Why not use chemicals?
There are many reasons not to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
- Most importantly, they can be harmful to children, pets, and the environment.
- Quick-fix fertilizers can make your lawn grow fast and look green, but they actually damage the natural fertility of your soil.
- Pesticides that are used to treat insects and disease also kill beneficial microorganisms that work to keep your soil healthy.
- Toxic chemical fertilizers and pesticides are polluting wells, resivoirs, lakes, etc. Many towns have passed laws limiting or prohibiting their use.
Over time, chemical fertilizers and pesticides damage your top soil, forcing you to spend time and money applying more chemicals. In essence, your lawn and landscape becomes dependant on chemicals! We can help you break this destructive cycle and get a lawn and landscape that is green, healthy, and safe for the environment. Best of all, we can help you save money on your lawn care and landscaping expenses.
Why not use power lawn mowers?
Lawn mowers produce several types of pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, ozone precursors, and carbon dioxide. One type of pollutant emitted by lawn mowers is polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These are classified as probable carcinogens by the CDC. Testing found that operating a typical gasoline mower with a four-cycle engine produced as much PAH as driving a modern car about 150 km or about 95 miles. This means that unless you drive more than 95 mph, your mower actually produces more pollution per hour than your car!
In an hour's mowing, twenty-six different PAHs were found in the exhaust of the mowers, including 100microgrammes of benzo[a]pyrenes, which have been mentioned as a carcinogen in cigarette smoke. Other chemicals emitted include half a kilogram of carbon monoxide and several grams of methane, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxide and smoke particles.
Another pollutant caused disproportionately by gas-powered lawn equipment is ozone. Hydrocarbons from mowers react with nitrogen oxides in the presence of sunlight to produce ozone. Since lawn mowing occurs during the summer months, it exacerbates the already high levels of ground-level ozone present in the summer. Ozone irritates the lining of the lungs and agravates athsma and other respiratory conditions. Ozone is the principal pollutant that causes "Red Alert" warnings about air quality in the summer.
An EPA study found that approximately 9 percent of some types of air pollutants nationwide come from lawn and garden equipment small engines. In metropolitan areas, the concentration of lawns causes this percentage to increase, in some instances to 33%.
