Food https://www.morningsidecenter.org/ en Farmworkers Fight Abuse - and Win https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/farmworkers-fight-abuse-and-win <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Farmworkers Fight Abuse - and Win</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h4>Gathering<br> &nbsp;</h4> <p>Invite students to stand up if the following statements apply to them. If your students are differently abled, consider doing this activity by inviting students to raise their hand or find another way for all students to be able to participate in this activity.&nbsp;<img alt src="/sites/default/files/pictures/CIW%20march.jpg"></p> <p>After each statement, invite students who have stood up to share what they know about each statement.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Your family cooks with and eats tomatoes</li> <li>You’ve ever thought about how those tomatoes (or other produce) make their way to your kitchen</li> <li>You know Florida is the nation’s largest producer of fresh tomatoes</li> <li>You are familiar with the #MeToo movement</li> <li>You have ever seen a “fair food” label on the food that comes into your house</li> <li>You have heard the term “modern slavery” used in connection with migrant farm workers in the US</li> <li>You have heard of Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Florida</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;<br> Ask students if they know how all these statements are connected?<br> &nbsp;<br> Explain that in today’s lesson we’ll be looking at the plight of immigrant farm workers in Immokalee, an impoverished farm town in southern Florida that has, for decades, been a leading producer of fresh market tomatoes in the United States. Immigrant farm workers often work under horrific conditions. This was most certainly the case in Immokalee before the Coalition of Immokalee Workers set out to change that.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ciw-online.org/about/"><strong>Coalition of Immokalee Workers</strong>&nbsp;</a>(CIW) is a worker-based human rights organization that has been internationally recognized for its efforts to promote social responsibility and stop human trafficking and gender-based violence at work.&nbsp;It began in 1993 as a group of farmworkers organizing to improve their conditions. In 2000, this organizing was reinforced with the creation of a national consumer network of people concerned about the conditions under which their food is produced. Since then, CIW’s work has steadily grown, and includes addressing worker conditions and worker rights not only in Florida, &nbsp;but in states including Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey. &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Today’s lesson will focus on the organization’s Fair Food Program, launched in 2011.</p> <img alt="A child holding a sign" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0fe5046d-ebf0-4baf-a4d9-1050f8bc3d29" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/CIW%20march.jpg" class="align-center" width="450" height="434" loading="lazy"> <p><br> <br> <em>Photo: CIW and their allies march in Florida in 2011. Photo by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nfwm/5535843066">National Farm Worker Ministry</a>.</em></p> <hr> <h4><br> The Fair Food Program:<br> Combatting Workplace Abuse<br> &nbsp;</h4> <p>Line up the first video, CNN’s “Freedom Project - Ending Modern-Day Slavery,” about the Fair Food Program. &nbsp;Explain that the video can be broken up into two parts.&nbsp; Part 1 tells the story of migrant farmworker Alexandrina and the abuse of farmworkers. Part 2 talks about the work of the Fair Food Program in Immokalee to combat abuses in agriculture.&nbsp; Ask students to take notes about what stands out for them in both parts of the video.<br> &nbsp;<br> <strong>Video 1 - The Fair Food Program:</strong>&nbsp;<br> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpKMHIUkPQk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpKMHIUkPQk</a><br> &nbsp;<br> After watching the video, ask students to turn to a neighbor to discuss their thoughts and feelings about it.&nbsp; What stood out for them?&nbsp; How did they feel about it?&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Next bring students back together and open up the discussion as a full group. Ask students to share what stood out for them about the video.&nbsp; Continue the discussion using some or all of the following questions:<br> &nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>What does Alexandrina’s life look like today?&nbsp;</li> <li>What does she say about her job?&nbsp;&nbsp; Was it always like this?</li> <li>How is her story connected to the #MeToo movement?</li> <li>Do you think her story is unique for women farmworkers?&nbsp; Why or why not?&nbsp;</li> <li>How many women farmworkers have we heard speak out as part of the #MeToo movement?&nbsp; Why do you think that is?&nbsp; Why have their stories not been highlighted?</li> <li>What does Jon Esformes say about agricultural workers, farming, and opportunities for abuse?</li> <li>What has he done to combat that?</li> <li>What does the video say about the Fair Food Program created by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers?</li> <li>Why does the video say the Fair Food Program works?</li> <li>Who is involved with the Food Program? Why is that important?</li> <li>What does each of the parties stand to gain from being involved?</li> <li>How can we as consumers support this movement?<br> &nbsp;</li> </ul> <hr> <h4><br> Fighting Modern Day Slavery on Florida Farms<br> &nbsp;</h4> <p>Line up another video from the same CNN Freedom Project series.&nbsp; This one is called Fighting Modern Day Slavery on Florida Farms.&nbsp; Explain that this video focuses specifically on the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, its history and its current focus.&nbsp; Again invite students to take notes as they watch the video, this time focusing on the different ways in which CIW fights to improve working conditions of migrant farmworkers.</p> <p>&nbsp;<br> <strong>Video 2 - Fighting Modern Day Slavery on Florida Farms:</strong><br> <a href="http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2017/05/29/cfp-slavery-us-farms.cnn">http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2017/05/29/cfp-slavery-us-farms.cnn</a><br> &nbsp;<br> Again, having watched the video, ask students to turn to a neighbor to discuss their thoughts and feelings about the video.&nbsp; What stood out for them in this video?&nbsp; How did they feel about it?&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Next bring students back together and open up the discussion as a full group, asking them to share what stood out for them about this video. Continue the discussion using some or all of the following questions:</p> <ul> <li>What do you think Laura Germino, co-founder of CIW, means when she calls Immokalee “ground zero for modern day slavery in agriculture”?</li> <li>What does the video say about how CIW got started in 1993?&nbsp; What were their goals initially?&nbsp; How did they change?&nbsp; Why?</li> <li>What have some of their achievements been?</li> <li>What does the Fair Food Program do?</li> <li>How does it make sure workers rights are being respected?</li> <li>Laura Safer Espinoza, former Supreme Court justice for the state of New York, runs the Fair Food Standards Council. She also uses the term “ground zero for modern day slavery” but calls it a thing of the past.&nbsp; What do national and international human rights groups say about the work environment in Immokalee today?</li> <li>What role do large buyers of tomatoes at the top of the supply chain play (buyers like McDonalds, Walmart, Subway, Taco Bell and Chipotle)?</li> <li>What are the Fair Food Program’s next steps?<br> &nbsp;</li> </ul> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4><strong>Digging Deeper: Strategic non-violent action</strong></h4> <p><br> Invite students next to read&nbsp;<a href="/sites/default/files/files/CIW%20Handout.pdf">this pdf handout</a>&nbsp;about the various strategic actions CIW used to put pressure on those who wielded power in the tomato supply chain.&nbsp; (The handout material is also included at the bottom of this lesson.)</p> <p>&nbsp;<br> Back in their small groups, or as a full class, discuss the handout using some or all of the following questions:</p> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about this piece?</li> <li>What additional information does it provide about the way that CIW was able to meet its goals?</li> <li>What methods did CIW use to force growers and the whole food industry to negotiate with them for more just conditions? (grassroots organizing by and among farmworkers, marches, labor strikes, hunger strikes, court challenges, systemic analysis, boycotts, and alliances with student and religious leaders, sustained over many years)</li> <li>Could similar methods be used to end other injustices that concern us?&nbsp; Why or why not?</li> <li>What role do you think media has to play in all this, both traditional media and digital media?</li> <li>The video(s) did not detail the intense pressure and sustained organizing it took to force food companies and growers to enact the positive reforms we see in the video.&nbsp; Why do you think that is?<br> &nbsp;</li> </ul> <hr> <h4><br> Closing</h4> <p>Invite students to share: If you were to forget everything else you learned today, what is one thing you’d like to hold on to or remember?</p> <p>Or:<br> &nbsp;<br> What is a cause or an injustice in your community that you could see yourself wanting to organize around?<br> <br> <br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3><br> Handout:&nbsp; How did CIW win?</h3> <p>(also see&nbsp;<a href="/sites/default/files/files/CIW%20Handout.pdf">this pdf version</a>)</p> <p><em>Excerpted from the&nbsp;<a href="http://ciw-online.org/about/">Coalition of Immokalee Workers website</a></em></p> <p>The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) began organizing in 1993 as a small group of workers meeting weekly in a room borrowed from a local church to discuss how to better their community and their lives (for more background, check out&nbsp;<a href="http://ciw-online.org/wp-content/uploads/12FactsFigures_2.pdf" target="_blank">Facts &amp; Figures about Farmworkers</a>).&nbsp; Combining three community-wide work stoppages with intense public pressure – including an&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ciw-online.org/4-washpost.html" target="_blank">unprecedented month-long hunger strike</a>&nbsp;by six members in 1998 and an historic 234-mile march from Ft. Myers to Orlando in 2000 – the CIW’s early organizing ended over twenty years of declining wages in the tomato industry.<br> &nbsp;<br> By 1998, farmworkers had won industry-wide raises of 13-25% (translating into several million dollars annually for the community in increased wages) and a newfound political and social respect from the outside world.&nbsp;Those raises brought the tomato picking piece rate back to pre-1980 levels (the piece rate had fallen below those levels over the course of the intervening two decades), but wages remained below poverty level and continuing improvement was slow in coming….<br> &nbsp;<br> In 2001, having won some wage increases for Florida tomato pickers and investigated some of the country’s earliest cases of modern-day slavery, the CIW did a deep analysis of the industry to understand where the power to make true systemic change resided. It became clear that the corporate food industry as a whole – and&nbsp;companies such as current CIW&nbsp;campaign targets Kroger&nbsp;and Publix&nbsp;in particular &nbsp;– purchased a tremendous volume of fruits and vegetables, leveraging its buying power to demand the lowest possible prices from its suppliers, in turn exerting a powerful downward pressure on wages and working conditions in these suppliers’ operations.<br> &nbsp;<br> With this realization, the Coalition turned a new page in their organizing, launching the first-ever farmworker boycott of a major fast-food company – the national boycott of Taco Bell – calling on the fast-food giant to take responsibility for human rights abuses in the fields where its produce is grown and picked.&nbsp;Over its four years, the Taco Bell boycott gained broad student, religious, labor, and community support. In March 2005, amidst growing pressure,&nbsp;<a href="http://ciw-online.org/2005/03/10/agreement-analysis/" target="_blank">Taco Bell agreed to meet all of the CIW’s demands</a>&nbsp;to improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers in its supply chain.<br> &nbsp;<br> Following the successful conclusion of the Taco Bell boycott, the national network of allies that had helped carry that campaign to victory consolidated into key allies organizations, the&nbsp;<a href="http://sfalliance.org/" target="_blank">Student / Farmworker Alliance</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://interfaithaction.org/" target="_blank">Interfaith Action</a>, signaling to the corporate food industry that the Campaign for Fair Food would not stop at Taco Bell. The Fair Food ally organizations became a powerful new voice for the respect of human rights in this country’s food industry and for an end to the relentless exploitation of Florida’s farmworkers.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>Sara Carrero</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2018-01-19T09:42:07-05:00" title="Friday, January 19, 2018 - 09:42">January 19, 2018</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Fri, 19 Jan 2018 14:42:07 +0000 Sara Carrero 1150 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Debating Fair Trade Food https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/debating-fair-trade-food <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Debating Fair Trade Food</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h4>&nbsp;To the Teacher:</h4> <p>In an increasing number of grocery stores and coffee shops, you can now find food marked with a "Fair Trade" label. The Fair Trade food movement first emerged in the United Kingdom as an effort to pay producers in the Global South fair prices for their products and to increase demand for their goods in wealthier countries. Established in 1988, the Fair Trade label has rapidly expanded its reach. In 2013 Fair Trade sales reached $2.4 billion in the UK alone and sales are expanding quickly in the United States as well. However, as Fair Trade gains popularity, skeptics question whether the movement is doing enough to end the exploitation of farm workers.<br> &nbsp;<br> This lesson reviews the origins of the Fair Trade food movement, its aims, and its potential limitations. The lesson consists of two student readings. The first reading explains the goals of Fair Trade certification, most centrally the desire to improve the lives of farmers in the developing world. The second reading examines some of the criticisms made against the movement and invites students to debate their validity. Questions for student discussion follow each reading.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Student Reading 1<br> The Ideals of the Fair Trade Food Movement</h4> <p>&nbsp;<br> The Fair Trade food movement first emerged in the United Kingdom as an effort to pay producers (that is, farmers and farm workers) in developing countries fair prices for their products and to increase demand for their goods in wealthier countries. Established in 1988, the Fair Trade label has rapidly expanded its reach. In 2013 Fair Trade grew to $2.4 billion in the UK alone, and sales are growing quickly in the United States as well. Currently, its two most popular items are chocolate and coffee.