I apologize if this is a repeat message. Some of you may already be on one
of our lists and have received emails from me, if so, disregard this message.
Hi, we maintain several different lists. One is for stores which include
co-ops, nutrition centers and other businesses selling organic products;
one is for organizations; and the other is for individuals, food buying
clubs and CSA's. To join the listserve to receive our electronic newsletter
Food Bytes, see the instructions below my signature.
The Organic Consumers Association - the OCA is a new national grassroots
consumers campaign which grew out of the massive organic consumer response
to the USDA's first round of Organic Standards(over 270,000 comments were
submitted on the first round). Many of us were part of the SOS/Save Organic
Standards Campaign. The OCA has speakers available but we do need
transportation/lodging expenses paid for and an honorarium.
We are gearing up for the second round of USDA's Organic Standards and we
need your help in developing a network of consumers, stores,growers, etc.
The USDA will issue another proposed set of federal rules on Organic
Standards and we want organic consumers to be prepared to respond to this
second round. In fact, the USDA published an "issue/position paper" the end
of October with comments due on December 14th(7,000 comments were sent in).
This was a precursor to the Second Round. We have heard from Washington
that the USDA will release the second round after July, 1999 with a
comment period that could be only 45 days.
We have free display packets available to send to you that include: display
posters, counter top displays and flyers to inform your members/consumers
about the second round of USDA's Organic Standards. Please let me know how
many display packets you would like me to send to you for your
coop/store/buying club/organizations or CSA. For buying clubs and CSA's,
please let me know how many members you have so I can include enough
handouts to send you.
What else can you do to support Save Organic Standards:
- If you don't already subscribe to Organic View(devoted to organic food
issues and the work of the OCA), our free online bi-weekly newsletter,
please subscribe. You can help recruit new subscribers to
Organic View. See below my signature for instructions on how to subscribe
to Organic View.
- To learn more about genetic engineering and food politics subscribe to
Food Bytes, our free online monthly alert. You can help recruit new
subscribers to Food Bytes. See under my signature for instructions on how
to subscribe to Food Bytes.
- We need individuals to help identify coops/health stores in your area
that do not have our Save Organic Standards-SOS flyers. Send us
their name, address and telephone number and we will contact them.
- We need city and regional coordinators that can help distribute action
alerts to stores, organizations and groups that are not hooked up to email
and that are not in our data base. You can help us develop a local data
base of activists and those interested in the issues (for email, fax, and
telephone "trees"). Make sure you visit our web site on a regular basis
for new articles and information.
- We need donations to help pay for flyers and posters. Donations can be
sent to: OCA, 860 Highway 61, Little Marais, MN 55614
- We need people to contact their elected Congressional senators and
representatives, the United States Department of Agriculture, the
President and Vice-President about the importance of strong organic
standards.
president@whitehouse.gov(President Bill Clinton)
vice.president@whitehouse.gov (VP Al Gore)
agsec@usda.gov(Dan Glickman, Secretary of the US Department of Agriculture)
Thanks,
Also, please pass this message on to your email lists. We are trying to
build an email network that can quickly submit comments to the USDA and
elected officials about the organic standards.
Thanks
Debbie Dunbar Ortman
National Field Organizer
Organic Consumers Association
3547 Haines Rd.
Duluth, MN 55811
(218) 726-1443
(218) 726-1446 Fax
safefood@cp.duluth.mn.us
http://www.organicconsumers.org
Join the Organic Consumers Association in your local area.
If you want to become a member or a volunteer--or make a donation--call
(218)726-1443
To subcribe to the free electronic newsletter, Organic View,
send an email to: organicview@organicconsumers.org
with the message: subscribe
Organic View is devoted to organic food issues and
the work of the OCA.
To subscribe to the free electronic newsletter, Food Bytes,
send an email to: majordomo@mr.net
with the simple message: subscribe pure-food-action
Food Bytes is devoted to factory farming, biotechnology, food
safety/politics issues.
http://www.purefood.org
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