OCA: It's Time to Stop the War & Climate Change

Organic Consumers Association Says 'It's Time to Take Climate Change Threat Seriously'
4/25/2006 2:56:00 PM

To: Metro Desk Contact: Ronnie Cummins, 218-349-3836; Adam Eidinger, 202-744-2671 (in New
York City); Web: http://www.organicconsumers.org

WASHINGTON, April 25 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) will be joining with other social and environmental justice groups and tens of thousands of people in New York City on April 29. "We feel that it is important to have a presence in New York City on the 29th and that climate change and the environment are becoming increasingly important issues for us to speak up about. If the organic community does not unite its forces with the anti-war movement and with the movements for environmentalism and social justice then we are not going to make any changes." says Ronnie Cummins, executive director of the Organic Consumers Association.

OCA will have a table at the Peace and Justice Festival.

The Peace and Justice Festival is a grassroots festival that will occur at the culmination of the march on April 29; it will take place at Foley Square from 1 to 6 PM.

With the effects of increasing global warming being felt nearly everywhere from New Orleans to Antarctica, OCA is saying that it is time to take this threat seriously. "It is past time that action was taken to reduce climate change and environmental destruction.

Some people might ask, 'why is this an issue for the organic movement?' For one, twenty-five percent of greenhouse gasses in the U.S. are generated by industrial agriculture and long-distance food transportation. We need to switch over to sustainable agriculture if we are going to slow down and stop the accelerating climate chaos.

There is $20 billion in annual subsidies going to polluting industrial agriculture and intensive confinement farming, and that's money that needs to be shifted to farmers who are transitioning to organic, adopting renewable energy practices, and developing local and regional markets," says Cummins. As the dangers of climate change become clearer to the public, so are the links between what we consume and the environmental impact of those choices.

"When you buy organic, you're buying food that was grown without the use of petroleum based pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers and when you are buying local, you are buying food that didn't generate excess greenhouse gasses through long distance transportation. Consumers are becoming more aware of these things and thinking about them when they decide what to purchase. The conscientious consumer is an increasing force in the marketplace with ten cents of every grocery store dollar in the United States ($45 billion annually) being spent on products labeled as organic or natural, and with the market for healthier and more sustainable food and consumer items growing rapidly, about 20 percent or more per year. Now it is time to use our numbers, not just in purchasing, but also in calling for change, and calling for real action to be taken on environmental issues such as climate change," says Cummins.

Take Action!

Join the Virtual March by Signing the Petition Below

I call on the US Government to implement initiatives that

• End the war in Iraq
• Reduce greenhouse gases
• Transform the American economy to sustainable and organic production