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.
I consume therefore I am…as the modern mantra goes. People vary, of course, in how closely they stick to this mantra. For some the act of shopping, of consuming, of treating the world like their own private hypermarket is both thrilling and fulfilling. But the psychology – or neurosis – of the consumer society aside, […]
If you are a regular user of herbal remedies, you may have just shrugged off the article in the Daily Mail as yet another example of herb bashing. But it was worth paying attention to because in a few short paragraphs it illustrated so much of what is wrong with the way our media perceives […]
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.
About Pat Thomas
I am an award-winning campaigner, journalist and author. A former editor of the Ecologist magazine Pat has run campaigns for Paul McCartney’s Meat-Free Monday, Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) and Neal’s Yard Remedies. In 2011, my work leading the campaign, Cows Belong in Fields, won CIWF the Observer Ethical Award for Campaigner of the Year. In 2014 I co-founded the campaigning group, Beyond GM.
I am a qualified psychotherapist and the author more than 40 books for adults and children and I was inducted into Who’s Who in 2014. In addition to my work with Beyond GM, I work occasionally with the film production company Ecostorm. I also currently edit and oversee NYR Natural News – a campaigning natural health website, continue to write in a freelance capacity and make regular public speaking and media appearances.
I have been a trustee of both the Soil Association and the Organic Research Centre in the UK and am currently on the advisory board of GMO Free USA and am a trustee of the investigative media agency, Eyewitness.
To read more about me see here.
Contact Pat
Skype: patti.t16
Contact Form
Projects, Consultancies and Public Speaking
I am interested in and available for short- and long-term projects/consultancies, and am particularly keen on those that focus on food, sustainability and culture change. I am also an experienced public speaker.
My unique professional experience means I bring a variety of skills to any work I do, including effective and persuasive communication and writing skills, an holistic perspective on sustainability and change, and both intuitive and analytical ability. I am well known in my field and comfortable working in most fora.
Recent projects/consultancies include work with: Stella McCartney ‘Care’ range, Paul McCartney’s Meat Free Monday, Friends of the Earth, Compassion in World Farming, Soil Association, Neal’s Yard Remedies.
Recent public speaking engagements: UK Aware, Oxford University PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) Society, Durham Union Society (Durham University), Bristol Festival of Nature, World Preservation Foundation, Women’s Institute.
I'm a highly experienced journalist and award winning campaigner specialising in environment and alternative health. I'm also the author of several books for adults and children and a qualified psychotherapist.
