☆ Boycott the Brands that Blocked your Right to GMO Labelling ☆

Prop 37, the California Right to Know GMO labeling initiative, was narrowly defeated thanks to a relentless, deceitful $46-million advertising blitz. Among the largest bankrollers of the NO on 37 campaign were huge multinational food and beverage companies whose subsidiaries make billions  selling some of your favourite organic and "natural" brands.

This is where "greenwashing" comes into play, a company that calls itself "organic" "natural" or "green" but truly isn't. It sucks when some of our favourite brands that are supposed to be good for us and the planet are owned by a greedy corporation that pours that kind of money to oppose human rights to Know what is in our food. You can argue GMOs left and right but at the end of the day, they are dangerous unknown "foods" and if they are so afraid of GMO labelling then isn't that a sign of guilt in the first place? 

Well, we could mope about all this, or we can take action. Join Organic Bytes in the boycott of these companies. 

Please sign the pledge to let the following companies know you're joining the boycott. These companies make billions of dollars selling organic and "natural" brands, yet they spent millions to defeat Prop 37, CA Right to Know's ballot initiative to label genetically modified food. 

• PepsiCo (Donated $2.5M): Naked Juice, Tostito’s, Tropicana, Loóza, Izze, Sabra, Smartfood, Stacy's, Mother's and Near East

• Kraft, recently became Mondelez (Donated $2M): Boca Burgers and Back to Nature

• Safeway (Member of Grocery Manufacturers Association, which donated $2M):“O” Organics

• Coca-Cola (Donated $1.7M): Honest Tea, Odwalla

• General Mills (Donated $1.2M):  Muir Glen, Cascadian Farm, Larabar

• Con-Agra (Donated $1.2M): Orville Redenbacher’s Organic, Hunt’s Organic, Lightlife, Alexia

• Kellogg’s (Donated $791k): Kashi, Bear Naked, Morningstar Farms, Gardenburger

• Smucker’s (Donated $555k ): R.W. Knudsen, Santa Cruz Organic

• Unilever (Donated $467k): Ben & Jerry’s

• Dean Foods (Donated $254k): Horizon, Silk, White Wave

Download your wallet-sized boycott guide. 

Download a poster-sized boycott guide. 

Learn more about the boycott.

Click here for a comprehensive list of all the brands owned by corporations that donated to the No on 37 campaign. 

Spread the word and take action, because your voices and your wallets have the biggest impact.

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☆ Canada's Seal Hunt News: EU Fur Ban could be Overturned! ☆

**** UPDATE: VICTORY! ****

On Thursday the European Union court upheld it's three-year-old ban on seal products!! The General Court of the European Union issued a statement saying the existing ban is valid because it fairly harmonizes the EU market while protecting the economic and social interests of Inuit communities. This is the second time the group has lost a challenge before the European court. 

Keep up the pressure, the fight isn't over yet! Click the link below to learn more about the hunt and what you can do and you can scroll down to the bottom of this post for petitions 

. . . . . . . . . .

Every year Canada's Annual Seal Hunt is declining in popularity and reasons for them to continue the horrible annual cull. I wrote a full article about Canada's Annual Seal Hunt (click) and what you can do, so I recommend giving that a read so I'm not repeating any information and for more links to petitions there.

However, the hunt is still going on so it's important to keep the pressure on, especially when things like this happen… 

There is some daunting news. 

Europe-Wide Fur Ban could be Overturned

There has been a Europe-wide ban on the trade of seal fur and products made from it since 2010. Since the institution of the ban, pelts that sold for £60 (about $90) in 2007 are now worth only about £6 (about $9).

Clearly, this has been a huge step to stop the hunt, or at least slow it down and build the momentum for change. However, it is likely to be overturned this Thursday in a dispute that is setting environmental activists and scientists against fur traders and Inuit from Canada and Greenland.

The Fur Institute of Canada has led the legal fight to overturn the European Union’s 2010 ban on trade in seal products, including their skins, meat and fat. Not a surprise from an organization I deem as pure evil due to the greenwashing lies and other tactics they use to try and make fur popular again. 

The argument is boasted with statements that contend that ending the ban is necssary for “maintaining a balance between seals and fish.” Fishermen in Scotland have been eager to see the ban overturned on the grounds that the growth of the seal population has depleted cod stocks around the Orkney and Shetland islands.  

However, such accusations have been debunked. Rebecca Aldworth, executive director at Humane Society International (HSI), has dismissed the claims that seals are the reason for declining fish stocks as “irrational and absurd.” Noting that “the largest predators of fish are other fish and the last thing anyone should be doing is promoting a seal cull,” Aldworth emphasizes that having “more species in the sea” is to the advantage of the entire marine ecosystem.

Sientists at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, have also disputed the claim that the seals are to blame for declining fish stocks, pointing out that the seals are being used (just as whales once were) as “scapegoats for overfishing abuses.” “No credible scientific evidence” exists to show that hunting Atlantic Canada’s gray seals can help depleted fish stocks recover. In fact, one Dalhousie University researcher points out that cod actually only comprise a “very small part” of the seals’ diet.

