Natural Lawn Care Arrives in Indiana this Spring

This spring Safer Pest Control Project, with its Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant partners, will be offering two Natural Lawn Care Workshops in Indiana. We are offering a full-day NLC Workshop for Professionals and Municipals on March 21 in Gary, IN and a half-day  NLC Workshop for Schools and Childcares on March 22 in Highland, IN. The workshops will feature nationally-recognized organic turf expert Chip Osborne and local speakers. For more information about these workshops, please visit our training page. Registration is live for the full-day workshop and the half-day workshop. 

Rachel Rosenberg, Executive Director, featured in Chicago Tribune about Natural Lawn Care Trend

The front page of the Saturday, June 11th edition Chicago Tribune featured Executive Director, Rachel Rosenberg, discussing Natural Lawn Care as a trend. We hope that you can use the resources on our website to help you make a change to natural lawn care and encourage your city and park district to reduce their pesticide use.

Dandelion: friend or foe?

Watch Executive Director, Rachel Rosenberg, on WTTW's Chicago Tonight and Listen to Podcast on WGN Radio

Dandelions are popping up around Chicago, especially in Chicago's parks. Rachel explains how dandelions are a sign that pesticides are not being used on a lawn, meaning it is safer for children and pets. Watch the news story. Also listen to her interview on WGN Radio with Mike McConnell (interview starts at 15:45 in podcast).

Not a fan of dandelions in your yard? A lawn maintained with natural lawn care has fewer weed issues and is a healthier lawn overall. Natural lawn care is not the same as no lawn care. Learn more about natural lawn care through our fact sheets.

Spray Drift Education Network

Has your garden been affected by a neighbor's use of pesticides?

Spray Drift Education Network is a new grassroots organization whose mission is to

 educate people about the issue of chemical and pesticide drift and help them respond appropriately when chemical drift occurs. 

Natural Lawn Care for Everyone

New Article by Executive Director, Rachel Rosenberg

Learn the basic steps for a safe and healthy lawn through Rachel's new article in TribLocal.

Updated Natural Lawn Care Fact Sheets Now Available

Just in time for Spring

We've updated several of our Natural Lawn Care Fact Sheets to provide more accurate and timely information about natural lawn care. Check out 'Where to Buy Natural Lawn Care Products', 'Soil Testing for Homeowners', 'Midwest Lawn Care Companies' and 'Compost Tea Brewing Manufacturers and Distributors', available to the right in our resources section.

Are Herbicides Necessary for your Child's Safety?

Despite lack of evidence, proponents claim weeds pose a slip hazard

In this amusing blog from Paul Tukey at SafeLawns.org, he tackles the notion that weeds are the 'real' threat on athletic and playing fields across the nation  - as opposed to synthetic chemical poisons - causing an untold number of slips and injuries. One doctor who examined this suspicious claim was unable to find any information supporting the idea.

It's a safe bet there will be some industry sponsored studies in the near future to bolster this misleading claim. However, the assumption that you need pesticides in order to properly maintain a good playing field is simply wrong. Check out the fine work done by Chip Osborne in Marblehead, MA with an all organic football field. For more information about maintaining healthy athletic fields, naturally and safely, check out Paul Sachs' book "Managing Healthy Sports Fields: A Guide to Using Organic Materials for Low-Maintenance and Chemical-Free Playing Fields."

Public Right-To-Know and Lawn Care

Law gives right to pesticide notification, recommends natural lawn care

Do know about that Natural Lawn Care is recommended for schools and childcares in Illinois? Did you know that you have the right to be notified before your neighbor sprays pesticides on their lawns? The fact sheet Laws to Protect You From Outdoor Pesticides explains how changes to Illinois law improve your right-to-know and impact lawn care on public and private property.

Can lawns lead to climate change?

New study finds fossil fuel use outweighs benefits

It turns out lawns are not so green afterall, but there is hope!

Growing Weed-Free Without Pesticides

Interview with ED Rachel Rosenberg

In an interview with Rosemary Piser of e-News Park Forest, SPCP Executive Director Rachel Rosenberg discussed how to maintain weed free lawns without pesticides.

Natural Lawn Care: Growing Weed-Free Without Pesticides

Natural Lawn Care Reduces Inputs, Saves Money

Harvard lawn study eliminated pesticides, saved water and recycled landscape waste

An article in the New York Times highlighted Harvard University's efforts to transform 16 acres of heavily used lawn from a sythetic to an all natural lawn care program. The results have been astounding.

Read Your Weeds

A Simple Guide to Creating a Healthy Lawn

Download this new fact sheet created by the National Coalition for Pesticide Free Lawns. Weeds can tell you a lot about the condition of your lawn and indicate what you need in order to grow a healthy organic lawn. Read Your Weeds-A Simple Guide to Creating a Healthy Lawn

Zero Input Lawns Changing the Landscape

New grass blends require little time, chemicals and money

Tired of sinking money into your lawn? New mixes of grass seed that reduce lawn care maintenance costs are becoming increasingly available. Retailers claim these products require little to no fertilizer, and in many cases need no additional water - even during periods of drought. The result is an aesthetically pleasing, and slow growing, lawn that fills in just as nicely as your neighbor's.

Beautiful lawns, gardens and parks can be maintained without using pesticides.

Pesticides kill indiscriminately, killing pests along with their natural insect predators. This leads to the irony of pesticide use: once insect predators are eliminated, pest populations grow unchecked - leading to ever-greater pesticide applications. Utilizing the basic principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), you can take charge of your home and garden without the use of pesticides and inspire others to do the same.