do you have any electric car?

[Tony Del Plato]

Do you have an electric car you'd like to demo in a transportation fair in
South Seneca county in September?
Please contact me.
Thanks
Tony Del Plato
tonydelpl...@gmail.com

-- 

*“Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Gas Drilling Company Builds Razor Wire Wall On Native Burial Ground

[Tony Del Plato]

EXCLUSIVE 2 1/2 Minute televised news report: Dakota Access Pipe Line
(DAPL) corp Builds Razor Wire Wall On Native Burial Ground, Standing Rock,
Lakota & federal lands. Police & oil company are breaking the law. Only
water protectors resisting.
Do whatever you can to protect and defend the people from those who put our
water at risk for oil & gas.
Tony

https://youtu.be/l7UavuUxOGM

EXCLUSIVE: DAPL Builds Razor Wire Wall On Native Burial Ground


EXCLUSIVE: DAPL Builds Razor Wire Wall On Native Burial Ground
Energy Transfer Partners: (214) 981-0700 U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers:
(202) 761-0010; (202) 761-0014 Department...





-- 

*“Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Fwd: Why the food movement is unstoppable

[Tony Del Plato]

The essay (see link below) entitled "Why the food movement is unstoppable"
by Jonathan Latham, is one of the most exciting essays I've read in a very
long time about food, justice and reality. It not only challenges
"enlightenment thinking," it is lucid in a way that defies ideology and
mechanistic thinking. If biology is destiny, then it's time for humanity to
step off of its pedestal, and become part of life on earth as if every
breathing and eating organism matters.
Tony Del Plato

http://www.independentsciencenews.org/health/why-the-food-movement-
is-unstoppable/

-- 

*“Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*



-- 

*“Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] More Bad News for Honey = Glyphosate Residues in Food

[Tony Del Plato]

More Bad News for Honey as U.S. Seeks to Get Handle on Glyphosate Residues
in Food

Carey Gillam  
Veteran journalist; Research Director for
U.S. Right to Know, a non-profit consumer education group

[image: 2016-11-02-1478101514-6826308-100natural.jpg]


Testing for residues of an herbicide developed by Monsanto Co. that has
been linked to cancer has turned up high levels in honey from the key farm
state of Iowa, adding to concerns about contamination that have triggered
at least two lawsuits against honey industry players and prompted scrutiny
by regulators.

The Food and Drug Administration began glyphosate residue testing in a
small number of foods earlier this year after the International Agency for
Research on Cancer classified glyphosate
 as
a probable human carcinogen in March 2015. The “special assignment,” as the
FDA refers to the testing project, is the first time the FDA has ever
looked for glyphosate residues in food, though it annually tests foods for
numerous other pesticides.

Research
by
FDA chemist Narong Chamkasem and John Vargo, a chemist at the University of
Iowa, shows that residues of glyphosate - the chief ingredient in
Monsanto’s branded Roundup herbicide - have been detected at 653 parts per
billion,

more
than 10 times the limit of 50 ppb allowed in the European Union. Other
samples tested detected glyphosate residues in honey samples at levels from
the low 20s ppb to 123 parts per billion ppb. Some samples had none or only
trace amounts below levels of quantification. Previous reports
had
disclosed glyphosate residues in honey detected as high as 107 ppb. The
collaborative work was part of an effort within FDA to establish and
validate testing methodology for glyphosate residues.

“According to recent reports, there has been a dramatic increase in the
usage of these herbicides, which are of risk to both human health and the
environment,” Chamkasem and Vargo stated in their laboratory bulletin.

Because there is no legal tolerance level for glyphosate in honey in the
United States, any amount could technically be considered a violation,
according
to statements  made
in FDA internal emails, obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
requests.

The Environmental Protection Agency may soon move to set a tolerance,
however. The agency has set tolerance levels for glyphosate residues in
many foods the EPA expects might contain residues of the weed killer. When
residue levels are detected above the tolerance levels, enforcement action
can be taken against the food producer.

“EPA is evaluating the necessity of establishing tolerances for inadvertent
residues of pesticides in honey,” the agency said in a statement. The EPA
also said there was no reason for consumers to be concerned about the
residue in honey. “EPA has examined the glyphosate residue levels found in
honey and has determined that glyphosate residues at those levels do not
raise a concern for consumers,” the agency said.

