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Public hearings on proposed pesticide ban resume today 13 June at HRM City
Hall. Please be there to express your opinion or to show your support.
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... 4 forwarded messages:
1 - from Leighton Steele, re Terry Mulcahy's letter
2 - from Laurie Roscoe, BLR-LAND Resources, re Helen Lofgren's post
3 - from Jan Slakov, re Helen Lofgren's post, excerpt from Mark Butler
4 - from Frank de Jung, Green Party of Ontario - Press Release
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From: L Steele <lsteele.employee.msvu@msvu1.MSVU.Ca>
Well said! I think this is an important message to get out. Lawn care companies
certainly have less to lose than they think through a pesticide ban, but they
need to get over their "drug" addiction.
Terry Mulcahy wrote:
[. . .]
> So, my point is, a lawn spray ban should not be viewed as a loss of revenue,
> but instead as an opportunity to market other money-making services.
>
> And lastly, my experience has been that spraying reduces the overall
> appearance of a lawn. I stopped spraying several years ago over concern
> about my dogs and cats, and within a season various bushes, shrubs, and
> small trees began to improve dramatically.
[. . .]
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From: Laurie Roscoe <blrltd@auracom.com>
Organization: BLR-LAND RESOURCES
I even eat dog food mixed w/ peanut butter and whatever although I
believe the best stuff is BOC (barley, oats, and corn) and whatever
turns your crank. a LITTLE BIT of dirt and oil helps with the immune
system. That's where we get all of those good organic? Plastic ?
vitamins and minerals.
Laurie
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From: jslakov@TartanNET.ns.ca (Jan Slakov)
Dear Sust-mar,
How lucky we are to have Raging Grannies singing the praises of dandelions!
I do up this column called "Enviro-ideas" for a local advertising paper (the
_Clare Shopper_). The latest idea was on pesticides (and dandelions!); since
it fits in so well with Helen Lofgren's posting, here it is:
***************************************************************
PESTICIDES
such as "Round-Up" (aka "Vision"), "Weed 'n' Feed", etc. have been linked to
many diseases such as leukemia & other cancers, Altzheimer's, MS &
Parkinson's disease.
Which is more important to you - health for you & your neighbours or getting
rid of dandelions?
BTW, dandelions are GREAT in salads (& contain plenty of cancer-fighting
Beta-carotenes). Just make sure they haven't been sprayed!
NOTE: A 1987 Environment Canada Report states: "Pesticides are poison or
they wouldn't kill".
And thanks to Phil Robertson of Digby for these leads on relevant web sites:
http://www.qc.ec.gc.ca/ecotrucs/solutionsvertes/insects.htm
http://www.austin360.com/community/groups/vanguard/Reducing_Outdoor_Pes.html
http://www.safe2use.com/media/children.htm
http://www.co.broward.fl.us/ppi02104.htm
*************************************************************
Les PESTICIDES
sont des poisons, sinon ils ne tueraient pas - selon une étude
d'Environnement Canada (1987).
Plusieurs études indiquent qu'il y a un lien entre plusieurs pesticides et
des maladies graves.
Est-ce que votre santé (et celle de vos voisins) ou la lutte contre les
pissenlits vous importe plus?
A propos, les pissenlits (qui contiennent des carotènes anti-cancérignènes)
sont très bons à manger. Il faut, bien sûr, s'assurer qu'ils naient pas étés
arrosés!
Voici un site web du Québec qui vous donnerait des informations sur des
solutions de rechange pour éviter les pesticides chimiques.
http://www.qc.ec.gc.ca/ecotrucs/solutionsvertes/insects.htm
*******************************************************************
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 09:17:09 -0300 (ADT)
From: Mark Butler <ar427@chebucto.ns.ca>
Subject: FW: Lawn Humour
Hi
Nothing to do with the ocean, thank God, but it's funny.
Mark
>
>Subject: There is nothing like a "GREEN" Lawn
>
>
>Winterize your lawn," the big sign outside the garden store
>commanded. I've fed it, watered it, mowed it, raked it and watched a
>lot of it die anyway. Now I'm supposed to winterize it? I hope it's
>too late. Grass lawns have to be the stupidest thing we've come up
>with outside of thong swimsuits! We constantly battle dandelions,
>Queen Anne's lace, thistle, violets, chicory and clover that thrive
>naturally, so we can grow grass that must be nursed through an annual
>four-step chemical dependency.
>
>Imagine the conversation The Creator might have with St. Francis
>about this: "Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in
>the world is going on down there in the Midwest? What happened to the
>dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a
>perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of
>soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from
>the long-lasting blossoms attracted butterflies, honey bees and
>flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by
>now. But all I see are these green rectangles."
