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| Environment Action Alerts for September, 2005 |
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Time is running out. September is upon us, and Congress is about to decide the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
That's why we're inviting you to join us in Washington, D.C. for Arctic Refuge Action Day on September 20.
At 11 A.M. on Tuesday, September 20, thousands of concerned citizens will join together on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol to tell Congress to keep the Refuge wild and free. After that, we will descend on Capitol Hill. This is your chance to tell your Representative, face-to-face, that you're against drilling the Refuge.
A strong coalition of citizen groups is organizing Arctic Refuge Action Day, and grassroots organizers and volunteer "bus captains" across the country are coordinating the event. Bus captains have already started working with a vast network of on-the-ground activists to help citizens make the trip to our nation's capital, some coming from as far away as Oregon and Alaska.
When you sign up, you can request a ride to D.C. if you need one, find out about mass transit options, or volunteer to be a bus captain if you want to. After you sign up, you'll find out everything you need to know to make your day on Capitol Hill a great success.
Click here to sign up and attend Arctic Refuge Action Day:
http://www.arcticrefugeaction.org/takeaction/araday_nrdcactionfund.html
Please join us in Washington on September 20 and speak out before it's too late.
Best wishes,
Jordan Kessler Manager, Website and Online Activism NRDC Action Fund
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News Release ETC Group 5 September 2005 Global Seed Industry Concentration - 2005 The ETC Group today releases a new Communique on seed industry consolidation that shows a recent upsurge in seed industry takeovers and a shake-up in rankings. According to ETC Group, the top 10 multinational seed firms control half of the world's commercial seed sales. With a total worldwide market of approximately US$21,000 million per annum, the commercial seed industry is relatively small compared to the global pesticide market ($35,400 million), and it's puny compared to pharmaceutical sales ($466,000 million). But corporate control and ownership of seeds - the first link in the food chain - has far-reaching implications for global food security. A single firm, Monsanto, now controls 41% of the global market share in commercial maize seed, and one-fourth of the world market in soybean seeds. The same company's seeds and biotech traits accounted for 88% of the total area planted in genetically modified seeds worldwide in 2004. ETC Group's report includes a table listing many of the world's top 20 seed companies and their acquisitions and/or subsidiaries. The full text of the 12-page Communique is available free of charge for download on the ETC Group website: http://www.etcgroup.org IMPACT: With control of seeds and agricultural research held in fewer hands, the world's food supply is increasingly vulnerable to the whims of market maneuvers. Corporations make decisions to support the bottom line and increase shareholder returns - not to insure food security. Ultimately, seed industry oligopoly also means fewer choices for farmers. A new study by the US Department of Agriculture examines the impact of seed industry concentration on agbiotech research. The study concludes that reduced competition is associated with reduced R&D. Despite seed industry claims to the contrary, concentration in the seed industry is resulting in less innovation - not more. PLAYERS: A fistful of transnational firms, the Gene Giants, dominates global seed sales. Monsanto, Dupont, Syngenta - all among the world's top-ranking pesticide firms - lead the pack. POLICY: Seed industry concentration is already high on the agenda of civil society and farmers' organizations that are working to support and maintain peasant and farmer-controlled seed systems and against policies and technologies that seek to further privatize seeds. The implications of seed industry consolidation for food security and biodiversity must also be urgently addressed by governments at the FAO biennial Conference in November and by the Conference of the Parties (COP8) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (20-31 March 2006, Curitaba, Brazil). World's Top 10 Seed Companies + 1 [Based on 2004 seed sales (US) millions] 1. Monsanto (US) + Seminis pro forma = $2,803 2. Dupont/Pioneer (US) $2,600 3. Syngenta (Switzerland) $1,239 4. Groupe Limagrain (France) $1,044 5. KWS AG (Germany) $622 6. Land O' Lakes (US) $538 7. Sakata (Japan) $416 8. Bayer Crop Science (Germany) $387 9. Taikii (Japan) $366 10. DLF-Trifolium (Denmark) $320 11. Delta & Pine Land (US) $315 For more information, contact: Hope Shand and Kathy Jo Wetter, ETC Group (USA) hope@etcgroup.org/kjo@etcgroup.org tel: +1 919 960-5223 Pat Mooney, ETC Group (Canada) etc@etcgroup.org tel: +1 613 241-2267 Silvia Ribeiro, ETC Group (Mexico) silvia@etcgroup.org tel: +52 55 55 632 664 Veronica Villa, ETC Group (Mexico) veronica@etcgroup.org tel: +52 55 55 632 664 _______________________________________________ ETC Group mailing list http://lists.etcgroup.org/mailman/listinfo/etcgroup |
