We are a small group called The WAVE and we are trying to save our lake from an overwhelming weed problem. We are looking for ways to get the community to stop using fertilizers on their lawns. Has anyone had any experience with this and have any suggestions?
Joanne
Seeking Ways to Convice People to Stop Using Fertilizers
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February 07, 2006 05:13 PM
Joanne, You might try contacting Colleen Cirillo at Toronto and Region Conservation. She's in charge of their Healthy Yards program. http://www.trca.on.ca/events/stewardship_programs/yards/
good luck
k
February 17, 2006 01:03 PM
A group I work with recently conducted a study with local landscapers to learn how to encourage adoption of IPM techniques. You can find information about this project here:http://www.askaboutipm.info Here in Madison, Wisconsin, we have a number of demonstration yards educate people about rain gardens. These have been written up in the local papers and get showcased by garden clubs, neighborhood groups, etc. I think there should also be demonstration yards that showcase other lake-friendly yardcare techniques. If people see that their yards can look good without the cost of added chemicals they will be more interested. You can appeal to some citizens via the environmental angle but there is nothing wrong with appealing to their pocketbooks to get those who don't consider themselves environmentalists.
Janice Kepka
UW-Madison Environmental Resources Center
...
Hello, Joanne,
Have you see the "Save the Crabs- then eat them" campaign that the Chesapeake Bay Program did? (http://www.chesapeakebay.net/) They partnered with landscapers and local area chefs to ask homeowners to cut fertilizer applications from twice to once a year. They called it the Chesapeake Club: http://70.22.126.233/index.htm An article from the Washington Post, "Bay becomes a culinary cause": http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2718-2005Mar2.html You probably won't have the budget for full-on television, etcetera, but here is what they did. (The ads are hilarious, I think.): http://70.22.126.233/media.htm There are more resources available at www.chesapeake.net . Here is their homeowners' guide: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/betterbackyard2003.htm Bay-wise Maryland Yardstick (a publication that elicits commitments to become a Bay-Wise homeowner): http://www.agnr.umd.edu/users/hgic/pubs/online/bw2.qxd.pdf
Good luck!
Diana Ruth Olegre
Washington State Department of Ecology
Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program
Community Outreach and Environmental Education Specialist
dole461@ecy.wa.gov 360-407-6609