In Lexington, KY, you can now pay for parking tickets with food donations to a local food bank. The “Food for Fines” drive will run all throughout the holiday season. The city says people who have multiple meter citations, including those that are past due, can wipe the slate clean by bringing in 10 cans for each ticket. The Lexington Parking Authority suggests donations of at least 14-15 ounce cans of vegetables. I know the burden of parking tickets, and I think this is a really cool idea, especially for the upcoming holiday season. It’s also a good way to make the community aware of hunger issues, and maybe this small rule will encourage people to volunteer and become more educated about these issues.

Overstock is now in the business of selling local sourced organic food online. Article found HERE. The community supported agriculture (CSA) model is being integrated into the Overstock.com platform. They’ve gotten nearly 1,800 CSAs around the country to participate already, and aim to expand the program. They believe that this model can disrupt that corporate agri-business supply chain. This new market system is available for free to farmers, they are simply responsible for direct delivery of their goods to their consumers.

This article is rather dense and long, however, it is very interesting to read as it presents two, opposing sides regarding the broad argument : Overall, are America’s modern-day agricultural practices “good” or “bad”? Based on what we have discussed in class, a great deal of modern-day agricultural practices are flawed and could be improved to support a more sustainable and healthy system. Many of the negative impacts of modern-day agriculture that we have discussed in class are mentioned in this article. As I was reading, I found myself trying to rebut the arguments made by those who stated that the American farming model was a “good” model.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101501030#.

“Relax- California Isn’t About to Dump Pesticides on Organic Farms”

There’s been a rumor going around that California Department of Food and Agriculture is planning to spray pesticides on organic farms, forcing them to go conventional. What the truth of the matter is, that the state put a new environmental impact report that details everything it does in pest control.  Pretty cool read!

Relax — California isn’t about to dump pesticides on organic farms

This film addresses the questions many individuals have about GMOs: how they affect our children, the health of our planet, our freedom of choice, and whether it is possible to reject our current food system. The director, Jeremy Seifert, travels to Haiti, Paris, Norway, and Monsanto headquarters to answer these questions. These questions are of growing concerns to citizens throughout the world – and are questions we are not provided answers to as American citizens.

“Vegucated” is a documentary where director and vegan Marisa Miller Wolfson gets three “meat and cheese loving” people together to try a vegan diet for six weeks. She picks by interviewing many people, and choose three from different backgrounds who want to do it for the same reasons: to lose weight, to feel better, and to be healthier. Brian, Ellen, and Tesla meet up with Marisa and they begin their journey by going to a physician and getting stats on their blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight. Over the six weeks, they learn to make new kinds of food, shop smarter, and learn the ethical reasons behind going vegan. One of the most moving parts for me was when the four went to a farm/slaughterhouse and walked around the perimeter to find a dead, rotting pig. The image was shocking and humbling, reminding me and other viewers that each animal has a life and how that’s thrown away since policy does not give rights to food animals. Some parts were a bit preachy and I found it almost cheating that Brian bought a lot of processed meat substitutes, but what was important was the education each of them had gained and that it is truly possible to be a vegan and not suffer health-wise (each of the three lost weight and came back with lower cholesterol and blood pressure) and socially with cooking and going out to eat.

After discussing the Green Revolution and Vandana Shiva today in on Friday, I came across this New Yorker article that quotes Shiva many times explaining her opposition to the Green Revolution and how such a movement is detrimental to the world around us.

There article quotes Shiva many times, however, the quote that stuck with me the most was when Shiva stated, “I realized they [people in favor of genetic engineering] want to patent life, and life is not an invention”. It is true, that GMO seeds treat plants as an item that is not living in any sense. Although plants differ from animals in the sense that they do not express emotions or have definite nervous systems, plants are still living beings that deserve to let the course of evolution govern their development as opposed to having human beings play the role of “God”. Read this article! Shiva states her opinions very strongly as a critic of the Green Revolution.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/08/25/seeds-of-doubt

On Tuesday, there was a variety of responses from voters in regards to measures and initiatives involving food and beverages. In Berkeley, California, voters favored the first soda tax on sugary drinks in the country. They approved the imposition of a penny tax for each oz in a container (12 cents a can). In San Francisco, this proposed tax was two cents, and it failed. In one county in Hawaii, voters approved a temporary prohibition on using genetically modified seeds to grow crops. These policies have the potential to change consumer behavior, so the food industry should definitely be scared. Check out the NY Times article (link below) to see more details about these passed/failed food laws.

This article provides up-to-date information about the current GMO labeling debate in Oregon and Colorado. As of now, the article states that 42% of Oregonian citizens are for the labeling movement while 48% of citizens are against the labeling. Though this 48% against the movement is not a sweeping majority, the closeness in the poll percentages does not look promising for those who wish to see GMO labels on food item. If states that are considered to be environmentally friendly such as Oregon cannot even agree to initiate GMO labeling, is there any hope for other states such as PA, NJ, and NY?

http://online.wsj.com/articles/gmo-labeling-faces-ballot-test-in-oregon-colorado-1414961328

Although this article leans on the radically conservative side, I thought it was interesting to hear a different perspective. Tad DeHaven, a liberatarian “think tank” put the blame on Obama and the rest of congress for the administration’s failed economic policies. Official data from the USDA illustrated that the government’s food stamp program (SNAP), grew in both enrollment and spending since Obama came into office. The radical conservative opposers to Obama claimed that the rise in SNAP prices had everything to do with the “failed war on poverty” and further, “purposeful expansion of the welfare state.”

I thought it was interesting to read about SNAP and food stamps from a side I oppose. I highly encourage those with an open mind to read..

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/joseph-rossell/2014/11/03/food-stamps-crisis-ignored-nearly-98-network-stories

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/joseph-rossell/2014/11/03/food-stamps-crisis-ignored-nearly-98-network-stories