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The hardy-copy version of the Food not Fuel Petition -- a larger-than-life corn cob with signatures on the kernels

The Food not Fuel Petition

Target:
Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
Sponsored by: 

The use of food for fuel is taking land and livelihoods away from our planet's most vulnerable people. Evidence now suggests that biofuels are increasing food prices, making it harder for poor people to buy food. Land in developing countries is being converted to biofuel crops, preventing food from being grown for local communities, and destroying the biodiversity that thrives in many family farmers' fields.

The tide of public opinion is turning against the biofuel craze, with more and more people recognizing that they may be bad for the poor. Evidence suggests that in many cases biofuels use more fossil fuels than they offset, and generate the same if not more greenhouse gas emissions. The name agrofuels has been adopted to reflect the fact that these fuels are not necessarily good for the environment - and are closely linked to industrial agriculture.

But on June 26, 2008, the Canadian government adopted a law (Bill C-33) which would allow the federal government to implement regulations that would require 5% average biofuel content in gasoline by 2010. Subsequent regulations would also require 2% average renewable content in diesel and heating oil by 2012. Regulations are now being written which will determine whether and how fuel at the pump will takes food away from poor countries.

Learn more at http://usc-canada.org/what-you-can-do/agrofuels-overview/ . Take action today to share your concerns about the use of food for fuel -- sign the food not fuel petition. Hundreds of Canadians have been signing up on big corn cob petitions at public events around the country. Now, the petition goes online - make your voice heard before the fall comes, when Canada's position on biofuels will be taken!

The use of food for fuel is taking land and livelihoods away from our planet's most vulnerable people. Evidence now suggests that biofuels are increasing food prices, making it harder for poor people to buy food. Land in developing countries is being converted to biofuel crops, preventing food from being grown for local communities, and destroying the biodiversity that thrives in many family farmers' fields.

The tide of public opinion is turning against the biofuel craze, with more and more people recognizing that they may be bad for the poor. Evidence suggests that in many cases biofuels use more fossil fuels than they offset, and generate the same if not more greenhouse gas emissions. The name agrofuels has been adopted to reflect the fact that these fuels are not necessarily good for the environment - and are closely linked to industrial agriculture.

But on June 26, 2008, the Canadian government adopted a law (Bill C-33) which would allow the federal government to implement regulations that would require 5% average biofuel content in gasoline by 2010. Subsequent regulations would also require 2% average renewable content in diesel and heating oil by 2012. Regulations are now being written which will determine whether and how fuel at the pump will takes food away from poor countries.

Learn more at http://usc-canada.org/what-you-can-do/agrofuels-overview/ . Take action today to share your concerns about the use of food for fuel -- sign the food not fuel petition. Hundreds of Canadians have been signing up on big corn cob petitions at public events around the country. Now, the petition goes online - make your voice heard before the fall comes, when Canada's position on biofuels will be taken!

Dear Prime Minister Harper,

As Canadian citizens concerned by the impacts that the production of biofuels may have on the environment and the poor, we the undersigned would like to urge relevant authorities to reconsider Canada's biofuel policies. The UN Food and Agricultural Organization, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, the World Bank, IMF, OECD, and a number of other organizations have indicated that the recent increase in food prices is directly linked to the diversion of food for use in fuels.


Government mandates and subsidies in the US and the EU have led these regions to use their domestic crops for biofuels, reducing the amount of food they grow. This has been a major factor in reducing global grain stocks to the lowest levels in decades, as food is being used for gasoline in wealthy countries. And in developing countries, land is being taken away from small farmers to satisfy the demand for biofuel crops. Critical ecosystems like tropical forests, wetlands, and semi-arid lands are being converted to vast biofuel plantations.


Three out of four of the world's poor people live in the rural areas of developing countries. Taking land away from them robs them of their sources of livelihoods and sustenance. It violates their right to shelter and food, worsening hunger, eroding biological diversity and creating social unrest.


We, the undersigned, urge your government to seriously consider the changing tide of public and expert opinion on biofuels. We urge your government to develop regulations for Bill C-33 that ensure that biofuel content requirements are realistic, feasible, do not reduce Canadian food exports, and do not involve imports from countries where biofuel crops compete with forests, family farms, and wetlands.


As Canadians use the most energy per person in the world, we have a moral responsibility to find ways to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. We urge you to invest seriously in reducing climate change -- but by supporting solutions to this challenge which are more economically, socially and environmentally viable than biofuels. We owe it to our children and our planet.

