reader may remembernewsthat the first Ithiel Town in the U.S. had banned lawn pesticides on public and private place , just two age ago , followed bynewsof the campaign to make the ban countywide ( the townspeople being Takoma Park and the county , Montgomery County , Maryland ) .
Well , this calendar month the county - wide prohibition PASSED – the first in the U.S. From thepress release :
Property owners have a right to maintain their own property , but they do not have a right to inflict harm upon their neighbors . house physician will still be free to take any lawn care professional to treat their lawn or to manage their own lawn care , but they can do so now with the trust that their family will be well protect , ” pronounce Council President George Leventhal .
Catherine Cummings (L) and Julie Taddeo marching for the county ban.
I love how he puts a positive tailspin on what opponent regard as a reduction of personal freedom . That ’s George in the exposure above , behind a standard in the 2015 Takoma Park July 4th Parade .
So how did this happen ?
85 % ( over 4700 ) of all letter and petition signatures receive by County Council supported Bill 52 - 14 . The Bill was back by consuming support from residents , families , wellness professional , CASA de Maryland , Montgomery County Council of PTAs , and theSafe Grow Montgomerycoalition of over 40 other local organizations and stage business , include the Montgomery County and Maryland Sierra Club , watershed groups , Physicians for Social Responsibility , Beyond Pesticides , and many more .
Catherine Cummings (L) and Julie Taddeo marching for the county ban.
It also bechance in large part because of these two young mother .
Catherine Cummings ( L ) and Julie Taddeo marching for the county Bachelor of Arts in Nursing .
Though not JUST young mothers , and Catherine urge on me to mention that the county effort was led by “ a group of diverse people , add up from points of perspective include pet owners , environmental activist , grandparents , and dads . ”
From RISE home page
So is the conflict over ? Too early to know . The county executive has to contract the bill , which will befall ( or not ) this coming Monday . Municipalities within the county can all opt - out if they take , so lobbying stay on to make certain that does n’t bump .
From RISE dwelling page
The industry lobbyResponsible Industry for a Sound Environment(RISE ) was naturally a huge antagonist . ( And like the parole “ wholesome ” in food merchandising , what the snake pit is a “ sound surround ” ? )
From RISE home page
One importantenvironmental group in the countydeclined to defend the law because they wanted to keep on to apply weedkiller to stamp out encroaching plants – though that use was clearly exempted from the law . And Catherine assure me the county ’s “ Mungo Park department hates this ” and worked against it .
But others continue to rally to the case and one constitutional turf consult , Chip Osborne in Massachusetts , is propose his services to the county free of charge .
So will this go nationwide ? Not any time soon . A whopping 43 state have law banning any county or city pesticide restrictions that go far than those inflict by the state . The pesticide and lawn - care industries have been very busy , and very successful .
