Free Film Screening, Vanishing of the Bees, to Precede Conference (April 6)

DENVER, April 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- From protecting pollinators, managing bed bugs, banning genetic engineering to going organic in the food we eat and the way we manage our yards, parks and open spaces - these are just a few of the pressing health and environmental issues that will be addressed at Sustainable Community: Practical solutions for health and the environment, the 29th National Pesticide Forum, April 8-9 at the Colorado School of Public Health in Aurora, Colorado.

Conference organizer, the national organization Beyond Pesticides, says about the conference, "This national forum convenes at a critical crossroads –as we strive for sustainability in our personal and community choices. Central to the concept of sustainability are the issues and practices addressed at this gathering that challenge us to adopt strategies to protect and nurture the web of life in the context of economic pressures that raise affordability issues."

The program begins Friday evening and continues through Saturday night. Registration is $35 and includes all sessions and organic food. The conference is cosponsored by Colorado School of Public Health - Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Denver Beekeepers Association, Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Sierra Club, Slow Food Denver, Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, Denver Urban Gardens, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, Grow Local Colorado, Mountain and Plains Education and Research Center, and the University of Colorado Environmental Center. Registration, the full speaker list, and schedule of events are available at www.beyondpesticides.org/forum.

Leading up to the conference, Beyond Pesticides and the Denver Botanic Gardens will be hosting a free screening of the award-winning film Vanishing of the Bees on Wednesday, April 6th, 7:00 p.m. at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The film, which is narrated by Ellen Page, takes a piercing investigative look at the economic, political and ecological implications of the worldwide disappearance of the honeybee and empowers the audience to fight back.

Speaker Highlights (contact Beyond Pesticides for interviews)

• Maria Rodale, author of Organic Manifesto and CEO of Rodale Inc., publisher of Organic Gardening and Prevention magazines;
• Tom Theobald, beekeeper who exposed EPA's memo showing its flawed science in registering a bee-killing pesticide;
• Dana Boyd Barr, PhD, Emory University researcher who linked pesticide exposure to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and other learning problems;
• George Kimbrell, Center for Food Safety lawyer leading the fight to ban genetically engineered alfalfa;
• Theo Colborn, PhD, author of Our Stolen Future and president of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange;
• Benjamin Ross, PhD, author of The Polluters, the acclaimed book about the history of the chemical industry;
• Timothy Scott, author of Invasive Plant Medicine: The Ecological Benefits and Healing Abilities of Invasives;
• Chip Osborne, national organic turf expert responsible for the organic conversion of parks and playing fields across the country.

Contact: John Kepner, 202-543-5450

SOURCE Beyond Pesticides