I received something in the mail about this organization from RFK Jr., and decided to become a member. I am posting the site here and this particular article, because ever since I was a teenager I have supported organizations that work to clean our water and air, and see this organization as a very good one that deserves support. It has done great work in keeping the Hudson River cleaner, and this particular story upsets me and is the reason why I decided to join and donate what I could spare to help. I don't want our children growing up in a polluted country, especially when we have the power to keep it clean. The Bush administration has done ENOUGH to ruin this beautiful country in the last four years, and it is time for us to take it back. Please look at this site and then decide if you would also like to join or give what you can as well. For me, this is a very good cause for our future.
Thanks.
Jan
http://www.waterkeeper.org/Default.aspxWaterkeeper Alliance
4/19/2004
Since 1999, Waterkeeper Alliance has focused on the environmental and social devastation caused by large factory farms (“CAFOs,” or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations). CAFOs, which cram thousands of animals into warehouse style buildings, create one of the greatest sources of water pollution in the country. CAFOs contribute to the pollution of 129,000 river miles, 3.2 million lake acres, and more than 2,800 estuarine square miles.
What does this mean to you? In many states, a summer day at your favorite spots for fishing, swimming, or canoeing can be ruined by water pollution caused by CAFOs. Massive algae blooms, fish kills, high levels of bacteria in the water – all of these things are caused by CAFO pollution. And it’s not just on the surface - drinking water from wells may be contaminated with nitrates from CAFOs, causing serious health problems.
WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT?
Waterkeeper Alliance is a leading legal advocate for the public’s right to clean, safe waterways. We have filed lawsuits against CAFOs that contaminate North Carolina’s waters, challenged the industry-friendly EPA rules that give CAFOs a license to continue polluting your waters, and sued to stop North Carolina from implementing a Clean Water Act permit for CAFOs that fails to protect the waters of that state from massive amounts of hog waste.
RECENT DEVELOPMENT : On April 7th, an administrative law judge in North Carolina overwhelmingly rejected the State’s efforts to have our case against the permit dismissed. The judge’s decision means that we will continue to press our case for fair Clean Water Act regulation of CAFOs in North Carolina – we will win a permit that upholds the law and offers real protection for the state’s creeks, rivers, and bays.
FACTS ABOUT FACTORY FARMS
Factory farms threaten the environment.
Each factory farm creates millions of gallons of urine and manure. Towns and cities treat their waste in sewage plants, NOT FACTORY FARMS. Their putrid mess is pumped into large lagoons and then sprayed on nearby fields. From there, it’s a short trip to nearby waterways: your public drinking water supplies, favorite swimming holes, and secret fishing spots are all at risk.
Factory farms produce huge amounts of ammonia and other dangerous gases. The stench from factory farms can be unbearable, making neighbors sick and ruining their property values.
Factory farms threaten public health.
- Nearly 70 percent of all antibiotics used in the U.S. are fed to animals.
- Roughly half of these drugs are identical or closely related to those used to treat people.
This overuse creates antibiotic resistant bacteria, making antibiotics less effective at treating us.
Factory farms cause animal suffering.
Factory farms cruelly confine animals in restrictive, disease filled conditions, frustrating their natural behaviors.
Factory farms damage communities.
More than two million family farms have been lost in the past 50 years as large-scale operations have taken over the market. As family farms disappear, rural communities are devastated.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
YOU have the real power to solve this environmental and social crisis.
As you buy meat, milk, cheese, and produce take the extra step to learn more about it. Where did it come from? Were pesticides, chemical fertilizers, hormones or antibiotics used? Your choices at the market can make a big difference in the struggle to keep agriculture healthy and sustainable. Hands-on farmers, using proven techniques that reduce chemical use and animal cruelty, are the strongest link between healthy food and a secure environment. Please, think twice before buying corporate pork and other factory grown food!
Visit these websites to learn more:
: : “The Meatrix” (a fantastic animation revealing the truth behind the meat you buy)
: The Eat Well Guide (A Guide to sustainable food in your area)
: Earth Pledge Foundation’s Farm to Table campaign (Connecting farmers to consumers in the New York City area)
: Food Routes (Where does your food come from ?…)
: Organic Valley Family of Farms (Organic dairy products, and supporters of Waterkeeper Alliance)
: Niman Ranch (Raising pigs the way they ought to be…)