10
Jul
Organic Land Care Takes Over Town
(Beyond Pesticides, July 10, 2007) Beyond Pesticides came together last year with the Northeast Organic Farmers Association, Ecological Landscape Association and the New England town of Townsend, Massachusetts, to raise awareness about organic lawn care, which has now led to the implementation of an organic program for all municipal lawn areas. This program will facilitate the use of organic fertilizers and methods on lawn and landscaped areas at the Townsend Town Hall, library and town commons.
After a successful open presentation to the citizens of the town on the benefits of organic land care, Townsend public officials are now moving forward to improve their local environment by allowing Yard Spice Organics, LLC to implement a program of organic lawn care for the town’s common areas. This action came after officials expressed the desire last March to maintain organic lawns throughout the town. Yard Spice Organics, along with supplier, Bradfield Organics, LLC, will be donating their services and products to the town during the first year of service.
The town of Townsend is not alone in its quest for safe and healthy lawns. The growing demand for organic land care is coming from all sectors: homeowners, municipal park managers, and business professionals alike. A 2005 survey of 2,000 adults by the Natural Marketing Institute found 20 percent of consumers had bought some kind of environmentally friendly lawn-and-garden product. Organic land care is also a major business opportunity for product manufacturers and businesses like Yard Spice Organics, which is the largest organic lawn care and fertilizer company in the Northeast region. Yard Spice Organic and other providers that offer least-toxic service(s) are also listed in Beyond Pesticides’ Safety Source for Pest Management.
Homeowners use an estimated 100 million pounds of pesticides each year in their homes and gardens. Residential pesticide use figures are actually higher though when the usage by commercial companies is taken into account. Suburban lawns and gardens are known to receive far heavier pesticide applications per acre than most other land areas in the U.S., including agricultural areas. Studies show that these hazardous lawn chemicals are drifting into homes where they contaminate indoor air and surfaces, exposing children at levels ten times higher than pre-application levels. These chemicals are linked with causing cancer, birth defects, neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption to name a few. (See more lawn pesticides facts and figures.)
Beyond Pesticides, as part of the National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns, is working to bring activists across the country together to work on pesticide reform activities to educate communities, including landscapers and policy makers, about the unacceptable hazards of lawn chemicals. (see Daily News Blog).
For more information on organic land care, please visit https://www.beyondpesticides.org/lawn/index.htm.
Source: Newswire Today
TAKE ACTION: Sign the National Declaration on the Use of Toxic Lawn Pesticides. If you already have signed the Declaration and would like to pledge your lawn/landscape as organic, please contact us at (202) 543-5450, [email protected].
I applaud Townsend Ma and its leaders in doing the right thing. They are visionary protecting their land, their linhabitants both two legged and four legged and winged. Why cant other towns do the same I live in a toxic town and not far from Townsend. We are exploring the thought of moving there – to be safe and healthy. Kudos to Townsend!
March 29th, 2008 at 3:42 pm