A grassroots movement is a type of social movement that emerges from the local level and comes together due to a pressing issue the community feels needs to be changed or improved— the movement could spread nationally or globally, but a grassroots movement is perpetuated by the action of the individual and not the endorsement of large corporations or political actors.
Started in 2013, a grassroots movement called March Against Monsanto (MAM) has come together and is held annually on the global scale in response to the business practices of the historical and now transnational corporation, Monsanto.
MARCH AGAINST MONSANTO this year on SATURDAY MAY 23rd, 2015 →→→ Check this spreadsheet for global locations
Monsanto is a current day transnational company (TNC) that was originally established in 1901 by a self-educated chemist, John Francis Queeny, who named the chemical company,Monsanto Chemical Works to honor his wife, Olga Mendez Monsanto. Commencement of business, and a shift to production of industrial products occurred around 1929 when Monsanto bought shares of American and Australian chemical companies on the New York Stock Exchange— just a month later the stock market crashed and Monsanto emerged being renamed the Monsanto Chemical Company.
The Monsanto Chemical Company’s business commenced in Georgia in 1935 with the production of the chemical sweetener saccharin— this was sold to Coca-Cola which then too was a growing company in Georgia and marked the beginning of the long and controversial history Monsanto has on planet Earth.
In the 1940’s Monsanto became “one of the world’s major producer of rubber, followed by plastics and synthetic fibers” [Robin, 12]. The nature of a chemical company innately produces much environmental degradation— these rubber and plastic factories in Anniston, Alabama were estimated to pollute from 1929-1971, sixty-thousand pounds ofPCBs emitted into atmosphere and 1.8 million pounds dumped into waterways.
Today, the environmental protection agency has finally publicly named Monsanto as the perpetrator, and taken steps to help clean up this problem by deeming Aniston, Alabama a superfund site.
Started in 2013, a grassroots movement called March Against Monsanto (MAM) has come together and is held annually on the global scale in response to the business practices of the historical and now transnational corporation, Monsanto.
MARCH AGAINST MONSANTO this year on SATURDAY MAY 23rd, 2015 →→→ Check this spreadsheet for global locations
Monsanto is a current day transnational company (TNC) that was originally established in 1901 by a self-educated chemist, John Francis Queeny, who named the chemical company,Monsanto Chemical Works to honor his wife, Olga Mendez Monsanto. Commencement of business, and a shift to production of industrial products occurred around 1929 when Monsanto bought shares of American and Australian chemical companies on the New York Stock Exchange— just a month later the stock market crashed and Monsanto emerged being renamed the Monsanto Chemical Company.
The Monsanto Chemical Company’s business commenced in Georgia in 1935 with the production of the chemical sweetener saccharin— this was sold to Coca-Cola which then too was a growing company in Georgia and marked the beginning of the long and controversial history Monsanto has on planet Earth.
In the 1940’s Monsanto became “one of the world’s major producer of rubber, followed by plastics and synthetic fibers” [Robin, 12]. The nature of a chemical company innately produces much environmental degradation— these rubber and plastic factories in Anniston, Alabama were estimated to pollute from 1929-1971, sixty-thousand pounds ofPCBs emitted into atmosphere and 1.8 million pounds dumped into waterways.
Today, the environmental protection agency has finally publicly named Monsanto as the perpetrator, and taken steps to help clean up this problem by deeming Aniston, Alabama a superfund site.
Site investigations indicate that the vast majority of the PCBs in the Anniston area were released from the operations of the former Monsanto Corporation’s PCB manufacturing plant. PCBs were produced at the plant from 1929 until 1971. Today the former PCB plant produces polyphenyl compounds and phosphate ester-based hydraulic fluids. The facility is fenced and secured and access is restricted.” WWW.EPA.GOV
Soon after polluting Aniston, Monsanto was involved in another highly controversial business dealing which today is commonly known as Agent Orange. This was the largest contract in its history, a mission that Monsanto worked on together with the federal government and the military of the United States during the Vietnam war to produce the highly toxic herbicide, Agent Orange 2,4,5-T, composed of two phenoxyl herbicides – 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T).
This powerful herbicide was used by the United States as chemical warfare during the Vietnam War in Southeast Asia. Between 1961-1971 where research says that, “… an estimated 20 million gallons of defoliants were sprayed on 8 million acres of forest and crops. More than three thousand villages were contaminated, and 60% of the defoliants used were Agent Orange, equivalent to 800 pounds of pure dioxin.” [Robin, 42]
Today the federal government publicly admits the danger those exposed to Agent Orange may face.
Both of these two instances, PCBs and Agent Orange, exemplify a common theme of Monsanto’s business practices— Monsanto suppressed information, did not give warnings, and did not take any premeditated responsibility for the results to humanity, that their products could result in in future years.
