TAKE ACTION

Reforming current pesticide use practices requires the involvement of individuals. From reducing and eventually eliminating home and garden pesticide use, to advocating for reduced use at your local school or in your community, it is imperative that more people become active on this issue.

Local Government
Contact your local elected representatives to reduce pesticide use in your community.

Catch My Drift?
With help from the Pesticide Action Network, CCEHP is nw equiped with tools to help communities monitor their won air for pesticides. If you live in an agricultural area and are interested in finding out what's in your air, call CCEHP at (805) 963-1622 or (805) 922-8452

Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM)

January 2006 marked the two year anniversary of the City of Santa Barbara's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program meant to reduce pesticide use within City limits. In this time, City Departments have reduced pesticide use from 50-89%!

On February 14, 2006, the program received a renewed commitment from Santa Barbara's City Council.

Please contact the City Council and:
-Thank them for their continued support
-Encourage increased funding for IPM staff and capital improvements
-Continue to remove the most toxic pestcides from the City's pesticide inventory.

To see the City's latest updates on their IPM program visit their website.

At Home
A variety of mechanical practices, nontoxic, and least toxic alternatives are available for home and garden pesticide use. Adopting these techniques is a simple way of reducing pesticide use at the most personal level.

At School
Many people are surprised by the fact that schools use a considerable amount of pesticides. It is important that community members, especially parents, teachers and school staff, voice their concern about school pesticide use. With the implementation of the California Healthy Schools Act in 2001, parents, teachers and school staff can easily monitor pesticide use in local schools. Parents should also be promoting least-toxic Integrated Pest Management to immediately reduce the amount of pesticides that schools use.

In Public Settings
There are several different options for addressing pesticide use in public parks, buildings, on roadways and in other public settings. Pesticide Watch Education Fund and Pesticide Action Network have published a report “Advancing Alternatives” which provides a review of successful least-toxic pest management programs in urban settings.

You may want to start by getting a better understanding of what type and quantity of pesticides are being applied. To do this you’ll need to contact your school district or local municipality to determine what department you should be speaking with. You will then want to talk to someone in this department to determine the procedure for requesting public records. One thing to keep in mind is that many cities and counties do not keep detailed information about their pesticide use practices. Rather, you may have to sort through receipts, internal records and contracts with pest control companies to determine the type and quantity of pesticide use. Whatever format the information is in is public record and the government agency is required by law to provide you with the information you request.

If you don’t have the time to sort through a variety of documents, you may choose to simply contact your local City Council or County Board of Supervisors to let your elected officials know that you expect them to reduce the community's dependence on toxic pesticides. Remember, it’s important that elected officials hear that their constituents do not want toxic pesticides used in public settings like parks, public buildings, bike paths, etc. You may also choose to submit a letter to your elected representatives requesting that they adopt a least toxic pest control program. Click here for a sample letter.

Another option is to find out when your local City Council or Board of Supervisors hold their weekly meetings and make a comment during the public comment period.

Finally, local community groups have sprouted up all over California with the goal of reducing and sometimes eliminating toxic pesticide use. These groups will only be successful if they have the participation and support of local community members.

In Agricultural Areas
Reducing agriculture's dependence on toxic pesticides is more challenging. The current agricultural system has been developed around the use of synthetic pesticides. Therefore, to a certain extent, the entire agricultural system must be reformed.

If you live, work or go to school adjacent to, or near, an agricultural operation that utilizes toxic pesticides, there are several steps you can take. First, it is highly recommended that you contact the farmer and ask to meet with him/her. You can contact your local County Agricultural Commissioner to receive the farmer's contact information. When you meet with the farmer explain where you live or work, and that you have concerns about his/her pesticide use practices. This type of communication can lead to the farmer changing the times and/or locations that pesticides are applied.

If the meeting does not bring about the changes you are looking for, there are several other options. First, become familiar with the steps you should take to document potential violations or pesticide drift incidents. Documentation of problems when they occur and immediate contact with the County Agricultural Commissioner may help prevent future incidents.

If you are generally concerned about agricultural pesticide use practices, and believe that California should be doing more to fund research into least toxic growing practices, including organic farming methods, you should contact your local Assemblymember and State Senator or, more locally, your County Agricultural Commissioner.

You can also find out more about other organizations working on pesticide-related issues on our links page.

In the Media
Writing letters to local newspapers is always an effective way of focusing attention on issues of concern to you. Contact Eric Cardenas at cardenas@edcnet.org to find out how to submit a letter or get other media attention.