Despite the reassurances, at least two lawsuits have been filed over the
issue. The Organic Consumers Association and the Beyond Pesticides
nonprofit groupfiled suit Nov. 1

against
the Sioux Honey Association Cooperative, a large Iowa-based group of bee
keepers who produce the nationally known brand Sue Bee Honey. Sue Bee bills
itself as “America’s Honey,” but the lawsuit alleges that the labeling and
advertising of Sue Bee products as “Pure,” “100% Pure,” “Natural,” and
“All-natural” is “false, misleading, and deceptive.” Some of the glyphosate
residues detected in the FDA tests were found in the Sue Bee brand, according
to the FDA documents
 obtained
through FOIA requests.

The claims are similar to another lawsui
t,
which seeks class action status, that was filed against Sioux Honey
Association in late September in U.S. District Court for the Eastern
District of New York.

Quaker Oats was sued earlier this year on a similar claim regarding
glyphosate residues. The FDA has also found glyphosate residues in oatmeal

[sustainable_tompkins-l] This video shows journalist shot at Standing Rock

[Tony Del Plato]

Apologies for cross postings


http://fusion.net/story/365922/standing-rock-erin-
schrode-shot-police-no-dapl/?utm_source=facebook_
medium=social_campaign=fusion

This horrific video shows the moment a journalist at Standing Rock was shot
by police for no reason


This horrific video shows the moment a journalist at Standing Rock was
shot...
As peaceful protests over the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline again
turn violent, one journalist near the S...





-- 

*“Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] National Geographic & Leonardo DiCaprio's "Before the Flood"

[Tony Del Plato]

If you watch anything this weekend, turn on the National Geographic
documentary: "Before the Flood," with Leonardo DiCaprio as the face & voice
of the message: we can affect climate change for the better if we act now
in small and large ways. The 1 1/2 hour movie is free. Watch it on your
computer or you television but watch it.

To climate deniers among us, you have a right to your opinion, but you do
not have a right to make up facts. The facts are indisputable, regardless
of all the ExxonMobile money buying politicians and media pundits saying
otherwise.

Live as if your life and the life of future generations matter.
Tony

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/before-the-flood/

---

*“Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] G.M.O.s were supposed to feed a growing world population and curb pesticides. But after 20 years, they have fallen short.

[Tony Del Plato]

Add nytdir...@nytimes.com to your address book.
October 30, 2016 [image: The New York Times]

NYTimes.com
»

Top Stories

October
30, 2016

TOP STORIES
G.M.O.s were supposed to feed a growing world population and curb
pesticides. But after 20 years, they have fallen short.

Sunday, October 30, 2016 10:06 AM EDT
The controversy over genetically modified crops has long focused on largely
unsubstantiated fears that they are unsafe to eat. But an extensive New
York Times examination shows that the debate has missed a more basic
problem: Genetic modification hasn’t significantly improved crop yields or
reduced overall use of chemical pesticides.
Read more »

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-- 
-- The main thing in one's own private world is to try to laugh as much as
you cry.

Maya Angelou



-- 

*“Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have 

[sustainable_tompkins-l] EPA Bows to Chemical Industry in Delay of Glyphosate Cancer Review

[Tony Del Plato]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carey-gillam/epa-bows-to-
chemical-indu_b_12563438.html
EPA Bows to Chemical Industry in Delay of Glyphosate Cancer Review
 10/19/2016 04:13 pm ET

   -
   

   -
   

   -
   

   -
   

   -
   



Carey Gillam  
Veteran journalist; Research Director for
U.S. Right to Know, a non-profit consumer education group

[image:
2016-10-19-1476907006-5487821-EnvironmentalProtectionAgency1280x960.jpg]


This might have been a tough week for Monsanto Co. The Environmental
Protection Agency was slated to hold four days of public meetings focused
on essentially one question: Is glyphosate, the world’s most widely used
herbicide and the lynchpin to Monsanto’s fortunes, as safe as Monsanto has
spent 40 years telling us it is?

