A Greener Lawn
You already know about the types of chemicals in your home, but what about just outside your door? Many homeowners take great pride in their lush lawns. Yet acres of thick, bright-green grass cost far more than a few bags of fertilizer and some weed-killer:
Pesticides and fertilizer get into homes and run off into lakes, rivers, and drinking water supplies like wells. Some of these chemicals are harmful to humans and animals.
Watering lawns uses a huge amount of precious water: up to 60% of all the water people use in arid climates.
Yard waste (such as grass clippings and tree branches) accounts for nearly 20% of the solid wastes in landfills.
Gas-powered lawn mowers, weed trimmers, and leaf blowers emit more greenhouse gases per hour of use than most cars.
You don't want to harm the great outdoors while you're enjoying it. Read on to find out what's bad about chemical lawn treatments and learn natural alternatives you can try.
The Trouble with Pesticides
Pesticide, insecticide, herbicide, fungicide: The suffix -cide comes from cida, the Latin word for "killer." The chemicals that kill lawn pests like insects and weeds can also be toxic to people and pets. That's why you see those little plastic flags warning you to stay off recently treated grass.
Every year, people in the U.S. dump more than 100 million pounds of pesticides on their lawns and gardens. Suburban lawns and gardens actually get more pesticides per acre than most agricultural areas. And those pesticides can ...