Comments on: Mr. President, Where Is Your Sustainability Czar?

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:45:56 +0000

Ed-

You are completely correct, everything has to happen on a local level. This not only goes for eating, but change. It first has to happen at your own kitchen table. You then share your food and resources with friends and family. I just converted my 3rd friend over to bulk meat buying (I should sell deep freezers!). They are now hooked, not only the economical way of eating clean beef, but believe and know that they are feeding their families food for that heal their bodies.

All of these issues that effect our communities need to be handled at a local level, be it education, crime, drugs, or keeping families together and emotionally healthy. A centralized government can only make a small dent in these issues, it is up to us to educate our community and be a gentle encouraging model for our friends and family, who can then spread the goodness.

By: Ed Bruske

Ed Bruske — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:32:40 +0000

Melissa, I know. This is not exactly what we expected. Looks like we’ll have to continue the revolution from the ground up.

Pattie, that exactly is my reaction. Why don’t we have a sustainability czar already? Seems like local government is leading the way on this issue.

By: Pattie

Pattie — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:54:28 +0000

I have to say I love this idea, Ed. Inf act, I’m surprised it hasn’t already happened, considering that almost every major corporation and many, many cities, counties and states have a sustainability focus by now.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:40:51 +0000

Don’t expect much. Considering Obama’s latest “Big Ag” nominations, we are still headed down the same path. Let’s see who are the latest cast of characters:

Islam Siddiqui, VP of science and regulatory affairs at CropLife (THE lobbying association for the pesticide/GMO industry). A former registered lobbyist, Siddiqui has been nominated to the critical post of U.S. Chief Agricultural Negotiator. This position will enable him to keep pushing chemical pesticides, inappropriate biotechnologies, and unfair trade arrangements on nations that do not want and can least afford them.

Roger Beachy — long-time head of Monsanto’s defacto nonprofit research arm — has been installed as director of the USDA’s newly created National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This office comes with a $500 million budget, and therein control over the U.S. ag research agenda for years to come.

**borrowed from http://action.panna.org/t/5185/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=2150

There is so much to say about this, Siddiqui the lobbyist and much more, but I just don’t have the energy anymore. What does one expect when our president comes from the corn belt heavily sbusidised himself by big ag?

I’m not sure how long it will take people to wake up and realize they were sold a bill of goods.