This month, along with our breaking news and research, updates and tips, we are thrilled to share that one of our long-time funders has offered us an additional $10,000 matching grant! They are aware that the Maryland Pesticide Education Network (MPEN) is a way-too-small-staffed organization that tackles BIG issues and currently MPEN and its Smart on Pesticides Coalition need additional funds to keep up with the ever-growing pesticide challenges.
We normally do not make direct donation pitches in our newsletter--but given this is a matching grant (which honestly, we really need)--we are asking for your help. In order to get this $10,000 match, we need to receive a total of $10,000 in donations. Please help us get to this goal. Make a donation here.
Vote With Your Wallet, Vote With Your Fork! GO Organic! Where to shop, how to go organic in all you do--even on a budget!Learn How
According to a 5-year analysis by Consumer Reports, the pesticide levels in over 450 vegetables and fruits exceed potentially harmful thresholds.Read More
Avoid these harmful pesticide-contaminated foods. Many common, 'kid-friendly' foods, such as strawberries and apples, are the ones that are most often riddled with dangerous chemicals, pesticides, and fungicides that are linked directly to health problems in both children and adults. Get the List
National media talks about organic as a consumer issue--at the supermarket--but for Latino farming communities, it's about labor, equity & public health. "...policy is catching up--albeit slowly. Now, we just need the mainstream media to pull their heads out of their Whole Foods carts and see the neurotoxins for the trees." Read More
The EPA Office of Pesticides Programs "has become so captured by industry that it has lost sight of its health and environmental mission" according to 37 environmental, public health, and sustainable agriculture groups, including the Maryland Pesticide Education Network.Read More
EPA is establishing a position and two advisory councils to enhance scientific integrity. The move is being widely seen as a response to recent reporting on how EPA has allowed the chemical industry to distort and unduly influence its process for reviewing and approving toxic pesticides and other chemicals. Read More
Farmworker groups, environmentalists & health organizations have sued the EPA for approving the continued use of the deadly pesticide paraquat, which has been linked to Parkinson's Disease. Read More
Then there is our current USDA...
Biden's USDA Secretary Vilisack snubbs the EU's Farm to Fork strategy aiming to slash farmers' relianceon water-polluting, energy-intensive agrochemicals. Instead, Vilisack is seeking out to form a "coalition of nations" to pledge their allegiance to a more industry-friendly approach to ag-related environmental policy. Read More
The insect that has now totally disappeared from eight US states: the American bumblebee population has plummeted by almost 90% and is edging its way towards Endangered Species Act protection, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Read More
A local mid-Atlantic chain that deserves the highest marks is MOM's Organic Market. MOM's is a true leader in the organic movement, supporting local organic producers, exemplifying environmentally sound business practices, and promoting environmental work throughout our region. Read More
Making the case for bugs: "In order to feed ourselves with the diversity of ...fruit & vegetables... cocoa and chocolate and coffee, we need bugs for seed dispersal, which is important in maintaining ecosystems and wildlife" writes Emily Cadloff. Read More
Pollinators could win when the infrastructure bill passes. Bees, butterflies & other insects are abundant in areas along the nation's highways. The $1.2 trillion federal bill would make them pollinator-friendly.Read More
At a time when large dairy brands are experimenting with scaling up regenerative practices, one family farm is working to set the standard for the future of the industry by healing the soil--at scale. Read More
Researchers developed a probe that could help farmers better understand their land by measuring the electric current from the tiny creatures in the dirt.Read More
For the first time, scientists have assembled a quantitative assessment for agriculture sustainability for countries around the world based not only on environmental impacts, but economic & social impacts, as well.Read More
'Kiss the Ground': Regenerating hope for the climate. An optimistic climate documentary narrated by Woody Harrelson argues for the healing power of soil, which could offer a solution to the climate crisis. Watch on Netflix!Watch Here
Drawing on thirty years of research, Dr. Goulson, who provided testimony is support of Maryland's 2016 Pollinator Protection Act, has written an accessible, fascinating, and important book that examines the evidence of an alarming drop in insect numbers around the world. "If we lose the insects, then everything is going to collapse," he warned in a recent interview in the New York Times-beginning with humans' food supply. Read More
After 50 years since initial publication, 'Diet for a Small Planet' remains urgent. To quote the author, Frances Moore Lappé, "The future of life on Earth is now at stake, and our food system contributes enormously to climate change." Read More
Check out this helpful infographic by clicking here.
Check out Beyond Pesticides' new factsheets alerting communities to the adverse impacts of commonly used land care pesticides. Of the 40 most commonly used lawn and landscape pesticides, 26 are possible and/or known carcinogens, 24 have the potential to disrupt the endocrine (hormonal) system, 29 are linked to reproductive effects and sexual dysfunction, 21 have been linked to birth defects, 24 are neurotoxic, 21 are detected in groundwater. Learn more about the health effects of lawn pesticides. Read More
Please help support our work to protect our babies, bees, and the Bay!
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