Beth Grossman gets it: The problems with GMOs are not only related to food safety, the safety of chemcal pesticides, and the economics of farming. The larger issue is ethical: whether humans have the right to permanently--in the laboratory--alter the genetic structure of organisms which have taken millions of years to evolve. Do we, in other words, have the right to shred the web of life?--Tom

 -----Original Message-----

From: Laurel Hopwood <[log in to unmask]>
To: CONS-SPST-BIOTECH-FORUM <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Fri, Mar 21, 2014 12:12 pm
Subject: Genetically Engineered Food Foes Promote 'Bill Of Rights' For Seeds



What a cool story ...


http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.co m/2014/03/20/genetically-engineered-food-foes-promote-bill-of-rights-for-seeds/
Genetically Engineered Food Foes Promote'Bill Of Rights' For Seeds
(edited)


A local artist joined city officials inBrisbane  to introduce an art exhibit and "Bill of Rights forSeeds" in an effort to bring attention to the proliferation ofgenetically engineered food and people's rights to define their ownfood systems.

Mayor Clarke Conway was set to present the seed bill of rights at apublic reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at City Hall as part of anunveiling of an art exhibit by Brisbane artist BethGrossman.


Grossman said she was inspired by theconstitutions of Bolivia and Ecuador to create the "Bill of Rightsfor Seeds," which lays out measures that cities and othergovernments can take to better protect the environment and to be awareof the potential dangers of genetically engineered foods, also knownas genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.

According to the Sierra Club, genetically engineered foods couldcreate new allergens and toxins and spread harmful traits to non-GMOcrops, and the overuse of genetically engineered herbicide-tolerantcrops has prompted more herbicide use and herbicide-resistantplants.

"The overriding problem is just that we don't know what's goingto happen when genetically engineered seeds start to germinate in thefuture," Grossman said.

She also cited the disproportionate level of control over theworld's food systems by only a handful of biotechnology corporationssuch as Monsanto.

The 'bill of rights' is written in ink on seed bags in quillink.


"It's a literal bill of rights for seedsbut it's also more metaphorical in the sense that we as humans needto consider ourselves stewards of all of the natural organisms in theworld," Grossman said.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -To unsubscribe from the CONS-SPST-BIOTECH-FORUM list, send any message to:[log in to unmask] out our Listserv Lists support site for more information:http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to:
[log in to unmask]

Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information:
http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp