S&S Seeds: Your source for wildflower seeds, grass seed, fertilizer, and mulch. Gardening with wildflowers, grasses, turf, erosion control, and other agricultural methods. You can find your choice of wildflowers, fertilizer, and ground cover for your gardening needs.

S&S Seeds, Inc.
P.O. Box 1275
Carpinteria, CA
93014-1275

(805) 684-0436
(805) 684-2798 fax

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September, 2003

Scientists Can’t Monkey Around
There is a shortage of rhesus macaque monkeys—and it’s not because of poaching or other environmental hazards. The animals, favored for use in scientific experiments, have a slow reproductive cycle, causing them to be less available for use in federally funded research centers, which currently need 15,000 monkeys to try to find a cure for AIDS and other illnesses. Scientists, who were reluctant to bring attention to the shortage for fear of a backlash by animal rights groups, are seeking other monkey species upon which to experiment.

Time to Switch to 7-Up
A report issued by the New Delhi-based Center for Science and Environment (CSE) says tests on beverages manufactured in India by PepsiCo and Coca-Cola Co. contain pesticides. CSE believes this is due to the groundwater used as raw material in the drinks. Each of the beverage giants has invested over $1 billion in India, and now some stores are banning sales of the drinks until Pepsi and Coke clean up their respective acts. The same beverages manufactured in the United States do not contain pesticides.

California Fans the Flames
Although the law does not go in effect until 2008, Cailifornia has become the first state in the nation to ban flame-retardant chemicals known to accumulate in the blood of nursing mothers and babies. The chemicals, which are known as PBDEs, are commonly used to coat furniture, electronics, and plastic and foam products. Researchers in California found that women in the Bay Area have up to 10 times greater the amount of PBDEs in their breast tissue than European or Japanese Women.

So Much For Safety
Residents of the Safest City in America, Simi Valley, California, west of Los Angeles, have learned that it’s not so safe in their neck of the woods. The toxic chemical perchlorate, a solvent once used to clean rocket engines, has been found in groundwater and wells in the hills surrounding Simi Valley, near the Boeing Rocketdyne Santa Susana Field Lab. Perchlorate is linked to a variety of health hazards including liver, lung, and kidney damage, as well as thyroid disorders and cancer. There is no successful clean up method for perchlorate.

Holding Your Water
In an effort to bring attention to its desire to have clean water everywhere, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the first World Water Monitoring Day will be held on October 18, 2003. Andrew Speers of the International Water Association said, "World Water Monitoring Day is about raising awareness at the global level of (the) importance of water to us all and the quality of the environment in the local community. World Water Monitoring Day is a perfect example of thinking globally and acting locally.

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(805) 684-0436

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S&S Seeds, Inc.
P.O. Box 1275
Carpinteria, CA 93014-1275
(805) 684-0436
(805) 684-2798 fax

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