Law professor Stewart Elgie, NDP leader Thomas Mulcair,Supreme Court Justice Claire L'Heureux Dube and Institute of the Environment Director Dr. Scott Findlay join Paul Tukey after the premiere Thursday evening.

The Moot Court Auditorium was at full capacity for the Ottawa premiere of A Chemical Reaction.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO — With numerous leaders of the Canadian political and legal system in attendance for the packed Ottawa premiere of A Chemical Reaction on Thursday evening, EcoJustice founder Stewart Elgie summed up the event in a word: “Extraordinary.”

“What can I say? It’s an incredible movie about an amazing town,” said Elgie, the attorney who helped Hudson, Quebec, emerge victorious in the 2001 landmark legal battle against the lawn chemical giant then known as ChemLawn. Now a law professor and legal scholar, Elgie saved his highest praise for a group of people at the core of the story.

“Watching the movie, I realized I have been deficient in one aspect of my career in that I have never met June Irwin,” he said. “I will have to change that. And we owe so many thanks to Mayor Michael Elliott and that council for taking that bold step. Like that Margaret Mead quote said, it’s always a small group of committed citizens who effect real change. The people of Hudson were leaders who made life better for millions of Canadians.”

Retired Canadian Supreme Court Justice Claire L’Heureux Dube was the guest of honor for the Thursday evening event, which was hosted by the University of Ottawa in its Moot Court Auditorium. She suggested further recognition for Dr. Irwin, the dermatologist who first brought the question of lawn pesticide toxicity to the Hudson town council in 1985.

“It’s high time June Irwin receives the Order of Canada,” said Dube. “I wish I could sign the Order myself.”

Among the other notable attendees, Thomas Mulcair, the Deputy Leader of the New Democratic Party, received loud applause in recognition of his environmental advocacy. He appears in several scenes in the film, which was shot from June of 2008 though June of 2009.

“This is a message that people across Canada need to hear,” he said. “Ordinary citizens need to know that they really can make a difference.”

After a contentious debate about a bill known as HB1456 in early February, some observers doubted whether or not the measure would pass to the full house. Though it’s only a study bill — meaning it’s not going to immediately ban or restrict pesticides — several lawn care companies and lobbyists strongly objected. They fear the study bill will ultimately lead to a ban on herbicides used to kill dandelions, clover and other so-called weeds.

Representative Suzanne Smith, who sponsored the bill, said she received widespread support from her colleagues and expects the Environment and Agriculture Committee to begin work by the third week in April.

“This is very exciting news,” said Ellen Fine, founder of the LEAH Collective

Rep. Suzanne Smith testifies in support of HB 1456 at the February hearing.

SafeLawns submitted a list of talking points to New Hampshire legislators in February and will be assisting the LEAH Collective in the weeks and month ahead. If anyone has research, data, anecdotes or other information they would like the legislature to consider in its study, please forward it along and we’ll be certain to forward it along.

First, Major League Baseball decided to make money from Scotts to re-ignite the “competition for the best lawn in the neighborhood” and now this. Earth Day is selling out to ChemLawn, the world’s largest lawn care company — and therefore the world’s largest purveyor of poisons around homes, schools and daycare centers. The press release actually states: “As part of its collaboration with Earth Day Network, TruGreen is also helping elementary and middle schools green up this year. Supporting Earth Day Network’s green schools project, TruGreen will help America’s youth enjoy green spaces, learn about the relationship between healthy turf and a healthy environment, and create gardens and landscapes.”

This is the same company that tried to sponsor youth soccer a few years ago, but that promotion was beaten back by activists and parents’ groups. How can it possibly stand to let ChemLawn anywhere near our schools?

As part of the promotion, the company is now touting “100 percent organic” fertilizers — which is obviously intended to make consumers to believe that all its fertilizers are organic. The truth is that the vast majority of the company’s fertilizers are 100 percent synthetic and that the organic fertilizers are just one option. We have heard hundreds of reports where the company’s salespeople actually discourage customers from using the organic option because they say “it doesn’t work as well as the chemicals, yet costs more.”

It’s all sickening, misleading and yet another example of an unfortunate sellout. Can the consumers see through this? Let’s hope so.

