This photo came to us by way of Rebekah Laughlin Bowser, who wrote: "This is on my front lawn in suburban PA where, during the growing season, I am surrounded by toxic, chemically treated lawns. People tell me that they can't tell the difference between mine and the chemical lawns and, aside from a few weeds here or there, it looks just as good as the ones that are visited weekly by they chemical trucks. I ...

My sister just had a baby; so did another friend's wife. My best friend's wife is due any minute out in Los Angeles. Precious anticipation leads to even more precious miracles. And as parents all we can think of is protecting our children from anything and everything throughout their lives, from the instant they arrive and throughout their lifetimes. A growing body of evidence suggests, however, that the pr ...

Anyone concerned with pesticide spraying should take note: PROTESTS DO WORK. For further evidence, turn to Highland Park, Ill., where 25 emails and 600-plus signatures on a petition caught the attention of local officials who ultimately delayed a plan to spray public parks with synthetic weed killers: http://highlandpark.suntimes.com/news/7810266-418/park-district-backs-off-pesticide-use.html. The issue in ...

[caption id="attachment_4350" align="alignleft" width="540" caption="Theo Ormrod Davis, 15, won a prestigious photography honor in England for this photo of a dandelion. "][/caption] MY DAUGHTER, AIMEE, WILL PROUDLY TELL YOU THAT SHE'S four and three-quarters now, and not just four and a half. Upon this momentous birthday occasion my wife decided it was time to move beyond the picture books with our nightly ...

U.S. GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO IGNORE PESTICIDE PROOF We've been at this now for more than five years. As one of the first organizations in North America to go public with the notion that a class of pesticides made from synthetic nicotine were responsible for the sudden bee death known as colony collapse disorder, we were threatened legally, verbally and, yes, even physically. These days it's widely accepted ...

[caption id="attachment_4335" align="alignleft" width="563" caption="Kathryn Gilje helped lead the efforts against methyl iodide in California."][/caption] By Kathryn Gilje I was born 20 miles from the Canadian border, as the crow flies. Childhood runs for a 'mack' and regular trips to the border were common. But this week, my Canadian journey was quite different: to Ottawa, seat of the Canadian government, ...

My ears will be burning tonight just after the dinner hour when five environmental groups join the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the town of Kennebunk for a viewing of our film, A Chemical Reaction. Since I've seen the film, it's the forum afterward that will pique my curiosity. Partners and presenters include the Kennebunk Coastal Association, the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserv ...

This article, published last Friday in Pittsburgh, offers a fairly thorough review of natural lawn care, including links to many excellent products: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/lifestyles/homegarden/s_757182.html ...

The date snuck up on me, but before it creeps away too far, I wanted to send along a shout out to LawnReform.org, the coalition of national garden writers dedicated to toxic pesticide reduction and resource management on the lawn. The two-year anniversary of the first post is this week. The group has stuck to its agenda of providing good, solid how-to information, event notices and just enough opinion piece ...

[caption id="attachment_4302" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Safe? This applicator is wearing rubber gloves and boots, but no respirator. "][/caption] Three major scientific groups concerned with the control of insects and disease are expressing their collective concern that the federal government is turning its back to pesticide safety education. Whereas approximately $2 million was appropriated th ...