Cosmetic Pesticides on PEI--The Power of our Choices

What if we sought our perfection where it truly lies-- in life, as it unfolds around us?


A lot of thoughtful and concerned people on PEI  are working hard to bring about a potential ban on the spraying of cosmetic pesticides in our municipalities and province as a whole. A ban would help reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals and everyone would in turn benefit from the reduction. I am thankful that this movement is afoot and hope it will spill over into a reduction of agricultural sprays as well. 

That said, I find myself interested in the underlying reasons people who choose to spray their properties do so in the first place. It isn't to supposedly increase  crop yields as with conventional agriculture, so there must be something else driving the desire to apply pesticides cosmetically.

 Perhaps the application of cosmetic pesticides is about trying to create the image of a "perfect" lawn.  Yet to me, the white picket fence and pristine (lifeless) turf-like lawn is a relic of the fifties. Back then people didn't know better and were desperately concerned about images. Now we do know better, or at least we should know better. Myself included. Cosmetic pesticides are completely unnecessary and are known to be harmful to our environment, but so are many of the other products which we choose to purchase and utilize in our lives. So why do we continue to make choices that are harmful to the natural environment?  Is it because of a deep seated need to be seen as acceptable to others?

If, after all, we are in the business of purchasing products to create and uphold certain images, we must be doing so because we are not happy with ourselves, our lives, or our lawns in their natural state. Perhaps we would do well to have an education campaign that helps people come to know their own inherent worthiness as  human beings. Just think about it for a minute-- so much of what we do is deeply rooted in our need for acceptance.

What if we were raised with the belief that we are more than good enough and worthy of the love and respect of others. And not because we do or do not have the "perfect" lawn,  look a certain way, drive a particular vehicle, or buy products and clothing from certain stores. What if love and respect were your birthright--and you knew it in your heart from the beginning?

What if from the very beginning our children truly knew that their own worthiness in our uber- competitive culture is not rooted in their ability to compete? What if we created a culture in which it didn't matter how children look or what they are good at or what jobs their parents do or don't have or whether their lawns are covered with a thick carpet of dandelions come June. 

My own yard is one example. Despite my husband working in the golf industry, we do not have a lawn that has been sprayed and manicured. Dandelions are a welcome sign of spring to us. We love nature and we love to see the fragrant creeping thyme and the clover that crops up each summer. We celebrate the mushrooms that pop up under the trees.  We are glad for the birds that nest in our trees. We want bees and butterflies to visit our front veggie and flower plot and we want those insects to be well after they have visited our yard. Just as we want passerby's and visitor's alike with dogs and children to be able use or walk past our yard without cosmetic pesticide concerns. Having a bio-diverse yard is important to us. Having a bio-diverse world is important to us as well.

Despite what some antiquated notions tell us, we don't need homes with golf like conditions in our front yard. Leave that to the golf courses and ball fields, need be. My husband works in the golf industry and on a daily basis is trying to naturalize the course. The biggest challenge he faces is educating the people who play golf to have reasonable expectations of the golf course. The game of golf is not the problem per se, rather it is golfer's unrealistic expectations of turf conditions that needs updating. Same goes for our perceptions and judgements of ourselves and others. Bodies and lawns included.

 Endlessly trying to fit ourselves and our properties into unnatural states is costly, requires a lot of maintenance, is hard on the environment and is largely ineffective in the end. Dandelions pop up, gray roots peak out, paint peels off our homes and our bodies change and age. There is nothing wrong with trying to keep ourselves and our properties looking nice and working well.   But it may be helpful to remember that it is the very wildness of life that we are trying to manage. 
 
Although the world is filled to the brim with an amazing array of life forms, we humans are the only species whose choices and lifestyles are seriously impacting all other species and the planet as a whole. Which is precisely why those of us who have the power to choose need to take greater responsibility for our lifestyle choices. We need to use our consumer power as wisely as possible. It is far too easy to disconnect ourselves from the consequences our choices make on the natural world. If there are problems with our air, water and soil it is because we have created those problems either implicitly or explicitly through our choices.  

Now take a minute or two and imagine what it would be like if clean air, living soil and clean waters were our birthright as well. What if we lived lives that demonstrated our respect for these resources and the life they offer us?

We can choose to live differently and demand that activities which are detrimental to our environment not be allowed to continue. Banning cosmetic pesticides is a step in the right direction. But remember that whether we live in a zero impact, completely self- sustaining eco-village of self healers, or in a neighborhood that demands that all lawns be weed (wildflower) free, we need to recognize that the choices we make impact more than just ourselves. They directly impact others and the environment as a whole. 

The power to make the world a healthier place rests in your hands. What kind of a world do you want for yourself and for future generations? Is the lifestyle and  image you are working so hard to maintain worth it?

When we purchase and consume products of any sort it impacts our environment. Our mere existence causes an effect on our surroundings. Educating ourselves and choosing to live lifestyles that are as gentle on the natural world as possible is something we should all take personal responsibility for. After all, we are utterly dependent on clean air, water and healthful soil for our survival. 

Jill MacCormack