Environmental

A cardboard bicycle that’s strong and waterproof

On 07/03/2013 / Awareness, Bicycle, Environmental, Inspirational, New Gadget, People, Videos / Leave a comment

A cardboard bicycle that’s strong, waterproof and costs less than £10 to manufacture.

Designed by Israeli engineer and systems developer Izhar Gafni

Izhar Gafni started developing the Cardboard Bicycle three years ago. “Since there was no know-how with regards to the cardboard material, the first two years were devoted to learning the properties and behaviour of the material,” explains Gafni.

“The idea is like Japanese origami,” he says in the movie. “You fold it once and then it doesn’t become twice the strength, it’s almost three times the strength. So I took it from there and did the same thing with cardboard.”

After the shape has been cut out, the cardboard is treated with a waterproof and fireproof coating specially created by Gafni, before lacquer paint is applied over the top.

The “urban bike” for adults costs around £6 per unit and weighs 9kg, while the kids’ bike costs £3 per unit and weighs 3.5kg.

Both are made almost entirely from recycled materials and cyclists will also have the option to add an electric motor, according to the designer.

Gafni’s business partner, Israeli investment group ERB, is currently fundraising and developing the bicycle for production.

Above: movie by Giora Kariv

dezeen.com has featured lots of unusual bicycles recently, including one with a frame made from steam-bent wood and another that can carry heavy loads front and back despite its compact frame.

SOURCE: www.dezeen.com

2013 Oscar Winners, 85th Academy Awards

On 20/02/2013 / A Distinctive Style Magazine, Awareness, Balog, brain injury, Celebrities, Changing Climate, Climate Change, Culture, designers, Eco-Fashion, Environmental, Fashion, Fashion Designer, Inspirational, Interviews, Les Miserables, Lincoln, Magazine, Mental Illness, Music, Music Video, Organic, pesticides, Scarlett Johansson, Shop Green, Silver Linings Playbook / 1 Comment

Oscar buzz is in the air! In A Distinctive Style magazine, readers will find interviews with this year’s most watched Academy Award Nominees, all vying for a coveted gold Oscar statue.

A Distinctive Style magazine starts with the amiable Hollywood heartthrob, actor, and philanthropist, Brad Pitt who is featured in an exclusive interview about his creative pursuits, and life with Angelina Jolie and their six children. Read his interview on page 42 (CLICK TO SEE INTERVIEW)

Screen Shot 2013 02 20 at 4.50.21 PM 2013 Oscar Winners, 85th Academy Awards

Click to see Video

Honest Abe Lincoln leads the nominations with 12 accolades, including a Best Actor Nomination for Daniel Day-Lewis, who portrays the 16th President of the United States. This is Lewis’s fifth academy award nomination; he previously won Best Actor Oscars for his leading roles in the films My Left Foot and “There Will Be Blood.” Read more about Day-Lewis—who recently won the 2013 Golden Globe for his role as President Lincoln— on page 58. (CLICK TO SEE INTERVIEW)

Check out our chat with Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper, up for Best Actor for his leading role in Silver Lining Playbook, in which he plays a former high school teacher battling mental health issues.This is Cooper’s first academy award nomination; his interview is on page 36. (CLICK TO SEE INTERVIEW)

Tony-award winning actor Hugh Jackman won the 2013 Golden Globe award for his portrayal as accused convict turned heroic mayor Jean Veljean in the musical-movie adaptation of the “Les Misérables.” He’s nominated for an Academy Award for the same role. An interview with the multi-talented Jackman can be found on page 52. (CLICK TO SEE INTERVIEW)

Anne Hathaway also received a Golden Globe award for her portrayal of Fantine in the “Les Misérables.” Proving she is more than just a pretty face, the actress can add “singer” to her resume now. The spunky brunette, who remains close to her childhood friends despite her success, once co-hosted the 83rd annual Academy Awards and wed actor/designer Adam Shulman last year in Big Sur. Hathaway’s interview in this issue can be found on page 62. (CLICK TO SEE INTERVIEW)

A Distinctive Style continues to bring readers informative, interactive videos, and this issue is no exception. The documentary “Chasing Ice,” featured on page 26, (CLICK TO SEE INTERVIEW) explores the rapidly melting ice caps that affect our precious planet.

View the magazine in its entirety at: A DISTINCTIVE STYLE .COM

ABOUT

Founded in 2007 by Dallas resident Denise Marie, A Distinctive Style—a magazine with heart—is a pioneer in the digital online experience, Their stimulating presentation using hd videos, breathtaking imagery and arousing music, is designed to appeal to the senses, while featuring diverse and prominent topics, in a fresh new way.

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Greenpeace calls on luxury fashion brands to clean up their act

On 09/02/2013 / Awareness, Beware, Environmental, Fashion, health and fitness, pesticides, Pesticides in Food, Shop Green, special interest, Toxic, Youtube Video / Leave a comment

Are your favorite brands failing to take urgent action to eliminate the release of hazardous chemicals from their supply chains and products?

by Chiara Campione—At the start of November, Greenpeace threw down the gauntlet to 15 top Italian and French luxury fashion brands, challenging these companies with 25 ‘uncomfortable’ questions about their supply chains.

Why? Every day another piece of the Amazon is destroyed to clear the way for cattle ranching and the production of leather used to make our shoes, bags and belts. A similar chain of events takes place in Indonesia, where the habitat of the last Sumatran tigers is being trashed to make low-cost paper packaging. While in China, Mexico and other regions of the planet, hazardous chemicals used by the textile industry are polluting our precious water resources.

These dangerous business practices are putting our natural resources at risk and threatening people’s livelihoods and any companies involved should be held accountable for their actions. So we asked these brands to outline what measures they are taking to ensure that their products are not being tainted with forest destruction and hazardous chemicals.

Big brands caught off-trend

When it comes to fashion many consider brands such as Chanel, Prada and Dolce&Gabbana to be real trendsetters within the sector. But have a look at the results of our survey at: www.thefashionduel.com. How disappointing to discover that these brands are failing to take urgent and transparent action to eliminate the release of hazardous chemicals from their supply chains and products. They are also failing to put in place concrete measures to eliminate deforestation from their supply chain.

Other brands, like Salvatore Ferragamo and Louis Vuitton, have only presented a partial commitment: showing a real lack of ambition to become environmental leaders and dress the growing number of conscious consumers who are looking for fashion with a story they can be proud of.

CleanerFashion Greenpeace calls on luxury fashion brands to clean up their act

www.thefashionduel.com

But among these inadequate commitments and ugly truths, there is also some fantastic news. On Wednesday Valentino proved unequivocally that fashion free from pollution and rainforest destruction is not a luxury, but a must-have.

The Italian fashion giant made an ambitious and binding commitment to eliminate all hazardous chemicals from its supply chain and products by 2020, and also made commitments with regard to its policies on the procurement of leather and pulp and paper.

These commitments are just the beginning and must be swiftly followed up by action on the ground to ensure that real change happens where it is needed most to help protect our life-giving waterways and beautiful rainforests.

But it is a fabulous first step and begs the obvious question: if Valentino can do it, why not the rest? Beautiful fashion does not need to cost the Earth.

To make your voice heard, join the Fashion Duel at: www.thefashionduel.com

Chiara Campione, campaigner Greenpeace Italy

SOURCE: www.greenpeace.org

Exposing Fashion Brands Dirty Little Secret

On 09/02/2013 / Awareness, Cancer, Design, Environmental, environmentally conscious, Fashion, Fashion Designer, Shop Green, Social Awareness, Toxic, Women, Youtube Video / Leave a comment

Join fashion-lovers, activists, models and designers in exposing fashion brands’ dirty little secret and demanding fashion without pollution.

