Apr
6
2010
To
paraphrase the opening of
Charles Dickens' Tale of Two Cities, "it was the best
of times and the
worst of times." He could as easily have been describing the year 2010.
We
find ourselves in a time of great economic and environmental challenge.
Of all the challenges water is the sleeping giant that must be dealt
with. And one of the
greatest challenges to clean, clear drinking water is the ever-present
lawn that surrounds our homes and businesses.40 million acres
of lawn makes grass America's largest crop. We pour 30% of our precious
drinking water on our lawn - water that we've paid to pipe, pump, treat,
chlorinate nS fluoridate! Ever wonder why there's a water ban after a
week of rain? Did you know that many communities use 3 to 5 times the
amount of water on a warm summer day than they use on a winter day.
An
explosive growth of medical and health problems have been linked to
lawn
care chemicals - fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides and herbicides
used on our lawns. Problems like learning and behavioral disorders for
children, asthma, Parkinson's Disease, cancer, leukemia, you name it.
Then,
there is the run-off problem: 50 - 80 % of lawn care chemicals we put
on our lawns run-off into our surface waters - the ponds, streams and
lakes we fish, swim, boat and bathe in - and can even find their way
into our drinking waters.
Take a look at this beautiful pond, tragically choked by invasive feeds fed by lawn chemicals. With apologies to Dickens, it is truly the "worst of
lawns!"
So, I set out in search of the "best of lawns." After
eight years' research, development and testing, the result was Pearl's
Premium Ultra Low Maintenance Lawn Seed - a breakthrough lawn
seed. A Pearl's Premium lawn does not need chemical fertilizer to stay
green or watering
after it is established or mowing more often than once a month. That's
less chemicals in our environment, less precious water wasted and less
mower exhaust in our air. See the
story of how it was developed on our web site,
PearlsPremium.com.
This spring we are on a journey
to crisscross the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic in our Pearl's Premium
sustainable, pop up trailer. Our mission is to
spread the word about sustainable lawns and Pearl's Premium into the backyards of America. We are
visiting 12 states and Washington, DC, stopping at town halls, festivals
and events and Whole Foods Market stores. We are setting up demo tables
and giving free workshops along the way.
We
hope you'll come out to say hello
along the way or follow us via our blog - the Tale of Two Lawns! In our blog we will share our
story about the beautiful people and places we visit while traveling and
spreading the word about sustainable lawn care and the best of lawns!
Jackson
