Science & Action to Protect Our Health: Achieving Local Ordinances that Prevent the Harmful Use of Pesticides
1:00 pm US Eastern Time
Starting with grassroots action in your community is a powerful way to effect change and protect health. Beyond Pesticides is a national organization that has worked successfully with community residents across the country to start local movements to get toxic chemicals out of their towns, cities, counties, and schools.
On this call we heard from representatives of Beyond Pesticides and from leaders of local efforts in the Municipality of Anchorage to support least toxic pest and weed management strategies. We discussed the latest science concerning environmental health effects of commonly used pesticides, including neonicotinoids, a relatively new class of insecticides, that may play a role in recent declines in pollinators. We also discuss new evidence concerning the health effects of glyphosate, a widely used herbicide and the active ingredient in Roundup.
Featured Speakers
Jay Feldman is a cofounder of Beyond Pesticides and has served as its director since 1981. Jay dedicated himself to finding solutions to pesticide problems after working with farmworkers and small farmers through an EPA grant in 1978 to the national advocacy organization Rural America (1977-1981). Since that time, Jay has helped to build Beyond Pesticides' capacity to assist local groups and impact national pesticide policy. He has tracked specific chemical effects, regulatory actions, and pesticide law. He is very familiar with local groups working on pesticides and has helped develop successful strategies for reform in local communities. His work with media has helped to bring broader public understanding of the hazards of pesticides. Jay has a Masters in urban and regional planning with a focus on health policy from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (1977). In September 2009, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appointed Jay to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), where he completed a 5 year term in January 2015.
Drew Toher transitioned into the position of Community Resource and Policy Director after first holding the position of Public Education Associate for four years. Before he arrived at Beyond Pesticides, previous experience included work at a certified organic heirloom tomato farm. His time at the Mid-Atlantic region farm club cultivated Drew's determination to spread the word about the benefits of organic production, and the hazards of pesticide use. Drew graduated with a B.A. in Global Affairs, concentration in the Environment, from George Mason University, where he is currently pursuing a MS in Environmental Management.
This call was hosted by the CHE-AK Partnership. It lasted for 1 hour and was recorded for the call archives.
