Paul Tukey might as well send the Canadian Cancer Society and Gideon Forman down to the Council meeting. Wait don't forget CHIP OSBORNE – They can all take turns whining about how the world is going to end if we don't do what they say, right now.
Quebec, Canada now claims that 2,4-D is safe for humans and the environment, Does Paul Tukeys movie mention that, or that Quebec still uses many pesticides on their lawns. https://pesticidetruths.com/2011/06/13/croplife-canada-quebec-agrees-24-d-not-an-unacceptable-risk-to-human-health-or-the-environment/ – https://pesticidetruths.com/2011/05/26/quebec-backs-down-on-24-d-says-it-is-not-harmful-to-humans-fp-comment-financial-post/ – https://pesticidetruths.com/2012/05/17/youtube-may-2012-dont-ban-cosmetic-pesticides-b-c-mlas-recommend-health-cbc-news/
Hudson Quebec Lawns are not pesticide free, they just hired a Bylaw Enforcement Officer to catch people using pesticides illegally, 21 years after they banned pesticides. Tell us why they would do that??????? https://pesticidetruths.com/2012/08/10/pesticide-enforcement-agent-hired-21-years-after-ban-hudson-quebec-canada-pesticide-free-failure/
Once you have a so called healthy organic lawn, you will not need pesticides they say. Well 21 years later and people are skirting the bylaw?
Weed Free Organic Lawns are a fantasy. Unless you do a Paul Tukey, lie then cheat then lie some more. May be he can sell his books and movie a little while longer until he is held accountable for his actions.
Glenstone Memorial is a perfect example, its free of some weeds and the ones they can't control they claim fix nitrogen, look pretty, and are required to make the lawn healthier. Not to mention a 16 Acre Sprinkler System and a Large Grounds Crew that hand picks weeds daily (How much does that cost?) They don't even discuss the almost 7000 pounds of Organic Fertilier they need per month. 10 lbs per 1000 sq ft. 7000 lbs / 50lb bag = 140 bags of fertilizer at say $20 per bag = $2800 a month for fertilizer expenses and a forklift to move the skids of fertilizer around.
The Paul Tukey Foundation puts University Turf Extensions to shame. What can 1 guy do to a lawn (who happens to sell books and movies) that many Universities can't replicate unless they have an unlimited buget and staff to hand pick weeds.
Listen to Tukeys Buddy Chip Osborne (member of Beyond Pesticides) try and sell his warez to the Park District of Highland Park Illinois.
Chip says "We can't erradicate all the weeds, you need to manually control (hand pick)", " It will only take 18 to 24 months"
How much does it cost Chip – Chip says "We can talk about that in private"
The cost of going Organic will not decrease over time. The University of Guelph has documented that every 5 years Organic Lawns will need to be totally replaced because of weed pressure. https://pesticidetruths.com/2012/05/08/audio-pam-charbonneau-ontario-cosmetic-pesticide-ban-results-replace-lawns-every-5-years-the-non-sustainable-green-movement/
Listen to what Newfoundland Canada Transportation Minister Tom Hedderson says about 2,4-D and eating Blueberries picked along side of the road.
A bit of info on Dr. June Irwin from Hudson Quebec and the Supreme Court Ruling: https://pesticidetruths.com/2011/06/12/dr-june-irwin-refuses-to-accept-the-health-canada-reassessment-of-24-d-despite-the-fact-it-was-prepared-by-hundreds-of-individuals-with-considerably-more-expertise-than-those-that-would-repudiate/
Last but not least : Turtle Lake Refuge – Compost Tea Does Not Work.
Durango Colorado Turtle Lake Refuge, Failed Compost Tea Business Owner, Eco Activist Katrina Blair's Dandelion Diddy:
Organic activist to weigh in on pesticide debate
Documentary to be shown Monday
Tukey, founder of Safelawns.org and author of The Organic Lawn Care Manual, will present his documentary, “A Chemical Reaction,” on Monday at the Smiley Building. The reception will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the film screening at 7 p.m. and a discussion at 8:15 p.m.
Tukey also said he plans to speak at a public hearing about the proposed ordinance during the regular City Council meeting, which will begin at 6:30 p,m. Tuesday.
