Perils of the New Pesticides

Side effects range from death and convulsions to headaches and skins rashes. And according to an investigative report, one so new the ink is still wet, we are seeing an "alarming rise" in so-called safe pesticide-related human poisoning. More than 26 percent of all major and moderate incidents involving pesticides reported to the EPA last year were caused by pyrethrin (and it's synthetic cousin, pyrethroid), a naturally-occurring compound dervived from...chrysantheums. No wonder they're so good at keeping bugs away! This week we talk with one of the authors of the report entitled Perils of the New Pesticides, Michael Pell. He's with the Center For Public Integrity, a non-profit, non-partisan investigative journalism organization working for the public interest. Pell was the lead journalist in assembling this study from hard-to-obtain government data. Millions are at risk, since pyrethrins are found in thousands of common products used to control insects in the home, on pets, and on people. This won't be the last you hear about this so, stay tuned!

Soil Surgeon Makes House Call

Todd Harrington was one of the driving forces of the organic lawn care movement in this country, and, we're proud to say, one of the co-founders of SafeLawns & Landscapes. He's Paul Tukey's hero and inspiration for Paul's bestselling book, The Organic Lawn Care Manual. Todd & Paul teamed up last night in our weekly ritual of answering your e-mail. Consequently this show is LOADED with great organic lawn management advice, so stop reading and start listening!

Now what do we do?

In what Paul calls a "parting shot from the outgoing administration" in Washington, the USDA has eliminated the only federal program that tracks the use of pesticides and fertilizers on American farms. Government officials blame budgetary constraints, leaving an unlikely coalition of scientists, industry groups and public advocates surprised and confused about how to continue without this vital, free information. The canceled program was the only one to make freely available to the public nationwide data on the amount of pesticides and fertilizers applied to U.S. farms. We discuss (or is it, rant?) the reasons and ramifications of this story. Paul was in rare form. 'Tis the (political) season, ya know. [visit the American Chemical Society web site to read more.]

Next week...

We keep the good times rollin' and stay straight on lawn care topic with another great guest, Scott Reil. He's Todd Harrington's right-hand man in CT and one of the northeast's top radio garden show hosts, so you won't want to miss this one!

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

He lights up the faces of millions

Been to Rockefeller Plaza to see The Tree over any of the past 25 Decembers? Were the kiddies overcome with glee when the lights came on? Did it make for one of your most memorable holiday seasons ever? Then you might want to thank Guy Torsilieri. For the last quarter century Guy's family landscaping business, Torsilieri Inc. of New Jersey, has been picking out, setting up and flipping the light switch on the world's most famous Christmas tree. Cool job, yes? On this week's show, Guy talks about how he got the gig, where he finds the perfect Norwegian spruce (usually) each year to play the starring role, and why the whole process is so top-secret, almost until the moment The Tree arrives in the the Big Apple.

He's also one of us

Torsilieri Inc. is a thriving $20 million a year business whose resume' features such high-profile landscape projects as JFK International Airport and the U.S. Tennis Open at Flushing Meadows. So why would Guy climb aboard the SafeLawns & Landscapes bandwagon, and decide to run 27 territories in New Jersey, thus becoming the largest franchisee in our ever-growing family of lawn care professionals? You'll just have to listen!

7 1/2 million Canadians can breathe (literally) easy now

Paul Tukey reports that 51% of Canada is now living with a chemical pesticide ban, living being the operative word. And it all started with one woman who, in 1985, got her tiny community of Hudson, Quebec to stand up to Chem-Lawn. The ensuing legal battle, and ultimate Canadian Supreme Court ruling in Hudson's favor began what today is a national movement away from toxic lawn products. It's all in the documentary movie Paul is making. Can't wait to see it!

