Celebrate 10 Years of Safe Grow: Yard Signs Available!
by Rick Baravechia, Code Enforcement Manager
Avoid the Chemical Romance
Harmful chemicals are not necessary to beautify our surroundings. This is the reasoning behind the creation of the Safe Grow Act that the City enacted in 2014. This law was created to protect ourselves and our environment from harmful pesticides and herbicides.
The Safe Grow Act places restrictions on the use of cosmetic pesticides for lawn care on public and private property. The list of restricted pesticides includes products that are known to cause cancer, endocrine disruption, and are identifi ed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as having other toxicity characteristics.
Of the 30 most commonly used lawn pesticides, 17 are possible and/or known carcinogens, 18 have the potential to disrupt the endocrine (hormonal) system, 19 are linked to reproductive effects and sexual dysfunction, 11 have been linked to birth defects, 14 are neurotoxic, 24 can cause kidney or liver damage, and 25 are sensitizers and/or irritants.
Children are especially sensitive to pesticide exposure, as they take in more pesticides relative to their body weight than adults and have developing organ systems that are more vulnerable and less able to detoxify toxic chemicals.
In 2019, Montgomery County enacted the Healthy Lawns Act, which mirrors our Safe Grow legislation, so that all Montgom-ery County residents can reduce their ex-posure to the unhealthy effects of harmful lawn care pesticides.
Organic lawn care isn’t diffi cult— in fact, it can save time and money, while protecting you, your family, your pets and the environment. Find a list of restricted chemicals at takomaparkmd.gov/safegrow. On that page, you will fi nd other resourc-es about maintaining a healthy lawn and yard, including a series of videos about natural landscape management.
Here are some tips for maintaining a healthy lawn, as we transition to spring: remove winter debris, test soils, dethatch your lawn, overseed thin areas, and apply corn gluten for inhibiting germinating weeds. Also, consider aerating your lawn and applying lime, if needed, for pH ad-justment. Overwhelmed? Don’t be. Reach out with any questions to Rick Baravechia, Takoma Park code enforcement manager, at Duaneb@takomaparkmd.gov or 301-891-7113
Let the World Know that Your Yard Is Safe
Is your lawn, apartment, and/or patio garden free of synthetic pesticides (including herbicides and fungicides) and safe for wildlife, pets, and people? If so, let us and your neighbors know! Free yard signs are available. Celebrate 10 years of Safe Grow today!
