Thursday, April 9, 2009

H.R. 875 and s. 475



These Bills........ include small farmers who just sell their fruits and vegetables at farmer’s markets
Anyone engaged in food growing, or “holding food for consumption” in the U.S. would have to register annually, and create and maintain extensive records of the foods they grow and/or store

The definitions of who this law pertains to are so broad and loosely defined that they could potentially even include your personal backyard fruit or vegetable garden, even if you don’t sell anything but grow them for personal consumption
It appears it could dictate how all food growers would have to grow their food, including potentially the necessity to use certain pest control measures, for example
Authorities would have the ability to inspect any food production facility at random to make sure it’s operating in compliance with the food safety law, and again the definition of “food production facility” is so loosely defined it could apply to your personal orchard, vineyard, or vegetable garden, as long as it produces something edible
After the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and representatives of State departments of agriculture will promulgate regulations to establish “science-based minimum standards for the safe production of food” by food production facilities. Meaning, no one even knows what the food production standards are yet, but whatever they turn out to be will have to be followed
It is prohibited to: fail to register; refuse to permit access to an inspector; refuse to allow copying of all records; fail to establish or maintain any record required under the law
Should you fail to comply with any of the rules and regulations, there are both civil and criminal penalties, going as high as $1 million per violation, something that could clearly wipe out any small farmer in a blink of an eye.



Read on and do some research......
If Any Of this Freaks you out call your congress representative and let them know.
In case you didn't know Monsanto is the same company that manufactured DDT!!
The bill is essentially a giant gift package for Monsanto, mandating the criminalization of seed banking, prison terms and confiscatory fines for small farmers and 24 hour GPS tracking of their animals, and of "industrial" standards to independent farms.

www.mercola.com
This bill was introduced by a senator whose husband works for Monsanto.


H.R. 875
FOOD SAFTEY MODERNIZATION ACT

2/4/2009--Introduced.
Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 - Establishes in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the Food Safety Administration. Assigns all the authorities and responsibilities of the Secretary of Health and Human Services related to food safety to the Administrator of Food Safety.
Transfers to the Administration all functions of specified federal agencies that relate to the administration or enforcement of food safety laws. Renames the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the Federal Drug and Device Administration.
Directs the Administrator to: (1) administer a national food safety program; and (2) ensure that persons who produce, process, or distribute food prevent or minimize food safety hazards. Sets forth requirements for the Administrator to carry out such duties, including: (1) requiring food establishments to adopt preventive process controls; (2) enforcing performance standards for food safety; (3) establishing an inspection program; (4) strengthening and expanding foodborne illness surveillance systems; (5) requiring imported food to meet the same standards as U.S. food; and (6) establishing a national traceability system for food.
Requires the Administrator to: (1) identify priorities for food safety research and data collection; (2) maintain a DNA matching system and epidemiological system for foodborne illness identification, outbreaks, and containment; (3) establish guidelines for a sampling system; (4) establish a national public education program on food safety; (5) conduct research on food safety; and (6) establish a working group on foodborne illness surveillance.
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to develop the Food-Borne Illness Health Registry.
Directs the Comptroller General to report on the federal resources being dedicated to foodborne illness and food safety research.
Sets forth provisions regarding prohibited acts, recalls, penalties for violations of food safety laws, whistleblower protections, and civil actions.
This Is Scary stuff......
These bills can change the face of america.... Small independent farmership could be a way of the past!!!!


" The Socialist Revolution in the US cannot take place because there are too many small independent farmers there. Those people are the stability factor. We here in Russia must hurry while our government is stupid enough to not encourage and support the 'independent farmership.'"
- V. Lenin, the founder of the Russian revolution

Quote provided by Anna Fisher



GovTrack.us


The next meeting of the Senate is Apr 20, 2009; the House next meets Apr 21, 2009.


S. 425:


111th Congress
This is a bill in the U.S. Congress originating in the Senate ("S."). A bill must be passed by both the Senate and House and then be signed by the President before it becomes law.
Bill numbers restart from 1 every two years. Each two-year cycle is called a session of Congress. This bill was created in the 111th Congress, in 2009-2010.

