Connecticut
Group Fights For Lawn Pesticide Ban
(Beyond Pesticides, January 9, 2004) The Grassroots
Coalition, an affiliate of the non-profit Ecological Health Organization,
Inc., based in Hebron, CT, is seeking to place a petition to ban lawn
pesticides to state legislature. The Grassroots Coalition describes
itself as a group made up of over 100 individuals and organizations
dedicated to the reduction/elimination of the use of pesticides and
the promotion of nontoxic pest control methods. The group's website
reports that it has collected 1,354 signatures towards their goal of
5,000.
The Coalition was
inspired by a similar petition in Quebec, which started a movement
that resulted in the first Province-wide legislation to ban lawn-care
pesticides in Canada. At least 50 municipalities in Canada now have
by-laws that restrict or ban the use of pesticides on public and private
properties.
One of the first Canadian towns to enact a lawn pesticide ban was Halifax, Nova Scotia. This ban was challenged in court by the pesticide industry, but upheld by a 2001 Canadian Supreme Court ruling that cities and towns can place bans on pesticides without scientific proof that the pesticide is harmful. If the public perceives that they are at risk from a certain chemical, they can act to protect themselves.
Copies of the petition are available for residents of Connecticut and can be printed from the ECHO website (www.ECHOMCSCT.homestead.com) or the Grassroots Coalition website (www.grassrootsct.homestead.com). The Grassroots Coalition asks that you encourage your friends, neighbors, family, coworkers etc. to sign the petition. Mail completed forms to: Grassroots Pesticide Petition PO Box 8232 Berlin CT 06037.