• News and Events
• Our Community
• Our Values
• Wear Your Values
• About Us
• Wholesale
• Customer Service

• Home |
• News and Events |
March 07, 2007 - Mounting Evidence For Choosing Pesticide Free Organics  

March 07, 2007 - Mounting Evidence For Choosing Pesticide Free Organics

A pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances intended for:

• preventing,
• destroying,
• repelling, or
• mitigating any pest.

The term pesticide also applies to herbicides, fungicides, and various other substances used on crops.  Pesticide drift can expose people, wildlife, and the environment to pesticide residues that can cause health and environmental effects and property damage.  Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports show that we all have cause for concern; many agricultural chemicals are known to cause cancer, birth defects, damage to the nervous system, or disruption of hormones essential for growth and development. Conventionally grown cotton uses more pesticides than any other single crop and epitomizes the worst effects of chemically dependent agriculture. Each year cotton producers around the world use nearly $2.6 billion worth of pesticides -- more than 10% of the world's pesticides and nearly 25% of the world's insecticides.

According to the Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA), an organization working to reduce the use of hazardous pesticides world wide, “Cotton growers typically use many of the most hazardous pesticides on the market including aldicarb, phorate, methamidophos and endosulfan. Cotton pesticides are often broad spectrum organophosphates--pesticides originally developed as toxic nerve agents during World War II--and carbamate pesticides. Pesticides used on cotton–even when used according to instructions–harm people, wildlife and the environment. These pesticides can poison farm workers, drift into neighboring communities, contaminate ground and surface water and kill beneficial insects and soil micro-organisms.” (excerpted from PANNA’s Organic Cotton Briefing Kit) http://www.panna.org/

There are steps you can take to support a pesticide free environment:

• foster local awareness of pesticide health and environmental risks;
• act as a proponent for more governmental regulations on pesticides;
• use non-toxic pest management and landscape practices;
• choose organically grown food crops and textiles including certified organic cotton and hardy hemp and bamboo;
• grown your own organics at a local pesticide free community garden.

• It's Only Natural - Organic eco-fashions for women and kids;
• Jonäno - designer organic bamboo, cotton, and hemp clothing;
• Patagonia - 100% organic cotton clothing, as well as synthetics made from recycled materials;
• Progressive Kid - organic clothes, natural baby products, gifts, and more;
• TerraLunaSol - Organic clothing, bedding, home furnishings, and personal care products.

Recommend your favorite source for organics today---

written by Bonnie Siefers
 
Copyright 2007 Sami Designs, LLC -- All Rights Reserved.