Greenpeace—They say you can tell next season’s hottest trend by looking at the colour of the rivers in Mexico and China. That’s because global fashion brands like Calvin Klein, GAP and G-Star Raw are using hazardous chemicals and dyes to make our clothes. These chemicals poison our rivers, and traces of these hazardous chemicals also end up remaining in many of the garments people buy.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Around the world, a growing movement of people are calling on clothing brands to make fashion that doesn’t cost the Earth. More than 400,000 people have joined the campaign since November, resulting in the world’s largest fashion retailer, Zara, and the world’s largest jean manufacturer, Levi’s, to commit to clean-up their supply chain and products. True People Power in action.

Join fashion-lovers, activists, models and designers in exposing big brands’ dirty little secret and demanding fashion without pollution.

Together we can make it happen.

SOURCE: www.greenpeace.org

Houses made with 70-80% recycled materials

On 24/01/2013 / Awareness, Culture, Design, designers, Documentary, Environmental, environmentally conscious, Inspirational, People, Recycle, Video, Videos / Leave a comment

Houses made from 70-80% recycled materials

Profound and Visionary Home Building

What an unbelievably unique take on housing and architecture! Dan Philips creates houses that are made from 70-80% recycled materials. The creativity he puts to use is as impressive as the tons of materials he saves from the landfill. You will see decorative details made from eggshells and bottle caps. You will see rooftops made of license plates! You will see water faucets for the bathtub made of a Budweiser beer Screen Shot 2013 01 24 at 11.59.45 AM Houses made with 70 80% recycled materials tap!

His philosophy is that our collective mindset of perfection is what creates all the waste. From the builders to the homebuyers to the marketers- everyone demands adherence to sterile, conventional norms. If a 2x 4 isn’t perfect, it goes in the dump. Dan Philips instead incorporates these blemishes and organic processes.

See all the materials he saves that were headed for the landfill- even vintage stoves! Hear his astute, original and truly amusing take on why we have come to tolerate this level of waste.

In 1998, he and his wife, Marsha, started The Phoenix Commotion, in Huntsville, Texas — a construction company that builds affordable houses from reclaimed and recycled materials. Their mission is to divert landfill waste while creating sustainable housing for single mothers, artists, and families with low incomes. The houses are energy-efficient, cheap and satisfying to build — and wildly, effervescently creative.

In the design process, we have to consider how design linked our social life and people’s perspectives.

There is consideration of his work:

Architecture related to human being and natural life. What human need and consideration of nature in our life. So, Dan Phillips design his architecture be a naturalism and not waste of materials. He was inspired organic texture and humanism.
Industrials revolution started, consumers wasting mass production and materials and also materials price was becoming expensive.
Power of mass media and consumption in our society

And The 2013 Oscars Go To?

On 16/01/2013 / A Distinctive Style Magazine, Awareness, Balog, Changing Climate, Chasing Ice, Eco-Fashion, Environmental, environmentally conscious, Fashion, Fashion Designer, Film, health and fitness, Interviews, Mental Illness, Music, pesticides, Pesticides in Food, Photography, Recycle, Shop Green, Skin Care, special interest, Toxic, Videos / Leave a comment

The 2013 Oscars Go To?

A Distinctive Style’s Winter issue features human interest, social awareness, sustainable and organic fashion and this years Academy Award nominees.

A Distinctive Style magazine kicked off the New Year with Brad Pitt. The amiable Hollywood heartthrob, actor, and philanthropist, graces the Winter 2013 cover and is featured in an exclusive interview.

“There is so much passion in this issue, from celebrities, to motivational women who run a horse ranch in Colorado,” says Denise Marie, publisher of A Distinctive Style. “The Winter 2013 issue is full of amazing humanitarians who pay-it-forward—just like Pitt does—by giving back to those less fortunate; individuals who possess a sincere love of family, or go through great lengths to save our environment. Everyone featured brings important social issues to the forefront. It may be tricky for people to see the reasons I have for each story I place, but there is always something humbling behind each editorial.”

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A Distinctive Style Winter Cover

Pitt’s latest action movie, Killing Them Softly, directed by Andre Dominik, is currently available on DVD, and you can read more about his creative pursuits, and life with Angelina Jolie and their six children, on page 42.

Also in this issue, we learn about Trashed, a documentary that examines environmental pollution, executive produced by actor Jeremy Irons. The documentary—highlighted in an interactive, introductory video on page 18—is a political “wake-up call” about the ways food is affected by air, sea, and land pollution. We also provide readers with a list of 10 breakfast cereals that most likely contain GMO’s corn—which has been linked to tumors. Bringing readers health-oriented news remains a priority in our publication.

On a lighter side, we chat with Los Angeles-based fashion designer Deborah Lindquist, who up-cycles all sorts of eco-friendly fabrics to create one-of-a-kind clothes and accessories for women around the world. Story on page 64.

Oscar buzz is in the air—the 2013 nominees have been announced! In this issue, readers will find interviews with this year’s most watched Academy Award nominees, all vying for a coveted gold Oscar statue.

Screen Shot 2013 01 16 at 2.01.45 PM And The 2013 Oscars Go To?

Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln

Honest Abe Lincoln leads the nominations with 12 accolades, including a Best Actor nomination for Daniel Day-Lewis, who portrays the 16^th President of the United States. This is Lewis’s fifth academy award nomination; he previously won Best Actor Oscars for his leading roles in the films My Left Foot and There Will Be Blood. Read more about Day-Lewis—who recently won the 2013 Golden Globe for his role as President Lincoln— on page 58.

Also, in this issue, check out our chat with Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper, up for Best Actor for his leading role in Silver Lining Playbook, in which he plays a former high school teacher battling mental health issues.

“We do many editorials on individuals with all kinds of challenges, and this film brings up a very important topic—mental illness—and how it’s perceived,” says Publisher, Denise Marie. This is Cooper’s first academy award nomination; his interview is on page 36.

Screen Shot 2013 01 16 at 2.01.37 PM And The 2013 Oscars Go To?

Hugh Jackman

Tony-award winning actor Hugh Jackman won the 2013 Golden Globe award for his portrayal as accused convict turned heroic mayor Jean Veljean in the musical-movie adaptation of the Les Misérables. He’s nominated for an Academy Award for the same role. An interview with the multi-talented Jackman can be found on page 52. “Hugh Jackman is a sincere person that truly loves his family over anything else,” says Marie. ‘I think that’s noble.

Les Misérables co-star Anne Hathaway also received a Golden Globe award for her portrayal of Fantine in the Les Misérables. Proving she is more than just a pretty face, the actress can add “singer” to her resume now. The spunky brunette, who remains close to her childhood friends despite her success, once co-hosted the 83^rd annual Academy Awards and wed actor/designer Adam Shulman last year in Big Sur. Hathaway’s interview in this issue can be found on page 62.

A Distinctive Style continues to bring readers informative, interactive videos, and this issue is no exception. The documentary Chasing Ice, featured on page 26, explores the rapidly melting ice caps that affect our precious planet.

You can view the magazine in its entirety at: A Distinctive Style Magazine

Founded in 2007 by Dallas resident Denise Marie, A Distinctive Style—a magazine with heart—is a pioneer in the digital online experience, proving that utilizing this medium is not only a green practice, but can actually enhance the reading experience. The online magazine can access a variety of media not available in a traditional print format, and incorporates music as well as video and audio interviews.

