Klerifying Fact: Americans apply 10 times the amount of pesticides (toxic weed and insect killers) per acre on their lawns and gardens than we do on farmland…We heart chemicals!!!
The heat is on in the summer to keep that lawn beautiful for backyard barbecues, playtime with the family, and mowing. Yes, we Americans love green grass. In fact we have 40 million acres of lawn in America. They provide us a sense of peace, and comfort to manage a lawn if we can’t control the crazy in the world, but we should stop and think…
Is the grass really greener?
Annually, Americans spend $3.3 billion dollars on lawn care pesticides. This seasonal home improvement habit drains our wallets, and exposes our families and pets to some nasty chemicals. Some of these chemicals were used ingredients in Agent Orange!
Is that lawncare or a tumor growth?
The leading two pesticides used in the USA are called 2,4-D and glyphosate. These are in brand names like Round-Up and Ortho Weed B-Gon found at home improvement and garden stores. These pesticides are increasingly considered to be carcinogens. In fact, dogs that frolic on lawns treated with 2,4-D are more likely to develop cancer. And glyphosate is on the verge of being labelled a carcinogen in Europe and California. In addition to being carcinogenic, they are likely endocrine disruptors. Imagine what these weed killers are doing to your family?
Those Carcinogens Leak from your Lawn
And if you think you’re only harming your family, remember that rain carries many of these lawn pesticides into waterways binding to the water or soil, which does the following:
Contaminates drinking water
Kills plants like milkweed that butterflies rely on
Kills fish and other critters exposed to these toxins.
Keep it lean and green
You can have green grass, you just have to try a little harder than spraying cancer causing weed killers. Try making your own simple mix of vinegar and salt. Or if follow the following brand guide:
😃 Green: ARBICO, Avenger Organic Weed Killer
😡 Red Brands: Round-up, Ortho Weed B Gon
We did not make this up!
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/02/agent-orange-in-your-backyard-the-harmful-pesticide-2-4-d/253506/
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/use-24d-herbicides-24530.html
http://www.pesticidewatch.org/sites/default/files/pets_guide_draft_final.pdf
http://www.livescience.com/25052-pesticides-children-health-effects-aap.html
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/assets/media/documents/lawn/factsheets/LAWNFACTS&FIGURES_8_05.pdf
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/24-d-most-dangerous-pesticide-youve-never-heard
http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/24Dgen.html#products
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/08/04/lawns-are-a-soul-crushing-timesuck-and-most-of-us-would-be-better-off-without-them/?utm_term=.4920e0950cb9
https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/24-d
http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2010/06/04/the-problem-of-lawns/
http://civileats.com/2015/06/30/5-things-to-know-about-24-d-the-possibly-cancer-causing-herbicide
http://www.ewg.org/research/24D/pets-wildlife-24D
