Persistent, Poisonous, Problematic: Pesticides by Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D.

Shortly after Michelle Obama planted an organic garden on the White House lawn, she received a letter from the Mid-America Crop Life Association. (1)

The letter reminded the First Lady that "crop protection technologies" (Read: pesticides) are "supported by sound scientific research and innovation," and are important in "feeding our country."

Whoa! This sounded like pesticide PR to me.  Sure enough, the Association's officers and board members include individuals from Monsanto, Bayer, Dupont and Syngenta – agro-chemical corporations who profit from pesticide sales.(2)

Of course, Mrs. Obama knows better. Let's stand with her to help more parents understand the unintended consequences of pesticide use, and how these chemicals could harm our families' health.

The Pesticide Action Network of North America defines pesticides as "chemicals designed to kill plants, insects, rodents, fungi, etc." However, PANNA adds: "due to their very nature, they can be hazardous to human health and the environment. "(3)

Pesticides that destroy unwanted pests can also kill pollinators and other beneficial insects, pollute rivers and streams, and create hazardous environments for wildlife and humans.

Pregnant women, infants and children are especially vulnerable to pesticides' effects. Compared to adults, children eat more, drink more, and breathe more air in proportion to their body size. Plus, young, developing bodies are less able to break down and excrete toxins.(3-7)

Overall, human health risks associated with pesticide exposure include: asthma, autism, birth defects, cancers, diabetes, insulin resistance, mental retardation, neurological disorders, and obesity. (3-8)

Some pesticides mimic our natural hormones and can interfere with normal sexual development, reproduction and fertility. Exposure to these endocrine disruptors contributes to declining worldwide rates in fertility, sperm counts and male offspring. Some studies show that organic farmers and men who eat only organic food have healthier sperm and /or higher sperm counts as compared to conventional farmers who use pesticides and eat conventional diets. Endocrine disrupting pesticides have also been linked to fetal loss, birth defects, and earlier onset of puberty among girls (menarche). (8)

Even when pesticide residues are present at levels lower than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's stated "level of concern," endocrine disruptors pose human health risk because they are biologically active at extremely low and previously undetected levels.

The Energy Bill is moving!

More than 2.5 million new, green jobs and energy independence are at stake.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown has a plan to make it happen.

Tell your senators to support Sen. Brown's IMPACT Act of 2009!

Dear Alice Diane,

For decades, we have watched American manufacturing jobs shipped overseas. Now, as we face our highest unemployment rate in 25 years, the consequences of our complacency are crystal clear.

An America that can't manufacture its own goods will be a weak America. And with the clean-energy economy poised to grow exponentially, it's more important than ever to keep new jobs here.

Last Wednesday, Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio stepped up with a brand new proposal that lays the groundwork for the creation of more than 2.5 million new, green jobs. This plan provides an ironclad economic motivation for hesitant lawmakers from hard-hit states to support the Energy Bill.

The Energy Bill is moving – we need to act quickly. Tell your senators to support Sen. Brown's "Investments for Manufacturing Progress and Clean Technology (IMPACT) Act."

I was in DC last Wednesday with Apollo Alliance supporters to help build momentum for this bill – it's that important. We've calculated that it would create at least 680,000 new direct manufacturing jobs and nearly 2 million jobs outside the sector.

That means more than 2.5 million Americans put to work creating clean energy technologies. The bill would:

• Invest in loans to small- and mid-sized businesses to retool, establish, or expand clean energy manufacturing capabilities, and
• Increase funding to help manufacturers break into clean energy markets and adopt innovative, energy-efficient technologies.

Will you stand with Apollo and Sen. Brown? Urge your senators to support businesses, workers, AND the environment by supporting the "Investments for Manufacturing Progress and Clean Technology Act."

With your help, we can generate the resources – and the political will – to create green jobs in an industry that offers a more sustainable solution for our environment, our economy, and American workers.

