Sleep Tight...not

Pesticides are an enormous group of chemicals designed to kill unwanted insects (insecticides), weeds (herbicides), rodents (rodenticides), and fungi (fungicides). Many pesticides endanger human health or damage ecosystems, creating risk for companies that buy or produce food and other crops.

The vast majority of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) grown in the U.S. are engineered to produce their own pesticides, or survive direct application of pesticides. For example, Monsanto's Roundup Ready crops are engineered to survive direct application of glyphosate (the primary ingredient in Roundup). Glyphosate is the world's most heavily used herbicide, and in 2015 it was classified as a probable human carcinogen by the world's leading cancer authority.

To learn more about glyphosate, read our report: Roundup Revealed: Glyphosate in our Food System.

Genetic Engineering

As investor advocates, we are concerned that many companies are exposed to material financial risk from the economic, environmental, and public health issues associated with genetic engineering in the food system.

About 90% of corn, soybeans, and cotton in the U.S. is genetically engineered to be herbicide-resistant. Independent researchers have documented the increasing environmental impacts and negligible benefits of commercially grown GMOs and the significant and growing consumer preference to avoid them.
In the wake of the defeat of Washington state's ballot measure to require GMO labeling, As You Sow filed resolutions asking the top corporate donors to the opposition of the California GMO labeling ballot initiative to refrain from using corporate funds to influence political elections. Investors noted that many of the companies that contributed to defeat California's Prop 37 and other GMO-labeling measures experienced significant consumer backlash and were the subject of consumer boycotts. As You Sow filed resolutions with E.l DuPont de Nemours and Dow Chemical Company, who combined to spend over $11.2 million to defeat the California and Washington GMO labeling initiatives. These resolutions were withdrawn after each company increased disclosure of political lobbying practices and policies.

From 2013 to 2015, As You Sow filed a shareholder resolution with Abbott Laboratories requesting that the company introduce non-GMO Similac infant formula. Shortly after the 2015 annual meeting, Abbott introduced the first non-GMO Similac products; in the years since, it has become a large and very successful product line.

In 2014, Whole Foods' commitment to require mandatory GMO labeling for products sold in its stores marked a second victory in As You Sow's decade-long engagement with the company.

Read our FAQs about GMOs to learn more.

Glyphosate

Glyphosate is the world's most heavily used herbicide. It is sold in proprietary blends that contain other compounds, such as Monsanto's Roundup. Glyphosate is most frequently used in agriculture to kill weeds in crops that have been genetically engineered to survive glyphosate use (particularly corn, soybeans, and cotton). The herbicide has been classified as a probable human carcinogen by the world's leading cancer authority.

Pre-harvest glyphosate use (also known as "desiccation" or "harvest-aid") is a lesser known use of glyphosate that has begun receiving greater scrutiny, since it may be greatly increasing glyphosate residues on a wide range of crops.
Regulation of glyphosate lacks transparency and is unlikely to sufficiently protect farmworkers, communities, and consumers from harm. As You Sow is engaging companies across the food, agriculture, and restaurant industries to investigate the risks posed by glyphosate.

Read our report: Roundup Revealed to learn more about glyphosate in the food system.

Dicamba

This herbicide is also the center of a national controversy: it drifts far from application sites onto nearby farms, destroying crops that are not engineered to resist it. Monsanto's Roundup Ready Xtend crops are engineered to resist both glyphosate and dicamba; the company expects that farmers will quickly adopt Xtend and that dicamba will become the world's second largest selling herbicide, behind glyphosate. Widespread reliance on herbicide-dependent crops poses massive risks for biodiversity and soil health, and the security of the entire food system.

Chlorpyrifos

This highly toxic insecticide causes learning disabilities and developmental delays in children, and it is widely used on fruit and vegetable crops. People are exposed to chlorpyrifos through residues on food, drinking water contamination, and toxic spray drift from pesticide applications. In March 2017, U.S. EPA chief Scott Pruitt reversed an Obama-era recommendation to ban the chemical.

Food Companies Trapped on Pesticide Treadmill

U.S. Food Companies Trapped on Pesticide Treadmill, New Scorecard Finds

Global Food companies fail to address pesticide risk, reliance, and growing harm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT: Sophia Wilson, swilson@asyousow.org, (341) 600-1832

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA—NOV. 8, 2023—As You Sow released its third "Pesticides in the Pantry " report today, ranking 17 major food manufacturing companies on their progress in pesticide reduction and the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices. 

