Appeal to your representative Senators!

Toxic chemicals surround us. We envelope ourselves and our children in toxic perfumed laundry detergents; we smear our bodies and hair with untested creams, gels and shampoos. We further damage our health with pesticides used in lawn and garden care, and in agriculture. It is time for legislation to replace the never adequate and very outdated Toxics Substances Control Act. To view each entry, just click on the title or link(s) within each entry.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Easy Way to Convert Condo/Home Owners Association Grounds, Lawns and even Golf Courses to Non-Toxic

This link provides simple effective remedies for moving away from the toxic lawn. Perfect for Condo/Home Owners Associations and private homes, alike. Golf courses would do well with this approach, too!

 Note: Some associations and individuals do not water. This is all the more reason to go with natural land care. The synthetic weed and feed formulas require water. Furthermore, it is imperative to plant a mix of local grass seed. See your Agway or other retailer that carries such. A mix of grass types will thrive and survive extreme weather conditions. Note: When this group refers to dandelions, keep in mind, that with these smart practices, the soil will be healthier and there will be less space for them. Keeping some in is a good thing as they help with keeping the soil aerated and, good insects like them. Also, dandelions are edible (and so are plantains, which also assist with aerating)! In the early stages of the conversion, you can keep dandelions from spreading by simply taking off the yellow heads before they go to seed. (Go to link below to read more about the whys and hows to establish safe, natural lawns/land.)


  1. Soil: the foundation for plant health, strong deep roots and nutrient uptake. Chemicals kill the natural immune systems that occur in soil. Healthy soil contains organisms that fight lawn and landscape pests, eliminating the need for continual toxic pesticide treatments.
  2. Water: Over watering promotes shallow rooting, fungus diseases, mosquitoes, and nutrient run off. Do not start watering in early summer until the weather is truly dry. Monitor your irrigation settings: water infrequently and deeply.
  3. Mowing Mow high: 3-4”. Longer leaf blades collect more sun, provide more energy to roots and shade out weeds. Mow often: remove no more than 1/3


http://perfectearthproject.org/

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Home Owners Boards: No One Can Know Safety of Weed and Feed Formulas

To my Home Owners Association Board:

Does anyone on the board really know about the pesticides used on our lawns and grounds? There is plenty more current information linking these products with very serious health issues but for now, this is concise and easy reading.

 http://www.ehhi.org/reports/lcpesticides/ 

Please read this link in its entirety. These pesticides (2,4-D, etc.) are toxic and are highly volatile, vaporize easily and carried by air and water drift, off target, for miles and for days.

The purveyors of the weed and feed formulas do post signs stating the pesticides applied. But, despite labeling, there are hidden materials within these pesticides (inerts, manufacturers' trade secrets), which are unknowns. Also, the businesses that put these chemicals down cannot say that they are safe and they certainly cannot tell you when it is safe to set foot on the turf. No one has such answers. There have not been complete studies of the individual pesticides as well as the combinations for their effects on human or environmental health. 


Let us stop blindly following an unsafe protocol for lawn/land care.


 


EPA permits over 200 different pesticides to be used for lawn care, and these are often mixed together and sold as chemical combinations. They are intentionally toxic substances.
ehhi.org

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

MCPP is in the potion that the lawn chemical applicator has been using for years at our home owners association. But, 2,4-D is also in it and it is one of the most toxic herbicides ever made. Dicamba is in it, too and it ain't safe. None of these have been thoroughly tested alone or together and there are many more chemicals in the mix that are manufacturers trade secrets. It is mind boggling that anyone could possibly trust their use. These lawn chemical formulas are a threat to human health, not unlike  Glyphosate (RoundUp). All of these creations have been linked to serious and devastating health issues from Cancer to Endocrine Disruption and Celiac Disease/gastrointestinal illnesses, not to mention Parkinson's and neurological disorders. 

  



 Lawn-care pesticides are not tested for their chronic health effects, unless they are also licensed for food uses.7 The third most heavily used herbicide in the U. S., MCPP, has not been fully tested for chronic health effects since it is not allowed for use on foods. MCPP is commonly found in weed and feed products
  • EPA has tested only nine of 750 registered pesticides for their effects on the developing nervous system; six of the nine tested were more harmful to young animals than adults.
  • Pesticides are composed of active ingredients and inert ingredients. Some inert ingredients may be more toxic than active ingredients and can comprise 90 to 95 percent of the product. Some inert ingredients are suspected carcinogens, while others have been linked to central nervous system disorders, liver and kidney damage, birth defects, and some short-term health effects 
  • http://www.ehhi.org/reports/lcpesticides/summary.shtml#top