ADISTINCTIVESTYLE.COM

Magic in nature

On 14/01/2013 / Animals, Culture, Environmental, humanity, Inspiration, Inspirational, People, Photography, Uncategorized / 1 Comment

With all the madness in the world there is still magic in nature

RARE WISCONSIN/MICHIGAN SIGHTING

The odds of seeing an albino moose are astronomical
And to see this in the upper peninsula of Michigan,
Near Wisconsin, is even greater than astronomical.
To see two of them together is nearly impossible.
We wanted to share these photos with as many people as possible
Because you will probably never have a chance to see this rare sight again.
This is a really special treat, so enjoy these shots of a lifetime.

: Magic in the World Nature 1

: Magic in the World Nature 2

: Magic in the world Nature 3

: Magic in the World Nature 4

: Magic in the World Nature 5

: Magic in the World Nature 6

: Magic in the World Nature 7

: Magic in the World Nature 8

: Magic in the World Nature 8

: Magic in the World Nature 10

: Magic in the World Nature 11

: Magic in the World Nature 12

: Magic in the World Nature 13

: Magic in the World Nature 14

: Magic in the World Nature 15

: Magic in the World Nature 16

Robert Redford needs your help

On 09/01/2013 / A Distinctive Style Magazine, Awareness, Celebrities, Documentary, Environmental, Magazine, Videos / Leave a comment

Robert Redford needs your help

From Robert Redford:

This is the moment we’ve been waiting for.

A long-awaited study by the EPA has confirmed that the Pebble Mine — along with its estimated 10 billion tons of mining waste — would spell disaster for Alaska’s Bristol Bay, its legendary salmon runs, its pristine environment and its Native communities.

Now we must prevail on the President to take the next crucial step: To direct his EPA to use its authority to stop the mine once and for all.

I’ll be working arm in arm with NRDC this month to bring our “Stop Pebble” message directly to Capitol Hill and the White House through a major media campaign.

Please do your part to help. First, watch the special, one-minute video I’ve recorded for NRDC activists like you.

Then make your voice heard. Tell President Obama to save Bristol Bay and secure a lasting environmental legacy by stopping the Pebble Mine.

Since 2010, you and I have fought alongside NRDC to block this disastrous project — a colossal open-pit copper-and-gold mine that global mining giants want to gouge out of the spectacular untamed wilderness above Bristol Bay.

But now a decisive battle in Washington is at hand — and we need to mobilize again.

Please send a message to President Obama today. He needs to hear loud and clear from the American people — both those in Bristol Bay and millions more across the country.

The mining companies have already spent more than $100 million on this ill-begotten scheme. They’re not about to give up without a monumental fight.

If we are going to counter their lobbying juggernaut, we need each and every NRDC activist to get our message to the White House.

I’m sure you share my conviction that we must not allow one of America’s last and greatest wild places to be plundered for copper and gold.

Please help by taking a minute to watch my video. Then, join me in calling on President Obama to do the right thing for Bristol Bay, its wildlife and its people by directing EPA to stop the Pebble Mine. Thank you.

Sincerely,
11605 Robert Redford needs your help
Robert Redford
Trustee
Natural Resources Defense Council

WEBSITE: http://www.savebiogems.org

An invitation from Willie Nelson of Farm Aid

On 07/12/2012 / Animals, Awareness, Buy from Farmers, Climate Change, Environmental, environmentally conscious, Family Farmers, Farm Products, health and fitness, Natural Food Products, People, Shop Green, Socially Responsible, special interest / Leave a comment

An invitation from Willie Nelson of Farm Aid

By Willie Nelson—As I crisscrossed the country on my bus this year, I saw firsthand the impact drought and extremes of weather have had on this land and our farmers. On the Farm Aid hotline, we worked with many distressed farmers seeking help to survive the worst drought in more than fifty years. When extremes of weather like this hit, it’s hard to keep the faith. And yet that’s what farmers do, each and every day.

I am inspired by family farmers. I know you are too. It’s with your help that we’ve grown and strengthened family farm agriculture. Together we have put more farmers on the land and made family farm food more available to all of us.

In spite of the hardships, thanks to Farm Aid supporters like you, family farmers are leading the way to a future of good food. We answer the Farm Aid hotline every day and the greatest number of calls we receive come from folks looking to get started in farming or from farmers who want to learn how to farm more sustainably. This is good news for farmers — and great news for all of us.

With a gift to Farm Aid, you can ensure we keep growing the Good Food Movement and a brighter future for all of us. We need family farmers — they are essential for helping us solve the challenges we face with our economy, climate change, and chronic health conditions like diabetes and obesity.

Family farm food on our tables guarantees the health and strength of our families and communities. The work of Farm Aid depends on gifts from people like you. Please, give a gift today, to ensure that family farmers not only survive extremes of weather today, but grow and thrive into the future.

Stay Strong and Positive,

Willie Nelson
President
Farm Aid

DONATE HERE

Chasing Ice … Earth’s changing climate

On 02/12/2012 / Awareness, Balog, Changing Climate, Chasing Ice, Climate Change, Environmental, Scarlett Johansson, Video / Leave a comment

Chasing Ice … Earth’s changing climate

In the spring of 2005, National Geographic photographer James Balog headed to the Arctic on a tricky assignment: to capture images to help tell the story of the Earth’s changing climate. Even with a scientific upbringing, Balog had been a skeptic about climate change and a cynic about the nature of academic research. But that first trip north opened his eyes to the biggest story in human history and sparked a challenge within him that would put his career and his very well-being at risk.

Chasing Ice is the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Within months of that first trip to Iceland, the photographer conceived the boldest expedition of his life: The Extreme Ice Survey. With a band of young adventurers in tow, Balog began deploying revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers.

As the debate polarizes America and the intensity of natural disasters ramps up globally, Balog finds himself at the end of his tether. Battling untested technology in subzero conditions, he comes face to face with his own mortality. It takes years for Balog to see the fruits of his labor. His hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate. Chasing Ice depicts a photographer trying to deliver evidence and hope to our carbon-powered planet.

See our story on “Chasing Ice” in the Winter Issue of A Distinctive Style Magazine on page 26 (http://www.adistinctivestyle.com/i/101501/26)

http://www.chasingice.com

Visit Chasing Ice on Facebook

Follow Chasing Ice on twitter

Follow Jeff Orlowski on twitter 

Follow Extreme Ice Survey on Vimeo

Scarlett Johansson lends her voice to “Chasing Ice”

On 17/11/2012 / Awareness, Balog, Celebrities, Chasing Ice, Climate Change, Environmental, Music, Scarlett Johansson, Video / Comments Off

Scarlett Johansson lends her voice to documentary “Chasing Ice”

Original end title song “Before My Time” is up for an Oscar for “Best Original Music” was written and produced by J. RALPH. Performed by Scarlett Johansson & Joshua for the Sundance award winning documentary “Chasing Ice” opened November 9th 2012. Directed by Jeff Orlowski.

Chasing Ice is the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Within months of that first trip to Iceland, the photographer conceived the boldest expedition of his life: The Extreme Ice Survey. With a band of young adventurers in tow, Balog began deploying revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers.

SOUNDTRACK AVAILABLE NOW ON ITUNES

See the Film Chasing Ice and Bring the Reality of Climate Change to Light (VIDEO) http://bit.ly/QOYIq8

Fall 2012 Eco Designs by Deborah Lindquist

On 14/11/2012 / Design, designers, Eco-Fashion, Environmental, environmentally conscious, Fashion, Inspirational, People, Photography, Shop Green / 2 Comments

In a recent photo shoot, Deborah Lindquist captures country living with her eco-couture apparel.

