The news media was abuzz yesterday with the release of yet another study linking pesticides with Parkinson's disease. Eight pesticides were studied, including 2,4-D, which is the active ingredient in the majority of weed 'n feed products in the U.S. Check on this link: http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/09/15/pesticides-linked-to-parkinsons.html ...

Today at 9:30 government officials in Boston will decide whether or not to allow the drenching of 15 square miles of imidacloprid to eradicate the Asian longhorn beetle. SafeLawns, joined by the Toxics Action Center and the Pesticide Action Network of North America, called for citizens to speak out. The local media jumped on the story in these two articles today: http://www.telegram.com/article/20090916/NEW ...

I received this question to my personal email today from Barbara Card of Amesbury, Mass., and I think it's a good one to answer so everyone can see: "I know organic fertilizers are the way to go, and I'm hearing that a lot of landscape companies are using organic fertilizers because they cost less, but I'm on a Conservation Commission here in Massachusetts and am trying to be very specific about the ratios ...

PRESS RELEASE UPDATED FROM 9/11: www.safelawns.org/blog/index.php/2009/09/pesticide-emergency-in-worcester-mass/ To take action, please read that post! Groups Oppose Drenching of Pesticide in Massachusetts Banned in Europe, Imidacloprid Linked to Colony Collapse Disorder WASHINGTON, D.C. — The national public awareness group known as Pesticide Action Network North America today joined The SafeLawns Foundati ...

In a great coup for lawn growers everywhere, a group of leading landscape communicators — including yours truly — announce the formation of the Lawn Reform Coalition (www.LawnReform.org). Similar in mission to SafeLawns.org, the coalition brings a breadth of knowledge with participants from California, to Florida, to Washington, D.C. Check it out and let me know what you think. ...

We got word just before the weekend that out movie, A Chemical Reaction, will have its west coast premiere on two weeks at the Wine Country Film Festival in Sonoma, Calif. I'll post the details as soon as I have them. Here are our other screening dates: Boston Film Festival 09.23.09 @ 3PM (Kendall Square Theatre) Camden (Maine) International Film Festival 10.03.09 @ 3PM (Farnsworth Art Gallery, Rockland) Ne ...

Here is the text of a letter I am circulating throughout Massachusetts. Please paste it to anyone who will listen. See the full press release below: If you agree with my concerns, please feel free to use the letter as a basis for your own letters to the editors of your local papers, or to Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. You can contact him at www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3utilities&sid=Agov3&U=Agov3_contact_us ...

This question came in today from our friend Howard Harrison from Washington state: "I know that a dark green lawn is almost always a sign that a lot of high nitrogen fertilizer has been used — a lawn on drugs. As much as I explain to clients about this, they still want a pretty dark green lawn. I recently lost a client that I had worked on renovating their lawn for almost a year — because it wasn’t green en ...

Use this section to pose any questions you may have. ...

We've posted information here before about state preemption laws that inhibit the rights of cities and towns when it comes to regulating fertilizers and pesticides. In the words of our friends at Beyond Pesticides, "In general terms, preemption refers to the ability of one level of government to override laws of a lower level. While local governments once had the ability to restrict the use, sales and distr ...