Here’s a story from today’s Saskatoon newspaper: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/life/Time+city+look+pesticide+policy/2659626/story.html.

A species of worms known as red wigglers can thrive in a container environment and consume many times their weight in kitchen scraps.

The conclusion of our film screenings are always capped off with drawings for door prizes. A consistent favorite is the gift certificate from Gardeners Supply, the Vermont company with loads of options for gardening tools and supplies, as well as other household items.

At Sunday’s screening in Hartford, audible shrieks of delight could be heard from the winners of bags of worm castings from Coast of Maine Organics, a New England company that’s been selling high-quality soil amendments for the past 15 years. Clearly the Hartford audience, invited by the Connecticut chapter of the Northeast Organic Farmers Association, was enlightened enough to know that worm castings — otherwise known as worm poop — is just about the best thing you can add to your garden. Lots of folks who didn’t win the door prizes had questions about how to get involved with worm castings at home and I pointed them to this previous post on this blog: http://www.safelawns.org/blog/index.php/2009/09/consider-worm-composting/.

As I said in that post, some folks still get skittish about the idea of bringing worms into the home environment, but it really can be done in a way that’s clean and odor free. And, for those of you who can’t stomach the idea, there’s always Coast of Maine or any number of other companies that can provide the finished product for you.

The entire schedule is now available by clicking on the events icon on the upper right-hand corner of our home page: http://www.safelawns.org/blog/index.php/calendar/. Please pass the word to everyone you know in these great cities.

Seaweed is an excellent source of natural nutrients for the garden.

Here’s a question we received from a follower that deserves a lengthy explanation to be shared by all :

I’d like to “go organic” and join your bandwagon, but honestly it’s all very confusing. It’s been easy to spread my Ortho 10-10-10 and get decent results. When I put Miracle-Gro on most of my houseplants, it works OK, too.
If I decide to switch to organic products, can you give me a breakdown on organic sources, how much to apply, and basically how to do the math? I don’t think I’m alone in this confusion and a good answer to this question would go a long way toward helping many of us make the switch.
Jeanne Foster Quint, Rochester, N.Y.

Jeanne,
I’m guessing that you’re absolutely not alone. How much fertilizer to apply confounds many people; most gardeners simply guess. In the same way experienced chefs can develop a sense for how much of a spice to add to a recipe, gardeners do develop the ability to know if a plant needs a smidgeon, a handful or a shovelful. For the rest of us, though, it’s safest and best to follow directions on the package, or the results of a soil test from your local Cooperative Extension Office. The soil test is a must for anyone starting out.

Understand, too, that in organic gardening we don’t focus on N-P-K, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Instead, we focus on living soil, which provides the nutrients that most plants need without the addition of a lot of extra fertilizer.

Having said that, what follows is a general breakdown of all the numbers involved, as well as sources of organic nutrients:

IN BULK — When ordering loam, compost, manure, mulch or sand for your landscape, you may not be sure how much to order. These products are sold by the cubic “yard,” an old unit of measure based on the English system. A square box measuring 3-by-3-by-3 feet would contain a yard of a product, or 27 cubic feet in total. A typical wheelbarrow carries about six or seven cubic feet, or about four or five wheelbarrows per yard.

If your landscape project calls for three inches of compost per square foot of surface area, then a yard of compost would adequately cover an area measuring 10 feet by nine feet. If the project called for a light coating of a half-inch of compost over the lawn, then the coverage area of a yard would cover an area measuring 540 square feet, or 20-by-27 feet.

IN BAGS OR BOTTLES — Products registered as fertilizers are required by law to provide published analyses of available macronutrients, which are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). These numbers, such as your 10-10-10 reflect the percentage of each of these nutrients in the container. In other words, a 20-pound bag of 10-10-10 contains two pounds each of N, P and K.

Right away, you may see that the way most fertilizers are sold is inherently problematic. A typical Northeast soil test might tell you the soil is deficient in nitrogen, but rich in phosphorus and only slightly light on potassium. Your 10-10-10 could provide the needed nitrogen, but it would oversaturate the soil with the other two elements. Leaching of excess nutrients is a major cause of soil and water pollution — and too much can lead to unhealthy, or even dead, plants. It is best to purchase fertilizers that only contain one of the major macronutrients; that way you can apply exactly the amount needed.

