Sign the Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC) right to save and share seeds!

Did you know that in the United States it is illegal to save and share seeds, even if you are doing it non-commercially?

Can you believe that! It's true.... Last year we saw the crush of this legal rhetoric threatening the shut-down of non-commericial, public seed libraries all over the country which serve backyard gardeners, community gardens, and open/free-source networks of seed savers and seed SHARING.

Please help change the laws by adding your name to the letter of support that will be presented at the annual Association of American Seed Control Officials’ (AASCO) meeting!

DO IT NOW! Time is running out.

Here is what you can do to help change the laws and ensure our legal right

The Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC) will be lobbying for an amendment to the Recommended Uniform State Seed Law (RUSSL)
which will be updated at the Association of American Seed Control
Officials’ (AASCO) annual meeting this July. AASCO is an organization
of seed regulatory officials from the United States and Canada. The
members meet annually to discuss mutual concerns of seed law
enforcement, to be updated on new developments in the seed
industry, and to update RUSSL, which the organization developed and
maintains as a “model” law for states and federal programs. This law
affects every seed library - and so we are asking every seed library to
support SELC’s proposed amendment, which will exempt non-
commercial seed sharing from the labeling and testing requirements
under the model law.

Help support SELC’s effort in amending RUSSL to exempt seed
libraries!

If you represent a seed library, please complete this form to add
your name to the letter of support
that will be presented at the
upcoming AASCO conference. To read the full letter, click here.

If you do not represent a seed library but you still want to send in a
letter of support, please download the attached letter of support
template, fill it out, and send it to SELC intern Carolyn at
carolyn@theselc.org. Seed librarians, please share this letter of request with your allies in the food justice, climate action, food security and other relevant movements. We'll be presenting these letters at AASCO's July meeting. We'd love to get the letters by June 19th.


Jeanette Hart-Mann

Jeanette Hart-Mann is a farmer, artist, activist and teacher committed to the transformative potential of traditional ecological knowledge, embodied land-based practices, creative engagement and more-than-human-relationships. Her current research is focused on agroecology, environmental justice, and eco-social storytelling. Her practice is iterative, emergent and interdisciplinary. She weaves farming, wild crafting, and ecological restoration with video, sculpture, photography, installation, fiber arts, and writing. Hart-Mann is Co-Founder and Co-Director of SeedBroadcast (seedbroadcast.org) an artist collective committed to uplifting the culture in agri-Culture through creative public engagement, Seed Stories and seed sharing. She is also lead farmer, seed steward, and shepherdess at HawkMoth Farm where she is designing and implementing experimental climate-resilient polycultures through integrative plant, animal, soil, and human habitation while producing food for local communities.  Hart-Mann is Co-Director of RAVEL at The University of New Mexico and Associate Professor of Art & Ecology. RAVEL is a field-based Art & Ecology program supporting the intersection of place-based research through art making, community-engagement and professional practice. She received her BFA, summa cum laude and University Honors, summa cum laude at The University of New Mexico and her MFA in Visual Arts from Vermont College of Fine Arts. 

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