The Great American Backyard Campout® is officially on Saturday, June 27, 2009. Basil Brook Organic Pharm is now a wildlife sancturary, has a lovely camping area near the hiking trail and brook and will be participating again this year. This year will will include workshop on alternative energy with information on photovoltaics, solar hot water, passive solar heat. An all electric car and solar oven will also be on display.

Mark your calendar for June 27, 2009!

Come join the fun!

The Great American Backyard Campout provides an opportunity for everyone to relive -- or to experience for the first time -- how much fun it is to spend a night sleeping under the stars and enjoying the sounds of nature.

Held each June, the Great American Backyard Campout is a national event that encourages individuals, youth, friends and families to camp out together for one night.

Each year the number of campers has steadily grown. The locations and types of campsites vary from family campouts in the backyard to public campsites with 30 or more community members. In previous years, campers have ranged in age from 3 months to 99 years old and have come from all areas of the United States.

For more information please visit:

http://www.nwf.org/backyardcampout/index.cfm

or email Alice at barrelsofsun@earthlink.net

Proposed mine would throttle Montana wilderness

Urge the U.S. Forest Service, Montana DEQ to protect grizzlies and bull trout against the Montanore mine

TAKE ACTION

Click here to urge the Forest Service and Montana DEQ to protect grizzlies, and bull trout against the Montanaore mine

Dear Alice Diane,

Two mines, one wilderness
Only 20-30 grizzly bears remain in and around the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness in northwest Montana. These bears are hanging on by a thread. Biologists say they can't survive the loss of habitat from one mine, let alone two!

Yet, two massive copper and silver mines are in the works. If approved, these mines will jeopardize the wilderness area, degrade rivers and lakes, and harm important wildlife species! The Bush Administration has already given the green light to the proposed Rock Creek Mine.

Now the Forest Service is considering approval of the Montanore Mine.

Undermining wilderness lakes
The Montanore mine will intercept ground water in the region and divert it into the mine's underground tunnels. Rivers and lakes that rely on this groundwater will suffer the consequences -- including alpine lakes in the Wilderness.

Bull trout at risk
The US Fish and Wildlife found that the Rock Creek mine would likely wipe out the bull trout fishery in Rock Creek. Now, the Montanore Mine is predicted to dewater and degrade the East Fork of Bull River - the most important bull trout stronghold in the region.

Pollution in perpetuity
The proposed Montanore Mine is predicted to generate 13 million gallons a year of polluted mine water in perpetuity.

TAKE ACTION
Enough is enough! Send a letter to the U.S Forest Service and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Speak out on behalf of wilderness, water quality and wildlife!

Thanks for taking action,
Bonnie Gestring and Alan Septoff, EARTHWORKS

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Go to the action page.
• Read the sample letter at page bottom and edit it if possible. Customized letters have greater impact.
• Click "send my message" to send your message to the Forest Service and Montana Department of Environmental Quality.
• For more information, go to the action page.

Dear Alice,

Clean energy legislation will very likely be voted on NEXT WEEK. 

Watch our new ad and help us raise $50,000 to keep it on the air for the final critical days.

This is it. Next week, the House will very likely vote on landmark clean energy legislation.

And Big Oil is doing everything they can to defeat it.

I'm going to tell it to you straight - we could lose this vote if we don't act now.

That's why we put together an ad showing how clean energy can rebuild our economy, increase national security, and protect the planet – but we need to raise $50,000 RIGHT NOW to run this ad through the vote next week. 

Make an emergency donation of $50 or more today.

Thanks to the generous support of our members, we were able to win 12 of the critical 16 swing votes on this bill in the House Energy and Commerce Committee last month. But with the full House vote only days away, we need your help more than ever!

You and I have worked for years for the chance to pass legislation like this.  But Big Oil is mobilizing as never before. In just the first 4 months of this year they've spent almost $80 million trying to defeat clean energy legislation, pulling out all the stops to kill it - from high-paid lobbyists, to misleading ads, to threats to turn off the campaign funding spigots.

