Go Green Wilmette's Summer Events

Summer is a precious time when we gather with family and friends in our beautiful yards.  Kids and pets alike, naturally carefree, enjoy roughhousing and rolling in the grass, so it seems natural to bring people’s attention to the use of herbicides and pesticides on lawns.  It might come as a shock to most of us to discover that suburban yards use ten times the amount of pesticides and herbicides used by farms for crops.  Many residents on the North Shore use lawn care services without knowing that these companies often apply unsafe chemicals on their clients’ lawn.  Fewer still realize that those chemicals are not only harmful to adults, children and pets, but also birds and butterflies.  These chemicals can end up in Lake Michigan or in streams and rivers contributing greatly to our increasingly toxic environment.   

One of Go Green Wilmette’s projects this year is to raise awareness and educate homeowners about alternative strategies to keep a green lawn with minimal or no chemicals.  Proper lawn care, aeration and limited watering, supplemented by natural fertilizers, go a long way to keep our lawn looking good without compromising our health or polluting our environment.  

To learn more about natural yard care, visit the Go Green Wilmette booth at the Farmer’s Market in Wilmette on June 28th and at Wilmette’s Summer Fest on July 11th and 12th. For a small donation, you can take home a small, friendly "Pesticide Free Zone" sign to place in your own yard.  Join us on July 20th for the second annual "Alternative Yard Tour" where you can discover beautiful, sustainable yards in the Wilmette community.  Finally, don’t miss a great program at the Wilmette Public Library on "The Power of the Organic Landscape" on July 26th at 10:30 am, featuring The Organic Gardener and Arborsmiths. 

For more information on natural yard care, and the importance of avoiding pesticides and herbicides, visit www.gogreenwilmette.org, http://beyondpesticides.org and http://midwestpesticideaction.org