Our Mission...

To help preserve and protect the high quality of life that rural and suburban residents of the whole community desire and value. We strongly support economic and community development that is supported by sound, unbiased research and that benefits the entire community.

 

E.C.C.O is from Gratiot County, including Alma, Elwell and surrounding areas.

Our Goal...

To learn about and monitor the environmental and economic impact of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and to use sound science and the democratic process to address unsustainable agricultural practices threatening the quality of life of the greater community.

E.C.C.O. is...

PRO FARMING
We support local farmers who employ sustainable, environmentally responsible, and neighbor-friendly agricultural practices.

PRO COMMUNITY
We believe in, and are dedicated to, helping maintain a community that is physically, economically, and politically healthy.

PRO DEMOCRATIC PROCESS
We support community-wide participation in the democratic process. We believe all members of the community have a right to be heard and a responsibility to hear, respect, and respond to concerns raised by members of the community about issues and practices that affect the quality of life in the entire community

PRO RESEARCH & PEER-REVIEW PROCESS
Our information comes from studies that have been conducted by from governmental agencies, government sponsored university studies and studies from the college and university system in this country.

Our desire is to help preserve and protect the high quality of life that rural and suburban residents of the whole community desire and value. We strongly support economic and community development that is supported by sound, unbiased research and that benefits the entire community.

E.C.C.O.'s Stance on CAFOs is...

• CAFOs are economically unsustainable. Studies have shown that this is because of the massive use of resources and the negative impacts left on the environment.
• CAFOs are factories. CAFOs are not family farms. Like other industrial facilities, CAFOs are considered point-source discharging facilities under the federal Clean Water Act. CAFOS must acquire permits to operate from the NPDES, just like any other industrial facility.
• CAFOs are environmentally unsound. Though CAFOs are "permitted" facilities, they still have a negative impact on the environment. We have been unable to find any studies that show cases in which even properly permitted CAFOs have had little or no impact on local streams, groundwater or air quality.
• CAFOs contribute to declining property values. All studies we have found show that CAFOs have a significant negative impact on property values in the areas where they operate.
• CAFOs pose health risks for workers and local residents. CAFOs administer antibiotics to the animals they produce in order to keep disease from spreading in their confined feed lots. Many studies have shown that prophylactically administered antibiotics can lead to increasingly resistant strains of bacteria. A study has shown that increased use of antibiotics resulted in antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a hog CAFO. More studies need to be conducted on local residents, but the studies that exist suggest that CAFOs have negative impacts on people's health.

What Can You Do …

Please visit our What Can You Do page for more information on you can do. If you would like to receive updates or would like to help in any capacity, please email us.

Inspiring Quotes …

Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
-St. Francis of Assisi

A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
-Margaret Mead

Contact Info:

ECCO
PO Box 992
Alma, MI 48801-0992
info@iamforecco.com