The U.S. EPA denies petition to cancel 2,4-D

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, or 2,4-D is the most widely used pesticide in the world, and one of the main pesticides used in North America.  2,4-D was made especially famous (or infamous) by it's inclusion in Agent Orange, the defoliant used by the United States to wage war on Vietnam's countryside in the Vietnam War.

The herbicide has been used in the U.S. since the 1940s and is used in about 600 products registered for agricultural, residential and industiral uses (Beyond Pesticides).  The chemical has also been associated with a number of serious health isues including soft tissue sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and birth defects.

In 2008, the Natural Resources Defense Council requested that the EPA cancel all product registrations and revoke any tolerances for 2,4-D.  A "tolerance" refers to a legal residue limit in food.   The EPA reviewed the data cited by the NRDC and the new studies submitted to the EPA and has ruled that there is not enough data to conclude that 2,4-D is directly contributing to cancer and health issues.

This is especially worrisome, because Dow AgroSciences is seeking federal approval to sell corn seeds that have been genetically modified to be resistant to 2,4-D which will most likely result in even more widespread use as we have already seen with the use of Round-Up on "Round-Up Ready" genetically modified crops.

The New York Times article on the subject reported that the main study which conflicted with the studies submited by the NRCS was one financed by 2,4-D manufacturers conducted by Dow, which exposed test rats to the chemical and found no reproductive problems related to the exposure.

Make Your Yard a Honey Bee Haven! - Take the Pledge

You can take a pledge to maintain your yard in a way that creates habitat and food for bees.  This is pretty important, because by acting as vital pollinators - bees create food and habitat for lots of things! Here is the text from honeybeehaven.org explaining the program and how you can be a part of this honey bee network:

Bees are responsible for pollinating one in three bites of food we eat...and they're in trouble. Since the mid-1990s, they've been dying off in droves around the world. Colonies have been mysteriously collapsing with adult bees disappearing, seemingly abandoning their hives.

This phenomenon — known as Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD — is likely caused by a variety of interacting factors, including pathogens, loss of habitat and increased exposure to systemic and other pesticides.

Policymakers have yet to make pollinator health a top priority, and current regulations don't provide adequate protection for bees. But a groundswell of concerned citizens, gardeners and beekeepers is building to protect bees.

Join the movement! Take the pledge to provide a honey bee haven with access to pesticide-free food, shelter and water. It doesn't take much space — a few containers of the right kinds of plants tucked into your garden, on a balcony or front stoop, will get you started.

Guiding Principles:

1. Protect bees from pesticides. Pesticides kill beneficial insects including pollinators and natural enemies that control common pests like aphids. Certain pesticides, including neonicotinoids, are highly toxic to honey bees in particular. Instead of using pesticides, explore organic ways to grow healthy plants, such as using compost for healthy soil and controlling pests with homemade remedies and biocontrols like ladybugs.
    
2. Provide a variety of food for bees. Consider clustered plantings with staggered blooming times so there is food throughout the year and particularly in the late summer and fall. Native plants are always best, and inter-planting and hedgerows provide additional forage on farms. Mix cloverseed in with the grass of your lawn so bees can benefit from clover flowers (while the clover fixes nitrogen in your soil!)
    
3. Provide a year-round, clean source of water for bees. This can be a river, pond, irrigation system, rainwater collection system or small-scale garden water features. Shallow water sources can provide more than enough water for bees, without creating opportunities for mosquitoes to breed.
    
4. Provide shelter for bees. Leave some ground undisturbed and untilled and some dead trees and plants on the property for wild bees to nest in.

Sign The Pledge Here!

The National Pesticide Forum March 30-31, 2012

"If I can't protect my child through individual actions, then I will through collective actions." - Sandra Steingraber, at the Pesticides Forum

This past weekend was Beyond Pesticides' National Pesticide Forum at Yale University in New Haven.  I was only able to attend on Friday evening.  The program kicked off with Pesticides 101 a panel that included our Executive Director, Bill Duesing, to discuss the basic issues surrounding pesticide use and the alternatives to pesticides (of which there are many).
After the panel and some delicious dinner, the audience reconvened for the keynote.  Beyond Pesticides' Executive Director, Jay Feldman, presented an award to Nancy Alderman, president of Environment and Human Health, Inc. based in North Haven, CT and to Dr. Jerry Silbert, the Executive Director of the Watershed Partnership.  Congratulations to both of them and we echo Beyond Pesticide's thank you for their work here in Connecticut. 
After this introduction, the keynote speaker Sandra Steingraber was introduced.  Steingraber is the author of Living Downstream an autobiographical and scientific book about the experience of having cancer, and her research about the causes of cancer linked to high levels of toxins in our environment.
Her newest book, Raising Elijah is about the challenges of raising a child in a time of uncertainty surrounding climate change and a massive species extinction.  She discussed at length the concept of Generational Inequity, a climate-change related injustice that is barely being discussed, since unborn children are unable to take part in international negotiations or the 99% movement.  Despite the conversation that is not happening surrounding this inequity, the World Health Organization identified climate change as the greatest threat to children today.  This is a powerful concept, because our actions no longer harm some disembodied next generation, they harm the children we already know and have become attached to.