But oddly, the EPA Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) meetings, called to look
at potential glyphosate ties to cancer, were “postponed
“ just
four days before they were to begin Oct. 18, after intense lobbying by the
agrichemical industry. The industry first fought to keep the meetings from
being held at all, and argued

that
if they were held, several leading international experts should be excluded
from participating, including “any person who has publicly expressed an
opinion regarding the carcinogenicity of glyphosate.”

As the meetings drew near, CropLife America
, which represents the
interests of Monsanto and other agribusinesses, specifically took issue
with at least two scientists chosen for the panel, alleging the experts
might be unfavorably biased against industry interests. On Oct. 12, the
group sent a letter

to
the EPA calling forDr. Kenneth Portier
 of the
American Cancer Society to be more deeply scrutinized for any “pre-formed
conclusions” about glyphosate.

More notably, CropLife called for leading epidemiologist Dr. Peter Infante

to
be completely disqualified from panel participation: “EPA should replace
Dr. Infante with an epidemiologist without such patent bias,” CropLife told
EPA. The chemical industry group said Infante was unlikely to give
industry-sponsored research studies the credibility the industry believes
they deserve. CropLife said Infante has testified in the past for
plaintiffs in chemical exposure cases against Monsanto. Croplife also
argued that because Infante was the “only epidemiologist on the glyphosate
SAP” he would have enhanced influence in the evaluation of epidemiological
data about glyphosate and cancer.

The CropLife letter was dated last Wednesday, and by Friday the EPA
announced it was looking for additional epidemiology expertise to ensure
“robust representation from that discipline.” EPA also said one panelist
had voluntarily departed, though the agency refused to say who that
panelist was.

Challenging Infante’s role is a gutsy move. After all, Infante spent 24
years working for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration helping
determine cancer risks to workers during the development of standards toxic
substances, including asbestos, arsenic, and formaldehyde. His resume
includes a stint at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health where he conducted epidemiological studies related to carcinogens,
and he has served as an expert consultant in epidemiology for several world
bodies, including the EPA and the World Trade Organization.

According to sources close to the situation, Infante remains a panelist as
of this week, but there is no certainty when the meetings might be
rescheduled, and what the panel membership might look like when they are
rescheduled. The EPA has refused to discuss who remains on the panel and
who does not at this point, and some onlookers said the EPA was clearly
bowing to agrichemical industry interests.

“This is outrageous. The industry wants to say that our own government
scientists, the top ones in their fields, 

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Program Director Sought for HeatSmart II Program

[Tony Del Plato]

>
> This is a great opportunity for someone with customer service and program
> management skills to lead the next round of Solar Tompkins’ HeatSmart
> program to encourage homeowners to install heat pumps and energy efficiency
> measures. Please help us find an excellent candidate and share widely.
> Thanks.
>
>
>
> Brian Eden
>
>
>
> 
>
> Employment Opportunity: Program Director Sought for HeatSmart II Program
>
>
>
> Are you interested in making a difference in the world by helping our
> community meet its greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals?  Would you
> like to work with engaged leaders in the local movement to reduce energy
> use and transition to renewable energy systems?  If so, please read on and
> consider applying for this exciting job opportunity.
>
>
>
> The Solar Tompkins Board of Directors is conducting a search for a
> uniquely qualified and talented individual to hire as Program Director for
> HeatSmart II, an expansion of last year’s ground-breaking HeatSmart pilot
> program. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to participate
> in a limited term project with the goal of spurring 200 or more homes
> within Tompkins County to convert to heat pump technologies and/or
> undertake building efficiency measures. He/She will contribute leadership
> and guidance within a proven, effective program that optimizes the customer
> experience and simplifies what can otherwise be a complex set of decisions.
> The Program Director’s contract position will begin in early December,
> 2016, and last through December 31, 2017.
>
>
>
> The Program Director will be directly involved in shaping the program to
> reach those goals, and will be responsible for the day-to-day operation and
> management of the program.
>
>
>
> This is an exciting campaign for Tompkins County, and a rare opportunity
> for the right individual to make a difference in the energy outlook for the
> community.  No need to be an expert right now on all the energy science,
> but a strong willingness to learn and demonstrated customer service and
> program management skills are essential.
>
>
>
> A copy of the Request for Qualifications may be obtained from the
> following website (note that you must first register to view the RFQ):
> http://contract.tompkinscountyny.gov/bid/list/rfp
>
>
>
>
>
> The deadline for submission of qualifications is 10:00 AM (EST) Monday,
> Nov. 7, 2016.
>
>
>
> 
>
*“Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Stop Additional Taxes to Bail Out Nukes

[Tony Del Plato]

Friends,

Governor Andrew Cuomo is moving forward with a plan to bail out old,
unprofitable nuclear power plants upstate to the tune of nearly $8 billion.
And he wants New Yorkers to pay for that bailout on their electricity
bills.

