Footnotes Issue #53: February 10th, 2012
Georgians for Pastured Poultry Campaign Launches
Calling on Georgians to choose pasture-raised chicken, the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club's Beyond Factory Farming Committee, working in the new coalition Georgians for Pastured Poultry (GPP), launched a new campaign, by releasing a white paper, associated film and its official website.
About 100 people attended the launch, and saw the unveiling of 'Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The Impacts of Chicken Meat Factory Farming in the State of Georgia.' Chef Shaun Doty served a well-received meal of pasture raised chicken liver mousse, sourced from a local farm. Shaun said: "Not only is pasture raised chicken kinder to the chicken and cleaner for the planet, it tastes better too."
Leah Garces, USA Director of Compassion in World Farming and founding member of GPP, introduced the white paper and supporting investigative film, saying: "Georgians for Pastured Poultry believes that we have a choice. We vote every day, three times a day, with our fork. We are here to provide and promote that choice. The rest is up to the consumer, to the market, to the food citizen. For the future of Georgia, we have founded Georgians for Pastured Poultry and we choose pasture raised chicken."
'Out of Sight, Out of Mind' informs the consumer about the damage chicken factories are having on the state, and promotes a humane and sustainable alternative: pasture raised chicken. The short investigative film includes footage from inside a Georgian factory farm, and interviews with experts in various fields, such as workers’ rights, environmental law and local residents who are affected by chicken factory farms.
GPP is made up of Georgia-based farmers, chefs, animal welfare advocates, environmentalists, and health professionals, and advocates pasture-raised chicken as an alternative to the harmful chicken factories that dominate the state's geographical and political landscape.
The report is informative, revealing the following:
- Georgia's industrial poultry operations produce enormous volumes of excrement, which washes into waterways
- Collectively, they generate approximately 2 million tons of poultry litter annually, about 20% of the US total
- Food illnesses related to poultry consumption cost the United States over $2.4 billion annually, more than any other food
- The modern broiler chicken is abnormally large and has been bred to grow at an unnatural rate. This results in devastating leg disorders and heart and lung problems.
Daniel Dover, a local pasture based farmer said: "I am proud to raise my chickens in this way. They are happy and healthy, the way that nature intended them to be!" The launch of Georgians for Pastured Poultry and of this white paper comes at a time when fair, humane, and sustainable food choices are on the rise in Georgia.
Quick Links
Help Put an End to Georgia's Coal Rush! Last Month Cobb EMC official cut its investment in two dirty coal-fired power plants proposed in Georgia by POWER4Georgians. Four smaller EMCs are the last hold-out investors of the coal-consortium, and each are scheduled to vote in the coming weeks. EMC members have already spent $27 million on this dirty deal, and leadership at Central Georgia Snapping Shoals EMCs are poised to flush even more membership money down the drain in pursuit of these plants.
Will You Help End the Coal Rush in Georgia? We need volunteers to help contact our members and supporters in EMCs areas, and ask them to call on their EMC leadership to Stop Investing in dirty, expensive, and corrupt coal deals! Sign-up here to help make calls to stop the Coal-Rush! If you are customer of Snapping Shoals, Central Georgia, Upson, or Washington EMCs visit this page to find out what else you can do!
Sierra Club Meetings
Wildlands and Wildlife Committee Meeting, Tuesday, February 21, 7:00 p.m., Mike Murdock - Chair, murdock1@mindspring.com Beyond Factory Farming, no February Meeting, Leah Garces - Chair, Leah.Garces@ciwf.org RAIL, Monday, February 13, 7:00 p.m., David Emory - Chair, david.emory@gmail.com Atlanta Inner City Outings (ICO), Tuesday, January 24, 7:30 p.m., Naomi Bock, atlantaico@gmail.com Smart Energy Team Meeting, Monday, March 5, 7:00 p.m., Mike Walls - Chair, mwalls@ellijay.com |
Upcoming Events
Sierra Club 101 - February 11
You got on our mailing list because you care about the environment and want help -- now what? Sierra Club 101! Come learn about the Sierra Club and how to get involved in our local efforts. Open to members and non-members alike -- bring a friend! Breakfast and coffee provided. February 11, 10:30 a.m.- 12 p.m. Register online by clicking here.
Cobb EMC Meet the Candidates - February 15
In anticipation of the final round of Cobb EMC Board of Directors elections to be held on March 31, our partners at Cobb EMC Watch will be sponsoring a "Meet the Candidates" event at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 15, at the Rib Ranch, 2063 Canton Rd, Marietta, Georgia. The event allows EMC members to hear the candidates and ask tough questions about their platform- Like: What will they do for Renewable Energy at Cobb EMC. To find out more about the event click here!
Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference Coming to Atlanta - February 23-24
Now in its fifth year, the Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference -- the nation's leading forum for sharing ideas and strategies to build a green economy and create good, green jobs -- is headed to Atlanta! The conference will feature two days of exciting speakers and informative workshops, bringing together community leaders, union members, environmentalists, business leaders and elected officials to discuss how each region is, block by block, building the foundation for a green economy.
Georgia Water Coalition Lobby Day - February 28
Mark your calendar for an exciting day under the Gold Dome. Georgia Conservation Voters Legislative Breakfast will kick off the day from 7:30-9:00 a.m., followed by an issue briefing from 9:00-11:00 a.m., after which you will be ready to take it to the ropes! The day will end with a press conference in Room 122 of the Capitol. More details will appear here as the event gets closer, or sign up for Georgia Water Coalition email here.
Greenprints Conference March 7-8
Now in its 15th year, Greenprints is a high-level forum for the sustainability-driven conversations that define our times. A gathering place for regionally and nationally renowned building science and design experts, as well as building industry professionals, Greenprints facilitates conversations between researchers and on-the-ground practitioners.
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