HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENT FOR CALIFORNIA
EVERY HOME IS A SCHOOLHOUSE
REGENERATE OJAI BREAKING NEWS
On April 23rd, with the support of the Environmental Law Foundation and the Environmental Working Group, members of Regenerate Ojai sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom requesting that he make Every Home a Schoolhouse while Stay at Home Orders are in place and children are remote learning. There was overwhelming support from the Ojai community; over 1,000 locals signed on. An additional 3,500 signatures were collected by the Environmental Working Group, which also advocated on behalf of this issue.
Today we praise Governor Newsom, because not only did he hear the request to protect our children and community during COVID-19, he took a bold stand to protect all Californians both now and into the future. For the first time ever, the Department of Pesticide Regulation is in charge of ensuring that Agriculture Commissioners do their jobs to protect people, not just conventional agriculture.
This is an historic moment for California’s residents and a milestone in the journey toward growing food regeneratively and away from chemical-based agriculture. Through agricultural practices that regenerate our soils, farmers and growers store can more water in the ground, leading to healthier crops and eventually higher profits. Healthy soils also store more carbon. By making our top priority the health of people and the earth we walk on, we can actually transform our valley and all of California into a more profitable, safe and diverse agricultural land.
Below is a link to the new guidelines from the California Department of Pesticide Regulations. Our County Agriculture Commissioner has been strongly encouraged to create a notification system to let residents know what will be sprayed and when.
Pesticide applications are expressly prohibited when there is a “reasonable possibility of contamination of the bodies or clothing of persons not involved in the application process. A pesticide may not be applied except in a manner that is careful and that prevents drift.”
Governor Newsom also recommends that we all download California’s CASPIR App (free for iPhone and Android) to diligently report pesticide overspray.
If you see pesticides being sprayed, first and foremost STAY SAFE and KEEP YOUR DISTANCE. But also document what you are seeing by taking a video with your phone (turn your phone horizontally) and open your weather app and take a screenshot of the wind direction and speed as well as the time. Take note of the location where the spraying is happening and if there are any people or animals in the direct line of any possible drift.
It is time that we work together to create a notification program so that residents can be notified prior to any spraying of pesticides or herbicides. Talk to your farming neighbors, let them know that you would like to be given advance notice so that you can protect yourself and loved ones.
Your voices have been heard. Democracy is at work.
On this Mothers’ Day, we honor each of you and are proud to be a part of Regenerate Ojai where our mission is to Regenerate and take care of our “big mama” – Mother Earth.
Thank you to co-signers Adam Vega with Californians for Pesticide Reform, Steve Sprinkel and Olivia Chase for providing our community with regenerative food made with love at Farmer & the Cook, Patty Pagaling for her years of effort toward the Transition to Organics, Anna Getty and Bill & Eliza Moses for being active in this shift towards Regenerative Agriculture. Thank you to Diane Ladd for being a powerful voice in our community. In honor of Cindi Gould, who passed away from ALS after moving to the East End amidst heavy Danger Label Pesticide spraying and all those that have suffered from exposure to drift.
#RegenerateOjai
#RegenerateCA
#RegenerateUSA
#EveryHomeASchoolhouse
Transition to Organics 