USDA is poised to deregulate the world's first genetically engineered (GE) industrial crop. Similar to GE pharma crops that use corn for producing drugs, Syngenta's "Event 3272" is genetically engineered to use corn for energy (ethanol) production and not for food. This unprecedented, industrial application of a GE technology poses a variety of environmental, health, and economic risks that must be carefully evaluated to determine whether the widespread use of this GE industrial corn crop should be allowed on farms across our nation.

Two weekends ago Hubby and I attended the annual D.A.R.E. Chili cook off. It was a gorgeous weekend during Historic Downtown Days. I had been stuck in the dungeon making centerpieces for the upcoming luncheon and needed to get out. After walking through the Farmer's Market and stopping at the Coop for a Switch soda we decided to make our way to the main event. It was such a beautiful day that I wanted to walk. Hubby grumbled about how far it was, but begrudgingly obliged.

By the time we arrived I was ready for the feast. We pay our entry, grab our ballots and small pencil that was provided and get in line. Bring it on! It is finally my turn. I get handed a small Styrofoam cup and plastic spoon for sampling. Bleh. I quickly gobbled up the first entry, not bad, and move on to the next. Okay, my turn again. I present my cup for filling, still licking the spoon from the last booth. The woman gives me a disgusted look and hands me a new cup containing their entry. *Blink* *Blink Blink* "No, I want to use the cup I already have." presenting it again in protest. "That's unsanitary." she says and plunks her cup into mine. The nerve! "No, that's wasteful!" I exclaim. "And I am not voting for you no matter how damn good your chili is!" I turn on my heel and the panic sets in.

Looking around at the 30 plus booths, hundreds of people, and all those Styrofoam cups and plastic spoons my mental calculator starts clicking. And clicking. And clicking! Everywhere I look more and more. People have them stacked one on top of another, some ten high. Carrying them like a badge of honor. The world starts spinning, I think I am going to be sick. Gasping for air I lean over a trash can. It is filled with little white cups! AAaaaAAaaaHhhH!! I am in Hell!

...and police officers say it's making an impact on more than just kids. I think that is worth repeating. Oh wait, I just did. You bet it is. It was estimated by the number of ballots cast that over 1,000 people attended. There were 32 chili entries. If each person took a new cup at every booth and sampled all 32 entries, they burned through 32,000 Styrofoam cups in two hours! That makes me want to cry. It gets worse. It was a hot day eating hot chili. One is bound to get thirsty. What do they have? Bottled water. Or, bottled soda. Plastic bottled soda. Just shoot me, please.

Now I am walking around with my empty glass Switch bottle, a plastic water bottle Argh!, two Styrofoam cups, and a plastic spoon. Aha! I spot someone emptying the trash cans. "Excuse me, do you have a place I can recycle these?" "No. We don't do that." Oh, bother. Is it not ridiculous that a city of 50,000 plus does not, I repeat DOES NOT, recycle plastic? WTF?! I feel I may need to borrow the cape of one of those eco-heroes over in the Green Phone Booth and address this issue.

Thankfully, only the one booth refused to fill the cup I already had. I got grief from a few and weird looks from them all, but they accommodated me. If they put up too much of a fuss, I refused to sample their chili unless they put it in my cup. A few even got it. "Aaahhh, trying to be green today, I get it." I heard Hubby snort in the background, "Today? Everyday with this one!" Well, at least he is starting to get it.

I will be sending a letter to the event chair and would like to give them a list of environmentally friendly options. Got any? In a perfect world which only exists in my head everyone would bring their own container and utensil along with a reusable bottle. The event could provide large containers of free water to fill from. Aah. Heaven.

Speaking of Heaven. I will leave you with the winning chili recipe provided by The People's Food Co-op.

On Friday I was so hot under the collar over a Freshman Tech Ed assignment that it prompted me to write a letter to the teacher. I was a little skeptical of the outcome and second guessing if I should have wrote it in the first place. Was I inadvertently turning my son into the "weird kid"? Would I suddenly become "that parent"? It is so hard to know the right thing to do. We are trying to make this a better world for our children, but at what price? Is it better to speak your mind and practice what you preach or stand silent so your child appears normal in an effort to fit in? We are already dealing with bullying, so I worry if I am compounding the issue by not allowing the chitlins to graze on refined sugar and pack a plastic pop in their lunch bag. I try to explain the reasons for my actions, but when none of their peers are doing it and they are constantly being bombarded by conventional marketing, plus their mother allows all the things I do not, I just come off looking like the Wicked Stepmother. If I push too hard they rebel, if I say nothing then what am I teaching them? How do you other eco-moms find that balance? Any eco-stepmoms out there that can offer some advice?


