These authors, television personalities, radio personalities and lawn-care professionals are all part of a growing network of
passionate individuals who are committed to educating the public about natural lawn care. All are available for public speaking
engagements. Check back often as additional Speakers Network members are frequently added:
Paul Tukey, Safe Lawns national spokesman — Recently honored as the national Horticultural Communicator
of the Year for 2006 by the American Horticultural Society, Tukey is an HGTV host, the founding editor and publisher of People,
Places & Plants magazine and author of an upcoming book on organic lawn care from Storey Publishing titled The Organic Lawn Care Manual.
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Tukey has been gardening since childhood, when he spent summers on a Maine dairy farm with his grandparents.
He graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in journalism and worked for a decade as a sportswriter and editor
before founding his own landscaping company, Home ’n Land, in Falmouth, Maine. It was then, in the early 1990s, that he
came upon the idea of launching a regional gardening magazine.
Tukey has won numerous awards for his writing and recently received the Silver Medal of Honor from the Massachusetts
Horticultural Society for his contributions to regional horticulture. He is a frequent public speaker on the subjects of
gardening, photography and environmental awareness. He resides in Maine.
Website: www.paultukey.com |
David Daehnke — Daehnke is the executive director of The Montclair Foundation and
Van Vleck House and Gardens in Montclair, N.J., where he is leading the restoration of the gardens and the creation of an educational
program for children and adults. He also lectures to garden clubs, organizations and flower shows, communicating his love of gardening and
in his belief in an organic, common sense approach.
Previously, Daehnke was the executive director of the Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit, N.J., and the landscape
supervisor at the James A. McFaul Environmental Center in Wyckoff, N.J. He was also general manager of Ramapo Landscape Supply, a
wholesale/retail provider of horticultural supplies, and owned a successful landscape design, maintenance and build firm for more
than 10 years. Running his own landscaping company led to his decision to communicate to people the joys of gardening and how they
can accomplish the same results on their own.
Daehnke is widely known for his radio show, “The Gardening Guru,” on WGHT 1500 AM, and he is a horticultural
consultant on his Internet site. |
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He is also a staff writer for The Gardener News, New Jersey's only monthly gardening newspaper. He holds a bachelor of science degree
in ornamental horticulture from Delaware Valley College and is currently an advisory board member for the horticulture department at
Bergen Community College.
Website: www.thegardeningguru.com
Greg Draiss — Draiss began his career in the lawn and garden industry in 1982, purchasing nursery stock for a
small New York garden center. His love for gardening can be traced back to his grandfather, Frank Draiss, who served as President
Franklin D. Roosevelt's private gardener at FDR's Hyde Park estate. This is a fact that Draiss brings up during the many lectures and
seminars he gives on gardening each year.
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Since 1984, Draiss has been general manager of Adams Fairacre Farms’ garden center division in
Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Adams is a three-store, family owned business now in its fourth generation. The company’s lawn and
garden sales exceed $14 million annually and involve 100 of Adams’ 700-plus employees.
When not helping gardeners with their questions, Draiss spends weekends and summers with his family at their second home
in the Adirondacks. He is also a free-lance writer and photographer, and his work has appeared in six weekly and daily newspapers
during the past two years. He is getting ready to launch Epigram Media Services in early 2007, a writing, photography and
print-design venture that will specialize in assisting small-business owners and nonprofit groups. |
Phone: 518-669-2283
Fax: 518-731-9635
Ronny Duncan — Vice president of Turf Ecosystems in San Antonio, Texas, Duncan is a retired
professor of turf-grass science at the University of Georgia, where he researched grasses from 1977-2003. His research
involved field evaluation, breeding and mechanisms of tolerance to environmental-stress complexes such as salinity, soil
acidity and drought, which are associated with problems in gramineae species.
Duncan has worked specifically on turf since 1992 and has extensive experience growing grasses in stress environments.
He has been developing improved seashore paspalum and tall fescue cultivars since 1993 and has been actively assisting golf
courses in their management of paspalum and water quality issues. He is widely recognized as one of the world’s
leading experts on water requirements for grasses. He resides in Texas. |
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Howard Garrett, aka “The Dirt Doctor” — One of the nation’s most popular radio
personalities, Garrett is a landscape architect by training, with extensive experience in landscape contracting, greenhouse
horticulture, golf course planning and maintenance and organic product development. He has devoted his life to educating the
public about organic and natural landscaping, gardening, farming, ranching, and basic land management.
