The NOFA Summer Conference Starts Tomorrow!

It's not too late to register for the NOFA Summer Conference that starts tomorrow, August 10, and runs through Sunday, August 12 up in Amherst, MA.  I'll be there, and you should come too!  The Conference is an exciting weekend packed with speakers, workshops, a country fair, and much more.  Here's an overview of what will be offered:

• Over 200 Workshops on Organic Farming, Gardening, Food Politics, Permaculture, Homesteading, Landscaping, Alternative Energy, Livestock, Cooking, and more!
• Hundreds of Vendors and Exhibitors, Live Entertainment, Children’s Conference, Teen Conference, Country Fair, Organic Meals, and Camping!
• Two Pre-conferences: Fighting GMOs and Raising Fruit!
• Keynote Speakers: Chellie Pingree, organic farmer and Member of Congress from Maine and Jeffrey Smith, world-renowned expert & activist on health risks of GMO Foods

Right now, the 200+ workshops have got me really excited.  You can view full descriptions of the workshops here.  There is such a wide variety of workshops at the conference that no matter what your interests are, there's something for you here.

Register here today to attend the Conference!

I'll see you there!

-Melissa

Upcoming GMO Activism Events

Jeffrey Smith and Tara Cook-Littman from Right to Know CT

On August 8, 2012 save the date for a day packed with GMO activism and some of the most renowned people in the non-GMO movement!

 

The day starts out with a Legislative Meeting in Hartford where Jeffrey Smith will be speaking, and continues with a Right to Know Coalition meeting:
GMO Public Meeting
August 8, 2012
10am: public meeting at the Capitol with Jeffrey Smith
12pm: Right to Know Coalition meeting
Hartford, CT

Later on, the Institute for Responsible Technology will be holding a benefit celebrating non-GMO food from around Connecticut:
an Evening Benefiting The Institute for Responsible Technology
Wednesday August 8, 2012
7:30PM
Greenwich Audubon
613 Riversville Road
Greenwich, CT
Celebrate the Non-GMO food offerings available in CT from organic chefs and restaurants from around the state such as Catch A Healthy Habit, Health in A Hurry, Bakery on Main, Du Soleil, Just Food, Green & Tonic, Double L Market, and Natures Temptations!

Still can't get enough Jeffrey Smith?  You're in luck!  He is also one of the keynote speakers at the NOFA Summer Conference on August 10-12.  Jeffrey will also be holding a pre-conference training on fighing GMOs on Thursday, August 9, 1pm-5pm and Friday 8am-12 noon. You can learn more about the fantastic speakers and workshops at the Summer Conference and register for the event here.

Have a great Wednesday!
-Melissa

NOFA Summer Conference Keynote Spotlight

Get ready for two amazing keynote addresses at the 2012 NOFA Summer Conference!

On Friday August 10 and Saturday August 11, NOFA Summer Conference keynote speakers Chellie Pingree and Jeffrey Smith will be delivering speeches that are sure to impress.  Both keynotes have extensive experience in their fields, and are renowned for their accomplishments. Below is a brief description of each speaker.  To read full bios, please visit the NOFA Summer Conference website.

Representative Chellie Pingree is an organic farmer and a member of the Agriculture Committee in the U.S. Congress. Chellie is committed to helping reform farm policy with interests of small farmers and consumers in mind. Last year, Chellie introduced the Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act-a comprehensive package of reforms to agriculture policy that will expand opportunities for local and regional farmers and make it easier for consumers to have access to healthy foods. Rep. Pingree will be speaking on Friday August 10 at 7:30pm

Jeffrey Smith is a consumer advocate promoting healthier non-GMO choices and author of the world's bestselling and #1 rated book on the health dangers genetically modified organisms (GMOs). His meticulous research documents how biotech companies continue to mislead legislators and safety officials to put the health of society at risk, and the environment in peril. Jeffrey Smith will be speaking on Saturday August 11 at 7:00pm

Additionally, Jeffrey Smith will also be holding an 8-hour training on GMO organizing as a pre-conference event on Thursday, August 9, 1pm-5pm and Friday 8am-12 noon. Titled Fighting GMO's: a Pre-Conference Training for Consumers, Community Leaders, Activists, and Organizers, this training will teach participants how to speak about genetically modified organisms and how to organize effective activism. The seminar will include the five components of a GMO presentation, resources and materials documenting why genetically engineered foods are dangerous, instructions on how to customize PowerPoint slides (provided), and examples of proven organizing techniques to motivate people. Graduates of this Pre-Conference Training with Jeffrey Smith will be invited to join a GMO Speakers Bureau, participate in ongoing webinars, and join the network of active campaigners reclaiming a non-GMO food supply.  Learn more and sign up for this and other pre-conference events here.

Excited? Click here to register for the conference!

 

30th Annual Winter Conference Recap and Call to Action

Our Winter Conference last Saturday the 3rd had nearly 600 attendees, our biggest turnout yet!  It was a wonderful event, packed with workshops, vendors, and a great keynote speech by Jeffrey M. Smith.  This week we've been reviewing incoming evaluations from the event, and have had overwhelmingly positive feedback.  If you attended the conference we'd like to give you our most heartfelt thanks for being a part of our largest event of the year and helping to make it really special and momentous. And if you volunteered with us, we want you to know that this event could not have run so smoothly without you.  Thanks to everyone for your continued commitment to local sustainable food and to our mission to provide reliable access to that food for our communities.