<br> &nbsp;<br> Supermarkets in the U.S. and Europe today sell food imported from all over the world. While consumers benefit from the affordability of inexpensive imports, many are becoming aware that the exploitation of farm workers abroad is one factor that enables low prices. The "Fair Trade" label is one effort to create a more just relationship between farmers in the "Global South"&nbsp; (developing nations in regions including Latin America and Africa) &nbsp;and consumers in advanced industrial nations.<br> &nbsp;<br> In a March 28, 2013 article, Bloomberg.com sustainability editor <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-28/cocoa-farmers-see-little-sweetness-from-global-chocolate-binge.html">Eric Roston</a> reported on the working conditions experienced by the people who make one popular food item: chocolate. Roston wrote:<br> &nbsp;</p> <p class="rteindent1">Stop what you're doing for a second and think about chocolate...<br> &nbsp;<br> What a delight. What a luxury.<br> &nbsp;<br> It's also labor-intensive to cultivate, and is harvested mostly by 1.5 million cocoa farmers in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana, the countries that grow just more than half of the world's cocoa beans. Farming there or in other producing nations, including Indonesia, Ecuador and Cameroon, has led to child trafficking, conflict-financing and all-around awful working conditions, according to a 2009 Oxfam International report. Women, who make up a disproportionate number of low-paying jobs, face lower wages than men, harassment, lack of property rights and lack of access to credit, according to an investigation from the group released in February. "Many cocoa producers have never tasted chocolate," wrote the authors of the 2009 report.</p> <p>&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;As an effort to combat such abuses and to improve conditions for farm workers in the global South, Fair Trade works to ensure that food producers are being paid a stable living wage for their labor. Traditionally, the Fair Trade movement has supported worker-owned farming cooperatives, and it has tried to provide contracts that allow farmers to avoid financial ruin in the event of a failed crop season. In wealthier countries, consumers are asked to pay more for Fair Trade products. This "premium" is used to fund programs that benefit farm workers, such as education initiatives or upgrades to farming equipment.<br> &nbsp;<br> In an August 7, 2013 post for the Green Plus Institute for Sustainable Development, contributor Shannon Harvey writes:<br> &nbsp;</p> <p class="rteindent1">Fair trade certifications are sought by producers in developing nations seeking to sell their products in the developed world for better prices. Fair trade certification hinges on the recognition that there is increasing inequality between the developed and undeveloped world (or Global North and Global South, as they are often called) and that this inequality is largely driven by market forces that ignore externalities such as the fate of workers and the environment. Fair trade certification attempts to bridge the often convoluted and abstract distance between third world producers and first world consumers by bringing them into a kind of partnership, educating workers about their rights and consumers about the impact of their spending on communities in the developing world.<br> &nbsp;<br> The goals of the increased premiums paid for fair trade goods are to improve poor working conditions, raise wages so as to move individuals and communities out of poverty, to end the use of child labor, and limit damage to the environment. Some of this is achieved simply through the higher prices that producers receive, and through the premiums intended for community projects. Other goals are part of the contract of certification. Participating farmers, for instance, must enroll their children in school. This ensures that they are gaining an education, but also not working in the fields.</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> As Fair Trade food continues to increase its market share, chances are that you may start to notice the label appear on some of the food products you consume —if you haven't already.<br> &nbsp;</p> <h4>For Discussion:</h4> <ol> <li>Do students have any questions about the reading? How might they be answered?</li> <li>According to the reading, what concerns does the Fair Trade movement seek to address?</li> <li>Do any of the food products that you consume regularly come from other countries? Under what conditions do you think these products might have been produced?</li> <li>&nbsp;Have you noticed the Fair Trade label on any products you might have purchased in the past, such as chocolate or coffee? Did the label make any impression on you, positive or negative?</li> <li>&nbsp;Knowing that the added "premium" in cost for Fair Trade products goes towards benefitting farm workers, do you think that it is worth the elevated sticker price?&nbsp;</li> </ol> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Student Reading 2<br> Are There Problems with the Fair Trade Label?</h4> <p>&nbsp;<br> As Fair Trade certification has become ever more popular and recognizable, some of the world's largest companies, including Starbucks, Walmart, and McDonald's, are now offering Fair Trade products. However, with the growth of the label, skeptics have also raised a variety of criticisms.<br> &nbsp;<br> One debate surrounding the movement is how much of a product's content must be from an approved source for the product as a whole to receive the Fair Trade label. For example, in the case of a chocolate bar, the cocoa beans used to make the chocolate might be fair trade, while the butter, sugar, and other ingredients may not be. So what is the minimum percentage of ingredients that must be Fair Trade for a product to earn the label?<br> &nbsp;<br> Many consumers may be surprised to learn that, based on the current international standard, a product made with as little as 20 percent Fair Trade ingredients may nevertheless be labeled as an ethically produced item.<br> &nbsp;<br> Moreover, in recent years, Fair Trade USA, the most prominent Fair Trade certification organization in the U.S., drew criticism when it proposed the standard should be reduced to as little as 10 percent. As <em>New York Times </em>journalist <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/24/business/as-fair-trade-movement-grows-a-dispute-over-its-direction.html?pagewanted=all&amp;_r=0">William Neuman</a> reported in a November 23, 2011 article:&nbsp;</p> <p class="rteindent1">[Fair Trade USA is] proposing to place its seal on products with as little as 10 percent fair trade ingredients, compared with a minimum of 20 percent required in other countries.<br> &nbsp;<br> The group says the changes will benefit more poor farmers and farm workers around the world and make it easier for large corporations to sell fair trade products. Sales of Fair Trade goods in 2010 were $1.3 billion in the United States and $5.8 billion globally. Fair Trade USA said it hoped to double sales in the United States by 2015.<br> &nbsp;<br> Critics accuse Fair Trade USA of watering down standards, perhaps motivated by the bigger fees to be earned from certifying a higher volume of products. Some sellers of fair trade products fear that small coffee farmers will lose market share to the big plantations and that companies will have an incentive to include only the minimum amount of fair trade ingredients in their products.<br> &nbsp;<br> "It's a betrayal," said Rink Dickinson, president of Equal Exchange, a pioneer importer of fair trade coffee, chocolate, tea and bananas, based in Massachusetts. "They've lost their integrity."<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>In response to criticism, Fair Trade USA adopted a system with two labels, one for products with 20-95 percent Fair Trade-certified ingredients, and one for products made 100 percent from such ingredients.<br> &nbsp;<br> Another criticism of the Fair Trade movement is that its original goals have become diluted as larger corporations have entered the market. These companies, critics argue, have used the Fair Trade label to associate some of their brands with a system of ethical production, despite doing little to change their overall business practices. As <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/fair-trade-products-turn-profits-creating-problems-for-a-movement/2011/12/27/gIQAYy31SP_story.html"><em>Washington Post</em></a> reporters Simon Clark and Heather Walsh wrote on December 31, 2011, marketers of Fair Trade products now include "some of the world's biggest sellers of coffee (Nestle), lingerie (Limited Brands), chocolate (Kraft Foods' Cadbury unit) and bananas (Walmart), to name a few." &nbsp;Clark and Walsh continued:&nbsp;</p> <p class="rteindent1">New research has quantified the benefits to the bottom line: In a study released this year, researchers at MIT, Harvard University and the London School of Economics found they could boost bulk coffee sales by 10 percent just by adding a fair-trade label on the packages. Sales of goods approved by Fairtrade International, the world's largest certifier of such products, soared 27 percent in 2010, to more than $5.7 billion.<br> &nbsp;<br> The push to increase sales of goods deemed not to have involved child labor and other practices has divided the movement, raised questions of whether going mainstream will undermine the cooperative farmers it was created to help and, most of all, strained the integrity of the certification systems that vouch for the fair-trade stamps that allow companies to charge consumers more.<br> &nbsp;<br> "The fair-trade movement has profoundly lost its way," said Aidan McQuade, who advised Cadbury on cocoa buying as director of London-based Anti-Slavery International, a human rights organization founded in 1839. "Its focus on volume — unless they have got all their systems in place to address fundamental issues like ethical trade, child labor and child slavery — is problematic."</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> In an editorial published on the website of a Fair Trade enterprise in Malta called <em>i<a href="http://www.l-arka.org/">l-Hanut l-Arka</a>&nbsp;</em>(and since moved to <a href="https://socialjusticefirst.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/is-fair-trade-selling-out/">socialjusticefirst.wordpress.com</a>), staff member <a href="https://socialjusticefirst.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/is-fair-trade-selling-out/">Sophie Colsell</a>&nbsp;elaborated on the debate about the participation of major corporations in Fair Trade labeling, writing:</p> <p class="rteindent1">[L]arge multinationals such as Nestlé and Starbucks cover an enormous proportion of the market for, say, chocolate and coffee, and are currently mostly selling products that are <em>not</em> Fair Trade. The solution seems obvious: if these companies could be persuaded, cajoled or coerced to use certified Fair Trade products, surely the benefits for the producers in the South would be enormous?<br> &nbsp;<br> On the other hand, there are many arguments against certifying large multinationals. Firstly, one could argue on principle: certifying large multinationals could be considered a betrayal of the core principles of the Fair Trade movement, which was set up to protect the rights of marginalized producers precisely in response to the unethical activity of these companies. Fair trade was set up to ensure decent living conditions at every level; it was envisaged as an alternative to corporate domination, not as a niche market to be conquered by the very corporations it was trying to undermine.<br> &nbsp;<br> Secondly, one could argue that as soon as large companies are allowed to join the movement, the rules of the game start to change. Several motions have in the last decade been introduced by the Fairtrade Labeling Organization (FLO) to lower the standards of what constitutes Fair Trade; fortunately these have up till now failed. We can assume that such attempts to lower standards stem from corporate pressure. Another concern is the danger of 'fair-washing': a means whereby companies providing a comparatively tiny quantity of certified Fair Trade products can as a result be perceived by the public as ethical. Should a multinational with a history of human rights abuses selling a negligible amount of certified Fair Trade produce really be allowed to fair-wash its image by parading its Fair Trade certification mark? Additionally, if the same mark is assigned to both a fair-washed corporation and an independent cooperative that functions democratically, respecting human rights at every level, the value of the Fair Trade mark will be compromised. This could lead to public disillusionment compromising the entire movement.</p> <p>&nbsp;<br> Whether people in the U.S. and Europe choose to buy Fair Trade products or not, they can certainly educate themselves about the working conditions of those in the Global South who make the products they consume. There are many ways that individuals can push for a more just global economy in addition to the choices they make as consumers - such as supporting campaigns for a more just system of trade.<br> &nbsp;</p> <h4>&nbsp;For Discussion:</h4> <ol> <li>&nbsp;Do students have any questions about the reading? How might they be answered?</li> <li>&nbsp;According to the reading, what percentage of a product's ingredients must be from an approved source for the item to be given a Fair Trade label? Do you think that this percentage is adequate? Why or why not?</li> <li>&nbsp;What concerns do some advocates have about large corporations entering the Fair Trade market? Do you think that major food brands can help Fair Trade by bringing the label into the mainstream, or do you believe that the involvement of large companies might harm the integrity of the movement? Explain your position.</li> <li>&nbsp;The article suggests that consumer decisions are only one way for people to influence the system of global trade. What are some other ways in which people might take action around these issues.&nbsp;</li> </ol> <p>&nbsp;<br> <em>- Research assistance by Yessenia Gutierrez.</em><br> &nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2014-03-16T10:12:56-04:00" title="Sunday, March 16, 2014 - 10:12">March 16, 2014</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Sun, 16 Mar 2014 14:12:56 +0000 fionta 541 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Debating Organic Food https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/debating-organic-food <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Debating Organic Food</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h4>To the Teacher:</h4> <p>In the last decade organic food has grown into a $28 billion industry. Many people buy organic as a way of eating healthier and reducing environmental impact, or because they think food grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers tastes better. But organic food also has it critics. Some critics question the health benefits of organic food. Others argue that organics have been taken over by corporate agribusiness.<br> &nbsp;<br> This lesson examines these criticisms and the current state of the organic food movement. The lesson consists of two readings. The first reading explores whether eating food with the organic label is healthier. The second reading looks at concerns about the corporate takeover of the organic industry and what advocates are doing to promote a more robust vision of naturally grown food.&nbsp;Questions for student discussion and a small group research project follow.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>Introduction</h4> <p>Ask students:&nbsp; What is organic food?