As explored, the roots of public discontent with Monsanto run deep into history; furthermore, the theme of information suppression and negligence is also highly evident in the present day controversy Monsanto is caught up in.
The March Against Monsanto grassroots movement, is centered around the global discontent with historical and present day business practices of Monsanto. Undoubtedly, their agricultural methods, including the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and pesticides has fueled this movement.
According to information from GMO FREE NEW YORK:
Genetic engineering is a biotechnology that allows for the altering of an organism’s genetic material such that it changes the character traits displayed by the organism while it develops and grows. This altering of genetic material can occur by the introduction of new genetic material derived from similar species or unrelated species, or by altering of the organism’s existing genetic material. In agriculture, genetic engineering has been overwhelmingly used to create crops (GMOs) that are herbicide tolerant, insect resistant or both. For example, Bt Corn plants are varieties of corn that have been genetically engineered to produce a toxin derived from the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that is deadly to certain insects that attack corn. The modified genetic material from the bacteria is inserted into the corn plant’s DNA such that the corn now produces its own supply of Bt toxin in most tissues, throughout its lifespan, making it deadly to those insects. Most Bt Corn plants have been engineered to be herbicide-tolerant as well.”
This practice was accepted by the United Stated government as suitable for public use in 1992 and introduced commercially in 1996, but recently a rapidly growing population has become aware of what exactly they are consuming and what impacts they may have on our biosphere.
According to GMO FREE NEW YORK, there are several flaws in the safety regulations backing the use of GMOs:
1. Neither USDA or EPA require long-term animal feeding studies
2. Most research has been conducted/financed by the biotech industry who has a strong financial interest in claiming the safety of GMOs
3. Biotech companies are not required to consult with FDA on the safety tests they conduct for new GMOs; the process in voluntary. FDA essential rubber-stamps their approval for commercial sale
4. Once GMO foods reach the marketplace, FDA has no regulatory oversight
5. Many FDA, USDA and EPA staff have strong ties to the biotech industry (“the revolving door”) – a major conflict of interest (for example the present day Deputy Commissioner for the FDA Michael Taylor was last employed as the Vice President for Public Policy of Monsanto and prior has a long history between high ranking employment at the USDA, FDA and Monsanto)
6. There are many documented incidences of the contamination of the non-GMO food supply with GMOs
The use of GMOs is complimentary with the practices of industrial agriculture which in itself has an innumerable amounts of negative environmental impacts, including direct pollution of the surrounding areas, non-point source pollution and fossil-fuel reliance.
The MAM movement is an opposition to the practices of Monsanto and industrial agriculture and in support of organic, local and at-home agriculture. Also, MAM is in protest of the information suppression and lack of responsibility taken on Monsanto’s part to issue warnings and release non-bias studies regarding their products.
There is no definite scientific data about the effects of GMOs on human or ecosystem health— the use of GMO food has not been previously tested. The ability to genetically modify was not even discovered until 1983 when scientists “first succeeded in inserting a gene for kanamycin resistance into cells of petunia and tobacco plants” [Robin, 138].
According to GMO FREE NEW YORK:
1. A 2013 peer-reviewed feeding study of farm-raised pigs showed increased GI inflammation and uterine abnormalities when pigs were fed a GMO-grain diet. A 2012 independent study of lab rats showed increased incidence of cancer, toxicities and fertility issues when rats were fed GMO corn for a 2-year period.
2. A 2013 peer-reviewed in vitro study showed glyphosate (RoundUp)to promote the growth of existing estrogen-receptor-positive human breast cancer cells
3. In October 2013, 300 scientists signed onto a letter refuting the biotech industry claim of scientific consensus that GMOs are safe, stating ” As GM foods are not labelled in North America… it is scientifically impossible to trace, let alone study, the patterns of consumption and their impacts. Therefore, claims that GM foods are safe for human health based on the experience of North American populations have no scientific basis.”
Also, the World Health Organization has recently released a study proving glyphoste to be a “probable carcinogen”
With historical data and present day research at hand, we have the choice at every meal to vote against companies who endorse these practices with our “dollar”.
Transition to an organic lifestyle— buy local, use natural/organic health and beauty products and buy food labeled USDA Organic, NonGMO Project Verified. Visit local farmers markets, co-ops,your local farms/community gardens or grow your own organic vegetation at home. These are all ways we can be the change we wish to see and take our individual stand, in our moment, with our dollar, to create a new lifestyle.
MARCH AGAINST MONSANTO this year on SATURDAY MAY 23rd, 2015 →→→ Check this spreadsheet for global locations
Sources:
1) Robin, Marie-Monique. The World According to Monsanto. The New Press, New York . 2008
2) GMO FREE NY. The Case for GMO Labeling: NY GMO Food Labeling Bill (A.617/s.485).
www.gmofreeny.net 2014