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We signed the "The Food not Fuel Petition" petition!
# 73:
8:34 pm PDT, Oct 24, Charles Bull, Canada
Mor & more scientists are agreeing that biofuels don't make economic sense.
# 72:
7:26 am PDT, Oct 22, Name not displayed, Canada
Food should not be used for fuel.
# 71:
12:44 am PDT, Sep 26, Simos Tarabatzis, Greece
# 70:
11:24 pm PDT, Sep 13, Jean Bremer, Illinois
# 69:
10:59 am PDT, Sep 11, Sherril Gilbert, Canada
sherril_g@hotmail.com
# 68:
9:02 am PDT, Sep 11, William McBryde, United Kingdom
# 67:
1:46 pm PDT, Sep 10, Heather Allan, Canada
Biofuel should only be supported if it has no negative impact on food production anywhere and can be produced using significantly less energy than the fuel will provide without creating more greenhouse gasses.
# 66:
11:01 am PDT, Sep 8, Karen Farmer, Canada
agrofuels hurt the planet, small scale farmers and hungry people. Please don't support this as a 'solution' - it's not one.

karenfarmer@sasktel.net

# 65:
11:41 am PDT, Sep 7, Alison Hackney, Canada
Please address the food crisis ! Corn, commonly used for biofuel, is too heavily subsidized already and is one of the most energy -greedy crops.
# 64:
5:02 am PDT, Sep 7, Colin Read, Canada
Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister: I have grave concerns over the use of biofuels and I request that the government of Canada pursue other sources of energy and conservation strategies as a way of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Sincerely, Colin Read

cread@kw.igs.net

# 63:
8:43 pm PDT, Sep 6, Leslie Diane Haigh Kaye, Canada
Far more energy is derived from cellulose-based rather than sugar-based biofuels. In other words, the stalks of corn can be used for fuel, the kernels can be fed to humans and the husks can be ground to feed cattle and other ruminants. Waste not, want not.

johnston.kaye@sympatico.ca

# 62:
8:23 pm PDT, Sep 5, Ruth Di Giovanni, Canada
kujo7577@hotmail.com
# 61:
8:04 pm PDT, Sep 4, Goldenrose Paquette, Canada
I think that it is an absolute outrage that we have gotten to a point where we would take away land from other people and convert it into biofuel crops.We need to grow our own local food, have community, grow organically. How desensitized is this, to take away food from the mouths of already starving people so that the rich get richer and can drive around in there SUV's. Lets wake up here. Lets grow local food not imported cars. Can you bring it everyones attention, what it is that you're going to do about supporting the poor local farmers?
# 60:
6:01 pm PDT, Sep 4, Wallace Beaton, Canada
wbeaton2@sympatico.ca
# 59:
1:47 pm PDT, Sep 4, Name not displayed, Canada
Research into Bio fuels from waste materials should get government support. I am against spending tax payers money on ethanol plants using grain.

lisbeth@tabitha.ca

# 58:
10:55 am PDT, Sep 4, Name not displayed, Canada
# 57:
10:27 am PDT, Sep 4, Name not displayed, Canada
I am appalled by this senseless plan to use food for fuel. Spend some money developing hydrogen as a fuel, not corn!

ghughes@stu.ca

# 56:
9:40 am PDT, Sep 4, Ruby Le Guerrier, Canada
# 55:
9:23 am PDT, Sep 4, Name not displayed, Canada
I think it is a crime against humanity to develop any further infrastructure to use our valuable and limited growing space in order to grow food for automobiles. I think there should be more development of alternative fuels being produced using renewable resources and energies. There should also be a large amount of our time and money spent towards developing better transportation systems, especially infrastructure for bicycles. There is scarcely enough fertility on this planet for us all to nurture ourselves, why further the problem by promoting biofuels as a viable fuel source? I would like a response to inform me as to your plans to deal with these issues.

cestor13@hotmail.com

# 54:
9:23 am PDT, Sep 4, Name not displayed, Canada
I think it is a crime against humanity to develop any further infrastructure to use our valuable and limited growing space in order to grow food for automobiles. I think there should be more development of alternative fuels being produced using renewable resources and energies. There should also be a large amount of our time and money spent towards developing better transportation systems, especially infrastructure for bicycles. There is scarcely enough fertility on this planet for us all to nurture ourselves, why further the problem by promoting biofuels as a viable fuel source? I would like a response to inform me as to your plans to deal with these issues.

cestor13@hotmail.com

# 53:
8:47 am PDT, Sep 4, Judy Benger, Canada
# 52:
8:39 am PDT, Sep 4, William Morkill, Canada
wmorkill@shaw.ca
# 51:
8:11 am PDT, Sep 4, Robyn Newton, Canada
We should NOT be using food to produce fuel. While biofuels are part of the solution to diminishing conventional energy supplies, we should be looking at non-food biofuel sources such as switchgrass. It is unethical to divert food sources to fill our gasoline tanks while people around the world are starving.

