We know that GE crops are contaminating conventional and organic crops. We know GE products are making their way, directly or indirectly, onto our plates. So, until regulations catch up to the reality (and if it’s not too late to save our food supply by then), there are two main things we, as consumers, can do. First, we must speak out to our representatives and make our voices heard so that businesses do not flourish at the expense of human welfare and irreparable damage to our food supply and environment. Second, we must educate ourselves on the health issues related to GE products, so that we can each make our own best decisions about what we purchase and eat, and by extension, which companies we support through our consumerism.

To that end, I spoke recently with molecular biologist, Dr. Kevin Nash, and asked him what, if any concerns he had about the health impact of eating GE products. According to Dr. Nash, “We eat DNA all the time in any plant, animal or fungi material. We cannot incorporate, only digest, genetic material from other sources. The product of that gene manipulation can cause a problem [for example, in the case of] modified plants to restrict bugs and disease. This may be the production of a natural pesticide; and pesticides are not necessarily good for us in large doses.” So, while human DNA is arguably safe from ingesting the GE products themselves, the main concern with GE crops becomes exposure to chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, the ingestion of which does pose a significant health risk and can endanger human DNA according to Dr. Nash. Read the rest of this entry »

So, you’ve changed your light bulbs, you wear a sweater in your house because you turned your thermostat down, you unplugged all your electronics that aren’t being used and you are now enjoying “5 minute showers.” The world seems safer already! Or is it? As you look down the street at your neighbor’s house, you watch in “climate change horror” as they “warm up their Hummer” before driving the 2 blocks to take their 16 year old son to school (and that’s because his “monster truck” has a flat!) The neighbor other has left all the lights on in his new 10,000 square ft McMansion while away for the weekend, and you have heard rumors about plasma TV’s in all 8 bedrooms! So, are all your sacrifices worth it, or should we just turn to geo-engineering? Read the rest of this entry »