Clean It Up Tyson - Mighty Earth
What comes to mind when you picture “Tyson Foods”? A chicken nugget? Their big red logo? How about the largest toxic deadzone in history in the Gulf of Mexico? It turns out the meat industry, and corporate giants like Tyson Foods, are intricately linked with this environmental catastrophe, and many others.
Industrial-scale agriculture to support America’s livestock is the number one source of water pollution in the country. At the same time, eating meat is fundamental to many of our national identities. Fortunately for us, there is a way to have our burgers and eat them too! Though industrial agriculture to feed meat animals is currently resource-intensive and ecologically destructive, it doesn’t need to be. Solutions exist which, if adopted, would allow the meat industry and agricultural corporations that sustain it to reduce their impact on our water and our planet.That’s why Mighty Earth recently launched its #CleanItUpTyson campaign here in Dallas. Their goal is to hold the meat industry accountable to our communities and our environment. Corporations can and should respect the health and wellbeing of their customers, and the landscapes that allow them to profit. Now, less than two months later, Mighty Earth has over 50 local businesses and organizations signed on to its local coalition, representing over 35,000 Texans who want a sustainable food system, and clean water.The press conference on October 11 outside the Texas State Fair announcing this coalition featured guest speaker Thomas Locke, owner of Bois D’Arc meat company. He told us that “the majority of the world feeds itself through the use of non-industrial agriculture, and we could also feed ourselves this way with a commitment to sustainable practices”.Mighty Earth will be having a Clean Food Forum to raise awareness in our community about the impacts of industrial scale agriculture, and highlight solutions. It’s taking place on November 15 at 7PM at the Trinity River Audubon Center. In the meantime, make sure to sign Mighty Earth’s petition, or make a call to Tyson’s corporate headquarters, and add your voice to the rising chorus calling for cleaner meat as well as a link to Mighty Earth's Clean Food Forum here. Together, we’re asking Tyson Foods to lead the way to a more sustainable food system, and protect the one planet we have. -Shana GallagherMighty Earth campaigner in Dallas, TXField Organizer with Green Corps