Designer Deborah Lindquist works with sustainable, organic, and recycled fabrics to create bespoke eco-couture apparel and home decorative accessories.

Deborah Lindquist showcases her fall line in a photo shoot at the country home of Brit girl, Erin Saltman. Surrounded by her loving and attentive animals which include chickens, horses, dogs, and pot belly pigs, she looks just as much at home in her flower gardens and country surroundings as she does in her usual urban setting. She’s a bit eccentric in her wardrobe and her fashion sense is a blend of edgy/femininity with a bit of punkish influence. She wears a combination of eco couture sweaters, bustiers, and evening wear for fall 2012. She certainly has a nice life…..

Erin Saltman

by Deborah Lindquist

Photographed by Kay Greenwood, model Erin Saltman has been one of my favorite models to work with. I’ve known her and her family since she was 8, (Kay, her mom is the excellent photographer who’s work you see here) and she’s been photographed in my clothing and walked the catwalk for me since then. But its been a while. She moved to London so we don’t see each other so often. I was so fortunate to collaborate with the 2 of them twice in September. (Erin is also the shapeshifter in “Into the Wild, a Love Story”) and she willingly put on her toe shoes for the finale! (she’s a 6’2″ ballerina).

Thanks to Monica Garcia for the makeup and hair, Bare Sole for the shoes and Bill Stankay for composing the soundtrack for the video. What a great team!

See the amazing photos in the Fall 2012 Lookbook by clicking on the magazine below. Listen to the soundtrack by Bill Stankay along with photos by clicking the video below:

A Country Life

The Effects of Pesticides in Food

On 22/10/2012 / Awareness, Cancer, Environmental, GMO Food, pesticides, Pesticides in Food, Prop 37, special interest, Toxic, Women / Comments Off

The Effects of Pesticides in Food

By Lisa Garber Nation of Change

W hen asked by a skeptical friend why you buy organic, do you find yourself tongue-tied? Was it obesity? Or thyroid problems? Why should you buy organic? There are numerous reasons to skip the mainstream supermarket food and shop at an organic grocer, but just one of those reasons revolves around the effects of pesticides.

“Unfortunately, pesticides attack your body on several fronts.”

Keep this list handy the next time you find yourself wondering if you should buy a carton of conventional strawberries rather than organic to potentially save a few pennies. Remember that all of the following conditions will cost you much more than money; the effects of pesticides will cost you your health.

Here are 7 nasty and crazy effects of pesticides.

The Effects of Pesticides – Cancer

The dreaded diagnosis of cancer has been linked in over 260 studies worldwide to agrochemicals. Worse, scientists have linked pesticides with several types of cancers, including that of the breast, prostate, brain, bone, thyroid, colon, liver, lung, and more. Some researchers from USC found that “those who lived within 500 meters of places where methyl bromide, captan and eight other organochlorine pesticides had been applied, they found, were more likely to have developed prostate cancer.”

But even indirect exposure, such as through parental use, has been found to affect children in a terrible way. A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives has linked parental use of pesticides with an increased risk of brain cancer in children. “Parental exposures may act before the child’s conception, during gestation, or after birth to increase the risk of cancer,” the study said. And when the parents are exposed to the pesticides may also play a role in the different cellular changes that lead to cancer.

Obesity and Diabetes

obesity table The Effects of Pesticides in Food Because pesticides have also been linked to obesity, it’s logical that it would be connected to diabetes, in which obesity often has a role. Some researchers found a higher prevalence of obesity in the participants with high urinary concentrations of a pesticide known as 2,5-dichlorophenol (2,5-DCP). It is important to note that 2,5-DCP is one of the most widely used pesticides on the globe.

Robert Sargis, MD, PhD, revealed his recent study findings at the Endocrine Society’s 94th Annual Meeting, stating that agricultural fungicide created insulin resistance in fat cells. The journalDiabetes Care published in 2011 that people with excess weight and high levels of organochlorine pesticides in their bodies had greater risk of becoming diabetic.

Parkinson’s Disease

Long-term exposure to herbicides and pesticides have been associated in over 60 studies with Parkinson’s. You don’t have to be a conventional farmer to be wary of these findings. Use natural methods to keep pests and weeds out of your home and garden today.

Infertility and Birth Defects

One of the most well-known negative effects of pesticides, infertility is continuously found to be a result of exposure to these agrochemicals. Atrazine—a weed killer used in agriculture as well as on golf courses and which has been found in tap water—may be partially responsible for climbing miscarriage and infertility rates. As for men, one 2006 study pinpointed chlorpyrifos with lowering testosterone levels. This pesticide is often found in strawberry fields and apple and peach orchards.

Other researchers tested roundup on mature male rats at a concentration range between 1 and 10,000 parts per million (ppm),and found that within 1 to 48 hours of exposure, testicular cells of the mature rats were either damaged or killed.

Avoid pesticides even if you’re already pregnant. These chemicals are responsible for causing various birth defects, too. A report revealed that the top selling herbicide Roundup disrupts male hormones due to the main active ingredient – glyphosate.

Autism

360 autism infertility 0518 The Effects of Pesticides in Food Admittedly, pesticides aren’t solely to blame for autism, but they may be a hefty part of the equation. Leading scientists are attributing the condition to genes and insecticides exposed to the mother while pregnant as well as to the child in early years. This is because many chemicals affect the neurology of bugs, inadvertently affecting the neurological function of children, too. A 2010 Harvard study blames organophosphate pesticides—found in children’s urine—to ADHD.

What is the best way to to avoid pesticide exposure and pesticides in food? Don’t use pesticides, and buy organic. Organic isn’t always easy or cheap, so keep in mind these updated dirty dozen fruits and vegetables to always buy organic (plus 15 cleaner foods you can afford to buy conventional). NASA has also suggested raising air purifying plants indoors to clear your home of indoor air pollution. Remember to remove pesticides from your home, too.

SOURCE: http://www.nationofchange.org

Side effects of GMOs – Ask your doctor if CANCER is right for you

On 22/10/2012 / Awareness, Big Pharma, Bribary, Cancer, Environmental, GMO Food, Toxic, Women / 1 Comment

Side effects of GMOs – Ask your doctor if CANCER is right for you.

by: S. D. Wells (Natural News)

Knowledge is power, and no person or organization can ever take it away from you. Remember that the body is the temple of the soul, so treat it that way. Otherwise, if you’re still considering a GMO food diet or regimen, be sure and ask your doctor if CANCER is right for you.

If I sprayed your salad with some “RAID” roach killer right now, just a little bit right on the lettuce and maybe a little more on the tomatoes, would you still eat it all, and just assume your body will simply filter out those “small amounts” of toxins? Better yet, what if I paid for it, a nice big, tasty, “bug killer” salad that you could even take outside and no bugs would bother you at all, would you eat it? How about this: If I sprayed a quick shot of some Raid ant killer into your orange juice or your apple juice right in front of you, would you drink it, especially if you’d save 25 cents on every drink you drank from now on? What if most vegetables, fruits, and fruit juice drinks were sold that way, and cheaper than the “Non-Raid” food, would you still buy them? Wouldn’t that pay off for you in the long run? I guess not, because you’re not stupid, are you?

What if the NUMBER ONE SIDE EFFECT of your medication was CANCER, would you still take it, just to temporarily make that headache go away, or maybe to make a little muscle ache disappear for a few hours? GMO means food and medicine are genetically modified, with bacteria and sometimes with viruses, or with weed killer, worm killer, bug killer and people killer. “Pesticide food” is well planned out and has been for decades. Let’s look at history for proof.