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In just three weeks PDA members from across the country will gather in Washington , DC for the Anti-War Mobilization weekend ! It's important that New York is well-represented! Please check out the outstanding line-up of activities and events that are planned! Click here An overview of the weekend is described below. On Saturday, September 24, hundreds of thousands of activists are expected to gather for a mass rally and march. PDA will announce within the next week the specific location and time at which PDA members will gather. Watch for details in upcoming alerts and on PDA's web site for the latest information! PDA is hoping to make a powerful statement during the march on the 24th! We envision our national PDA banner visibly leading our contingent of marchers with PDA members from different states proudly following behind with their PDA state banners! Look for details from PDA Ohio leadership, Michael Carano, within the next few days. On Sunday, September 25, PDA has a stellar "Grassroots Strategy Day" planned. Click here for details of the day. Sign up early for this not-to-be-missed strategic planning day! Click here to sign up now! On Monday, September 26, PDA members are encouraged to visit their Congressional representatives. An on-line Lobbying Kit that will be available soon. Lobbying training materials will also be available on Sunday, September 25! Click here to get your Representatives' contact information. Then click here to register your appointment. Be sure to list Progressive Democrats of America as your organizational affiliation under "Organization" on the registration form. Members of PDA from all across the country are coming! Let's make sure th at New York is well-represented! Make your travel plans, sign up for PDA's Sunday Strategic Planning Day , Click here , and then let me know personally that you will be joining us. Email me at PDANewYork@hotmail.com . I want to be sure to connect you with others from our state who will be there. Also, if you haven't already done so, please take a minute to sign the People's Petition for an Iraq Peace Process http://www.pdamerica.org/petition/iraq-withdraw-petition.php#here ! Our goal is to have 25,000 signatures by the time we deliver the Petition on September 15! Please sign and then share with your progressive networks encouraging them to sign and send it on as well! See you in Washington . Every voice matters. Michele Nelson,
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Take action: http://go.care2.com/e/EJi/An/Kz5 In Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, a case to be heard in the upcoming term, the Supreme Court will decide whether to uphold a parental notification law for young women seeking abortion in New Hampshire. But the court's decision will have much broader implications for our reproductive rights nationwide - as they could use this case to eliminate the constitutional requirement that restrictions on abortion be limited to those that protect a women's health. The court could effectively eliminate choice for millions of women. The White House continues to stonewall in the face of Senate requests for key documents that Roberts wrote while serving under first Bush Administration. But even without those documents, we know that Roberts has worked tirelessly to limit American's personal freedoms throughout his legal career. Most notably, he's stated publicly that 'Roe was wrongly decided and should be overruled'. With so much at stake, your senators need to hear from you right now! |
Instead of punishing manufacturers for knowingly putting children at risk, Congress is trying to enact legislation to shield these corporations from lawsuits, denying justice and fair compensation for the innocent victims of asbestos poisoning and depriving them of their day in court. Act now! Although I emailed to inform you about the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act (FAIR Act) a few weeks ago, with Congress back in session it is imperative that we gather as much support as possible to ensure the students and educators impacted by this corporate cover-up are not cheated out of fair compensation. Protect the innocent victims of asbestos poisoning! The FAIR Act aims to establish a trust fund to compensate victims. However, the FAIR Act is any thing but fair - it is under funded, unworkable and unconstitutional. It would make asbestos victims overcome huge new hurdles to prove that they are eligible. Hundreds of thousands of innocent people have died or will die from diseases that result directly from asbestos exposure. Urge your senators to stand up for these victims, not companies who put their profits before workers' and children's lives. Sign this petition today: http://go.care2.com/e/EUP/As/EAhH  Jenny McKinleyCare2 & ThePetitionSite Team |