We're doing all we can to defeat them – meeting with key members of Congress, organizing tens of thousands of community members, phone-banking in swing districts, and running radio and TV ads like this one.

But with the House floor vote expected within days, we need the resources to do even more. 

Please help us keep this ad on the air and continue our essential grassroots campaign – make an emergency donation of $50 or more TODAY.

Alice, I know it from thirty years of fighting - our moment is here. This vote is our best opportunity strengthen and pass clean energy legislation this year - but Big Oil and Dirty Coal are fighting back – hard.  That's why we need your help today.

Thank you for everything you do for LCV and the environment.

June 2009,
At a Glance

· In the News:
  · Congress & Energy
  · Victory for Chub

· unEarthed Blog

· The Stew:
  Monthly Highlights

· Take Action:
  Glacier National Park

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Stop Mountaintop Removal!

The EPA has approved a flurry of new mountaintop removal coal mining projects. We need your support to end this terribly destructive practice.

Donate before June 30th, and your gift will be matched up to $500,000.

Photo: Mark Schmerling

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United States of Efficiency

This summer, celebrate your citizenship with the United States of Efficiency.

Energy efficiency is not just about changing light bulbs. It's about setting benchmarks to make all the products we use more efficient, and carry these bench marks into all areas of your life.

Get inspired with IFC and Sundance Channel:

Express Yourself!

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Tell a Friend

Spread the word
about Earthjustice!

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Connect with Earthjustice

Join us on Facebook

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Who We Are

Earthjustice is the nation's leading, non-profit law firm for the environment. To learn more about our work, visit our website.

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e.Brief is YOURS ...
Got ideas? Questions?

Drop us a line!

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"The people of Appalachia ... will continue to be the sacrificial lamb for our nation's dependence on coal."

—Joan Mulhern of Earthjustice, commenting on government's new mountaintop removal plan.

Historic Fight For
Clean Energy FutureCongress is deciding whether America seizes
the chance for a clean energy economy or capitulates to many more decades of fossil fuel addiction, reports Earthjustice President Trip Van Noppen. Earthjustice is in a fierce struggle to keep oil and coal interests from de-railing this historic opportunity for change.

Humpback Chub Has Friend In High PlacesIt isn't easy being a humpback chub in the Colorado River. Trout are prettier and even catfish are more cuddly. What's worse, as other fish flourish in these waters controlled by Glen Canyon dam, the 4-million year old chub is going extinct. But there's one thing the chub has that his neighbors don't—a friend in high places.

Jared Saylor As Obama stalls, Congress takes on mountaintop removal.

Brian Smith The "God Squad" threat against whales and salmon.

David Guest Court legalizes pollution of United States waters.

Tom Turner Another detour on Roadless Rule road.

Suit Filed to Re-list Gray WolvesIn April, the federal government finished what the Bush administration started when it dropped Endangered Species Act protection for gray wolves in the northern Rockies. With the stroke of a pen, wolves in Montana and Idaho lost legal and habitat protections. Instead, they got state management and the promise of a fall hunt. Conservation groups represented by Earthjustice filed a lawsuit to get back protections for the wolves.

Salmon Get Notch From CourtA federal judge has told the government to consider notching four small, salmon-killing dams on the lower Snake River if other remedies fail to save salmon. Meanwhile, the Obama administration asked the judge for more time to review the legal mess they inherited from the Bush administration before having to act.

In The Win ColumnEarthjustice and its allies won advances—or outright victories—across a broad front in the last month:

Obama Grants Reprieve For Roadless AreasThe Obama administration provided a welcome break for millions of acres of forest lands by virtually freezing development and roadbuilding on them for about a year. Dept. of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that he will make any decisions about roadless area development in the national forests (except Idaho), including Tongass National Forest. During the Bush years, Earthjustice took numerous legal steps to keep our public lands from being turned over to developers, road builders and loggers.