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Garrett received a bachelor of science degree in park administration and landscape architecture from Texas Tech
University in 1969. After a stint in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, he started his business career at the Club Corporation
of America in Farmers Branch, Texas, where he was a laborer and assistant golf course superintendent. He is a registered
landscape architect, certified arborist, horticulturist, broadcaster, photographer and writer.
The birth of his daughter, Logan, in 1985 was the turning point in his organic-gardening education. By 1988 he had
committed his career to the research, education and promotion of organic landscaping, gardening, farming, ranching and
basic soil management. In addition to teaching organics to thousands of homeowners, he has converted several commercial
projects to organic practices, including Frito-Lay’s national headquarters in Plano, Texas. |
Subject matter on Garrett’s radio show includes organic gardening, landscaping, farming, ranching, pest control,
compost, pet care, cleaning products, general nutrition, health and environmental issues. He signed with KSKY 660 AM in
March 2006. His broadcast is heard locally and is also syndicated on nine stations around the country. The show is broadcast
Sundays from 8-11 a.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-noon on 660 AM. Garrett also writes a weekly column for the Dallas Morning
News called “The Natural Way.” He resides in Texas.
Website: www.dirtdoctor.com
Todd Harrington — Named one of the 50 Most Influential Gardeners in the Northeast by People,
Places & Plants magazine, this organic lawn-care pioneer has perfected numerous organic lawn technologies since the late 1980s.
The owner of Harrington’s Organicare of Bloomfield, Conn., and co-author of the nation’s first organic land-care
standards, he has personally converted more than 1,000 customers to organic lawn care and landscaping.
A frequent speaker to both trade groups and the public, Harrington offers scientific and photographic proof that his
systems work.
Recently, he joined with several other organic land-care professionals from around the nation to form Sustainable
Growth Inc., a franchising company that operates in the agriculture and horticulture industries. He resides in Connecticut.
Website: www.organicare.com |
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Tracy Hotchner — Hotchner is the author of the nationally acclaimed book The Dog Bible: Everything
Your Dog Wants You to Know, and is the host of “Dog Talk — The Radio Show.” She is recognized as an expert
in all aspects of human-dog relationships and appears at events across the country.
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She was the master of ceremonies at the Dog Film Festival at Symphony Space in New York City in November 2005,
and was a keynote speaker at the annual Quest for Excellence Convention of Pet Sitters International in Scottsdale,
Ariz., in September 2006.
She is working with the Humane Society of the United States on a national campaign for dog-bite prevention
called “Teach Kids to Read Dogs.” She resides in New York.
Website: www.thedogbible.com |
Andy Lopez grew up in Puerto Rico, where his mother first introduced him to the use of organics. Andy began to experiment and improve upon the natural concoctions his mother had used, incorporating ingredients from all over the world. He used these products on gardens of clients with astonishing results. He got the nickname "The Invisible Gardener" doing his gardening work at night while attending University of Florida. In 1972, he founded The Invisible Gardener Inc. with the intention of providing alternatives to chemical products used in the home and garden and thus make an impact on the world's environmental problems. With a common sense approach and an endless enthusiasm, he champions the wisdom of Mother Nature through a variety of educational programs, books and media.
During the last two decades, Andy's expertise has become world renowned. He has been featured in journals and publications such as Sunset Magazine, Southern California Home and Garden, The Miami Herald, the Los Angeles Times and frequently publishes articles in Organic Gardening, Horticultural Digest and Acres, USA. His books, including The Organic Gardener's Manual, The Organic Home and Gardening Guide (How To Heal The Earth in Your Spare Time), The Crystal Gardener, People's Yellow Pages of Florida, the New Age Travelers Guide and his latest book, Natural Pest Control (Alternatives to Chemicals for the Home and Garden) have found wide-spread appeal with farmers, horticulturists and home gardeners. He has two radio shows. LIVE365.com and KIST 1340AM Noon-1pm (PST) on Saturdays in Santa Barbara. He has also worked on the landscapes of numerous notable celebrities in southern California, successfully keeping chemicals out of the watershed near Malibu.
Website: www.invisiblegardener.com
Nellie Neal, aka “The Garden Mama” Nellie Neal learned to garden from her grandfather and went
on to study English and Horticulture at LSU in Baton Rouge (B.S., 1975). She grew her first begonia in third grade, zinnias in
coffee cans on a fire escape, and 99 tomato plants in the front yard one summer.
| Today she and her husband tend one beautiful acre in the Fondren neighborhood of Jackson, MS, where they grow an
admittedly odd collection of plants, and they keep an eye on a recovering courtyard garden in New Orleans. Wednesday-Saturday
mornings, she hosts live radio broadcasts, answering calls from gardeners and hosting interviews with notables in the green world. |
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Her regular columns appear online at www.nationalgardening.com,
in newspapers, magazines, and on her website, www.gardenmama.com. She has
been a member of the Garden Writers Association since 1992.