Anyhoo....on with the good news. So after sending my letter to the teacher, I received a phone call at noon from Mr. Liethen. He thanked me for my letter and apologized profusely! He went on to explain that he, too had children and had no idea of the effects of styrofoam on the environment. He decided to drop the assignment and asked if he could read my letter to the class as an explanation. I was elated! Yes, read it please! Any reinforcement outside of my rantings at home might help the chitlins realize I am not crazy.

After exclaiming my victory to the dirty dishes and doing a celebratory dance in the kitchen, a horrible feeling fell upon me. He didn't know. My God! They do not know! How naive of me. Of course, he didn't know. If he had known, he would not have assigned the class to bring foam egg cartons in the first place. One year ago I did not know half of the stuff I do now! Looking back on my own naiveness I am angry and appalled. How could I not know this stuff was bad? You use pesticides on bugs and it kills them, but it is not harmful to humans. Come on! Steroid use on animals we eat is okay, but bad if we shoot ourselves up? What?! Plastic is a wonderful invention that never degrades, so let's surround ourselves with it and make more, More, MORE. I can always just take it to the curb and poof! it goes away. Ha!

I am an idiot! How could I allow, no welcome this stuff into my life? Should I blame it all on the government, TV commercials, society? No. It is my own damn fault. I research manufacturers, read reviews, compare features, and shop around when buying a TV. But, when buying groceries don't think twice about where that food came from and how it was grown. If it was grown at all. I prefer my food to be in the shape of a box and the cheaper the better. Shame on me.

I have learned a lot over the past year. The most important lesson learned has to be that I am in control of my life. I have this gray matter inside my head called a brain. It is what allows me to read package labels, books, scientific studies. I can call upon my senses with it. Does this cleaning product irritate my skin, burn my eyes, smell bad? One super awesome function of my brain is the ability to reason. I can look at all the factors, stop and say; "You know, that really doesn't add up!". I have the ability to choose. Choose to use my brain or not.



"Hello Brain."
"Hello Human."
I think it is time we work together.

Okay, so now I have done it. It's official. I have come out of my shell. I have outed myself. Up until Wednesday my poor family have been the only souls, well besides you all, that have been subjected to my eco-madness. Wednesday I attended a picnic sponsored by the Coulee Partners for Sustainability. I was so thrilled to connect with kindred spirits that I signed on for a sustainability study circle starting the very next night. My county and neighboring city are working to become eco-municipalities using The Natural Step Framework. Yea!

Upon returning home last night all charged up from the study circle, my Freshman son says he needs a foam egg carton for Tech Ed class on Friday or the whole class will have to take a quiz. Hmm, what? Come again? I don't think I heard you right. You did not seriously just ask me for a foam egg carton, did you?! Bad timing kid. After a lengthy lecture on the detriments of polystyrene and a sleepless night, I awoke early to draft a letter to his teacher.

Dear Mr. Liethen,

I writing regarding today's assignment for the Freshman Tech Ed class. From what I understand the students were instructed to bring in a foam egg carton. I am asking you to please excuse ******* ****** from this assignment.

I try very hard not to do things that could cause harm to my children and the world they live in. Foam egg cartons are made from polystyrene. Styrene, the basic building block of polystyrene, is classified as a possible human carcinogen by the EPA and by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). A 1986 EPA report on solid waste named the polystyrene manufacturing process as the 5th largest creator of hazardous waste. Polystyrene is not recycled by our municipality, therefore being sent to Xcel Energy's incinerator for burning. The National Bureau of Standards Center for Fire Research identified 57 chemical byproducts released during the combustion of polystyrene foam. Toxic chemicals leach out of these products into the food that they contain (especially when heated in a microwave). These chemicals threaten human health and reproductive systems. Foam products are made with petroleum, a non-sustainable and heavily polluting resource.

For these reasons and many more we do not buy eggs in foam cartons. ****** is concerned that if he does not comply with the assignment the class will have to take a quiz. It is hard enough to teach our children to voluntarily live simple and have respect for the world they live in when all of their peers are not. I do not want him to be ridiculed by the class for causing a quiz. Please respect my stance on this issue and excuse him from this assignment. If you should ever assign a project using cardboard egg cartons I would be happy to supply the entire class.

Sincerely,
****** ******
(***) ***-****

*Names removed to protect the innocent.

I do not know what will come of it. Wishfully, the teacher will dig his head out of his ass and no one will notice my son did not bring a foam egg carton because his wicked step-mother is an eco-nazi. Practically, I will be labeled a whacked eco-nazi, the teacher will continue to enjoy the smell of shit, the class will have to take a quiz, and my poor son will swear off environmentalism forever after being ridiculed by the class for my beliefs.

Alas, what's done is done. I have broke free from my shell, but I am not sure coming out is all it is cracked up to be.