EPA To Review Burning of
Hazardous WasteThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to review a Bush-era rule that allows highly toxic emissions to be released by facilities that burn hazardous waste. There are approximately 265 facilities nationwide that burn such waste, sending poisons into playgrounds and neighborhoods across America. The rule was first challenged in 2005 by Earthjustice, representing the Sierra Club.

A Second Chance For WolverinesUnder pressure from Earthjustice legal action, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed to reconsider whether wolverines in the lower-48 states should be protected by the Endangered Species Act. The agency had earlier concluded wolverines deserve protection but then precluded protecting them. The decision is due by December 2010.

Agency Sets New Rules To Protect California SalmonCalifornia's chinook salmon, steelhead—and even killer whales—are threatened by the way state and federal water projects are managed in that state's Central Valley, according to a biological opinion by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The opinion establishes a new set of operating rules for the water projects.

Protect Glacier National Park! Glacier National Park and its sister park in Canada are threatened by mining and gas drilling. You can help by alerting decision makers.

©2009 Earthjustice | 426 17th Street, 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612 |  51... | enews@earthjustice.org

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Dear Alice Diane,

As a concerned hunger advocate, you know that child nutrition is one of the highest priorities at Feeding America—and our advocates and food banks are gearing up for the upcoming Congressional debates surrounding the reauthorization of federal funding for child nutrition programs.  In this month’s edition of the Hunger Advocate, learn more about the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act and the critical programs it will fund.

Child Nutrition–A Critical Foundation
Check out this new monthly series focusing on children and hunger—through the summer and fall, you will learn more about the role good nutrition plays in the growth, development, health, and well-being of our nation’s children.  This month, find out how early childhood nutrition affects long-term educational progress and success.

Can You Make a Difference in the Life of a Hungry Child?
The latest Child Food Insecurity Report shows that in 26 states, one in six young children are food insecure.  In this land of plenty, that’s way too many hungry children.  Can one person make a difference? Absolutely!  Click here to find out how you can help!

Hunger Action Month— September 2009

Hunger Action Month is a nationwide effort to engage America in the fight against hunger—and it’s coming in September!  From coast to coast, communities will be holding anti-hunger events to bring us together in this important cause, with a particular focus on child hunger issues.  Read more about Hunger Action Month— and visit the Hunger Action Center to find out what’s coming up in your community!

Tell the EPA: “Protect Our Environment – Reduce Global Warming Pollution!”

Dear Alice Diane,

Submit your comments and add your voice to the public record in support of reducing greenhouse gas pollution! We must act now to protect our future from the worst effects of global warming.

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued an "endangerment finding" that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases represent a significant threat to public health and welfare. The EPA is accepting public comments on this finding until June 23—this is the first time the public has been asked whether we want to limit greenhouse gas pollution.

Add your voice to the public record! Submit your public comments today.

The EPA's finding, based on tens of thousands of public comments and years of work by EPA's career staff, recognizes that the increased flooding, droughts, wildfires, spread of disease, and heat waves that accompany global warming will harm people. We finally have an administration that elevates science over politics when it comes to the environment.

Right now, America has the opportunity to establish itself as a global leader on clean energy. By shifting to clean energy, and cracking down on the corporations that pollute the water we drink and the air we breathe, we will create economic prosperity, reduce our dependence on oil and coal, while tackling global warming at the same time.

We need to demonstrate overwhelming public support for reducing greenhouse gas pollution. Please submit your comments today.

Do you know someone else who cares about protecting our future for our children and the natural world we depend on? Help us to spread the word:
 Tell-a-friend!
Please use Tell-a-Friend instead of forwarding the message. The links in this message have been personalized for you.

Trouble with the "Take Action" links in the message? Try cutting-and-pasting this link into your web browser: http://audubonaction.org/campaign/epa_endangerment