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WASHINGTON – July 25, 2011 A coalition of organizations, businesses and individuals announced today a bold mobilization plan to raise awareness and pressure the government about the lack of labeling of Genetically Engineered foods people unknowingly consume.  Such foods are also termed “Genetically Modified Organisms” or “GMOs.”  The GMO Right2Know March will feature daily events between New York and Washington, D.C., October 1-16 as thousands of marchers are expected to walk part or all of the 313 miles from the United Nations’ Headquarters to the White House.  The marchers are looking for support from communities along the route which can be viewed at Right2KnowMarch.org.

“Pesticide companies develop Genetically Engineered food crops by combining DNA from plants, animals, bacteria and viruses, to contain or resist pesticide, which results in more pesticides sold and sprayed,”  says Michael Hansen, Chief Scientist of Consumers Union.  ”Genetically engineered foods can be detrimental to our health, just as they are to the environment and farmers’ livelihoods.  American consumers deserve the choice whether they want to eat GMOs, just like their counterparts in Europe and Japan,” says Hansen who will join kick off of the March on October 1 at the United Nations in New York.

The March will rally in a broad swath of East Coast cities and towns including:

• New York:  Brooklyn, New York City
• New Jersey:  Jersey City, Newark, Millburn, Union, Springfield, Scotch Plains, New Brunswick, Princeton
• Pennsylvania:  Morrisville, Trevose, Jenkintown, Philadelphia, Springfield
• Delaware:  Wilmington, Hockessin, Newark
• Maryland:  Darlington, Monkton, Timonium, Baltimore, Elicott City, Jessup, Laurel, College Park, Takoma Park, and
• Washington, D.C.

Early supporting organizations include the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), Non-GMO Project, Center for Food Safety, Food Democracy Now, National Co-operative Grocer Association, Organic Trade Association, The Organic Center, the Independent Natural Food Retailers Association (INFRA), Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, and the Northeast Organic Farmers Association of NY.  Business sponsors include [alphabetical] Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, Kamut International, Nutiva, Nature’s Path Foods, Inc., Organic Valley, Rapunzel, Stonyfield Farm, and United Natural Foods Inc.

“While most Americans agree we have a right to know what is in our food, the federal government has resisted labeling genetically engineered food for over a decade,” says Right2Know March organizer Katherine DiMatteo, President of IFOAM.   “It’s time to demand that the government be responsible to its citizens and enact mandatory labeling of GMOs instead of pretending that GMO crops are the same as traditional crops.”

In New York, Washington, D.C. and along the route, advocates, farmers and business leaders including Vandana Shiva, Percy and Louis Schmeiser, Andrew Kimbrell, Frances Moore Lappe ,Anna Lappe, Sara Snow, Dr. Alan Greene, Joseph Wilhelm, Michael Funk, Megan Westgate, David Bronner, Ashley Koff, RD and many others are expected to join in the coming months to speak out for GMO Labeling and to inspire citizens to take action to protect themselves and the future of farming.

“After 30 years and billions of dollars in research, only two principal traits have been successfully developed: weed killer tolerance and insecticide production. Despite industry promises, there are no GMO traits currently on the market for increased yield, drought tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other humanitarian or environmental benefit,” says Megan Westgate, Executive Director of the Non-GMO Project, fiscal sponsor of the Right2Know March. “Americans should have the right to opt out of this experiment, and this march is about standing up and demanding that freedom.”

“As long as there is great uncertainly about the long term effects of GMO on the environment and upon tikkun olum~justice issues that arise from the right of  communities to access their own seeds, plants and land, a right currently challenged by many food corporations, the use of GMO food products should be questioned.  People who view GMO food products as muktzeh~out of bounds for eco-kosher use, have a right to know which products contain GMO. GMO ingredients should appear on food labels,” says Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, Shomeret Shalom Network for Jewish Nonviolence at The Community of Living Traditions.

The Right2Know march will be joined by the Sustainable Living Road Show and the Compass Green Mobile Greenhouse Project.  Marchers will have a chance to bathe in the ALL-ONE Ark, Dr. Bronner’s “Interblastive Foam Experience!” and eat organic, non-GMO food provided to marchers for a small fee.

Members of the media are encouraged to follow the entire organizing effort and report on our progress.  Please sign up for email alerts through our website or call Adam Eidinger 202-744-2671 to arrange interviews or for in person requests.

Members of the public should call the Right2Know March Hotline: 202.557.5164 or emailerica@right2knowmarch.org.

SOURCE Right2KnowMarch.org

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Brooklyn NY – June 20, 2011 Wembé is thrilled to announce it has been awarded the Green America Business Seal of Approval.  The seal is presented to businesses that go beyond product and service quality to set the highest standards in environmental sustainability and social justice, and work to solve, rather than create, environmental and social problems.

To be considered for the Seal of Approval and earn a listing in the annual National Green Pages™, businesses complete a rigorous screening process to ensure they meet Green America’s standards for the environment, community and labor.

Wembé is known for its unique organic soap blends, which can be found nationwide at www.wembe.com. Their goal is to provide meaningful employment to their local populace, and to make people aware of the incredible array of beneficial plants in the Amazon rainforest. As they believe that the best and the rarest comes from the Amazonian soul, they captured virgin and undiscovered essences and turned them into evenly moisturizing, detoxifying and relaxing blended products.

“We are over the top excited to earn this coveted Seal of Approval,” said Rolando Zuccolillo, founder and President of WEMBE USA INC. “It’s one of the most respected and recognized symbols in the green marketplace and a powerful way to set Wembé apart as a leader in its field.”

Wembé is now an Approved member of the Green Business Network, a distinguished and celebrated group of companies that use their products and services as a vehicle for social and environmental change.

More information on GBN can be found at www.greenbusinessnetwork.org

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About Green America’s Green Business Network

Comprised of 5,000 businesses, the Green Business Network™ is home to both rising social and eco enterprises and the most established green businesses around. We provide the tools, the information, and the consumer base to help you thrive in today’s competitive green marketplace.

http://www.greenbusinessnetwork.org

About Wembé

Wembé is a Paraguayan company based in NYC dedicated to making the highest quality Fair Trade and organic products using indigenous and renewable rainforest ingredients. One of our goals is to provide meaningful employment to our local populace, and to make people aware of the incredible array of beneficial plants in the Amazon rainforest. By harvesting these ingredients in an ethical and renewable manner we are working to help preserve the rain forest and its diversity.

http://www.wembe.com