Too good to destroy
By Catherine Verrall, The Leader-Post May 20, 2011
Did you have your dandelions today? Nature is giving us a powerhouse of health -free -if we haven't poisoned them with pesticide.
Dandelions give far more vitamin A beta than carrots, more potassium than bananas, more lecithin than soybeans, more iron and twice the amount of vitamin A as spinach -also, vitamins C and B, calcium, magnesium and more.
In Europe and Asia, especially, dandelions are highly valued as a healing "wonder herb" for a host of ills. Snip the leaves into salads, soup, sandwiches, simmer like spinach with a dash of garlic or soy sauce. The roots and flowers are health-giving, too.
So why would we choose to endanger ourselves, our children, our pets, birds, butterflies and bees, our air and our waterways, while trying to kill this gift?
The province of Ontario has banned the use of toxic lawn pesticides.
Two years ago, the Saskatoon Health Region eliminated the use of herbicides on the grounds of hospitals in order to prevent unnecessary chemical exposure to employees, patients and visitors.
This leadership is praised by knowledgeable groups such as the Canadian Cancer Society, the Lung Association of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses' Association, and the Saskatchewan Network for Alternatives to Pesticides. Over 156 Canadian municipalities have bylaws restricting the use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes.
We do not need poisonous pesticides in order to have beautiful spaces. Until our city and province wake up to act responsibly on this issue, individuals and institutions can show the way.
Meantime, I'm having a cup of fresh dandelion tea, with a bit of mint.
CATHERINE VERRALL
Regina
via Too good to destroy.
Catherine Verrall was born in 1929, the year women legally became "persons". This seemingly diminutive woman packs a large punch when it comes to human and environmental rights. She sees the environment as encompassing the whole cosmos, including all beings within the cosmos, and the well-being of humans depends on the health of our natural environment. She sees war as destroying the nature support systems as well as the people. Catherine leads by example, she discovers ways to walk more lightly on the earth daily. In Brantford, Ontario, Catherine was active stopping an access road which would have environment damage and impact health and social well-being through the Brantford Transit Users' Group, the Ontario Better Transport Coalition, and the Brant Country Environment Group. In Regina, she has been involved with the Regina Raging Grannies, the Regina Peace Action Coalition, the Regina Citizen's Public Transit Coalition, Transport 2000 Prairie Branch, Making Peace with Earth Conference, the "Making Peace Vigil" and the Environment committee of Kairos. She was given the 2009 Women of Distinction Award (Regina) for Science, Technology and Environment.
http://econet.sk.ca/about/awards2010.html