2009-2010
Food Safety and Tracking Improvement Act
A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the establishment of a traceability system for food, to amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspections Act, the Egg Products Inspection Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for improved public health and food safety through enhanced enforcement, and for other purposes.
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See S. 425 on THOMAS for the official source of information on this bill or resolution.
Summaries
Congressional Research Service Summary
The following summary was written by the Congressional Research Service, a well-respected nonpartisan arm of the Library of Congress. GovTrack did not write and has no control over these summaries.




2/12/2009--Introduced.
Food Safety and Tracking Improvement Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a traceability system for all stages of manufacturing, processing, packaging, and distribution of food through which the Secretary can retrieve the history, use, and location of each article of food shipped in interstate commerce.
Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act to require a person (other than a household consumer) who has reason to believe that any meat, poultry, egg, or egg product handled by such person is adulterated or misbranded to notify the Secretary of Agriculture of the identity and location of the article. Directs the Secretary, upon finding that the article is adulterated or misbranded and there is a reasonable probability that human consumption would present a threat to public health, to: (1) provide all appropriate persons an opportunity to cease distribution of the article, make appropriate notifications, and recall the article; and (2) require an immediate cessation of distribution if voluntary action is not taken.
Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) refuse to provide, or to withdraw, inspections of an establishment for willful or repeated violations of the respective Act; (2) deny or suspend inspection in the public interest to protect the health or welfare of consumers or to ensure the effective performance of an official duty under the respective Act; and (3) assess civil penalties for violations.
Amends the FFDCA to require a person (other than a household consumer or other individual who is an intended consumer) who has reason to believe that an article of food introduced into interstate commerce is adulterated or misbranded in a manner that, if consumed, may result in illness or injury to notify the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Directs the Secretary, upon finding that to be the case, to: (1) provide all appropriate persons an opportunity to cease distribution of such article, make appropriate notifications, and recall the article; and (2) require an immediate cessation of distribution if voluntary action is not taken. Allows the Secretary to assess penalties for prohibited acts.


To cite this information, click a citation format for a suggestion: Bibliography Wikipedia.
GovTrack.us. S. 425--111th Congress (2009): Food Safety and Tracking Improvement Act, GovTrack.us (database of federal legislation) (accessed Apr 9, 2009)
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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Pretending to care is almost like really caring!

The Mission:
Help the NHTI campus save water, save money, and plant more trees!
How? You may be asking yourself. What is it that I can do? I am but flesh and blood…. one person on this planet…… Fear not Brave souls! For the answer lies at your feet.
Ask yourself these few simple questions
Do you take 20 minutes showers????
Do you leave the water running while you brush your teeth????
Do you walk by a sink that is dripping and not correct the issue?????
THE GOAL:
Reduce the water consumption on campus through the month of March. Use the money saved to plant Trees that will shade your deserving souls….. Then smile because you now know the truth. Pretending to care is Almost like really caring.

Friday, February 20, 2009



Un-Fun Facts


For the first time in history, humanity must face the risk of unintentionally destroying the foundations of life on Earth. The global scientific consensus is that if the current levels of environmental deterioration continue, the delicate life-sustaining qualities of this planet will collapse. -- Daniel Sitarz, editor, Agenda 21 (1994)

