TIP TALKS
Newsletter
of the Toxics Information Project (TIP)
Winter
2004
Director’s Message
THE BIG NEWS – WE’RE LEGAL!
(with the IRS, that is) TIP continues
humming in 2004! It took just 2˝ months
for the IRS to approve our application for 501C3, non-profit, status. ALL donations and memberships are now tax
deductible, retroactive to November 21, 2003.
Thanks to Apeiron Institute for Environmental
Living for helping us out as a fiscal agent until we achieved our own IRS
recognition.
AND THANKS TO RI FOUNDATION
FOR A $2,500 GRANT FOR OUR LTL CAMPAIGN!
MEMBERSHIP:
The new membership option has not yet been given major publicity, and our base
is small. However, when there is a
little more time to spare later in the year, we do plan a membership drive,
possibly a mass mailing. We expect to go
through the application process for a bulk permit with the U.S.P.S., to keep
costs down for this. If you know anyone
who might support our cause, please invite them to join!
THIS YEAR’S FOCUS: THE LESS TOXIC LANDSCAPING CAMPAIGN & CONTEST
(ALONG WITH THE NEW “PROTECTING PETS” GROUP)
Lawns
and gardens are everywhere. Moreover,
the grounds around a home are a much beloved expression of the person or
persons living within. Homeowners are
proud of their landscaping, and believe it makes a statement to the world at
large about their taste, and their ability to design and nurture a satisfying
and attractive mini-environment.
Unfortunately, in an effort to surpass the Joneses next door or just to
win the admiration of passers-by, said homeowners are applying huge quantities
of lawn chemicals and other pesticides onto their property. This chemical feast is taking a sad toll in
health effects on those exposed to it.
Especially vulnerable are children and pets, whose relationship with the
earth is intimate.
In
addition to health problems caused by these pesticides, they turn up in our
waterways as run-off. Many cannot be
removed from our drinking water by community purification systems. They travel amazing distances – polar bears
residing at the North Pole have DDT in their blood, though they clearly are not
near any past or current agricultural endeavors. Pesticides turn up in the fish we eat, and,
ironically, can harm the very birds and beneficial insects that provide natural
control of the pests we are targeting.
How
to reduce this dangerous flood of toxins?
Well, TIP thinks it is time to recognize and reward those who manage
their home turf in a less toxic way – and to offer assistance to those who want
to do so. That’s how the “Less Toxic
Landscaping” Campaign and Contest idea came to be.
The concept was inspired by the yearly “most
beautiful holiday decorations” contests, which offer us multiple images on TV
and in newspapers of gorgeous-looking homes all dolled up for Christmas. Why not offer people similar visual proof of
how beautiful and practical a home and grounds, or park, or other landscaped
property, can be, without saturating the area with poisons? So, TIP set about to find ways to carry this
message.
Our plans and methods are described later in this
newsletter. Included are a number of
ways to elicit support, gain attention for the cause, and increase knowledge
and encourage enthusiasm for healthier alternatives. Basically, we wanted to find ways to shift
people’s perceptions of the “norm” or the admirable – from the “perfect” green
monoculture of equally sized grass stems to attractively designed landscapes
using native plant species, stones and other decorative features – from casual,
ritual dousing with chemicals whether needed or not, to a delightful vision of
space that is SAFE for humans and other creatures.
It quickly became apparent that one of our other
concerns, that for the special vulnerability of pets to toxics, fit naturally
with the lawn chemical campaign.
Speaking to several people whose cats died after wandering onto a
neighbor’s (chemically treated) lawn
made this connection very clear.
So, our newly named “Protecting Pets” group has been formed with the
hope of educating pet and animal lovers about ways to keep our furry and
feathered companions safe, especially from lawn and garden pesticides.
Stay tuned for news of our proposed LTL Lawn Signs,
Bumper Stickers and T-Shirts! We’re in
the process of selecting an appropriate logo design for these, which will give
the feeling of joy at being in that healthy safe space, a chemical-free one.
Although time and energy are limited, I also manage
to address some additional concerns – as, with a TIP table at the March 26
Indoor Air Quality Conference, “The Hidden Environmental Hazard”, at the
Marriott in Providence. And, of course,
there are always a variety of questions coming in over the E-Mail transom, or
posed to me in my travels. Next week,
I’ll be talking to a WRNI (NPR) reporter about pesticide residues in
produce! Watch for a new TIP handout on
how consumers can handle this concern.
I dearly wish I had perfect answers for all of
them. All I can do is continue, within
my ability, to research issues as they present themselves and offer the best
information I can find to those who seek it.
Our chosen area of concern, toxics in everyday life, is vast. My comfort is that I believe more and more
people are coming to recognize its importance, and to work, as TIP does, to bring
about a more aware and safer world for us all.
