Column: HR's Peggy Lalor Part 2; Finding Common Ground
Nancy Turner with Peggy Lalor, creator of the Gorge Games. Notice that sweatshirt Lalor’s wearing. There is no quit in this Nobel Peace Prize winner despite a major recovery from a car accident several years ago. Lalor has retooled and set her sights on regenerative farming free of chemicals.
Editor’s Note - This is the second half of a column about Gorge Games founder Peggy Lalor who has turned her sights on farming practices and restoring food systems sans chemicals. Read part 1 of the series here.
By Nancy Turner
In 1962 Rachel Carlson warned us in her book, Silent Spring, of the dangers to all natural systems, from the misuse of chemical pesticides. After WWII, chemical companies and the US government successfully turned their new technologies to agriculture, with staggering long-term effects on our land.
These days, in 2024, Peggy Lalor is bringing attention to the cross-section of the chemical damage to the soil and biosphere and the high rates of cancer and chronic disease. Due to the proliferation of chemicals in almost everything, humans are more sick than ever.
By changing how we farm, our soil could hold more carbon, thus fixing the effects of climate change. This film shows us how we can get rid of the chemicals used in agriculture and learn to grow food bio-dynamically, organically, and regeneratively. Her way of spreading the word is to promote the viewing of two films.
In 2020 the film, Kiss the Earth, told the benefit of biodiversity, and harvesting in numerous ways, to hold carbon in the soil. The NY Times said this about the film: “Inspires a rare feeling of Hope.” The LA Times described it as, “Earth’s climate savior.” It was called, “Oscar-worthy” by Digital Journal. You can watch it, free, on Netflix.
The sequel of Kiss the Earth, called Common Ground, the winner of the Tribeca Film Festival (and many since) was made by people who did extensive research for this documentary. The Independent Film Guide describes it: “A deep and rich humanization of regenerative agriculture that inspires and educates.” Regenerative agriculture is a method of growing food using age-old methods and native wisdom to produce food largely without synthetic chemicals. This rare film proposes real, practical solutions. It provides hope for future generations with concrete ways to fix a broken planetary system. There are changes we can make without losing the farm.
Some farmers already use regenerative agricultural practices. They can teach industrial farmers to farm differently. As Peggy puts it, “Our planet is too beautiful not to show some loving kindness.”
Peggy continues to work on her recovery from being hit by a car in 2010. She does yoga twice a week, goes to the gym three times a week, lifts weights, stretches, and rides a stationary bike and treadmill. She’s receiving Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment. This involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment. This puts concentrated amounts of oxygen into her wounded brain. Extra oxygen triggers the release of growth factors and stem cells, which promote healing. Peggy is determined to do everything she can to heal. Likewise, we need to do everything we can to heal our environment.
Along with working to get her body back to normal, Peggy works on getting our earth back to normal. In the gorge, we live in farm country. The use of pesticides is prolific. So is cancer. She aims to show the film to as many young people as possible. The older generation has trouble making changes to the way they have been doing things, but the next generation will likely be more open to looking at the evidence and consider making changes. In enlightened self-interest, we all need to see how important it is to take care of our soil, and all living beings.
Common Ground will be shown for free at two locations in the gorge. It is a two-hour movie.
Skylight Theater (and Andrew’s Pizza) April 19th. 6 p.m. Tickets are required skylighttheater.com
Columbia Gorge Community College in Hood River, April 23rd, 6 p.m. (no ticket required)
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