<br> &nbsp;<br> Work with students to come up with a definition: &nbsp;According to the Organic Trade Association, organic food is grown without the use of standard agribusiness inputs such as synthetic pesticides, petrochemical fertilizers, antibiotics, and growth hormones.<br> &nbsp;<br> Now ask:&nbsp; Do you ever eat organic food? Or would you eat it, if you could afford it? Why or why not? Record students' responses in a&nbsp;T-chart, writing "Reasons to eat organic" on the left side, and "Reasons not to eat organic" on the right.<br> &nbsp;<br> Tell students that today we'll be learning about some debates people are having about organic food.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>Student Reading 1<br> Is Eating Organic Healthier?</h4> <p>In the last decade organic food has grown into a $28 billion industry. &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Consumers have sought out organic foods for a variety of reasons, including:</p> <ul> <li>they view organic foods as healthier in general</li> <li>they want to avoid personal exposure to pesticides</li> <li>they want to keep farmworkers safe from pesticides</li> <li>they want to support more environmentally sustainable agricultural practices</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;<br> However, some people question whether organic foods really are healthier.&nbsp; In 2012, scientists at Stanford University released a study arguing that there was little difference in health benefits between organic and non-organic foods. In a press release about the study,<br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2012/09/little-evidence-of-health-benefits-from-organic-foods-study-finds.html">Michelle Brandt</a>, Associate Director of Digital Communications and Media Relations at the Stanford School of Medicine, writes:<br> &nbsp;</p> <div class="rteindent1">[The scientists] did not find strong evidence that organic foods are more nutritious or carry fewer health risks than conventional alternatives, though consumption of organic foods can reduce the risk of pesticide exposure...<br> &nbsp;<br> After analyzing the data, the researchers found little significant difference in health benefits between organic and conventional foods. No consistent differences were seen in the vitamin content of organic products, and only one nutrient — phosphorus — was significantly higher in organic versus conventionally grown produce (and the researchers note that because few people have phosphorous deficiency, this has little clinical significance). There was also no difference in protein or fat content between organic and conventional milk, though evidence from a limited number of studies suggested that organic milk may contain significantly higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids.<br> &nbsp;<br> The researchers were also unable to identify specific fruits and vegetables for which organic appeared the consistently healthier choice, despite running what [lead author of the study] Bravata called "tons of analyses."</div> <p>Critics of the study say that it is misleading. To many organic farming advocates, the nutritional value of organic food (e.g. the amount of vitamins, minerals and healthy fatty acids it contains) is the wrong measure by which to evaluate the health benefits of organic foods. &nbsp;What matters most, they say, is that organics don't rely on chemical pesticides and fertilizers, which benefits both consumers and the environment.<br> &nbsp;<br> Writer <a href="http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2012/09/04/michael-pollan-organic-study/">Michael Pollan</a>, author of <em>The Omnivore's Dilemma</em>, discussed the Stanford University study in a conversation posted by National Public Radio on September 4, 2012. He argued:<br> &nbsp;</p> <div class="rteindent1">I think we're kind of erecting a straw man and then knocking it down, the straw man being that the whole point of organic food is that it's more nutritious. The whole point of organic food is that it's more environmentally sustainable. That's the stronger and easier case to make...<br> &nbsp;<br> If you're concerned about&nbsp;pesticide residues in your food, you're much better off buying organic. The study said all these pesticide residues in conventional produce are permissible under EPA rules. They may be, but there's a question of how adequate those rules are. Because there are questions about whether those levels are okay for children and for pregnant women...<br> &nbsp;<br> It's great media fodder and it's terrific that people are looking at the issue and debating it. But people should take a hard look. So much of the story depends on what do you mean by "significant health benefit?" The meta study found less pesticide residue, higher levels of anti-oxidants - plant phytochemicals thought to be important to human health; and less antibiotic-resistant microbes in organic meat. But then they say it might not be significant. I don't think they defined significant.</div> <p>&nbsp;<br> Technology writer <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/09/organic-food-isnt-more-nutritious-but-that-isnt-the-point/261929/">Brian Fung</a> makes similar criticisms of the Stanford study in a September 4, 2012 article in <em>The Atlantic</em> entitled "Organic Food Isn't More Nutritious, but That Isn't the Point":<br> &nbsp;</p> <div class="rteindent1">It's worth keeping in mind that <em>organic</em> refers only to a particular method of production; while switching to organic foods can be good for you insofar as doing so helps you avoid nasty things like chemicals and additives, there's nothing in the organic foods themselves that gives them an inherent <em>nutritional</em> advantage over non-organics. In other words, it's not wrong to say organic food is "healthier" than non-organics. It's just unrealistic to think that your organic diet is slowly turning you into Clark Kent...<br> &nbsp;<br> Still, there are important reasons beyond nutrition to choose organic foods... [W]e should remember that <em>organic</em> began chiefly as an argument about the environment... [T]o buy organic is to respect the land your food came from. It means taking pains to ensure that your farms remain bountiful and productive, even decades from now...<br> &nbsp;<br> Buying organic is also a statement about public health. Nowhere is this clearer than in the case of antibiotics. Conventional farms have been putting the stuff in animal feed for decades -- even though we've known since the 1970s about the health hazards that the animal use of antibiotics poses for humans. Reducing society's chances of inadvertently creating a superbug is a good reason to purchase organic foods.<br> &nbsp;<br> There are the more immediate health benefits of buying organic: you'll avoid the chemicals, preservatives, and hormones that conventional farms often use to treat their foods. In the Stanford study, just 7 percent of organic foods were found to have traces of pesticides, compared to 38 percent of conventionally-farmed produce. Again, that doesn't mean organic foods will supercharge your health -- you'll just be at less risk of exposure to potentially harmful substances, for whatever that's worth to you...<br> &nbsp;<br> And then there's the reason many people find most compelling of all: the health of workers in the field. For some consumers, buying organic is a human-rights issue. Reading <em>Atlantic</em> contributor Barry Estabrook's<em> Tomatoland </em>on the ruinous health problems of tomato planters and pickers in Florida because of the use of herbicides and pesticides is enough to make almost anyone choose organic over non-organic.</div> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <h4>For Discussion:</h4> <ol> <li>Do students have any questions about the reading? How might they be answered?</li> <li>According to the Organic Trade Association, what is the definition of "organic" food?</li> <li>Scientists at Stanford University questioned the health benefits of organic food. What was the basis of their argument?</li> <li>How do organic food advocates respond to the Stanford study? What arguments do they give for the benefits of organics?</li> <li>&nbsp;What do you think? Do you believe that organic food is healthier than non-organic food?</li> <li>Organic food is typically somewhat more expensive than non-organic food at the grocery store. Do you think it is worth the greater sticker price? Why or why not?</li> </ol> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>Assignment:<br> Find an organic brand</h4> <p>Before students begin the next reading, ask them: If you've ever consumed organic foods (perhaps milk, yogurt, eggs, cereal, produce....),&nbsp;can you name any of the brands? &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>If students come up with brands, list them on the board. Tell them we'll be coming back to this list at the end of the lesson.</p> <p>If they haven't eaten organic food or can't name any brands, assign them this task: &nbsp;If possible, find one food in the store or at home that is labeled "organic." &nbsp;(Let students know that many major grocery chains now carry organic brands.) &nbsp;Suggest that they pick a food or product they might be interested in eating themselves.</p> <p>Ask them to bring the name of the food and the brand to school the next day. &nbsp;(Alternatively you can skip the assignment and use <a href="http://www.organickitchen.com/food/food.html">this list of organic foods</a> for the small group project that follows the reading below.)</p> <p>After making the assignment, ask students: Do you think it matters what company makes your organic food? Why or why not? &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>Student Reading 2<br> Has the Agribusiness Industry Taken Over "Organic"?</h4> <p>As organic food has gotten more popular, an increasing number of large corporations have gotten into the business of selling food produced without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. The involvement of major multinational corporations in the market has raised concerns about whether the original principles of the organic farming movement are being watered down.<br> &nbsp;<br> In its most narrow definition, "organic" involves growing food without synthetic chemicals. However, the original organic movement promoted a far more robust vision of "sustainable farming."<br> &nbsp;<br> The pioneers of organic agriculture believed in challenging industrial agriculture's vast fields of uniform crops, its exploitation of farmworkers, and its love of heavily processed food. In his 2006 book <em>The Omnivore's Dilemma</em>, author Michael Pollan writes, "Acting on the ecological premise that everything's connected to everything else, the early organic movement sought to establish not just an alternative mode of production (the chemical-free farms), but an alternative system of distribution (the anti-capitalist food co-ops), and even an alternative mode of consumption (the 'countercuisine')."<br> &nbsp;<br> With the rise of organic food as a big-business market, this more radical vision of organic food is becoming harder to find. As <em>New York Times</em> correspondent <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/business/organic-food-purists-worry-about-big-companies-influence.html?pagewanted=all&amp;_r=0">Stephanie Strom</a> writes in a July 7, 2012 article:<br> &nbsp;</p> <div class="rteindent1">The fact is, organic food has become a wildly lucrative business for Big Food and a premium-price-means-premium-profit section of the grocery store. The industry's image — contented cows grazing on the green hills of family-owned farms — is mostly pure fantasy. Or rather, pure marketing. Big Food, it turns out, has spawned what might be called Big Organic.<br> &nbsp;<br> Bear Naked, Wholesome &amp; Hearty, Kashi: all three and more actually belong to the cereals giant Kellogg. Naked Juice? That would be PepsiCo of Pepsi and Fritos fame. And behind the pastoral-sounding Walnut Acres, Health Valley and Spectrum Organics is none other than Hain Celestial, once affiliated with Heinz, the grand old name in ketchup.<br> &nbsp;<br> Over the last decade, since federal organic standards have come to the fore, giant agri-food corporations like these and others — Coca-Cola, Cargill, ConAgra, General Mills, Kraft and M&amp;M Mars among them — have gobbled up most of the nation's organic food industry. Pure, locally produced ingredients from small family farms? Not so much anymore... <p>Big food has also assumed a powerful role in setting the standards for organic foods. Major corporations have come to dominate the board that sets these standards.</p> <p>As corporate membership on the board has increased, so, too, has the number of nonorganic materials approved for organic foods on what is called the National List. At first, the list was largely made up of things like baking soda, which is nonorganic but essential to making things like organic bread. Today, more than 250 nonorganic substances are on the list, up from 77 in 2002.</p> </div> <p>&nbsp;<br> As major corporations have gotten involved with organic food, they have adopted practices that some people would think of as inconsistent with the original principles of organic farming. In a July 9, 2009 <em><a href="http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_12907119">Denver Post</a>&nbsp;</em>article, food writer Ari LeVaux argues:</p> <div class="rteindent1">Here's the sad news: Even as the demand for organic food continues to explode, organic farmers in America are getting thrown under the very beet cart they helped build. <p>The Chinese are taking over market share, especially of vegetables and agricultural commodities like soy, thanks to several American-based multinational food corporations that have hijacked the organic bandwagon they only recently jumped onto.</p> <p>When mega-corporation Dean Foods acquired Silk soy milk - which I used to drink as if it were the staff of life - the prospects looked good for American organic soy farmers. Silk had always been committed to supporting domestic organic farmers, and with the new might of Dean Foods behind it, I assumed that Silk would likely grow. Silk did grow, but it also dropped its commitment to domestic soy.</p> <p>When Midwestern farmers and farmer cooperatives in the heart of American soy country were told by Silk they had to match the rock-bottom cost of Chinese organic soybeans, they found it was a price they simply could not meet. Organic agriculture is labor-intensive, and China's edge comes largely from its abundance of cheap labor.</p> <p>"Dean Foods had the opportunity to push organic and sustainable agriculture to incredible heights of production by working with North American farmers and traders to get more land in organic production," says Merle Kramer, a marketer for the Midwestern Organic Farmers Cooperative, based in Michigan. "But what they did was pit cheap foreign soybeans against the U.S. organic farmer."</p> <p>Few Silk products are certified organic anymore, and some are processed with hexane, a neurotoxin listed as an air pollutant by the EPA. Yet this country allows hexane-processed soymilk to be labeled "natural," and if it contains organic ingredients, the label "made with organic ingredients" can still be used...</p> <p>Consumers buy organic for several reasons: They are worried about the heavy environmental impacts of agribusiness; they want cleaner and safer working conditions for farmworkers; and they believe that organic food is simply healthier to eat - or at least less likely to be contaminated with toxic chemicals.</p> <p>Unfortunately, the import-fueled corporatization of so-called "organic" food is making it less likely that your food will have all of these attributes.