Glyphosate is a real problem. We talked about it a bit in our film The Need To GROW, but it deserves more focus. This herbicide, though a great shortcut for farmers and gardeners to kill weeds quickly, brings harm to much of the surrounding wildlife — including important pollinators! Bees, butterflies, and other insects can get sick and even die from exposure to glyphosate. What’s more, glyphosate is shown to be a carcinogen harming people, too. Though a lot of gardeners and even large farm operations use it, glyphosate (the active ingredient in Monstanto-Bayer's RoundUp) is getting a bad reputation all over the world. And for good reason. It’s rapidly being banned in more and more places — even here where I live in the US. Thanks to the activists who’ve been shouting from the rooftops about this poison for years... certain areas are taking things into their hands locally to protect the environment and our health. Although places have put up bans against glyphosate, people still don’t understand its harms, and they still insist on using it in secret. For example: here in LA where I live, and where glyphosate is banned for city use, I happened to notice a city landscaper in my area spraying the chemical while on the job. After contacting the city about this incident, they thankfully enforced the chemical ban even harder…and I was able to personally prevent further spread of this poison directly in my own neighborhood! Maybe if all of us spoke up a little bit more, there would be more places that would eventually ban glyphosate. For now, here are a few examples of places that ban the herbicide, to hopefully inspire you to support initiatives and campaigns to do the same in your region.
CALIFORNIA.
Many places here in California have been cutting edge when it comes to certain environmental policies. Cities like Los Angeles and Oakland have strong restrictions of bans on glyphosate! A growing list of counties and cities in California deem this chemical unacceptable for home and commercial use, especially since its health effects show possible harms to both people and wildlife.
KANSAS.
It may be surprising that in the Midwest— a sea of conventional farming and corn, where lots of the chemical is used— there are efforts to ban glyphosate underway! Both the cities of Lawrence and Wichita in Kansas are aiming to cut down or completely eliminate glyphosate’s use. It’s a great thing considering so much of it is used in midwestern agriculture.
ALASKA.
Even in the far north, Alaska places a great importance on its natural beauty, wildlife, and the health of Alaskans, and enough to ban glyphosate. Anchorage, Alaska put its best foot forward by banning glyphosate in all public parks and natural areas, especially when knowledge of glyphosate containing carcinogens came to light.
MANY OTHER COUNTRIES.
Though banning glyphosate is picking up speed in the US, many other countries around the world have already made sweeping efforts to block use of the herbicide on a national level. Some of these countries include Thailand, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and European countries like Belgium, Italy, France, and the Netherlands. The United States has yet still to impose a nationwide ban on glyphosate, and with so many politicians in the pockets of lobbyists, and Big Ag, it doesn't seem likely any time soon. Even though many cities, counties, and states are making their own efforts, our country still has a long way to go to fully protecting both nature and the public from the greed of big industry. Want to get involved? We recommend getting connected with excellent glyphosate-fighting groups like Non-Toxic Communities, Moms Across America, and Herbicide Free Campus to know better what you can do, and how you can do it. (I consider myself a lucky man to say I am personal friends with the brilliant women behind each of these three organizations: Kathleen Hallal, Zen Honeycutt, and Mackenzie Feldman, respectively.) And don’t forget: you can do your part by avoiding glyphosate products in your own garden or lawn, and even by eating only organic foods, which sidestep most agricultural chemicals entirely!
***Here is a great resource which offers some ALTERNATIVES TO GLYPHOSATE.