By the way, have you noticed the change in our TIP
slogan? We had been using the phrase,
“Sharing Information on Toxics in Everyday Life & Providing Healthier
Alternatives”. Now, our logo sports the
briefer statement: “Lighting the Way to
Less Toxic Living”. I think it fits now
with our TIP lighthouse, is brief and to the point!
Hoping for Health,
Liberty Goodwin, Director, Toxics Information
Project (TIP)
TIP NEWS
& ACTIVITIES
THE “LESS TOXIC LANDSCAPING” CAMPAIGN & CONTEST
The “Less Toxic Landscaping”
campaign was launched at the RI Flower & Garden Show at the RI Convention
Center in Providence, Feb. 19-22, 2004.
We had a TIP booth there, and presented two talks, both well-attended.
The first, given by Kate Lacouture, a landscape
architect and member of the TIP Board, was on “Healthy Lawns & Creative
Alternatives”. The next day,
veterinarian Vincent Seccareccia spoke on "How
To Keep A Pet-Safe Yard" (Plants Poisonous to Pets & Critter Caustic
Chemicals).
The LTL plan includes taking
our TIP traveling exhibit to a variety of events, to offer informational
materials and talk with people about the LTL campaign. We are also asking folks to sign a pledge in
support of Less Toxic Landscaping Campaign’s goals: to reduce the use of lawn
chemicals and to consider creative, healthy landscaping alternatives to
lawns. Support resolutions are being
introduced in both the RI Senate and House, and are being considered in several
municipalities. We have received
endorsements so far from Clean Water Action, RIPIRG, The Sierra Club RI
Chapter, the Environment Council of Rhode Island (ECRI), the Environment
Committee of the Episcopal Diocese, The Greenways Alliance, and the Warren
Conservation Commission. Several other
groups are expected to endorse the LTL campaign.
We brought our exhibit on
Monday, March 8, to the first annual Clean Water Festival at Rhode Island
College, where hundreds of middle and high school students went from exhibit to
exhibit, and we talked to each group in turn until our voices were
protesting! A great opportunity to reach
out to young people! The TIP exhibit
will be seen next at the RI Land & Water Conservation Summit, March 20;
North Kingstown Environmental Fair, April 3; Earth Day celebrations
at Roger Williams Park Zoo, April 17 & at Audubon Environmental
Center, April 24; the RI Sustainable Living Festival in Coventry, June 5:
and URI Greenshares Field Day, Sept. 18. We’ll also be having an LTL information and
pledge-signing table at Eastside Marketplace in Providence on Sunday, April 18,
from 1 to 6 p.m.
TIP itself will present a
special Less Toxic Landscaping Campaign & Contest event, a Gardening
Fair on Saturday, May 1, 2004, 10-3 at the Rochambeau
Library, in Providence.
At the Fair, people will be
offered a variety of ways to learn about less toxic gardening
and landscaping
techniques. Included will be books and
articles; advice tables manned by experienced gardeners, landscape architects
and lawn care specialists; opportunities to submit questions and to offer tips
to others about successful means of dealing with such concerns.
In the library conference
room, talks by experts will be given and “Gardeners’ Gabfests” - open
discussions - will be held on healthy gardening and problem-solving.
A “Protecting Pets”
informational table will be provided. In
addition, experts in healthy landscaping/organic gardening will lead a
neighborhood tour, looking at examples of home exteriors and discussing the
plantings and other features they see.
Questions will be answered about ease of maintenance and suitability for
a less-toxic landscaping plan. Details and a sign-up sheet for the Less Toxic
Landscaping Contest will be provided at the Fair. TIP is working on making lawn signs, bumper
stickers and T-Shirts available, to help publicize the cause. A Resource Guide to LTL assistance and info
is being prepared, probably complete by summer.
****************************************************************************
THE “LESS TOXIC LANDSCAPING” CONTEST
This contest will include
three categories:
1. Examples of Healthy Landscape Design – Homes with
attractive, interesting healthy landscaping and/or specific plantings. Models, drawings or photographs of healthy landacaping designs.
2. Information on Healthy Landscaping & Gardening –
“How-To” articles, descriptions of LTL gardening methods and success stories.
3. Promotional Materials to Support the Campaign – Posters,
cartoons, “Why Less Toxic Landscaping?” articles, including advantages of
creative landscaping alternatives and research or information about the risks,
health and environmental effects of lawn pesticide use.
Sign-up
sheets will be available starting with the April 17 Earth Day event. Judging will take place in early Fall. A variety of prizes will be offered, and an
awards ceremony will take place in October.
