Environmental ArticlesEarth Earth - Part II First Nations peoples tell us that the earth is our mother. If the definition of "mother" is someone who feeds, sustains, nurtures and gives us life - who better to qualify than good 'ol "mother" earth, a.k.a. Gaia, a.k.a., terra firma, herself? With Mother's Day fast approaching, you might want to think about doing something nice for your mother. Like maybe stop driving your ATV over her face. Or at least stick to areas where hiking enthusiasts won't have to breathe exhaust, shout to sing Kumbaya, or scatter into the poison ivy in their bare legs and shorts to make way for you on the hiking trail as you buzz past at breakneck speeds (wrecking the flora and fauna while you're at it). You have to know someone to appreciate them. But you can't really know someone until you spend some time with them. We're sitting right in the midst of a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, otherwise known as the Niagara Escarpment. So go ahead, take a hike. To know her is to love her. Of course you're already recycling, using compost, and challenging yourself to reduce your weekly garbage. We're not teenagers anymore. We know how to clean our rooms, right? You might want to help mom by joining Voters Against Sludge (V.A.S.), a citizens' group who last year won a significant victory against Terratec Environmental Ltd. (why does that name remind me of Orwellian double-speak?). Terratec was fined $15,000 by a Walkerton Court for an infraction under the Environmental Protection Act. Turns out the good citizens of the Cedarville area didn't appreciate the bathroom door being left open on the nearby fields, thus forcing them to breath noxious sludge odours at all hours of the day and night. But one victory does not the war win, and potty-like smells will be emanating from countless outdoor bathrooms during the upcoming sludge season if groups like V.A.S. don't remain vigilant. Paisley is also poised for poop as the brothers Schaus (Wally and Ken), a.k.a. Grassland Management, build their huge hog farm operation (Intensive Livestock Operation, or ILO) about a kilometre away from the Christian Conference Centre. Cam Porter, Manager, is less than thrilled at the prospect. Even though the recently passed Nutrient Management Act (NMA) is supposed to deal with these industrial-strength farms, Porter says it doesn't help in his situation. Paul Crysler, Chair of the newly-formed Rural Community Coalition, a local concerned citizens' group, agrees with Porter that the NMA, still a work-in-progress, does not go far enough to protect the water, land and residents. Crysler says that the set-back allowance and possible proximity to rural urban communities is just too close. Imagine having an outhouse in your home, and you'll get a mild approximation of what he's talking about. Freeman Boyd is a director of Grey Association for Better Planning (GABP). He's also concerned about the current NMA. "I'm a little nervous that the municipality is being cut out completely," says Boyd. "It's too complicated. [Take] the one in Paisley [Grassland Management]. My suspicion is it would be able to meet all the regulations in the Act and yet it's located next to a camp." As it stands, explains Boyd, complicated cases will be dealt with in a one-size-fits-all approach, which, as anyone who's ever shopped for clothes understands, does not really work. Boyd would much rather see a situation where "The province sets down a baseline set of regulations, and everybody meets them and the municipality may make them stricter." That way, says Boyd, "You still empower the municipality to make specific judgements about a site in their area." No one can argue that tailor-made is always the best fit. Ok, so get mom a new custom-made outfit for her Big Day. And make sure her toilet doesn't back up. Let's see…what else could we do? Hmmm… Flowers? How about flowers? How about dandelions. Or at least some alternative to getting rid of them other than spritzing mom's hair with potentially lethal chemicals. According to Sat Dharam Kavr, member of the Rachel Carson League, "Our focus at the moment is pesticide use [by private home owners]." Kavr and her fellows created a pamphlet to help people learn how to take care of their lawns naturally. So, do you want your mom to be wearing smelly chemicals on Sunday morning, or would you rather offer her organic shampoo? The choice is yours. Just remember who pays your allowance (and provides your meals). A deadline was set by city Council for this April to finalize the wording of a by-law to eliminate home pesticide use, but in the meantime, both Cobalt and Perth have beaten us to the finish line, Perth most recently passing their by-law this April. Even Toronto may be ahead of us. According to Kavr, the Public Health Department and the Medical Officer of Health, Sheila Basrur, just submitted a by-law to ban pesticide use by individual home owners. If pesticide use is so benign, one wonders why both Public Health and the Medical Officer of Health are pushing for this ban? Links between pesticide use and childhood cancer, lymphoma, and increased distress in both asthmatics and environmentally sensitive people have long been documented. Just ask any postie who's trekked across a sprayed lawn to deliver the mail and ended up gasping. Perhaps letting your dog lick the neighbour's lawn (and then your kids), is not a great idea (unless you like the idea of using the dog as a King's Taster.) Rural dwellers are also subjected to pesticide use, perhaps unwittingly. Ask Paul Scott, a Williamsford resident who was collecting sap the other day when a Hydro truck arrived. Scott says, as the hydro guy was leaving, sort of over his shoulder he said, "We'll treat under the trees so you're not bothered by a lot of brush." "I was busy collecting sap so I kept on collecting," says Scott. " I heard what he said, but it didn't register. Then I thought, what did he mean by 'treat'? He was already driving away." Scott saw an ad in the Sun Times, several days later, that mentioned the use of both herbicides and pesticides. He called the number advertised and requested that the spraying not be done. Scott was satisfied with the response, and was assured that his request was acknowledged. "The only thing I fault them for is I think it was intentional," says Scott. " The guy who was here could have been more direct - he could have said we're going to spray, but he said 'treat' rather than to spray with pesticide and herbicide. I think people who weren't interested and who really don't pay much attention to it or don't care simply might not have thought any more about it." It's easy to take for granted someone who's always there. This Spring, let's appreciate the beauty, bounty and eternal youth of our incredible mother, and make sure that we're doing all we can to keep it that way. And maybe buy a card. Voters Against Sludge Rural Community Coalition (re: proposed Grassland Management ILO,
Paisley, Ontario) Rachel Carson League (re: pesticide use by home owners) Ontario's Niagara Escarpment
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