HOW GREEN IS YOUR LAWN?

Consumers are forcing the $35 billion per year lawn & garden
care industry to make space for organics. Stores like Lowe’s,
Sears and Home Depot, which traditionally have only sold synthetic
fertilizers and pesticides, are selling record amounts of organic
soils and fertilizers this Spring. A recent survey from the National
Gardening Association found that, while only 5% of U.S. households
now use all-organic methods in their yards, some 21% said they
would likely do so in the future. Studies over the past three
decades have linked common lawn and garden chemicals with cancer
and kidney or liver damage, particularly in children and pets.
"Initially, it may feel harder, but in the long term, it’s
easier," says Scott Meyer, editor of Organic Gardening magazine.
He likens using chemicals to "putting your yard on steroids."
Over time, he says, "it weakens the system."
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