green living
Greener Green Grass
Why Organic Lawns Make Eco-Sense by Julie Peterson
W
ith its dependence on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, America’s 63,000 square miles of lawns rely on fossil fuels, put pressure on water supplies and devastate soil, watersheds, animals and people. Fortunately, green turf can be attained organically, with important benefits. “In addition to protecting public health, eliminating our use of pesticides
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and fertilizers will allow us to build healthy soil and sequester more carbon as we face climate chaos,” says Mackenzie Feldman, executive director of Herbicide-Free Campus, a San Francisco organization working to transition colleges nationwide to organic lawns.
The Harm Done
Homeowner desire for lush swaths of
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monoculture grass has been fueled by lawn chemical ads equating model families with flawless lawns. Unfortunately, the “green grass of home” isn’t an ideal dream, it’s a nightmare. Research shows that it exposes people to cancer-causing, reproductive-harming and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, many of which are deemed safe by government agencies. The Pesticide-Induced Diseases database at BeyondPesticides.org holds myriad studies linking chemicals to asthma, diabetes, autism, lupus, arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of toxins due to their developing organs. Exposure to lawn chemicals also comes through the air, on indoor surfaces and in water. A U.S. Geological Survey report found pesticides in 99 percent of urban streams. In mixed land use areas, 100 percent of major rivers and 33 percent of major aquifers were tainted. While the culture around the aesthetics of landscapes is strong, the tipping point has arrived. “People are becoming more aware that their children are at elevated risk and that there are deficiencies in the laws that govern toxic chemical use,” says Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides, in Washington, D.C. Lawn chemicals are also feeding climate change. “Not only are they fossil-fuel intensive to produce, they harm
