Meredith Niles 
More About Me
Meredith Niles is coordinator of the Cool Foods campaign at the Center for Food Safety. The Cool Foods Campaign is a national public advocacy, education and policy campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our food and agriculture systems. The Campaign is working with a variety of organizations, businesses, schools, restaurants, city councils and individuals to help reduce "foodprints". The Campaign is also working on climate change and agriculture policies that will promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from industrial agriculture in our food system, and reward small-scale sustainable farmers for their positive contribution to climate change mitigation.
Meredith Niles’s Posts
Peterson’s Waxman-Markey amendment: the nitty gritty and what it means 6
Posted 4 months, 2 weeks agoThis morning the House Agriculture Committee released the 49-page Peterson amendment to the Waxman-Markey climate bill.
We don't want to know about your crap
Factory farms get the ultimate handout 5
Posted 4 months, 3 weeks agoAn amendment in the 2010 Interior and Environment spending bill will prevent the EPA from requiring factory farms to report their GHG emissions -- a move that represents a blatant handout to large factory farms.
Organically grown offsets
A climate policy for agriculture that works 7
Posted 5 months agoNot since Earl Butz's famous "hedgerow to hedgerow" comment of the 1970s have America's farmers been at such a turning point. The current climate legislation offers an unprecedented opportunity to rethink the way America farms.
Truth in advertising?
Monsanto targets public radio to spread false biotech messages 30
Posted 5 months, 4 weeks agoMonsanto has been on a charm offensive, touting its green cred in NPR and other high-profile outlets. What gives?
Markey and Waxman cut the crap
New climate legislation overlooks a major GHG source: industrial ag 21
Posted 7 months, 1 week agoHouse climate bill completely exempts agriculture and livestock emissions.
Meredith Niles’s Recent Comments
Click here to view comment in original post
Ecoplasm- you right. Composting is a good thing to be pushing not only for reducing nitrogen fertilizer use but for reducing waste streams to landfills which emit methane. Actually just 2 days ago the city of San Francisco introduced a mandatory composting policy (http://www.reuters.com/article/gwmCarbonEmissions/idUS401768193520090623) and many groups in Washington, including mine-- The Center for Food Safety-- have been advocating for composting initiatives for this reason.
On The bad and maybe not-so-bad of the Waxman-Peterson deal posted 4 months, 2 weeks ago 6 ResponsesClick here to view comment in original post
Actually Ecoplasm there have been indications to me from the Hill that waste aeration is not just the process you describe, that it could (and I say could) include a more progressive list of practices including pasture and forage based animals.
On Peterson’s Waxman-Markey amendment: the nitty gritty and what it means posted 4 months, 2 weeks ago 6 ResponsesClick here to view comment in original post
Ecoplasm- agree with you that Waxman is a brilliant politician. We all know that he has had a difficult time trying to develop something comprehensive and still environmentally beneficial. I actually think the best system would be a dual relationship between EPA and USDA. For sure USDA has the excellent reputation with farmers, extension agents and other valuable assets to the farm community to be able to implement and follow an offsets program. But I think it would be ideal to have the EPA sitting at the table with USDA to help determine the life cycle analysis' necessary to figure out which types of offset programs would work. In my eyes, both agencies, as well as others with vested interests including Departments of Commerce, Labor, etc. should also have a seat at the table. We'll see how that develops...
On How bad is the Peterson-Waxman deal on climate legislation? posted 4 months, 2 weeks ago 7 ResponsesClick here to view comment in original post
Eileen these are attempts to find solutions to myriad and difficult problems. If organic agriculture is not part of the solution as the U.N. has indicated, what would you propose instead?
On Memo to Hillary's science czar: organic ag isn't a 'myth' posted 4 months, 2 weeks ago 10 ResponsesClick here to view comment in original post
Yes it does help and I certainly appreciate your comments regarding women and children. Since women are estimated to be the majority of the world's food producers, particularly in developing countries and Africa in particular it is of course an issue we must discuss. You are correct- education is by far the most important pathway out of poverty.
However, I would like to draw your attention to one of the summary points in the beginning of the report: "There is ample evidence (see later in this section) that production of organic food and beverages for both export and domestic markets can result in increased farmer incomes. This reduces poverty and improves food security of farming households as well as their access to education and healthcare."I'm not saying its a black and white issue or that its cut and dry, but the U.N. has done some extensive work on this issue and has important things to say. I think its worth listening to the potential positive outcomes of organic agriculture for the very things we both seem to be trying to promote- access to education, womens rights and food security.
On Memo to Hillary's science czar: organic ag isn't a 'myth' posted 4 months, 2 weeks ago 10 Responses