| SUBSCRIBE & Read Past Issues | OCA Homepage | Monsanto: From a Child's Perspective  "As the U.S. Supreme Court has declared corporations like Monsanto to be 'people' with the same rights as us, it must mean that Monsanto was once a child. His parents clearly had high hopes, as his name implies - Mon Santo, or "My Holy."
However, I am pretty sure from what I have discovered about Monsanto that he is not a child I would like to have known. As a child, BOYsanto began to make creations that copied the natural world. One of his first products was the artificial sweetener saccharin. That was just the beginning..." -- Excerpt from a speech given by a young boy, Ci Yin Oliveira, at the protest that shut-down a Monsanto research facility in Davis, CA, March 16 and 17, 2012. Oliveira tells Monsanto's story as if, as the Supreme Court has ruled, Monsanto were actually a person. Please watch and share the video of Oliveira's clever story, then read on to learn more about the problem of giving corporations the legal rights of people and what we can do to control corporations like Monsanto. Watch & Learn More If you're in the Washington, D.C.-area, please join OCA Political Director Alexis Baden-Mayer at the Control the Corporation conference on April 2, 2012. Agenda & Registration As we mentioned in last week's Bytes, Alexis will also be speaking at the Occupy EPA rally in D.C. tomorrow. Earlier that morning, she'll be delivering the Corporate Fool award to Monsanto's Washington, D.C. lobbying offices (see below). You can also meet up with her April 5 and 13 at the National Occupation of Washington, D.C. Social Forum where she'll be presenting workshops on OCA's upcoming BioDemocracy campaign. SUPPORT THE OCF AND OCA Thanks to you . . . Monsanto knows.  A sincere thank you to the thousands of you who donated to our special fundraising campaign for the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act.
Every dollar donated went directly into the fund that will be used to support Ballot Initiative signature gatherers, media experts, consultants, and lawyers who will work together to get GMO labeling on the ballot, and pass this law in November.
If you weren't able to pitch in this time, but you've signed petitions, or helped get the word out by sharing articles or telling friends about this campaign - or other GMO labeling campaigns - thank you! Every action counts.
Thanks to your support, Monsanto knows that millions of Americans demand the right to know whether or not their food has been genetically engineered, and want an end to the routine practice of labeling or advertising GMO-tainted foods as "natural." For an Organic Future,
 
Ronnie Cummins
Director, Organic Consumers Association and Organic Consumers Fund
P.S.: The Organic Consumers Fund is a 501(c)4 allied organization of the Organic Consumers Association, focused on grassroots lobbying and legislative action. Donations are not tax-deductible. If you need to make a tax-deductible donation, you can contribute to the Organic Consumers Association, a 501(c)3. Your donation to the OCA will be used for general public education and grassroots mobilization.  Monsanto Voted Biggest "Corporate Fool" with the Worst Business Practices for 2012
Monsanto has won Green America's online contest as the biggest "Corporate Fool" of the year. The agricultural and chemical giant came in first, followed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Chevron. Monsanto won hands-down for its toxic legacy, which includes Agent Orange, DDT, massive aerial spraying of Round-Up as a drug war tactic, as well as unlabeled and hazardous genetically engineered crops. Monsanto's corporate deeds damage human health and the environment, destabilize the climate, and put small farmers out of business. They continue to push genetically modified crops in the developing world, deliberately locking farmers into deadly cycles of debt and dependence on chemical crop inputs. To "honor" Monsanto as the nation's biggest corporate fool, a donation was made in the name of Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant to Navdanya, an organization in India that works with small farmers to promote seed sovereignty, fair trade, and sustainable agriculture. If you're in the D.C. area, please join OCA Political Director Alexis Baden-Mayer at the Corporate Fools awards ceremony tomorrow, March 30th, from 10:30am to 12pm. We'll meet at Green America's offices at 1612 K Street, NW Suite 600, Washington, DC 2006 at 10:30am. Press Release Fair World Project Announcement: Celebrate "World Fair Trade Day" With Fair Trade Sweepstakes to Sri Lanka Fair World Project is celebrating World Fair Trade Day by organizing a joint promotion with some of our favorite mission driven brands that are dedicated to fair trade throughout their entire supply chains. Brands include: Alaffia, Alter Eco, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, Equal Exchange, Guayaki Yerba Mate, and Maggie's Organics. Look for special promotions from these manufacturers at natural product retailers this May. Win a Fair Trade Adventure for Two!