>
>"It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They
>started calling your flowers 'weeds' and went to great extent to kill
>them and replace them with grass."
>
>"Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract
>butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It's
>temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want
>all that grass growing there?"
>
>"Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it
>green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any
>other plant that crops up in the lawn."
>
>"The spring rains and cool weather probably make grass grow really
>fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy."
>
>"Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it --
>sometimes twice a week."
>
>"They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?"
>
>"Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags."
>
>"They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?"
>
>"No, sir. Just the opposite. They pay to throw it away."
>
>"Now let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow.
>And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?"
>
>"Yes, sir."
>
>"These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back
>on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and
>saves them a lot of work."
>
>"You aren't going believe this Lord. When the grass stops growing so
>fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can
>continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it."
>
>"What nonsense! At least they kept some of the trees. That was a
>sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves
>in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the
>autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep
>moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they
>rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural
>circle of life."
>
>"You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle.
>As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and have
>them hauled away."
>
>"No! What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the
>winter and keep the soil moist and loose?"
>
>"After throwing away your leaves, they go out and buy something
>they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of
>the leaves."
>
>"And where do they get this mulch?"
>
>"They cut down trees and grind them up."
>
>"Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. Saint Catherine,
>you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us
>tonight?"
>
>"Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It's a real stupid movie about..."
>
>"Never mind I think I just heard the whole story."
>
"Even if three people call you a horse, don't get a saddle just yet."
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From: fdejong <fdejong@greenparty.on.ca>
Subject: GREEN PARTY CALLS FOR END TO COSMETIC PESTICIDE USE
Green Party of Ontario
MEDIA RELEASE
GREEN PARTY CALLS FOR END TO COSMETIC PESTICIDE USE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Toronto, May 23, 2000 ^Ö The Government of Ontario, through the Ontario
Pesticides Act, is responsible for the post-registration sale and use of
pesticides including the licensing and training of pesticide applicators. It
is within the power of the Ontario government to either bestow the right to
municipalities to enact their own bylaws or to restrict the use of
pesticides province-wide for cosmetic purposes.
The Green Party of Ontario is flattered to see the country's federal
political parties (except for the Canadian Alliance) playing catch-up to
long-standing Green Party policies. It is encouraging to see the Hon.
Charles Caccia and the Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable
Development moving in the right direction with the recently-released report
"Pesticides - Making the Right Choice for the Protection of Health and the
Environment".
The Green Party supports an immediate moratorium on the cosmetic use of
pesticides for lawn and garden use, and the development of policies to
assist farmers in the transition to organic production.
We cannot afford to continue our current dependence on pesticides for either
agriculture or lawn and garden care. The hidden costs include: increased
trips to emergency rooms for asthma attacks triggered by pesticide exposure;
the long-term cost of environmentally-induced cancers; poisoning of
wildlife; the destruction of soil fertility.
Frank de Jong, leader of the Green Party of Ontario said, "The first thing
the Ontario government should do is remove the tax-free status of pesticides
for farmers. The tax structure should encourage people to buy ^Ö- and
industries to produce ^Ö- life-affirming products rather than poisons."
Green Party policies encourage economic growth that doesn't jeopardize
social or environmental health. As the tremendous growth of organic
agriculture indicates, the elimination of pesticide use heralds a new era of
healthy and sustainable progress as a society. Employing good agricultural
practices and working with Mother Nature instead of attempting to subdue her
with toxic chemicals is the way to go.
Many municipalities, such as Waterloo, Ontario are successfully using The
Plant Health Care Program outlining non-toxic, cost-effective techniques
which are easily applied by homeowners. Lawn maintenance includes a program
of mowing high, leaving your grass clippings on the lawn, fertilizing in the
fall with compost or manure, and overseeding with drought-resistant grass
varieties and clover in the spring.
The Green Party of Ontario is the fourth largest political party in Ontario
and is determined to add its voice to the governing of the province. The
principles on which the Green Party is built are to promote, and eventually
legislate, viable alternatives for the environmental, social and economic
issues that face the government and its citizens with a view towards global
sustainability.
- end -
For further information contact:
Frank de Jong, Leader, GPO Office (416) 929-2397 or (416) 533-6798
Judy Greenwood-Speers, Deputy Leader (519) 886-2759
Susan Koswan, 519-578-8508, Green Party Anti-Pesticides Campaigner
Green Party of Ontario Toronto office: 244 Gerrard Street East,
Toronto, ON M5A 2G2 www.greenparty.on.ca
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The preceding message was posted on Sustainable Maritimes (sust-mar)
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