Tree Huggin' Tuesday- Lawn Care

They say that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence but you have no idea until you've been in our neighborhood. I have chosen not to use the fertilizer and pesticides that are so prevalent in our society. As a family we spend a lot of time outside together. We have BBQ's with friends, we do a lot of gardening, the kids are always playing, and sometimes we relax on the patio with coffee in the morning and occasionally a cocktail in the evening.

We just love soaking in the sun and breathing fresh air. It seems odd to me to put chemicals all over the grass that my kids play on. Studies show a direct connection to the pesticides and harmful health effects. These same chemicals were originally developed for use in wars to kill people and are still commonly used in homemade bombs. I'll take a few dandelions and yellowish grass over health problems any day.

According to the book Sara Snow's Fresh Living "Of the thirty lawn pesticides most commonly used, nineteen have been linked to cancer, thirteen to birth defects, twenty-one to reproductive effects, and twenty-six to liver or kidney damage."

A study by the National Cancer Institute, of the U.S. National Institutes of Health found an almost seven times greater risk of leukemia in children whose parents use pesticides. Results from a U.S. Geological Survey show about a billion pounds of pesticides are used each year and traces of those pesticides were found in every stream tested across the country.

In years past, I was a little nervous about my lawns appearance versus the neighbors. I felt like I needed to 'keep up with the Jones'. I never put my family at risk but I did spend a lot of time pulling weeds so I didn't look so bad.
This year I have decided to embrace the fact that I am doing what is right for my family and the environment. I am proud of our dandelions. The girls have made dandelion crowns, picked dandelion flowers for their mom, and learned that rubbing the flowers on their skin leaves a fun yellow mark. It makes me happy to see all the neighborhood girls in our yard playing with the dandelions. They are having a blast plus it is a safe place for them to play.
Also, I have been researching uses for dandelions and have discovered that there are many things you can do with them.

• Dandelion leaves are a healthy addition to your green salad or smoothie.
• Roots are useful for homeopathic medicine and teas
• flowers can be used to make wine
• flowers are also useful for craft projects and anything else your kids can think of

I have been reading up on dandelion wine and I am determined to pull it off this year. believe it or not, I'm actually waiting for more to grow so I have enough for a full batch of dandelion wine. Check back as I will post about the wine as it progresses.
I hope that more people will begin to realize that the health and environmental effects are just not worth the aesthetic value of green grass and that we can all see the value of the other plants that are trying to grow in our yards.

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have never been discovered." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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As you probably know, The original One Small Change- Go Green Project has come to an end. It was a huge success and we have some exciting news over at the One Small Change Blog.

If you are interested in writing a post for Tree Huggin' Tuesday or One Small Change please email me at andy@hipmountainmama.com . We would love your help in spreading the word on going green.

~Andy

Tree Huggin' Tuesday- Lawn Care