The governor says this move is about preserving jobs and fighting climate
change, but we know better. Our state deserves clean, affordable and
renewable energy. Governor Cuomo’s plan is like subsidizing the
horse-and-buggy industry while Henry Ford is rolling cars off the assembly
line. Nuclear energy is not our future -- it’s dirty, expensive and
dangerous.

Sign our petition to tell Governor Cuomo we don’t want another expensive
tax on our electricity bills to subsidize a dying nuclear industry.

[SIGN THE PETITION]

If we don’t act now to stop the Cuomo Tax, billions of dollars from hard
working New Yorkers will go straight to nuclear plant owner Exelon, a
Chicago-based Fortune 100 company with annual revenues over $34 billion.
That’s one of the reasons why more than 50 groups have joined together to
halt this disastrous plan.

I know we can win this fight and lead New York into a 21st century
renewable future. Our work to defeat the Cuomo Tax starts with this
important petition:

Add your name to the petition to stop the Cuomo Tax and end the nuclear
bailout.

Thank you,

Your Name Here

[SIGN THE PETITION]

-- 

*“Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Fwd: Solar Open House Oct 19 in Ovid

[Tony Del Plato]

Solar Open House

Your Neighbor Has Gone Solar!

Wednesday, October 19th 6:00 to 7:00 pm

David & Judith Dresser invite you to discover how they went solar and to
find out how you can too!

Address:

7302 Wyers Point Rd

Ovid, NY 14521

RSVP:

315-571-0777

sa...@qwiksolar.com

Learn how solar works

See a working solar array

Solar tax credits explained

Learn about a net-zero home

Get a solar analysis for your home

-- 

*“Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*



-- 

*“Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] The REAL GMO Debate

[Tony Del Plato]

*The REAL GMO Debate*
*Wednesday, October 5th, 2016*
*7 pm, upstairs auditorium in Anabel Taylor Hall*
*Cornell University*

This is the debate we've been waiting for! Ithaca community, please share
wide and far, and come out to ask Cornell scientists why they so dearly
defend Monsanto-style agriculture! Or ask anti-GMO scientists why they are
so resistant to genetically engineered crops!

Whether you are pro-GMO, anti-GMO, or somewhere in between, this is one
event you can't afford to miss. Cornell University and the Ithaca community
have been at odds with their approach to agriculture for a very long time!
Let's dig deeper into this mystery Wednesday night, and open the debate for
the whole community. Invite a friend and pass the word along!

Joining us will be Michael Hansen PhD, senior scientist of the Consumers
Union for over 20 years. A biologist and ecologist who did his Ph.D. in the
techniques of Integrated Pest Management, he develops policy, testifies
before government agencies, speaks widely at conferences in the US and
abroad, and talks frequently to media on critical food safety and
environmental health issues including mad cow disease, genetic engineering,
and pesticide use.

Also joining will be Jonathan Latham PhD, a virologist and geneticist, and
founder of the Bioscience Resource Project and Independent Science News.
His geneticist experience includes genetically modifying organisms for
research. Prior to heading the Bioscience Resource Project he published
scientific papers in disciplines as diverse as plant ecology, plant
virology, genetics and genetic engineering. He regularly presents at
scientific conferences on papers published by the Bioscience Resource
Project. He is also a fellow of the 21st Century Trust.

-- 

*“Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] CA GE preemption law overturned

[Tony Del Plato]

Could this happen in NY?

Tony Del Plato


Some good news in California – Governor Brown overturned a 2014 statute
that prohibited counties from passing laws regulating seeds, including bans
on the growing of GE crops (a statute from AB 2470). As such, if a county
votes locally to pass a seed-related law, such as the Sonoma initiative
<http://www.gmofreesonomacounty.com/> to ban GMO crops that will be on the
ballot there in November, it will not be preempted by state law.