Compared to As You Sow's 2021 report, the overall average scores dropped from a "D" to an "F" due to continued heavy pesticide use in major food supply chains and a lack of progress in reducing harm to farmworkers, fenceline communities, ecosystems, pollinators, farm resiliency, and climate health. 

While overall and individual scores were low, General Mills achieved the highest score of "C." ADM's overall grade jumped from an "F" in 2021 to a "C-" in 2023 and received the highest score for pesticide risk reduction strategies. ADM was also the only company that has effectively banned glyphosate as a pre-harvest desiccant across its supply chain. General Mills and Conagra adopted, maintained, or improved their pesticide reduction practices, with Conagra also significantly improving its pesticide risk-reduction strategies from 2021 to 2023. Kellanova, previously Kellogg, lost ground this year as it eliminated its goal of phasing out glyphosate as a pre-harvest desiccant by 2025.

"Low company scores highlight the industry's stagnation in making the systemic changes necessary to increase the resilience of our food supply chain and reduce the destructiveness of the current chemical-based agribusiness system," said Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow. "Shareholders, policymakers, communities, workers, and advocates want cleaner, healthier foods. As the documentary Common Ground points out, the time to transition to regenerative agriculture is now or never."

The report grades 17 companies under seven pillars, including Pesticide Reduction Policies, Regenerative Agriculture, and Farmworker Health and Safety. The report relies on a grading curve to determine companies' letter grades, as no companies received more than ten out of 27 possible points.  

"Current farming practices that depend on monocrops and high pesticide use deplete the soil, allow dangerous levels of topsoil loss, harm people and ecosystems, and put food production at increasing risk under current climate-altered, high-risk weather patterns," said Cailin Dendas, lead author and As You Sow's environmental health coordinator. "These practices also continue to harm farmworkers. In the U.S., 83% of farmworkers are Hispanic, and many are likely to experience pesticide poisoning. This creates reputational risk associated with environmental racism as well as litigation risk to food companies."

"These companies are at a crossroads that will determine the health of our land, our communities, and their own viability as an industry," said Dendas. "All companies need to monitor pesticide use in their supply chain strictly. But they can't stop there. Food companies must ensure that regenerative agriculture policies are adopted to protect farmworkers and nearby communities and reduce harm to soil, waters, ecosystems, and climate." 

# # #

As You Sow is the nation's leading shareholder representative, with a 30-year track record promoting environmental and social corporate responsibility and advancing values-aligned investing. Its issue areas include climate change, ocean plastics, pesticides, racial justice, workplace diversity, and executive compensation. Click here for As You Sow's shareholder resolution tracker.

As You Sow

Blessed are~

Me too…..

7 Tips For Navigating ADHD In Retirement - ADHD Online

https://adhdonline.com/articles/7-tips-for-navigating-adhd-in-retirement/

7 Tips For Navigating ADHD in Retirement

By Cathy Cassata

The average age of retirement in the U.S. for men is 64 and for women is 62. And researchers estimate that 2 to 4 percent of adults older than 60 have symptoms consistent with having ADHD.

If you're living with ADHD in your retirement years, navigating this life change can be both exciting and challenging. Ari Tuckman, PsyD, psychologist and former member of the board of directors of the Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or CHADD, says retirement for those with ADHD can be a double-edged sword.

"On the one hand, it's wonderful to have a lot more control over your schedule. (But) because it's so open and unstructured, it means you have to manage your schedule much more actively," he says. "For folks who have ADHD, that could be more of a struggle."

Kathleen Nadeau, PhD, a psychologist and author, says in all her research on older adults with ADHD, she found the most common complaint to be that people can't seem to accomplish anything — despite having more time. Common statements she says she has heard include:

• "I don't know where the time goes."
• "It feels like I'm busy all day, but I'm just not getting anything done."
• "I'm not doing the things I dreamed I'd do in retirement."
• "I'm just sort of fiddling around."

While similar feelings are common among retired people without ADHD, the inability to develop structure throughout the day seems to be more pronounced in those with ADHD, says Nadeau.

"Once you lose structure of having family in the house or a job to go to, this can be difficult for any older adult," she says. "(For) adults with ADHD, the normal challenges are magnified significantly by the ADHD."

Both experts share tips to help navigate retirement with ADHD:

1. Be the master of your schedule

Tuckman says a good place to start is to determine what you want to do with your time, what's important to you and what you find interesting. Then carve out time for the mundane things that need to get done — like laundry, cleaning and grocery shopping.