RAW PRODUCTS — Several naturally occurring substances contain macronutrients and allow you to fertilize your lawn and garden without potentially dangerous and harmful synthetic chemicals. Because these products break down and release their nutrients slowly in the soil, they are more forgiving in terms of quantity of application. If you double the required amount of synthetic 10-10-10 fertilizer, you may very well burn your plants to death. If you double the amount of compost, composted manure, bone meal or wood ash etc., you will be less likely to harm the plants or soil.

Having said that, it’s still useful to know something about the available nutrients in whatever you apply. Bone meal has a phosphorus factor of approximately 12, meaning a 10-pound bag contains about 1.2 pounds of phosphorus. It is quick to dissolve into the soil and will be fully available to the plants within six months. Rock phosphate contains about a 33 percent phosphorus, but is slow to break down — it will take three to five years to release all its nutrients. In other words, if the soil test calls for a pound of phosphorus per 1,000 square feet, you’d need to apply nine pounds of rock phosphate in the first year to actually get the pound of phosphorus into the soil.

Other organic sources of organic phosphorus are worm castings, alfalfa meal, guano and compost. None of these will typically contain significant percentages of phosphorus, however, and generally should not be relied upon to correct a phosphorus deficiency.

Nitrogen is probably the easiest macronutrient to find and to apply. Popular sources include blood meal, which contains about five to 14 percent nitrogen, and fish byproducts, which can range from five percent to 13 percent nitrogen. On lawns, where most nitrogen is needed — about four pounds per 1,000 square feet per season for bluegrass or Bermudagrass — the grass clippings themselves will add about two pounds of nitrogen per thousand square feet back into the soil.

Potassium can be the trickiest macronutrient to find and apply. Wood ash may contain from 4 to 10 percent potassium, but can raise the pH too high if you apply too much. About 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet per year is a general recommendation.

Greensand, with about five percent potassium, and seaweed are other common sources. Seaweed is one of the best overall fertilizers, and the basis for many of the organic fertilizer products currently on the market. Studies show it can contain anywhere from two to 12 percent potassium.

If you’re not familiar with this issue, Bunning is buying you some time. Make your feelings known to your local Senator before it’s too late.

In what is gearing up as perhaps our most dynamic state premiere to date, the Connecticut Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farmers Association is hosting that state’s premiere of A Chemical Reaction this Sunday, March 7, at 2 p.m.

A fully catered snack table, several educational organizations and door prizes will be just some of the treats at Trinity College’s luxuriant Cinestudio, above. A reception begins a 1 p.m. and a Question-and-Answer Session will follow the film at approximately 3:15.

Among the VIPs expected are: Brett Plymale, the film’s director, Bob Fowler, the executive director of the SafeLawns Foundation, Scott Reil, the event coordinator from HelpfulGardener.com, Nancy Alderman from Environment and Human Health Inc. in Connecticut, Bill Duesing, executive director of CTNOFA.org, and Nancy DuBrule-Clement of Natureworks. Special thanks go out to the Nadeau family from Plantscapes for their sponsorship of the venue, which makes the screening at Cinestudio possible and to Scott Reil, for being the glue that bound the preparations for the event.

The Connecticut media has embraced this screening like few other states. Today at 3 p.m. Eastern time, Peabody Award-winning radio journalist Faith Middleton will be talking about the film with Nancy Alderman, Bill Duesing and yours truly. Tomorrow at noon, Scott Reil and I will be on the air with my old friends Len Giddix and Lisa Napolitano from WTIC 1080. The Hartford Courant gave the film screening a small mention today as well: http://www.courant.com/entertainment/movies/hc-brighton-rock-chemical-reactionmar04,0,1175387.story.

Tickets are by donation, with $10 suggested. Proceeds will be split between the SafeLawns Foundation and CT NOFA.

DVD copies of the film will be available for a $20 donation and I will have copies of my book, The Organic Lawn Care Manual, available for sale.