<br> &nbsp;</p> </div> <div>Organic farming advocates point out that these criticisms do not mean that the idea of organic food—and the desire to support a more environmentally and ethically responsible agricultural system—should be abandoned. Those who want to promote a more robust vision of naturally grown food are now working to create new ways to inform consumers about the conditions under which their food is produced. &nbsp; <p>This includes the use of a new label, "Certified Naturally Grown." Food that is sold under this label would have to meet a more rigorous set of standards than do organics produced by industrial agribusiness. The website of the<a href="http://www.naturallygrown.org/about-cng/frequently-asked-questions"> Certified Naturally Grown</a> organization explains:</p> </div> <div class="rteindent1">&nbsp;<br> CNG participation requires a full commitment to robust organic practices... To be granted the CNG certification, farmers don't use any synthetic herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, hormones, or genetically modified organisms. CNG livestock are raised mostly on pasture and with space for freedom of movement. Feed must be grown without synthetic inputs or genetically modified seeds... [CNG] promotes farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing about best practices and fosters local networks that strengthen the farming community.</div> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>For Discussion: &nbsp;</h4> <ol> <li>Do students have any questions about the reading? How might they be answered?</li> <li>What values did the original founders of the organic food movement intend to promote?&nbsp; What do you think about them?</li> <li>What are some of the practices used by industrial agribusiness corporations selling products that the original founders of the organic movement might find problematic?</li> <li>According to the reading, what are some of the aims of the Certified Naturally Grown label?</li> <li>Defenders of corporate agribusiness argue that industrial practices are needed to bring organics to a broad public, instead of to just a small elite. What do you think of this argument? How might critics of industrial agriculture respond?</li> </ol> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><br> Small Group:<br> Research a brand&nbsp;</h4> <p>If you assigned students to find organic brands as a homework assignment, ask them to report what they found, and list the names on the board.</p> <p>If they went to the store, was it hard to find organic foods there? &nbsp;If students had trouble finding organic brands, <a href="http://www.organickitchen.com/food/food.html">draw from this list.</a>&nbsp; &nbsp;(If students found that their stores did not carry organic foods, you might want to give students this alternative research assignment: &nbsp;Has access to healthy food been an issue in your community, or communities like yours? &nbsp;What steps have people taken in communities around the country to address this issue?)</p> <p>Once you have your list of brands, ask&nbsp;students to break into groups of four or five. Assign each group one of the brands to research.&nbsp;Have each group decide how they will research this brand, including the questions below. Ask students to add any other questions they have to the list, and research those as well.&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>&nbsp;Who owns this brand?</li> <li>&nbsp;How big is the company?</li> <li>&nbsp;Does the company market only organics, or both organic and non-organic food?</li> <li>&nbsp;Are there criticisms of the company's organic practices? If so, what are they?</li> <li>&nbsp;Would the company or brand live up to the "Certified Naturally Grown" standard?</li> </ul> <p>Tell students that they will be sharing their research findings with the class and to prepare a five minute presentation. Use small-group presentations as the basis for further discussion.</p> <p><em>Research assistance by Yessenia Gutierrez.</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2014-02-26T12:43:37-05:00" title="Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - 12:43">February 26, 2014</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Wed, 26 Feb 2014 17:43:37 +0000 fionta 545 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Food Stamp Cuts: Is Food a Human Right? https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/food-stamp-cuts-food-human-right <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Food Stamp Cuts: Is Food a Human Right?</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h4><br> To the Teacher:</h4> <p>Congress recently cut the nation's food stamp program (officially called Supplementary Nutritional Assistance Program or SNAP) and is now debating even more cuts. If passed, these cuts will be the steepest ever in the program's 50-year history. &nbsp;With 47 million Americans &nbsp;- one of every seven people - relying on food stamps, the cuts have touched off a national discussion about hunger in our society and what we should do about it.<br> &nbsp;<br> This lesson consists of two student readings. The first reading takes a closer look at the current cuts to food stamps and their effect on families. The second reading looks more broadly at the issue of food support, comparing the US government's food programs with those in other countries.<br> &nbsp;<br> Questions for student discussion follow each reading.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Student Reading 1<br> Food Stamp Cuts in the News</h4> <p>Congress recently cut the nation's food stamp program (officially called Supplementary Nutritional Assistance Program or SNAP) and is now debating even cuts. One in seven Americans relies on food stamps. As the New York Times reported on November 7, 2013, "The reduction in benefits has affected more than 47 million people... It is the largest wholesale cut in the program since Congress passed the first Food Stamps Act in 1964."<br> &nbsp;<br> Now lawmakers are debating even steeper cuts. This has touched off a national discussion about hunger in our society and what we - and our government &nbsp;-&nbsp;should do about it.<br> &nbsp;<br> The food stamp cuts are coming at a time when many Americans are in need. The number of people using food stamps to get their food has soared since 2008, when the Great Recession began. At the program's height in 2012, roughly one in five American adults was enrolled. While the US economy as a whole has improved over the past few years, the gains have not been shared equally by all Americans, and progress has been especially slow for lower-income workers and families.<br> &nbsp;<br> According to the <a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&amp;id=3899">Center on Budget and Policy Priorities</a>, 22 million children get food through SNAP, and 10 million of these children live in "deep poverty," with family incomes below&nbsp;half&nbsp;of the poverty line. Another 9 million people on SNA P are elderly or have a serious disability.&nbsp; The cut enacted in November will be the equivalent of taking away 21 meals per month for a family of four, or 16 meals for a family of three, based on calculations using the $1.70 to $2 per meal allocated by the program.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Food banks and other charities say they don't have enough food to make up for all the government cuts. "We will have to do what low-income people do, which is reduce the amount of food we hand out and ration," Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, head of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, told the <a href="http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2013/11/food_stamp_cuts_take_effect_to.html">Cleveland Plain Dealer</a>. She expects "increased hunger in the state, affecting the health of senior citizens and people with disabilities and forcing more school children to go to classes without eating..."&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> In New York, Margarette Purvis, president of Food Bank for New York City, the nation's largest food bank, said that the cuts will "take away more food in our city than we distribute in an entire year." (<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/fresh-cuts-food-stamp-program-hurt-article-1.1498308">New York Daily News</a>)<br> &nbsp;<br> Conservatives are now pushing for even deeper cuts, which they would deliver as part of the farm bill now going through Congress. House Republicans passed legislation that would have resulted in an additional cut of nearly $40 billion in food stamps over 10 years. But in a later deal, the cut was reduced to $9 billion over 10 years. The bill has yet to be passed, so the amount is subject to change. (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/10/us/politics/farm-bill-talks-hit-snag-on-dairy-and-catfish-programs.html?hpw&amp;rref=us&amp;_r=0">New York Times</a>)&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Republicans in Congress defended their proposed cuts by arguing that much of the federal spending on food stamps is wasted on people who abuse the program. As Representative Phil Roe of Tennessee explained in December 2013: "Given this explosion in spending, finding $4 billion in waste, fraud or abuse from this program annually should be possible without significantly impacting those most in need of food security." Representative John Duncan aimed his fire at the government workers who administer the program: "Eligibility requirements have been eased, and those who run the program have no incentive to keep people off. They will get bigger offices, staffs and funding if even more people get food stamps." (<a href="http://www.wbir.com/story/news/politics/2013/12/09/tennessee-house-republicans-back-food-stamp-cuts/3928201/">Gannett</a>)<br> &nbsp;<br> Low-income activists and advocates for food access point out that a record number of families, children, and elderly people are relying on food stamps to help make ends meet. As Atlantic correspondent <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/11/the-gops-cruel-crusade-against-food-stamps/281708/">Norm Ornstein</a> argues in a November 21, 2013 article, while there may be some people who take advantage of the system, the vast majority of those receiving food stamps are hard-working people who are struggling to get by. Moreover, Ornstein notes, while Republicans want to require food stamp enrollees to enroll in job training programs, they have not actually provided any additional funding for these programs:&nbsp;</p> <p class="rteindent1">Five percent of all American families run out of money for food before the month is out, including a large number of working people....<br> &nbsp;<br> [M]ost food-stamp recipients, including most of those added in the past five years as a result of the Great Recession, want to work and simply can't find jobs. Talk to anybody at a food bank, and they will tell you of seeing people come by for food who used to contribute to them. They don't want to take—they want to give—but find themselves, through no fault of their own, in dire straits. But what made [conservative] argument[s] so hollow was that [they] wanted to tie food-stamp eligibility to job training—without providing a dime for job-training programs, which have also been cut back...<br> &nbsp;<br> I would love for all sides to find common ground here: Provide the kind of job training that will enable people to find work and move out of poverty while helping them with the basics of food, shelter, health care, and transportation. But to cut, slash, and burn that aid mindlessly without regard for the human cost is stupid, cruel, and reprehensible.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <h4>For Discussion:</h4> <ol> <li>Do students have any questions about the reading? How might they be answered?</li> <li>According to the reading, who will be affected by the recent cuts to food stamps?</li> <li>Based on the reading or on your own study, what are some of the arguments for or against providing greater funding for the food stamp program?</li> <li>Conservatives argue that there should be work requirements to receive food stamps. What do you think of this argument? How do advocates for food access respond?&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</li> </ol> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Student Reading 2<br> Food Assistance in an International Context</h4> <p>How do US policies on food and hunger look on a global scale?<br> &nbsp;<br> In other advanced industrial countries, food support is integrated into a more robust "social safety net" than that provided in the United States, and citizens in these nations tend to regard food as a human right.</p> <p><strong>Scandinavia</strong><br> &nbsp;<br> Scandinavian countries such as Denmark, Sweden, and Norway have stronger social safety nets than the US, though the nets have frayed somewhat in recent years. These countries do not provide a separate benefit for food assistance. Instead, the government aims to provide low-income people with enough financial support to obtain all basic necessities, from housing and heat to food.<br> &nbsp;<br> In a May 26, 2013 article in the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-bernie-sanders/what-can-we-learn-from-de_b_3339736.html">Huffington Post</a>, Bernie Sanders, the progressive US Senator from Vermont, described Denmark's approach to social spending:&nbsp;</p> <p class="rteindent1">In Denmark, social policy in areas like healthcare, childcare, education and protecting the unemployed are part of a "solidarity system" that makes sure that almost no one falls into economic despair. Danes pay very high taxes, but in return enjoy a quality of life that many Americans would find hard to believe. As the ambassador mentioned, while it is difficult to become very rich in Denmark no one is allowed to be poor. The minimum wage in Denmark is about twice that of the United States and people who are totally out of the labor market or unable to care for themselves have a basic income guarantee of about $100 per day.</p> <p>&nbsp;<br> <strong>Britain</strong></p> <p>Until recently, Britain, like the Scandinavian countries, did not have a separate benefit for food assistance. While Britain's spending on the social safety net was not as generous as that of countries like Denmark, it was nevertheless more generous than in the United States.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> An extensive network of food banks provides a last line of defense against hunger in Britain. The global economic crisis forced more people to seek government assistance, and some have seen their benefits cut. So now food banks are hard-pressed to meet the growing demand for food.<br> &nbsp;<br> Recently Britain has moved a step closer to America's system by creating a benefit to be used specifically for food and other groceries. As Patrick Butler reported for <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/mar/26/payment-cards-emergency-assistance-food-stamps">The Guardian </a>on March 26, 2013:<br> &nbsp;</p> <p class="rteindent1">"Food stamps" arrive in Britain next month, when tens of thousands of vulnerable people will be issued with food vouchers in lieu of money to tide them over short-term financial crises....Many of the 150 local authorities in England running&nbsp;welfare&nbsp;schemes have confirmed that they will issue the vouchers in the form of payment cards, which will be blocked or monitored to prevent the holder using them for alcohol, cigarettes or gambling...<br> &nbsp;<br> The shift to in-kind and voluntary assistance follows the decision last year to&nbsp;abolish the government-run social fund&nbsp;and to replace it with more than 150 welfare assistance schemes, operated by English local authorities and the Welsh and Scottish governments.