READ MORE…

Six largest pesticide corporations paying to defeat Prop 37

On 22/10/2012 / Awareness, Beware, Big Pharma, Cancer, Environmental, GMO Food, Prop 37, Toxic / Comments Off

Six largest pesticide corporations funding effort to defeat GMO labeling Prop 37

by: J. D. Heyes (NaturalNews)

In what should probably surprise no one who has been following the Proposition 37 issue, a California proposal that would require the ingredients in all GM foods to be labeled, the so-called “Big 6″ pesticide corporations have become the movement’s main opponents.

Filings released this week by the California Secretary of State’s office denote that the world’s six largest pesticide corporations have become the six biggest contributors to opponents of Prop 37. In all, they have funneled in excess of $20 million to oppose the measure which, again, would require what should already be happening: the labeling of genetically engineered or modified food. The money has especially funded an aggressive, extensive ad campaign in recent weeks.

“Pesticide corporations like Monsanto continue to enjoy unfettered and unlabeled access to the market, while consumers are left largely in the dark,” said Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, PhD, senior scientist at Pesticide Action Network. “Despite the best efforts of the big six to confuse and distort the issue, Californians have a right to know what’s in their food and how it’s grown.”

The Big 6 – Monsanto, BASF, Bayer, Dow, DuPont and Syngenta – far and away dominate the global seed and pesticide markets; they are actively opposing Prop 37. In filings released recently, each of the corporations “made contributions of at least $2 million, with Monsanto’s contribution alone totaling more than $7 million,” said PAN, in a press release.

What do the Big 6 have to hide?

The opposition really wants Prop. 37 defeated. Including Big 6 donations, so far those committed to defeating it have ponied up in excess of $37 million; they’ve spent $19 million with Sacramento public relations firms and on aggressive television advertising and paid mailings to voters.

But why? Why are companies so opposed to openness and honesty when it comes to allowing consumers the right to know what’s in the GM foods they are buying?

The answer may lie in a comprehensive study released a week ago. According to Dr. Charles Benbrook, who conducted the study using federal government data, the Big 6 likely don’t want you to know that genetically engineered crops drive up the use of dangerous pesticides while they open more markets for them as well (as usual, “follow the money”).

Benbrook found that GM crops have “increased pesticide use by over 400 million pounds in the United States over the past fifteen years,” said the PAN statement.

“Increased pesticide use has led to greater and greater weed resistance. In turn, this has led to more applications of pesticides – as well as use of more hazardous pesticides – in agricultural fields, putting rural communities and farm workers at the greatest risk of harm due to pesticide exposure,” the activist organization said.

More pesticides, more chemicals, more danger

In addition to the use of more pesticides, the control over seeds has also benefited these giant biotech companies – at the expense, of course, of consumers.

“The Big 6 chemical and seed companies are working diligently to monopolize the food system at the expense of consumers, farmers and smaller seed companies,” said Philip H. Howard, an associate professor at Michigan State University and an expert on industry consolidation.

In all, Monsanto alone controls 23 percent of the world’s seed market, while Bayer controls 20 percent of the global pesticide market.

So what’s the big deal, really? Why should GM foods be labeled anyhow?

Probably the biggest reason why is because GMOs – genetically modified organisms – in general were not created by food or agriculture companies. They were created by Monsanto – the same biotech and chemical company that brought us DDT, PCBs and Agent Orange. Monsanto also marketed aspartame and created bovine growth hormone (rBGH) to infect milking cows that put pus into commercial milk.

That’s what the big deal is.

Sources:

http://www.panna.org

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.naturalnews.com/037245_GMOs_labeling_GM_crops.html

Responsible living with Lara Miller

On 19/10/2012 / Awareness, Eco-Fashion, Environmental, Fashion, Social Awareness, Women / Comments Off

Green is the “new black;” it’s the color of change; it is the color of responsible living

Lara Miller, Aria Handmade & Tara St James

Every season, designers surprise me with their creativity. Eco-designer Lara Miller’s commitment to eco-design goes from sustainable materials (low-impact dyes and organic cotton, hemp, vegan ahimsa peace silk, organic wool, linen, lyocell, flax and soy fibers, hand-loomed bamboo, and recycled organic cotton) right down to her use of scrap material from past designs to develop new collections is notable in itself. However, it’s her use of multifunctional pieces that draws my attention to her collections. To take eco-fashion a step further than most by offering versatile “flip” collections is not only a sign of Miller’s brilliance but it makes the price tag of eco-design easier to stomach.

Screen Shot 2012 10 19 at 12.37.45 PM Responsible living with Lara Miller

Lara Miller Designs

Lara Miller’s Fall/Winter collection is an array of delectable colors and layering pieces. It has a slouchy, cozy but sophisticated gypsy feel to it. Most pieces are multifunctional. The Emilie Dress is a personal favorite with its loose drape and open sides. It’s youthful but sexy without being over-the-top. It is also shown worn modestly with a cardigan for more coverage. The versatile Simone cape/dress/ skirt is prettiest as a cape (both sides on shoulders creates a lovely look). As a fan of the comfort and utility of leggings, I appreciate Miller’s Hannah Ribbed Leggings; they are fast becoming a staple for most of us come fall for wear under dresses and sweaters.

The Flora Slip Skirt with its color blocking sits beautifully when worn as a skirt, modestly reaching to the calves, but works as a frock with a mod feel to it when worn as a dress. The Stevie Dress has a similar feel to it but it has much impact when paired with the Spencer Flip Cardigan. To keep warm this season, we could learn much from Lara Miller’s ease with layering pieces most of us wouldn’t think to put together. Putting together a sweater over a sweater with a dress and leggings and a scarf doesn’t seem odd at all in Miller’s hands; it seems cozy and effortless. It flows with color and texture and makes being blanketed in fashion seem oh-so desirable.

READ MORE …

The World’s Most Dangerous Food Scam Exposed in Genetic Roulette

On 19/10/2012 / Awareness, Beware, Big Pharma, Environmental, GMO Food, Toxic, Women / Comments Off

The World’s Most Dangerous Food Scam Exposed in Genetic Roulette

“GENETIC ROULETTE unveils a world most of us have never seen. It raises alarming questions about GMOs, and we deserve answers. For all that you love, hear this message and act now.”
— Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet for a Small Planet and EcoMind

When the US government ignored repeated warnings by its own scientists and allowed untested genetically modified (GM) crops into our environment and food supply, it was a gamble of unprecedented proportions. The health of all living things and all future generations were put at risk by an infant technology.

After two decades, physicians and scientists have uncovered a grave trend. The same serious health problems found in lab animals, livestock, and pets that have been fed GM foods are now on the rise in the US population. And when people and animals stop eating genetically modified organisms (GMOs), their health improves.

This seminal documentary provides compelling evidence to help explain the deteriorating health of Americans, especially among children, and offers a recipe for protecting ourselves and our future.

During the first free showing week in September, there were over 1.25 million views of this astounding documentary featuring testimony from healthcare practitioners, scientists, veterinarians, parents, and others about the health risks of genetically modified foods, and amazing health recoveries from switching to a non-GMO diet. The response has been incredible!

In the remaining critical days before the election, the vital information in this documentary is extremely important to voters in California who are facing a barrage of misdirection from the biotech industry to influence their choice on Prop 37 for labeling of GMO food.

