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When you think of the Hawaiian Islands, you don’t automatically think of genetically modified organisms — unless maybe it’s part of a storyline in the TV show LOST or The X-Files. However, Truthout reporter, Mike Ludwig, went to the Aloha State and visited the island of Kauai to write about the way in which the “Garden Isle” has become a laboratory of sorts for research and the testing of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. These tests involve, among other things, the use of large amounts of pesticides to see how genetically modified corn and soy reacts to its exposure. The uses of those pesticides are allegedly having a deleterious effect on the residents and environment in Waimea. So much so, that many residents have spearheaded a movement to ban its use in GMO research. My conversation with Mike touches on some of the information he gathered for his article on Truthout, and it should concern us not as something that’s happening “over there,” but rather as something that could possibly leapfrog its way to the mainland and beyond.
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