Robyn_Newton@shaw.ca

# 50:
8:10 am PDT, Sep 4, Jessica Melnik-Gauvreau, Canada
Food not fuel!

jessicamelnik@hotmail.com

# 49:
6:38 am PDT, Sep 4, Denise Paradis, Canada
Food for people is much more important then fuel for cars!

denise_paradis@rogers.com

# 48:
10:27 pm PDT, Sep 3, Celia Borgatti, Indonesia
Too many children die already from malnutrion in developing countries - don't exacerbate the problem. Let farmers grow food for their families, not for your cars.
# 47:
8:44 pm PDT, Sep 3, Kim King, Canada
kimandmichael@shaw.ca
# 46:
8:12 pm PDT, Sep 3, Margaret Hantiuk, Canada
I cannot live in good conscience and drive my car, knowing that any fuel in it has denied a family their daily bread. That a child has died of starvation, or suffers from malnutrition, and it have even the slightest to do with the luxury of my automobile in not O.K. I'll pay more for fuel, and drive less. Surely there is another source for offsetting oil-based fuel? What about old chip grease? It gets thrown down the drain!

mmhantiuk@shaw.ca

# 45:
7:58 pm PDT, Sep 3, David Zakus, Canada
Please keep advocating to the Canadian government on this issue
# 44:
7:23 pm PDT, Sep 3, Hilde Wheeler, Canada
USING OUR AGRICULTURE LANDS TO GROW FUEL FOR FOOD IS DEPRESSING. THERE APPEAR MANY INNOVATIVE OPTIONS FOR VEHICLES OF THE FUTURE AND GROWING FUEL ON OUR PRECIOUS LAND IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE. ANY THINKING PERSON CAN FIGURE THAT OUT.

ah_wheeler@yahoo.ca

# 43:
6:22 pm PDT, Sep 3, Doug Engh, Canada
I think it is time we all had a good look at what we are doing by prompting the use of crops for fuel versus using so people can survive. Is it time to face the 'Greed' dragon and begin to consider what we are doing here on this planet and how we are doing it. Do we want to have our Children and our Grandchildren continue to live here or is it just a place to make a fast buck and to hell with everyone else. Not good for humanity or the planet. Time to start thinking like human beings.
# 42:
6:08 pm PDT, Sep 3, Gwen Steele, Canada
I am very much against using food for fuels. They have a tremendous negative effect on the environment and on the poor all over the world. It is time to find outside the box solutions. Not where to find more fuel but innovative ways and incentives to reduce our needs for fuel!!!
# 41:
5:34 pm PDT, Sep 3, Judith Johnson, Canada
It is foolish to use biofuels when there are other technologies that will serve our needs well.

judithjohnson@nexicom.net

# 40:
4:20 pm PDT, Sep 3, Robert Edgar, Canada
# 39:
3:35 pm PDT, Sep 3, Marcel Gautreau, Canada
mcgautreau@yahoo.ca
# 38:
3:34 pm PDT, Sep 3, Laura Nicol, Canada
lauran311@hotmail.com
# 37:
3:33 pm PDT, Sep 3, Isabel denholm Meyer, Canada
Mr.Harper: You have a chance to do what CANADA wants rather than what Mr. Bush wants. Even Americans are demanding we take care of poverty wherever it occurs. WHY DO YOU NOT DO WHAT CANADIANS ELECTED YOU TO DO? WE ARE NOT DOLLAR HUNGRY. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN FOOD HUNGRY? IDM

IDENNYME@VIDEOTRON.CA

# 36:
2:47 pm PDT, Sep 3, Mark Austin, Canada
Of course land will one day need to be used for not only food, but fibre, feed, and fuel...but without programs to make local food production and sales viable, farmers will do whatever makes some money..we need policies that ensure the best land, close to towns and cities especially, is reserved for food.