You can read more about this important victory here:



http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/blog/4481/a-win-for-locals-
california-counties-given-back-the-right-to-regulate-gmos


-


*Heather Whitehead*

Digital Engagement and Advocacy Director | Center for Food Safety
hwhiteh...@centerforfoodsafety.org
t 415/826-2770f 415/826-0507c 510/501-8092
www.centerforfoodsafety.org




-- 

*“Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Scientific American: How the FDA Manipulates the Media

[Tony Del Plato]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-fda-manipulates-the-media/
How the FDA Manipulates the Media
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been arm-twisting journalists
into relinquishing their reportorial independence, our investigation
reveals. Other institutions are following suit
By Charles Seife | Scientific American October 2016 Issue
(edited)

It was a faustian bargain—and it certainly made editors at National Public
Radio squirm.
The deal was this: NPR, along with a select group of media outlets, would
get a briefing about an upcoming announcement by the FDA a day before
anyone else. But in exchange for the scoop, NPR would have to abandon its
reportorial independence. The FDA would dictate whom NPR's reporter could
and couldn't interview.

Also, dozen other top-tier media organizations, including CBS, NBC, CNN,
the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times—showed
up at a federal building to get his reward. Every single journalist present
had agreed not to ask any questions of sources not approved by the
government until given the go-ahead.

This kind of deal offered by the FDA—known as a close-hold embargo—is an
increasingly important tool used by scientific and government agencies to
control the behavior of the science press. Or so it seems. It is impossible
to tell for sure because it is happening almost entirely behind the scenes.
We only know about the FDA deal because of a wayward sentence inserted by
an editor at the New York Times. But for that breach of secrecy, nobody
outside the small clique of government officials and trusted reporters
would have known that the journalists covering the agency had given up
their right to do independent reporting.

Documents obtained by Scientific American through Freedom of Information
Act requests now paint a disturbing picture of the tactics that are used to
control the science press. For example, the FDA assures the public that it
is committed to transparency, but the documents show that, privately, the
agency denies many reporters access—including ones from major outlets such
as Fox News—and even deceives them with half-truths to handicap them in
their pursuit of a story. At the same time, the FDA cultivates a coterie of
journalists whom it keeps in line with threats. And the agency has made it
a practice to demand total control over whom reporters can and can't talk
to until after the news has broken, deaf to protests by journalistic
associations and media ethicists and in violation of its own written
policies.

By using close-hold embargoes and other methods, the FDA, like other
sources of scientific information, are gaining control of journalists who
are supposed to keep an eye on those institutions. The watchdogs are being
turned into lapdogs.

The press corps is primed for manipulation by a convention that goes back
decades: the embargo. The embargo is a back-room deal between journalists
and the people they cover—their sources. A source grants the journalist
access on condition that he or she cannot publish before an agreed-on date
and time.

A surprisingly large proportion of science and health stories are the
product of embargoes. Most of the major science journals offer reporters
advance copies of upcoming articles—and the contact information of the
authors—in return for agreeing not to run with the story until the embargo
expires. These embargoes set the weekly rhythm of science coverage: On
Monday afternoon, you may see a bunch of stories about the Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences USA published almost simultaneously.
Tuesday, it's the Journal of the American Medical Association. On
Wednesday, it's Nature and the New England Journal of Medicine. Science
stories appear on Thursday. Other institutions have also adopted the
embargo system. Federal institutions, especially the ones science and
health journalists report on, have as well. Embargoes are the reason that
stories about the National Laboratories, the National Institutes of Health
and other organizations often tend to break at the precisely same time.

The embargo system is such an established institution in science journalism
that few reporters complain or even think about its darker implications, at
least until they themselves feel slighted.

Like a regular embargo, a close-hold embargo allows early access to
information provided that attendees not publish before a set date and time.

It is hard to tell when a close-hold embargo is afoot because, by its very
nature, it is a secret that neither the reporters who have been given
special access nor the scientific institution that sets up the deal wants
to be revealed. The public hears about it only when a journalist chooses to
reveal the information.