Please don’t miss this opportunity to share this potentially life-saving message. The Tipping Point of consumer rejection of dangerous genetically modified foods is within reach. Please help. Share now! http://geneticroulettemovie.com

A Fine Frenzy with Alison Sudol

On 18/10/2012 / Awareness, Culture, Environmental, Music, Videos / Comments Off

A Fine Frenzy with Alison Sudol

“I had been running to keep up with a world which I could not catch for so long, trying to find somewhere to belong.” ~Alison Sudol

PINES, Alison Sudol’s third full-length Album as A Fine Frenzy, is a fable about a pining tree who is given the unheard-of chance (for a conifer) to make a life of her own choosing. Drawing inspiration from the redwood forests and dramatic landscapes of Northern California and Washington’s Cascade Mountains, the thirteen new original songs survey a sonic landscape as vast and deep as the woods, their namesake.

Alison Sudol

Sudol crafted PINES in response to our accelerating pace of life in the 21st century. “Sometimes I feel like the world has been strapped onto the back of a giant rocket and it’s hurtling us into the unknown at a pace we’re not entirely equipped to deal with. All kinds of things are falling off, good and bad. It’s a crazy, exciting, terrifying time- so much is changing, and fast. Yet some of the most wonderful things in the world are slow- rivers and seasons and turning leaves and growing older with the ones you love. I wanted to create an environment where a person could retreat to, somewhere vivid and real where their minds and hearts could wander freely. I wanted it to be a place you could go to feel, like a quiet spot in a forest or the sea on a cloudy day.”

The adventure of PINES is further realized in a companion book and short film. The animated film PINES, (produced by TakePart, the digital division and Social Action network of Participant Media, whose mission is to create entertainment that inspires and compels social change) integrates hand-cut sets, puppets, stop motion, physical effects, and layered glass to augment the depth and texture of the film. The book is a collaboration with illustrator Jen Lobo, whose aesthetic Sudol chose for her blend of “scientific precision and whimsical beauty.”

READ MORE …

Trees are the lungs of the world. They breathe for the planet.

On 17/10/2012 / Awareness, Environmental / Comments Off

Trees are the lungs of the world. They breathe for the planet.

By John Lightle (From A Distinctive Style Fall 2012 Edition)

Visitors to Vancouver’s Biennale celebration experienced unrest as they noticed trees near the park turning blue. Guests along Seattle’s abandoned Burke-Gilman railroad trail witnessed nearly the same condition. New Zealand’s picturesque Brick Bay regard the same disorder leaving an entire scientific community with no reasonable explanation to the phenomena. Answering to the blueing effect found in three separate biospheres, Australian artist/sculptor Konstantin Dimopoulos announced the identification in a cause for concern.

“What happens to a forest in one country affects other countries. Trees are the lungs of the world. They breathe for the planet,” Konstantin said addressing his latest multinational effort.

Konstantin’s Blue Trees project, using biodegradable pigment as opposed to paint, colors trees pushing environmental concern beyond a passive notion into conscientious activism. Community officials and event coordinators siding on Konstantin’s behalf contract the sculptor to display his work in highly-visible, high traffic areas. From there, Konstantin establishes a portable studio, blending his pigment and water mixture, saturating tree trunks and low-lying branches. The contrasting salient blue hue against verdant green leaves creates a stunning visual image. Deciduous trees exhibiting autumn foliage appear strikingly formidable as the two colors blend against an urban background.

READ MORE …

Fall into Season with Vivid Photography in A Distinctive Style

On 07/10/2012 / A Distinctive Style Magazine, Awareness, Beware, Big Pharma, Cancer, Celebrities, Culture, Environmental, Fashion, Injustice, Inspirational, Poverty, Recycle, Stuttering / Comments Off

Fall into Season with Vivid Photography in A Distinctive Style

The Fall Edition of A Distinctive Style magazine showcases high definition phototography of fall scenes from around the world, to get you into the spirit of the season.

In the cover story, 12-year-old professional soprano, Jackie Evancho, reveals her passion for music, and the great opportunities it has brought her. Expanding her sphere from singing to now movies, everyone can now really see her on the “silver screen!” But even with all the drama of the professional world, she doesn’t forget to keep it real, whether through interactions with her siblings or working for animal protection.

Screen Shot 2012 10 07 at 12.29.42 PM Fall into Season with Vivid Photography in A Distinctive Style

Trees are the Lungs of the World
(See story by clicking this photo)

Fight for a cause, any cause that you feel passionate about

Join Bill Cosby’s “StudentsFirst” cause and fight to keep students out of dropout factories, or dive into Konstantin’s “Blue Trees project” and prevent the rapid deforestation of the planet from continuing. Read a heartfelt message from Leonardo DiCaprio and join IFAW to save the elephants, or simply enjoy nature through the blog “house of joyful noise.”

Find an inspiring story of nature’s struggle through “PINES,” Alison Sudol’s story, or look at a very human story about Surinder Kaur’s struggle to avoid the future she didn’t want in “Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make me a Match.” A Distinctive Style also provides you with more stories on self-esteem, self-acceptance, and whether a successful career and a happy family life are necessarily mutually exclusive.

Health and Wellness

It’s important to look out for your body: more important than anything else. The fall issue features Howard Straus, grandson of Max Gerson, who provides vital information on the cancer, and the do’s and do not’s in order to have a healthy body.

In “Verified success,” Mazzucco Massimo tells of a cure for cancer! Watch the veil draw back from the truth of the effectiveness of sodium bicarbonate and why no one has said anything for so long. Say “No” to vaccines and learn the truth about their origins, or get the nitty-gritty details about how “Monsanto betrays humanity and destroys life.” Get a more personal perspective of breast cancer from Stacy Shelton and her wish to find a cure for this disease that no longer just affects older women.

Acceptance

Learn how to accept, how to overcome, and most importantly, how to be the kind of person you want to be. Follow Mikaela Jones’ story in “Shine your Light” to learn about acceptance, even in the worst of situations, or dive into NFL star Ellis Lankster’s battle to overcome stuttering. Learn about psychopaths and in “Psychopaths, Joe Brewer and you,” and figure out not only how to identify their behavior but also to keep your loved ones safe.

Culture

Screen Shot 2012 10 07 at 1.09.53 PM Fall into Season with Vivid Photography in A Distinctive Style

See Video on Prop 37
By clicking this photo

With so many different views and stories on the varying aspects of life, simply sit down and pick a story to really dig into. Get an up-close perspective on what the life of award-winning composer, Paul Englishby, is like, or develop a whole new perspective on art and pottery with Loren Lukens.

Take a whole another view on eco-friendly fashion through reading about Lara Miller’s, Nester Pineda’s, and Tara St. James’ designs, or simply browse through the pictures and see what fashionable piece of clothing you like.

Glenn Close: legendary actress, probably best known for her role in Fatal Attraction. But what about Albert Nobbs? Take a peek into the perspective of Close and discover the behind-the-film struggle and inspiration.

Inspiration

A Distinctive Style’s Fall issue also features an exclusive interview with Tony Volpentest, dubbed the “Fastest Man in the World” and “Olympic Athlete of the Year.” Even though Volpentest was born with no arms and no legs, his motivation, his life and his thoughts on the future are inspirational.

As much as we say that life goes on, we mustn’t forget to remember those who work to protect us. Remember the firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice for everyone: for you and me. Honor them by reading their stories.

End of the World

And on a final ominous note: Will the end of the world come soon? Find by reading “Visiting the Kings at the End of the World.”

