Hopedance

The Pesticide Awareness and Alternative Coalition (PAAC) was started several years ago in response to members in the community being exposed to the toxic pesticide Dursban. The goal of PAAC is to inform the community about the overuse and dangers of toxic chemicals, put an end to their use in the community and provide alternative resources to create a safe and healthy environment.

In the spring of 2000, the PAAC non-profit was formed, consisting of 6 volunteer members who organized the First California Organic Festival, held at Oak Park. Attended by more than 5,000 people, the Festival was very successful for a first-time event. It woke up the Santa Barbara community to the extensive use of toxic chemicals in our homes and yards, parks, schools, vineyards, farms and nurseries. Santa Barbara is exposed to more than 50,000 tons of toxic pesticides yearly. More importantly, it started a dialogue with the City Council, the Mayor, the Board of Supervisors, City Parks and Recreation, and eventually the local schools, encouraging them to eliminate the use of toxic chemicals and develop safer Integrated Pest Management Programs.

The Second California Organic Festival was again held at Oak Park and was attended by more that 15,000 people. By this time PAAC was working with local environmental agencies and organizations influencing programs and policies to reduce and eliminate the use of toxic chemicals.

• The Second Annual California Organic Festival at Oak Park included over 60 vendors, some from outside California representing organic foods, organic garden supplies, natural healing and safe home care products. Speakers included Councilman Gil Garcia, Representative Hannah-Beth Jackson and others. People attended from all over California. The Festival raised public awareness, increased community networking, and influenced local government toward developing stronger policies to reduce the use of toxic chemicals in our community.
• Mayor Harriet Miller proclaimed September as Pesticide Awareness Month. This unique Proclamation demonstrated PAAC’s recognition by the the Santa Barbara City Council and the Board of Supervisors.
• PAAC organized and held the Children’s Bug Parade for the purpose of calling attention to our mission to create a safe community, especially for our children. The Children’s Bug Parade was one of our kick-off events prior the Organic Festival and traveled approximately 10 blocks of our main street. Our goal was to educate school personnel that schools need to be environmentally safe places for our children, and to introduce the idea of a School Integrated Pest Management Policy to our community.
• PAAC organized the Lady Bug Awards, which included a silent art auction as a fundraiser. PAAC presented plaques and Lady Bug Banners as recognition for environmental stewardship to elected officials, businesses, non-profit agencies, and an individual government agency.
• As a first crucial step in our Mission to create a safe community, PAAC met with Santa Barbara City Parks and Recreation for the purpose of initiating a City Parks IPM Program. With the help and support of former City Councilman Gil Garcia, Phil Boise from CEC, Eric Cardenes from EDC, and John La Fleur for Lotusland. City Parks has developed the first phase of this program designed to use safe pest management practices to control pest and weed problems. In September of 2001, it initiated the first step toward an IPM Program at Alice Keck Park. A public educational display in the park explains the use of least toxic pest control, safe lawn care, and mulching for weed control. City Parks is also discussing the formation of a County-wide Regional IPM Coalition that will include City Parks, county, school, hotel, Landscape, and local pest control personnel.
• PAAC Board members also began a dialogue with parents, City Council, members of the Board of Supervisors and local agencies and organizations to begin the first phase of their next goal: to eliminate the use of toxic chemicals in our local schools. Our goal is to expand our work to state government and have all of our parks and schools completely free from the use of toxic chemicals.
• Through the efforts of PAAC and the cooperation and support from local agencies, Santa Barbara High School launched its organic garden project.
• PAAC designed and printed the first Green Guide for Santa Barbara. Consistent with its goal to educate the community, the Guide lists places to eat organic food, where to buy organic food, non-toxic landscape businesses, non-toxic home supply business, website resources for information and support, including books, publications and local garden clubs. This year we expanded the Guide and renamed it the Organic Resource Guide.
• PAAC established relations with Pesticide Watch, a statewide organization based in San Francisco. Pesticide Watch attended our first meetings with City Parks and continues to support our efforts through education, workshops for our staff, networking, and developing strategies to achieve some of our short-term and long-term goals.
• PAAC wrote letters to the editor, letters to Project Clean Water, members of the City Council and the Board of Supervisors encouraging the City and County to stop using toxic chemicals and herbicides to treat weeds in our local creeks and watersheds.
• Consistent with its goal to educate the entire County of Santa Barbara, PAAC began to enlist the membership of the Hispanic community. With the help and support of former City Councilman Gil Garcia we have begun the process of educating and supporting the Hispanic Community.
• In November, Board Members of PAAC, as well as Eric Cardenas and Jeff Cope met with Mayor Marty Blum and City Administrator Jim Armstrong, agreeing to have a City IPM Policy drafted and submitted to the City Council for their approval.

Imagine, our City adopting an IPM Policy; our world free from toxic chemicals and pesticides.

Finally, what I want you to know is that even an IPM Policy is not enough. It still allows for the use of some of the “safer” pesticides and herbicides such as Rodeo and Roundup. Why this concerns us is that the EPA has never tested these poisons; they only register the label. Now that the independent research is being done, recent data shows that these toxins harm salmon, cause cancer in humans, harm red-legged frog, and crustaceans. Please fight for the elimination of all toxic chemicals; it is our only measure of safety.

We at PAAC depend on donations for support, and we are always in need of volunteers. If you are interested, please check our website at www.organicfestival.com or call Estelle at 965-4491. On the website you can order the Organic Resource Guide. If you’d like to advertise in the next Organic Resource Guide, please call Greg Chittick at 682-3805.