Calling all Community Gardeners!
This just in from Colette Murphy of Urban Harvest, Toronto's own and very first source of organic and heirloom seeds and plants. She knows it's rather last minute but if even one person decides to help, she's grateful. So in the spirit of Earth Day, lend a hand!
===================================================================
Hello all. We are having our annual volunteer day again.
This year it will be held on Sunday April 20th from 12 - 5pm at the Foodshare location. That's TOMORROW!!
If you haven't been to the new FoodShare location it is at 90 Croatia St but the entrance is actually on Brock.
So just south of Bloor on Brock St.( 1 block west of Dufferin) at the school on the East side of the street.
There will be a sign over the door saying FoodShare and we will put a sign in the window to direct you to the room we will be using.
For a map click this link:
<http://www.foodshare.net/whoweare03.htm>
We will have seeds and other goodies to thank you for your help.
Edible goodies to keep up your energy.
Hope to see you there.
Much thanks for all your support.
Colette
<http://www.uharvest.ca>
Colette Murphy
Urban Harvest
www.uharvest.ca
PO Box 176, Stn. C
Toronto, ON
M6J 3M9
And while we're on the topic of seeds:
===================================================================
Bill C-517: MANADATORY LABELLING OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD--EMAIL CAMPAIGN
===================================================================
This message is asking you to contact your Federal MP to let him know that you want him to vote in favour of a parliamentary bill requiring mandatory labelling of genetically engineered (GE) ingredients in food.
Please read the following and if you agree, act on it ASAP.
**This is time-critical.
- - - - - - - -
*By the luck of the Parliamentary draw, a private member's bill supporting mandatory labelling of GE food in Canada was randomly selected for debate in the House of Commons in April*
Bill C-517, presented by a Bloc Québécois MP, was debated during a second reading on April 3, 2008 . A second hour of parliamentary debate may take place in as early as two weeks, according to the House of Commons calendar. Following this second debate, the House will be called on to vote on Bill C-517 on mandatory GE labelling in Canada.
It is critical that we be able to count on a majority of MPs to vote in favour of Bill C-517.
*We have a reasonable chance of winning this vote, but we must get the word out NOW*
Not only will mandatory labelling of GE foods provide you with the information you have a right to, it will also pave the way for a gradual withdrawal of GE foods from the food chain. This will also reduce the dissemination of GE seeds in the environment. If it is adopted in its second reading, Bill C-517 will be studied by a parliamentary committee and then returned for a third reading in the House of Commons followed by a final vote by Canada's 301 MPs. In the meantime, there is nothing preventing Canadian provinces, particularly British Columbia, from moving forward and adopting their own laws on mandatory labelling of GE food.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PLEASE CONSIDER TAKING THESE 3 EASY STEPS
1. Identify your federal MP entering in your postal code here:
<http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/index.asp?Language=e>
2. Find the contact information for the MP in your riding - usually its on their website
3. Call your MP's riding office or send him or her an e-mail stating:
Dear Sir/Madam, We all have the right to know what we are eating and the right to not eat GE foods. I support mandatory labelling of GE food, which is already practiced in over 40 countries in Europe and elsewhere. Bloc Québécois MP Gilles-A. Perron's Bill C-517 would allow implementation of mandatory labelling in Canada. I am asking you to vote in favour of Bill C-517. Please confirm your intention to support this important bill.
A step further: Please let Greenpeace Canada know when you receive an answer from your MP -- email
Greenpeace will compile a list of MPs who support C-517 and those who prefer to protect the interests of Monsanto, the US multinational corporation that supplies 90 per cent of GE seeds around the world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note that the current the global food crisis IS NOT A SUPPLY problem, It is a DISTRIBUTION problem, there currently exists enough food in the world to feed every single person adequately in a healthy manner.
Why is GE food bad?
- destroys biodiversity - promotes mono-agriculture and mass corporate farms - destroys soil nutrients - benefits only the rich large agri-businesses - NOT small farmers who are now forced to pay for their seeds and forced to buy more fertilizer and chemicals - it destroys millions of small family farms who can't afford the annual additional cost of seeds, pesticides, fertilizers, equipment etc.
- adverse health effects of GE foods have been shown in studies done on animals, long-term effects on humans have yet to be discovered (in other words, we're all guinea pigs because 75% of foods in supermarkets have GE products in them) - ARE NOT SUSTAINABLE