Metamorphosis
in Progress
The Agricultural Resources
Center & Pesticide Education Project has changed
its name to:
Toxic
Free North Carolina
We've been making lots of changes
lately. Please pardon our dust,
and check back often to see our metamorphosis!
Pesticides
in the News
Also check out
weekly news and commentary from Toxic Free NC on
Fair Ground
April 30, 2008: White House blocked EPA studies, GAO reports
"A congressional watchdog agency has found that White House
officials repeatedly intervened in the government's scientific
process for assessing the health risks of toxic chemicals,
prompting Sen. Barbara Boxer to threaten giving Congress
control of the program. (...)" >>full story from
the SF Chronicle
April 23, 2008: Big retailers to pull pesticides
off shelves
"Home Depot, one of Canada's largest retailers,
says it will voluntarily stop selling traditional pesticides
and herbicides by the end of the year and will replace these
products with less environmentally harmful alternatives.
The move coincided with the announcement yesterday that Ontario
will join Quebec to become the second province to formally
ban the so-called "cosmetic use" of
pest control products on residential lawns, gardens and
parks. (...)" >>full
story from Globe & Mail (Canada)
April 17, 2008: Deal
ensures lifetime of care for Carlitos; Ag-Mart to pay
for limbless child's needs
"It took 29 minutes for a judge to approve a settlement
Wednesday that will provide a lifetime of care for 3-year-old
Carlitos Candelario, born without arms and legs to parents
who picked tomatoes in fields sprayed with pesticides. The
amount of money that Ag-Mart, the Plant City-based grower
in whose fields the parents worked, agreed to pay is confidential.
The parents' attorney, Andrew Yaffa, has said that Carlitos'
lifetime care will cost millions. (...)" >>full
story from The Palm Beach Post (FL)
April 15, 2008: Food
production must benefit world’s poor, urge UN-backed
scientists
"A United Nations-backed group of over 400 scientists
are calling for a radical change to the way the world grows
food to better serve the poor and hungry and to protect the
planet’s resources. Modern agriculture has brought
significant increases in food production, but its benefits
have been uneven and have come at a high cost to small-scale
farmers, workers, rural communities and the environment,
according to a new report by the International Assessment
of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development. (...)" >>full
story from The UN News Centre
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Thank You
Thank you,
Whole Foods Markets in Raleigh and Chapel Hill!
On Tuesday April 8, both stores donated 5%
of their sales to Toxic Free NC to support our work fighting
pesticide pollution in North Carolina! Many thanks to Whole
Foods Market, and to the many shoppers who stopped by to
support us (and make veggie paintings and bug drawings with
our volunteers and staff!).
Take Action
Tell
the Governor to Protect Farm Families

Earlier this year, Governor Easley appointed
a special Pesticide Task Force to look at our state's pesticide
rules and make recommendations that would reduce pesticide
dangers for people who work in agriculture. Write
to Governor Easley and tell him to act now to
protect farm families, because we can't afford to wait for
another tragedy like Ag-Mart! >>Take
Action
More
Toxic Free NC Action Alerts
Take Action
Readin',
Writin' and Riddin' of Bugs
Is your
school making the grade on pesticide notification
for parents and staff? Take
action today!

Attention parents and guardians, teachers,
and other staff of public schools in North Carolina: You
now have the right to be notified in advance of pesticide
use at your school or work site! Is your school notifying
you? >>Take
action today
More
Toxic Free NC Action Alerts
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