SIERRA CLUB ENDORSES MEASURE P

From Yes on P (Wilhelm Schaser, Campaign Spokesperson)/Oct. 21, 2014, 7:59 p.m.

ARCATA – The Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club, the nation’s oldest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, has endorsed Humboldt County’s Measure P.  If the measure is approved, Humboldt County will join neighboring Mendocino and Trinity Counties in prohibiting the cultivation of genetically engineered crops, often called GMOs.  Sierra Club is adding its name to a growing list of Measure P supporters that already includes a number of local environmental groups, as well as hundreds of farms, ranches, businesses, organizations and individuals.

 

“The adoption of GMO crops has led to significant increases in the use of herbicides across much of the nation’s agricultural lands,” said Gregg Gold, Chair of the North Group of the Sierra Club’s Redwood Chapter.  The North Group covers all Sierra Club members in Humboldt, Del Norte, Trinity and West Siskyou counties.  “Measure P will help keep Humboldt County away from this dangerous trend of escalation in toxic chemical use, while at the same time supporting our local farmers who are pursuing a more sustainable path.”

 

“We’ve said all along that Measure P is primarily about promoting our local agricultural economy and protecting our local environment,” said Bill Schaser, spokesperson for the Measure P campaign.  “Farmers have really been the face of the campaign, and we think that’s appropriate.  But we’re also very grateful for the support we’ve received from the Sierra Club and other leading environmental groups on the North Coast.”  Other groups supporting Measure P include the Northcoast Environmental Center, the Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC), and the North Coast Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. 

 

GMOs are produced by manipulating DNA in a laboratory to overcome natural reproductive barriers. 

The resulting organisms contain genetic codes which could not have been created through natural

processes.  The most widespread GMOs today are crop plants engineered to resist the effects of certain herbicides or to produce their own insecticides.  For more information about Measure P, visit www.yesonp2014.org.  For more information about Sierra Club, visit www.sierraclub.org.

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