The topic in general aggravates me; the mentality that humans are superior to animals and we have a right to every resource and every life. Quite frankly, even if it were true (which it doesn't seem to be) that the seals were eating all the fish, they were here first, we're the ones tramping on their territory. Humans are clearly to blame for overfishing problems, so why pass the blame onto seals? 

Certainly the ban has been effective. Since it was passed, the number of seals killed in commercial hunting in Canada (where most seal hunting occurs) has fallen dramatically. 40,000 seals were killed in 2011, a significant drop from the 354,000 in 2006.

We continue to do wrong to animals and to the ocean’s ecosystem. We place the blame for declining fish stocks on seals because we don't want the finger pointed back at us. Really, it's just another push from the fur industry to keep the hunt going and their cruel industry profitable. 

Take Action!

We must keep the pressure to stop slaughtering seals brutally to use their skins. 

Please sign the Petition over at the Care2 Petitionsite: 

Support the EU Ban on Seal Products! 

Keep Seal Trade Ban in the European Union 

Other Petitions against the Hunt: 

HSI Save the Seals

Boycott Canadian Seafood! 

Humane Society of America's Boycott Canadian Seafood 

Sign against the killing of Harp Seals. 

Sign this petition telling Canada to end the hunt. 

WWF Support Canadian Seafood Boycott & save Harp Seals! 

And don't forget to donate to organizations working to ban the hunt like HSI and IFAW.

Spread the word!! 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☆ International Polar Bear Day! (and how you can help) ☆

That's right, February 27th is International Polar Bear Day! Why is this so important? Well because there are fewer than Polar Bears left in the wild and their numbers are dwindling thanks to global climate change, and pollution. 

Take Part in the Thermostat Challenge! 

This Challenge is thanks to Polar Bears Internatonal! Take part by simply adjusting your thermostat up or down a few degrees (depending on where in the world you live) to lower carbon emissions and help save polar bears. Share a photo and inspire others with their "My Planet. My Part" actions to help save polar bears and improve the health of the planet. Even better: make every day a polar bear day by installing a programmable thermostat, insulating your home, or taking other steps to save energy. It's all part of PBI's SOS campaign!

Tips from Scientists to Help Polar Bears:

The polar bear's survival is linked to the arctic sea ice, a habitat greatly affected by climate change. Research shows, however, that it's not too late to take action to save sea ice and polar bears by greatly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"PBI scientists have put together a list of which individual actions have the most impact. We suggest you look through these tips, find out what you're already doing—and then challenge yourself to add two or three more to help the bears. These simple steps will soon become habits and, eventually, part of a stewardship ethic that guides your daily choices and informs your everyday decisions."

Social Interactions

• Vote for political representatives who recognize that our carbon-based society isn't sustainable and who will work to establish an appropriate price for carbon
• Interpret the facts about global warming to your friends and relatives
• Encourage members of your social circles to adopt sustainable lifestyles—and lead by example
• To help create a stewardship ethic in your community and raise awareness of how lifestyle changes can make a difference, take part in local green initiatives like planting trees, recycling drives, or ride-your-bike to work days—or start your own.

Transportation

• Walk or ride a bike
• Use public transportation
• Drive the most fuel-efficient vehicle for your needed task and drive at the most efficient speed for your vehicle
• Avoid drive-through businesses; don't idle for more than 30 seconds
• Keep your car tuned up and maintain proper tire inflation

Home & Work

• Insulate buildings and heat/cool with efficient systems (e.g., rated by Energy Star)
• Generate your own power with wind and solar
• Let your utility company know that you want to subscribe to green power
• Use energy-efficient (e.g. Energy Star) appliances and equipment. Turn appliances off when not in use. Use low-tech methods when possible (e.g., line-dry clothes)
• Replace light bulbs with compact fluorescent or other energy-efficient bulbs (see Energy Star)
• Use no more water than needed 

Dining Table

• Buy and cook only what you'll eat. Don't waste food.
• Consume foods that are minimally processed and packaged (e.g., potatoes vs. potato chips)
• Purchase fruits and vegetables grown locally on small-scale farms
• Avoid products that result from tropical deforestation (e.g., palm oil, coffee that isn't shade-grown, South American beef)
• Consume less meat and animal products. Eat three meatless meals per week. (or even better go vegetarian and/or vegan)
• (And if you are going to consume meat then choose products like pasture-fed beef, free-range poultry, and wild salmon rather than CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operations) meats.) 

Marketplace

• Minimize consumption: reduce, reuse, and recycle
• Research vendors and buy from those with sustainable business models
• Avoid products with excess packaging
• Buy products created closer to home: for example, if you live in the U.S. or Canada, purchase goods made in North America instead of those shipped from far away.

Support Conservation

Another tip I will suggest today is to donate to organizations working to help Polar Bears and climate change, such as Polar Bears International, WWF. 

You can also "adopt" a Polar Bear from either of these organizations:

https://www.polarbearsinternational.org/adopt

http://www.wwf.ca/conservation/species/polarbears/

Lastly...

ReLove Plan.et is having a sale on the Polar Bear Necklaces (ending Friday). I already donate every month to WWF, but all proceeds of the Polar Bear Necklace will be going towards a Polar Bear adoption! :)  

Also, remember that no action is too small. Every step, every action accounts to the bigger picture. Your actions also inspire others, so always do what you can no matter how small it may seem! 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.