An Earth Day Letter to my Dad

By Nancy DuBrule (reprinted from the Sound, April 18, 2002)

[– How far have we actually come?]

Dear Dad,

Earth Day is here again.  This is my holiday as a committed organic gardener and environmental educator.  I make my living designating and installing gardens and selling plants, but in my heart teaching is my one true love.

I am very troubled by the fact that you continue to use poisons on your lawn.  We are both very stubborn and determined people.  Therefore, I will try to argue my side of this using hard-core facts and clear thinking. . .

1. Let me start by saying that I think it is nuts to add poisons to your yard for the sake of a pure carpet of green grass.  You’ve had cancer.  Mom has had cancer twice in the past 15 months.  Mom’s immune system is severely compromised.  You would be an ostrich with your head in the sand if you weren’t willing to read the reams of scientific data about the health effects of the poisons in these lawn products.  I dare you to read the article “Poison in the Grass:  The Hazards and Consequences of Lawn Pesticides,” by Nathan Diegelmag of the S.T.A.T.E. Foundation (Sensitive to a Toxic Environment), which is available by emailing Bl891@FreeNet.Buffalo.Edu or writing to them at 4 Hazel Court, West Seneca, NY, 14224.  I read this and it made my skin crawl.  In it, case after case was described of people getting sick from lawn poisons.  A list of 38 references completes this article to back up the facts included.
2. Parkinson’s disease runs in our family.  At the American Academy of Neurology’s 52nd annual meeting in San Diego in April of 2000, they reported on a study of recently diagnosed Parkinson’s disease patients.  “This study . . . is the first to show a significant association between home pesticide use and the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.”  Just because of our family history, I would avoid poisons at all costs!
3. What about your grandchildren?  In February 1995, a report published by the American Journal of Public Health showed that children whose yards were treated with insecticides had four times the risk of developing certain cancers than those whose lawns were not treated.  Again, the information is out there and easy to find.  Check out this group, Beyond Pesticides/National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides at www.beyondpesticides.org.
4. I have been reading some very interesting books about the history of lawns and this idea goes back to the late 1800s when we finally felt that we had “conquered the wilderness.”  Lawn became a symbol of prosperity.  Until the 1950s, weeds in the lawn were not considered a negative things.  Maybe I will give you a copy of the book I find the most compelling, “A Man’s Turf:  The Perfect Lawn,” by Warren Schultz.
   Here’s an interesting excerpt”  “…as the technology of World War II seeped into postwar life, war gases were converted into peace-time use.  Scientists soon discovered that by shuffling a few molecules around in the formulas for nerve gases, they could create weed killers, and the modern herbicide industry was born.”
   Schultz goes on to describe how clover, once included in grass seed mixes (being a legume, it actually fixes nitrogen from the air and feeds the lawn), became something to be despised as the new herbicides killed all broad-leaf weeds, clover among them.
5. Despite the fact that I find no problem with a mixed lawn of many plant species, I do respect the fact that you still want a perfect carpet of green grass.  You are very concerned about a few very pernicious weeds.  Because of these, you have just applied a powerful herbicide.  There is now a new generation of organic products that you may be interested in.  First of all, there an an all-natural herbicide called Burnout, primarily made from lemon juice and vinegar that will kill those weeds within a day.  It may take two applications for deep-rooted plants.  There is also an all-natural pre-emergent herbicide made from corn gluten that does the same work as the stronger chemicals.  Corn gluten can be applied in the early spring and again in the fall.  Along with inhibiting week seed germination, it also provides nitrogen feeding for the lawn.  If you are worried about crabgrass simply set your lawnmower higher to 2-1/2 – 3 inches.  Studies at the University of Rhode Island have repeatedly proved that mowing high eliminates 80-90 percent of all crabgrass within a three-year period.  Mowing high is also better for the lawn as it reduces stress and creates a healthier growing environment.
6. The next step in your poison lawn care program includes applying a strong chemical poison to kill grubs.  Again, 21st century advances make that unnecessary.  You can spray beneficial nematodes and/or apply Milky Spore to your lawn to do the same job, naturally.  Both of these materials are totally safe, they are host specific, and will not harm the environment or the animals and humans using the lawn.
7. I know that you are on city water, therefore you aren’t as concerned as many of my friends about poisoning your well water.  But those pesticides eventually move into the groundwater, and that ground water travels into the public water supply system.  We should all care about the fact that one out of every 10 public water supply wells in the U.S. contains residues of at lease one pesticide and over 440,000 rural wells contain pesticides (This information is from a National Resources Defense Council press release, June 21, 1993).

Dad, I could go on and on.  I know more facts than I care to share with you or the rest of the world, as they are too scary and too depressing.  I am begging you to read the facts and start the transition to organic management of your entire home grounds.  I can help as I know all about the cutting edge methods and products out there.  And there are lots of them.  Back when I started my business in the early 1980s, I was 100 percent committed to organics and there was nothing.  Now, technology has caught up with the movement and there is really no excuse any more,

By the way, happy Earth Day,  Let’s have a picnic on the lawn to celebrate…next year.