Auckland City Council - City Scene

Auckland, the city where anything grows, has taken a major step towards being chemical-free.

It has implemented chemical-free weed control for road berms, kerbs, and footpath edges throughout the city.

Auckland City staff say they will continue to operate a no-spray register for residents who wish to maintain the berm and kerbing in front of their properties. However, residents on the register now have an opportunity to contact the council to ask to have their names removed.

The change of policy has brought about an immediate reduction in the use of chemicals in the street environment of over 95%. Weed control contractors now use organic herbicides, mechanical edgers, line trimmers and hot air in preference to chemicals.

The main organic herbicide being used is 'Organic Interceptor', which is a pine oil extract which smells like pine disinfectant. In tests people who are normally sensitive to chemicals have shown no adverse reactions to it.

Staff say occasional spot use of herbicides may be used to control nutgrass and extremely invasive weeds if the non-chemical control proves inadequate.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>