10/30/24: 45X as toxic as before?

Nasty New Pesticide Cocktail: What to Know

Remember RoundUp? The weedkiller facing a mountain of lawsuits for potentially causing cancer?

After decades of hard fought activism and legal efforts, in 2021 we had the perception of victory when Bayer - the makers of RoundUp (after acquiring Monsanto) - announced a commitment to begin removing glyphosate in the following years.

Well, it seems Bayer opted for the old ‘switcheroo’ and instead made things far worse. Here's what you need to know:

• Facing the heat: Bayer was swamped with 10s of thousands of lawsuits linking RoundUp's active ingredient, glyphosate, to cancer, specifically losing a historic case ruled that it caused non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and was fined over $2B.

• A dubious replacement: In response, Bayer promised to remove glyphosate from residential products starting in 2023. But instead of safer alternatives, they’ve replaced glyphosate with a new concoction of seemingly more dangerous chemicals. Testing shows that not only is the glyphosate still there, there is an additional new combination of pesticides: diquat dibromide, fluazifop-P-butyl, triclopyr, and imazapic (good luck pronouncing those).

• 45X the trouble: An environmental organization known as Friends of the Earth analyzed the new formula (you can read the full report HERE). Shockingly, they found it potentially 45 times more toxic to human health than the original RoundUp! The new chemicals are also more likely to harm bees, birds, worms, and aquatic creatures, and reportedly more likely to leach into water systems.

• Global problem: Every year, approximately 5.6B pounds of pesticides are applied globally (over 1B pounds in the US alone), raising legitimate concerns about their impact on our health and environment.

What can we do? 

It's time to demand better! Here's how you can make a difference:

• Go Organic: Whenever possible, choose organic produce. This minimizes your exposure to potentially harmful pesticides.

• Support Local Farmers: Visit your local farmer's market and ask if their produce is organic. You'll be supporting local businesses and getting fresher, safer food. Your region benefits from increased resilience, and the food will be higher in antioxidants that what you’d otherwise find on the grocery shelves.

• Spread the Word: Share this newsletter! Talk to friends and family about the importance of organic food. Especially when you have guests or serve a meal, make sure it is 100% organic so you can subtly use this as a talking point, and mention something you learned about the risks of pesticides. Together, we can inspire one another, rather than preach, and increase the demand for safer alternatives.

Let's not become guinea pigs for untested chemical cocktails. We must take this seriously and support a healthier future for ourselves and the planet by supporting organic as often as possible!

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Get 1 referral by November 10th, and you will also be entered for the best coffee or tea on Earth!

To a healing future,

— Rob