News
The Essential Reference for Essential Oils
Great to see this lovely volume finally in the shops
Neal’s Yard Remedies Essential Oils is a great reference work but also so much more than that. It contains detailed information on oils and ingredients, tips on making your own superb blends and pampering recipes and ways to use aromatherapy to support health and healing. I was fortunate to work with collegues Susan Curtis and Fran Johnson again on this book (we previously worked together on the Neal’s Yard Remedies Beauty Book – see below).
It’s available now. I hope you enjoy it.
On Tour with Neil Young – Again!
It may have looked like things were quite over the last few months but they have been anything but! My group Beyond GM was chosen to organise the GMO and Future of Farming tents for the Global Village of Activists that accompanied Neil Young on his 2016 European tour. It was a tremendous opportunity to do some grassroots campaigning and to strengthen our networks throughout Europe. The Villages on UK home territory were particulalry gratifying and allowed us to meet so many people who really ‘get it’ and who want a sustainable food system that guarantees us health and security far into the future.
After two months of frantic prep, 2 months of touring, 15 countries, 25 villages, thousands of people engaged, several films produced and lots of social media I can finally unpack! Thanks to all our partner NGOs who joined us in each country to help make a difference. Let’s keep standing up for a sustainable food system in Europe.
- You can read about the tour here.
- Read my take on the partmership between music and activism here.
- See photos from the UK villages here.
- Check the media resources which we produced which includes a list of the groups we worked with here.
- Check the Beyond GM YouTube channel for some nice films on the tour.
Enjoy (I know I did)!
New Kids Video Project
It’s their future and they must have a voice.
This I’m currently involved as producer on a unique video project for my group Beyond GM.
Our Food Our Future aims to give children a chance to speak up about GMOs and educate other kids in the world about their experiences.
It is calling on kids of all ages in the Americas to start an international conversation by sending in a short video of themselves talking about the food issues that affect them and their families, with a specific focus on GMOs, pesticides, labelling, health, environment, activism and the future.
The project is a next phase of the successful Letter from America project which launched in 2014 to international acclaim and with widespread support by US NGOs and high profile individuals.
Our Food Our Future aims to get kids in the Americas telling their stories to kids in the UK and the rest of Europe, where many governments, including the British government, are planning to plant GMO crops and, with the implementation of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), import more GMOs foods and animal feed.
We’ve been very luck to have Beyond GM’s teen ‘ambassador’ Mya-Rose Craig (aka Birdgirl) assists us with our video appeal.
If you have kids – or grandkids – or are a kid living in the Americas please support the project by uploading your video here.
Neal’s Yard Remedies Beauty Book is Out
It’s always a pleasure to produce these beautiful books with Neal’s Yard Remedies.
This Neal’s Yard Remedies Beauty Book can help you change your beauty regime by giving an in depth look at natural ingredients, recipes for homemade treats and make-up looks that enhance your natural beauty.
I first made my name challenging the toxic ingredients that are put into most personal care products. We do a lot of ugly things in the name of beauty – but it doesn’t have to be that way.
I was very pleased to see the book, which I co-authored with colleagues Susan Curtis and Fran Johnson, featured in the Daily Telegraph and it has had a fantastic reception by others including the Beauty Bible, Good Housekeeping and lots of online sites.
There will be more books on the way. Next up the only guide you will ever need to essential oils…
Our Campaign is Growing
The last year or so has seen the Beyond GM group grow and reach out to ever more people in the UK.
After 20 years of failure it’s hard to believe that corporate interests are still pushing the GMO agenda in what amounts to a large uncontrolled experiment in food and human health. But they are and if possible even harder – and with even more money in their pockets – than before. Beyond GM was founded late in 2014 by myself and others to ensure that when it comes to agricultural GM, we have an engaged and educated public that understands the problems – as well as the solutions – and will speak out for a better, fairer, safer food system than genetic modification could ever provide.
From the establishment of core campaign of Beyond GM we now have a thriving GM Free Me campaign, the phenomenally successful Letter form America – now translated into 8 languages, lively GMO OMG film nights, and a growing group of mothers Mums Say no to GMOs who are putting forward the consumer case. This year we have embarked on a major photographic campaign We Feed The World, to help highlight the importance of small and family farmers to the future of our food system. There will be more to come as the year unfolds.
Please support us and use our websites and social media as resources to help you keep in touch and to understand more about agricultural GMOs and their impact on food, environment and health.
Winter Wellness
Staying healthy in the winter is mostly a matter of common sense.
It’s great to be asked to write something positive about health for a change! This month I am the guest blogger on Neal’s Yard Remedies Year of Wellbeing site where I share a few simple tips for keeping the bugs at bay. I’ll also be answering questions on Neal’s Yard Remedies’ twitter page on February 10th so check in an join the discussion. For more in depth information on health and well being make sure to follow NYR Natural News, which I edit, and which is a wealth news updates, articles and reliable information on how to manage your health naturally.
Oxford Real Farming Conference 2016
It will be great to be back at the Oxford Real Farming Conference, January 6, 2016.
I’ll be speaking at the session, How can we win the war of words on GM?
From the programme:
Genetically modified food can be an explosive topic. Passion is a powerful force for change, but how can we ensure that, when we talk about GM, we generate more light than heat? Leading GM campaigners share their experience of presenting the case against GM and discuss the ways in which different language, tone and emphasis can help, or hinder, the campaign to keep GM out of our food and off our farms.
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There is Such a Thing as a Free Lunch…
…And a bunch of us proved it this week…
My group, Beyond GM, worked with the Humane Society International, Compassion in World Farming, Food for Life Global and the European Parliament’s Sustainable Food Systems Group to put on a special event highlighting waste – and sustainability – in the food system.
The Free Lunch which took place on the Esplanade of the European Parliament was by all accounts the largest food event outside the European Parliament ever. We served around 1000 people on the Esplanade and around 500 refugees camped out in Parc Maximilien received the surplus from the day (check out the pictures here)
All the organisations behind the event were involved in the sourcing and preparation of the food – but of course we also had professional chefs including Peter O’Grady of Food for All Feeding the 5000. We estimate we used between 1-1 ½ tonnes of nourishing – and non-GMO! – plant-based food that would otherwise have gone to waste.
You can see some of the photos and videos from the pre-event cooking and the event itself on Beyond GM’s Facebook page as well as on The Free Lunch Facebook page. You can read more about the event here.
On Tour With Neil Young
It’s been some time since I dusted off my rock & roll shoes. But I did just that this month – and got a chance to reconcile my former career with my current one – when Beyond GM joined our colleagues at GMO Free USA on tour with Neil Young + Promise of the Real […]
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BBC Panorama: Cultivating Lies and Ignorance Around GMOs
I’ve seen a lot of really crappy TV programmes about GMOs over the years. I’ve read so-called ‘news’ stories that were blatantly re-written press releases, and so essentially advertisements for the biotech industry. My expectations of the media in this regard, are now so low I can’t usually be surprised. But watching the BBC Panorama […]
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