This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Evanston Should Pass the Healthy Farms, Healthy Families Resolution.

I am doing my best to expose my 8-month-old son to beneficial bacteria so that he has protective colonies that can out-compete the more dangerous cooties.  However, this sort of proactive healthcare will be one of our last lines of defense against life-threatening disease if we don't stop misusing our precious antibiotics-especially on factory farms. Otherwise, the majority of the infectious bacteria we will be facing will be the virulent nasties.  
Please join me in encouraging Congress to protect our antibiotics.

Antibiotic resistance has been compared to global warming.  The CDC reports that 2,000,000 people are infected and 23,000 people die as a result of antibiotic resistant bacteria.  The organization also estimates that the economic impact of these infections is as high as $35 billion dollars a year. Everyone is at risk of being infected by bacteria that originate in factory farms.  We buy the bacteria at the grocery store, so do restaurateurs, which can start infections spreading in our communities.

It’s time for Evanston to urge congress to pass critical legislation preventing agriculture’s abuse of antibiotics. The city is currently considering a resolution that would do just that. Food & Water Watch, a national consumer advocacy organization, has passed 10 such resolutions in just the last few months, sending a strong message that this issue can't wait.  Join me in showing our City Council that Evanstonians support common sense and essential public health policy. Please call your alderman and let her/him know you want this resolution passed.

Sincerely,

Natalie Gillespie

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?