Supported by a local citizens group called Organically Managed Parks Team Durango, the ordinance would encourage the city to use organic lawn care whenever possible and limit the use of chemical treatments.
City officials, lawn-care companies and supporters of the Hillcrest Golf Course and playing fields have either opposed or expressed skepticism about exclusively relying on organics, citing the cost and lack of need for organics.
The costs for maintaining city parks could increase from $34,550 to $237,450 annually and from $8,000 to $76,700 annually for maintaining the city’s natural lands, said Cathy Metz, director of the city’s parks and recreation department. The cost increases are based on the city having to rely on manual or mechanical removal of weeds and having to apply organic fertilizer monthly.
Opponents also argue that no one has gotten sick in Durango from pesticides and that the cities that tried organic lawn care have returned to using synthetics.
In a phone interview, Tukey said opposition is based on the “fear of the unknown” and reluctance to learn alternative methods of lawn care.
Landscapers don’t have to work “harder, just smarter,” he said.
He said organic methods become cheaper through time because of efficiencies. He argues that many “cosmetic” pesticides to remove dandelions and clover leaf are unnecessary anyway.
“No one has ever tripped over a dandelion,” he said.
Tukey said anyone older than 45 grew up playing on organically treated fields because synthetic pesticides were not introduced until the mid-1970s.
Because of the prevalence of childhood cancer and rising rates of autism and attention deficit disorders, Tukey said it’s ignorant to think children are not getting sick from pesticides.
As a former landscaper with a lawn-care company, Tukey said he became sick from the pesticides he was using.
Because of the dangers, he said most of Canada and the states of New York and Connecticut have limited the use of chemical treatments for playing fields and other public lands.
via The Durango Herald 08/19/2012 | Organic activist to weigh in on pesticide debate.
Organic care for Durango’s properties?
City officials skeptical about calls to limit synthetic pesticide use
“Go organic!” he said enthusiastically in support of a proposed ordinance that would limit synthetic pesticide in city parks and property.
But his passion was balanced by the ire and head-scratcing of city staff members, professional mosquito controllers, soccer moms and Hillcrest Golf Course board members who are worried about the costs, legal liabilities and environmental implications of limiting the use of chemical lawn treatments.
City officials, for example, worried the city would no longer be able to spray alleyways for mosquitoes.
Mayor Doug Lyon doubted the science of the organic proponents.
“I don’t think there’s a validity to the great many assertions (in the ordinance),” Lyon said.
“The proposal addresses a problem that barely exists,” said Scott Sallee, a professional lawn-care provider. “It would be the most restrictive policy of its kind in Colorado and possibly the nation.”
He called it an “irresponsible proposal” that does not understand lawn care.
Unless the grass-roots group, Organically Managed Parks Team Durango, withdraws its proposed ordinance, the debate about pesticides in city parks and other city-owned property is likely to continue until the Nov. 6 general election, when it would be put to the voters.
Because of the big turnout expected for the presidential election, the extra ballot item on organic care for city parks could cost the city $19,000, said city officials.
City officials said their hands are tied, however, because the group collected the 500 signatures necessary for a special election under the City Charter. The City Council, however, could make a special election unnecessary by adopting the proposed ordinance.
But city staff members, at least, seem opposed to the proposal, especially an accountability provision that would open the city to civil litigation if it did not enforce the organic rules. The ordinance would require the city to pay the legal fees of the litigant if it lost a lawsuit.
The city also would have to create a new staff position to carry out the organic standards for treating city lawns and property.
City Manager Ron LeBlanc interpreted the proposed ordinance to mean that the employee “would have a target on their back” because of the litigation provision.
Katrina Blair, founder of the Turtle Lake Refuge and member of Team Organic, clarified that the proposal does not actually ban synthetic pesticides but would encourage the city to use organic or less-toxic pesticides whenever possible. Many proponents said that the city could still use pesticides to control the worst noxious weeds and bugs.
Organic proponents said they were simply against the overuse of chemicals.
Proponents, for example, argued that chemicals should not be used to eradicate dandelions and clover leaf for aesthetic reasons.
The ordinance will be debated again during a public hearing scheduled for Aug. 21.
