This vote follows the defeat of a similar Initiative effort in Washington State last year when Initiative 522 lost by about 4 percentage points in November 2013.

According to ABC News, a total of  nearly 30 million dollars was spent on Oregon’s Initiative 92, making it the most expensive Initiative election in Oregon history.  The overwhelming majority of spending was done by opponents of the measure.

Efforts to require labels on Genetically Engineered foods (often refereed to as GM or GE foods) advanced in the far ends of the U.S. this week.  And in Oregon’s Jackson County, a mostly rural area that includes part of the Rogue Vally, a Farm Bill will soon be decided that would go even further.

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed a bill on Thursday April 24, 2014 that makes Vermont the first state in the U.S. to require labels on foods that contain GM ingredients.  Two other New England states, Maine and Connecticut, have passed GM labeling laws, but they will not take effect unless neighboring states also pass labeling laws.

In Oregon, a petition effort is underway to get a GM labeling bill on the Oregon ballot this Fall.  The proposed bill, which is similar to Initiative 522 that failed in Washington State in November 2013, and which would require labeling of any food that contains GM ingredients, is being actively promoted by a group known as Oregon Right To Know.

At the same time,  Farm Measure 15-119, which will be decided by residents of Jackson County, Oregon in late May 2014, would outlaw altogether the growing of GM crops.

According to a recent article in Reuters, a Washington State farmer has filed suit against Monsanto.  Seems that his 2011 crop of alfalfa was rejected by a Japanese purchaser after it tested positive for GM material.  The odd thing is that the alfalfa in question was grown with seeds purchased from Monsanto in 2010, before GM alfalfa was approved for sale by the USDA.

Is anyone surprised?

This November, Washingtonians will have a chance to vote on I522, an initiative that would require labels for Genetically Engineered Food.  Le Pichet and Cafe Presse hope that you will consider attending this important event to support Yes on 522!  Please click here to purchase tickets.

Where:  The back room at Café Presse
When:  Monday August 26, from 5:30pm to 6:30pm

Please join us tonight, Monday August 26, 2013 for another Conversation about Washington State’s I522, which would require labeling of foods containing genetically engineered ingredients.

Don’t know anything about GMOs but would like to?  Have questions about GMOs or I522?  Heard a lot of conflicting things and not sure what to believe?  This meeting is for you!

Come learn what GMOs are, what foods they are in,  why the labeling of genetically modified foods is important, and what you can do to help.

Light snacks provided by Cafe Presse.

Suggested Donation to “Yeson522” – $5.22
Space is limited.  RSVP to 206-709-7674

]]> https://www.jimdrohman.com/blog/2013/08/25/join-us-monday-for-a-conversation-about-i522/feed/ 0 https://www.jimdrohman.com/blog/2013/06/25/full-house-for-gmo-discussion/ https://www.jimdrohman.com/blog/2013/06/25/full-house-for-gmo-discussion/#respond Tue, 25 Jun 2013 08:00:54 +0000 https://www.jimdrohman.com/?p=3394

Last Tuesday afternoon, June 18, 2013, Cafe Presse hosted what we hope will be the first in a series of meetings to discuss Initiative 522, which will be on the ballot in Washington State in November of 2013.  I522 would require labeling of foods that contain Genetically Modified, or GM ingredients.

A full house of interested attendees  talked about what GM ingredients are, what foods they are in and what changes I522 would bring, among other subjects.  Representatives of the group “Yes on 522” were on hand to answer questions about the contents of I522 and were also taking contributions.  A camera crew from Washington news channel TVW was also there, filming the event for a story about I522 that aired the following day.

A Cafe Presse, we are very glad to be able to provide a space where discussions of important current events can have a home.   If you are interested in getting information about upcoming events, please sign up for our email newsletter by clicking the link on right of this page.

A couple of quick updates about the GMO Conversations at Cafe Presse scheduled for the evening of June 18 and the morning of June 20, 2013.

The meeting from 5pm to 6:30pm on Tuesday June 18 is full.  However, we plan to schedule more meetings between now and November, so if you would like to come in the future, please watch the Cafe Presse events page for future dates and times. Or if you would like us to contact you about future dates, please call Cafe Presse (206 709-7874) and ask to have your name put on the waiting list.

The meeting from 8am to 9:30am on Thursday June 20 has been postponed due to lack of RSVPs.  Guess people are either still asleep or at work at that hour!  However, do watch our events page for future dates.

Thanks to everyone who rsvp’d and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow night.

We at Cafe Presse and Le Pichet feel that it is very important to know what is in the foods we eat.  Therefore, Cafe Presse will be hosting two meetings to talk about the upcoming vote on Initial 522 which would require labeling of GMO foods.  Do you have all the information you need to make an informed decision?  Lets talk about it!

Where:  The back room at Café Presse 1117 12^th Avenue Seattle, WA 98122

When:  Tuesday, June 18:  5:00 P.M. to 6:30 PM – Light apetizers and beverages will be provided.

or

Thursday, June 20: 8:00 A.M. to 9:30 AM – Pastries and coffee will be provided.

Come learn what GMOs are, what foods they are in,  why the labeling of genetically modified foods is important, and what you can do to help.

Suggested Donation $5.22
(all donations will be given to Yes on 522)

Space is limited.  RSVP to 206-709-7674

For more information call 206-709-7674 or visit www.cafepresseseattle.com or jimdrohman.com

It’s not easy to be a bee
The news on the bee front is going from bad to worse.  As discussed in an earlier post on this blog, bee populations throughout the world and particularly in Europe and North America, have been under pressure for the last decade.  Now come reports of more bad news.  New figures show that bee populations in the United States are declining at a faster rate than ever.   And at the same time, the European Union, under pressure from chemical manufacturers in France and Germany, failed to pass a 2 year ban on neonicotinoid pesticides, which many researcher believe play a role in declining bee population.

Worse year ever?
In a recent article in the New York times, author Michael Wines notes that, although the official U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers will not be out until May, many beekeepers are reporting losses of between 40 and 50% of their hives in 2012.  This compares with losses of about 30% in 2011.  FDA bee research director Jeff Pettis said that he was confident that the May USDA report would show colony losses well in excess of the 2011 losses.

Bees can’t kick the habit
There are many theories as to what is killing the bees, everything from GMO corn syrup in sugar water used to feed commercial bee colonies, to electromagnetic fields generated by electronic devices like cell phones, to the increased use of herbicides made possible by herbicide-resistant GMO crops like Roundup Ready corn.

But many researcher feel that the most likely cause is a new class of pesticides derived from nicotine that are designed to be incorporated into every cell of the protected plant.  These pesticides, known as neonicotinoid or  systemic pesticides, were developed in the late ’80s and ’90s but have only come into widespread use since 2000 (the neonicotinoid pesticide imidacloprid is currently the most widely used insecticide in the world).  The unique characteristic of systemic pesticides that that they are not designed to kill pests immediately, but to build up in their system over time, distorting the DNA of pest insects so that not only the exposed insect, but also its offspring, are compromised.  For an in-depth report on the available scientific data linking neonicotinoid pesticides to bee mortality, check out this article in the Guardian UK.

Europe passes on ban
Last week, the European Union failed to pass a 2 year ban on neonicotinoid pesticides that was intended to give researcher a chance to study the effect on bee populations of the removal of these pesticides from the environment.  Representatives of nine European Union nations, led by France and Germany, voted against the ban.  Intense lobbying by European pesticide manufacturers Syngenta and Bayer is thought to have played a role in the decision.