A Distinctive Style with Jackie Evancho, Glenn Close, Bill Cosby

On 07/10/2012 / A Distinctive Style Magazine, Art, Awareness, Beware, Big Pharma, Cancer, Celebrities, Children, Culture, Eco-Fashion, Environmental, Fashion, Hunger, Injustice, Inspirational, Monsanto, Music, Natural Foods, Olympics, People, Photography, Poverty, Shop Green, Social Awareness, Stuttering, women / 1 Comment

Jackie Evancho, Glenn Close, Bill Cosby, Paul Englishby among others can be found in the Fall 2012 edition of A Distinctive Style

When you open the Fall 2012 issue of A Distinctive Style you will be greeted by a beautiful cover featuring child singing sensation Jackie Evancho, then you will notice the music of Emmy Award Winner Paul Englishby.

In our cover story with Jackie Evancho you’ll hear how she has handled the media storm since coming on the scene as a contestant on the fifth season of America’s Got Talent. She talks about her acting debut in a Robert Redford film to release in 2013 and tells us how she picked the songs for her newly released album “Songs From the Silver Screen.” You will see highlights from the CD by clicking a link on her page.

Other stories you’ll enjoy in this edition include:

A personal look at 2012 Emmy winner Paul Englishby focusing on his love of music and the success he has had with film and television musical scores.
A preview on “Stories of Change,” a partnership between the Skoll Foundation and the Sundance Film Festival to promote documentary films that promote global awareness and stimulate change.
An interview with legendary film actress Glenn Close as she sits down with Robert Milazzo at The Modern School of Film.
An inspirational profile of Tony Volpentest, a four-time Paralympic Gold Medalist and 2012 Olympic Hall of Fame nominee.
An examination of the fascination with the Mayan calendar and its prediction that the world will end on December 21, 2012.
A look into the “Gerson Therapy,” a natural cure for cancer.
A letter from Bill Cosby on “Why we must put our Children First.”
A review of Lizzie Velasquez’ insightful new book “Be Beautiful, Be You” which relates the power of finding inner beauty.

Of course all of the stories feature the innovative aspects that A Distinctive Style is known for. They are expertly written, have vivid photography and are enhanced with audio and video clips to give you a complete interactive experience.

Flipping through the pages of the Fall issue is like losing yourself in a virtual visual world. For the readers of this magazine, this is truly a magnificent treat for the senses and a perfect way to celebrate the publication’s fifth anniversary.

Those who haven’t seen this issue yet should certainly take a look now by visiting www.adistinctivestyle.com. You will be hooked on the experience!

A Distinctive Style, a Digital Media Magazine is Celebrating 5 Years

On 07/10/2012 / A Distinctive Style Magazine, Awareness, Big Pharma, Cancer, Celebrities, Culture, Eco-Fashion, Environmental, Film, Hunger, Music, Olympics, Photography, Poverty, Recycle, Social Awareness, Stuttering, Toxic, Video Production, Women / Comments Off

Our Digital Media Magazine is Celebrating 5 Years and 20 Issues!

This month marks the 20th Anniversary issue of A Distinctive Style (ADS) magazine. We are proud what we’ve accomplished over the past five years and wish to thank our readers, followers and supporters and those created the innovative tool which has allowed A Distinctive Style magazine a platform to showcase our stories.

ADS began as a medium to highlight environmental issues, but merged beautifully into a gallery for artists, a stage for musicians, a platform for celebrities who do more than entertain us, and a lesson in tenacity through the many stories we’ve covered.

Screen Shot 2012 10 06 at 7.22.46 PM A Distinctive Style, a Digital Media Magazine is Celebrating 5 Years

Five Year Anniversary

Fran Drescher (a.k.a “the Nanny”) was featured in two ADS issues as she educated us about the early warning signs of cancer…pay attention to your body: Stage 1 is the cure!

Actress and singer Olivia Newton-John shared her story of cancer during a candid interview, reminding us all of how we have an inner strength that can pull us through anything.

Actress Diane Keaton brought us her new book “Then Again,” a leveling story of the “all American” family and how our own family stories are not so different from hers.

And when “Dallas” finally made its way back to network television we were elated to have the opportunity to cover the Red Carper affair, and interview some of the cast.

We are each teachers in our own way. We wish each of you experience greatness so you can teach/help others. Looking back on the ADS journey it seems that a deeper lesson was there for us… a lesson intending on reminding us of the possibilities we each hold within us. No matter what life gives you, there are lessons in the highs and lows. What emerges is a bigger, better, stronger YOU!

We hope ADS has given you an inspiring look at the world and how YOU are an integral part of the future. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your life.

Enjoy Your Journey,

denise marie

See our new Fall Edition by clicking here

Pesticide Peddlers Spend $13.5 Million to fight GMO Labeling

On 17/08/2012 / Awareness, Beware, Environmental, Monsanto, Pesticide Peddlers, Toxic / Comments Off

What Monsanto and Pepsi Don’t Want You to Know About Your Food and Why they Refuse GMO Labeling

NOTE: This is a guest blog post from Stacy Malkan, media director for the Yes on 37 California Right to Know Campaign.

Welcome to election season, when big corporations spare no expense trying to get us to vote against our own self interest. Here in California, we’re bracing for a bomb of television commercials designed to convince us that labeling food is scary, weird and expensive.

In just the past week, a parade of corporations have donated nearly $25 million — before Labor Day is even upon us — to try to kill Proposition 37, a historic ballot initiative that would require labeling of genetically engineered foods.

These are the guys who make the pesticides and also sell or push the seeds that are genetically engineered to withstand the pesticides, thereby allowing them to … sell more pesticides. You get the picture.

New contributions freshly posted on the Secretary of State website reveal the companies that are forking over huge contributions to, and staking their brand names behind, a front group called “The Coalition Against the Deceptive Food Labeling Scheme,” which claims that Proposition 37 would “ban the sale of groceries” — even though it wouldn’t.

Proposition 37 would require companies to add a few words to existing labels to inform consumers if their food has been genetically engineered. Who could be against giving us accurate information about what’s in our food?

The Pesticide Peddlers: Monsanto leads the pack with $4.2 million and a newly posted honor at the bottom of the opposition website that says, “Major funding by Monsanto…”

HealthyEating Pesticide Peddlers Spend $13.5 Million to fight GMO Labeling Joining Monsanto are the rest of the “Big Six” chemical companies — DuPont, BASF, Bayer, Dow and Syngenta — who have poured a combined $13.5 million into fighting Proposition 37. Why?

These are the guys who make the pesticides and also sell or push the seeds that are genetically engineered to withstand the pesticides, thereby allowing them to … sell more pesticides. You get the picture.

“Rather than reducing the need for hazardous pesticides, herbicide-resistant seeds have driven a massive increase in herbicide use that has been linked to significant environmental and public health concerns,” explains Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, PhD, senior scientist at Pesticide Action Network, in a statement supporting Proposition 37.

“It’s clear that genetically engineered, herbicide-resistant seeds are the growth engines of the pesticide industry’s sales and marketing strategy. These seeds are part of a technology package explicitly designed to facilitate increased, indiscriminate herbicide use and pump up chemical sales,” Dr. Ishii-Eiteman said.

According to a 2009 report by Chuck Benbrook, PhD, chief scientist at the Organic Center, farmers applied 318 million more pounds of pesticides over the first 13 years of commercial GE crop production (1996-2008), as a direct result of planting genetically engineered seeds. “GE crops are pushing pesticide use upward at a rapidly accelerating pace,” Dr. Benbrook wrote in the report.

________________________
Stacy Malkan is media director for the Yes on 37 California Right to Know Campaign. If voters pass Proposition 37 in November, California would be the first state in the U.S. to require labeling of genetically engineered foods. Forty nine other countries already require GE foods to be labeled.

