A Chemical Reaction - Documentary Pesticide Use

[The Helpful Gardener]

Well the big day was yesterday and I'm still taking it all in. We were cursed with the first absolutely perfect day of the year , so I was thinking that a Sunday matinee was DOA. Much gloom on my part in the AM.

Yet we still half filled the place, the chefs and farms were famously good, and the crowd was enthusiastic. A lively and vigorous debate followed, with a real who's who of organics in CT for the roundtable after. And Brett's movie is wonderful and Paul is lucky Brett let him be in it ( ). They are a dynamic team, like Scorsese and Deniro.

And Cinestudios remains the most beautiful place to see a movie in Connecticut; old Gothic stone and carved wood, and red velvet.

My thanks to all who participated; I have thanked you all elsewhere and this is not the place, but everyone in the building yesterday has my undying gratitude. I owe a particular debt to Rep. Richard Roy, cochair of the Environmental Committee for his attendance and participation. It was and is most appreciated.

HG

Thank You

[The Helpful Gardener]

Looks like the next showing in Connecticut will be April 1st, so of course I will be involved!

The Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District is doing a showing in Middletown, CT., at the Middletown H.S. auditorium at 7PM in conjunction with the local vo-ag department; are these kids starting out right or what?

See ya there!

HG

[Nathan_sr]

Im a landscaper in RI and my company uses chemicals to fertilize lawns all over the stat and our fertilizer crews swear by the chemicals they use.i argue with them all the time and they keep telling me that there is no organics out there that will give u a greener and more fuller lawn.I have a hard time believing that and as far as plants and trees r concernd if it couses problems to us wont the chemicals couse problems for the as well down the roud.

[Nathan_sr]

i personly used and tested one way to deter the local pest like mosquito and difernt plant eating bugs by grinding old garlic cloves into a fine powder and mixing them in a spray bottle with watter and i find that it helps keep the bugs away.just a suggestion one hole bulb of cloves to 68oZ of watter

[The Helpful Gardener]

Hey Nate,

Talking to people who use the stuff for a living can be really difficult; you run into the "We've always done it this way" or "I tried it and it doesn't work." Paul Tukey (star of the movie) got a gig taking care of the nation's front yard, The National Mall, and we greened up an area that NPS was having trouble with while treating chemically, 100% organically. It was so succesful that somebody had to sabotage it (wonder who thought THAT was necessary? ).My yard may not be weed free, but it's as green as anyones elses on the street, and I do very little to get that. Try searching with the search function for "organic lawn" or hit the Lawn Forum fo more ideas...

You should post your bug juice in our Organic Insect and Pest Control Forum; we love it when people find things that work for them, especially if they are DIY projects...

Welcome to the Forums!

HG

[The Helpful Gardener]

So I was talking about the real story unfolding ...



HG

[forgardener]

Greetings all,

I recently interviewed an old friend and colleague, Paul Tukey, about his new movie, and we have featured the interview on the site. Please take a minute to read about this important film and then let's talk about it back here... I look forward to hearing from you all...

Thanks

Scott

It would be great to find out where and when this will be shown around the country. I am subscribed to several garden related ventures around here but you never know if I might have missed the one that will be showing or relating this presentation to the public.

[greenheirloom]

It's not well known in the United States that Home Depot has ceased sales of pesticides in Canada. But as Paul Tukey asks, why is it ok to still sell the same chemicals in the United States?

"Like our customers, we, at The Home Depot, are concerned about the environment," said Annette Verschuren, president of The Home Depot Canada and Asia. "We are going above and beyond government regulations by working with our suppliers to develop pesticide alternatives that are environmentally friendly and produce excellent results on lawns and gardens."

Now that is a great quote and begs the question, why is it OK here in the US? We all need to educate the public about the harm these pesticides can do.

[Gary350]

Good............Its about time!!!

[Leo Mitchell]

Having been trained by the university system in agriculture/horticulture in the 60's, I was not exposed to organic gardening concepts. It wasn't until I picked up a copy of Organic Gardening magazine that the world of organic gardening became a topic of interest. Having worked in the lawn care industry, I can only look back in sadness at the tons of chemicals, both pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers, I used. I did it out of ignorance, so I won't be to hard on myself or others. A film like this will take away the ignorance people have and they will no longer be able to claim "ignorance" as an excuse to continue the madness!

[georgepichardo]

Two Thumbs Up! A must-release film, and of course a must-see one.

[KayGarden]

Thank you so much for posting this. I have so many "discussions" with my husband about lawn care and so far I am "winning" by the skin of my teeth. I think, once I show him this, he will agree with my position much more. : )

Best,
KayGarden

[Chris@hisfarm]

I really enjoyed reading all of the comments that came about by sharing the movie!

Just as Hippocrates state let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food, So it is with the land that we are here to take care of.

I am grateful to be part of a community that chooses to help and make a difference!
javascript:emoticon(':D')

[atreecompany]

Great post, this is a topic that needs to be openly discussed because it affects the environment that we all live in. I'm glad the makers of this film were able to overcome the financial challenges and get it this out there.