Upcoming Events 2010 News 2010 Action 2010
Saskatoon
November 12-13, 2010 2010 Saskatchewan Green Trades
Saskatoon Inn
The Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association along with
partner agencies are hosting the 2010 Saskatchewan Green Trades
Conference and Tradeshow, November 12-13 in Saskatoon. The
event will bring together staff and stakeholders from various horticulture
sectors, including those responsible for the planning and maintenance
of municipal parks.
Paule Hjertaas of SNAP will deliver a lecture at 11 a.m on
Nov 12 called The alternatives - tools outside pesticides and herbicides.
This lecture is mostly directed to people involved in green space maintenance.
November 21 - 23, 2010. TCU Place Maria Rodale will be the
keynote speaker for the Embrace the Future- Organic
Connections, the Fourth Biennial Organic Connections
Conference and Trade Show at TCU Place in Saskatoon, SK.
People today are more confused than ever about organic food. Is it more
nutritious? What’s the difference between organic and natural? Isn’t it more
important to eat “locally” produced food? Why are organic foods so
expensive? Doesn’t the higher price make it elitist and therefore an
unrealistic choice for working families? Is it possible to grow enough food
to feed the world organically? With so much conflicting information, how
can we possibly make the right choices?
In ORGANIC MANIFESTO: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet,
Feed the World, and Keep us Safe Maria Rodale—journalist, activist, and
mother—cuts through the confusion and misinformation to provide an indispensable and highly readable look at why chemical-free farming unquestionably holds the key to better health for us and for the planet.
Maria is the granddaughter of Rodale founder J.I. Rodale and was named chairman of the company in 2007 and CEO in 2009. She will travel from her home in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to attend Organic Connections.
Organic Connections is the largest Organic Conference and Trade Show in Western Canada. Through dynamic workshops, presentations and plenary sessions, the program will focus on surviving difficult times, improving food quality and accessibility and healthy environment and culture.
“Our program is shaping up with more speakers and presenters being confirmed daily,” says President Debbie Miller. “We encourage everyone to stay tuned as we put together an outstanding Prairie event. Watch for ticket sale offerings for special events like the Taste of Organic and conference passes to be offered on line this summer.”
For More Information on the conference, contact:
Coordinator: President:
Lorraine Beaudette Debbie Miller
Ph: 306-956-3110 Ph: 306-476-2693
info@organicconnections.ca sunrise.organics@sasktel.net
The SNAP display attended:
May 28th, 2010, Regina high-schools and community Eco-Fair/Trade
Show, Thom Collegiate, Regina
May 26, 2010, 6-8 pm; "Environmental Trade Show" at St. Agnes
School, Moose Jaw
April 23, 2010 Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Regina, 7:30pm Annual
Environmental Film Festival and Environmental Activist Awards.
March 17, 2010 Documentary movie A Chemical Reaction, U. of Regina
Mar13, Seedy Saturday, Saskatoon
Mar 10-12, 2010 CUPE conference, Saskatoon
Mar 1, 2010, Sustainability Fair, Campion College, U. of Regina
Organic gardening classes given:
Weyburn April 13, 2010, 6:30 pm .class notes canbe downloaded from this site under program/ Organic Gardening class
Regina Mar 20, 2010 Sherwood Library
Other:
Regina: June 2, 2010, SNAP AGM
Fort Qu'Appelle Monday May 31, 7 p.m. Pesticide and You talk
St Andrews United church
May 6, 2010 YWCA Women of distinction banquet and awards ceremony. Paule Hjertaas, President and spokesperson of SNAP, has been nominated as a YWCA Woman of Distinction.
April 23, 2010 Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Regina, Paule Hjertaas, President and spokesperson of SNAP received an Environmental Activist Award from the Saskatchewan Eco-network.
May 18, 2010. Radio Interview, 11:00 a.m. Listen Up on 91.3 FM CJTR community radio, Regina
Dave Morgan will interview Paule Hertaas, President and spokesperson of SNAP.
Also available on channel 806 SaskTel Max, channel 341 Access Communications and worldwide <**http://www.cjtr.ca**>
June 24, 2010. Paule attended the Spurge Purge event at the Nature Conservancy of Canada property near Valeport. She introduced SNAP and handed out brochures.
2010
May 2010 The Canadian Cancer Society-SK set a Pledge to go green form that was distributed at their rallies in Saskatoon and regina. www.cancer.ca/sk/takeaction
How to get toxic chemicals out of your bathroom Take our survey from the David Suzuki Foundation. OK. not pesticides but useful nonetheless for a healthy lifestyle.