** We have a few rare instances where journalists revealed that close-hold
embargoes were being used by scientists and scientific institutions after
2011. In 2012 biologist Gilles-Eric Séralini and his colleagues published a
dubious—later 

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Fwd: STEPS Part-time Media/Tech Postion

[Tony Del Plato]

Good afternoon-

Please share the attached job posting with your networks. We are excited to
add to the STEPS (Seneca Towns Empowering People for Solutions) team by
offering this newly created Media/Tech support position!
Candidates should submit a cover letter with resume by close of business
October 6,2016 to stepscommun...@gmail.com
If you have any questions about the position, give the office a call at
607-403-0069.

Thank you,

Theresa

STEPS
c/o Ovid Community Health Center
PO Box 902
7150 N. Main St, Ovid, NY 14521
(607) 403-0069
www.senecasteps.org
www.Facebook.com/NYStepsProject 



-- 

*“Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

STEPS MediaTech.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Snowden

[Tony Del Plato]

As the movie launching last week reminds us, *Edward Snowden’s
whistleblowing revealed the NSA’s massive, secret – and unconstitutional –
surveillance programs.*

He took a huge personal risk to bring these programs to light. And his
actions launched a vital national debate on whether the NSA should be
spying on innocent Americans.

But three years later, Snowden is still being forced to live in exile and
threatened with likely spending the rest of his life in prison if he ever
comes back to the country he loves.

*We have less than 125 days to push President Obama to officially pardon
this important American whistleblower.*

*Tell President Obama: Pardon Edward Snowden now!*


*Presidential pardons are about justice.* They are for when the legal
system has failed, or the laws are unjust or when our consciences demand
it.

*Snowden made his sacrifice not for personal gain, but because he knew it
was the only real way to expose the unconstitutional spying programs he
witnessed.*

So when the White House tries to claim Snowden “is not a whistleblower”1
because he didn’t follow the "proper" whistleblower process, they’re just
playing cynical word games.

*Intelligence contractors, like Edward Snowden, are NOT protected by the
Intelligence Community’s whistleblower protections. *The Intelligence
Community’s own lawyer, even admits it.2

Even had Edward Snowden followed the “proper” process, his whistleblowing
wouldn’t have been protected.

*Presidential pardons exist for exactly this kind of extraordinary
situation. It’s time that President Obama uses that power to recognize
Snowden’s public service.*

*Sign and share the petition to President Obama: Pardon Edward Snowden now
and let him come home!*


Snowden acted out of desperation and patriotism to inform Americans of the
unconstitutional mass surveillance the NSA was conducting.

Even former Attorney General Eric Holder agrees: “I think that he actually
performed a public service by raising the debate that we engaged in and by
the changes that we made.”3

*Snowden stood up for our rights. Now it’s time we stand up for his.*

*Stand up for Edward Snowden and tell President Obama: Three years is
enough. Pardon Snowden and bring him home!*


Thanks for standing with us,

The team at Watchdog.net

DONATE


Sources:
1. Politico, “White House: Snowden 'is not a whistleblower',” September 14,
2016

.
2. The Intercept, “Giving Intelligence Contractors Whistleblower
Protections Doesn’t Have to Be “Complicated”,” November 6, 2015

.
3. The Guardian, “Eric Holder says Edward Snowden performed 'public
service' with NSA leak,” May 

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Native American students at Cornell: We Are Still Here

[Tony Del Plato]

Cornell professor's exhibit "erases" native peoples from the present.
Cornell student's suggest otherwise.



http://cornellsun.com/2016/09/18/native-american-students-ir
oquois-art-exhibit-crossing-a-line/





-- 

*“Hope is not the optimism that things will turn out right. Hope is the
soul’s deep orientation to what is right, no matter how things turn out.”**
   -Vaclav Havel*

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Judge Temporarily Halts DAPL Construction on Select Land but Not on Desecrated Area

[Tony Del Plato]

--Original Message--

From: Valerie Taliman
Date: Sep 7, 2016 12:05:22 AM
Subject: Judge Temporarily Halts DAPL Construction on Select Land but Not
on Desecrated Area
To: dod_study_gr...@listserv.syr.edu

