Safe Grow Montgomery

Three more pesticides commonly used in the United States have now been linked to heightened Parkinson’s risk.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/another-3-common-pesticides-are-now-linked-to-parkinsons-disease-risk

Study finds birds, beetles, and bugs could help replace pesticides

"Natural predators are good pest control agents, and their maintenance is fundamental to guaranteeing pest control in a future with imminent climate change," lead author Gabriel Boldorini, a Ph.D.

https://phys.org/news/2024-03-birds-beetles-bugs-pesticides.html

Study shows short pesticide exposure harms fish

“You’re basically doing an uncontrolled experiment when you spray chemicals like this in your house. It affects other things besides insects,” said Susanne Brander, the study’s co-author and an associate professor at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center.

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/03/16/study-shows-short-pesticide-exposure-harms-fish/

Drexel University is phasing out herbicides, pesticides on campus grounds
Researchers say w**d killers can harm the environment and pose potential human health risks.

Drexel University’s groundskeepers will replace the synthetic chemicals campus-wide, with an organic turf program that includes organic fertilizer, overseeding and aeration. The decision comes after a group of students voiced concern about the use of w**d killers.

https://whyy.org/articles/drexel-university-phasing-out-herbicides-pesticides-campus/

University of Maryland Drexel University

US pesticide regulation is failing the hardest-hit communities. It’s time to fix it.

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/us-pesticide-regulation-is-failing-the-hardest-hit-communities-its-time-to-fix-it/

EPA and state regulatory loopholes allow highly toxic pesticide to stay on the market. Consumers can Make a Difference!

https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/05/17/13-dichloropropene-the-dangerous-sweet-smelling-pesticide-youve-never-heard-of/

EPA report says pesticides endanger
An EPA report found that commonly used are threatening 80% of the country’s species.

https://environmentamerica.org/articles/epa-report-says-pesticides-endanger-wildlife/

‘Bee Safe’ Pesticides Not So Safe For Wild Bees, U of G Study Reveals
https://news.uoguelph.ca/2024/05/bee-safe-pesticides-not-so-safe-for-wild-bees-u-of-g-study-reveals/

Consumer Reports Found 'Alarming' Levels of Pesticides in US Produce

https://www.foodandwine.com/pesticides-in-produce-consumer-reports-8637261

Pesticide makers could undermine state and local governments’ right to adopt rules that protect communities from exposure to toxic crop chemicals, if some members of Congress get their way. They’re looking to make their case during debates over this year’s farm bill and federal agency funding.

https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2024/02/let-states-and-communities-protect-their-citizens-pesticides

Column: No Mow May should be 'No Spray May': Let's stop abusing Mother Earth

https://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/story/lifestyle/home-garden/2024/05/16/wide-use-of-pesticides-on-our-lawns-is-making-mother-nature-very-sick/73706396007/

If your local park is covered in dandelions, you can rest easy that it’s a chemical free park and safe for play. For the 15th year, Chicago Park District is partnering with the Midwest Grows Green to limit the use of pesticides and offer park visitors safer and healthier parks citywide.

As the lead green steward for the city of Chicago, we're committed to maintaining our nearly 9,000 acres of parkland and our 600+ parks as sustainable and safe places for everyone to enjoy, and for healthy habitats to thrive.

Follow the Park District’s example & use these organic lawn care techniques:
✅ Water deeply & infrequently,
✅ Keep your lawn mowed at 3+,
✅ Use organic fertilizer,
✅ W**d naturally & use grass seed & soil to fill in the hole.
👉For more tips, visit https://midwestgrowsgreen.org.

Let states and communities protect their citizens from pesticides

Pesticide makers could undermine state and local governments’ right to adopt rules that protect communities from exposure to toxic crop chemicals, if some members of Congress get their way. They’re looking to make their case during debates over this year’s farm bill and federal agency funding.

https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2024/02/let-states-and-communities-protect-their-citizens-pesticides

"If you want more fireflies in your yard and to help the insect population thrive, Day recommends that homeowners stop spraying their yards with pesticides and herbicides, tolerate w**ds and mow less."

Declining number of fireflies in summer season likely due to weather, development, pesticides A Virginia Tech entomologist said the number of fireflies on summer nights is decreasing due to climate and urban development.

Prenatal, Childhood Exposure to Toxic Pesticides Linked to Neurodevelopment Issues - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog Study finds that “early life organophosphate pesticide exposure has been linked with poorer neurodevelopment from infancy to adolescence."

"A Missouri judge slashed a $1.56 billion verdict against Bayer (BAYGn.DE), opens new tab to $611 million for three people who claimed its Roundup w**d killer caused their cancer, by reducing punitive damages."

Judge slashes Bayer $1.56 billion Roundup verdict to $611 million A Missouri judge slashed a $1.56 billion verdict against Bayer to $611 million for three people who claimed its Roundup w**d killer caused their cancer, by reducing punitive damages. Bayer said on Friday it is appealing.

4 Reasons To Let Wild Violets Grow In Your Yard, According To Our Master Gardener While many call wild violets a w**d and try to get rid of them, there are 4 reasons why you may want to let the purple blooms grow in your yard instead.

https://www.facebook.com/share/XjMX3PY2MvZZJ9Fe/?mibextid=WC7FNe

April 9, 2024 - Council Session (pm) April 9, 2024

Hurry!!! There's still time to get your photos in today for this photo contest hosted by the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection!

