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Many of us have been in the awkward situation of attending a family picnic or community event where we line up for food and discover the only choice for dishware is polystyrene (ex. Styrofoam and similar products). This is the moment where I tend to sigh and assess my options. I can either skip eating, ask if there is another option and use this as a teaching moment, or pile food on my polystyrene plate adding to my daily intake of carcinogens. I’ve taken all three approaches depending on my mood and level of hunger. Bringing my own dishware is another option, but like many people I am not

On June 6, 2016 we said goodbye to Helen Fabela Chavez, a first generation Mexican American, wife, mother, activist, union bookkeeper and visionary, born in Brawley, California.

Not much is known or documented about women activists in the United Farm Workers of America (UFWA). History rarely cites the contributions of the mujeres, esposas, hijas, hermanas, and tias, contributors who led the grape boycott and kept the home fires burning. One thing we do know: Without Helen at his side, Cesar Chavez could not have fulfilled his dream of a union to serve farm laborers.

Helen Chavez played a

As the brief 2016 legislative session ended, it was clear that this session would end like the 2015 legislative session did, riddled with missed opportunities to protect Minnesota’s environment and public health. The legislature managed to pass a $182 million supplemental budget bill that included environment and natural resources, and agriculture provisions. While lawmakers did act favorably on a few of our priorities, they failed miserably in other areas including: advancing clean energy, safeguarding public health, funding cleanup of the St. Louis River, and funding important modernization