National Coalition For Pesticide-Free Lawns

Public concern over the potential hazards associated with chemical lawn care products and services has been on a steady rise. And with good reason. Over 100 million pounds of pesticides are used by homeowners in homes and gardens each year, even more when commercial companies are added in. Suburban lawns and gardens are known to receive far heavier pesticide applications per acre than most other land areas in the U.S., including agricultural areas.

Studies show that these hazardous lawn chemicals are drifting and being tracked-in to our homes where they contaminate indoor air and surfaces, exposing children at levels ten times higher than preapplication levels.

Of 30 commonly used lawn pesticides, 13 are probable or possible carcinogens, 14 are linked with birth defects, 18 with reproductive effects, 20 with liver or kidney damage, 18 with neurotoxicity, and 28 are sensitizers and/or irritants. Of those same 30 lawn pesticides, 17 are detected in groundwater, 23 have the ability to leach into drinking water sources, 24 are toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms vital to our ecosystem, 11 are toxic to bees, and 16 are toxic to birds. With numbers like this, the only logical question becomes: is this really necessary and what can we do to stop or prevent this kind of contamination?

Beyond Pesticides coordinates the National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns.  The coalition is working to halt senseless exposure to lawn pesticides and to educate the public, landscapers, and policy makers on the use of non-toxic and least-toxic lawn care practices and products. Change begins and ends at local level. The public plays an extremely important role in lawn pesticide reform – not only in the way it perceives the use of toxic pesticides in homes and communities but also in the way it demands safe alternatives from retailers, organic services from lawn care providers, and better protection from pesticide exposure from local policy makers.

Join the National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns and help educate your neighbors, your community – including landscapers and your policy makers about the unacceptable hazards of lawn chemicals.

Pesticide-Free Zone Lawn Signs

Show your neighbors that pesticide-free lawns are important for the health of your children, your family, your pets, the environment and the community. Buy a Pesticide-Free Zone lawn sign for $10 and display in your yard. At eight inches in diameter, these aluminum enameled signs will not rust and will retain their bright colors for years. Order online (TAP website) or by calling Marin Beyond Pesticides Coalition. With the sign you will receive a Pesticide-Free Zone Owners Manual that gives you tips on what it means to be pesticide-free and how to talk to your neighbors and others about pesticides.

Since beginning the project in 1999, Marin Beyond Pesticides Coalition has sold close to 10,000 metal ladybug signs - most in the last couple years. Signs have been sold to individuals and organizations in Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, and Wisconsin. Travelers have also purchased the signs and taken them to Mexico, Cuba and Brazil.

Sign the National Declaration on the use of Toxic Lawn Pesticides

The Coalition advocates safe, healthy, LIVING lawns and landscapes with the use of organic and least toxic practices and products that nurture lawns and landscapes and protect the health of children, families, pets, wildlife and the environment from unnecessary exposure to toxic pesticides. Sign on today at www.pesticidefreelawns.org.

Landscape Professionals and Consumers
Beyond Pesticides Least Toxic Service Directory

It is difficult in today's marketplace to sort through the safety claims and the meaning behind words such as "safe" or "harmless." Because of this, Beyond Pesticides put together a growing directory of companies that are interested in providing the services customers want, without poisoning families, pets or the environment. The directory is intended to be used for pest problems in homes, commercial sites, schools, parks, golf courses, and more.