Monday, June 11, 2012
Wealth through Stealth!
Why are we so concerned you may ask?
• Consumers were never informed that GMOs were being introduced into the food system;
• We are still left in the dark as to the presence of GMOs in our food due to the complete lack of labeling requirements;
• GMOs have never been adequately tested in the field nor in the human population (thank goodness!);
• GMO crops are failing globally at a fairly high rate;
• GMO crops and the chemicals used to protect them from pests are creating super weeds & super pests that unfortunately will require more powerful & dangerous chemicals;
• Virtually every aspect of a genetically modified seed is covered by a patent, meaning you can never save your own seeds and must always return to the multi-national corporation to buy seeds each & every year in perpetuity;
• GMO crops will cross-pollinate with wild and organically grown plants thereby contaminating them;
• Most of these GMO crops are heavily subsidized the government thereby putting the cultivation of organically grown crops at a severe economic disadvantage;
• Isn’t that enough?!
What can we do about it? Is this not a great opportunity to prove to concerned consumers that supporting organics is the best way to protect ourselves and our families from harmful chemicals and GMOs? We think it is!
Supporting organics means that you are supporting chemical-free agriculture that respects both the land and the consumer. It also means our rivers, our air, our drinking water and our food will not be contaminated with extremely harmful chemicals.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Becoming Aware
We are of the mindset that from the standpoint of advertising, Kashi did nothing wrong. They never falsely claimed to be organic or non-GMO. They merely used the all-to-common word natural in selling their products. Completely legal, albeit a somewhat shady approach, much like the ads that make the claim that their products are artisanal.
Do we like what Kashi has done to raise their profile amongst health conscious consumers by claiming to be natural for all these years, no. We also do not condemn them for practices that we, as consumers, have allowed them to engage in for the sole purpose of profit at the expense of our health and the health of our planet. The main dynamic we see that is wrong and that must be changed is the way consumers get educated and access knowledge and then act on such knowledge. Any consumer with basic knowledge of GMOs would know that if it is not organic and it is made from soy (91% GMO in US) or corn (85% GMO in US), the likelihood is extremely high that it will contain GMOs. In fact, it is estimated that over 70% of all processed foods in the United States contain GMOs.
GMO crops are rapidly failing on a global level, creating super weeds and super pests, and they are unproven regarding their safety for consumption. Additionally, the risk of cross-pollination with organically grown crops is potentially very damaging to that industry's integrity, not to mention the integrity of the crops themselves and the eco-systems they grown in!
What can consumers do? Get informed, make smart choices and make noise when something bothers you!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Organic Battleground
Well, there has been movement by some of those organic farmers to take a stand. These small, but very important efforts must be embraced by the industry leaders in organics and by those who consume those products. If left uncontested, companies like Monsanto, Dupont, Syngenta and other behemoths in the biotech industry will take their already massive influence to levels that will make them impenetrable. At some point, there will be no way to avoid ingesting GMOs in any foods as they will have become so prevalent and completely protected that the basic essence of nature will have been irreversibly altered.
Visionary Values will soon have our database in place so that people can see the linkages between these global biotech giants, our food systems, our politicians and our health. We think you will be amazed at just how few control so many and so much. It really is unimaginable what we have allowed to take place! This is a matrix of control that is, at the very least, criminal! Stay tuned!!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Permaculture to the White House – Please Take Three Seconds to Vote!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Sustainability on Our Backs
- The U.S. cotton crop was 93% genetically modified (GMO) in 2010;
- The Chinese cotton crop was 68% genetically modified (GMO) in 2009
- The cotton industry relies heavily on chemicals, such as herbicides, fertilizers and insecticides;
- The 25,000 cotton growers in the United States are heavily subsidized at the rate of $2 billion per year;
- Many farmers in developing countries receive a low price for their cotton;
- Some countries are criticized for employing child labor & damaging workers' health by exposure to pesticides.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Farmers against Monsanto
Monday, February 6, 2012
Celebrating Bob Marley's Birthday
Get Up Stand Up
Most people think great God will come from the sky
Take away everything and make everybody feel high
But if you know what life is worth
You would look for yours on earth
And now you see the light You stand up for your right
….
