The New York Times reports on how France is working on environmental problems:
More radical is the edict that went into effect on Sunday banning the use of pesticides in public gardens and along public highways. It promises to make public green spaces safer for birds and other small animals, which are especially vulnerable to the poisons used in pest killers.
It will not be easy for the gardeners employed by cities to turn to more sustainable methods. When the city of Lyon abandoned pesticides voluntarily nine years ago, it took quite some time to change the culture, although Lyon is now considered a model.
In 2019, the antipesticide law will expand to include amateur gardeners — a challenge not only for the French with backyard rows of dahlias and daisies, but also for those who nurse roses in their window boxes.
While we avoid pesticides, we do not formally ban them. The very first summer I lived here I had to use a pesticide to save my rhododendron. I suspect some American gardeners would find it very difficult to make the move to no pesticides. And does this include natural pesticides?
And no doubt a few corporations would be a little irritated, although I doubt it’s a huge market.
