Chemicals

Fertilizers and the Problems they Cause

• Run-off from the use of fertilizers, especially the synthetic kind, is a major cause of water pollution
• Production of synthetic fertilizer requires fossil fuels as inputs, then are shipped considerable distances to our gardens. Home-grown compost and mulch are free, the products of recycling. And they're far better for our soil, the wildlife, and our plants
• Increasingly, sustainability includes choosing organic fertilizers from local sources

Pesticides

• Pesticides kill beneficial insects too, and can even can kill birds and other wildlife that feed on the affected insects. Remember the Monarch!
• Rachel Carson sounded the alarm that finally most of us are hearing - that not just DDT and other since-banned chemicals harm the environment. Lots of still-legal ones are dangerous to humans, our pets, and a wide range of species in our gardens.
• The use of pesticides turns our plants into pesticide-dependent junkies. Seriously, it can take years for them to detox