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Getting Beautiful Landscapes…Off Drugs
http://www.organiclandscape.org/
The Organic Landscape Alliance
~ Growing The Business Of Beautiful, Healthy Lawns, Gardens And Parks ~
Re-Thinking Pesticides
 There
are many advantages to reducing or eliminating the poisonous chemicals
used in lawn and garden care. Medical researchers and environmentalists
have cautioned parents, school boards and cities about health risks
related to the use of pesticides.
Chemical poisons which kill garden insects (insecticides) and
weeds (herbicides) are toxic to these unwanted species. But they
can also be dangerous to things they are not meant to control:
children, pets, birds, beneficial insects, and water. In fact,
all stages of a pesticide's lifecycle their production, transport,
storage, use and disposal - have the potential to harm environmental
and human health. As public awareness and questions about the safety
of using garden chemicals has grown, so have ideas about doing
things differently.
These days a new approach to plant care is starting to take shape.
Organic or chemical-free landscapes are being promoted and
offered by some members of the landscaping business.
Re-Thinking Landscaping
In 1998, a group of people who felt that lawn care and landscaping
without the use of pesticides were important, got together to form
the Organic Landscape Alliance (OLA). Since its formation, this
organization has had excellent growth in its membership. It has
also won increasing public interest in organic gardening techniques,
processes and products.
The Organic Landscape Alliance is committed to the development
of organic horticulture or chemical-free plant growing. It gives
professional landscape workers, arborists, park staff and turf
managers (for those perfect green golf course lawns, for example)
opportunities to learn about organic products and techniques. It
also helps these professionals keep up with the most recent laws
and regulations about chemical use.
The OLA also offers advice to homeowners and property managers
who wish to learn about organic gardening and make it a part of
their home or property maintenance.
Here and Now There and Later
There are two sets of very good reasons to think twice about putting
poisonous chemicals on lawns and gardens where people spend a lot
of time. The first set of reasons we'll call Here and Now.
Here and now:
- Chemical pesticides and fertilizers can contaminate surface
water and groundwater
- Poisonous chemicals are not good for the health of children
who play on treated lawns
- Pesticides can harm the health of family pets
- Pesticides can be harmful to wildlife in gardens (birds, squirrels,
etc.) as well as to good insects (bees, butterflies, ants and
other important pollinators)
- Poisonous chemicals can also harm beneficial soil organisms
and damage the quality of the soil
The second set of reasons we'll call There and Later.
There and later:
- Garden chemicals fertilizers and pesticides are made from
oil products, and manufactured with high-energy processes that
burn fossil fuels. When the chemicals vaporize after application,
they also give off greenhouse gases. So they contribute to climate
change in their production, transportation, use and disposal!
- In the long-term, toxic chemicals lessen the overall health
of gardens and planted spaces: the species they are supposed
to poison often become resistant over time, requiring bigger
doses of chemicals to kill them. Many home gardeners use higher
doses of chemicals on their gardens than farmers do on agricultural
crops.
ORGANIC GROWING IS CATCHING ON!
In the past few years school boards, city parks departments, cemeteries,
golf courses, farmers, homeowners and community gardeners have
all discovered the health benefits to people, water and nature of
growing things chemical-free. Watch for "Chemical Free" signs
in gardens and growing spaces as a sign of good health!
Gardening Chemicals and the Climate Change Connection
May 2004
-Toronto bans Pesticides!
After years of lobbying by concerned citizens, medical
people, and environmental groups, the City of Toronto passed
a by-law that bans the use of pesticides on private lawns
and gardens as of 2005. Ontario doctors have linked pesticide
use with diseases such as brain cancer and leukemia. The
Toronto Environmental Alliance, one of the strongest supporters
of the ban, stressed the need for education to help people
care for outdoor spaces using natural, non-chemical methods.
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Pesticide manufacturing and breakdown both contribute to climate
change!
Some important facts about pesticides and climate change:
- Pesticides are among the most energy-intensive products to
manufacture
- The manufacturing of common pesticide products such as Roundup
or 2,4 D releases an enormous amount of carbon dioxide per pound
of product manufactured
- Canadian consumption of pesticides accounts for 0.3 million
metric tonnes of carbon dioxide every year
- Pesticides are derived from crude oil. The chemical breakdown
of these products after their use on lawns and gardens
What's good for organic gardens?
If you recognize the many benefits of going organic in your garden,
you'll want to do some reading and research on the best ways to
care for plants without chemicals. The Organic Landscape Alliance
has some good fact sheets on its website. Here are some broad tips
for organic gardening:
- Get educated and get started!
- Fertilize naturally use compost and recycle grass clippings
instead of chemical fertilizer
- Well-aged manure and organic fertilizers are other good sources
of nourishment
- Aerate your soil for better air and water penetration and movement
in the soil
- Overseed with grass every year to fill in spaces where weeds
might grow
- Seed with new grass varieties to increase biodiversity and
health
- Mow grass "high" (not too short) to retain moisture,
shade out weeds and strengthen roots
- Water wisely don't over-water remember: pumping water uses
electricity that comes from burning fuel that contributes to
climate change!
- Safe garden-maintenance substitutes for poisonous chemicals
include soaps, mineral oils, diatomaceous earth, biological control
organisms (e.g. ladybugs to eat aphids), boric acid, ferrous
phosphate, and pyrethrins.
Become informed about pesticides!
Resources
For more information on the relationship between the energy-intensive
processes used in the manufacturing of pesticides, the breakdown
after application, and climate change, see the Pesticide-free Ontario
website http://www.pesticidefree.ca/kyoto.htm
ACTIVITY 1
- Define pesticide, insecticide, herbicide. Name
one chemical product for each.
- a) List 3 reasons why people use pesticides, insecticides,
herbicides.
b) List some problems associated use of these chemicals in lawns, gardens
etc.
- Explain some ways to care for plants without using chemical
pesticides.
Research: Repeat the Activity substituting fertilizers for ………cides.
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