Wondering who marches in the Champaign County Freedom Celebration parade? There will be a diverse group of more than 140 entries, including representation from a group of area parents worried about genetically modified food marching as part of a national movement geared to raise awareness. Locally this movement is led by Jessica Nolen, a Champaign-Urbana native who works as a Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Master Teacher and Practitioner. A University of Illinois graduate, she lived in Berkeley, Calif., and Hawaii before returning here. She is passionate about yoga practice and teaching — in home and at Green Yoga Spa in Urbana. You can also likely find her leading or participating with the free yoga class at Meadowbrook Park at Saturday mornings this summer, or leading Water Yoga on Thursdays at Indian Acres Swim Club. Her daughter was born in 2006 in Hawaii.
Jessica Nolen and her daughter. Photo provided
Why are you passionate about the issue of GMO (genetically modified organisms) in food?
As a mother who works in a health profession, as well as having worked in the field of child development, I have seen firsthand how significant our food choices are to health. My daughter has allergies. She can’t eat eggs or artificial food dyes. Planting and harvest season is also very hard on her respiratory system, and sadly, we have learned that we just have to keep our home closed up with an air filter running constantly. The beginning of her kindergarten year was marked dramatically by a 4 a.m. ambulance ride after she had a tonic seizure, stopped breathing and turned blue! This was most likely related to a lack of oxygen due to her severe cough and allergies she had been suffering from for months. Thankfully, she recovered quickly, and EEG and sleep lab studies came back normal. A dramatic increase in allergies, especially in children, has been linked to the use of GMO’s in our food, as well as the glyphosate, which is the active ingredient in RoundUp. RoundUp is the chemical which is sprayed in copious amounts on GMO crops which have been modified to tolerate the poison. Thus, the weeds die while the crop survives. The most prominent GMO’s in our food supply are corn and soy. In addition to allergies, this deadly combination has been linked to an increase in numerous health issues including digestive problems like IBS, Autism, Cancer (particularly breast cancer), and many other diseases which are aggravated by the increase in inflammation which occurs when one consumes GMO food. GMO food also has a lower nutritional value than non-GMO food.
In addition to the health problems caused by the consumption of GMO food and glyphosate, there is also environmental damage caused by the growth of GMO foods. Of most concern to me is the dramatic decline in the population of our pollinators, especially bees. The death rate of bees has been linked to the use of glyphosate. Without bees, many of the foods that we eat will cease to exist. There are also plants which have been genetically modified to produce BT Toxin. The entire organism produces this toxin so that when insects eat it, their stomachs rupture and they die. This is the food that we are eating, so is it any wonder that there has also been an increase in digestive disorders?! Digestive disorders are also linked with Autism, and many children who are on the Autism spectrum are getting better when GMO foods are eliminated from their diet.
Furthermore, there is the problem of the Terminator Seed, created by Monsanto, the company also responsible for RoundUp Ready seed, Agent Orange and DDT. The terminator seed fails to produce new seed for planting and the patents on these seeds cause farmers to face the economic trap of having to continue to purchase new seeds each year. Not to mention the frightening aspect of the increase of plant which are unable to reproduce naturally.
The march on the Fourth of July is a nationwide effort by a group called Moms Across America, how did you get involved?
Since I have been following the issues regarding bee decline and food allergies for some time, I became aware of the links to GMO and glyphosate, and RoundUp ready seeds. I started following various groups such as March Against Monsanto and other environmental watchdogs. We participated in the Global March Against Monsanto on May 25 and took our homemade signs to demonstrate at the Capitol in Springfield. It was after this event that I learned through social media about the group Moms Across America March to Label GMO’s. I went to their website where there was a link to find a march near you, similar to the March Against Monsanto website. Since there was not one here, I decided to create one!
What is your goal for the local group marching in the July 4 parade, and what messages will you be distributing?
Our goal is to raise awareness about GMO’s and why they are harmful to our health and our environment. Many people have never even heard of GMO’s. Many people may have heard of GMO’s but don’t know what they are. Many people may know about GMO’s but don’t realize that they are in the majority of our foods and why they are harmful. Since the most prominent GMO’s foods are corn and soy, we can find this in most of the processed foods on our grocery store shelves. There is currently no legal requirement for companies to label these foods as GMO. On a positive note however, many states are introducing legislation to Label GMO’s, including Illinois. We need to encourage our lawmakers to pass laws requiring this labeling, and we need to let our dollars speak by not buying it! The goal is to plant the seed of GMO awareness, so that more and more people may begin the journey of educating themselves about the harm that they are causing. We will be passing out basic informative flyers provided by the group Moms Across America March to Label GMO’s.
What will be the follow-up after this event regarding GMO awareness in Champaign-Urbana?
We are working with the Food and Water Watch group and will continue to do so at a booth at the Market at the Square, spreading the word about upcoming hearings regarding GMO Labeling legislation and petitions. We have also offered free screening of the film Genetic Roulette at Common Ground Food Co-op, which is a very concise and informative documentary about GMO’s. We may continue these screenings there or at other locations. I am also hoping to raise awareness in the Unit 4 school system, and perhaps eventually others, to improve school lunches and eliminate GMO’s.
You are a licensed massage therapist who practices reiki and teaches yoga in the park and water yoga. Sounds relaxing – how do you recommend that busy moms manage stress?
Remember to breathe! Stay balanced by taking just as good care of yourself as you do of your kids!
When you are not passionate about food, what are you passionate about – and why?
I am passionate about my work. I believe that we all have a higher calling and specific life lessons, and it is our job to figure out what that is in this lifetime. Our emotional bodies communicate with our physical bodies to help us figure this out. When we are struggling with emotional or physical discomforts, there is something to learn from it, whether it is that you are out of balance, or that you may need to make a dramatic change in your life, or something else. Massage and energy work help us to relax and get in touch with our bodies and our inner selves, so that we can breathe and listen to the calling of our hearts. I am also passionate about mothering the greatest gift of my life, and doing all that I can to ensure that she has a beautiful future on this planet ahead of her.
For more information on this event, you can contact Jessica - jnolenhawaii@gmail.com or 217-417-2929. www.facebook.com/events/
467553269998000/
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