A Q&A with Barry Draycott, President of Tech Terra Environmental, industry expert, and AOLCP

What is your business and who does it serve?
Tech Terra Environmental is a leader in the green industry providing ecological solutions for professional landscapers, municipalities, schools and National Parks.
What is the state of the organic gardening industry? 

Barry Draycott of Tech Terra Environmental

Where do you see the greatest growth and what’s driving it? (change in consumer sentiment? Municipal laws? Geographical, municipal vs. commercial vs. private (turf, commercial property, hotels/resorts, golf clubs, etc.)
The organic industry is trending! Consumers are becoming more curious and aware of what is going into their gardens and realize that there are solutions that are effective but do not harm. Stricter regulations on pesticides and fertilizers have been effective in driving more interest from conventional landscape management towards an organic approach. In addition, the effectiveness of newer organic/natural insect, disease and weed control products have helped our clients provide better results than past organic programs.


What are some of the most common challenges professionals face in caring for the land organically and what approach do you take to solving them?
I think the biggest challenge to the landscape industry in adopting organic methods is the lack of knowledge of how to implement a comprehensive program for their clients. We help them understand how to improve soil health and implement sound cultural practices while providing them with the products they need to be successful. We recently received this comment from a tree care company in New Jersey; My biggest problem was switching typical pest control to organics. Tech Terra made it seamless for me.


What advice do you have for conventional land care professionals who are considering transitioning to organic?
Speak to other colleagues/ landscape professionals who have converted. Education is a great tool to understand what approach is best for your business. In my case, the turning point was attending AOLCP courses and becoming accredited.
Do your research and purchase products from companies that have experience in the industry and are willing to guide you through the process.


How do you consider your business to be part of the solution to environmental degradation and overuse of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides? How do you educate your clientele?
I have been in the landscape industry since 1979. About 20 years ago I began questioning “standard procedures” and began researching organic methods. Our passion is about being better environmental stewards, not just about providing lawn care products. The products and application programs we offer have been tested by us in the field and by experts in the industry. We are extremely knowledgeable about soil biology and spread the word by educating our market with seminars, classes and most importantly we are just a phone call away for any advice needed.

A Rental Home and Garden by Jenna Messier

Just because you rent your home or apartment, doesn’t mean that your yard can’t be fabulous, fruitful and a haven for humans and wildlife! I have been gardening at my apartment in West Haven, CT for two seasons now and with small inputs over time, the property is really shaping up. The lot is .3 acres and half of it is a driveway and a construction equipment lot - with kid’s toys dispersed across the yard. So I have to use my space wisely.  I have spent around $350 this year for inputs; mostly on organic potting soil, seeds and containers.  Here is a photo journal, sharing my plants and experience with homeowners and renters alike.

Dogs Absorb Lawn Chemicals

You might think this is a no brainer, or you might have never even thought about it, but a new study out of Perdue University (and reported on by the Discovery Channel) shows a correlation between lawn pesticides and a higher risk of bladder cancer in dogs. The study also suggests that other pets and children are also at risk of ingesting these chemicals and increasing their risk of cancer as a result, even if it isn't your lawn that's being sprayed, but your neighbor's.

The Discovery article talks a lot about the risks, the science, and industry standards for pesticide application, but it doesn't talk about organic alternatives to spraying directly in the article. Scroll through the captions for the images in the slideshow at the top of the article for some helpful tips for growing a sustainable lawn, but keep in mind that one of the suggestions, corn gluten, is not recommended by the NOFA Standards for Organic Land Care. You can also see a more comprehensive set of tips and guidelines for growing an organic lawn or garden by viewing the pdf of our Introduction to Organic Lawns and Yards booklet here. (You can also purchase hard copies of the booklet here.)

The best way to prevent chemical absorption for lawn pesticides is to stop spraying your lawn with them, and talking to your neighbors about it if they spray their lawns. You can still have a green and beautiful looking lawn without the use of harmful cancer-causing chemicals, and you and your lawn will be healthier in the long run if you do transition to organic.  Need some help getting started?  View a list of our Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals, who are in business to help you care for your property organically, on our searchable database here.

Have a great day!
-Melissa

Call Your Legislator: Current Bills to Expand Restrictions on CT Pesticide Applications

In the world of conventional lawn and land care in Connecticut, the coming of spring heralds the onset of chemical pesticide applications to residential lawns, parks, municipal grounds, and some schools. Municipalities and towns currently have difficulty obtaining the authority to regulate pesticide applications on their public and private grounds, and while CT has a pesticide ban in place right now for K-8 public schools, grade 9-12 schools are not included in the legislation.

