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When I was growing up in the sixties, nothing was more fulfilling to me than listening to my favorite bands. This was a time of much unrest at the political, social and educational levels. Many of us were calling for change in our government and protesting to end the Vietnam War. During this timeframe, some of the music being released by the great artists of this era reflected this unrest and brought us the message of change. We are in another time of unrest and people are again standing up and speaking out against corporate control and in particular, speaking up about companies like Monsanto and the other chemical companies, who are genetically engineering our food with toxic chemicals and using us as their human guinea pigs. Neil Young + Promise of the Real are speaking out in a big way!

I was only 16 when Woodstock happened so hitchhiking to New York wasn’t really an option, at least as far as my parents were concerned. But–there was this band that I fell in love with–Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. There was something so soulful and meaningful in their music and I could not get enough of it. I had been a big Neil Young fan when he was with Buffalo Springfield so when he joined Crosby, Stills and Nash, it was magic! There was just something about him that I was drawn to–the way he wrote and sang from the heart. I bought his album Harvest when it came out in 1972 and fell in love all over again! I learned to play the guitar that year and the first song I wanted to learn was Neil Young’s song, Heart of Gold.

Fast forward to 2015 and I am now a food activist, wellness coach, writer, and speaker, educating everyone who wants to know about what is happening with our food supply. I have interviewed the very best experts in the world to discuss the dangers of GMOs, glyphosate (RoundUp), and other toxins that are being placed in our food by corporations, and in particular, Monsanto. I have studied, researched, and learned so much over the past 6 years, since starting Food Integrity Now, about food and have made it my mission to educate and raise awareness about the poisoning of our food–the poisoning of our children! Neil Young gets this!

I knew Neil Young was an environmental activist speaking out against the pollution of our planet–but when he started speaking out against GMOs and Starbucks and boycotting them because of their Monsanto milk, I feel in love all over again, again! In a statement last November, Young said: “I used to line up and get my latte everyday, but yesterday was my last one. Starbucks has teamed up with Monsanto to sue Vermont, and stop accurate food labeling…we have a right to know what we put in our mouths. Starbucks doesn’t think you have the right to know what what’s in your coffee. So it’s teamed up with Monsanto to sue the small U.S. state of Vermont to stop you from finding out. Hiding behind the shadowy “Grocery Manufacturers Association,” Starbucks is supporting a lawsuit that’s aiming to block a landmark law that requires genetically-modified ingredients be labeled…”

In May this year, Young made a further statement: “Contrary to the misleading information coming from Starbucks, the coffee company is in alliance with other Food Giants, including Monsanto, in suing the state of Vermont to overturn the GMO labeling laws voted for by the people.  An alliance is a pact, coalition or friendship between two or more parties, made in order to advance common goals and to secure common interests. Starbucks and Monsanto are members of the Grocery Manufacturers Alliance. The Grocery Manufacturers Alliance sued the state of Vermont to overturn the people’s will to mandate GMO labeling in Vermont.  In communications with Starbucks the company was unresponsive to the direct question on whether Starbuck’s coffee product contained GMOs.”

On April 27, 2015, Chief Judge Christina Reiss of the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont issued an opinion that mostly favored the State of Vermont and the positions of GMO-labeling advocates. However this is only the first round, the Plaintiffs have not announced their next steps. At this point, they may seek an interlocutory appeal of this decision at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

My greatest mission in this life is to help restore our food supply to one that is free from GMOs, harmful chemicals and pesticides to one that will nourish our children, our grandchildren and generations to come. Genetically modified foods have been linked to toxic and allergic reactions, sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals. The effects on humans of consuming these new combinations of proteins produced in GMOs are unknown and have not been studied. Currently, 80% of the foods in our mainstream grocery stores are genetically modified. Last year (2014), 89% of U.S. corn, 93% of U.S. soy, and 95% of U.S. sugar beets were genetically modified for tolerance to glyphosate.  Repeat  spraying of glyphosate tolerant (Roundup Ready) crops builds residues that can carry over into food products.  Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that glyphosate, the active ingredient in RoundUp, is a probable carcinogen. Again, Neil Young gets this and is willing to speak out, sing out and take his message to the people!

On June 29, Neil Young + Promise of the Real will release a CD/DVD entitled The Monsanto Years which will help raise awareness about the poisoning of our foods and the Earth through GMOs and toxic pesticides. You can preorder here.

The 11 city tour kicks off on July 5 in Milwaukee.

The tour schedule is as follows:

7/5: Milwaukee Summer Fest – Milwaukee, WI
7/8: Red Rocks – Denver, CO
7/9: Red Rocks – Denver, CO
7/11: Pinnacle Bank Arena – Lincoln, NE
7/13: Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH
7/14: DTE Energy Music Theatre – Clarkston, MI
7/16: Susquehanna Bank Center – Camden, NJ
7/17: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts – Bethel, NY
7/19: Champlain Valley Expo – Essex Junction, VT
7/21: Jones Beach – Wantagh, NY
7/22: Xfinity Center – Great Woods, MA
7/24: Wayhome Festival – Oro-Medonte, ON

Here is a sneak peak to one of the songs from The Monsanto Year:

What makes this tour extra special is that Jeffrey Smith, a leading consumer advocate promoting healthier non-GMO choices, author, filmmaker, and founder of the Institute for Responsible Technology, along with GMO Free USA, an organization whose mission is to harness independent science and agroecological concepts to advocate for sustainable food and ecological systems and to educate consumers about the potential hazards of GMOs, will be touring with Neil Young + Promise of the Real to raise further awareness about GMOs.

Not many musicians or celebrities are willing to make a commitment to the planet and to future generations like Neil Young is willing to do. It is my hope that others will follow Young’s lead and stand up to the many multinational corporations who seek to control the masses and put profits over people with little to no regard for humanity or the planet.

Bravo Neil Young! Food Integrity Now applauds you! I hope to meet you at your concert in Denver at Red Rocks. You truly have a heart of gold!

This blog post was partially funded by the Nut Milk Bag by Nutiana.com

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