Enter the Montgomery County Organic Lawn Photo Contest by April 10th!

Can you imagine having your winning photos on display at Black Rock Center for the Arts in Germantown? Here’s your chance to be famous! Photos will be on displayed for the public to see April 22-27 and winners will get the final photo to take home and proudly display for all to see. Full contest rules and information can be found at https://wp.me/p9ITpH-f4L

Contest is run by Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection

Enter the Montgomery County Organic Lawn Photo Contest by April 10th!

Can you imagine having your winning photos on display at Black Rock Center for the Arts in Germantown? Here’s your chance to be famous! Photos will be on displayed for the public to see April 22-27 and winners will get the final photo to take home and proudly display for all to see. Full contest rules and information can be found at https://wp.me/p9ITpH-f4L

Contest is run by Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection

"One major obstacle to these efforts is homeowner’s associations, which often act as enforcers for outdated yard standards. In fact, one couple in Maryland chose to plant native plants and was informed by their HOA that they had 10 days to replace their yard with a traditional lawn. They fought the HOA, leading to legislation in Maryland that prevents HOAs from disallowing planting of native plants or requiring turf grass."

It’s time to rethink our relationship with grass - The Tufts Daily In the U.S., we have nearly as many acres of lawn as we do acres of national parks — 40 to 50 million. Green grass lawns were first popularized in Europe, in the landscaping of elegant properties such as the palace of Versailles. These lawns were mirrored by American elites like Thomas Jefferson, ...

No longer need those gardening chemicals? Drop off herbicides, insecticides, and other pesticides as Household Hazardous Waste in the Recycling Area of the Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station.

Household hazardous waste – How to recycle/dispose – Montgomery County, Maryland How to recycle/dispose household hazardous waste

"The movement to replace traditional lawns with more beneficial plantings challenges the conventional idea of what a lawn should be. Yet, the growing acceptance of this change signifies a step toward a more sustainable future rooted in the beauty of local biodiversity."

Embracing the Green Change: Trading Traditional Lawns for Native Plantings As the push towards more sustainable practices grows, one area coming under scrutiny is the ubiquitous American lawn. The nostalgic vista of a green lawn or the scent of freshly mowed grass on a summer day may seem idyllic. Still, the increasing interest in beneficial plantings as lawn replacements....

"No one should be on a “maintenance” schedule. Applying chemical pesticides on a regular basis simply kills every insect, including all the essential pollinators we need to survive. These beneficial insects also play a large role in eliminating the pests you’re spraying for in the first place."

Column: Pesticides linked to cancer, Parkinson's, so why keep gardening with them? After Town Hall event detailing the damage done by pesticides, advocate Kim Frisbie urges Palm Beach residents to push for end to pesticide use in town.

"Carson’s book, Silent Spring, helped launch the modern environmental movement. But more than six decades later, we are still struggling to heed her warning. Farmlands and lawns in the United States are drenched in about a billion pounds of pesticides per year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey."

What Will It Take for the EPA to Ban a Pesticide Linked to Parkinson’s? Over 60 years since Silent Spring, the Environmental Protection Agency still can’t seem to bring itself to curtail products like Roundup or paraquat.

"By re-approving the “highly lethal” substance, the EPA has “violated the law” and put industry interests before public health, the plaintiffs allege."

EPA again OKs use of toxic herbicide linked to Parkinson’s disease Agency’s draft report backs paraquat’s safety but lawsuit’s plaintiffs say EPA ignored evidence of Parkinson’s risk

Add some native plants to create sustainable yards.
Muddy Branch Alliance will be having a native plant sale soon. Be sure to catch it!

Alert: Plant sale approaching! The fifth annual Lands Green Waters Clean native plant sale opens in just a few weeks. You won’t want to miss 43 species of native flowers, grasses and ferns - plus the first vine to appear at this popular event! These hard-to-find plants always sell out quickly. Be the first to know when they’re available: subscribe to our email list for all the updates.

muddybranch.org/subscribe

"From rusty patched bumblebees to Florida panthers, hundreds of plants and animals are really suffering while they wait for basic protections from toxic pesticides,” said Lori Ann Burd, environmental health director for the Center for Biological Diversity.

Panthers: Group sues over failure to protect cats from pesticides, female collared at CREW The Center for Biological Diversity says up to 97% of endangered species are threatened by pesticides.

Next virtual session on November 29, 2023!
Transformative Community-Based Change from the Ground Up

Program Click here to register! The third session of the National Forum Series begins on November 29, 2023 at 2 PM EST!

“It’s unfortunate and ironic that pesticides are being applied to the grounds at the Rachel Carson Conservation Park, named in honor of the pioneer of the environmental movement who first raised the alarm about the indiscriminate spraying of pesticides and their potential effects on human health and wildlife. Even more ironic, they have chosen a pesticide, triclopyr, that causes mammary tumors in animals and could increase the risk of breast cancer, the very disease that ended Carson’s life before she could see the revolution she started.” -Jenny Kay, PhD, a scientist at the Silent Spring Institute who researches carcinogenicity and toxicology

Montgomery Parks #

Rachel Carson Conservation Park Faces Controversy Over Toxic Herbicide Spraying - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog A park named after Rachel Carson is now at the center of a controversy surrounding the use of toxic herbicides.