Nellie is the author and publisher of GardenMama, Tell Me Why, and author of Questions and Answers for Deep South Gardeners
(BB Mackey Books), Ortho’s All About Greenhouses, Ortho’s All About Houseplants (Meredith Publishing), and How to
Get Started in Southern Gardening (Cool Springs Press). She has just begun work on another book set for release in fall, 2007,
by BB Mackey Books. Nellie speaks to an average of twenty groups each year, is currently completing a renovation of her website,
and will launch a newsletter this year as she works to share her passion for gardening.
Website: www.gardenmama.com
Mike Nowak is an actor, director, playwright, radio talk show host, magazine columnist and gardener, not
necessarily in that order. His introduction to the world of horticulture was what he calls a “mid-life course correction,”
which has allowed him to maintain a kind of “everyman” approach to gardening.
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That appeal to the average gardener, plus a healthy dose of humor, have been the hallmarks of “Let’s Talk
Gardening” on WGN Radio in Chicago, which Mike has hosted for a decade. Mike is also a writer and columnist for
Chicagoland Gardening Magazine.
Like his radio program, his column explores the lighter (some might say bizarre) side of horticulture and for that it
received a Media Award from the Garden Writers Association. He has also appeared on the DIY Network and locally on various
Chicago television stations. |
In 2002, Mike teamed with Chicago organic landscape designer Connie Cunningham to found MELA, the Midwest Ecological Landscaping
Association (www.melaweb.org).
Loosely based on the East Coast’s ELA, MELA promotes environmentally responsible landscaping and horticultural practices
among professionals and the public. He is a Chicago Master Gardener and a graduate of the TreeKeeper Program of the Openlands
Project, which teaches people how to care for urban forests.
Jeff Lowenfells is the Cal Ripkin of Garden columnists with the longest running column in the country. He
recently co-authored Timber Press's Teaming With Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web. His articles have appeared in
numerous national gardening magazines, ranging from Organic Gardening to Growing Edge.
| His opinions help mold how we garden in the United States. He is also the founder "Plant A Row for The Hungry,"
which has resulted in gardeners' growing and donating enough food to provide 20 million meals to feed the hungry. A consummate
entertainer (former editor of the Harvard lampoon and an attorney, known as "America's Dirtiest lawyer" because of
his two careers) Jeff hosted Alaska's popular television program "Alaska Gardens with Jeff Lowenfels," which ran three times a week for four years. |
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He currently airs weekly as host of one of Alaska's most popular radio shows, "The Garden Party with
Jeff Lowenfels."
Website: http://home.gci.net/%7Ejeff/gardener/
Cheryl S. Smith — Smith learned gardening the organic way without knowing she was doing it. Her mother
had many gardens, all of which were tended by hand-pulling weeds and adding layers of homemade compost. No chemicals or machinery
came into play.
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Smith soon combined her love of gardening with her love of dogs. Going chemical-free certainly has been a bonus in
developing dog-friendly gardens, and she makes regular use of dog-specific features such as digging pits and running trails.
Smith’s book, Dog Friendly Gardens, Garden Friendly Dogs, has been selling well since its publication in 2003.
A well-known lecturer at garden shows, she has been featured on the television programs “Gardening with Ciscoe”
and Paul James’ “Gardening by the Yard.” Smith advocates organic lawn and garden care, promotes safe products
such as Sluggo, and advises against the use of lawn chemicals.
She resides in Washington. |
| Colby Stoker — A graduate of Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Horticulture
from four generations of family history in Agriculture. Working among gardeners from a young age Colby developed a passion for
plants and plant production. Colby has maintained a garden of vegetables and ornamentals since he was 10 and has also worked in
landscaping and tree care.
His agricultural strengths include Plant Pathology, Physiology, Entomology, and Integrated Pest Management solutions. Colby
is a proponent with passion for plants, organic gardening, and well-spoken Sciences student with a strong background in hands-on
production and leadership within horticultural environments. |
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As contributor with honorable mention in support of PhD Researcher Dr. Ellen Peffley in the management, maintenance, analysis and
investigations used in NASA horticultural reports from the NASA horticultural facility.
