Ta-da! We are thrilled to announce Maryland Pesticide Education's NEW WEBSITE. Please check out our beautiful new design, updated content, and easier navigation at www.mdpestnet.org. And stay tuned for more... in the coming weeks, we are reorganizing our research and news archives for easier access to content you can use.
It's that time of year when we tend to be more physically active, enjoying gardening, walks -- noting all that is blooming, the birds and hopefully the bees and butterflies. This month's newsletter provides additional 'active' choices we can make to support a healthier life and environment for us all -- both in our day-to-day lifestyle choices and by adding your voice to support good federal legislation and urging your federal lawmakers to take notice of health-harming policies.
We have added a new Take Action section at the top of each month's newsletter, starting today. Thank you all, for taking steps to protect our babies, bees, birds and the Bay!
TAKE ACTION
Federal bills in need of your support!
Please join us in this critical effort to support federal legislative momentum for stronger pesticide controls by urging your senators to support the Protect America's Children from Toxic Pesticides Act (PACTPA)! TAKE ACTION: Learn how
EPA's new narrow PFAS definition would disqualify half the current PFAS chemicals, including in most pesticides. Support the federal bill, the PFAS Definition Improvement Act, to ensure retaining EPA's broader PFAS definition of one fully fluorinated carbon. TAKE ACTION:Learn how
EPA must protect birds, bees, and other pollinators by banning neonic insecticides. TAKE ACTION: Learn how
You can help us keep up the good fight! Your donation truly makes a difference in MPEN and the Smart on Pesticides Coalition being able to do work for you. Like to see what else we do -- aside from our monthly newsletter?Go here.
Vote With Your Wallet, Vote With Your Fork! GO Organic!Where to shop and how to go organic in all you do -- even on a budget!Learn how
For outdoor and indoor gardeners: Check out our page on GROWING, the Go Organic way, Inviting beauty and bounty into our yards and gardens. Learn more
Scientists are learning to use biological replacements for chemical pesticides, as these organic pesticides can provide a natural protection for endangered crops. Learn more
New York's mayor opened a rooftop farm on Staten Island that grows healthy organic food and absorbs stormwater, in an effort to reduce neighborhood flooding and protect the health of NY Harbor -- a great local government idea for places like Annapolis or other waterfront cities in Maryland.Learn more
Another out of the box great idea... Denmark is to become the first country to develop climate labels for food. The labels will indicate the carbon footprint of various foods so that shoppers will be able to see whether or not the food has been produced in a way that is good for the environment. Learn more
Along with eating a pesticide-free diet, consider addressing food waste: America wastes roughly 40 percent of its food, which leads to pollution and other environmental damage, and so is a waste of natural resources and a waste of money. Check out this guide to reduce your own food waste. Learn more
Our national wildlife refuge system is the world's largest, most diverse collection of lands set aside, home to more than 280 species of protected plants and animals. Yet, the US Fish & Wildlife Service allows private operators to grow commercial crops here using hundreds of thousands of pounds of dangerous pesticides.Learn more
Americans are addicted to green lawns that usually require enormous amounts of chemicals and water. This is especially bad in the Chesapeake Bay region, where the pesticides and fertilizers run off lawns every time it rains and harms the Bay watershed. Learn more
And while we continue seeing ads for the benefits of Roundup on our lawns this season...
Our actions collectively make a difference! An alternative to the toxic weedkiller RoundUp, used successfully on the Maryland State House grounds, isContact Organics' product Weed Terminator -- it is highly effective, non-toxic and actually improves soil health.Learn more
Worth watching this brief documentary trailer...
Here's a trailer for "Into The Weeds," a truly powerful new documentary chronicling the David-vs-Goliath legal battle of a groundskeeper poisoned by Monsanto-Bayer's toxic RoundUp/glyphosate pesticide. Watch now
There has been another legal blow to Bayer in their Roundup case as Biden's US Solicitor General weighs in, advising the Supreme Court to deny the company's request for a review of their prior cancer trial loss. Learn more
A 63% decline in insect numbers caused by pesticides and habitat loss has put vital ecological functions at risk, threatening human livelihoods and food security. Learn more
Maryland led the way with a 2016 law banning sales and use of consumer garden products containing neonicotinoids. Other states are making progress. So why is EPA considering allowing these pollinator-harming pesticides to be used for the next 15 years despite scientific evidence supporting a ban? TAKE ACTION: Tell EPA to ban neonics and protect against other threats to pollinators.
Send us your garden pictures! We'd like to feature them on our social media. Email us
Advocates call on the state to adopt measures to curb infectious diseases and protect food supply. Maryland's migrant and seasonal farmworkers support the state's agriculture industry. However, even as COVID-19 cases surge across our state, Md. doesn't properly track infections among these essential workers. Without this basic information, Md. could again face a labor shortage and potential risk to our food supply. Learn more
About 19 million pounds of pesticides are used on Chesapeake Bay watershed lawns to kill crab grass, weeds, and insects. These toxic chemicals harm the soil biota and reach our waters through runoff, affecting the health of plants and animals, that are not the targets, and expose people, too. Don't be fooled: No pesticide is safe -- they are all designed to kill something. Learn more
Every five years, Congress's $1 trillion Farm Bill funds the agricultural industry. A coalition of farmers and companies are campaigning to get the bill to support regenerative farming and prioritize family farmers over large-scale agribusiness.Learn how to help here
"Because human civilization is now at an unprecedented crossroads, anyone today -- rich or poor, accomplished or unsuccessful -- can leave to their children and grandchildren something of great value: a fighting chance to survive. But if you don't act very soon, you'll leave them nothing but an apocalypse." - An excerpt from Michael Betzold's new book, The Green New Meal: What You Eat Impacts Us All.
Please help support our work to protect our babies, bees, and the Bay!
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