<br> &nbsp;<br> The social fund - known as the "backstop" of the welfare system - typically offered small loans of about £50, repayable against future benefits, to help vulnerable individuals who faced short-term crises as a result of having cash stolen or benefits delayed.</p> <p>&nbsp;<br> Welfare rights advocates are opposed to the scheme, as <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/mar/26/payment-cards-emergency-assistance-food-stamps">The Guardian</a>'s report also notes:&nbsp;</p> <p class="rteindent1">Some fear the use of in-kind vouchers will repeat the&nbsp;shortcomings of cashless payment cards, issued to asylum seekers. Critics said these cards left users unable to buy essential non-food items, and made them more likely to turn to risky or criminal ways of obtaining cash.<br> &nbsp;<br> One welfare charity worker said: "There's a lot of naivety. The social fund is big, and meets a whole range of needs. There's going to be an awful lot of people that will need to tap into its successor.</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> While public benefit programs in Britain still provide a higher level of food security than in the US, food advocates are nevertheless concerned that the new system represents a step in the wrong direction.<br> <strong>&nbsp;<br> Japan</strong></p> <p>Japan's approach to welfare and food assistance is quite different than that of the US or Europe. In Japan, before an individual is considered eligible for public assistance, their family is expected to support them. However, the benefits available to those considered needy are larger than those offered in the United States. As in the Nordic states, food assistance is not divided into a separate program. "Seikatsu Hogo," or livelihood protection, is a unified monthly allowance intended to cover all living expenses, including food. In response to a letter to the editor from an English-speaker who was seeking assistance from Seikatsu Hogo, Angela Jeffs and Ken Joseph, Jr. of the English language Japanese Newspaper <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2010/08/31/how-tos/seikatsu-hogo-help-for-those-in-dire-straits/#.Ust4omRDvyc">Japan Times </a>described the system:<br> &nbsp;</p> <p class="rteindent1">Thankfully in Japan there are a number of programs that can help.&nbsp;First, get a friend who speaks fluent Japanese to take you to the Seikatsu Hogo (livelihood protection) Department at your local city hall.<br> &nbsp;<br> If you don't have a place to stay, the staff will help you get into an apartment, furnish it for you and loan you the funds to make any necessary down payments.<br> &nbsp;<br> If you are found to qualify, you can receive monthly&nbsp;seikatsu hogo support, which in the major cities is about ¥148,000 a month [approximately $1,400], including around ¥56,000 [approximately $535] in rent support. They can also supply you with a train or bus pass and papers entitling you to medical care.<br> &nbsp;<br> If you are elderly and unable to work, this can become permanent. If you are able to work, support will usually continue for about six months until you can find a job and get back on your feet.</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> In contrast to these other countries where food and other basic needs are considered a human right, in the United States, federal social benefits are scanty, and access to food for the hungry is often left to private charity. &nbsp;Activists around the country want to change that.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <h4>For Discussion:</h4> <ol> <li>Do students have any questions about the reading? How might they be answered?</li> <li>How do other countries such as Denmark, Japan, or Britain handle food support?</li> <li>Do you think people in these countries have a different attitude about food assistance than many people in the US? &nbsp;How?</li> <li>The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights lists food as a human right. Do you think the US system - limited government benefits supplemented by private charity - ensures this right?</li> <li>Do you think programs in place in other countries are a better way of addressing hunger? What are some pros and cons of their systems?&nbsp;</li> </ol> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2014-01-16T15:59:52-05:00" title="Thursday, January 16, 2014 - 15:59">January 16, 2014</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Thu, 16 Jan 2014 20:59:52 +0000 fionta 554 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org HOW ORGANIC IS ORGANIC FOOD? https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/how-organic-organic-food <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>HOW ORGANIC IS ORGANIC FOOD?</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p><strong>To the Teacher</strong></p> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>What is "organic" food? This is a subject of growing interest to supermarket shoppers most of whom probably can't answer the question accurately. Even the USDA definition has gray areas, as does its growers' inspection program. These issues are the subject of two readings. Discussion questions follow each.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Student activities include an introduction to help teacher and students gain some clarity about what students do and do not know about organic food and to consider their questions; a quiz and a writing assignment calling for evidence from the readings to support assertions about organics issues; and suggestions for further inquiry.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <h3>Introduction</h3> </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Introduce the subject by writing "ORGANIC" in the middle of the chalkboard and ask students to state what the word means to them. Create a list of their responses. After everyone who wishes has had an opportunity to answer, use the list to have students respond to the following questions:</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>1.</strong> Which descriptions do you know are factually correct? How do you know?</div> <div><strong>2.</strong> Which descriptions do you think are factually correct? What makes you think so?</div> <div><strong>3.</strong> Which descriptions are you certain are factually incorrect? How do you know?</div> <div><strong>4.</strong> Which descriptions do you have questions or are uncertain about?</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Provide an opportunity for clarification, questions, and discussion. Have students record in their notebooks those descriptions the class agrees are factually correct, factually incorrect, or questionable for later reference.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <h3>Student Reading 1:</h3> <h2>The organic seal</h2> </div> <div>It is common today to see in a supermarket boxes of vegetables and fruits, or perhaps an entire section, labeled "organic." Many towns and cities now have farmer's markets where "organic" food predominates.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>What is "organic" food?</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The United States Department of Agriculture's definition states:</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>"Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Non-organic food, in contrast, is produced by farmers who do not emphasize renewable resources and conservation. Their animals are generally not free from antibiotics or growth hormones. And non-organic food is often produced through the use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers and the like.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The U.S. and some other countries have established and oversee organic standards. Under the US National Organic Program (NOP), growers selling more than $5,000 a year must apply for certification to use the term "organic." Certification for a grower requires compliance with specified production methods, documentation of farm history and current organization, detailed record-keeping covering all farm activities, and an annual inspection fee of $400-$1,200. For first-time certification, a farm owner must demonstrate that over a period of two to three years the soil has been free of banned substances, such as synthetic chemicals.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Growers selling less than $5,000 a year do not have to apply for certification but may also use the term "organic" for their produce if they meet the same standards and agree to a record audit, if one is requested.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The organic seal of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) covers three levels of products: "100% organic" for those with only certified ingredients; (2) "95% organic"; and (3) "made with organic ingredients" for products with at least 70% organic ingredients.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Regulations and "lofty dreams"</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>But New York Times food writer Mark Bittman points out that NOP regulations "fall short of the lofty dreams of early organic farmers and consumers who gave the word 'organic' its allure." For instance, he says, the federal regulations don't require "returning natural nutrients and substance to the soil in the same proportion used by the growing process." They don't guarantee humane treatment of animals, for even though animals must be allowed to go outdoors, "for how long and under what conditions is not spelled out." They don't necessarily result in "the most nutritious food possible (the evidence is mixed on whether organic food is more nutritious) in the most ecologically conscious way."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Joan Shaffer, a spokeswoman for the Agriculture Department notes another way that the term "organic" may fall short of expectations: "People don't realize that 'organic' doesn't mean 'local,' It doesn't matter if it's from the farm down the road or from Chile. As long as it meets the standards it's organic." And, Bittman concludes, this is true "no matter the size of the carbon footprint left behind by getting from there to here."( "Eating Food That's Better for You, Organic or Not," Week in Review, New York Times, 3/21/09)</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Another factor affecting NOP regulations is the role of lobbyists for special interests in American government and politics. Lobbyists who work for a huge corporate farm or a big company that uses agricultural products can promise lawmakers substantial campaign contributions and votes in exchange for favorable legislation.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>For example, the 2006 agricultural appropriations bill included "38 synthetic ingredients to be used in organic foods. Among the ingredients are food colorings, starches, sausage and hot-dog casings, hops, fish oil, chipotle, chili pepper, and gelatin. This allowed Anheuser-Busch in 2007 to have its Wild Hop Lager certified organic even though it uses hops grown with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. (For these and other details, see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_certification">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_certification</a>)</div> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>An Organics Quiz</strong></p> <div class="rteleft">If you are informed about an issue, you are not only knowledgeable but also able to support what you say with evidence — especially if the issue is controversial. Mark each statement below with an F if you think it is factual or an NF if you think it is not factual. Then state briefly what evidence there is in the reading to support your conclusion.</div> <div class="rteleft">&nbsp;</div> <p><strong>a.</strong> Organic foods contain synthetic substances.</p> <p><strong>b. </strong>Organic food is raised without the use of pesticides.</p> <p><strong>c.</strong> A certified organic grower must pay yearly for an inspection of facilities.</p> <p><strong>d.</strong> The US National Organic Program can assure consumers that all animals are treated humanely.</p> <p><strong>e.</strong> Organic food is more nutritious that non-organic food.</p> <p><strong>f.</strong> Wild Hop Lager is certified organic.</p> <p><strong>g. </strong>Wild Hop Lager is organic.</p> <div class="rteleft">&nbsp;</div> <div class="rteleft">Discuss student responses and supporting evidence.</div> <div class="rteleft">&nbsp;</div> <div class="rteleft">&nbsp;</div> <p class="rteleft"><strong>For discussion</strong></p> <p><strong>1.</strong> What questions do students have about the reading? How might they be answered?</p> <p><strong>2.</strong> How do organic foods "fall short of the lofty dreams of early organic farmers"?</p> <p><strong>3.</strong> What does Bittman mean by his "carbon footprint" criticism of organic standards?</p> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <h3>Student Reading 2:</h3> <h2>Problems with inspections</h2> </div> <div>What is a food shopper like Danielle Overstreet, who lives in the Denver area, to do? "I don't really know that my organic food is organic unless it comes from my own garden," she writes. "I just have to put some trust in the certifiers-who of course may well be corruptible. Overstreet feels that her local supermarket "is fairly reliable. I do talk to their produce people when I'm in the store....I put no more trust in the natural foods stores than the supermarkets." Overstreet adds, "I do know that many out-of-USA items, both food and goods, are sprayed with pesticides when they come in whether by truck, air, or ship. So I do check to see if it is USA produced...Also I've learned that in the winter, California-grown organics are often actually grown in Mexico! So I'm careful about which California organic producer I buy from."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Overstreet reached those conclusions through reading material by "investigative journalists" — including Michael Pollan. (Pollan, author of <em>In Defense of Food</em>, a contributor to <em>New York Times Magazine</em>, and journalism professor at the University of California-Berkeley, is a leading critic of corporate farming.) She also cites Dr. Andrew Weil's websites, as well as printed material from some natural food stores. "I tend to trust printed works that are subject to peer review, which most of what is in cyberspace is not," says Overstreet.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Many organic shoppers were shocked by was the recent outbreak of salmonella in products made with organic peanuts. "The plants in Texas and Georgia that were sending out contaminated peanut butter and ground peanut products had something else besides rodent infestation, mold and bird droppings. They also had federal organic certification," Kim Severson and Andrew Martin reported.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>"Why is organic peanut butter better than Jif?" said Ellen Devlin-Sample, a nurse practitioner from Pelham, NY, quoted in the <em>New York Times</em> (3/21/09). "I have no idea. Although the rules governing organic food require health inspections and pest-management plans, organic certification technically has nothing to do with food safety."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) deputizes many dozens of organizations and companies as well as state workers to perform inspections. <em>The New York Times</em> reports: "These certifiers, then, are paid by the farmers and manufacturers they are inspecting to certify that the standards have been met." Inspection fees can be hundreds or even thousands of dollars. This system does not always produce the desired results.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Delays of various kinds meant that a private certifier "took nearly seven months to recommend that the USDA revoke the organic certification of the peanut company's Georgia plant and then "only after the company was in the thick of a massive food recall...Nine people have died and almost 700 have become ill."