At the TTU NASA research program he contributed his technical knowledge of computer technologies as well as horticultural expertise.
Throughout his time at the facility Colby was also involved in the field onion breeding program headed by Dr. Peffley. Dr. Peffley is
also a key contributor with NASA for planning life support systems for Mars missions.
Roger Swain — Known as “The Man in the Red Suspenders,” Swain was the host of “The
Victory Garden” on PBS for 15 years, becoming America’s most popular male gardening personality. Biologist, gardener,
writer and storyteller, Swain was born and raised near Boston. He graduated from Harvard College and earned a doctorate studying
the behavior of ants in tropical rain forests, then moved on to become the science editor of Horticulture magazine.
Since 1978, readers have been enjoying his essays and articles in that magazine, as well as his five books: Earthly Pleasures,
Field Days, The Practical Gardener, Saving Graces and Groundwork. When he is not filming, writing or meeting with gardeners across
the country, Swain can be found at work in the orchard and gardens of his farm in southern New Hampshire.
Website: www.ppplants.com |
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Tom Szaky — Szaky is the co-founder and chief executive officer of TerraCycle Inc., producer of TerraCycle Plant Food, which
recently was named the most eco-friendly product at Home Depot. He has received a number of awards for business models and environmental
stewardship.
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Born in Budapest, Hungary in 1982, Szaky emigrated from Hungary to Holland. In 1989, he and his family emigrated again
from Holland to Canada. At age 14 he started his first business, a web design company called Flyte Design.
He then engaged in the start-up of three small “dot.com” companies: Werehome.com (a home-improvement site),
piority.com (a fund-raising school), and studentmarks.com (grade-tracking software). |
Szaky has long been active in community service and philanthropy. He bicycled solo from Toronto to Vancouver to
raise $4,000 for the environmental organization Ontario Naturalists, setting a national speed record of 21 days. He also organized
and directed a fashion show — managing a volunteer staff of 200 people — that raised $35,000.
Szaky came to the United States in 2001 to attend Princeton University. In 2002, he took a leave of absence to dedicate himself
full time to starting TerraCycle Inc., which began as a two-man outfit in the crowded basement of an old office building in Princeton.
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans — Known as “The Buglady,” Wainwright-Evans is an ornamental
entomologist specializing in integrated pest management. She has been involved in the green industry for more than 18 years,
with a primary focus on biological control and reducing pesticide usage.
A graduate of the University of Florida, Wainwright-Evans holds degrees in entomology and environmental horticulture.
After college, she worked with commercial growers to set up biological control programs. In 2001, she started Buglady Consulting, a
company focused on education and consulting using environmentally sustainable methods.
Wainwright-Evans has worked with greenhouses, nurseries, landscapers and interior-scape companies throughout the eastern
United States. Her writing is frequently published in trade magazines, and she lectures to industry groups nationwide.
She is also an instructor at Lehigh Carbon Community College in the horticultural program and teaches master gardener
classes. She is currently working with Learn2Grow.com as an editorial content director on pest issues. She resides in Pennsylvania. |
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Website: www.bugladyconsulting.com
Phone: 610-767-9221
Fax: 732-909-6018
Peter Wild —Wild is the founder and CEO of Arborjet Inc., a manufacturer of tree injection systems and
medicaments. Arborjet was designed by arborists for arborists in order to effectively manage and control, in an environmentally
friendly way, the many exotic and native insect pests and diseases threatening our natural and urban forests.
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With spraying and soil drenching becoming more and more controversial, Wild and his team recognized the need to update
and rewrite the standard for trunk injection to improve the efficiency of product delivery, reduce tree wounding and improve
the accuracy of dosage. Wild has consulted with royalty and officials in the United Arab Emirates on the date-palm weevil
problem in the Middle East, as well as with leading experts on infestations in the United States involving the emerald ash
borer, Asian longhorned beetle, hemlock woolly adelgid and mountain pine-bark beetle.
Wild is also the president and owner of Boston Tree Preservation, an organic-based, proactive tree-care business
founded in 1977. He was one of the first people to develop and use vermicomposting for fertilization and disease and
insect pest management. |
He also developed Soil Solutions, the first completely organic lawn-care program in the Boston area. A
founder and board member of Sustainable Growth Inc., Wild traveled to Turkey to consult with apple orchard owners about
organically managing their land with compost tea. He resides in Massachusetts.
Website: www.arborjet.com
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