through Restorative Land Care by Brittney Hawthorne and Michael Baczewski
W
e have the power to profoundly influence the health of our planet, our communities, our families, and ourselves—and it begins right in our own backyard. How did our yards become so unhealthy? When you purchase or rent a property, you inherit the land care decision of the previous owners. Spanning over a century, the fixation to attain the “perfect lawn” and “ideal yard” has led generation after generation to make harmful land care decisions that not only place local ecosystems in peril but the health of future generations as well. Treated with toxic chemicals, depleting vital resources and lacking biodiversity, the average American yard is unhealthy, and it is impairing 20
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our health and wellness too. Widespread Use of Toxic Chemicals Insecticides, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides have detrimental ecological and human health implications. Pesticides alone have been documented to infiltrate ground water and pollute waterways— what is more startling is that they are still readily used today in the modern landscape. In fact, Americans use more than one billion pounds of pesticides per year. In 2018, Cornell’s College of Human Ecology researchers Joseph Laquatra, Mark Pierce, Alan Hedge and Ann Lemley examined the extent of indoor pesticide pollution in 350 New York homes. They found all 350 homes tested positive for pesticide residue. “Numerous health problems occur from
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exposure to pesticides, such as cancer, birth defects, leukemia and ocular toxicity, among a number of other health issues. Households with crawling toddlers should be concerned, as toddlers will accumulate pesticide residues on their hands and then ingest them due to hand-to-mouth behaviors,” the authors concluded. Furthermore, pesticide residues are tracked into homes by shoes, bare feet, clothing, animal fur and even through airborne entry; once inside a home, pesticide residues can remain present for years. The Societal and Ecological Impact of Excessive Maintenance Inputs As our collective well-being and public health becomes challenged by droughts, flooding, wildfires and unpredictable weather patterns shaped by climate
Photos provided by New England Pollinator Gardens
HOLISTIC WELLNESS
