...what they reveal is important, but what they conceal is vital. I cannot take credit for this phrase. It was dryly uttered by Mr. McGregor's Daughter as we listened to Dr. Patrick Moore disparage organic gardening, the threat of global warming, the risks of genetically modified foods, and most other ideas common to the mainstream 21st century environmental movement. This unexpected diatribe took place at the Independent Garden Center Show at Navy Pier, which was mostly an exhilarating glimpse at the plants, seeds, tools and toys that will be found in local garden centers in 2010. This keynote address,however, veered suddenly from a sensible definition of sustainability (feeding and providing for people in developing areas while reducing negative impacts on the future) to a sweeping condemnation of land use and behavioral practices most of us regard as common, sane, and not radical in the least.
 
For example, Dr. Moore claimed there is no proof that pesticides are dangerous to human health. Yet this claim was not substantiated by any cited evidence. He opined that increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and the concomitant warming climate, are not really worrisome since carbon dioxide levels were much higher a few million years ago, and there was plenty of life on Earth at that time. What he failed to mention, however, was the simple fact that human life was nowhere to be found in the Mesozoic period. Likewise, Moore argued that the ability to grow crops in Siberia would be a positive development for humanity, while completely ignoring the negative consequences of melting permafrost and the resulting release of methane and yet more carbon dioxide. It was inconsistencies like these that prompted the bikini quote.
 
Look, I'm all for sensible debates about energy use, food production, etc. The ability to add vitamin A to rice and therefore alleviate nutrient deficiencies and blindness in developing countries is an endeavor worthy of research and discussion, even if it does involve genetic modification. However, Dr. Moore eschewed sensible debate when he branded pesticide-free gardening as radical and overly expensive. Or when he claimed that genetic modifications are themselves organic methods. (Apparently no chemicals are involved in the process of isolating chromosomes and injecting them into cell nuclei?)
 
But the real issue is why was this at the Independent Garden Center Show? What did this have to do with increasing market share or developing one's business? Dr. Moore obviously has an ax to grind with Greenpeace, the organization he helped to found and then left in the 1980s under contentious circumstances, but this was not the forum for doing so. In one more cynical twist, the sponsor of Dr. Moore's address was Bayer Advanced, makers of lawn and garden chemicals such as Bayer Advanced Complete Insect Killer for Gardens and All-in-One Lawn Weed and Crabgrass Killer. Was this address meant to justify or inspire the selling of more chemicals in garden centers? If so, such propaganda is at best misleading and at worst shameful. Fortunately the sales pitches on the bustling exhibit floor were open about their agendas, whether organic or otherwise.

 — Rose Rankin