08
Apr
One Week until the 34th National Pesticide Forum Arrives in Portland, ME!
(Beyond Pesticides, April 8, 2016) With exactly one week until Cultivating Community and Environmental Health: Models for sustainable and organic strategies to protect ecosystems, pollinators, and waterways, don’t miss out on the opportunity to listen and interact with some of the leading scientists and experts in their fields. There is still time to register! The 34th National Pesticide Forum, runs from the afternoon of April 15 through the evening of April 16. Registration, which is $45 for activists and $25 for students, includes access to all sessions as well as organic food and beverages. In addition to spending time with those on the cutting edge of research and organic practices and the opportunity to network, we will serve light refreshments and organic drinks Friday night, and organic breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks on Saturday. Walk-ins will be welcome, but to ensure that we have enough food and drink, we encourage you to register today. Click here to register now!
A Special Friday Night Event:
Join us Friday night for a special performance of A Sense of Wonder, by Kaiulani Lee, followed by a talk and book signing by Kristin Ohlson, author of The Soil Will Save Us. Special Friday night only tickets are available for $10.
- A Sense of Wonder, which is a one-woman play written, produced, and performed by Kaiulani Lee, in which the actor portrays Rachel Carson’s love for the natural world and her fight to defend it, much of it taking place in Maine! It is the story of the extremely private Ms. Carson thrust into the role of controversial public figure with the publication of Silent Spring. This powerful two-act play brings to life on stage Ms. Carson’s passionate message on the adverse health and environmental effects of pesticides, just as these toxic chemicals were becoming an increasingly common part of modern life. Kaiulani Lee brings to the writing and acting of A Sense of Wonder more than 35 years of experience in theatre, film, and television.
- Kristin Ohlson, journalist and bestselling author. Her book, The Soil Will Save Us, makes an elegantly argued, passionate case for “our great green hope”””a way in which we can not only heal the land but also turn atmospheric carbon into beneficial soil carbon””and potentially reverse global warming. Copies of the book will be available to purchase at the forum.
Learn from Leading Scientists and Experts:
The keynote conference speakers are leading authorities in their fields, which offers participants a unique opportunity to discuss cutting issues focused on protecting human health and the environment. At the Forum, you’ll have the opportunity to interact and talk strategy with speakers on panels and in workshops, such as those featured below:
- Ecological Tick Management Workshop, featuring Ron Circe, an ecologist and manager of the over 700 acre Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve in Loudoun County, VA, where he employs natural practices to successfully manage ticks; and Daniel Sonenshine, Ph.D., professor emeritus and eminent scholar of biological sciences at Old Dominion University, who researches tick pheromones, tick immunity and tick-borne diseases.
- Montgomery County, MD Councilmember George Leventhal. As Council President, Mr. Leventhal was the lead sponsor of the landmark ordinance, Bill 52-14, which protects children, pets, wildlife, and the wider environment from the hazards of unnecessary lawn and landscape pesticides. He wrote and championed the legislation, which restricts cosmetic pesticide use on lawns throughout the county —which is now the largest jurisdiction in the U.S. to do so on both private and public property.
- Tao Orion, author of Beyond the War on Invasive Species: A Permaculture Approach to Ecosystem Restoration. She holds a degree in agroecology and sustainable agriculture from UC Santa Cruz. She has a keen interest in integrating the disciplines of organic agriculture, sustainable land-use planning, ethnobotany, and ecosystem restoration in order to create beneficial social, economic, and ecological outcomes.
- Jim Gerritsen, an organic farmer who, for 38 years, has owned and operated Wood Prairie Farm in northern Maine, and serves as president of the national farmer-run membership trade organization, Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA), which was the lead plaintiff in the landmark organic community federal lawsuit, OSGATA et al. v. Monsanto.
- Will Allen and Kate Duesterberg, both together and separately, have decades of involvement in the field of sustainable agriculture. Will was one of the pioneers of organic farming in California, and is known throughout the U.S. and around the world as an expert on organic cotton. Will and Kate are both farm managers of Cedar Circle Farm in Thetford, VT, where they are active in food politics.
In addition to these highlighted speakers, there is an all-star lineup of experts who will be joining us, from scientists, elected officials, lawyers, and activists, to the Beyond Pesticides’ board of directors. Don’t forget, we also have Jonathan Lundgren, Ph.D., a former top U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entomologist, Aaron Blair, Ph.D., a National Cancer Institute researcher (emeritus), and U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree, representing Maine’s First District. Check out the full speaker list and schedule for more information.
Organizers:
The 34th National Pesticide Forum is convened by Beyond, Toxics Action Center, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), and University of Southern Maine Department of Environmental Science and Policy. Co-sponsors include: Eldredge Hardware & Lumber, Environment America, Food and Water Watch Maine, Friends of Casco Bay, GreenCAPE, Maine Farm & Sea Cooperative, Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, Organic Consumers Association, Physicians for Social Responsibility Maine, Portland Pollinator Partnership, Portland Protectors, Protect South Portland, and Regeneration International.
Please email us at [email protected] or give us a call at 202-543-5450 for any questions or concerns that are not addressed on our forum page.
We hope to see you there!