Steingraber has focused on our addiction to fossil fuels in this book as well.  She parallels our country's unsustainable and unethical investment in fossil fuels, to the investments made in slavery two centuries ago, more because of the economic instability   Given the popularity of natural gas as an "alternative" (but still fossil) fuel, she focused on the environmental and health concerns surrounding natural gas drilling.  I could write about the issues and criminal lack of regulation surrounding hydro-fracking for days, but the impacts on farming were especially notable.  Steingraber explained that the lands leased to natural gas companies are near dairies and farms that produce organic dairy products and heirloom wheat varieties.  All of the organic agriculture anywhere near these areas will most likely be compromised by the use of toxic chemicals for the drilling and by the air and water pollution associated with natural gas drilling.
Given the promise of energy conserving technologies and alternative energies, a refocusing of funding and research on these objectives can transition our country to mostly or all alternative energies.  Steingraber was a wonderful speaker, thank you so much to Beyond Pesticides for bringing her to Connecticut.
There is also a film of "Living Downstream" which is being shown at select film festivals, but keep your eye out for some public screenings near you.  

I was unable to attend on Saturday, but a couple of our staff members did make it, and report that the other keynotes and workshops were excellent.

Friday March 30 & Saturday March 31: The 30th National Pesticide Forum

Healthy Communities: Green solutions for safe environments

Yale University, New Haven, CT
School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

Although organic farming and land management continue to grow, policies to protect people from pesticides are threatened in the Northeast and around the country. At the same time, cutting-edge science links pesticide exposure to health problems, honey bee colony collapse, and other environmental issues. Join researchers, authors, beekeepers, organic business leaders, elected officials, activists, and others to discuss the latest science, policy solutions, and grassroots action.

We are so excited for the 30th National Pesticide Forum to come to New Haven this year! Connecticut is a central battleground for pesticide safety and application laws, which is why CT NOFA co-sponsored the Pesticide Forum.  Learn more about pesticides impact on health, the environment and communities and the policies that address these issues. 

Read our last post about the Pesticide Forum for a list of the keynotes (it's an impressive line up).  

CT NOFA and NOFA OLC also have a number of members, committee members and friends involved including:

Bill Duesing, our Executive Director will be two panels, Pesticides 101 on Friday afternoon and "Fair, Local, Organic Food" on Saturday afternoon.  

Jack Kittredge,policy director of the Northeast Organic Farming Association Massachusetts (NOFA/Mass) and editor of The Natural Farmer, NOFA's region-wide farming and gardening quarterly newspaper.  Jack will be discussing Genetically Engineered food at a panel on the topic. 

Sarah Little, PhD, a toxics use reduction consultant and former Pesticide Awareness Coordinator for the Town of Wellesley, author of Introduction to Organic Lawns and Yards, an instrumental committee-member for the Northeast Organic Farming Association's (NOFA) organic landscaping training program for over 10 years and editor for the NOFA Standards For Organic Land Care. Sarah will be on a panel about "Passing Organic Landcare Policies" that will discuss strategies for adopting pesticide-free land care policies. 

 

Chip Osborne, founder and President of Osborne Organics (Marblehead, MA), has over 10 years experience in creating safe, sustainable and healthy athletic fields and landscapes, and 35 years experience as a professional horticulturist and is a committee-member with the NOFA Organic Land Care Program. Chip will also be on the "Passing Organic Landcare Policies" workshop panel. 

Shannon Raider, Farm Manager & Director of Agricultural Programs at Common Ground High School and one of CT NOFA's favorite workshop teachers.  Shannon is participating in the "Organic Urban Farms and Landscapes Tour" a farm tour that will visit Common Ground High School's Farm, the Yale Sustainable Food Project and Branford's Town Fields (organically maintained!)

Jerry Silbert, MD, Executive Director of the Watershed Partnership, Inc which works in Connecticut to promote safe, healthy, livable communities for present and future generations through education, advocacy, and technical assistance. NOFA Organic Land Care has had the pleasure of working with Jerry on a number of projects, most recently on opposing the reversal of the pesticide ban being considered in the Connecticut legislature.  He will be taking part in the farm tour and a workshop titled "Protecting the Watershed". 

See the full line up on the Beyond Pesticides site!

Registration:
Student: $15
Grassroots activist/member: $35
Non-member: $75
Business: $175 

Register Online Today!

HB 5155 in Connecticut is a Really Big Deal

"With so many unknowns and with plausible evidence of harm to children it makes no sense for our children to be involuntarily exposed to the unnecessary use of these toxic chemicals especially when there are safe, effective affordable alternatives." - Bill Duesing as quoted in the Connecticut Post


Hi All,

I know you must be tired of us only discussing GMO-Labeling and the potential reversal of the pesticide ban.  But these are really, really important issues.  Connecticut has the opportunity to either take big steps in the right direction towards toxics safety in foods and school grounds, or taking ten steps backwards.

Healthy soil yields pest-
resistant plants!