**********************************************************************************
HELP WANTED!
We need the assistance of folks who support our goals of reducing the use of lawn chemicals in Rhode Island and encouraging healthy lawn care and use of creative landscaping alternatives. Check out the list below for possible ways you can help!
1.
GARDENERS. People with some knowledge of healthy
alternatives to the use of chemicals are needed, especially for our LTL
Gardening Fair, Saturday, May 1 at the Rochambeau
Library in Providence. Also, volunteers
who can talk to people at our booth during events. You don’t have to be an “expert”, just have
some good healthy gardening tips!
2.
BOOTH ASSISTANCE. Help with
setting up, running and taking down our exhibit. NOTE: Come for an hour, a morning, afternoon, the
day – whenever you can..
3.
SPREAD THE WORD. Disseminate “How” & “Why” informational
materials and publicity, in E-Mails, at event tables, post notices, tell
friends and family.
4.
ENDORSEMENT. Encourage people to sign the pledge in
support of of less lawn chemicals and more healthy
alternatives. Send signed support form
back to TIP. Encourage any organization
or club to which you belong to endorse the campaign. Support LTL resolutions in the state
legislature, city and town councils.
5.
CONTEST. Assist with planning the LTL Contest. Be a judge or help us find one. Encourage participation by individuals, schools,
groups. Enter the contest yourself. Find retailers to give prizes or advertise in
the awards program.
6.
RESOURCES. Submit suggestions for entries in the Less
Toxic Landscaping Resource Guide – preparation ongoing. Any person, business, group or organization
that can provide information to help people carry out LTL goals should be
included.
CONTACT: Liberty Goodwin at TIP, 401-351-9193, liberty@toxicsinfo.org if you can do any of the above! If no time or energy, make a (tax-deductible) donation!
CANARY
CORNER
CANARIES COME IN
MANY SPECIES
By Liberty Goodwin, TIP
Director
I’ve given much effort to
explaining to people that “canary” is a term for a human being who reacts to
toxic fumes before the rest of us - like the birds used to warn miners when the
air in a shaft was unhealthy. Now, I’m
about to confuse things somewhat by talking about “canaries” that come in lots
of shapes and species! What I mean by
that is that besides actual canaries and chemically sensitive people, other
animals and birds as well as humans are extremely susceptible to the synthetic
chemicals we are distributing so widely on this earth and in our water and
air.
A long time ago, “Silent
Spring” awakened us to the dangers to birds from pesticides. But, in recent years, how much do you hear
about that concern? There’s a lot of
news coverage about dead birds with West Nile Virus in their bodies, but little
about toxic chemicals and their effects.
Is this because the pesticides used today are so much safer? I wish I believed that. I think it is more the truth that “Seek and
ye will find” – and viruses and germs are the focus of today’s searchers, for
the most part. It’s not that I discount
the nastiness of microbes. But, with the
chemical manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies funding and controlling
much medical and scientific research today, I am convinced that a serious bias
exists. It has always been true that the
fox is a poor guardian of the henhouse.
People who profit by and are educated by chemical corporate interests
are not inclined to be intense in sniffing out dangers and health effects from
toxic products.
Birds are most dramatically
effected by a non-pesticide product – Teflon and other non-stick frying
pans. When heated to very high
temperatures, these emit fumes that will knock out a bird for good in a very
short time. Another particularly
quick-acting poison is anti-freeze. A
cat taking a lick of a spot where this has leaked onto your driveway will not
survive the experiment. Lawn pesticides
can, of course, take this kind of toll as well.
I have spoken to two cat owners whose pets wandered onto the neighbor’s
chemically-treated lawn – and died.
Sometimes the effects are not so clear-cut. In another case, a cat exposed to these
chemicals developed hepatitis. The
veterinarian considered that there was a connection – perhaps because the cat’s
immune system had been weakened by the toxins.
Longer-term, a study has shown that dogs in homes where the herbicide
2-4-D was applied four times a year had double the rate of cancer.
Similar cancer risks have
been found in those other little creatures who like to roll around on the
ground and eat dirt – little kids. It
was found that children living in homes and areas permeated by lawn and garden
pesticides had 6 times the rate of leukemia.
Links have also been drawn between pesticide exposure of children and
neurological damage, allergies and asthma.
Because it usually takes so long before products are recognized as
hazardous, this kind of illness is widespread before the offending one is
withdrawn from the market.
What’s important here is that we keep in mind the
same lesson the canaries in the mines gave long ago. If the most vulnerable among us, whether they
be feathered, furred, diapered or adult, are reacting to a chemical, we should
heed the warning, and take protective action – because tomorrow’s canary could
be you, or your loved ones!
By the
cat-loving staff at Care2.