Marin Beyond Pesticides Coalition

Marin Beyond Pesticides Coalition is the coming together of 44 Marin organizations and businesses working to change the way people view and use pesticides. Formed in 1997 by Marin Breast Cancer Watch and the Health Council of Marin under the guidance of Pesticide Watch, our first objective was to get the County of Marin to reduce the use of pesticides in public spaces and implement an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy. That goal was realized in December 1998 when the Marin County Board of Supervisors passed the IPM Ordinance. Today the IPM Commission is meeting and pesticide use is being reduced. (for a copy of the ordinance just click on IPM Ordinance.) Read about the IPM commission Read what the County of Marin has to say about IPM

Our goal today is to reduce the use of pesticides in schools and in private homes. A new group has formed to work with several school districts and the Marin County Office of Education to reduce pesticide use in schools. Kentfield School District was the first in Marin County to adopt an IPM Policy. The Pesticide Education Group (P.E.G.) is that new group. Double click on the underlined P.E.G. to see sample school policy. To see the full text of AB1006, Healthy Schools 2003 just click on the underlined. To get in touch with P.E.G. just double click P.E.G. President and e-mail them. To learn more about the national work with schools by a simple click on Schools.

We also have introduced our Pesticide Free Zone Campaign, which consists of our Lady Bug yard sign which serves as a quiet reminder for everyone who sees it to think before applying poisonous pesticides. For the private home we ask that individuals sign the Pesticide Free Zone Pledge. Several cities in Canada have enacted no cosmetic spray ordinances. Read the Halifzx ordinance. Fairfax, California enacted a Neighbor Notification ordinance. Read that ordinance and think how nice it would be for your community. But the State of California through the Department of Pesticide Regulation has challenged the law and the city is going to fight to keep the RIGHT TO KNOW. See the pictures from the press conference in front of City Hall on May 23, 2001.

Presently Marin County is having an epidemic of sudden oak tree deaths due to the spread of a fungus/brown algae. (Phytophthora, which is a relative of the same organism that caused the potato famine in Ireland) http://cemarin.ucdavis.edu/index2.html is a web sit dedicated to all the up-to-date information. One community resident, Linda Richard (415/453-0765) treated her oak trees with Tee Tree Oil by directly injecting the oil into the weeping points. (These represent entry points for the Oak Bark Beetle. The beetle comes only to diseased trees.) To spray the tree with toxic chemicals does nothing but poison the entire area. The tree canopy should never be sprayed. Linda is willing to talk to anyone who might have other ideas. For more information you can also contact Ralph Zingaro, PCA of Bioscape at www.bioscape.com . He has great information on how to make your tree healthy in place of poisoning it and the surrounding soil.

We invite all concerned citizens to call us at 415/459-1391 or toll free at 888/590-3993.

Current Coalition Members

Ancient Ways Acupuncture Center ¨ Beyond Organic¨ Bolinas Community Public Utility District ¨ Bioscape, Inc. ¨California Association of Naturopathic Physicians ¨ Canal Community Alliance ¨ Center for Ethics & Toxics ¨ Citizens for a Toxic Free Marin ¨ Commonweal ¨ Ecologic Landscape¨ Ecological Options Network ¨ Ecology House ¨ Environmental Action Club - College of Marin ¨ Environmental Action Committee of West Marin ¨ Environment California ¨ Environmental Forum of Marin ¨ Environmental Health Network ¨ Episcopal Church Women - Church of Our Savior ¨ Global Garden Project ¨ Green Generation Products ¨ Green Jeans Garden Supply ¨ Health & Habitat ¨ Health Council of Marin ¨ International Marin Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute ¨ Marin Breast Cancer Watch ¨ Marin Cancer Project ¨ Marin Conservation League ¨ Marin County School Nurses Association ¨ Marin Family Action ¨ Marin Homes for Independent Living ¨ Marin Women's Commission ¨ MOW & SOW ¨ Muir Woods Park Community Association ¨ Natural Gardening Company ¨ Permaculture Institute of Northern California ¨ Pesticide Education Group ¨ Quarry Road Association ¨ Resource Renewal Institute ¨ Schillinger Chiropractic Group ¨ Sierra Club-Marin Group ¨ Straus Family Creamery ¨ Sustainable North Bay-Marin ¨ The Arts & Healing Network ¨ The Social Justice Center of Marin ¨ West Blithedale Canyon Neighborhood Assoc.

For any organization to join with us they must sign the following endorsement statement:

In Marin County there are schools, municipalities and special districts currently using toxic pesticides. Pesticides pose recognizable risks to human health and the environment. Pesticide exposures cause special health and learning problems for children. We call upon public institutions to make the following changes to their pest management practices:

Marin Beyond Pesticides is community based organization under the 501C3 umbrella of Health & Habitat.
We depend upon support from people like you who are believers in a toxic free world. Donations are tax deductible and can be mailed to:

*	Immediately ban the use of the most dangerous pesticides, (EPA Toxicity Class I and II) and those suspected of causing cancer, endocrine disruption and reproductive harm.
*	Require on-site, public pre- and post notification of all pesticide applications.
*	Adopt a written Integrated Pest Management Policy (IPM) emphasizing non-toxic means of pest and weed control.
*	Establish a Pest Management Committee comprised of appropriate concerned parties to oversee implementation.
*	Eliminate, within a reasonable time frame, the use of all pesticides except those least toxic, which are authorized for use by the Pest Management Committee.