In most of the places I’ve lived in the Northeast, fall leaves are a fact of life. Even if you don’t have any large deciduous trees on your property, chances are your neighbors’ trees will send some spent foliage your way. Collection options abound. We’ll focus this blog on the most environmentally friendly options: RAKING — If you’re like most people, you probably disdain the very notion of raking. The pro ...

Continuing a promising pattern of pesticide reviews that includes imidacloprid, Roundup and a general unveiling of "inert" ingredients — all reported here in previous blogs — the agency reported last week that it will expand its overview of the research concerning atrazine's health impacts on humans. Beyond Pesticides has the story here: www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=2539 ...

If you have general questions about lawn care, use this section to ask them here, or review previous questions here: www.safelawns.org/blog/index.php/2009/09/ask-a-question/comment-page-1/#comment-1025 ...

This week, with fall foliage at its peak here in Maine, I plan to focus a few posts on leaves. The subject is on everyone's mind, as witnessed by this segment we produced with Good Morning America last Friday: abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8789909. Our posts will focus on collection techniques, as well as how to compost leaves and how to use them as fertilizer. But first, here is some background on wh ...

I answered this question today in our Ask a Question Section and it's worth posting individually here: Creeping Charlie, perennial, Glenchoma hederacea Appearance: Low-growing aggressive creeping plant has thumbnail size scalloped leaves that look like tiny geraniums. In spring an abundance of tiny, lavender flowers appear on two- or three-inch spikes. The stems are square, with roots that dive into the soi ...

As we work toward final funding of our movie, A Chemical Reaction, we received the pledge of a matching grant this past weekend from an attendee who watched the Maine premiere. To help us reach our goal of raising $20,000 by Nov. 1, the donor said she will match all individual donations until we reach a total of $10,000 from other sources. Today alone we received pledges of $800. The $20,000 will be used as ...

In a move decades overdue, the Environmental Protection Agency is moving toward the unveiling of so-called "inert" ingredients in pesticides. Current laws require that manufacturers only reveal "active" ingredients on labels, such as glyphosate in Roundup or 2,4-D in selective weed killer. Often the active ingredient is only a small percentage of the overall product. For decades, manufacturers have been all ...

With long lines up the stairs and out the door, the Maine premiere of A Chemical Reaction sold out well in advance of Saturday's 3 p.m. opening at the Farnsworth Art Gallery in Rockland, Maine, today. "I hope I am the first, and I know I will NOT be the last to congratulate you and the crew for an excellent film," emailed attendee Marsha Mongell, a SafeLawns Foundation member. "Thank you for putting me on y ...

I had the privilege of appearing with Ira Flatow on NPR Science Friday. Well, I didn't appear, if you will. I was actually calling in from a conference room deep in the bowels of the Baltimore-Washington Airport just before trying to catch a flight home. Listen in here: http://podcastdownload.npr.org/anon.npr-podcasts/podcast/510221/113455421/npr_113455421.mp3?_kip_ipx=778676496-1254568682 Apparently this i ...

Our film, A Chemical Reaction, will premiere in Maine and New Jersey this weekend. The Maine premiere has been well covered in the local press: http://knox.villagesoup.com/AandE/story.cfm?storyID=177422 http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=286612&ac=PHnws The New Jersey premiere is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 123 Scott Hall on the Rutgers campus in New Brunswick, N.J. We hope to see ...