Archive | December, 2010

You Can Help Save The Bees

29. December 2010

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Early in December we reported on an EPA document unearthed by Pesticide Action Network North America and Beyond Pesticides that shows the EPA knows full well what is causing Colony Collapse Disorder of bees. The culprit is pesticides known as neonicotinoids including imidacloprid and clothianidin. PANNA is asking anyone concerned about this subject to sign [...]

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Can Organics Feed the World? Of Course, Says Legendary Farmer

28. December 2010

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My friend and colleague, Eliot Coleman, visited Yale University recently where his speech was featured by Atlantic Monthly magazine: http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2010/12/a-visit-from-maines-organic-gardening-guru/68586/

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EPA Readies List of Dangerous Chemicals

23. December 2010

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The EPA is reportedly preparing a list of potentially dangerous chemicals: http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/12/21/risky-business-epa-builds-list-of-potentially-dangerous-chemica/?icid=maing&a_dgi=aolshare_facebook. Several pesticides used in lawn and garden care will reportedly make the list.

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Bayer: Our Pesticides Won’t Kill Bees Again

20. December 2010

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Here is a breakdown of the Bayer response to the recent EPA memo concerning colony collapse disorder in bees: http://www.fastcompany.com/1710746/bayer-our-bee-toxic-pesticide-is-actually-safe-for-bees

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Lawns & Mothers-in-Law

20. December 2010

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My mother-in-law was just here in Maine for the weekend and the subject of lawns never came up . . . maybe because the ground is frozen solid here in Maine! Her recent visit made me laugh out loud at this column by George Weigel, one of the nation’s fine garden writers — and also [...]

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New Book is Done!

16. December 2010

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Hallelujah! I’m thrilled to report that I hit the send button on my computer and the draft of my next book has been completed. Now this will come in the form of a terrible tease, because the actual book won’t be out for at least 11 months. It takes that kind of gestational period for the [...]

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Organic Exemption Survives New Jersey Fertilizer Law

14. December 2010

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Legislators in New Jersey made statewide headlines today with the news of yesterday’s passage of a sweeping environmental bill that included lawn fertilizer regulations. We’ve seen this coming for months, but what was not certain until today was whether or not the exemption for fertilizers derived from composted plants and animal manures would stand. Nancy [...]

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GRIST: EPA Won’t Restrict Bee-Killing Chemical

13. December 2010

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Tom Philpott, the senior food and agriculture writer, for Grist.org, did an exceptional job of breaking down the timeline and story behind the chemical that is causing colony collapse disorder in bees: http://www.grist.org/article/food-2010-12-10-leaked-documents-show-epa-allowed-bee-toxic-pesticide-/

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Maine Town Keeps Lawn Pesticide Issue In the News in December

11. December 2010

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This article appeared Friday in the Scarborough Leader newspaper in Maine: http://blog.scarboroughleader.com/2010/12/10/pesticide-use-on-town-properties-in-question—dec-10-2010.aspx. One of the aspects of this that I find encouraging in this article is that the two landscape professionals quoted herein, Al Lappin Jr. and Jesse O’Brien, are two of my closest friends. We would go through the proverbial wall for each other [...]

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Russia Ready to Join Lawn Craze

10. December 2010

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People send all sorts of lawn news our way almost daily. From lawn mower accidents, to driving mowers while intoxicated, to pesticide poisonings, we see all the mostly bad stuff. This one, though, made me chuckle, even if it ought to shine a mirror on the absurd behavior of Americans when it comes to their grass. It [...]

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