Maybe it's no coincidence

What do homeowners in Long Island and Cape Cod, Mass. have in common? Along with having soil rich in sand content (which is really the point here), the number of cases of breast cancer in those two regions are among the highest, per capita, in the United States. The extensive use of chemical lawn pesticides and other environmental toxins has long been thought to be one reason (though findings in 2002 by the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project found no direct correlation). Thanks to Karen C. for writing about her aunt -who lives on Long Island - being unable to convince her husband to switch to organics. Karen's aunt now has cancer for the second time in her adult life.

Your question, please?

This week's e-mail bag is loaded with great questions and your praise for the work being done to "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Paul advised on organic weed control, lawn watering tips in the dead of summer, poison ivy in tree form and much more. Oh, and thanks to Shirley M. in Uncasville, CT for phoning to ask about how to make her two year old strawberries come back bigger and juicier than ever next year. 

Next week...

Todd Harrington, take 2. Yes, our own Soil Surgeon, humbly apologetic for being unable to join us two weeks ago, assures he will be present-and-accounted for. Along with Paul, Todd will provide you with expert advice and little-known tips on organic lawn care. He's been doing it since the '80s. Tune in to our next web cast LIVE in cyberspace on Thursday night, July 31st at 8 PM Eastern, and thanks, as always, for listening!

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

Quick, think of something!

When our scheduled guest was AWOL -- unavoidably it turns out -- host Paul Tukey turned Thursday night's regular live show into a jam session of listener Q & A. Anything but impromptu-sounding, Paul handled a steady stream of e-mail puzzlers about everything from red thread and Japanese beetles, to creeping charlie and Kentucky blue grass, with his usual easy-going precision. What, you were expecting a tap dance from the bestselling author of The Organic Lawn Care Manual?

No rain dancing allowed

Ken's favorite piece of advice was what Paul said to do when there's no rain in sight and the yard needs mowing. Can you guess? Think: lazy. Cross another item off that Honey Do list!

Got fire ants?

Spinosad to the rescue! The new all-natural bait is perfectly safe for humans and will vanquish a vicious colony of fire ants in a lot less time than it will take to find your magnifying glass. (psst: look under the Sunday funnies.)

Next week

We introduce you to the man who scours the northeast countryside every fall for the perfect spruce (usually) tree. The one he picks out is destined to become America's most famous Christmas tree, adorned and then adored by millions in New York City. See you at 8 p.m. EDT, Thursday, July 24th!

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

Simple pond scum? Think again.

When you think of alternative energy sources, algae does not spring to mind. Unless that mind belongs to Glen Kertz. He has developed a technology that wrings lipids - basically vegetable oil - out of certain types of algae to mass produce bio-fuel. The kind that converts to diesel and other applications, including jet fuel. His patented system is called "Vertigro" and tests have shown the capacity to produce 33-thousand gallons of oil per acre per year from algae grown under hot-house conditions using high-density vertical bioreactors. Kertz, the president and CEO of Valcent Products of El Paso, TX, says we can do much better. So why aren't investors flocking to this potential key to sustaining our future? You'll just have to listen.

Lights, camera...

Host Paul Tukey spent this past week in Canada, filming a documentary movie about the little town of Hudson, Quebec, just west of Montreal. This community of 5-thousand citizens became the David to Chem-Lawn company's Goliath when they won a monumental legal battle over the town's ban of lawn pesticides. The Supreme Court of Canada was the final judge. Hudson was the first town in North America to say no to toxic lawn pesticides. Today, those chemicals are forbidden across most of Canada. Paul's movie will tell the story and he has an update on the production in this episode.

Commencement = Dead grass in DC

Way to go there, university-to-remain-anonymous! Our SafeLawns rennovation of a four-acre tract of land on the National Mall in Washington took a nasty hit last month during college graduation excercises (Paul doesn't name the school to preserve its dignity, but you can Google it!). A school official, no doubt trying to be considerate of our lush, green, organically grown turf, ordered the seating area beneath the chairs covered with black plastic. It stayed there nine days. Ouch! Oh, and p.s. to someone who sent the e-mail of condolences for a "failed project"...tell it to the guy with the trash bags! We just grow grass sans toxic chemicals. Quite well, thank you.