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>There are other issues, too. "Arthur Harvey, a Maine blueberry farmer who does organic inspections, said agents have an incentive to approve companies that are paying them. 'Certifiers have a considerable financial interest in keeping their clients going,' he said. Meanwhile, consumers are becoming more skeptical about certification...Some shoppers want food that was grown locally, harvested from animals that were treated humanely or produced by workers who were paid a fair wage. The organic label doesn't mean any of that." ("It's Organic, but Does That Mean It's Safer?" <em>New York Times</em>, 3/21/09)</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>There is also a growing tendency for growers to bypass certification standards and label their products "natural" or "authentic," words that, unlike "organic," have no approved governmental definition.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>At supermarkets organic sweet potatoes, like other organic produce, usually cost more than non-organic. But can a customer be sure that he or she is paying the extra money for certified organic sweet potatoes and not ordinary sweet potatoes? Can that customer tell by looking at them?</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Mark Kastel, co-founder of Cornucopia Institute says: "There are generic benefits from doing organics, It protects the land from the ravages of conventional agriculture," and safeguards farm works from being exposed to pesticides.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Mark Bittman concludes that "questions remain over how we eat in general. It may feel better to eat an organic Oreo than a conventional Oreo, but, says Marion Nestle, a professor at New York University's department of nutrition, food studies and public health, 'Organic junk food is still junk food.'" (<em>New York Times</em>, 3/21/09)</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Note: Update on organic foods inspections</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On March 19, 2010, the<em> New York Times</em> reported that "Major gaps in federal oversight of the organic food industry" exposed in a report by the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Phyllis Fong, "will lead to stricter enforcement of rules and other measures" by that agency. This will include:</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Spot testing for pesticide traces in organically grown foods because, despite a 1990</div> <div>law requiring it, "regulators never made sure the testing was being carried out"</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>A crackdown on marketers of phony organic products</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Reviews of organic products in supermarkets and other stores to determine whether</div> <div>they meet federal regulations&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Better oversight of some organic food operations overseas</div> <div>As an example of weak oversight, Fong reported cases in which officials had taken more than a year and a half to act on their discovery that some conventional products had been falsely sold under organic labels. One operator sold nonorganic mint under an organic label for two years after officials knew about it.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Such failures, the USDA report warned, required stricter oversight so consumers know "that products labeled as organic are meeting a uniform standard."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The Obama administration is increasing sharply the budget for the USDA's National Organic Program and allowing expansion of the program to about 40 employees. (William Neuman, "U.S. Plans Spot Tests of Organic Products," <em>New York Times</em>, 3/19/10)</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <p class="rteleft"><strong>For discussion</strong></p> <p><strong>1. </strong>What questions do students have about the reading? How might they be answered?</p> <p><strong>2.</strong> How good a food shopper and critical thinker do you judge Danielle Overstreet to be? She cites Michael Pollan, Dr. Andrew Weil's website, and printed works subject to peer review among her sources for reliable information. How might you check these sources? How would you rate each and why? What is "peer review"?</p> <p><strong>3.</strong> In general, Overstreet is dubious about cyberspace sources and blogs, in particular. Do you think her skepticism is justified? If so, why? If not, why not?</p> <p><strong>4.</strong> What certification problems are there for the USDA and supermarket shoppers? How serious is the problem raised by Maine blueberry farmer Arthur Harvey, in your opinion?</p> <p><strong>5. </strong>How would you explain the salmonella outbreak in organic peanut products?</p> <div class="rteleft">&nbsp;</div> <p class="rteleft"><strong>For writing</strong></p> <p><strong>1.</strong> Write one paragraph in which you state, with supporting evidence from the reading, three significant conclusions about organic foods.</p> <p><strong>2. </strong>Have students check their notebooks on descriptions the class agreed to in their introductory consideration of the term "organic." Should they make any changes? If so, and in each case, why?</p> <div class="rteleft">&nbsp;</div> <p class="rteleft"><strong>For Inquiry</strong></p> <div class="rteleft">You and your students might consider further inquiry into one of the subjects listed below. For independent and small group investigations, ask students to prepare two or three questions to guide them in their inquiry. Then they should consult with you for guidance and approval. Ask students to cite what they think would be reliable sources for their work.</div> <div class="rteleft">&nbsp;</div> <p><strong>1. </strong>Organic foods and pesticides and synthetic substances</p> <p><strong>2.</strong> Organic foods and the humane treatment of animals</p> <p><strong>3.</strong> Organic foods and "returning natural nutrients and substance to the soil in the same proportion used by the growing process"</p> <p><strong>4. </strong>Organic foods and nutrition</p> <p><strong>5. </strong>The Wild Hop Lager case</p> <p><strong>6. </strong>Michael Pollan's views on food</p> <p><strong>7. </strong>Dr. Andrew Weil and organics</p> <p><strong>8.</strong> The salmonella case</p> <p><strong>9. </strong>Organic inspections</p> <div class="rteleft">&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><em>This lesson was written for TeachableMoment.Org, a project of Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility. We welcome your comments. Please email them to: <a href="mailto:lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org">lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org</a></em></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2009-05-06T14:39:12-04:00" title="Wednesday, May 6, 2009 - 14:39">May 6, 2009</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Wed, 06 May 2009 18:39:12 +0000 fionta 899 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Food Banks Face Surging Demand https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/food-banks-face-surging-demand <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Food Banks Face Surging Demand</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p><strong>by Alan Shapiro</strong></p> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>To the Teacher:</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The student reading below focuses on the work of food banks and the surge of need they are facing as millions of people lose their jobs. Following the reading are suggestions for how students might help.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <h3>Student Reading</h3> </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>David and his wife Lisa took over his parents' car and truck repair business in 2006. "We had been doing all right for months," said Lisa. "Then all of a sudden, no one was coming through the door." By August 2007, $30,000 in debt, the couple shut their business down. David found a job as a mechanic while Lisa took care of their four children.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>With the economy spiraling down, David was laid off. It took him months to find a new job fixing copiers. The family received food stamps, but they didn't provide enough food for a family of six. So they turned to the Open Door/Cape Ann Food Pantry, an agency of the Greater Boston Food Bank.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The pantry is part of the Feeding America network, which describes itself as the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization. According to its website, Feeding America "provides food assistance to more than 25 million low-income people facing hunger in the United States, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors." The network has more than 200 food banks in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>In March 2009, Feeding America today warned that the nation's food banks "could soon be overwhelmed by demand." Vicki Escarra, President and CEO of Feeding America said, "Our food banks tell us they simply cannot provide enough food to all of the people who need help. A terrible situation has just become much worse." (<a href="http://www.feedingamerica.org">www.feedingamerica.org</a>, 3/6/09)</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The official unemployment rate of 8.1% does not accurately describe the current level of joblessness in the U.S. It does not include those who have given up looking for a job, nor does it include people who are working part-time who want more work. Nor does it reflect jobless rates in all the states—like Michigan's 10.6%. In the past four months alone, 2.6 million Americans have become jobless. Almost 32 million Americans now receive food stamps.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>A Reuters story headlined "Food Banks Swamped in 'Wealthy' California County" reported that in Orange County, home of Disneyland and beach mansions, the local food bank is "struggling to feed the hungry...and reporting that demand had increased 40 to 60 percent since June of 2008. "Our donations have not in any way, shape or form kept pace with the skyrocketing need in Orange Country," said Orange County Food Bank Director Mark Lowry. "I've never seen such a dramatic increase in need." (<a href="http://www.reuters.com">www.reuters.com</a>, 3/9/09)</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>"Duluth Store Donates to Food Bank" was the headline of an Associated Press story about how a Duluth, Minnesota, store that sold a winning lotto ticket is donating its share of $10,000 to the Second Harvest Food Bank." (<a href="http://www.startribune.com">www.startribune.com</a>, 3/7/09)</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>In Arizona, individuals, corporations and foundations, all cutting back because of the economy, have been donating less to food banks. The United Food Bank in Mesa "has been running about 2 million pounds short of supplying all the food requested this fiscal year."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>A local newspaper reported that Paulette Pineda, "lost her job at a temporary-service agency four months ago and had to move in with her daughter, a single mother of three, because it took 10 weeks to begin receiving unemployment aid. Then her daughter was laid off." Pineda, 58, "went to the United Food Bank in Mesa to buy a food box that includes a whole chicken, bread, fresh and canned vegetables and a bunny cake for $16. 'With a big family to feed, it's about enough for one meal,' she said. 'Maybe I can make a big stew.'' (<a href="http://www.azcentral.com">www.azcentral.com</a>, 3/9/09)</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>According to the Food Bank for New York City, nearly half of all city residents are "experiencing difficulty affording needed food...Findings also show that 3.5 million city residents are concerned about needing food assistance...during the next year, including 2.1 million...who have never accessed food assistance in the past." (<a href="http://www.foodbanknyc.org">www.foodbanknyc.org</a>, 12/16/08)</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Investigative reporter Nick Turse reported: "Families who just months ago didn't even know what a food bank was and would never have considered visiting a food pantry now have far more intimate knowledge of both. Embarrassed to approach institutions that they previously identified with the poor...many, say food bank officials, are also waiting far too long to seek aid. Other formerly middle class Americans who have never dealt with, or even thought about, food insecurity before simply don't know who to call or where to turn." (<a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com">www.tomdispatch.com</a>, 3/8/09)</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>For discussion</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>1.</strong> What questions do students have about the reading? How might they find answers?</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> </strong>Where is the nearest food bank in the students' town or state? If they don't know, help them find out through searching the web for food pantries in your area. Some food banks can be found by logging on to <a href="http://www.feedingamerica.org">www.feedingamerica.org</a>.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>3. </strong>What interest do students have in helping that food banks meet growing calls for help? There are many possibilities:</div> <ul> <li>announcements on the school PA system about needs and soliciting donations</li> <li>a school-wide assembly program featuring a talk from a food bank representative</li> <li>direct efforts like a car wash, a bake sale, etc.</li> </ul> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>"Students can and should be given opportunities to take part in the significant events in their world. As teachers, we can create very powerful opportunities for our students, both in the classroom and extending into the larger world...We can help them understand processes of group decision making and the political process. And, we can structure ways for them to participate in the empowering experience of acting to make a real different in the world."&nbsp;</div> <div>—Making History, Educators for Social Responsibility</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>See "<a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/teaching-social-responsibility">Teaching Social Responsibility</a>" in the high school section for other suggestions.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><em>This lesson was written for TeachableMoment.Org, a project of Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility. We welcome your comments. Please email them to: <a href="mailto:lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org">lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org</a>.</em></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2009-03-31T14:39:12-04:00" title="Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 14:39">March 31, 2009</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:39:12 +0000 fionta 904 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Big Problems at 3 Federal Agencies https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/big-problems-3-federal-agencies <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Big Problems at 3 Federal Agencies</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p class="byline"><b>To the Teacher:</b></p> <p>Americans are generally aware that a host of federal agencies are responsible for ensuring the proper functioning and safety of our highways, nuclear plants, financial markets, coal mines and a whole lot more.