A “March Against Monsanto” will be held in Wellington on Saturday, May 16, with a rally beginning at 9 a.m. in the center court of the original Wellington Mall on Forest Hill Blvd.
Organizers hope to bring the issues of GMOs (genetically modified organisms), pesticides in the food supply and non-sustainable practices to light through the event.
The public is invited to join in and learn more about this important subject. Organizers have set up a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MarchAgainstMonsanto.WellingtonFL updated with new information daily.
“I think people are often surprised when they hear that 80 percent of our processed food in the United States contains GMOs,” said Krista Martinelli, editor of AroundWellington.com and one of the group’s organizers.
One of the goals of the march is to get GMO labeling on all food products. GMOs are banned or restricted in more than 60 countries, but not even labeled on food here in the United States.
On May 16, the group plans to have a rally from 9 to 10 a.m. inside the original Wellington Mall, located at the corner of Forest Hill Blvd. and Wellington Trace, featuring key speakers on the subject of GMOs and Monsanto’s role in them. Also, the world premiere of a short video about GMOs will be shown at the rally. Peter Wein of the WEI Network will serve as the master of ceremonies for the rally.
The rally will be followed by a peaceful march along sidewalks. While the route is still to be determined, the plan is to keep the distance to less than a mile. People are invited to bring their kids and pets, and are reminded to bring water and sunscreen.
There will be an after-party at the White Elephant restaurant inside the original Wellington Mall at approximately 11:30 a.m.
“I’m tied in with the people running the global efforts to bring information to light about GMOs and coordinating with the international marches,” Monica Kallas of SharpShooter Marketing Group said. “I strongly believe our community will want to march and be heard with the rest of the world to say ‘No to GMOs’ once they learn more about them. That’s my main goal in organizing this march.”
Aside from Martinelli, Wein and Kallas, other event organizers include Jathy Garcia of Hi-Tech Plumbing & Air, Dr. Randall Laurich of the Wellness Experience and Johnny Meier of My Community Pharmacy.
There will be a “pre-event” at Bootz Culture Camp, located just north of Toys ’R’ Us on State Road 7, on Thursday, May 7 at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of the pre-event is to get march materials ready, exchange ideas and be creative with signs, slogans and t-shirts. For more information on the pre-event, call Bootz Culture Camp at (561) 290-2753.
A video about the day’s rally and march will be produced by SharpShooter Marketing Group and launched via AroundWellington.com and other social media platforms on May 23, which is the International March Against Monsanto date.
For more information, call Kallas at (561) 762-1713 or Martinelli at (561) 389-0252.
