Organic Pest Control Grows in
Popularity
Barbara Kinnie
The Calgary Herald
June 11, 2004
Going "organic" is becoming
more "acceptable" and a lot easier these days.
Only recently has the understanding of the heavy price
paid by society's fixation with pristine lawns spread into
the mainstream. This has spurred a movement toward more
natural gardening with the goal of getting our lawns and
gardens off drugs.
Exactly what does organic mean? Organic
gardening can be defined as working more closely in
harmony with nature, without using man-made chemical
pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Organic gardening
emphasizes the importance of feeding the soil. Remember,
our lawns and gardens are teeming with life and are alive
with biodiversity. Organic gardening establishes a natural
ecological balance. The use of chemical pesticides and
fertilizers can destroy this balance and the soil
organisms needed to keep soil healthy.
One must also consider that pesticide
use is not without risk. Today, a well-educated public is
more concerned about the potential health risks from
pesticides. (Keep in mind the term pesticide includes
herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, and
weed 'n' feed type products that contain herbicides).
Perhaps a first step toward organic
gardening would be to eliminate our reliance on
pesticides. "Natural" gardening can make this a
first and easily achievable step.
A recent report from The Ontario College
of Family Physicians reinforces this move to natural
gardening by recommending that people reduce their
exposure to pesticides whenever possible. Their study
found consistent links to serious illness such as cancer,
reproductive problems, and neurological diseases, among
others. It also showed that children are particularly
vulnerable to pesticides.
Armed with this knowledge people are
rethinking how they do things on their lawns and in their
gardens. They recognize that a perfect green lawn just
isn't worth the risk to their children, pets, elderly
parents, or themselves. And they are seeking healthy ways
to manage their yards, leading them to pursue natural
gardening with less chemical dependence.
With this in mind, over 66 Canadian
municipalities have chosen to implement pesticide by-laws.
By-laws restrict the use of pesticides for cosmetic
purposes on public and private property, and allow the use
of safe low risk pest control products when necessary.
Cities such as Halifax, Toronto, and Vancouver have joined
this growing movement.
Halifax, whose by-law came into full
effect in 2003, after a three-year phase in, reports an
outstanding groundswell of public support from people
working toward healthy soil and healthy plants as the best
defence against pests. In 2003 they found that over 90% of
residential property owners practiced sustainable
gardening maintenance and did not use pesticides.
Vancouver also encourages natural yard
care. The cities of Vancouver, Port Moody and New
Westminster have already approved education and
information programs followed with by-laws that come into
full effect in 2006. A poll conducted for the Society
Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC) in October
2003 found that 81.1% of Vancouver residents support a
by-law restricting pesticide use.
In Toronto, "natural"
gardening is gaining increasing attention as a way to keep
the city healthy and beautiful. A city ad shows two people
recoiling in horror at a dandelion sporting the caption
"Relax, it's just a weed. Go Pesticide Free, and
learn to live with a few". Toronto has been educating
property owners on pesticide free yard care since early
2000. Their by-law came into effect in May 2004 and will
be phased in.
Calgary has adopted, and educates the
public in practicing, Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
IPM keeps pesticides in the toolbox, suggesting them as a
last resort.
Interestingly, a March 2004 report from
the Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention found that
education programs supported by a by-law were successful
in reducing the use of pesticides by a higher degree
(51-90%) than education programs alone (10-24%).
As a society we have become obsessed
with attempting to eradicate weeds and insects. According
to Dr. Elaine Ingham, professor of botany and plant
pathology at Oregon State University, "Weeds are like
a warning light in your car. They tell you you have a
problem you need to fix".
And after all, if you heed the warnings
and adopt a perfectly natural approach to yard care you
just might decide to go all the way and go organic.
Barbara Kinnie has practiced organic gardening for over
three decades and has an interest in community,
environment and social justice issues. She is the
Chairwoman of the Chinook Group of the Sierra Club of
Canada.
-- This is the first in a four-part
series on natural gardening.
© The Calgary Herald
2004
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