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RACHEL ROSENBERG, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FEATURED IN CHICAGO TRIBUNE ABOUT NATURAL LAWN CARE TREND
The front page of the Saturday, June 11th edition Chicago Tribune featured Executive Director, Rachel Rosenberg, discussing Natural Lawn Care as a trend. We hope that you can use the resources on our website to help you make a change to natural lawn care and encourage your city and park district to reduce their pesticide use.
Watch Executive Director, Rachel Rosenberg, on WTTW's Chicago Tonight and Listen to Podcast on WGN Radio
Dandelions are popping up around Chicago, especially in Chicago's parks. Rachel explains how dandelions are a sign that pesticides are not being used on a lawn, meaning it is safer for children and pets. Watch thenews story. Also listen to her interview on WGN Radio with Mike McConnell (interview starts at 15:45 in podcast). Not a fan of dandelions in your yard? A lawn maintained with natural lawn care has fewer weed issues and is a healthier lawn overall. Natural lawn
Natural Lawn Care for Homeowners Natural Lawn Care Calendar Laws to Protect You From Outdoor Pesticides Pets and Pesticides Midwest Natural Lawn Care Companies Products for Your Natural Lawn Natural Lawn Care for Homeowners (Spanish) Read Your Weeds-A Simple Guide to Creating a Healthy Lawn A Natural Park is a Healthy Park IPM in the Garden IPM in the Garden (Spanish) Pesticide Free Zone Yard Sign Talking to Your Neighbors About Pesticides A Tale of Two Families Mosquito Misters: What You Need to Know West Nile Virus and Your Community Yard Sign Order Form Natural Lawncare Listing Pledge Where to Buy Natural Lawn Care Products Soil Testing for Homeowners Compost Tea Brewing Manufacturers & Distributors Municipal Pesticide Reduction Tool Kit
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care is not the same as no lawn care. Learn more about natural lawn care through our fact sheets.
Links
Useful Tips and Videos About Organic Lawn Care SafeLawns.org
educate people about the issue of chemical and pesticide drift and help them respond appropriately when chemical drift occurs.
The website (spraydriftillinois.com) has complete information on how to file a claim, an important first step in bringing this problem to the Department of Agriculture's attention.
Though most people might think pesticide drift is primarily a problem in rural Illinois, half of the current complaints regarding the misuse of pesticides (primarily lawn care pesticides) are generated in urban areas according to the Illinois Department of Agriculture. So, for all of you citizens out there, report, report, report and we can get some better laws into place to protect us from involuntary pesticide exposure.
yard is pesticide free and pet and child friendly by posting a pesticide free zone sign. You can post these signs at schools, parks, and businesses. Click here to purchase online, or use our order form.
OrderForm.pdf
Learn the basic steps for a safe and healthy lawn through Rachel's new article in TribLocal.
We've updated several of our Natural Lawn Care Fact Sheets to provide more accurate and timely information about natural lawn care. Check out 'Where to Buy Natural Lawn Care Products', 'Soil Testing for Homeowners', 'Midwest Lawn Care Companies' and 'Compost Tea Brewing Manufacturers and Distributors', available to the right in our resources section.
SafeLawns.org, he tackles the notion that weeds are the 'real' threat on athletic and playing fields across the nation - as opposed to synthetic chemical poisons - causing an untold number of slips and injuries. One doctor who examined this suspicious claim was unable to find any information supporting the idea. It's a safe bet there will be some industry sponsored studies in the near future to bolster this misleading claim. However, the assumption that you need pesticides in order to properly maintain a good playing field is simply wrong. Check out the fine work done by Chip Osborne in Marblehead, MA with an all organic football field. For more information about maintaining healthy athletic fields, naturally and safely, check out Paul Sachs' book "Managing Healthy Sports Fields: A Guide to Using Organic Materials for Low-Maintenance and Chemical-Free Playing Fields."
Myth or Possibility?
OrganicsInOurMidst.pdf
The Illinois Parks & Recreation magazine's spring addition will feature an article authored by SPCP. It explores some of the positive impacts of using organic products on school and park fields, including reductions in turf disease and pesticide use. You can dowload it by clicking on the icon to the right or visit the IPR website.
Do know about that Natural Lawn Care is recommended for schools and childcares in Illinois? Did you know that you have the right to be notified before your neighbor sprays pesticides on their lawns? The fact sheetLaws to Protect You From Outdoor Pesticides explains how changes to Illinois law improve your right-to-know and impact lawn care on public and private property.
It turns out lawns are not so green afterall, but there is hope!
In an interview with Rosemary Piser of e-News Park Forest, SPCP Executive Director Rachel Rosenberg discussed how to maintain weed free lawns without pesticides. Natural Lawn Care: Growing Weed-Free Without Pesticides
An article in the New York Times highlighted Harvard University's efforts to transform 16 acres of heavily used lawn from a sythetic to an all natural lawn care program. The results have been astounding.
Download this new fact sheet created by the National Coalition for Pesticide Free Lawns. Weeds can tell you a lot about the condition of your lawn and indicate what you need in order to grow a healthy organic lawn.Read Your Weeds-A Simple Guide to Creating a Healthy Lawn
of grass seed that re duce lawn care maintenance costs are becoming increasingly available. Retailers claim these products require little to no fertilizer, and in many cases need no additional water - even during periods of drought. The result is an aesthetically pleasing, and slow growing, lawn that fills in just as nicely as your neighbor's.
BEAUTIFUL LAWNS, GARDENS AND PARKS CAN BE MAINTAINED WITHOUT USING PESTICIDES.
Pesticides kill indiscriminately, killing pests along with their natural insect predators. This leads to the irony of pesticide use: once insect predators are eliminated, pest populations grow unchecked leading to ever-greater pesticide applications. Utilizing the basic principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), you can take charge of your home and garden without the use of pesticides and inspire others to do the same.
In general, parks have landscaping that requires a significant amount of effort to maintain. Unfortunately, this often means that pesticides are used to reduce weeds and unwanted insects. To, SPCP's manual, "Integrated Pest Management for Park Districts: Increasing the Effectiveness and Reducing the Risk of Pest Management", provides alternatives that reduce the amount of pesticides used. This manual provides practical information on safe and effective methods of controlling weeds, turf and plant diseases, and common pests. It also includes steps outlining the
pdmanual.pdf
transition into an IPM program, provides additional resources, and contains a list of IPM product suppliers. Ask if your Park District practices IPM. If they don't, encourage them to do so with the help of this manual. We'd be happy to contact Park Districts interested in beginning a program to improve the health and well being of its residents by reducing pesticide use. Download a free copy by clicking link at right.
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