DC Area Screening to Mark 50th Anniversary of Silent Spring

HYATTSVILLE, MD — SafeLawns founder Paul Tukey has agreed to join a panel with the Rachel Carson Council on Sunday, Sept. 9, following a screening of his Emmy nominated film, A Chemical Reaction, at Busboys & Poets in Hyattsville, Md., just north of the District of Columbia.

The free screening of the film, which details the contentious origins of the organic lawn movement in Canada and the United States, begins at 5 p.m. The panel discussion will follow at 6:15.

Veterinarian Dr. Diana Post, the executive director of the Rachel Carson Council, will join Tukey on the panel — which will focus on pesticide reduction strategies in the region. Washington, D.C. recently passed a civic ordinance to restrict many pesticides on public property; Mayor Vincent Gray signed the bill into law earlier this month.

“The film screening is a great opportunity to celebrate the vision of the District of Columbia bringing the pesticide conversation to the forefront,” said Tukey, who plans to showcase the organic lawn care project at Glenstone in nearby Potomac, Md. “We are also honored to mark a seminal book for the environmental movement; Rachel Carson’s legacy continues to endure and inspire us a half century later.”