News
Wednesday, Ápril~18, 2012
newsed@clackamas.edu
The Ctackam as Print?)
The darker side of green: a critical
look at organic farming
By James Duncan
Design Editor
We are a people who like to
be deceived. We really really
do like being lied to, in fact T
feel as though so many people’s
lives would crumble if for just
one moment they had to see
how in vain everything they
try to achieve is. While there
are a great many reasons to fear
truth, this is really something
much smaller. N ot life-shatter
ing, but still a lie that so 'many
people love and hold dear to
their heart.
Some people today like to
say “Organic is better.” Just to
be5 cool and trendy.
This is simply, a lie. Most
people have been told that It
tastes better, is more sustainable
and is better for the environ
m ent than the mega farms that
we depend on. for-food. This
is simply not true, with one
exception,’ .yop grew it yourself
or personally know the person
who did, and organic is just
another word tacked on things
to get people to buy them. Just
like multi-vitamins, they are
products to take advantage of
people who think som ethingis
science because they “Read it in
a book that one tíme.”- Let me
break down some o f the biggest
lies about organic farming.
First th at it is better for the
environment. It is only so true.
I guess when you áre choosing
the lesser o f two evils I would
pick the one wearing hemp
shoes too, but organic formers
still use dangerous chemicals.
Albeit natural, poison i s , still
poison. Lets take Rotenone,
.for example, this is a com
mon organic pesticide.. T hat
like m ost used in organic farm
ing is never mentioned for fear
o f ruining their image. This is a.
natural chemical that has a low
impact on pollinators and is
considered a safe way of dealing
with insect problems. Oh, wait
— it s also linked to Parkinson’s
and is a piscicide (kills fish).
This organic pesticide is in fact
á broad spectrum poison whose
runoff devastates fish popula
tions and is linked to neuro
logical disorders in mammals.
While it was outlawed in 2005
. for use in organic farming, it
is still, commonly used. O n
the other hand;-there are some
Board of Education
appoints new member
The
" /C la c k a m a s *
C om m u n ity C ollege- Board
o f E ducation is - com plete.
T h e -empty . seat left by
C harles “C h u ck ” C lem ans
■because o f * hit®", u n tim ely
passing last year has been
filled by C h ris’6r0e-nJer. T he
Board approved his a p p o in t
m e n t / ' rep resen tin g “ Z one
Four, last W ednesday during
th eir m o n th ly m eeting.
G ro e n e r has., a tte n d e d
C C C and i s ‘Well qualified
for the position, according
to Jane Reid, board ch air
person, In a C C C press'
release. She also stated th a t
he is a strong and com pas
sionate com m unity leader.
G roener c u rre n tly serves
on the O regon P lan n in g
C om m ission’ and is a u n io n
representative' forihU niteJL
F ood
an d
C o m m ercial
Workers; U nion. Legislative
experience an d a 1 stro n g
grasp of. p u b lic policy
are som e' o f his skills the
ap p o in tm en t subcom m ittee
considered w hen th ey made
theiri decision.
C lem ans passed away in
a car accident in D ecem ber,
leaving his p o sitio n on the
'b o a rd , , Vacant. - G ro e n e r’s
ap p o in tm en t ends Ju n e 30,
2013 at w hich tim e he may
ru n for election to fulfill the
rem ainder o f G lem an’s term
w hich ends in 2 0 1 5 .;,'
Jo C renshaw , w ho c u r
rently serves on th e C C C '
F o u n d a tio n
B o ard
of
D irecto rs, was th e o th er
a p p lic a n t fo r th e p o s i
tio n . She is a local busi
ness w om an w ho also has
stro n g ties to the’ .com
m u n ity according to the
C C C press release. —Jos^ ua
D illen
“evil” genetically modified
crops that contain a very small
amount o f Rotenone naturally
through modification o f the
plant to produce the chemi
cal. JJsing genetically m odi
fied plants there is vastly . less
runoff and the crops require
less pesticide; but I gttess fewer
chemicals and poisons in the
watershed isn’t really the point
o f organic farming. The more
one looks at the-.rather small
list of chemicals used in organic
farming, the more you have
to think “Is copper good for
eating?” “Does it make sense
to support destructive farming
practices that dress themselves
as beneficial?” - -
Sustainably, organic farm
ing cannot support or sustain
any population o f considerable
size. Organic fatming produces
up to 50 ■ percent Tess over
all yield than industrial tech-
niques. According to the World
Bank, Earth now plays 'host
to „7,006,919,675 according to
the U.S. Census bureau. Think
for one minute just how many
that is>" ’ .