We won! YES to pesticide-free parks in Regina in 2010! and thanks to the Canadian Cancer Society-SK, all of you who contacted your councilor or the city to express your support and those who showed up at Council meeting on Monday night. A first in Saskatchewan.
- URGENT Regina- Pesticide-free parks administration report
A motion for biocide-free parks (MN09-6) was brought up by councillor Fred Clipsham and passed at the June 22, 2009 Regina city council meeting. In this report, the administration identifes 3 good candidate parks as a pilot project. This report was DEFEATED. One more chance remains of getting pesticide-free parks at the next Council meeting on April 26, 2010. Go to http://www.regina.ca/Page89.aspx for how to present a brief to Council. It has to be filed on the Thursday prior to the meeting by 1 pm. If not presenting a brief, please phone your councillor to express your support.
To contact your councillor, go to: http://www.regina.ca/Page216.aspx Click on your counccillor'sname to get their phone number, click again for email.
Organic farming leader Elmer Laird dies at 86 (CBC, 22 July 2010)
Inhaled Pollutants May Inflame More Than the Lungs
Scientists have known that air pollution can impair airways and blood vessels. The emerging surprise is what it might do to the brain. Increasingly, studies have been highlighting inflammation-provoking nanopollutants as a potential source of nerve cell damage.
Dioxins from Triclosan Increasingly Found in Water
(Beyond Pesticides, May 20, 2010.Posted in Antibacterial, Triclosan, Water) Triclosan is one of the most detected chemicals in US waterways. It is an endocrine disruptor with specific effect on male an dfemale hormones and the thyroid gland. It is extensively used in consumer goods and triclosan and its metabolites are present in, fish, umbilical cord blood and human milk and urine. It produces 4 specific dioxins which have increased 200-300%."In the most current sediments, these triclosan-derived dioxins account for about 30 percent of the total dioxin mass.” Dioxins are persistent organic pollutants that bioaccumulate in humans and other animals, especially in fatty tissue. Dioxin can be highly carcinogenic and can cause severe health problems.
Everyday Exposure to Pesticides Linked to Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Beyond Pesticides, May 18, 2010. Posted in ADHD, Chemicals, Children/Schools, Chlorpyrifos, Disease/Health Effects) see issues/children
President’s Cancer Panel Says Burden of Environmentally Induced Cancer Greatly Underestimated (Beyond Pesticides, May 11, 2010. Posted in Agriculture, Cancer, Chemicals, Disease/Health Effects, Farmworkers) more...
April SKIN- Pesticide use and cutaneous melanoma in pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Heath Study Significant associations were seen between cutaneous melanoma and maneb/mancozeb, parathion, and carbaryl. Other associations with benomyl and ever use of arsenical pesticides were also suggested. more...
Canada Bans Nanotechnology in Organics (Beyond Pesticides, May 5, 2010. Posted in Alternatives/Organics, International, Nanotechnology)
Nanosilver Migrates Out of Fabric in Study (Beyond Pesticides, May 3, 2010. Posted in Nanotechnology) raising concerns about human exposure to nanosilver through skin absorption. more
Nova Scotia government tabled pesticide free legislation today!!! (May 4, 2010)
The bill, called Bill 61, can be read here:
http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/legc//bills/61st_2nd/1st_read/b061.htmThe NS government press release here:
http://www.gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=20100504003The legislation will prohibit the sale and use of lawn pesticides in April 2011 and pesticides for ornamental shrubs, trees and gardens in April 2012, subject to a "permitted list".(from Donna, CCS-SK)
Canada ends 'weed-n-feed' The PMRA, Canada's agency in charge of pesticide regulation, made a bold move this week, announcing the phaseout of all pesticide and fertilizer combination products by December 2012 (PanUps, Feb19, 2010)
April SKIN Cancer- Pesticide use and cutaneous melanoma in pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Heath Study Significant associations were seen between cutaneous melanoma and maneb/mancozeb, parathion, and carbaryl. Other associations with benomyl and ever use of arsenical pesticides were also suggested.
Paule Hjertaas, Founder, president and spokesperson of SNAP has been honored with a Woman of Distinction nomination and an Environmental Activist Award.
“Docs Talk”, a new blog that the David Suzuki Foundation launched in collaboration with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Check it out - and subscribe! - at: http://beta.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/docs-talk/ Docs Talk will feature monthly commentaries by medical doctors and researchers on linkages between human health and the environment. Also available in French as Vert Santé.