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Dandelions are one of the first foods for polinators in spring, completely edible, an excellent plant for so many reasons! 

Say No to GMO's

"If you're just starting to learn about GMOs, you might not know quite where to begin. These links provide an introduction to the issues, players and politics of the GMO controversy. Once you're a little more familiar with the issues, you can search the site or visit the yearly archives to find additional information. Please note that this site is no longer being updated but will be kept online as an historical resource. And also note that Say No To GMOs! is no longer doing media outreach or interviews."

Arctic Apple Approved in Canada

After more than three years waiting for approval, the Okanagan’s Arctic Apple now has the green light to hit store shelves in Canada.

Mythbusting Neonicotinoids

Mythbusting Neonicotinoids: Industry’s favorite talking points, debunked

Glyphosate in Groundwater in Ont.- Study

"Abstract

BACKGROUND: 

The objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence of glyphosate residues (glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA) in shallow groundwater in a catchment dominated by agriculture, and to examine the potential for this groundwater to store and transmit these compounds to surface waters.

RESULTS: 

Glyphosate residues were found in some of the groundwater samples collected in riparian (surface seeps), upland (mostly < 20 m below ground) and wetland settings (<3 m below ground). Overall, glyphosate and AMPA were detected in 10.5% and 5.0%, respectively, of the groundwater samples analyzed as part of this study. All concentrations of glyphosate were well below Canadian guidelines for drinking water quality and for protection of aquatic life. Seasonal differences in concentrations in riparian seeps were possibly related to cycles of weather, herbicide application and degradation of glyphosate. Highest concentrations were at upland sites (663 ng litre-1 glyphosate, 698 ng litre-1 AMPA), apparently related to localized applications. Most glyphosate detections in wetlands were > 0.5 km distant from possible areas of application, and combined with other factors, suggest an atmospheric transport and deposition delivery mechanism. In both upland and wetland settings, highest glyphosate concentrations were sometimes not at the shallowest depths, indicating influence of hydrological factors.

CONCLUSION: 

The glyphosate/AMPA detections in riparian seeps demonstrated that these compounds are persistent enough to allow groundwater to store and transmit glyphosate residues to surface waters. Detections in the wetland support earlier evidence that atmospheric transport and deposition may lead to glyphosate contamination of environments not intended as targets of applications. This interpretation is further supported by detections of both glyphosate and AMPA in precipitation samples collected in the same watershed."

Managing Pests Safely Without Neonicotinoids

"Neonicotinoids (or “neonics” for short) are a group of chemicals that kill a wide range of insect pests, including aphids, whiteflies, ants and termites. However, they can also kill and impair the survival of pollinators like honey bees, wild bees, and butterflies, and can also impact beneficial insects, birds and other non-insect species. Beekeepers are reporting unprecedented losses, as high as 90 percent,

in hives across the county. Since we rely on many of these organisms for essential services like the pollination of a third of the foods we eat, it is important for us to avoid using these chemicals and instead look for safer alternatives to managing pests in our homes, gardens, schools and communities."

Monarchs in Peril

This comprehensive report reveals the severe impacts of herbicide-resistant genetically engineered (GE) crops on the monarch population, which has plummeted over the past twenty years. The report makes it abundantly clear: two decades of Roundup Ready crops have nearly eradicated milkweed – the monarch caterpillar’s sole source of food – in cropland of the monarch’s vital Midwest breeding ground. At the urgent request of scientists and public interest groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently considering listing the monarch as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

 

Glyphosate Deemed Carcinogen

The report is from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the France-based cancer research arm of the World Health Organization.

"This latest finding, which links Monsanto's Roundup to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and lung cancer is not the first to make these links, but it is one of the strongest indictments of glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup," said Ronnie Cummins, international director for the Organic Consumers Association.

 

Seralini Team

"The purpose of the site is to provide citizens, the media, and scientists with a one-stop resource for information about the research of Professor Gilles-Eric Séralini and colleagues on genetically modified foods and their associated pesticides."

Dr. Vandana Shiva

"Dr. Vandana Shiva trained as a Physicist at the University of Punjab, and completed her Ph.D. on the ‘Hidden Variables and Non-locality in Quantum Theory’ from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. She later shifted to inter-disciplinary research in science, technology and environmental policy, which she carried out at the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, India"

Dr. Stephanie Seneff

"Stephanie Seneff is a Senior Research Scientist at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. She received the B.S. degree in Biophysics in 1968, the M.S. and E.E. degrees in Electrical Engineering in 1980, and the Ph.D degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in 1985, all from MIT. For over three decades, her research interests have always been at the intersection of biology and computation: developing a computational model for the human auditory system, understanding human language so as to develop algorithms and systems for human computer interactions, as well as applying natural language processing (NLP) techniques to gene predictions. She has published over 170 refereed articles on these subjects, and has been invited to give keynote speeches at several international conferences. She has also supervised numerous Master's and PhD theses at MIT. In 2012, Dr. Seneff was elected Fellow of the International Speech and Communication Association (ISCA)." 

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