Don’t give up the (anti-GMO) fight!

Hoping for the GMO-labeling best!
As I write this, the Nov. 6 election has not yet taken place, but of course as you read this it’s history, and you know whether Proposition 37—which called for the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered food—passed.

I hope it did.

But regardless of the outcome, those of us not wishing to unknowingly put GMO-tainted food into our bodies (as well as people who give even a small damn about their health and the health of their kids and so on) should not forget about those corporations that dropped a bundle (try $44-plus million, at last count) on trying to defeat Prop. 37. (See The GreenHouse, “Beware of organic brands that are fighting Prop. 37,” Aug. 30, 2012, for a list of offenders.)

A Nov. 2 California Watch story added The Hershey Co., Nestl” USA and Mars, Inc. to the long list of No-on-37 donors that includes Monsanto, DuPont, Kellogg (makers of Kashi, etc.), General Mills (Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen, etc.) and Chico’s own Smucker’s (R.W Knudsen and Santa Cruz Organic juices). No matter the outcome of the election, remember the companies that actively attempted to defeat the proposition and vote—again and again—with your dollar by not buying their products.

Converging on Butte College
Thought I’d give a shout-out to the upcoming California Student Sustainability Coalition Fall 2012 Convergence, which will be held Nov. 9-11 at Butte College. Keynote speakers featured at the event are Caleen Sisk, chief and spiritual leader of the local Winnemem Wintu tribe, and Anne Symens-Bucher, the personal assistant of widely known author and environmental activist Joanna Macy. Among the other activities included on the convergence’s bill are a day of workshops “on diverse topics highlighting interconnectedness,” as the event’s press release put it, and two nights of camping near the college campus. Up to 500 sustainability-minded college students from around California are expected to attend, in addition to members of the public, who are encouraged to come as well.

The behind-the-scenes organizer of the event is Mimi Riley, ”a faculty activist who has initiated a Certificate in Sustainability at Butte College,” said Merlinda Fournier, co-chair of the convergence’s media team. “She brings her students to [the annual] Bioneers [Conference] in Marin [County] and hosts the Student Sustainability Club on campus.”

This year is the first time the annual event is taking place at a community college rather than a four-year college, Fournier pointed out. ”The reason behind this ‘first’ is the college’s reputation in the sustainability community,” she explained.

The cost of the three-day event, which includes a catered lunch and snacks, is $25 for college students and $50 for community members. Go to www.sustainabilitycoalition.org/fall-2012-convergence to learn more about the Fall 2012 Convergence and the California Student Sustainability Coalition. Call Kelly Munson at 895-2945 for more info.

TWO BUCKS PER POUND!
Celebrate America Recycles Day on Thursday, Nov. 15. This issue of the CN&R includes a coupon for Fair Street Recycling (2300 Fair St., 343-8641) to get a sizable $2 per pound for CRV aluminum (on Nov. 15 only, with coupon).

Like last year, Fair Street Recycling—headed up by everybody’s favorite recycling director and percussionist, Jerry Morano—will be giving out a free “small token of our appreciation to our customers that day,” as Morano put it.

The money-making coupon will also appear in the Nov. 15 issue of the CN&R.