Pesticide-Free Cambridge presentation and Q&A to Congleton Climate Action Group, 20 April 2022 (6.30-8.00 pm).
Many thanks to the organisers for having given us the opportunity to address the 20 questions that were pre-submitted to us. It was great to meet such a large and committed pesticide-free campaigning group, and we wish them all the best in their campaign. Click here for a downloadable PDF of selected parts of our presentation that we intended to give and which addresses some of the questions. Network problems meant that in the end, most of the session was dedicated to answering the thoughtful questions that we were emailed to us before the event, which we copy below, and to which we plan to write up our responses shortly.
What do you mean by “pesticide free”? Is it a total blanket ban on all chemical pesticides?
How do you measure “pesticide free”? Is this only measured by council use?
How exactly do you work with the council/local authorities?
Is the council disclosing all the information about any pesticide use in the town, such as what they use and where they use it?
Do you know if the council have used/are using New Way Spray?
Is your local authority a county council or town council or both?
Who is in charge of using pesticides within the council?
Do you work with schools? Do businesses help to promote a pesticide-free city?
Do you work with other landowners, who might use pesticides in the city? E.g. colleges? How do you do that?
Have you had to approach schools on a private level or are they all on board with pesticide free?
Authority, business and private use.... how have you approached the private use generally?
How have you managed the public’s ideas on pesticide free?
For a new campaign is there anything you would suggest we do or don’t do?
Your strategy is based around health, does this appeal to all age groups, or have you found it appeals to only certain age groups?
How many active members in your group?
Who, age wise, are the most active members of your group?
How and where you advertise your work?
Do you have special events, for example a stall at green events to promote Pesticide Free Cambridge?
Do you know if Cambridge have used an electric shock device which will kill all unwanted plants?
Synthetic Pesticides seems to imply that you are not against natural pesticides being used? What are your views on some natural pesticides that would still harm biodiversity, such as salt on slugs?