No Ken, that's not where Green manure comes from

Paul discusses the origin of this fertilizer. It comes very late in the show, so to save you time -- it's clover. So much for the St. Patty's Day theory our erstwhile producer has.

Gardening tip

Thanks to Diana Guillermo, a listener in Maryland for asking how to soften the clay-based soil in her patch of community vegetable garden. Yes, free shredded hardwood mulch - as she suggests - added to the soil can help, but Paul advises thoroughly composting it first. We love e-mail! Send yours to paul@safelawns.org.

Next week

SafeLawns and Landscapes own "Soil Surgeon" Todd Harrington joins us from Connecticut to provide expert advice and tips on organic lawn care. He's been doing it since the '80s. Longer than anyone we know!

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

Fulfilling Walt's dream...
and then some

Well before this week's guest became the woman Paul Tukey calls the "grand dame of American Horticulture", Katy Moss Warner was carrying out Walt Disney's environmentally friendly vision for his sprawling Florida playground. For 24 years Katy's genious for creating colorful gardens and managing largely natural landscapes made the 30+ thousand acres of Walt Disney World a tourist's paradise. Her official title was Director of Horticultural and Environmental Initiatives, but her skill-sets were equal parts maestro, magician and chief choreographer-in-charge of floral entertainment. As she puts it, "what do you do to get people excited about plants?" Of course, she had some pretty strong motivation:

"It was really important to figure out just how to grab the attention of 40-million people each year, when your competition is Mickey Mouse, a castle and the smell of chocolate chip cookies."

Today, Katy is president Emeritus of the American Horticultural Society, a national, non-profit, member-based organization with a bold vision of "making America a nation of gardeners, a land of gardens."

She currently serves on the board of "America in Bloom", a national awards program that encourages beautification as a way of planting pride in communities across America. She also serves on the Advisory Council of "The Growing Connection", an international organization sponsored by the United Nations that encourages youth in America and developing countries to grow food and share their successes and challenges with each other.

A visionary and dynamo, Katy Moss Warner has a sustainable picture of America's future - and it begins in our own back yards. Don't miss what is easily one of the most riveting interviews we've done, with one of the most fascinating people you will ever encounter.

Hidden agenda?

A new turfgrass study shows - according to those who funded it - that you can reduce your carbon footprint in your own backyard, simply by "managing your lawn responsibly." On the surface, it's true; healthy turfgrass does capture up to four times more carbon from the air, than is produced by today's lawnmowers. Paul takes the findings to task for what the study doesn't tell us (like all the energy being used to run those machines and make all that chemical fertilizer). By the way, the study was paid for by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI). We think you can see the big picture, but judge for yourself.

eMail call!

Tricia lives in the Tampa Bay area and asks, what is the best grass seed to use on a very sandy, very shady yard in south Florida? Paul recommends either centipede grass, or chewings red fescue. Another popular grass natural to Florida is bahia, but that's more for full-sun yards, as is zoysia grass.

Malathion danger

Google that and see what pops up. Not pretty, is it? Now visit the Sierra Club of Canada web site and read what our neighbors to the north are doing about this extremely toxic chemical that's being widely used today to fight West Nile virus-carrying mosquitos. Thanks to Christina, a listener in Missouri, for raising the question!

Next week

We take a brief break, our first vacation from the show in four months. But there's plenty to listen to right here in the the archives. As always, thanks for joining us! We'll see you again LIVE on Thursday night, July 10th.

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

Gardening for the Rest of Us

Kerry Mendez has mastered the art of low-maintenance perennial gardening. She and her husband own a quarter-acre homestead in upstate NY that boasts big, beautiful ever-blooming beds of everything you can think of, everywhere. In this episode Kerry takes us through the basics of growing perennials, without all the back-breaking work. Now THAT's for me! As well as writing about it for several of the leading horticulture magazines, Kerry teaches this stuff. Is she good at it? More than 6,000 people of all ages have taken her classes.