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg agreed today to temporarily halt
construction on a portion of the Dakota Access oil pipeline, but his
decision fell short of protecting the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s burial
grounds that were plowed up by the pipeline company over Labor Day weekend.
Although the judge agreed to halt construction between State Highway 1806
and 20 miles east of Lake Oahe, he denied a temporary restraining order on
construction west of Highway 1806, citing the Army Corp of Engineers’ lack
of jurisdiction on private land.
“We are disappointed that the U.S. District Court’s decision does not
prevent Dakota Access Pipeline from destroying our sacred sites as we await
a ruling on our original motion to stop construction of the pipeline,” said
Standing Rock Sioux Chairman David Archambault II.
“Today’s denial of a temporary restraining order against Dakota Access
Pipeline west of Lake Oahe puts my people’s sacred places at further risk
of ruin and desecration.”
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/09/06/judge-
temporarily-halts-dapl-construction-select-land-not-desecrate-area-165700

Jackson Browne: "I do not support the Dakota Access Pipeline.  I will be
donating all of the money I have received from this album to date, and any
money received in the future, to the tribes who are opposing the pipeline.
"I do not play for oil interests. I do not play for companies who defile
nature, or companies who attack demonstrators with trained attack dogs and
pepper spray. The list of companies I have denied the use of my music is
long. I certainly would not have allowed my songs to be recorded by a
record company whose owner's other business does what Energy Transfer
Partners is allegedly doing - threatening the water supply and the sacred
sites of indigenous people."

https://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/09/06/singer-
songwriter-jackson-browne-makes-statement-regarding-
dakota-access-pipeline-165699

We've produced more than 50 stories and videos on the Dakota Access
pipeline here: http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork
.com/story/dakota-pipeline

Valerie Taliman
West Coast Editor
Indian Country Today Media Network
www.ictmn.com









-- 

"The war was about vanity, he said. It was about old men who couldn't look
in the mirror anymore and so they send out the young to die. War was a
get-together of the vain. They wanted it simple--hate your enemy, know
nothing of him."

from Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.

[sustainable_tompkins-l] Energy Transfer Partners unleashes attack dogs on water protectors

[Tony Del Plato]

>
>
>  Original message 
> From: Valerie Taliman 
> Date: 9/4/16 3:17 PM (GMT-05:00)
> To: dod_study_gr...@listserv.syr.edu
> Subject: Manning: ‘And Then the Dogs Came’: Dakota Access Gets Violent,
> Destroys Graves, Sacred Sites
>
> Energy Transfer Partners unleashes attack dogs on water protectors
>
> This is assault by pipeline security against Native people. ICTMN reporter
> Sarah Manning is Lakota and is on the ground:
>
> "Approximately eight dog handlers, hired by Dakota Access, led the barking
> and snarling dogs right up to the front line.
>
> “The women joined arms, and we started saying ‘Water is life!’ A dog came
> up and bit my leg, and right after that a man came up to us and maced the
> whole front line,” Young Bear said.
>
> Young Bear and at least five others suffered injuries from dog bites, and
> approximately 30 others suffered temporary blindness after receiving a
> chemical spray to the face and eyes. A horse owned by a Native American
> water defender also suffered bite wounds from the dogs.
>
> “They let one dog off his leash and ran loose into the crowd,” Frejo said.
> “That’s when people started protecting themselves against the dog. The guy
> that let his dog go came into the crowd to retrieve him and started
> swinging on everybody. He hit some young boys, and they defended
> themselves."
>
> http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/09/04/
> manning-and-then-dogs-came-dakota-access-gets-violent-
> destroys-graves-sacred-sites-165677
>
> Tim Mentz on sacred site destroyed on Saturday:
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EAWpI5L_Bc=desktop
>
> Democracy Now video of dogs unloaded from trucks to intimidate Lakota
> people protecting burial sites. Six people were bitten and more than 30
> sprayed with pepper spray. Watch.
>
> http://www.democracynow.org/2016/9/4/dakota_access_pipeline_
> company_attacks_native
>
>
>
> Valerie Taliman
> West Coast Editor
> Indian Country Today Media Network
> www.ictmn.com
>
>
>
>


-- 
-- The main thing in one's own private world is to try to laugh as much as
you cry.

Maya Angelou



-- 

"The war was about vanity, he said. It was about old men who couldn't look
in the mirror anymore and so they send out the young to die. War was a
get-together of the vain. They wanted it simple--hate your enemy, know
nothing of him."

from Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please 
visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom 
Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.