By Sheila Calderon

Nowhere to Run when Fields Burn and Truth Denied--this is the heading as written as an editorial published February 2 in the The Palm Beach Post. Along with this editorial, there was an article published on the same day from reporter Hannah Morse, “Sweetened Pots Protect Interests.” This was followed by another great letter to the editor on February 12 from Robert Mitchell--who was born in Pahokee and raised in Belle Glade: “Time to End Injustice of Can Burns.”

I hope you all had the opportunity to read this editorial and articles clearly pointing out that the health of the people living in the Glades and surrounding communities are being hurt by the pollution caused by the harvesting of the sugarcane as a result of the burning process. Our Sierra Club group has been working with the people living in these communities and pushing the sugar industry to encourage conversion to their harvesting process from burning to green harvesting. Green harvesting is a process used successfully in all other major sugar-producing countries.

The Palm Beach Post and ProPublica have done an excellent job of reporting on this issue:

• Glades activists say halt open burning of sugar fields
• Burning sugarcane causes worst smoke days | Commentary
• They Deserve to Be Safe”: Candidates Call on Florida to Investigate the Health Effects of Sugar Cane Burning
• Burning Sugar Cane Pollutes Communities of Color in Florida. Brazil Shows There’s Another Way
• After Years of Complaints, Florida Improves Pollution Monitoring Near Burning Sugar Cane Fields
• How the Sugar Industry Makes Political Friends and Influences Elections
• When money talks louder than reason

Learn more with this video that will give you a better understanding of just how much damage sugar field burning has done over the years, and how important it is to switch to green harvesting.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried has the power to phase out sugarcane burning but has failed to do so. She is running for governor at this time and I think it is our duty to call on her to move the industry forward NOW to stop the burn before she is out of the office. Please send your letters to Nikki.Fried@FDACS.gov or call (850) 617-7700) to let her know just how important this issue is to her election as governor of Florida.