5@5: Pesticide-coated seed exemption contested | Amazon workers protest company's climate policies

When is a pesticide not a pesticide? When it coats a seed

An increasingly contested regulatory loophole currently allows pesticide-coated seeds to be viewed as "treated articles" instead of pesticides. But critics including the Center for Food Safety have proven that this exemption is exceptionally harmful for endangered pollinators, and the Federal Drug Administration is expected to make a decision regarding these concerns in early 2020. Read more at Bloomberg Environment…

Hundreds of workers defy Amazon rules to protest company's climate failures

Hundreds of Amazon employees are condeming the company for not taking enough climate action and for its contracts with large oil and gas firms. In response, Amazon representatives stated that the company "has pledged to reach net-zero carbon by 2040 and 100% renewable energy by 2030." Read more at The Guardian…

Can an industrial-scale meat company be carbon neutral?

Maple Leaf Foods recently announced that it was "carbon neutral," but experts are questioning what actually factored into the meat processing company's calculations in order for them to reach this conclusion. For instance, it would appear that the emissions from raising and feeding the animals were left out, which is a huge indicator that the announcement was nothing more than misleading greenwashing. Read more at Civil Eats…

Coffee rust is coming for your morning brew

A crop-destroying disease that is being fueled further by climate change is elevating coffee bean prices. Called "coffee leaf rust," the disease has decimated farmers' crops and livelihoods–which also hasn't been helped by the recent removal of protective trade agreements. Read more at CBC…

Some pastas are now considered vegetables under Trump's new school lunch guidelines

Pastas that are primarily potato, soy or other starchy vegetable-based will now be considered as vegetable servings under new Trump administration guidelines for school lunches. The US Department of Agriculture responded to criticism by stating that the new rules were expected to "simplify" existing school lunch policies. Read more at Insider…