m.austin@xplornet.com

# 35:
10:19 am PDT, Sep 2, Asha D, Canada
# 34:
9:33 am PDT, Sep 2, Derick F., Canada
# 33:
5:53 pm PDT, Aug 31, Roxie Schliesman, Wisconsin
# 32:
7:03 am PDT, Aug 25, Linda Williams, Pennsylvania
# 31:
5:55 am PDT, Aug 23, Ruth Pryzner, Canada
To truly move forward in addressing the energy crisis we need to harness energy from natural sources instead of converting energy from high energy consumption industrial agriculture. Food production must be for people, not fuel. Biofuel production only makes sense if it is small scale, on-farm and uses waste products and grain that aren't fit for human or animal consumption. I am opposed to public money subsidizing oil/energy companies and the industrial form of agriculture. This mode of food and energy production is unjust for people, true farmers and damages the environment. There is a limited amount of arable land available for long term food production. We must stop using it to produce fuel. What would you say to the 4.7 million Ethiopians who are on the brink of starvation? How can you justify this policy when Canadians are going hungry?

moondog1@prairie.ca

# 30:
10:46 am PDT, Aug 21, Laurel Watson, Arizona
# 29:
7:02 am PDT, Aug 20, Barbara K, Michigan
I thought it was an idiotic idea a few years ago when they were just talking about using corn for fuel. Whose bright idea was it to burn our food in the gas tanks? He deserves the Moron of the Century Award. There are plenty of ways to power our cars without taking the food out of people's mouths. Besides, my grandson-in-law is a Master Mechanic and he tells us that ethanol destroys auto engines. Lots of people have a mean surprise to face when that happens to their autos.
# 28:
8:10 am PDT, Aug 18, Patty Leitzel, Michigan
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 27:
6:30 pm PDT, Aug 17, BiLL Fowlie, Maine
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 26:
2:26 am PDT, Aug 17, Toni Sokoloski, Massachusetts
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 25:
2:04 am PDT, Aug 17, Name not displayed, Germany
::::
# 24:
8:48 pm PDT, Aug 16, Pam Boland, Georgia
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 23:
8:31 pm PDT, Aug 16, Pamela White, North Carolina
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 22:
1:23 pm PDT, Aug 16, Animal Abuse Greece, Greece
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 21:
6:00 pm PDT, Aug 15, Genesis Vegan O'Neil, United States Minor Outlying Islands
Thank you.
# 20:
3:33 pm PDT, Aug 15, Isabella Hillmayr, Greece
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 19:
9:39 am PDT, Aug 15, Name not displayed, California
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 18:
6:52 am PDT, Aug 15, Esta Weiss, Texas
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 17:
6:23 am PDT, Aug 15, ELAINE ROBINSON, United Kingdom
Me personally I think F to fuel and think more of mans basic needs food water

ELAINE.ROBINSON@HOTMAIL.CO.UK

# 16:
6:10 am PDT, Aug 15, Ange Barrett, United Kingdom
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 15:
5:53 am PDT, Aug 15, Jaylena OGreenfield, Ohio
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 13:
3:38 am PDT, Aug 15, Bill McGlone, Connecticut
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 12:
3:38 am PDT, Aug 15, Franziska Eber, Germany
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 11:
3:30 am PDT, Aug 15, Bill Craig, Germany
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 10:
3:23 am PDT, Aug 15, Yvette Monnet, France
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 9:
2:53 am PDT, Aug 15, Erika Stone, Virginia
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 8:
2:40 am PDT, Aug 15, Celine Bahlinger, France
windsdaughter@wildmail.com
# 7:
9:44 pm PDT, Aug 14, Joycey Berry, North Carolina
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 6:
7:57 pm PDT, Aug 14, JOSSIE A ROSS, Canada
PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION, THIS IS A FACT A VERY TRUE & TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY !!

Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.

# 5:
5:55 pm PDT, Aug 14, Jayne Riley, United Kingdom
Please ensure reasonable food prices are maintained by ensuring enough food is grown, not just fuel crops.

Wootanya@aol.com

# 4:
5:26 pm PDT, Aug 14, Steve Dale, Australia
LEAVE FOOD AS FOOD OR MANY MORE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WILL STARVE,THERE ISNT ENOUGH FOOD FOR THE PLANET NOW AND TAKING FOOD FOR FUEL IS WRONG AND IMMORRAL.

Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.

# 3:
5:08 pm PDT, Aug 14, Shawna Murray md, New Hampshire
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 2:
2:33 pm PDT, Aug 14, Name not displayed, New York
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
# 1:
2:24 pm PDT, Aug 14, Chum Richardson, Canada
Add your email address here so authorities can tell you what they're doing to address your concerns -- and to receive more information on the agrofuels campaign.
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