cross posted at Ecojustice

In a victory for homeowners and natural gardeners alike, Ottawa residents Henry and Vera Jones are celebrating the city's decision to rescind the violation notice they issued over the couple's natural, pesticide free garden.

Ecojustice lawyer Will Amos represented the couple in their fight against City Hall, but thanks to this decision by Ottawa officials, all parties can now work together and avoid a legal battle.

"There's a recognition that the times have changed and that natural gardening is already and will continue to become even more a socially acceptable use of people's gardens," said Amos.

The decision has widespread relevance for Ontario’s municipalities since the provincial ban on cosmetic pesticide use went into effect in April. That law offers greater protection to people’s health by banning the cosmetic use of 2,4-D and other pesticides that have been associated with neurological and reproductive disorders, as well as cancer.

Looking ahead, the case represents a huge step forward for healthy gardening and the rights of people who want an alternative to chemically treated lawns and yards.

Read the media release for more.

cross posted at Ecojustice

The issue of pesticide free gardening is quickly escalating into a potential legal battle, as Henry and Vera Jones of Constance Bay have contacted us after the city threatened to mow down their natural garden and bill them for the pleasure.

A Constance Bay man who ran afoul of a city bylaw over the long, meadow-like grass in his front yard said he may begin legal proceedings against the city as early as Thursday.

Hank Jones said he is taking advice from the environmental-law organization Ecojustice, and is seriously considering filing for a court injunction to prevent the city from mowing the long grass and wildflowers that make up the budding wildlife garden in his front yard.

He said bylaws that encourage mowed, golf-course-style lawns and discourage natural, meadow-like properties contribute to environmental problems

To be clear, this is not about defending unkept lawns that pull down property values. Henry and Vera Jones are building an environmentally friendly, well cared for, natural garden that helps pollinate local flowers and food, and they are doing it without pesticides or harmful chemicals. They’re a model for responsible yard care, but the city is treating them like pariahs.

Check out the story in the Ottawa Citizen, hear Ecojustice lawyer Will Amos (pictured left) discuss the case on the CBC's All In A Day, and stay tuned for more...

Readers may or may not be aware of an ongoing misinformation campaign being waged against Rachel Carson, the woman widely credited for the birth of the modern environmental movement.

In 1962 she wrote Silent Spring, a cautionary criticism about the impacts of widespread pesticide use, particularly DDT, on both the natural world and human health. However, recent efforts to posthumously honour Rachel Carson have been stalled thanks to the work of certain Republicans in the US Senate, in particular one Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), who implicitly holds Carson responsible for millions of malaria deaths that have occurred in the developing world. The people at Celsias have done a perfect job outlining the controversy and showing why the this accusation is false.

This unfortunate misconception is the result of a very misleading and inaccurate campaign that is being waged against Carson and the movement that she helped to initiate. Basically, the argument is that she pushed for a ban on the use of DDT, which led to the deaths of millions of people every year around the world. I hope to demonstrate that this couldn’t be farther from the truth. First, and possibly most important, is the fact that Carson never advocated an absolute ban on the use of DDT.

The article does indeed demonstrate that point, as do the words of Rachel Carson herself with her common sense prescription that governments should, "Spray as little as you possibly can" rather than, "Spray to the limit of your capacity".

Intervention at an intelligent and effective minimum, rather than a hysterical and reactionary maximum....that's good policy we can generalize to any political issue.

So once again the air clears and we see that it's certain "conservative" politicians who are overreacting - both in endorsing the indiscriminant use DDT and their wholly inaccurate attack on Rachel Carson.

Thanks to Celsias for a great summary of the issue.