There are many ways to get involved to help stop the circle of poison!
1. See where your candidates and representatives stand on food and environmental issues and contact them to let them know that these issues matter to their constituency! Try these helpful websites: House.gov, Open Congress, or Contacting the Congress.
2. Learn more about what's on your food! WhatsOnMyFood.org is a searchable database linking food pesticide residue and the toxicology of chemicals.
3. Try to eat a more local, organic, and plant-based diet. Search for sources of local and sustainable food at EatWellGuide.org. If you can't buy local, look for organic produce so you can be more confident that the farmworkers weren't exposed to dangerous pesticides and that you and your family won't be eating any pesticide residues. Since organic and local costs more, try saving money (and the planet and your health) by eating more plant-based meals. Forks Over Knives is a great documentary and online resource for plant-based eating.
4. Volunteer with, make a donation, or sign up to get updates from the following organizations featured in the film:
The film features interviews with Pesticide Action Network North America's former Co-Executive Director. PANNA is working on the frontlines to address the problem of pesticides as one of 5 regional centers linking local and international consumer, labor, health, environment and agriculture groups into an international citizens’ action network. What's On My Food is a project of Pesticide Action Network.
In the film Andrew Kimbrell, Founder and Executive Director of Center for Food Safety, revealed the power and influence of chemical companies in Washington, D.C. through lobbying money and the revolving door between corporations and regulatory agencies. The Center for Food Safety is a non-profit and public interest organization that works to protect human health and the environment by reducing harmful food production technologies like pesticides. CFS also promote organic and other forms of sustainable agriculture through policy reports and educational materials.
Executive Director of Beyond Pesticides, Jay Feldman, compares exporting dangerous pesticides to exporting nuclear technology in the film. Beyond Pesticides works to protect public health and the environment with the goal of transitioning to a world free of pesticides. Beyond Pesticides created the Gateway on Pesticides, an important tool for pesticide hazards and safe pest management.
Featured throughout the film, Dr. Vandana Shiva is a renowned activist and author who founded Navdanya to "protect nature and people's rights to knowledge, biodiversity, water, and food." It's a women-centered movement and a network of seed savers and organic producers across 18 states in India.
Thanks to Executive Director of International Indian Treaty Council, Andrea Carmen of the Yaqui Nation (who is interviewed in the film), we were able to film in the Yaqui Valley in Sonora, Mexico, to document the effects of pesticides on the community and the efforts of organic farmers who refuse to spray. IITC works for the rights and recognition of Indigenous Peoples.
Monique Harden, Attorney and Co-Director of Advocates for Environmental Human Rights, tells the stories of Cancer Alley, Louisiana and the impact of chemical manufacturing on poor, minority communities in the film. AEHR works to achieve environmental justice and advocates for the human right to a healthy environment.
Thanal is an organization doing pioneering work to fight dangerous pesticides, including banning endosulfan, in Kerala, India. Thanal is involved with the Organic Bazaar featured in the film as well as Pesticide Action Network (PAN) India. The film's stories from India wouldn't have been possible without the help of Thanal.
RAP-AL, translated as Pesticide Action Network and Alternatives for Latin America, is PAN's Latin American and Caribbean regional center based in Argentina. RAP-AL introduced the filmmakers to the inspiring work of the organic farmers with the Agricultural Cooperative of Canuelas.
The Goldman Environmental Prize recognizes ordinary people fighting at the grassroots level to protect the environment. 2012 prize recipient, Sofia Gatica of the Mothers of Ituzaingo, is featured in the film and some of the footage of her story is thanks to the Goldman Environmental Prize.