Soon, however, all that may change.  This year, several bills were introduced at the capitol that, if passed, would aid in the reduction or elimination of synthetic pesticides on secondary school grounds, municipal parks and recreation areas, and residential areas by town.  Here's the background about each bill:

Raised Bill 914: An Act Concerning the Application of Pesticides at Municipal Parks
If passed, this bill will apply the same restrictions concerning the application of pesticides at day care centers to the application of pesticides at municipal parks. These restrictions will help protect the people who enjoy the municipal parks from needless chemical exposure, and will also prevent the poisoning and resulting population decline of the insect population that many species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals rely on as a food source.  Check out the Connecticut Audubon Society's testimony in support of this bill here.

Raised Bill 981: An Act Concerning Pesticides on School Grounds
If passed, this bill will expand the ban on the use of lawn care pesticides in schools to include schools with students in grades nine to twelve, inclusive.  This extends the current K-8 ban to include all levels of elementary and secondary education, providing Connecticut's children with an uninterrupted pesticide-free education. CT NOFA, which the NOFA Organic Land Care Program is a part of, is a member of the Connecticut Safe Grounds Coalition that supports the K-8 ban.  For the Coalition, and for any parent of education employee, this is big news.

Proposed Bill 5411: An Act Authorizing Certain Municipal Regulations of the Application of Pesticides on Residential Properties
If passed, this bill will enable municipalities to enact pesticide application regulations that are more stringent than the regulations adopted by the state in order to protect aquifers and environmentally sensitive areas from contamination and to protect children and pets from the toxic effects of pesticides. This bill is similar to the following bill (6440) in that it allows municipalities more authority to pass regulations independently of the state.

Raised Bill 6440: An Act Concerning Municipalities and the Application of Lawn Care Pesticides
If passed, this bill will allow municipalities to apply to the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection for the authority to regulate the spraying of lawn care pesticides in such municipality. Currently, even if a town or municipality wanted to adopt pesticide regulations that were more stringent than those enforced by the state, it would be illegal to do so because the state law preempts the local law.  This bill will empower communities to take action against toxic chemicals on their landscapes, even if the state has yet to enact similar measures.

All of these bills are extremely important when thinking about a holistic approach to human health, wildlife conservation, and environmental protection.  If we are to effectively avoid chemical pesticide exposure, both for ourselves and for other species, we ultimately need to regulate the application of such chemicals in all areas and in all industries.  Individual regulations are incredibly important, both in mitigating chemical exposure and in showing us the path we need to head in, but each individual regulation is only part of a much larger, more encompassing, and vital whole.

Please call your legislator today in support of one or more of these bills.  If you're not sure who your legislators are, you can use this online tool to find out. Working together, we can take control of our health and the health of the world around us.

Have a great weekend,
Melissa

Storm Water Management

Thinking about stormwater management at home? Well, a great thing to consider is a rain collection system. Rain can be collected from rooftops and stored in barrels and reused to water your garden. An average amount of rainfall for one day can produce hundreds of gallons of water that just wash down your roof and out eventually to make into the local waterways.

Not only are rain barrels a good idea because they save you money on your water bill, but the environment benefits from their use. This is because water that washes off our roofs pick up pollutants like oil, and litter, and animal waste before reaching the local water way. By collecting the water we can prevent all those contaminates from entering the water ways.

Here is a guide for building your own rain water collection system:

Step 1: Cut a bucket to create the top of your rainwater tank

Step 2: Use your permanent marker and the top of the five gallon bucket and trace around the top of the 55 gallon / 210 liter drum.

 

Step 3: Spout it out 

Step 4: Add a gutter extension.

Step 5: Measure and mark where you need to cut the fitting so that the end will run into the top of your rainwater collection barrel. 

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Step 6: Ensure a proper fit.

Step 7: Strain the drain

 

Step 8: Place a gutter strain in the gutter on your roof. 

For more detailed information on building this rain collection system visit, http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Rainwater-Collection-System.

For more information on rain collection systems in general visit,

http://www.stewardship.gatech.edu/potablewater.php

https://imageserv9.team-logic.com/mediaLibrary/198/How_toMakeaRainBarrelBrochure_Final_2.pdf

Blog Post by NOFA OLC's Fall Intern, Julia Rossi.