Past Campaigns

Biotech Century

Our way of life is likely to be more fundamentally transformed in the next few decades than in the previous 1,000 years. The Biotech Century promises a cornucopia of genetically engineered plants and animals to feed a hungry world, genetically derived sources of energy and fiber to propel commerce and build a "renewable" society, wonder drugs and genetic therapies to produce healthier babies, eliminate human suffering, and extend the human life span. But, with every step we take into this "Brave New World," the nagging question, "At what cost?" will haunt us.

The new genetic commerce raises more troubling issues than any other economic revolution in history. Will the artificial creation of cloned, chimeric and transgenic animals mean the end of nature and the substitution of a "bio - industrial" world? Will the mass release of thousands of genetically engineered life forms into the environment cause catastrophic genetic pollution and irreversible damage to the biosphere? What are the consequences for the global economy and society of reducing the world's gene pool to patented intellectual property controlled exclusively by a handful of life-science corporations? What will it mean to live in a world where babies are genetically engineered and customized in the womb, and where people are increasingly identified, stereotyped, and discriminated against on the basis of their genotype? What are the risks we take in attempting to design more "perfect" human beings?

Since 1977, The Foundation on Economic Trends has been at the forefront of the debate and discussion around cutting edge developments in the biotech field. See links to FET initiatives and campaigns.

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Civil Society Education Project

Partnering Initiative on Education and Civil Society

The Partnering Initiative, launched in 1997, is a national and grass roots effort to integrate civil education into the learning experience for American children and college students and enhance community service.  It consists of 63 major national education and community organizations, which have joined together to promote the use of service learning -- curriculum based on the community service experience -- as a tool for teaching social and civic character and preparing students for democratic life.  The Initiative aims to  revitalize communities by renewing civic values, deepening democratic participation, and enhancing the role of the non-profit sector.

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Beyond Beef Campaign

Launched an international Beyond Beef Campaign to educate the public on the environmental, health, and ethical impacts of supporting a global cattle culture and eating high up on the food chain with a beef-centered diet.

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