  • · Half the world lives on less than $2 a day.
    (Globewatch)
  • The USA's electricity consumption per capita is 12,343.098 kWh per year and 71.4 % of that electricity is generated via fossil fuel. Australia's consumption is 10,252.432 kWh per capita, with 90.8 % fossil fuel dependent. German consumption is 6,366.428 kWh per capita with only 61.8 % of that fossil fuel generation dependent. (NationMaster)
    ·
  • Vast destruction of the world's forests is contributing to the spread of the world's deserts, increasing the loss of biodiversity and hampering the ability of the Earth's atmosphere to cleanse itself.
    ·
  • The food we eat now typically travels between 1,500 and 3,000 miles from farm to our dinner plate. The distance had increased by up to 25 percent between 1980 and 2001. Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University
    ·
  • National average for all uses on a yearly basis: 183 gpcd (gallons per capita daily) (http://www.ci.oswego/)
    ·
  • Below is a list of common water uses and the average amount used for each.
  • Toilet Flush 3 to 7 Gallons
  • Shower 25 to 50 Gallons
  • Hand Washing 2 Gallons (with tap running)
  • Brushing Teeth2 Gallons (with tap running)
  • Outdoor Watering 5 to 10 Gallons per Minute
  • Automatic Dishwashing 10 Gallons
  • Dishwashing By Hand 20 Gallons
  • Tub 36 Gallons
  • On the average nationwide, 183 gallons of water is treated for each person every day.
    ·

Below is a breakdown of how that water is used.
Residential Use:

  • Bathing, Cooking, Washing, etc.70Gallons
  • Industrial Use: Factories 50 Gallons
  • Office BuildingsCommercial Use: 35 Gallons
  • Hospitals, Restaurants, SportsPublic Use 10: Gallons
  • Parks, Fighting Fires Lost or Unaccounted for Water 18 Gallons

    (http://www.ci.oswego/)



Tuesday, February 17, 2009


The following is my first attempt at getting in touch with the head of dorm activities in attempts to establish a water conservation awareness initiative for the month of March.


Hello,
I was pointed in you direction from Melanie Kirby in respects to a proposed water conservation project I am trying to initiate. My aim is to start an awareness campaign in the three dorms on campus to try and promote water conservation in these buildings through the month of March. I have collected the sewer and water billing data from the previous year and intend on comparing this years bill with the historical one.
The reason I am contacting you is to seek your approval and perhaps some guidance as to the best way to reach the students living in these dorms. If I have reached you in error I apologize if not any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Respectfully,
Braden Drypolcher

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Saturday, January 31, 2009

My Aim
Research Project:
Operation Pretend to Care
A
Water Conservation Proposal

When one looks at the earth and its problems it is easy to recoil with a sense of futility and loss hope. What can i possibly do? Shoulders are shrugged the norm sets in and any chance of starting towards a greener path is washed away in a torrent of life’s every day struggle and confusion.
I, like many people I talk to, have these moments. These crystalline moments of ways to better ones self and ones community, unfortunately they leave as quickly as they come. I am usually left with a closet full of environmentally friendly skeletons (EFS) rattling away in the cacophony of my mind.
As I have pushed further in this life and things have become clearer to me. The din has dampened and I find myself pushing harder to shrug of that sense of futility, and that apathetic life style of which most of us are prone to embrace.
This class has given me an avenue in which to move forward and untangle one of my many EFS’S and bring it to light.
I am proposing to do a research project encompassing the Water issues that face our world…. From the hypoxic gulf to the diminishing water tables and the polluted aquifers; I would like as well, if it is within reach to study the water consumption @ the NHTI campus. In doing so I would like to see if I could start a community awareness program of water waste in aims at bringing to light the need for conservation. My ultimate goal would to be to initiate a Water Conservation Day or week in which the money saved from the experiment would go to the purchase of trees or shrubs to be planted on campus.
The experiment would take a week or day from the previous calendar year and match it against the proposed conservation month/week/day. The savings if there were any, would be put towards the purchase of trees for the NHTI campus.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

My first contact In trying to establish an awarness campaign on the NHTI campus for my Environmental Science class.


Hi Brandan,

I do have access to some historical data. I would be happy to show it to you and see if it is what you want.


