"We won't have a society if we destroy the environment."
--Margaret Mead
At a recent workshop sponsored by Pelican Island Audubon Society, presenters talked about how herbicides being used at island homes and golf courses are washing into the Intracoastal Waterway, destroying its health, causing massive algae blooms, and killing animals and fish.
Go into your favorite big box home improvement store and you will see huge displays of Roundup.
The active ingredient in Roundup is glyphosate. Roundup, manufactured by Monsanto, is used to
kill weeds. Monsanto created
glyphosate-resistant Roundup Ready crops to allow farmers to kill weeds without
killing their crops. Most corn and
soybeans grown in the U.S. are genetically engineered to be resistant to
glyphosate.
Glyphosate is now widespread in our soil, water, and air. A physician passionate about raising the flag
about how destructive glyphosate is to human and environmental health is Zach
Bush, MD, a triple board certified (internal medicine, endocrinology, and
palliative care) physician. Dr. Bush is educating people about how the toxicity of glyphosate is directly related to gut health, the epidemic of Autism (1 in 88 kids in 2012 to 1 in 44 in 2016), the high prevalence of
chronic diseases in children (46%), and other effects from our increased exposure to toxins like glyphosate in the food we
eat, the air we breathe, and the water we shower and bathe in and the water we
drink.
Never has it been more true that “we are what we eat.”
Here is what you can do:
- Do not use Roundup on your yard.
- Buy foods that are non-GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms).
- Support local farmers who grow non-GMO foods and follow organic growing practices.
- Start growing your own food using non-GMO seeds, even if it is one tomato or zucchini plant.*
Time to go outside and pull a few weeds!
With
love and gratitude,
Nancy L.
Heinrich, MPH
Founder,
Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.
*One of
my favorite sources for non-GMO seeds is High Mowing Organic Seeds.
