Waterkeeper Alliance’s Pure Farms, Pure Waters Campaign
Photos by Jason Houston
Rural watersheds form the sources of our streams and rivers, and the lifeblood of the communities they flow through. Protecting these watersheds requires steadfast efforts to prevent the spread of factory-style agriculture and to promote the security of family-owned, sustainable farms. The Pure Farms, Pure Waters campaign combines hard-nosed litigation with education and outreach on sustainable agriculture.

The Stick: Our lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency resulted in more responsible, more democratic regulation of factory farms. Our lawsuit against Smithfield Foods (see page 20) secures real protections for North Carolina’s waterways. And our ongoing case against North Carolina state factory farm regulations will expand on these successes.

The Carrot: We are working with farmers, supporters and our many partners (some of whom are represented in this issue) to spread the message that there IS a viable alternative to factory raised food. Our series of Hog Summits focused on bringing farmers, environmentalists and concerned citizens together to learn more about environmentally and socially conscious food production.

As Pure Farms, Pure Waters moves forward, building on our legal and advocacy achievements, we will continue to make the best use of our twin tools, the sword and the plow.