Jeffrey M. Smith during his keynote

The big issues discussed at this year's conference are very important.  It is critical that everyone take action and make their voice heard in order to pass legislation currently being discussed in Hartford.  Preventing the repeal of the school pesticide ban and passing the GMO labeling bill are two initiatives that we need your support on in order to succeed.

You have the opportunity to let your state and Federal legislators know that you want to know what is in your food.  

There are at least three levels of GMO labeling initiatives you can be a part of:

1. A Letter from Congress to ask the FDA to label GMOs. Ask your Representative and Senators to sign on.
Click here for an easy pre-written way to let congress know that you want to know what's in your food. Senator Barbara Boxer (CA) and Representative Peter DeFazio (OR) have authored a bicameral Congressional letter and will be urging their fellow Members on Capitol Hill to sign onto their letter.

2. A petition to FDA asking them to label GMOs.
A legal petition (Docket # FDA-2011-P-0723-0001/CP) has been filed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling on the FDA to label genetically engineered (GE) foods. Visit JustLabelIt.org to learn more and to sign!

3. The Connecticut Bill to label GMOs which is closest to home.
The Bill, Officially called HB 5117: An Act Concerning Genetically Engineered Foods, is picking up momentum! Representative Roy first introduced the bill in mid-February and since then several legislators from both parties have expressed support, and Jeffrey Smith was invited to speak on the issue at the Capitol Building on March 2. Now we need Connecticut's consumers and voters to show their support! To find your legislator, click here. You can write your own letter to them, or send ours.

And for those who want to attend something in person:
CT GMO Labeling Bill Informational Meeting and Q&A
What Are GMOs and What Does the Bill Mean for Consumers?
Saturday, March 10, 10-12 noon
Pequot Library, Southport, CT
free and open to the public

Please also contact your state representatives to let them know that you want your children to play on school grounds that are free of chemicals, and that overturning the school pesticide ban is therefore unacceptable.  Working together we can turn the tide of sentiment in our favor.

Two volunteers in yellow participate
in the potluck lunch

If you are working up an appetite from contacting your state representative, check out some recipes from the Winter Conference's potluck lunch we've posted here.  These recipes are centered around winter food, specifically greens, and are a great way to tide yourself over before the heart of planting season begins.  Thanks to Chef John Turenne, farmer Wayne Hansen and Dr. Leigh White for providing these delicious ideas!

Don't forget to check out the pictures of our conference online!

Have a wonderful day!

Jeffrey Smith talks about GMOs at the Capitol Building

Jeffrey Smith addresses concerned citizens, legislators and
the press on March 2 at the Capitol Building.

Jeffrey Smith was kind enough to speak at the Capitol Building on March 2 in support of Connecticut's proposed GMO labeling law, HB 5117.
The first portion of the program was a Press Conference where Jeffrey Smith explained the science of genetically engineered foods and why he, and so many other consumers, scientists and activists, are concerned about their potential threats to the food system and to human health.  Jeffrey Smith was hosted by Representative Richard Roy (D-Milford) who has been the leader in writing and introducing the GMO-labeling bill.  Even more exciting were the ten or so state representatives who joined Mr. Smith and Rep. Roy at the podium to discuss their support of the labeling bill.  The bill already has remarkable bipartisan support, because the "Right to Know" is simply a right! There is no debate or political agenda attached to consumers having the right to know precisely what is in the food they eat and feed their families.

Jeffrey Smith and Rep. Roy are joined by members of both
parties expressing their support for HB 5117.

The bill's supporters include Rep. Tony Hwang (R-Republican), Rep. Andy Maynard (D-Stonington), Rep. Diana Urban (D-Stonington-North Stonington), Kim Rose (D-Milford), T.R. Rowe (R-Trumbull), and several more (I was unable to write down all of their names!)
After the press conference, Rep. Roy and Mr. Smith answered audience questions about labeling, terminator seeds, cross-pollination and contamination, how the proposed bill extends to meat and dairy, and a number of other technical questions.
After the forum ended the audience discussed the issues over coffee while some of us bought Mr. Smith's books.  The audience included farmers, landscapers, activists and conservationists reflecting the same diversity in support of the bill as the representatives supporting the bill.  A few people noted that a couple biotech supporters, and even lobbyists were present for the talk.  Jeffrey Smith's compelling talk and question and answer session along with a fired-up audience might be making them a little nervous . . . .

Jeffrey Smith and Representative Roy answered audience questions for a
long period of time after the press conference.

After drinking coffee with all those GMO-labeling supporters, a number of the bill's early supporters, including CT NOFA Executive Director Bill Duesing, Pat Bigelow CT NOFA Board Member Janet Heller, and luckily, myself, had lunch (thanks to Analiese Paik with Fairfield Green Food Guide and Sallie Hersen who was instrumental in setting up the Press Conference at the capitol) with Jeffrey Smith and Representative Roy.  Mr. Smith discussed his transition into GMO activism, how he has managed to remain "un-squelched" and also his perspective on the Connecticut labeling bill.

Connecticut's long-time GMO-Labeling bill supporters join Jeffrey Smith
and Representative Roy for a healthy, delicious raw and organic lunch.

Show your support for the labeling bill by writing your Connecticut legislator! 

Here's to  healthy minds, bodies and senses of activism!
Best,
Kristiane