“Every day, the equivalent
o f a major earthquake killing
over 30,000 young children
occurs to a disturbingly muted
response. They die quietly in
some of the poorest villages- on
Earth, far removed from , the
scrutiny and the conscience of
the world. Being meek and
weak in life makes these dying
multitudes even more invisible
in death.” -UNICEF Progress
o f Nations 2000
O rganic farming doesn’t
solve or even begin to, help
any o f the poorest • people on
Earth. W hat can help them
and prevent countless deaths is
the life-giving power o f geneti
cally modified crops.' Thanks to
organizations like Greenpeace,
some o f the poorest people
in the world aren’t allowed to
have the rjnOtrient-rich grains
they need to eke. out a modest
existence. Now they want to
fight G M O rice... funny, didn’t
golden rice, one o f the older
’‘G M O ” crop, save hundreds
o f thousands o f Jives in parts
o f the world where vitamin A
deficiency is common? W hat
will they have to replaced this
important source or nutrition?
Nothing, you say? T h at’s right.
W hen you. eat organic food
and think “This is a better way
to eat” remember the millions
o f people who would die if
organic farming became the
majority practice.
’ Finally, there’s taste. I know,
I know. “Organic foods taste
better and are better for you.”
Really? You think so? Because
scienqec'doesn’t. In fact, the
majority of double-blind stud
ies have shown that even expe
rienced; foodie's can’t tell the
difference. I don’t think you
can either. T hat is one interest
ing thing about humans — we
are really gullible;, Tf someone
you trust tells you every.day
that something is better and
you finally try it, you are just*
going to believe it-is better.
N ot because it is, but because
you have trained yourself ahead
o f time to think it will be.
Organic isn’t better. It’s just
poorly regulated.
. So next time you want to
reach for an organic apple,
because copper and poison
are delicious, remember that
it is a first-world luxury that
is destructive to the rest of
the world. Say it tastes bet
ter — fine. Don’t, act like you
are better in any way because
you can pay $2 for an apple at
Trader Joe’s.
“Man can and must prevent
the tragedy o f famine in the
future instead of merely trying
with pious regret to salvage the
human wreckage of the famine,
as 'he has so often done in the
past.”
-Norm an Borlaug, Nobel
Peace Frize winner and pioneer
in genetically modified crops.
GSA alliance at CCC plans
two ......
events
for
Ill.!.!.!
....S Ally
... ■.■ Week
. I.■ I 1....
The
C la c k a m a s
C om m unity C ollege Gay/
Straight Alliance C lu b is
planning two events for Ally
Week, April 23-27.
The Ally Week; Kick-Off
will be held on Thursday,
April 19, fro m ,1 2 -lp .m . in
Roger Rook 204. Pizza and
pop will be provided, and
Bingo cards featuring fac
ulty and staff GSA allies will
be given'to participants. All
students are welcome.
D uring Ally Week, April
23-26, faculty and staff GSA
allies will wear Ally b u t
tons so that participating
111
students canTocate them to expression, deserve to feel
safe and supported while
have Bingo cards signed.
The
A lly .
W eek on campus. An ally is- not
Celebration will be held on an advbcate; rather, an ally
Thursday, April 26, from helps students feel that they
1 2 1p.m. in R ook 204. can advocate for themselves.
Dessert will be provided; Faculty and staff allies do
participants will enter their not need to be part of the
signed Bingo cards in a raffle L G B T Q community.
For m ore inform ation,
for fabulous prizes: three
prizes for students and one please contact Carol Burnell
prize for a faculty or staff at carolb@clackamas.edu or
ext. 3256, Bruce Simmons
member. •
W hat is a GSA faculty/ at bruces@clackamas.edu or
staff ally? An ally is someone ext. 3332, or Jen Borowczak
who believes all students, at jenniferb@clackamas.edu
regardless o f sexual orien or ext. 3172
tation or gender identity/
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