well written opinion piece about the rise of spray resistant superweeds
I’ve recently noticed the increased
presence of spray vehicles in Summit. I understand the desire to keep
our county free of weeds, but the ends don’t justify the means.
• Herbicides kill soil microbes and
leave soil lifeless. Eventually nothing but noxious weeds can grow
there, creating a cycle of continuous spraying (or weed pulling).
• These herbicides eventually cause the mutation of weeds, resulting in herbicide resistant “super weeds.”
• Purchasing and maintaining specialty
vehicles, using gas and spraying chemicals is not sustainable. (Did you
know dandelions are edible native flowers that heal damaged soil?)
• The most commonly used herbicide is
Monsanto’s Roundup. Like GMOs, it works because of the presence of
glyphosate. Just as glyphosate bioaccumulates and kills all beneficial
bacteria in the soil, it does the same in the human body. Organ damage
has occurred in animals with glyphosate levels as low as 0.1 ppm. This
makes the low levels sprayed and accumulating in our soil relevant and
significant to all life in the county, including wildlife, wildflowers,
birds, dogs, cats, children and even you.
According to research scientists at MIT,
glyphosate kills beneficial bacteria in the body, inhibits the body’s
ablilty to detoxify when exposed to environmental toxins and may lead to
chronic disease, attack by harmful bacteria, chronic inflammation and
tumors.
• Do we wish to support a corporation with
a legacy that includes Agent Orange, Saccharine, Aspartame, PCBs, DDT
and bovine growth hormone?
We may not have the right to prevent
glyphosate from entering our bodies in the GMO foods we unwittingly eat,
but we can steward this beautiful watershed and not pollute it with
glyphosate. Utilize your voice and consumer power. There is no place for
Roundup in Summit County! Let’s “round up” our weeds the old-fashioned
way and get some beautifully toned arms in the meantime.
Holle Violet
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