Caring for lawns and gardens without the use of chemicals and only using natural, organic products has become a growing trend across Canada.

Columbia Valley residents interested in learning more about natural lawn and garden care will have the opportunity to do so at the Invermere Lawn and Garden Kick Off event, featuring a film screening of A Chemical Reaction.

The screening will take place at 6:30 p.m., April 19, at the Lake Windermere Lions’ Hall. The film is being presented by the Canadian Cancer Society, the Invermere branch of Wildsight, and members of the Pesticide Free Columbia Basin coalition. Admission is by donation.

A Chemical Reaction tells the story of a community initiative in Hudson, QC, that eventually led to the first Canadian by-law to ban the use of all chemical pesticides and herbicides in the town.

The screening will also feature special guest speaker Paul Turkey of SafeLawns.org and author of the Organic Lawn Care Manual. Turkey is also the executive producer of A Chemical Reaction and has won the prestigious Horticultural Communicator of the Year Award from the American Horticultural Society.

After A Chemical Reaction’s screening, guests can indulge in a coffee and cookie break, followed by a discussion and Q&A session with Turkey.

“Wildsight is pleased to partner with the Canadian Cancer Society as part of the Pesticide Free Columbia Basin network to raise awareness about the potentially harmful effects of pesticides, on not only human health, but the health of our environment,” said Heather Leschied, Invermere’s Wildsight branch program manager.

“We are thrilled to have a speaker of this calibre in our community,” said Marion Stotts, the Canadian Cancer Society’s Columbia Valley Unit Advocacy Leader.   ”

For more information about A Chemical Reaction, visit www.ifightcancer.ca. More information about the Pesticide Free Columbia Basin network can be found at www.pesticidefreecolumbiabasin.ca