Monsanto says safety of GMO’s is government’s problem

On 10/08/2012 / Awareness, Buy from Farmers, Environmental, Toxic / Comments Off

About Monsanto…

A Monsanto executive told The New York Times that the safety of genetically engineered foods was the government’s problem, not the company’s:

“Monsanto should not have to vouch for the safety of biotech food,” said Phil Angell. “Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA’s job.”

It was originally founded in 1901 as a company manufacturing chemicals, responsible for agricultural chemicals including DDT, PCBs for industries, components of Agent Orange for the military, and bovine growth hormone. It is now a transnational corporation and leading source of genetically-modified (GM) crops. It is also the largest seed company controlling 27% of the commercial seed market (90% of soy seed market) and providing the technology for 90% of GM crops around the globe.

They claim to be the solution to world hunger. But there’s currently no evidence that GM crops produce greater yields than conventional crops. And many argue there are hazards to both environment and health. Monsanto is fighting against labeling GM foods and is gaining a stranglehold on our food supply all around the world.

calf at side 1 Monsanto says safety of GMOs is governments problem

Photo from survivalfarm.com

Monsanto infringes upon “food sovereignty” rights. La Via Campesina defines food sovereignty as the right of all peoples to produce and consume healthy, culturally appropriate, sustainably-produced food—and to define and own their own food and agriculture systems.

Monsanto has a history of aggressive investigations and lawsuits brought against farmers in America have been a source of concern for organic and non-GMO farmers since Monsanto’s first lawsuit brought against a farmer in the mid-90′s. Since then, 144 farmers have had lawsuits brought against them by Monsanto for alleged violations of their patented seed technology.

Monsanto has brought numerous charges against more than 700 additional farmers who have settled out-of-court rather than face Monsanto’s belligerent litigious actions. Many of these farmers claim to not have had the intention to grow or save seeds that contain Monsanto’s patented genes. Seed drift and pollen drift from genetically engineered crops often contaminate neighboring fields. If Monsanto’s seed technology is found on a farmer’s land without contract they can be found liable for patent infringement.

Facts YOU Should Know About Monsanto

No GMO Labeling Laws in the USA!
Lack of Adequate FDA / USDA Safety Testing
Monsanto Puts Small Farmers out of Business
Monsanto Products Pollute the Developing World
Monsanto Blocking Government Regulations
Monsanto Guilty of False Advertising & Scientific FRAUD
Consumers Reject Bovine Growth Hormone rBGH in Milk
GMO Crops Do NOT Increase Yields
Monsanto Controls U.S. Soy Market
Monsanto’s GMO Foods Cause NEW Food Allergies
Monsanto’s Roundup is the world’s best selling herbicide, despite industry regulators including the European Commission having known for years that it is linked to birth defects.Some GMO foods have been proven in laboratory tests to… CAUSE: cancer, sterility, miscarriages, seizures and even death!
The growth of GM crops has led to a massive rise in pesticide use.
In the US an epidemic of resistant ‘superweeds’ has been caused by the continual application of glyphosate on crops that are marketed as glyphosate-tolerant crops.
In August 2011, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that glyphosate used on GM crops was found in rainfall and rivers in the Mississippi Basin—jeopardising human health by contaminating drinking water and aquatic life.
New GM crop applications that can resist even more toxic herbicides are now pending approval as well, even though these herbicides are linked to cancer and other serious illnesses and were set to be phased out.
Monsanto and agribusiness in general are increasingly unwelcome wherever they operate. They ruin local agriculture and harm communities with their attempts to dominate food production systems.
As a result of Monsanto’s presence, local seeds are becoming illegal, biodiversity is disappearing, land is being contaminated, and farmers and agricultural workers are being poisoned, criminalized and displaced from their land. Local food producers aiming to feed communities have to compete with huge corporations whose sole objective is to make profits.

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Farm Aid says:

Get to Know Your Food

We all depend on good food and good food depends on all of us. Do your part to ensure healthy, family farm food for you, your family, your community—all of us.

Here’s what you can do:

Know your food — Learn the right questions to ask
Be an active food shopper — Ask for family farm food wherever you eat
Ensure that your dollars support family farmers — Buy direct from farmers
Get to know a family farmer — Meet the source of your food
Teach children how to grow food — If they grow veggies, they tend to like them
Bring food and farm issues to your community — Share good food with your neighbors
Strengthen local support for farmers — Bring good food to schools and other institutions
Get involved in grassroots efforts to save family farmers — Get connected in your community
Demand democracy in our food system — Use your vote, not just your dollar, to support good food
Join HOMEGROWN.org — A place for all of us who pioneer a HOMEGROWN way to eat, grow, and express ourselves

Environmental

A cardboard bicycle that’s strong, waterproof and costs less than £10 to manufacture.

Designed by Israeli engineer and systems developer Izhar Gafni

Oscar buzz is in the air! In A Distinctive Style magazine, readers will find interviews with this year’s most watched Academy Award Nominees, all vying for a coveted gold Oscar statue.

Are your favorite brands failing to take urgent action to eliminate the release of hazardous chemicals from their supply chains and products?

Big brands caught off-trend

Join fashion-lovers, activists, models and designers in exposing fashion brands’ dirty little secret and demanding fashion without pollution.

Houses made from 70-80% recycled materials

There is consideration of his work:

The 2013 Oscars Go To?

A Distinctive Style’s Winter issue features human interest, social awareness, sustainable and organic fashion and this years Academy Award nominees.

With all the madness in the world there is still magic in nature

RARE WISCONSIN/MICHIGAN SIGHTING

Robert Redford needs your help

Matt Damon in Anti-fracking film “Promised Land”

Matt Damon and John Krasinski co-wrote and co-star in the eco-drama about the controversial drilling practice known as fracking.

An invitation from Willie Nelson of Farm Aid

Chasing Ice … Earth’s changing climate

Scarlett Johansson lends her voice to documentary “Chasing Ice”

In a recent photo shoot, Deborah Lindquist captures country living with her eco-couture apparel.

Designer Deborah Lindquist works with sustainable, organic, and recycled fabrics to create bespoke eco-couture apparel and home decorative accessories.

The Effects of Pesticides in Food

The Effects of Pesticides – Cancer

Obesity and Diabetes

Parkinson’s Disease

Infertility and Birth Defects

Autism

Side effects of GMOs – Ask your doctor if CANCER is right for you.

Six largest pesticide corporations funding effort to defeat GMO labeling Prop 37

What do the Big 6 have to hide?

More pesticides, more chemicals, more danger

Green is the “new black;” it’s the color of change; it is the color of responsible living

Lara Miller, Aria Handmade & Tara St James

The World’s Most Dangerous Food Scam Exposed in Genetic Roulette

A Fine Frenzy with Alison Sudol

“I had been running to keep up with a world which I could not catch for so long, trying to find somewhere to belong.” ~Alison Sudol

Trees are the lungs of the world. They breathe for the planet.

Fall into Season with Vivid Photography in A Distinctive Style

Fight for a cause, any cause that you feel passionate about

Health and Wellness

Acceptance

Culture

Inspiration

End of the World

Jackie Evancho, Glenn Close, Bill Cosby, Paul Englishby among others can be found in the Fall 2012 edition of A Distinctive Style

Our Digital Media Magazine is Celebrating 5 Years and 20 Issues!

What Monsanto and Pepsi Don’t Want You to Know About Your Food and Why they Refuse GMO Labeling

About Monsanto…

Facts YOU Should Know About Monsanto

Get to Know Your Food

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