UNI staffer says there is a lot of ignorance of scientific facts about pesticide use

Director of University of Northern Iowa Center for Energy and Environmental Education Dr. Kamyar Enshayan spoke at the Northeast Iowa Peace and Justice Center on Thursday about the dangers of ignoring science when it comes to the use of pesticides and herbicides.

Dr. Enshayan spoke about current attitudes regarding pesticides which he summed up as ignorance of scientific fact.

"We know that pesticides cause problems for public health and our land," Enshayan said. "In Iowa, pesticide related illness is like the common cold."

According to Enshayan, who drew on peer reviewed research, pesticide use in Iowa has direct effects on the development of children, the quality of life for pets, and can negatively affect ground water.

To combat these issues, Enshayan and his team of faculty and students have been working to show that not-spraying is a fine alternative to spraying.

Ultimately, Enshayan asked the audience to question what is the problem with not spraying.

"What makes a place beautiful is not just the lawn, that's the idea we've been sold. We need to change that to include the arrangement of trees and paths and flowers."

According to Enshayan, diversity should be considered a good thing everywhere, including lawns.

"There is all this talk about diversity being a good thing," Enshayan said. "We need to get that idea into our ideas about lawns. What is the problem if we have creeping charlie, or violet, or dandelions for a few weeks. We are ignoring the science which says it's bad in favor of the idea that a clear lawn is good."