picframer
11-22-2009, 08:52 PM
I was researching something but came across this and was shocked at the numbers.
Earth-Friendly Gardening Is Gaining Ground
Americans applied nearly 133 million pounds of chemicals**that's about $2 billion worth of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers**to their home lawns and gardens in 1995, says the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs. Incredibly, however, that seemingly high number is more than 20 million pounds less than reported for 1979, the year the EPA first began tracking our chemical consumption. But this latest figure is no anomaly. In fact, lawn and garden chemical usage has been dropping steadily for the last two decades. The evidence is clear: While the American appetite for lawn and garden chemicals is still hearty, it's not what it used to be.
The reason for this change in habit? According to Organic Gardening Editor Nancy Beaubaire, it's personal. "People are concerned about their health" says Beaubaire. "They want to be in more control. And if you care about being in control of your environment, where better to start than in your own yard?"
The army of ecologically-sensitive companies that have emerged to meet consumers' demands for nonchemical lawn and garden products couldn't agree with Beaubaire more. Eric Vinje, who owns and operates Planet Natural in Bozeman, Montana, says consumers are no longer in the dark when it comes to the harmful environmental and health effects of chemical applications. "You can't pick up a paper without reading something about pesticides," says Vinje. "It's a big concern out there. More and more people are becoming aware of that."
Earth-Friendly Gardening Is Gaining Ground
Americans applied nearly 133 million pounds of chemicals**that's about $2 billion worth of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers**to their home lawns and gardens in 1995, says the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs. Incredibly, however, that seemingly high number is more than 20 million pounds less than reported for 1979, the year the EPA first began tracking our chemical consumption. But this latest figure is no anomaly. In fact, lawn and garden chemical usage has been dropping steadily for the last two decades. The evidence is clear: While the American appetite for lawn and garden chemicals is still hearty, it's not what it used to be.
The reason for this change in habit? According to Organic Gardening Editor Nancy Beaubaire, it's personal. "People are concerned about their health" says Beaubaire. "They want to be in more control. And if you care about being in control of your environment, where better to start than in your own yard?"
The army of ecologically-sensitive companies that have emerged to meet consumers' demands for nonchemical lawn and garden products couldn't agree with Beaubaire more. Eric Vinje, who owns and operates Planet Natural in Bozeman, Montana, says consumers are no longer in the dark when it comes to the harmful environmental and health effects of chemical applications. "You can't pick up a paper without reading something about pesticides," says Vinje. "It's a big concern out there. More and more people are becoming aware of that."