Taking Action

There is so much going on in the World - locally, nationally, globally - that it is certain some things will not be to your liking.

This is definitely the case for me.  There are lots of things that happen that I have a strong negative response to that I feel helpless to stop, e.g. war. 

However, there are some that I do feel able to make a positive stand against, e.g. local council plans to build large developments on prime farmland; AgroChemical companies that are trying to make farmers worldwide dependant on their GM seeds; advertising; Nestle; the way disabled people are treated - and the list goes on.

Why am I unhappy about these things?

Many of the activities, occurrences or actions that I have listed are being done in the name of profit, not improvement.

GMOs, e.g., wheat or corn seeds, concern me for many reasons, here are some of them: adverse effects on wildlife; increased crop yield is unproven as being an improvement on 'normal' seeds; growing them does seem to involve using one heck of a lot of chemicals - which I would have thought unnecessary, given their alleged laboratory-created 'toughness'; the need for farmers to buy seed each year, rather than being able to save seed from their crops (some GM seeds are infertile to prevent farmers from being able to do this) and the lack of proper testing on the end product to ensure it truly is safe for those who consume it.

I am not against hybridisation improvement of plants (see information on Gregor Mendel http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/374739/Gregor-Mendel) as this does not involve introducing changes at a genetic level.

By UK based artist Mobstr

Advertising is insidious and seems to have crept into almost every corner of our lives - on TV, online, via text messages on mobile phones, posters everywhere, magazines, newspapers, in supermarkets and on public transport. Apart from anything else, so many of these adverts contain erroneous information and most are aspirational in form. As we live in a world where resources are becoming stretched and finances are often limited, is consumption really the message that should be being pushed across?



How do I take action?

I have joined a couple of active anti-GM Facebook groups and have signed some petitions. I am hoping to be in a position to join the next March Against Monsanto in the Spring, but even if I cannot it won't stop me from writing letters to my MP, researching information on the subject, sharing knowledge and taking part in responses to GM Trial reports (where possible). I also only buy organic dairy products.

I have stopped watching adverts on TV - which is quite easy, especially when you can pause television programmes as they are aired, or record them and then fast forward through the ads. In the cinema I don't look at the screen (!) and in magazines, newspapers, online etc. I just do my best not to see the picture/read the text. It can be hard, especially online, as advertisements are meant to be eye-catching - I just do my best!