Tribute to a Matriarch

Paul Tukey was in Boston this week to scope out the SafeLawns Foundation's latest organic lawn makeover project, the Rose Kennedy GreenWay. The four-acre tract is Beantown's version of the successful project we're doing on the National Mall in Washington DC (see the video!), one of several marquee projects we have going across America to prove you can grow lush green grass without a speck of chemical.

Oh, Canada!

Paul has been having a blast this week north of the border working on a documentary we are shooting, a full-length feature film about the tiny town of Hudson, near Montreal, Quebec. In 1991 Hudson became the first community in North America to ban toxic chemical pesticides. The industry sued (Chemlawn and Spraytech, to be precise). It was a monumental court battle. When it was over, Hudson had prevailed! Hear all about it, and about the film we're making, in this episode.

Seen Our Truck?

Fact is, those distinctive SafeLawns & Landscapes lawn care vehicles are starting to pop up in quite a few more neighborhoods in the northeast. Scott Schotter, our CEO stops by this show to update progress we're making in signing up lawn care professionals who want to go all-organic with us. It's becoming a revolution. A small one, sure, but growing larger every day.

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

Enjoy the show and...see you next week!

Living (and teaching) her generation's legacy

We welcome two guests this week, each with their own unique contributions to our environment and the organic movement. Author, actress, chef, yoga instructor and wholistic lifestyle expert, Anna Getty is the great granddaughter of oil magnate, J. Paul Getty. Her gift to earth and its inhabitants becomes self-evident when you hear her speak.

"There is a voice missing, and I want to be that voice…The goal is bettering your health, bettering the health of your family, bettering the quality of the environment, doing it all at the same time, and doing it in a way that's fun, accessible, easy and adventurous."

She calls this conscious mentality, PureStyle Living. It's not just her company's brand name, it embodies everything she believes in and teaches.

Taking good care of the land

Our second guest, Paul Sachs, became one of the founders of America's quest to manage the land organically. That was 25 years ago. Today, Paul runs the company he started, North Country Organics of Bradford, Vermont, and is considered one of the foremost authorities on organic landscaping. He has written three books, including one on organic golf course management.

We discuss "green washers" (companies who try to disguise chemical products using terms like organic based), as well as very controversial legislation that is creeping into more and more states: the banning of pesticide fertilizers - including the truly organic kind.

Linkology

Healthy Child, Healthy World

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

See you next week!

Avert your ears

Organic or chemical, "no pesticide is safe." This week's guest, Gary Fish should know. A former ChemLawn employee, who for years has headed up the Maine Board of Pesticide Control, his stories of pesticide abuse, consumer ignorance, and unconscionable commercial lawn care practices should concern you. Gary has long-preached the "less is more" approach to pesticide application. He and Paul Tukey also discuss the growing number of states working on laws to regulate phosphorus, the chemical in fertilizer responsible for creating devastating algae bloom in our lakes. To be fair, Gary says lawncare in general- organic or otherwise - is too complicated for almost everyone. That's why he founded "Yardscapes" a terrific resource for homeowners. Tons of tips and great advice, check it out! 

Nuts you say?

This week's e-mail brings an SOS from Michael A. in High Point, NC who asks how to stop the tenacious weed, Nut Grass (or nut sedge) from taking over the other two-thirds of his yard. Like all weeds, it's a messenger trying to tell you something. Paul advises changing your soil "type."

Speaking of pests

Moles, voles and grubs continue to dominate your e-concerns. Courtney O. in Cumberland County, ME works with the Soil & Water Conservation District there, helping consumers with these fellas. She keeps hearing that Bonide Moletox II, which contains zinc phosphide, seems to work- but is it safe? Gary Fish pretty much covered the notion of safe pesticides.