</p> <p>We usually hear little about them-unless something goes wrong. And some things have gone seriously wrong at some agencies, but a protracted presidential primary season did not produce questions to the candidates about them.</p> <p>The three student readings below deal, in turn, with the Federal Election Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency, responsible respectively for the safety of our elections, food and drugs, and the environment. Each reading gives special attention to some of the things that have gone wrong at these agencies. The readings are followed by discussion questions, suggestions for further inquiry, writing assignments and citizenship activities.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3>I. FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION: "No one on the watch"</h3> <p style="font-weight: bold">To the Teacher</p> <p>During each election cycle presidential campaign costs and the attendant fundraising grow—with consequences for American democracy that do not receive anything like the media attention lavished on flag pins, tears, or age.</p> <p>The Federal Election Commission is responsible for administering and enforcing rules on financing presidential election campaigns. At best, the FEC has been a frail reed on which to depend. But for the past few crucial primary months, it has been unable to function at all because of political conflicts between President Bush and the Senate majority Democrats. The student reading below discusses the FEC and some of the major issues it still needs to address.</p> <p>Inform students that on June 24, 2008, the Senate voted to confirm five nominees for the FEC, which can now begin working on the neglected issues raised in the student reading on the commission.</p> <p>The following additional sets of materials on presidential campaign fundraising are available in the high school section: "<a href="/teachable-moment/lessons/presidential-campaign-race-money">The Presidential Campaign: The Race for Money</a>" describes an inquiry-oriented approach to fundraising and includes an annotated list of major sources of information; "<a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/presidential-election-2008-hillraisers-mccain-100s-public-campaign-funding">Presidential Campaign 2008: Hillraisers, McCain 100s and Public Campaign Funding</a>" focuses on bundling and the public campaign funding system.<br> &nbsp;</p> <h3>Student Reading</h3> <p>Presidential candidates are frequent jet travelers. But should a candidate be allowed to travel around the country at little or no cost in a corporate jet-while other candidates have to pay full fare? Normally, federal regulations require presidential candidates to pay full charter costs for travel.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold">McCain's Jet</p> <p>Nonetheless, according to the <em>New York Times</em> on April 27, 2008, "McCain Frequently Used Wife's Jet for Little Cost" (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com">www.nytimes.com</a>). For seven months beginning in August 2007, John McCain and his presidential campaign staff flew in the corporate jet of Cindy McCain, the candidate's wife. During five of these months the jet was used almost solely for the campaign, which paid $241,149 for the service. According to charter jet sources, this would normally cover charter jet costs for only a month or two-not five. The <em>Times</em> said its analysis and figures "may be inexact" because it did not know how many members of the campaign flew on the jet or how frequently.</p> <p>McCain was able to fly so inexpensively because federal election law exempts planes owned by a candidate, his family or a private company it controls from regulations requiring payment of full charter jet costs. The senator himself supported legislation requiring candidates to pay the actual costs of flying on corporate jets.</p> <p>To close this loophole in presidential financing, the Federal Election Committee (FEC) began, but did not complete, work on new rules last December. "This amounts to a subsidy for his [McCain's] campaign," said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes campaign finance information on its website. (<a href="http://www.opensecrets.org">www.opensecrets.org</a>)</p> <p>The FEC was created in 1975 to administer and enforce rules on the financing of federal elections. That includes enforcing limits on contributions to presidential candidates; overseeing public funding to them; and publishing campaign finance information. It has 375 auditors, lawyers and investigators to carry out its work.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold">No quorum</p> <p>The FEC did not complete new rules to level the playing field for presidential candidate travel because this regulatory agency requires a quorum to act. It is authorized to have six commission members and, in an effort to make it as even-handed in its rulings as possible, three from each party. The members are appointed by the President and approved by the Senate. But since early this year the FEC has had only two members, not enough to complete any of its business legally. The reason: President Bush and the Democrats who now control the Senate cannot agree on how the four vacant positions should be filled.</p> <p>"Incredibly, the FEC cannot address any complaints against presidential candidates," editorialized Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "With no one on the watch, who's to say some unscrupulous souls won't violate the law in order to gain advantage in an election? Once an election is over there is no unseating the winners, whether or not they played by the rules." (<a href="https://www.citizensforethics.org/press-release/crew-launches-fixthefec-org/">www.citizensforethics.org</a>)</p> <p><b>Other neglected issues</b></p> <ul> <li>The FEC needs to write rules for a major reform passed in 2007 that requires lobbyists to disclose fully the multiple donors and donations bundled to curry favor with presidential candidates. (An individual donor may not contribute more than $2300 to a campaign. But lobbyists have created the practice of bundling $100,000 and more, perhaps much more, and giving the money to a campaign without full disclosure of its sources.)<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>The FEC is charged with regulating "527s," the independent special interest groups organized to influence elections while avoiding contribution rules. The term "527" refers to a section of the Internal Revenue Service code. 527s may accept unlimited amounts of money from wealthy people, corporations, and organizations but are not allowed to campaign directly for a candidate. Instead, they run TV and newspaper ads and pay for events designed to focus on issues that will cast their candidate in a favorable light. (527s also sometimes cast an unfavorable light on an opponent—as did the 527 known as "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth," which helped defeat Senator John Kerry's bid for the presidency in 2004.) Typically, the candidate who benefits from the work of a 527 organization says that the 527 has no official connection with his party and he has no control over what it does.<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>The FEC is also responsible for regulating 501(c)(3)s, non-profit, tax-exempt "social welfare" groups that are allowed to urge votes for a candidate as long as political campaigning is not the main purpose of the organization. These groups may also speak out on public policy issues, hold public forums, run get-out-the-vote campaigns and distribute voter education guides.</li> </ul> <p>"Special-interest money in politics is said to be like water-blocking its flow in one direction only channels it to another," said a <em>New York Times</em> editorial in January 2008.</p> <p>Senators McCain and Russ Feingold led the fight in 2002 for reforms that regulated so-called "soft money," unregulated sums contributed, for example, to a political party, as distinguished from "hard money" contributed directly to candidates.</p> <p>But FEC regulators "have done little to stop [the 527s and 501(c)(3)s] even when campaign finance laws are being violated," charged the Times. The agency, it said, is "slow-moving and weak," failing to impose fines for violations found in 2004 until late in 2007. ("Drowning in Special-Interest Money," editorial, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com">www.nytimes.com</a>, 1/2/08)<br> &nbsp;</p> <h4>For discussion</h4> <p><b>1.</b> What questions do students have about the reading? How might they be answered?</p> <p><b>2.</b> What objection is there to a candidate's flying around the country for a reduced rate or for free in a corporate jet?</p> <p><b>3.</b> Why hasn't the FEC completed its regulations on presidential campaign travel or other issues?</p> <p><b>4.</b> What are 527s? Why have such organizations been formed recently?</p> <p><b>5.</b> What are 501(c)(3)s? How might they influence election results?</p> <h4>For inquiry</h4> <ul> <li>The presidential candidates have already exceeded the $1 billion mark in campaign fundraising. Where does all this money come from? Why? With what consequences? How is it spent?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>What has happened to public campaign funding? Why? With what consequences?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>How effective has the FEC been in keeping campaign finance under control?<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>What impact does the huge cost of presidential campaigns have on American democracy?</li> </ul> <p>These are a few of the major questions raised by the power of money in presidential campaigns that students might profitably investigate, share with the class, discuss, and write about.</p> <p>Additional subjects for inquiry might include:</p> <ul> <li>The functioning of the FEC and its critics</li> <li>A 527 group and its political activities</li> <li>A 501(c)(3) group and its political activities</li> <li>Swift Boat Veterans for Truth</li> </ul> <h4>For writing and citizenship</h4> <p>Following their inquiry, have students share the results and their opinions with their representative, senators, the President. To encourage a substantive response, students should include a carefully focused question for the official to answer.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3>II. FOOD &amp; DRUG ADMINISTRATION: "Terrible Leadership"</h3> <p style="font-weight: bold">To the Teacher</p> <p>Americans' confidence in the Food and Drug Administration has been shaken in recent times. A number of news stories, including those highlighted in the reading below, have called into question the agency's ability to guarantee that the food we buy at the supermarket and the over-the-counter and prescription drugs we use are safe. Further, some charge that the FDA has a conflict of interest, since it both regulates drug companies and relies on them to pay its bills.</p> <p>Yet the presidential candidates have said virtually nothing about how to solve the FDA's problems.</p> <p>Teachers might find useful "<a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/k-street-strategy">The K Street Strategy</a>" in the high school section of&nbsp;TeachableMoment. It examines the role of lobbyists in influencing governmental activities and especially their influence on the creation of a Medicare prescription drug benefit.</p> <h3>Student Reading</h3> <p>"There would be meat that had tumbled out on the floor, in the dirt and sawdust, where the workers had tramped and spit uncounted billions of consumption germs. There would be meat stored in great piles in rooms; and the water from leaky roofs would drip over it, and thousands of rats would race about on it. It was too dark in these storage places to see well, but a man could run his hand over these piles of meat and sweep off handfuls of the dried dung of rats. The rats were nuisances, and the packers would put poisoned bread out for them; they would die, and then rats, bread, and meat would go into the hoppers together."<br> <em>—Upton Sinclair, The Jungle</em></p> <p><em>The Jungle</em> is a 1906 novel about the men and women who work in Chicago's stockyards and processing factories in conditions that nauseated and mesmerized Americans in that year. They included President Theodore Roosevelt, who received a copy directly from Sinclair and felt strongly enough about its contents to send investigators to Chicago.</p> <p>Public attention focused less on the filthy and dangerous conditions for the workers than on the filthy and dangerous meat sent out to stores across the country. In 1906 few federal laws regulated food and drugs produced in the United States. But that same year Congress passed the Meat Inspection Act and legislation establishing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a federal regulatory agency responsible for the health and safety of Americans.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold">The FDA today</p> <p>More than 100 years later, the FDA has thousands of employees and a budget of more than $2 billion to ensure "that the food we eat is safe and wholesome, that the cosmetics we use won't harm us, and that medicines, medical devises, and radiation-emitting consumer products such as microwave ovens are safe and effective." (<a href="http://www.fda.gov">www.fda.gov</a>)</p> <p>Recent FDA actions have included publishing warnings about raw milk and shutting down a laboratory for cold medicines that hadn't received FDA approval.</p> <p>In recent years the FDA has been the subject of such news stories as the following:</p> <ul> <li>"Chinese Wheat Gluten in Deadly Pet Food Banned from U.S." (<a href="http://www.FoxNews.com">www.FoxNews.com</a>, 4/2/07) At least 16 dogs and cats died and hundreds were sickened by eating a chemical found in pet food that Chinese manufacturers had exported to the U.S.. This was but one of a series of Chinese products-tires, fish, jewelry and toys-that the FDA found to be dangerous and ordered recalled. Two Chinese companies and one American importer were later indicted for fraud and deliberately misleading American manufacturers about the poisonous ingredients in pet foods.<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>"Tainted Drugs Put Focus on the FDA." (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com">www.nytimes.com</a>, 2/15/08 and 3/17/08) A congressional investigation found that 566 Chinese plants export drugs to the U.S., but last year the FDA inspected just 13 of them. The FDA violated its own rule about approving a drug without first inspecting the plant that made it. The inquiry resulted from concerns about the dozens of deaths and hundreds of illnesses in the U.S. from the drug heparin.<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>"Dennis Quaid's Newborns given Accidental Overdose" (<a href="http://www.abcnews.com">www.abcnews.com</a>, 11/21/07) The Quaids' newborn twins were mistakenly given large doses of the blood thinner heparin that could have been fatal, but fortunately were not. The Quaids claimed the mistake occurred because of confusing packaging, but the drug company said that the FDA approved it.<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>"The Biggest Beef Recall Ever" (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com">www.nytimes.com</a>, 2/21/08) "A nauseating video of cows stumbling on their way to a California slaughterhouse has finally prompted action, the largest recall of meat in American history." The Humane Society secretly videotaped the scene as workers for the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company kicked and used forklifts to force sick cows to walk. The company had sold 37 million pounds of meat to school lunch programs and more than another 100 million to the general public over two years. Fortunately, no illnesses were reported.