Melanie Kirby
Chief Financial Officer
NHTI
Concord's Community College
31 College Drive
Concord, NH 03301
(603)271-7712 * mkirby@ccsnh.edu * www.nhti.edu

From: Drypolcher627,Braden [mailto:BDrypolcher627@students.ccsnh.edu] Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 10:30 AMTo: Melanie KirbySubject: Environmental Science Project Proposal

Hello,
My name is Braden Drypolcher I recieved your name at the top of a list of people who may be able to help me reach my aims for a project I am trying to do for my Environmental Science class.
My proposed project encompasses the idea of water conservation on campus and is an awareness campaign of sorts. I am trying to challenge two buildings on campus specifically two dorms to consume less water over a set period of time. I was hoping to be able to get the utilities and or water bills from last year from a specific month, say March. Using that data and what I described earlier as an awareness program I would like to document if awareness could in fact decrease the amount of water used. In my proposal The savings (if there were any) could be used for a plant a tree program on campus. Though i could be getting ahead of myself I thought it important explain my intent.
I appreciate your time and any information you could give me on this matter.
Thank You,
Braden Drypolcher

Monday, January 26, 2009

Water Conservation
Save water with efficient systems and healthy plants.
In Your Backyard
Wise use of water for garden and lawn waterings not only helps protect the environment, but saves money and provides for optimum growing conditions. Simple ways of reducing the amount of water used for irrigation include growing xeriphytic species (plants that are adapted to dry conditions), mulching, adding water retaining organic matter to the soil, and installing windbreaks and fences to slow winds and reduce evapotranspiration.
Watering in the early morning before the sun is intense helps reduce the water lost from evaporation. Installing rain gutters and collecting water from downspouts also helps reduce
water use.
Plant Needs for Water
Water is a critical component of photosynthesis, the process by which plants manufacture their own food from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of light. Water is one of the many factors that can limit plant growth. Other important factors include nutrients, temperature, and amount and duration light.
Plants take in carbon dioxide through their stomata--microscopic openings on the undersides of leaves. Water is also lost through the stomata in the process called transpiration. Transpiration, along with evaporation from the soil surface, accounts for the moisture lost from the soil.
When there is a lack of water in the plant tissue, the stomata close to try to limit water loss. Wilting occurs when the tissues lose too much water. Plants adapted to dry conditions have developed numerous mechanisms for reducing water loss, including narrow leaves, hairy leaves, and thick fleshy stems and leaves. Pines, hemlocks, and junipers are also well adapted to survive extended periods of dry conditions which they encounter each winter when the frozen soil prevents the uptake of water. Cacti, with leaves reduced to spines and having thick stems, are the best example of plants well adapted to extremely dry environments.
Choosing Plants for Low Water Use*
You are not limited to cacti, succulents, or narrow leafed evergreens when selecting plants adapted to low moisture requirements. Many plants growing in humid environments are well adapted to low levels of soil moisture. Numerous plants found growing in coastal or mountainous regions have developed mechanisms for dealing with extremely sandy, excessively well-drained soils, or rocky cold soils in which moisture is limited to months at a time. Following is a list of low water use plants from various parts of the country: North West


  1. Saskatoon serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)
  2. Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis)
  3. Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum)
  4. Oregon white oak (Quercus garryanna)South West
  5. Four-wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens)
  6. Fairy Duster (Calliandra eriophylla)
  7. Penstemon (Penstemon spp.)
  8. Pinyon pine (Pinus edulis)North Central
  9. Aromatic aster (Aster oblongifolius)
  10. Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)
  11. Bluegrama (Bouteloua gracilis)
  12. Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida)
  13. Compass plant (Silphium laciniatum)South Central
  14. Aromatic aster (Aster oblongifolius)
  15. Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)
  16. Bluegrama (Bouteloua gracilis)
  17. Tall blasing star (Liatris aspera)
  18. Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpus)
  19. Aromatic sumac (Rhus aromatica) North East
  20. Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
  21. Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
  22. Blazing star (Liatris spicata)
  23. Pitch pine (Pinus rigida)
  24. Beach plum (Prunus serotina)South East
  25. Tall blazing star (Liatris aspera)
  26. Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)
  27. Sand Live oak (Quercus germinata)
  28. Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
  29. Compass plant (Silphium laciniatum)

*Always check with your local State extension service when selecting plants to avoid the potential of selecting a plant that is considered invasive in your par

!!!THINK!!!

Moments of realization throughout the day can keep your finger on the pulse and help in the efforts to conserve our natural resources.