We're also offering you a chance to Enter to Win a Fair Trade Adventure for Two to Sri Lanka with Intrepid Travel . The trip includes a visit to Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps coconut oil facility. The Sweepstakes opens for submissions on March 15 2012. We've produced For a Better World, a great educational video about fair trade principles showcasing all the good work Alaffia, Alter Eco, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, Equal Exchange, Guaykai Yerba Mate, and Maggie's Organics do. Watch Breaking News From The Vermont State House! The House Agriculture Committee has announced that they will be holding a public hearing April 12th from 6:30-8:30 at the State House for Vermonters to voice their opinions on H.722. This is our best opportunity to let our legislators know that we want to see genetically engineered foods labeled, so if you are in Vermont please make sure you come and show your support! If you can't make it to the State House on April 12th, and you live in Vermont please take action by calling in to your representatives so your voice will not be missed or sign the petition.
Sign the Petition Here
Their Website Video of the Week Symphony of the Soil  "Our soils aren't soil anymore, they're dirt, D-I-R-T, the four-letter D-word in soils, because dirt doesn't have the life. It doesn't have the level of organic matter and that's what we've done to our farmland."
-- Dr. Elaine Ingham, President and Director of Research, Rodale, 2011, President and Director of Research Soil Foodweb Inc., 1996-2011 Symphony of the Soil is director/producer Deborah Koons Garcia's follow-up to the Future of Food, the best documentary on genetic engineering. Symphony of the Soil covers all of the most important issues OCA works on, making the case that returning to soil-enriching organic agriculture is the only way for humanity to reverse and survive the triple crisis that faces us: peak oil, global climate change and the toxification of our environment. The film had its world premier in Washington, D.C. at the Environmental Film Festival on March 25, 2012, and it will be shown around the country at film festivals and commercial release. Don't miss it! Sign up to attend or host a screening and pre-order a copy of the DVD today! Sign up to attend or host a screening and pre-order a copy of the DVD today! Another Video of the Week Vanishing of the Bees for Kids & Educators  There's a new educational version of the important Vanishing of the Bees documentary for students grades 5 thru 11. The 30 minute version comes with a 13 page study guide, which was written by Leslie Comnes who wrote the guide for Food Inc.
Vanishing of the Bees has paired up with Save the Honey Bee Foundation so that for every $50 donated, a school (can be of your choosing) gets a free copy and part of the proceeds go to the Vanishing of the Bees nonprofit. Donate to Send Vanishing of the Bees to a school The 30 minute educational version is also available for free online. The password is "student." Watch  Little Bytes: Top Stories of the Week
Factory Farmers Are Hiding the Truth About Swine CAFOs Deepak Chopra and Vandana Shiva Talk Seeds and GMOs FDA Must Act to Remove Antibiotics from Animal Feed: Judge Consumer Groups Seek Labeling of GMO Foods Earth Sends Climate Warning by Busting World Heat Records Message From Our Sponsors Eden Foods Offers OCA Customers 15% Discount Eden Foods is one of the few national organic food producers who goes beyond the USDA Organic Standards. Although Eden Foods is USDA certified, their products do not bear the USDA seal, because they say the USDA standard really represents a "minimum standard" that Eden Foods goes far beyond. As a subscriber to Organic Bytes, you can enjoy a 15% discount rate on any Eden Foods products by going here. Learn More Connect With OCA! | 
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What is the EPA doing to protect us from Monsanto?
We've passed the halfway mark in our special fundraising campaign to label GMOs, and we are still far short of our goal.
Ronnie Cummins Exposes Big Biotech's Shameless Attempt to Brainwash Kids
David Kuhlmann hasn't eaten anything containing Monsanto's genetically engineered glyphosate-resistant crops since the beginning of March. In fact, he hasn't eaten anything. He's launched a hunger strike with the goal of banning Monsanto's RoundUp herbicide and "RoundUp Ready" GMO crops.
The OCA-endorsed Green Polka Dot Box (GPDB) home delivery service for organic and non-GMO foods is up and running. Since October, OCA is happy to report that our staff, as well as hundreds of our members and subscribers, have been ordering and receiving regular home deliveries of organic and non-GMO foods, at 30-50% below the cost of retail, with free shipping on orders of $150 or more. As a result organic consumers who live in "organic food deserts," far from the nearest organic food store, have been able to start buying more organic food, while those of us on a limited budget have been able to buy organic products at a reduced price. In addition OCA has received thousands of dollars in commissions from the GPDB, based upon the total purchases of our members. We've been able to use this money to help pay for our GMO labeling and Millions Against Monsanto campaign, as well as our efforts to preserve organic standards.