Death from gardening?

I ran accross this cartoon and thought it was good for a Friday laugh. Enjoy!

Live well, Be aware, Get involved,

Pesticide-Free Edmonton

Pesticides can also hurt your pooch

Spraying chemicals on your lawn may may not only affect you, but your four-legged friends outside too.

Our furry friends are high risk for pesticides poisoning for a variety of reasons. Firstly, they are low to the ground. Being so much closer to the chemicals makes them more susceptible to absorbing what's on the lawn. The same principle is true for our toddlers.

They also spend a lot of time grooming. So after you let Spot in from outside, he might start licking his contaminated fur and ingest the toxins orally. Remember, pesticides will stay on your lawn for days after and may travel through the air, water, or by other animals.

Several studies, including The Cancer Registry and Surveillance System for Companion Animals, are mapping the incidence of cancer in companion animals in Nassau County, as well as in central and western New York. They have noted a dramatic increase in lymphoma cases in recent years due to pesticide use.

Our solution is to stop using these chemicals and you'll reduce the risk of health concerns for your pooch, cat, or any other pet that may have exposure to your lawn. Also, try to say away from lawns or parks that have been recently sprayed. Be aware of signs from the City or from priviate spraying companies stating that they have just sprayed. The signs are often small, so keep an eye out and be cautious of any strange smells.

Here are some examples of signs to look out for:

What else can I do?
- Forward this link to your friends
- Contact us for a great 1-page document that your can share with your neighbours (pesticidefreeedmonton@gmail.com)
- Let City Councilors know that you want to protect your pets from toxic chemicals! Book a meeting with them to share how you feel. (Here's a site that will help you: http://edmonton.ca/city_government/city_organization/city-council.aspx)
- Start up a Facebook or Twitter site about this issue and invite your friends


Live well, Be aware, Get involved,
Pesticide Free Edmonton




Want some more information?

Check out some of our favourite sites and articles!

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/4215#ixzz0gHpKdz9h
http://catsdogslawns.blogspot.com/

Welcome!

Welcome to your one-stop-pesticide-free-shop!

Thanks for checking us out to see what we're all about.

Pesticide Free Edmonton Coalition (PFEC) was created last year in order to create awareness about the harmful effects of pesticides. Alberta is below the national standard in pesticide bylaws and we want Edmonton to become a leader in our province.

Built with the vision of having a cosmetic-pesticide free city, dedicated individuals and organizations involved are fighting back by letting Edmontonians know that these products aren't safe! Each week we are going to try to provide a piece of information or an upcoming event that you may not know about to help you fight back too!

So what is a cosmetic pesticide anyway?

A non-essential, or cosmetic pesticide, is a insecticide, herbicide, rodenticides, fumigants, or fungicide that kills anything that some may consider as undesirable. (Usually those lawns that are neon green have been sprayed with pesticides.) We do not have a position on agricultural use.

What's the big deal?

We are guided by the precautionary principal, meaning that although there is no conclusive evidence that links pesticide use to health concerns, we must take action before there is. It wasn't too long ago that the link was found between tanning beds and skin cancer, or respiratory problems and smoking. Studies done by the Ontario College of Physicians, David Suzuki Foundation and the US National Toxicology Program believe that there is a likely link between pesticide use and health concerns such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other types of cancers, infertility, chronic headaches, as well as Parkinson's disease... just to name a few.

We're convinced that even one health concern should be enough for policy makers to pay attention to this issue.

So what can I do?

Make 2010 your year to have the nicest yard on the block without using any toxic chemicals! Need a starting point? Try www.safelawns.org. There are great alternatives out there, such as cutting your lawn high or pulling out weeds by hand.

Another suggestion is getting on board with the City of Edmonton's program that would exclude your neighbourhood from getting sprayed. Keep in mind that one of the specifications is that you need to be around a green space, (so a park, school, service road for example), and you'll need 66% support in your area. If you're not by a green area, you can still fill out a petition indicator form and put your street on the list. Once you do that, your street will join the growing number of pesticide-free neighbourhoods in Edmonton! Please check out the link below for more information.

Or you can join our group! We meet bi-monthly and discuss issues in our community and the things we can can do to educate Edmontonians and push for a bylaw. We'd love to hear from you at pesticidefreeedmonton@gmail.com.

Keep checking back or sign up for RRS feeds for up coming posts on going green or pesticide awareness events!

Live well, Be aware, Get involved,

Pesticide Free Edmonton

References:

• Edmonton pesticide policy: http://www.edmonton.ca/environmental/documents/ForHouseholds/integrated_pest_management_policy.pdf


• http://www.cfpc.ca/local/files/Communications/Current%20Issues/Pesticides/News%20Release.pdf


• http://www.davidsuzuki.org/latestnews/dsfnews06210701.asp


• http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/index.cfm?objectid=06F2561B-D0C1-8FDE-B673A8C0D27BFC83