Toxic Lawn!

Ever wonder what happens to what you throw away in the trash?This is the introduction of a new podcast series called Vassar Trash Talk. The series explores the science behind how Americans handle their waste- in terms of trash, recycling and composting. Then, using Vassar College as our model, we learn through interviews and surveys how this liberal arts college handles its trash. We consider ways to educate and motivate people to reduce how much trash.

In this last episode of the podcast series, we'll focus on the things we can ALL do to break free of this dangerous obsession of a toxic green monoculture lawn and to also help in the climate change and biodiversity crises. It can seem overwhelming to change and break free, but there are easy things you can do now to make a difference.

In today’s episode, we’ll talk about how our green monoculture lawns are actually toxic dead zones and how we can reimagine our lawns to make a difference in both the climate crisis and the biodiversity calamity underway.

Even with the loss of birds and the smaller bird chorus in the Spring, forecast by Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, spring is anything but silent as we use our lawn mowers, weed whackers and leaf blowers, creating a deafening din that damages our health and that of the animals we share our land with. Tune into this episode to learn more about how noise pollution from lawn care is harmful and what you can do about it.

Today’s episode focuses on the many different types of pollutants emitted by lawn care equipment into the air we breathe. Lawn equipment contributes to climate-changing gas emissions, as well as ground level ozone and many other types of pollutants. A green, grassy, monoculture lawn is a toxic wasteland and a huge source of climate-changing emissions and health-damaging toxins in the air we breathe.

This podcast examines the effects of the chemicals we spew on our lawns, gardens, school athletic fields, parks and golf courses, all in the service of our obsession for the perfect green monoculture lawn. Today’s episode: Marinating in a Toxic Stew, Part C. In this episode, we’ll discuss Round Up and also the over-use of fertilizers.

This is the third episode of the series Toxic Lawn!, focused on the hazards to us and our environment of the American obsession with the green lawn.

In this series of podcasts, we are talking about America’s obsession with the uniform green lawn. Today, we’ll delve a little more deeply into the harmful practices of using neonicotinoid pesticides, such as found in Weed and Feed formulations, on our lawns. This episode is the second of three in this series that will focus on the chemical assaults we inflict on ourselves and the wildlife around us.

This is the second episode of the series Toxic Lawn!, focused on the hazards to us and our environment of the American obsession with the green lawn.

In this series of podcasts, we are talking about America’s obsession with the uniform green lawn. In the first episode I introduced just the tip of the iceberg on how harmful our grass lawn obsession is for the environment and for ourselves. Today, we’ll delve a little more deeply into the harmful practices of using herbicides (weed killers) and other pesticides (especially insecticides) on our lawns. This episode is the first of three in this series that will focus on the chemical assaults we inflict on ourselves and the wildlife around us.

Virtually anywhere in the suburbs in the United States, houses sit on plots of grass, with a front yard and a back yard….

Where ever there are cities and suburbs, they are enveloped by little square and rectangular blocks of green. America is literally obsessed with the uniform, highly manicured lawn – in parks, golf courses and individual yards.

This series of eight episodes will consider the costs, economic, environmental, human health, of this absurd obsession.

Website: http://earthmoves.vassarspaces.net/blog/

Cover image: Image by pvproductions on Freepik