Lets focus on the pesticide bill. The NOFA Organic Land Care Program has just concluded two of our three accreditation courses, and we've accredited about 65 new professionals (if you're interested, there's one more course in Rhode Island!)  Since I am a new employee, this is the first time I've sat through the course (though I did have the pleasure of coordinating it), and this comprehensive thirty hour course focuses on plant health, because the best pesticide (for people, the environment, pests and plants) seems to be prevention.  We also celebrated some of our landscapers who have been accredited for ten years this past December.  Organic has worked for these landscapers for ten years - it just needs to be done right!

There was a public hearing about HB 5155, an Act Modifying the Ban on Pesticide Applications on School Grounds on Wednesday, February 22.  I was unable to go because it was the last day of our Accreditation Course, and I needed to moderate the Accreditation Exam (which everyone did very well on, by the way). Yes, it's a little bit ironic that our program accredited 36 new professionals prepared to offer the services that school groundskeepers and pesticide lobbyists claim are too difficult, too expensive, or simply impossible on the same day as this hearing.  

Since I couldn't go, I submitted the following testimony:

What kind of chemicals should children really be exposed to?

I am writing from the classroom of the Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care, overseen by the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s Organic Land Care Program.  We are in the fourth day of the course, and the students have learned about turf management, planting, mulching, fertilizing and pest management all without the chemicals that the NOFA Standards for Organic Land Care have found to be both harmful and unnecessary. 

Connecticut took the lead on toxics safety and child health regulations with the pesticide ban.  The pesticides banned by P.A. 09-56 have been linked to serious health issues including, but not limited to, birth defects, behavior disorders, respiratory disease like asthma and potentially cancer.  Children are especially vulnerable to these dangerous chemicals because they play in the grass and because of their smaller, developing bodies. 
The pesticide ban is a law that Connecticut should be proud of.  Our state has prioritized the health of children over the importance of bright green grass, and the profits of chemical companies. 
Widespread non-compliance must be addressed by education and training support from programs similar to the NOFA Organic Land Care’s Accreditation.  More parents and families are choosing organic landscapers for their homes.   To then expose their children to these harmful chemicals at school disrespects these parents’ values.  As awareness grows about the potential threats of lawn chemicals, one can only expect greater support for the pesticide ban in Connecticut schools.

NOFA has the only internationally approved
land care standards

The alternative to pesticides exists. Organic land care has been applied to sports fields, turf grass, parks, homes, and many types of grounds. NOFA's Accreditation Program is in its twelfth year and we have a number of accredited organic professionals with decades of experience and many successful years offering organic services. As with every sustainable practice, at first it is more difficult. Organic land care requires that land care professionals develop an understanding of the ecology of the systems they are working with, and apply these lessons to the grounds. 
To address non-compliance with a law by simply eliminating the law is unthinkable.  Using this standard, most new laws would need to be reversed in the first couple years that new regulations take effect.  To move backwards in regards to laws protecting the health of children would be an embarrassment for Connecticut.
Sincerely,
Kristiane Huber

Bill Duesing, our Executive Director also submitted an eloquent testimony which you can read here, you can read all the testimonies on this page.  Want to comment on the bill? Beyond Pesticides has set up this online petition which will help you contact your legislator directly. 

Best,
Kristiane

The 30th National Pesticide Forum Healthy Communities: Green solutions for safe environments

Yale University, New Haven, CT
School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
March 30-31, 2012

The 30th National Pesticide Forum, Healthy Communities: Green solutions for safe environments, will be held March 30-31, 2012 (Friday evening and all day Saturday) at Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. The conference will focus on organic landcare, urban/ suburban pesticide use, organic food, and protective national, state, and local policies.

Registration: Register online.
Student: $15
Grassroots activist/member: $35
Non-member: $75
Business: $175 

Just added speaker:
David Hackenberg is the beekeeper who first discovered the disappearance of honeybees known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Mr. Hackenberg believes that pesticides contribute to CCD and that honeybees are a barometer of the environment. He is featured in the film Vanishing of the Bees and various media reports, including this 60 Minutes segment. David is a past president of the American Beekeeping Federation, and currently serves as co-chair of the National Honey Bee Advisory Board.

Other speakers include, Nancy Alderman, President of Environment and Human Health, Inc, Gary Hirshburg, co-founder of Stoneyfield Farm and a number of other environmental leaders in the pesticide action field.  See the speaker list here!

Convenors and co-sponsors
The conference is convened by Beyond Pesticides, Environment and Human Health, Inc., and the Watershed Partnership, Inc., and co-sponsored by Audubon Connecticut, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Connecticut Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA), Grassroots Environmental Education, Green Decade/Newton, GreenCape, NOFA Massachusetts Chapter, Northern New Jersey Safe Yards Alliance, Rivers Alliance of Connecticut, Safelawns.org, Sierra Club-Connecticut Chapter, and Toxics Action Center.

Sessions will be held in the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies' Kroon Hall. It is a truly sustainable building: a showcase of the latest developments in green building technology, a healthy and supportive environment for work and study, and a beautiful building that actively connects students, faculty, staff, and visitors with the natural world.