From the News Room

There has been a media blitz lately about environmental toxins. Here is a list of media stories and presentations related to pesticides and natural lawn care, both local and national. If you come across any other significant articles or hear any other stories, please let us know and send us a link!
Nov
2
Posted on Wednesday, November 02, 2011

47 Schoolchildren Poisoned in Ohio Offers Evidence That Kids Are Silently Poisoned Every Day

Paul Tukey, the author of the Organic Lawn Care Manual and the producer of the film, A Chemical Reaction, recently posted this statement on his blog about a pesticide exposure incident that affected many school children.  His assessment of the situation is spot on:

Students from an Ohio middle school were evacuated earlier this month when chemical weed killers were applied to nearby fields. Ironically, the children were evacuated to a site near the sprayed fields that made at least 47 children ill.

Nov
19
Posted on Friday, November 19, 2010

EPA to Expand Chemicals Testing for Endocrine Disruption

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified a list of 134 chemicals that will be screened for their potential to disrupt the endocrine system. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interact with and possibly disrupt the hormones produced or secreted by the human or animal endocrine system, which regulates growth, metabolism and reproduction. Administrator Lisa P. Jackson has made it a top priority to ensure the safety of chemicals, and this is another step in this process.

Nov
12
Posted on Friday, November 12, 2010

Canadian Cancer Society to Distribute Documentary about Landmark Environmental Case

A Chemical Reaction — an award winning documentary that tells the story of a historic environmental Canadian court case — is now available throughout Canada. The documentary tells the story of the town of Hudson, Quebec, which was the first municipality in North America to ban the use of chemical pesticides on private and public property. The Canadian Cancer Society is distributing the DVD.

Feb
16
Posted on Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Public Comment Needed for Inert Ingredient Disclosure Guidelines

Opportunity to comment on the need for Inert ingredient disclosure: deadline February 22, 2010!

Here is a chance to be heard! After you log into www.regulations.gov, click on "Submit a Comment" and use the docket number EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0635 to locate the comment section. This is from Beyond Pesticides. See below for link to comment.

Sep
24
Posted on Thursday, September 24, 2009

Harvard University Using Natural Lawn Care Practices

On September 24th the New York Times reported that Harvard University is currently maintaining 25 acres of their campus without pesticides, and is hoping to maintain all 80 acres with natural lawn care practices within two years.  They are focusing on basic soil health techniques and report that these efforts have resulted in a 30 percent reduction of irrigation, saving them two million gallons of water a year.

Sep
23
Posted on Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Groups Say Science on Glyphosate Disqualifies It for Re-registration

On September 21, 2009, Beyond Pesticides, joined by 32 other groups and individuals, submitted comments to the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) showing new and emerging science which illustrates that glyphosate and its formulated products pose unreasonable risk to human and environmental health, and as such should not be considered eligible for continued registration.

Jun
1
Posted on Monday, June 01, 2009

Toxic Lawns

Each year, homeowners apply at least 90 million pounds of pesticides to their lawns and gardens, according to the Boston-based Toxics Action Center. Homeowners represent the only growth sector of the U.S. pesticide market, as agricultural uses of these chemicals are declining. The pesticide application rate for farmers is 2.7 pounds per acre, while homeowners (and lawn care companies) slather on 3.2 to 9.8 pounds per acre.

This link to a Paramus Post (N.J.) article is a concise description of some oto the issues posed by lawn care pesticides.

May
21
Posted on Thursday, May 21, 2009

Two States Pass Bills on Lawn Pesticides Use at Day Care Centers

The Connecticut and Illinois legislatures have passed bills increase the protection of children at day care centers from toxic lawn chemicals. While providing different degrees of protection, both bills, which build on their existing state school pesticide laws, passed with overwhelming support in both chambers of their General Assembly. The bills passed both legislatures on unanimous votes with the exceptiion of five dissenting votes in the Connecticut House of Representatives.

May
11
Posted on Monday, May 11, 2009

EPA Awards Citizens Group for Successfully Banning Pesticide Use

The Maine advocacy group, Citizens for a Green Camden, has been presented with a 2009Environmental Merit Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in recognition of their significant contributions to environmental awareness and problem solving. This group of concerned citizens works “to make their community a better and healthier place to live [by] focusing specifically on the elimination of poisons being used on lawns in their community,” according to the EPA press statement.

May
4
Posted on Monday, May 04, 2009

New York Governor Sets Pesticide-Free Goal for State Parks

Targeting areas frequented by children, such as playgrounds, picnic areas, baseball fields, campgrounds, beaches, and hiking trails, New York Governor David A. Paterson announced an initiative to substantially reduce pesticide use throughout the State park system. “New York has a magnificent State park system that is a tremendous resource for all New Yorkers,” said Governor Paterson. “People visiting our parks, particularly children, should not be exposed to pesticides.