ONTARIO ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT LOBLAW'S
PESTICIDE-FREE PLEDGE

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Subject:  ONTARIO ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT LOBLAW'S PESTICIDE-FREE PLEDGE
 Date:     Tue, 12 Mar 2002 11:32:42 -0500
From:      Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization:     Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)

To:     Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
          Director, State of California, Department of Pesticide Regulation 

cc:    Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov

Dear Mr. Helliker,  I thought you might like to read the following NEWS RELEASE.

March 12, 2002

ONTARIO ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT LOBLAW'S PESTICIDE-FREE PLEDGE

News Release - for immediate release

Ontario environmental groups working to eliminate pesticide use on lawns are optimistic about today's announcement by Loblaws that it will be chemical pesticide free by 2003 in all of its 440 garden centers across Canada .

"When a company as large as Loblaws feels comfortable clearing its garden center shelves of lawn pesticides, this indicates the strength of public demand for alternatives" says Janet May, pokesperson for Pesticide Free Ontario. "One recent public opinion poll showed that 97% of Ontario residents would stop using pesticides if alternatives were available."

Loblaws made the announcement at Canada Blooms, a major flower and garden show. The promise coincides with many municipalities across Ontario looking at by-laws to restrict pesticide use on private property.

"Loblaws are letting the public, the lawn care industry and municipalities know that pesticides are not necessary to maintain lawns and gardens. It would be great if Waterloo Region would follow the lead of Loblaws and pass a pesticide-free by-law for 2003," says Susan Koswan, spokesperson for Getting Rid of Urban Pesticides (GROUP)

"We approached Zehrs Markets this year to sell our discounted EcoLawn Care Starter Kits because they have already demonstrated market leadership in a big way with their line of organic food products. It seemed a natural to carry that into their garden centers." Susan adds, "This announcement is very exciting!"

GROUP has educated residents of Waterloo Region about alternatives to lawn pesticides for over 6 years and will be completing the two-year EcoLawn Project this year.

Pesticide Free Ontario is a network of groups in Ontario working to eliminate the unnecessary use of pesticides.

For more information, please contact: Janet May - 416 596-0660, Pesticide Free Ontario, www.pesticidefree.ca http://pesticidefree.ca/pressMar122002.htm

Well Mr. Helliker, I really want to point out one line of the above Press Release:  "One recent public opinion poll showed that 97% of Ontario residents would stop using pesticides if alternatives were available."  There are thousands of safe and far more effective (unregistered) alternatives that I have written about and field tested but, none of these can be "legally" be used in California because of you. Tolstoy once noted: "I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleagues, which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabric of their lives."  "Golden handcuffs" obviously can and do keep a lot of people from doing what they know is right and/or necessary.  Protect the people not the POISON "industry" profits!

Respectfully,  Stephen L. Tvedten

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