We’re sick and tired of your ism schism game
Die and go to heaven in Jesus’ name
Lord, we know when we understand Almighty God is a living man
You can fool some people sometimes
But you can’t fool some people all the time
So now we see the light
(What you gonna do?)
We gonna stand up for our right.
Jah, Jah, Jah …
Get up Stand up, co-written with Peter Tosh, demonstrates an anti-imperialist, strident and militant tone, that acts as the rallying cry for oppressed people to fight back and in the spirit of Marcus Garvey’s self-reliance philosophy do something about their own situation.
Celebrate the spirit of Bob Marley and his philosophy with this video:
Friday, February 3, 2012
Perhaps it is time to return to the blog!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Small is Beautiful and Vital!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
State Your Food Sovereignty
Monday, January 31, 2011
Organics Losing Ground!
Friday, January 14, 2011
“Earth to TransFair: Fair Trade is a Movement Not a Brand!”
Monday, January 3, 2011
Sustainability in Rural Mexico
Monday, December 13, 2010
Recovering an Island Tradition
Now, I knew that T&T had a long tradition of growing cacao or cocoa, but I was unaware that this has essentially been on the decline for many years now. Trinidad holds most of the 1.3 million population of the twin island nation, but Tobago seems the be the island holding on to its historical traditions a bit more strongly. This may be due to the heavy reliance on tourism and the need to preserve the natural beauty for visitors.
Tobago is home to the western hemisphere's oldest protected rainforest which occupies 14,000 acres in the center of the island. This designation came on April 13, 1776! A very smart decision! In many of the islands coastal communities the residents still rely very heavily upon fishing and do so using methods such as poles and nets.
I had the opportunity to visit a place called the Tobago Cocoa Estate which was begun by a well traveled native Tobagian by the name of Duane Dove. A sommelier by training, his well developed taste buds are put to work on this fine estate. His goal is to recover the tradition of producing the highest quality cocoa and to do so using sustainable farming methods. Now, I still need to investigate further, but the claim is that he is producing his cocoa in a "chemical free" process. I need more details and will present my findings on our website in 2011.
Moving along though, Mr. Dove has produced Tobago's first single origin chocolate bar from his cocoa and it has received some very solid reviews! This means that the chocolate bar he has had produced (small manufacturer in France) contains only cocoa from his estate, whereas many bars have mixed sources. As I understand it, once his estate begins to get more solid footing, he has plans to actually produce the chocolate himself rather than ship it overseas. This is a process that is already underway at another island grower called Grenada Chocolate Company on the nearby island nation of Grenada.
Needless to say, growing cocoa on these islands, and in particular at the Tobago Cocoa Estate, is very difficult work! The inclines are great and the difference between the two seasons, dry & wet, present very challenging logistics. Visionary Values will present the challenges of these cocoa growers in 2011 when we unveil our overview of the chocolate industry. What you don't know will surprise you!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Great Tool For Sustainable Sourcing!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Conscious Coffees - 2011 Micro Roaster of the Year!
Congratulations go out to our friends at Conscious Coffees here in Boulder, Colorado! Earning Roast Magazine's Micro Roaster of the Year is a great honor, doing it by adhering to stellar standards of sustainabiity is quite another. Check out the magazine's article in the most recent issue
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Moving Forward!
Stay tuned!!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Moving Forward!
Our efforts to document sustainable businesses and endeavors is in motion now! We are currently in edit mode and should have some excellent interview segments to share with you. Over the past few weeks we have conducted interviews with three businesses: Licious Organics in Boulder, Colorado and Karma Balm and Interiors Green in Bethlehem, New Hampshire. We are very excited to get this project underway!!
Additionally, there has been extensive video documentation of a build site here in Boulder featuring Artesano Plasterers Ryan Chivers & Phil Metzler. This project also features a living roof installed by Andy Creath of Green Roofs of Colorado. We look forward to conducting interviews with these folks as well down the road.
Visionary Values believes that by sharing inspiring stories of individuals and companies working more in harmony with our environment and supporting sustainability, we can encourage others to do the same. After all, we share this beautiful world and all of our challenges must also be shared!