Program note...

Next week only, our show airs on Wednesday night, June 11th. We've lined up two captivating guests including Anna Getty, one of the leaders of the organic movement in America who also happens to be the great granddaughter of oil baron, J. Paul Getty. That makes her one of the world's most visible heiresses, a fact you will quickly forget when you hear her passion for this planet. Joining her on the show will be a pioneer in the going-organic crusade, Paul Sachs, who founded North Country Organics (yes, the grub control people).

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us on the 'Net at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

See you next week!

The Big Myth

It is the biggest piece of misinformation out there, and the #1 reason why consumers reject organic lawn and garden solutions. We are led to believe it means giving up lush green grass and beautiful plants and flowers to protect the environment, when, in fact, we can have it all, naturally! Our guest this week is America's first lady of horticulture, Barbara Damrosch, who has been writing about understanding nature's role in everything we grow for more than 30 years. Her book, The Garden Primer, is the #1 best-selling gardening book of all-time. Written two decades ago, Barb re-released it this past year with additional organic tips and advice. We still aren't sure how she finds the time to write a regular column in the Washington Post, do TV shows on the Learning Channel, PBS and HGTV, and tend her own year-round veggie garden on Four Season Farm in Harborside, Maine where Barb and husband Eliot Coleman call home.

Berry, Berry Good

How DO you keep birds from eating your plump strawberries? Paul Tukey says it's a net sum game (21:50 into the show). Thanks to caller Shirley M. in Uncasville, CT for the great question!

Dog Biscuits

In this week's e-mail, Barbara D. in Brunswick, Maine asks, what can I do to keep fido and fifi from "watering" my brown (formerly green) spots? A group of vets in Wisconsin solved it. One word: Yucca.

Take the Pledge

Our Million Acre Challenge gets a boost from Gary G. in Montgomery, Ohio who says he's been pitching city hall in his hometown to climb aboard the movement. What's that about? Glad you asked! No reason municipal property Everywhere USA can't Go Green. Find out more here.

Cover Your Ears!

Next week, former ChemLawn employee Gary Fish, longtime manager of the pesticide programs for the Maine Board of Pesticides Control, joins us. Wait 'till you hear some of his horror stories!

Linkology

Resources mentioned on this week's show...
Grub control: North Country Organics
Dog Biscuits: Yucca, Lawngard

Sorry for the delay in getting this published. When granddaughters graduate high school with valedictorian honors (ahem), one simply must be there- no matter the distance!

This week's show (live on May 22nd) features nationally recognized organic landscape educator, author (Good Bug, Bad Bug is her latest book) and popular gardening talk show host, Jessica Walliser. For advice on building natural retaining walls, to better plant nutrition, catch her on The Organic Gardeners every weekend on Lime Radio, heard around the world on Sirius Channel 114, and locally on KDKA in Pittsburgh.

In LawnCare News

Paul Tukey takes aim at... a new survey says that while 9-of-10 households believe it's important to maintain their landscapes in a sustainable way, only half of all households say they know how to maintain lawns and gardens in environmental-friendly ways... a battle between environmentalists & homeowners, against the city of Burlington, North Carolina. The issue: human waste fertilizer.

e-Mail Call!

A lady in DC has family and neighbors all upset 'cause she took Paul's advice to get healthier grass, and is letting her lawn grow (and grow, and grow!). It's already over a foot high and the seeds still haven't dropped. Family, start your engines! Another email about yard in Detroit in desperate need of soil amendments. Free coffee grounds from Starbucks and Canadian peat to the rescue? Not so fast.

Organic Lawncare DVDs ...FREE!

We've more than 30 videos full of advice you can download on the SafeLawns Foundation web site. Thank you to a Gloria B. in Houston for reminding us we need to mention this invaluable, free resource more often!

Other links on this week's show include...
National Gardening Association
Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
People, Places and Plants magazine

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help us "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us on the 'Net at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

See you next week!