‘Launch One in Your Town’

This is the official movie press release that was circulated to the national media yesterday. Today is Vancouver, tomorrow Victoria, then Stevens Point, Wisconsion . . .

A CHEMICAL REACTION BEGINS ‘LAUNCH ONE IN YOUR TOWN’ TOUR

Film Questions Use of Lawn Chemicals

WASHINGTON, DC — With the start of the spring lawn and garden season just weeks away in many areas of North America, a critically acclaimed, yet controversial documentary film will question many of the products currently used to make lawns green and weed free.

The North American spring tour of A Chemical Reaction, titled “Launch One in Your Town,” begins this week in the United States and Canada. Presented by the SafeLawns Foundation and natural products manufacturer Seventh Generation, the film centers around the first town in North America that ever banned the applications of pesticides such as weed ’n feed and Roundup. When the town, Hudson, Quebec, won its case against TruGreen/ChemLawn in 2001 in the Canadian Supreme Court, hundreds of other Canadian communities then enacted their own pesticide bans.

After drawing rave reviews and winning awards at film festivals in 2009, A Chemical Reaction quickly drew the support of numerous organizations eager to reduce toxic chemicals from the environment.

“We’re thrilled to be supporting the tour of A Chemical Reaction, as it is exactly this type of grass-root effort that will create the change needed to make our world safer and healthier for generations to come.” said David Kimbell, Chief Marketing Officer of Seventh Generation. “At Seventh Generation, it has been our mission for over 20 years to eliminate toxins from the products that surround us every day.”

As a result of the Hudson case, retail giant Home Depot voluntarily removed synthetic chemical pesticides from all its Canadian stores.

“Like our customers, we, at The Home Depot, are concerned about the environment,” said Annette Verschuren, president of The Home Depot Canada, in that company’s press release on Earth Day of 2008. “We are going above and beyond government regulations by working with our suppliers to develop pesticide alternatives that are environmentally friendly and produce excellent results on lawns and gardens.”

The “Launch One in Your Town Tour” begins Wednesday, Jan. 20, in Vancouver, hosted by the film’s executive producer and narrator Paul Tukey and the Canadian Cancer Society. Other stops include Madison, Wisconsin, Jan. 28, Boston, Mass, Feb. 22, Los Angeles, Feb. 28, Chicago, March 20 and Washington, D.C., March 26.

For the past several years, Tukey has traveled across the United States and Canada in a relentless quest to tell the Hudson story and urge municipalities to follow suit. The author of The Organic Lawn Care Manual and founder of SafeLawns.org said the movie, directed by Brett Plymale, is a powerful tool in an uphill battle.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on advertising to convince us that we need these toxic products to keep our landscapes looking good,” said Tukey. “This movie blows the lid off that notion. Twenty years after the ban, the properties in Hudson, Quebec, still look great. Its children are healthier; its water is cleaner. Every town in the U.S. should follow suit.”

ABOUT SAFELAWNS.ORG: SafeLawns.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to reduction in the use of lawn and garden pesticides and synthetic chemical fertilizers. It has produced a series of high-profile campaigns since its inception in 2006.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Brett Plymale at 207-776-8962, or email brett@pfzmedia.com. To view a movie trailer, visit www.ChemicalReactionMovie.com.

About Seventh Generation: Seventh Generation is committed to being the most trusted brand of household and personal-care products for your living home. Our products are healthy and safe for the air, the surfaces, the fabrics, the pets, and the people within your home — and for the community and environment outside of it. Seventh Generation also offers products for baby that are safe for your children and the planet.

For information on Seventh Generation cleaning, paper, baby and feminine personal care products, to find store locations, and explore the company’s website visit www.seventhgeneration.com. To read more about Seventh Generation’s corporate responsibility, visit the Corporate Consciousness Report at: www.seventhgeneration.com/corporate-responsibility/2008.

THE COMPLETE HOME DEPOT PRESS RELEASE: www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2008/22/c8079.html

UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
Vancouver, British Columbia, Jan. 20
Victoria, British Columbia, Jan. 21
Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Jan. 22
Madison, Wisconsin, Jan. 27
Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, Jan. 28
Plymouth, New Hampshire, Feb. 10
Concord, New Hampshire, Feb. 11
Seattle, Washington, Feb. 20
Boston, Massachusetts, Feb. 22
Los Angeles, California, Feb. 28
Hartford, Connecticut, March 7
Houston, Texas. March 9-10
Ottawa, Ontario. March 11
Branchville, New Jersey. March 13
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. March 18
Chicago, Illinois, March 20
Washington, D.C, March 26