"Accept that there will be a love and hate with (structure), so find the best balance that you can," he says. "Find activities that are meaningful and interesting. And if you get bored, switch it up."

2. Move into a retirement community

For many of her clients, Nadeau says, living in a retirement community helped them flourish during their retirement years.

"Depends on the interests, personality, values and finances of the person," she says. "But I think in many ways, a retirement community in which there are organized activities that you can just show up for with built-in socializing is ideal for people with ADHD."

3. Prioritize health maintenance activities

Taking medication as prescribed, getting refills when needed and complying with healthcare appointments takes planning and organization that Tuckman says becomes crucial during retirement.

He points out that people with ADHD who are not treated for symptoms and those have hyperactive-impulsive symptoms can have negative health outcomes, and even shorter life spans when health maintenance activities are not being met.

4. Nourish your mind and body

Nadeau says research points to the importance of engaging in brain-healthy daily habits as people age. To help older adults with ADHD nourish the brain, she coined the acronym MENDSS.

M: Meditation or other de-stressing activities like yoga and deep breathing can help combat stress, which has a negative impact on cognitive function.

E: Exercise, particularly aerobic, can help with brain function. "What I recommend to seniors is brisk walking as fast as you're able to for about 20 minutes every day," Nadeau says.

N: Nutrition. "It's very damaging to the brain to eat a poor diet that includes alcohol, high glycemic foods, sugars, and starches," says Nadeau. She suggests a healthy diet of lean meat and fruits and vegetables. "One of the challenges as we get older and live alone is we don't feel like cooking, so now there are great options for pre-delivered meals or you can go to Trader Joe's and buy a pre-packaged meal — whether frozen or fresh."

D: Daily interaction with others. Because loneliness can have a negative impact on physical and mental health, including cognitive decline, Nadeau suggests making it a priority to pick a friend or family member to text, email, video chat or call each day.

S: Sleep. "We now understand that cerebrospinal fluid flows in and out of our brains during the night, but only if we get deep restorative sleep," Nadeau says. "And that process is cleansing our brain of the plaque, among other things, that can lead to dementia."

S: Societal connection. "I think it's so important for all of us to feel like there is some purpose in our lives," Nadeau says. "One of the most powerful ways to feel better is to help someone else." She says volunteering for a cause you care about can bring that connection and purpose.

5. Join a support group

Finding a group of people who can relate to what you're going through can help you cope with retirement.

"Support groups have always been beneficial in terms of social contact and normalizing that other people have similar struggles," Tuckman says.

While ADHD support groups with older adults may be harder to find, creating your own is an option.

During the pandemic, Nadeau offered to lead a free online support group for older adults with ADHD. After holding the group for 15 months, she suggested that the nine women participating continue leading their own sessions. They took the reins and continue to meet virtually a year and a half later, she says.

"One of the most therapeutic processes that females with ADHD can go through is to find their tribe," Nadeau says. "Because older women with ADHD have felt all their lives that they don't fit in, have to hide their troubles, and feel judged for being late or disorganized or forgettable — all the things people tend to be when they have ADHD — it's such a relief to be in a group with other females who are the same way and don't judge, but provide emotional support.

6. Learn something new

Keeping the brain engaged and stimulated with new activities is something Nadeau encourages her clients to practice.

"(One) of the reasons why people start to rapidly deteriorate when they retire is that it's hard to recreate that same level of engagement — where you're problem-solving and interacting," she says.

Seek out in-person and online classes and lectures that are often given for free or for a minimal fee at senior centers, libraries, and colleges and universities. An example of a great resource: Northwestern University's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

7. Advocate for your ADHD

One of the challenges for people with ADHD in older life is that it's easy for themselves, family members or providers to assume that ADHD symptoms are those of dementia, Tuckman says.

"But if you have ADHD and are 80 and forgetful, you were forgetful when you were 20," he says. "It hasn't changed. It's an important difference for someone who has always been forgetful, versus someone who has become forgetful in the last five to 10 years."

Informing providers about your ADHD can help ensure you're cared for during retirement years.

"The challenge is that the providers who see older adults probably don't know a lot about ADHD," Tuckman says. "And those who know a lot about ADHD probably haven't seen a lot of older adults because they haven't sought services."

The bottom line is this: As you live out your retirement years, finding ways to care for your ADHD and fill your time with meaning and purpose can make this stage of life enjoyable.