<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>"Merck Agrees To Settlement Over Vioxx Ads" (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com">www.nytimes.com</a>, 5/21 and 5/23/08) The drug maker Merck agreed to pay $58 million after it was accused of playing down the risks of its popular painkiller Vioxx in an aggressive marketing campaign. The drug was withdrawn from the market in 2004 after Merck found that it doubled heart attack risks. Merck will submit its new TV commercials to the FDA. The agency is now developing a new system to monitor unexpected side effects of drugs it has already approved—but it will take years before this new system is fully in place.</li> </ul> <p style="font-weight: bold">What's wrong with the FDA?</p> <p>As the articles demonstrate, the FDA has a number of problems, including:</p> <ul> <li>very limited inspections of American meat plants</li> <li>limited inspections of foreign plants exporting drugs to the U.S.</li> <li>inadequate oversight of drug makers' TV commercials and packaging</li> <li>failure to monitor drugs for unexpected side effects after they have been approved</li> </ul> <p>The FDA's many shortcomings were summed up in an alarming report by the agency's scientific advisory panel: "The nation's food supply is at risk, its drugs are potentially dangerous and its citizens' lives are at stake because the Food and Drug Administration is desperately short of money and poorly organized." The report noted that the FDA's responsibilities keep growing, but not its budget. Recently, for example, the FDA's aging computer system broke down during an E. coli food investigation. (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com">www.nytimes.com</a>, 12/1/07)</p> <p>Public Citizen's <em>Health Letter</em> editor Sidney Wolfe was even harsher: "The situation at the FDA has never been worse than now," he charges. He cites "terrible leadership at the FDA" and "a perilously low level of Congressional oversight and oversight hearings."</p> <p>He also noted the "increasing reliance on industry to fund FDA activities." For example, drug companies pay most of the bill for the FDA drug approval process and get concessions for doing so. According to medical officers at the FDA, those "concessions" have included lowered safety standards and supervisor pressure to approve drugs. A number of these officers state in a survey that "decisions should be based more on science and less on corporate wishes." (April 2008)<br> &nbsp;</p> <h4>For discussion</h4> <p><b>1.</b> What questions do students have about the reading? How might they be answered?</p> <p><b>2.</b> What problems is the FDA having? Who or what is responsible for them? What might be done? How? If you need more information, how would you look for it?</p> <p><b>3.</b> Consider the FDA's "reliance on industry" to fund its activities. What conflicts of interest might this create? How might they be avoided?</p> <p><b>4.</b> Why would FDA oversight of drug makers' TV commercials be important to public health? Oversight of packaging?</p> <p><b>5.</b> What connection might there be between "a perilously low level of Congressional oversight" and the political influence of drug makers? Why do you suppose they have such influence? Drug makers are significant contributors to the political campaigns of legislators. To learn more about such contributions, see <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org">www.opensecrets.org</a>.</p> <h4>For inquiry</h4> <p>Possible subjects for further inquiry include:</p> <ul> <li>The FDA's "terrible leadership"</li> <li>Drug maker political influence on the FDA and members of Congress</li> <li>The FDA's process in authorizing the sale of a drug and how the company that produced it ends up paying much of the bill</li> <li>Weak congressional oversight of the FDA</li> <li>A closer examination of one of the stories in the reading</li> <li>Impact of <em>The Jungle</em> on Americans</li> </ul> <h4>For writing and citizenship</h4> <p>Are students interested in urging presidential candidates to focus attention on the FDA's problems?</p> <p>If so, they might prepare a petition and organize a drive in the school to get as many student signatures as possible. They could also communicate by phone, letter or email with the candidates to acquaint them with FDA problems and the need for solutions.<br> Perhaps this activity could focus on a single question. For example: Why does the FDA rely on industry to fund its activities?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3>III. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY: Politics &amp; 'Junk Science'</h3> <p style="font-weight: bold">To the Teacher</p> <p>Critics have repeatedly charged that the EPA's environmental findings are contaminated by what Robert Kennedy Jr. calls "junk science." Politics and ideology seem to be at the heart of problem, which is the focus of the student reading below.</p> <h3><strong>Student Reading</strong></h3> <p style="font-weight: bold">The air in NYC after 9/11</p> <p>The 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center released 2,000 tons of asbestos and hundreds of thousands of tons of concrete in the form of dust into the air and water of New York City.</p> <p>During the week following the attack, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared that air and water problems were "not of concern." EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman said: "Given the scope of the tragedy from last week, I am glad to reassure the people of New York...that their air is safe to breathe and their water is safe to drink." (9/18/01)</p> <p>But in 2003, a report from the Office of the Inspector General of the EPA said that the agency had lacked the information it needed to assess air and water quality after 9/11. In a 2006 CBS report, Dr. Cate Jenkins, an EPA scientist, went further and declared that the agency had lied. "This air was highly caustic, in some cases as caustic and alkaline as Drano."</p> <p>On "60 Minutes," a few days later, Whitman said that when EPA officials reported the air safe, they "were talking about the air around lower Manhattan, not the air directly at ground zero." In the CBS report, Vinny Forras, a World Trade Center worker, now suffering from lung scarring and other ailments, said workers were told, "Don't worry about it, because the air is okay." (<a href="http://www.cbs.com">www.cbs.com</a>, 9/8/06)</p> <p>The <em>New York Post</em> reported on September 24, 2006, that the office of then-National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice "gave final approval to EPA statements about air quality and omitted warnings from EPA press releases because of "competing priorities" such as national security and the imperative of "opening Wall Street," according to the EPA's Inspector General.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold">The EPA's work</p> <p>"The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment," the EPA declares on its website. Since 1970, the EPA has been working for a cleaner healthier environment for the American people." (<a href="http://www.epa.gov">www.epa.gov</a>)</p> <p>More than half of the EPA's 17,000 employees are engineers, scientists, and policy analysts. They enforce environmental laws enacted by Congress, research and set standards for a variety of environmental programs, and fund research grants and educational projects.</p> <p>A major EPA effort over the past 20 years has been Superfund, a "program established to address abandoned hazardous waste sites." The EPA has worked with others to clean up and protect the environment "from contamination at the worst sites."</p> <p>The EPA has projects in about 36,000 schools around the country. For instance, at an elementary school in Yonkers, New York, an EPA project called Groundwork Yonkers has helped students, volunteers, and senior citizens turn a blighted schoolyard into a garden. The project aims to reduce pollution, develop ecological literacy and serve as a resource for teachers elsewhere in Yonkers.</p> <p>The EPA has also partnered with more than 11,000 organizations to improve energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop cost effective, climate-friendly technologies. The EPA website describes many additional projects from a pollution-reduction project in Chesapeake Bay to an agreement with Mexico and Canada "to ensure the safe manufacture and use of industrial chemicals."</p> <p style="font-weight: bold">Interference with science at the EPA</p> <p>Scientists working at the EPA and other federal agencies as well as independent American scientists have repeatedly criticized the Bush White House for omitting or misrepresenting scientific findings, skewing EPA reports.</p> <ul> <li>"In 2003 when the Environmental Protection Agency tried to loosen standards regulating mercury pollution, sections of the proposed rules were lifted directly from industry documents." (Robert F. Kennedy Jr., "The Junk Science of George W. Bush," <em>The Nation,</em> 3/8/04)<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>"...the White House acknowledged that Philip A. Cooney, the Administration official who once led the oil industry's efforts to prevent limits on greenhouse gases, had repeatedly altered government climate reports in order to minimize the relationship between such emissions and global warming..." (Kennedy, <em>The Nation,</em> 3/8/04)<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>"The EPA proposed new rules governing the Clean Air Act which ignore the advice of its own staff, the recommendation of the agency's scientific advisory committee, and evidence from thousands of studies." (Michael Spector, <em>The New Yorker,</em> 3/13/06)<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>The EPA's regional office in the western Everglades accepted a study financed predominately by developers, which "concludes that wetlands discharge more pollutants than they absorb." (Kennedy, <em>The Nation</em> , 3/8/04). "There was no peer review or public comment. With its approval, the EPA is giving developers credit for improving water quality by replacing natural wetlands with golf courses and other developments." The study, writes Kennedy, "contradicts everything known about wetlands functioning....Bruce Boler, a biologist and water-quality specialist working for the EPA office, resigned in protest...'It was like the politics trumped the science,' he told us."<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>"The Environmental Protection Agency weakened one part of its new limits on smog-forming ozone after an unusual last-minute intervention by President Bush, according to documents released by the EPA. EPA officials initially tried to set a lower seasonal limit on ozone to protect wildlife, parks, and farmland as required under the law....Bush overruled EPA officials and...ordered the agency to increase the limits, according to documents." Ozone is "linked to an array of heart and respiratory illnesses." (Juliet E. Iperin, <em>Washington Post,</em> 3/14/08)</li> </ul> <p style="font-weight: bold">Scientists and the Bush administration</p> <p>Several years ago more than 60 scientists, including 20 Nobel Prize winners in science, issued a statement that "the Bush administration had systematically distorted scientific fact in the service of policy goals on the environment, health, biomedical research, and nuclear weaponry at home and abroad." The science advisor to President Bush, Dr. John H. Marburger III said it was important to listen to the country's scientific leadership but that the report did not make a good case or "add up to a big pattern of disrespect." He did not offer specific objections. (James Glanz, "Scientists Say Administration Distorts Facts," <em>New York Times</em> , 2/18/04)</p> <p>A detailed report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, "Federal Science and the Public Good," declares in its Executive Summary: "Political interference in science has penetrated deeply into the culture and practices of federal agencies....[It] threatens our nation's ability to respond to complex challenges to public health, the environment and national security. It risks demoralizing the federal science workforce and raises the possibility of lasting harm to the federal scientific enterprise. Most important, it betrays public trust in our government and undermines the democratic principles upon which the nation was founded." (www.<a href="http://ucsusa.org">ucsusa.org</a>, 2/08)<br> &nbsp;</p> <h4>For discussion</h4> <p><b>1.</b> What questions do students have about the reading? How might they be answered?</p> <p><b>2.</b> What is the basic purpose of the EPA? Why is it important?</p> <p><b>3.</b> How would you assess EPA's response to 9/11? How might "national security" or "opening Wall Street" have anything to do with "omitting warnings" in EPA press releases about dangerous air and water conditions in New York City following the terrorist attacks? How could you find out more about the reliability of allegations that National Security Advisor Rice censored EPA press releases?</p> <p>4. Other allegations of interference with the EPA's work include: loosening regulations on mercury emissions; minimizing the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and climate change; changing rules for water quality in the Everglades; ignoring science advisories on rules for the Clear Air Act; and weakening limits on smog-forming ozone. In each case, discuss who might benefit and why from such changes. How might students find more information on each case if they need to?</p> <h4>For writing and citizenship</h4> <p>Write a letter or an e-mail to a representative, a senator, or the president on one issue raised in the readings that you feel strongly about. Your letter should express your opinion about the issue with supporting evidence and be clear and to the point. To encourage a specific answer, you might close your letter with a carefully worded question you ask the official to answer.</p> <h4>For inquiry and citizenship</h4> <p><b>1.</b> The Clean Air Act and the EPA<br> <b>2.</b> The Everglades and the EPA<br> <b>3.</b> Mercury pollution and the EPA<br> <b>4.</b> Smog-forming ozone and the EPA<br> <b>5.</b> Political interference in science at the EPA<br> <b>6.</b> An environmental issue in the school or community</p> <p>Have individuals or a small group of students formulate a question (which the teacher must approve) to guide an inquiry into one of these subjects. An investigation of a school or community environmental issue provides an opportunity for both student learning and community action. For suggestions see "<a href="/teachable-moment/lessons/teaching-social-responsibility">Teaching Social Responsibility</a>."&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p style="text-align: left"><em style="text-align: -webkit-auto; ">This lesson was written for TeachableMoment.Org, a project of Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility. We</em> <em style="text-align: -webkit-auto; ">welcome your comments. Please email them to: <a href="mailto:lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org">lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org</a></em></p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2008-06-11T14:00:00-04:00" title="Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - 14:00">June 11, 2008</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:00:00 +0000 fionta 941 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org