Hawai‘i Grassroots Groups Host “Our Right to Health” Events to Educate Consumers and Families
Free public events on Maui, Hawai‘i Island, Kaua‘i and O‘ahu
Wed. July 22 thru Sat. Aug 1 2015
Honolulu, HI – Please join us this July for “Our Right to Health,” an islands-wide educational tour featuring experts on the impacts of pesticides and genetically engineered (GE) crops on human and environmental health. Dr. Stephanie Seneff (MIT) and Dr. Judy Carman (Institute of Health and Environmental Research, Australia) will present across the islands to communities seeking information about the potential threats pesticides and GE crops pose to the health of their families, food system and environment. See below for a full list of tour dates and locations, or visit: tinyurl.com/OurRightToHealth.
Seeds of Truth and several other nonprofit and grassroots organizations are hosting the tour in response to growing public concern in Hawai‘i about this issue. As the pesticide-seed industry spins its public image through costly media campaigns, confused consumers and parents are left with little information about the safety risks of pesticides for their families’ health and natural resources.
Dr. Melissa Yee, director of Seeds of Truth, believes this tour is just what Hawai‘i residents need right now. She says, “Once people become aware of the risks agrochemicals and industrial agriculture pose to our long-term health and safety, it’s easy for them to read between the lines of the industry’s messaging. We organized this tour as a resource for the public to get reliable information and empower them to make informed choices.” Tour sponsors also include The SHAKA Movement, GMO Free Hawai'i Island, GMO Free Kaua'i, Kokua Market and Hawai'i Center for Food Safety.
Dr. Seneff will discuss the chemical glyphosate, a probable carcinogen according to the World Health Organization and the active ingredient in the world’s most widely-used herbicide Roundup. Dr. Carman will discuss the safety of eating GE foods. Both speakers will share their findings about the apparent human and environmental health risks associated with these products, and methods for reducing risk of exposure and overall use in our communities.
The educational tour will also grow the network of people actively supporting initiatives to create a safer, healthier local food system for Hawai‘i, and foster collaborative efforts to develop solutions and implement alternatives to industrial agriculture.
For more information about the intensive use of pesticides in Hawai‘i, please read the newly released report Pesticides in Paradise from Hawai'i Center for Food Safety and visit www.hawaiicfs.org.
Contact:
Dr. Melissa Yee, Seeds of Truth
Phone: (808) 292-1179
TOUR DATES
MAUI – Contact Christina (808) 283-0251
Wed July 22 – Kahului, 7 PM
Maui Arts & Culture Center, Alexis Higashi Meeting Room
Thurs & Fri – July 23 & 24 – TBA
Please call to reserve your space
HAWAI‘I ISLAND - Contact Chandell (808) 896-1686
Sat July 25 – Waimea, 1:30 to 5 PM
Tutu’s House, 64-1032 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela
Sun July 26 – Honoka‘a, 6 to 9 PM
Noth Hawai‘i Educational Research Center (NHERC)
45-539 Plumeria Street, Honoka‘a
Mon July 27 – Kona, 6 to 9 PM
County of Hawai‘i Civic Center
74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Bldg B (above the harbor)
KAUA‘I – Contact Mi-Key (808) 651-9603
Tues July 28 – Waimea, 6:30 PM
Waimea Canyon Middle School Cafeteria
Wed July 29 – North Shore, 7 PM
Church of the Pacific
Thurs July 30 – Lihue, 7 PM
Kaua‘i Community College Performing Arts Center
O‘AHU – Contact Dr. Melissa Yee (808) 292-1179
Fri July 31 - Honolulu, 7 to 9 PM
Art Auditorium, University of Hawai‘i Manoa Campus
Sat Aug 1 – Honolulu, 3 to 5 PM
MOA Hawai‘i Toho No Hikari Center, 3510 Nuuanu Pali Drive
