Monday Mailing
Year 19 • Issue 24 11 March 2013 1. Major Grocer to Label Foods With Gene-Modified Content 2. Claiming Space 3. City of Pendleton Enlists Portland Developer to Help Tackle Apartment Shortage 4. InFARMation (and Beer!) 5. Visualizing a Walkable City 6. Portland Retailers Swoop into Storefronts along Bikeways 7. Eugene Skate Park Construction Ready to Roll this Summer 8. The Four Steps Required to Keep Monsanto OUT of Your Garden 9. The Pollination Project 10. Vandana Shiva on Bowman v. Monsanto: This Case Is About Every Farmer, Person and Seed in the World 11. Funding Opportunities 1. Major Grocer to Label Foods With Gene-Modified Content Whole Foods Market, the grocery chain, on Friday became the first retailer in the United States to require labeling of all genetically modified foods sold in its stores, a move that some experts said could radically alter the food industry. A. C. Gallo, president of Whole Foods, said the new labeling requirement, to be in place within five years, came in response to consumer demand. “We’ve seen how our customers have responded to the products we do have labeled,” Mr. Gallo said. “Some of our manufacturers say they’ve seen a 15 percent increase in sales of products they have labeled.” Quote of the Week: “To do good you actually have to do something.” ~ Unknown Oregon Fast Fact #14: There are nine lighthouses standing along the coastline. Five are still being used; the others are designated historic monuments.
Genetically modified ingredients are deeply embedded in the global food supply, having proliferated since the 1990s. Most of the corn and soybeans grown in the United States, for example, have been genetically modified. The alterations make soybeans resistant to a herbicide used in weed control, and causes the corn to produce its own insecticide. Efforts are under way to produce a genetically altered apple that will spoil less quickly, as well as genetically altered salmon that will grow faster. The announcement ricocheted around the food industry and excited proponents of labeling. “Fantastic,” said Mark Kastel, co-director of the Cornucopia Institute, an organic advocacy group that favors labeling. To access the full story, click here. 2. Claiming Space Philadelphia has more public art than any other American city, so it’s no surprise that art is among the city’s most potent community development tools. Groups across the city are increasingly using art to create and animate neighborhood spaces that reflect shared community values, aspirations, and identity. And, in many cases, art can be a lasting community organizing tool. Philly has a robust public art landscape for variety of reasons. The city is perhaps best known for its venerable Mural Arts Program, which since 1984 has developed thousands of murals in partnership with communities Page 1 of 6