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Millions Against Monsanto Call to Action
This World Food Day, people all around the country are getting out to bring 1,000,000 people into the Millions Against Monsanto campaign for labels on genetically engineered foods.
On October 16, 2011, we'll join together at community gardens, farmers markets, grocery stores, non-GMO potlucks, film screenings and Right2Know rallies to educate our communities about the dangers of Monsanto's seeds and pesticides and to demonstrate how much better organic, GMO-free eating can be.
Choose your state and join local Millions Against Monsanto groups to get involved in planning World Food Day events
Contact Millions Against Monsanto campaign staff to get started with a World Food Day event in your community. Make sure to let us know where you'll be on World Food Day.
We need volunteers willing to host organic, non-GMO potlucks to bring activists together to plan for World Food Day. If you have a venue where you can host a public potluck, please let us know, so we can invite Organic Consumers Association activists in your area and get you the resources you need to make your World Food Day planning potluck a success.
More information on World Food Day
RSVP for World Food Day on Facebook
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Antibacterial Chemical Raises Safety Issues
Products like soaps and toothpaste contain triclosan, an antibacterial additive.
By ANDREW MARTIN
The maker of Dial Complete hand soap says that it kills more germs than any other brand. But is it safe?
Triclosan stands out on the label of Dial Complete.
That question has federal regulators, consumer advocates and soap manufacturers locked in a battle over the active ingredient in Dial Complete and many other antibacterial soaps, a chemical known as triclosan.
The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing the safety of the chemical, which was created more than 40 years ago as a surgical scrub for hospitals. Triclosan is now in a range of consumer products, including soaps, kitchen cutting boards and even a best-selling toothpaste, Colgate Total. It is so prevalent that a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the chemical present in the urine of 75 percent of Americans over the age of 5.
Several studies have shown that triclosan may alter hormone regulation in laboratory animals or cause antibiotic resistance, and some consumer groups and members of Congress want it banned in antiseptic products like hand soap. The F.D.A. has already said that soap with triclosan is no more effective than washing with ordinary soap and water, a finding that manufacturers dispute.
The F.D.A. was to announce the results of its review several months ago, but now says the timing is uncertain and unlikely until next year. The Environmental Protection Agency is also looking into the safety of triclosan.
The outcome of the federal inquiries poses a significant risk to the makers of antimicrobial and antibacterial hand soaps, which represent about half of the $750 million market for liquid hand soaps in the United States, according to the market research firm Kline & Company.
Many of those soaps use triclosan as the active ingredient and say so on the label. Dial Complete is the fifth-best-selling liquid hand soap in the nation, according to data collected from most major stores (except for Wal-Mart) by SymphonyIRI Group, a Chicago-based market research firm.<MORE>
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Report on the National Characteristics of Drinking Water Systems Serving 10,000 or Fewer People Available Online
from Water Headlines for the week of August 22, 2011
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has updated a report entitled National Characteristics of Drinking Water Systems Serving 10,000 or Fewer People. EPA first published this report in 1999, after the 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act, to serve as a source of information for small drinking water systems and stakeholders that work with small systems. The central purpose of generating this report is to share characteristics of small public drinking water systems to better understand their challenges and better target technical assistance to improve their technical, managerial and financial capacity. This report updates the data on small systems based on the new information drawn from the 2006 Community Water System Survey, the 2007 Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment, the Safe Drinking Water Information Systems (SDWIS), the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund National Information Management System and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The report is available on EPA's website at http://water.epa.gov/type/drink/pws/smallsystems/state_guidance.cfm
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Grant Opportunity for Individual Artists, Community Organizations and Schools
The Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire (CCNB) invites local schools, artists, individuals, and community organizations to apply for their 2012 grants. The CCNB is a local branch of the Massachusetts State Cultural Council and it represents 11 Berkshire towns (Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Florida, Hancock, Lanesboro, Monroe, New Ashford, North Adams, Savoy, and Williamstown), allocating state funding to local arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences projects. There are also “Individual Artist” grants offered to select residents of those towns. Details are available on the CCNB website: culturalcouncil.wordpress.com.
The CCNB is currently accepting applications to fund projects occurring between January and December of 2012. Applications must be postmarked no later than October 15, 2011. Anyone interested in applying is strongly encouraged to attend one of two FREE grant-writing workshops: Wednesday, September 28, 6-7:30 pm, at the Williamstown Public Library, and Thursday, October 6, 6-7:30 pm, at the North Adams Public Library. Even if you've applied in the past, guidelines and priorities can change each year, so chances of success increase after attending one of these workshops.
Grants are awarded based on: a project’s benefit to the community, the qualifications of the individuals/organization involved, the preparation and planning process, and the population segments served. Priority is given to: artists and organizations living within the 11 municipalities represented, proposals that reach under served populations, and collaborative projects between cultural groups and community organizations.
Applications and guidelines will be available at local libraries and town halls or online at www.mass-culture.org beginning September 1st. TWO copies of the completed application must be postmarked by October 15, and mailed to the CCNB, PO Box 227, North Adams, MA 01247. For more information contact Juliana Haubrich, at the Milne Public Library in Williamstown: 458-5369 or jhaubrich@williamstown.net.
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New England Grassroots Environment Fund Small Grants Program Upcoming Grant Deadline September 15, 2011
The New England Grassroots Environment Fund (NEGEF) small grants program is designed to foster local grassroots environmental initiatives in Connecticut , Maine , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , Rhode Island and Vermont , in the places where we live, work and play. NEGEF provides small grants of up to $2,500 to fuel local activism that results in broader community involvement in projects that address a wide range of environmental issues and opportunities. The mission of NEGEF is to energize and nurture long-term civic engagement in local initiatives that create and maintain healthy, just, safe and environmentally sustainable communities. Applications are accepted anytime, with the following deadlines for each grant round: February 15 and September 15.
Local groups may be tackling an environmental health problem related to poor air quality, water pollution, or climate change initiatives and energy efficiency, working to protect greenspace, starting a local community garden or may be urging citizen participation in wildlife habitat protection. For more information and copies of our brochure contact NEGEF at PO Box 1057 , Montpelier , VT 05601 , email info@grassrootsfund.org or visit the website at www.grassrootsfund.org.
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