The Gaia Reports By Theodora Filis - Environmental Journalist

By Theodora Filis Professor Wangari Maathai was internationally recognized for her persistent struggle for democracy, human rights, and environmental conservation. She had addressed the UN on behalf of women at special sessions of the General Assembly for the five-year review of the earth summit and served on the Commission for Global Governance and Commission on the Future. She and the Green Belt Movement (GBM) Kenya, a non-profit grassroots, non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Kenya, have received numerous awards, most notably The 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. Prof. Maathai started the Green Belt Movement in 1977, working with women to improve their livelihoods by increasing their access to resources like firewood for cooking and clean water. She became a great advocate for better management of natural resources and for sustainability, equity, and justice. The Green Belt Movement and Professor Maathai are featured in several publications including The Green Belt Movement: Sh

By Theodora Filis Yearly, hundreds of children die from food allergies. Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs) contain proteins from other plants, making non-labeling a big concern for allergy sufferers. Because of the lack of labeling people are now, unknowingly, exposed to substances that trigger allergies. For example, a tomato plant may contain a protein from peanuts – peanut allergy has more than doubled since 1997 -- concern is that if scientists create new proteins and put them into foods people who did not have food allergies before could begin to have reactions. Each year in the U.S., 200,000 people require emergency medical care for allergic reactions to food. Food allergy symptoms are most common in babies and children, but they can appear at any age. You can even develop an allergy to foods you have eaten for years with no problems.   Food allergies occur when a person's immune system reacts to a protein in a food he or she eats. The allergic response can be as mild as a s