Recent Press Releases For Immediate Release AMBASSADOR CAROL MOSELEY BRAUN JOINS GREENFESTIVAL PANEL: Special Panel Discussion to Take Place Saturday, May 17th Chicago, IL, May 16th, 2008 - Former Illinois Senator and Ambassador to New Zealand and founder and CEO of Ambassador Organics Carol Moseley Braun will be among the voices heard in the growing debate over the safety and feasibility of genetically modified (GM) foods, it was announced today. Moseley Braun will take part in a special panel discussion on Saturday, May 17th, at one of Chicago’s largest event phenomena: Greenfestival. The Greenfestival GMO Panel is being held at the Navy Pier, 600 E Grand Avenue, at 12:00 Noon. The panel will address how the food crisis has been fueled by corn shortages caused by demand for maize-based ethanol: more than 25% of all U.S. corn production was consumed by biofuel producers last year. The panel will also address how this demand has driven food prices up here and abroad and also driven biotech companies to develop potentially hazardous varieties of GM corn intended specifically for biofuel production. . The panel will discuss consumer health risks and impacts on the livelihood of America’s small farmers that may be caused by these untested and unproven crops. “The very simple fact is that after 10 years, genetically modified foods have not been proven safe for human consumption,” said BioVision2020’s co-founder and acting director, Christie Phillips. “GM crops are not ‘feeding the world;’ instead, they’re feeding livestock and automobiles in rich countries. GM crops are not drought-tolerant or more nutritious or higher-yielding, and in fact some of have lower yields than conventional crops. The fact is that GM foods are a failure; they’re not a solution to the food crisis, if anything they’re part of the problem.” The Greenfestival GMO Panel is sponsored by BioVision2020, which is part of a large coalition of national and international organizations and individuals that includes scientists, doctors, lawyers, farmers, consumer advocates and a rapidly growing number of mothers’ organizations. They share a concern over the production of food and fuel from GM sources, and for the last decade, they have been tracking the economic feasibility of GM as well as the studies of human and environmental health and safety impacts of genetically modified crops. “The genome is based on many layers of complex information exchanges, many of which are not yet fundamentally understood, mapped, or sufficiently tested,” said Adam Apollo, member of the Board of Directors of BioVision2020. “Suggesting that it is safe to feed our children foods that have been genetically modified without knowing the full potential effects of these modifications is much like feeding a computer an unknown program with full access to the operating system and hoping it is not a virus.” Ambassador Braun will be joined on the panel by Adam Apollo, member of the Board of Directors of BioVision2020; Bill Wilson, of the Midwest Permaculture Institute; and Adriane Colvin, a mother and business owner from Salt Lake City, Utah, who formed her own organization, MOMs (Maternal Organic Methods) which is concerned with the heath and safety effects of GM and biotech foods. For a full listing of Greenfestival events, please visit http://www.greenfestivals.org/content/blogcategory/110/207/ .
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: “BioVISION2020 and “The Mouths” to Highlight CHICAGO, IL – In the midst of explosive demand for local and organic food and heightened attention on public health issues, a national organization, BioVISION2020, has invited some very real and lively “Mouth” personalities to help get the word out about the mounting problems with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food, agriculture and human health at the Organic Trade Association’s “All Things Organic” Annual Conference and Trade Show, May 6-7 -8th, 2007 at McCormick Place. BioVISION2020 is a unifying coalition of organizations, businesses and citizens who are concerned with the sudden proliferation of GMOs, and the health and environmental risks associated with the recent engineering of GMOs and neurotoxins into our food supply. BioVISION2020 will hold an exciting booth at All Things Organic, featuring the “Mouth Revolution” created by Free Range Studios (www.mouthrevolution.com) and sponsored by Annie’s Organics and The Sustainable Living Roadshow. These live, animated Mouthpieces, who demand to be fed local and organic food, will also educate tradeshow attendees about the critical importance of stopping drift and contamination from genetically modified crop fields in order to maintain the integrity of organic food and fiber. Mini press conferences will be held at the booth at 11AM and 2PM daily throughout the trade show. The BioVISION2020 booth presents nationally known, GMO expert and best selling author, Jeffrey Smith, with his new book, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods. BioVISION2020 also proudly announces its partnership with AllergyKids, an independently funded food allergy organization, focused on the health implications of the neurotoxins, novel proteins and allergens found in GMOs and their impact on children. BioVISION2020 will seek the support, cooperation and ongoing collaboration of organic industry leaders by holding small meetings with key organic industry businesses, organizations and individuals for input and coordinated strategy. Through sustained cooperative effort, BioVISION2020 continues to be a vital resource of scientifically-documented information on GMOs. “Most consumers do not realize that over 70% of all commercial corn and 90% of the nation’s non-organic soybean’s are genetically modified ----and that they are NOT labeled. GMOs are present without disclosure in many processed foods on the market,” asserts BioVISION2020 Director, Christie Phillips. “Furthermore,” Phillips states, “it is absolutely imperative that the public is educated on this topic. We are committed to broadcasting the escalating documented evidence of the dangerous effects of GMOs on health and integrity of humans, animals and the environment.” The goal of BioVISION2020, a pivotally-timed, strategic initiative, co-sponsored by the The Center For Food Safety and natural and organic food companies, including Jones Soda, Frey Vineyards, and www.MouthRevolution.com’s originator Annie’s Homegrown, is to provide a vehicle for cooperation and collaboration among stakeholders for building conversation, unified strategy, coordinated national media outreach, education and action on the GMO issue.
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