Support sustainable agriculture

Support Organic Farming

Chemical pesticides and fertilizers are one of the largest contaminants of Puget Sound. Supporting Organic, Salmon-Safe, and Food Alliance-certified family farms is one way to make sure that we're not outsourcing the true cost of cheap food to future generations.

Studies have shown that pesticides ingested by pregnant women can travel through umbilical cord blood to the developing fetus. Many of these pesticides are known to adversely effect neurological development. However, University of Washington studies have shown that pesticide levels in children's urine are dramatically decreased when the children are switched to a primarily organic diet.

Reduce Antibiotic Resistance

71% of the antibiotics consumed in the United States are administered for non-therapeutic use in animals.  These antibiotics are used as a feed additive to make animals gain weight quickly, and as a preventative measure in infection-prone confined feedlots. This widespread practice is leading to increased rates of antibiotic resistance, and has been called into question by the CDC, WHO, AMA, ANA, and APHA.

Hospitals should be supporting farms that do not use unnecessary antibiotics by purchasing Organic, Food Alliance, Grassfed, or Certified Humane Raised meat and poultry.

Hospital and health professionals can help end the overuse of medical antibiotics by supporting the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (H.R. 1549).

Reduce Carbon Footprint

Hospitals around the country are reducing their carbon footprint by reducing their meat portion sizes. Health Care Without Harm asks hospitals to take the Balanced Menus Challenge, and reduce the amount of meat they purchase and serve by 20%. In a Johns Hopkins study of 4 California hospitals who took the Balanced Menus Challenge, the authors predicted a savings of $402,000 per year, and a reduction of 1,648 tons of meat-related greenhouse gases. With these cost savings, hospitals can purchase more sustainably-raised meats, creating a win-win-win for human health, the environment, and a hospital's bottom line.

Protect Antibiotics Action Center

Balanced Menus Challenge