Joel Freedman: Imagining a more responsible environmental consciousness

May 31, 2018

Joel Freedman 

At a recent Canandaigua City Council committee meeting, I fantasized Mayor Ellen Polimeni and other council members paraphrased President John F. Kennedy’s words and said to inn owners who sought council’s approval of measures to help their businesses — “Ask not for just what Canandaigua can do for you. Ask also what you can do to help make Canandaigua a more environmentally friendly community.”

I imagined council members urging all inns to avoid using lawn chemicals, because they pollute our lake; cause cancer, Parkinson’s disease, respiratory and reproductive disorders for people; and poison companion animals, wildlife and beneficial insects, plants and flowers. I also imagined inn owners being advised that if they were organic and advertised their lawns are chemical-free, this would be an attraction for health-conscious guests.

At another council meeting, I imagined the mayor and at least one other council member joined council members Renee Sutton, James Terwilliger and Karen White in supporting an ordinance that would prohibit lawn chemical use on city-owned but privately maintained rights-of-way areas.

Actually, nothing was said to inn owners about lawn chemicals. Other council members haven’t agreed with Sutton, Terwilliger and White, who support the ordinance.

I especially hoped for Councilman Stephen Uebbing’s support. When Uebbing was superintendent of Canandaigua’s schools, he directed that school lawns, including athletic fields, be chemical-free. This was done prior to enactment of a state law prohibiting lawn chemical applications at all New York’s public schools and day care centers.

I respectfully disagree with Uebbing’s contention this ordinance would be too difficult to enforce. If the ordinance was enacted and lawn care businesses were notified they would be in trouble if they unlawfully applied chemicals to public rights-of-way turf, I believe they would comply with the ordinance. So would most property owners and managers.

Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council’s Watershed Management Plan points out “as land uses within our watershed continue to shift toward more urban and residential use, management of lawn fertilizers and pesticides become increasingly important in protecting and preserving water quality. Due to the substantial human health and environment considerations, prudence dictates the input of these chemicals into the lake should be minimized as much as possible.”

Public rights-of-way between sidewalks and roads are areas that children, companion animals and wildlife often walk on during or shortly after pesticide applications. Chemicals applied to these areas are closest to where they contaminate our drinking water. Therefore, council has a moral obligation to enact this ordinance.

Private property would not be covered by this ordinance. But home and business owners who use lawn pesticides should at least heed the watershed council’s advice — “Limit pesticide usage to once every five years instead of four to five times a year.” If all commercial landscapers adopted an organic approach to lawn care — as some have already done — it would eliminate the hazards pesticide applicators face when they work with toxic chemicals.

I like imagining a future where we are more respectful of our environment — maintaining the status quo regarding lawn chemicals and other pollutants will, I believe, eventually make our drinking water unsafe to drink — but we all need to do our part to protect and preserve our natural resources.

Joel Freedman of Canandaigua is a frequent Messenger Post contributor.

http://www.mpnnow.com/news/20180531/joel-freedman-imagining-more-responsible-environmental-consciousness