Stay Jersey Strong - NJ Family Resources After Sandy

Sandy, Sandy, Sandy
It's been awhile since we've posted in our blog.  In the wake of Sandy, so much has happened here in NJ - and to our friends across the East Coast.  From all of us at Natural Turf, we sincerely hope everyone is staying JERSEY STRONG.  It's usually challenging times that bring out the best in us - and Sandy is no different.

In the JERSEY STRONG spirit, here's a great resource from NJ Family Magazine for local families to get back on their feet.  Stay JERSEY STRONG.

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From NJ Family Magazine:

As the superstorm Sandy left devastation in her wake, many of us across New Jersey were powerless, literally and figuratively, to locate any kind of information regarding the current state of New Jersey, as well as our own municipalities. If the past few days have taught us anything, it's that in a significant, widespread power outage, it is difficult to collect and share information on where to get help, where to offer help, how to donate, how to find out about when school districts planned to resume classes, or which grocery stores opened their doors...

Our faithful following of Facebook fans spent the past few days scouring the nets and connecting with each other, and us, to share timely, relevant resources to help us get through some dark days, and we've begun to compile it all here for you as a resource. Please comment below to offer any updates and we'll revise our content accordingly. We're all in it together!

• The State of New Jersey's Hurricane Sandy Resource Center
• From FEMA: "There are reports that FEMA is paying $1,000 to go to New York and New Jersey to clean up debris. This is False." Visit here for information on how to volunteer and assist with Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts.
• Ice and water stations, courtesy of First Energy Corp.
• Games to play in the dark with your kids, courtesy of CNN.
• Where can we take our children with cabin fever? We have tons of activities listed on our calendar but we URGE you to call ahead. Not every place has its power back yet.
• Gas rationing took effect on Monday. For folks looking for gas in NJ, you can follow @NJgas on Twitter and the hashtag #NJgas. There's lots of good info being shared. #goodluck

We are grateful to everyone who posted information on our Facebook pages; you really helped out a lot of New Jersey families.  And, finally, we send our sincere, heartfelt thanks to everyone out there making today better for someone else.

NJ Calls on Tiny Crustaceans to Fight Mosquitoes

From Beyond Pesticides:

Tiny Crustaceans Enlisted to Fight Mosquitoes in New Jersey

(Beyond Pesticides, June 27, 2012) One county in New Jersey is getting serious about combating mosquitoes this season. Instead of relying on pesticide spraying, which has been shown to not be effective, the Cape May County Department of Mosquito Control is employing 10,000 tiny shrimp-like crustaceans that will eat their way through mosquito larvae in the county’s swamps, roadside ditches and small pools.

The latest weapon in the battle against mosquitoes is barely visible. The crustaceans, known as copepods, are cousins to crayfish and water fleas, and do not get much bigger than two millimeters. They are voracious predators of mosquito larvae. New Jersey recently delivered 10,000 of the tiny shrimp-like crustaceans to Cape May County. They are already being used to fight mosquitoes in Bergen, Passaic, and Morris counties. Ocean County is next on the delivery list and six other counties will follow.

“The days of driving a truck down the street and spraying pesticides are long gone. These copepods can pick up where fish leave off,” according to Administrator Robert Kent, of the state Office of Mosquito Control.

Natural Predators as a Solution for Mosquito Control
New Jersey has used mosquitofish, fathead minnows, killifish, bluegill and other fish to combat the blood-sucking pests in larger waterways. Sometimes this involves digging ditches, not to drain the swamp as in the early days of mosquito control, but to give the fish access to the mosquitoes. Copepods, which eat mosquito larvae but not adult mosquitoes, are meant for smaller freshwater applications, such as roadside ditches, small pools, and near schools where there are strict regulations limiting pesticides. The hope is birds and other wildlife will also move the copepods around.

Peter Bozak, Cape May County’s director of Mosquito Control, set up a test plot with six small water holes. Copepods were put in four of them and left two as control plots. How many mosquito larvae are eaten and at what stage in their development is being monitored. Mosquitoes hatch from eggs and then go through several stages toward adulthood.
“We’re trying to use our native species and take pesticides out of the environment,” Mr. Bozak said.

The county also put some of the copepods in water-filled tires to see how they do in one of the smaller mosquito-breeding environments, and a batch has been applied to a scour hole filled with rainwater at Middle Township High School. According to a study by the New Orleans Mosquito and Termite Control Board, copepods have proved more effective for practical mosquito control than any other invertebrate predator of mosquito larvae. The most effective copepod species have the capacity to kill more than 40 mosquito larvae/copepod/day, typically reduce mosquito production by 99-100%, and maintain large populations in habitat for as long as there is water. However, while copepods by themselves may not eliminate Culex pipiens production or other mosquito species that transmit West Nile Virus, they can reinforce and augment control by other methods.

Least-Toxic and Cost-Effective
Reducing the use of pesticides is one of the big selling points. Copepods are natural and native to New Jersey, though this is the farthest north they have ever been used for mosquito control. New Orleans was the first to use copepods, and it taught New Jersey its system of growing them in a laboratory. New Jersey is only the second state to use them. They are also inexpensive to produce at the state Department of Agriculture’s Philip Alampi Beneficial Insect Rearing Laboratory in West Trenton. It takes about six weeks to make a batch using distilled water and wheat seed as a medium, feeding them paramecium.

Pesticide spraying for mosquito management is widely considered by experts to be the least effective and most risky response to this important public health concern. Pesticides typically used in mosquito spray programs are synthetic pyrethroids and in some cases organophosphates, both of which are associated with a host of adverse health effects, including neurological disorders and cancers. The frequency of pesticide applications required for aerial applications to be effective, combined with the public health risk caused as a result of these applications, makes aerial mosquito spraying campaigns ineffective both in terms of cost and public safety. In fact, the CDC and many local mosquito abatement districts emphasize public education and the control of larval populations as the first line of defense against mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases. Additionally, there is no credible evidence that spraying pesticides used to kill adult mosquitoes reduce or prevent mosquito-borne incidents or illnesses.

Beyond Pesticides believes the ideal mosquito management strategy comes from an integrated approach emphasizing education, aggressive removal of standing water sources, larval control, monitoring, and surveillance for both mosquito-borne illness and pesticide-related illness. The first step in avoiding mosquitoes around your property is prevention. Remove any standing water where mosquitoes can breed around the home, such as potted plants, leaky hoses, empty buckets, toys, gutters, and old tires. When outdoors in the evening, while mosquitoes are most active, the best way to avoid them is to wear long pants and long sleeves and use natural least-toxic mosquito repellents. Burning citronella candles outside also helps repel mosquitoes. It is important to read labels carefully before buying or spraying repellents.

For more information on safe and effective mosquito management strategies, see Beyond Pesticides’ page on Mosquitoes and Insect Borne Diseases, or contact us at info@Beyondpesticides.org,

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

The Environmental Cost of a Perfect Lawn, Part 2

If you caught our previous blog, you know that pesticides leach into our groundwater at an alarming rate. If you don’t use natural lawn care, you’re likely applying between 3 and 10 pounds of toxic pesticides to each acre of your lawn each year, according to the Toxics Information Project. That creates a large amount of trace chemicals which run off into the ground water and wreak environmental havoc.

According to Beyond Pesticides, 16 of 30 commonly used pesticides are dangerous to birds, 24 to fish, and 11 to bees. Dogs exposed to toxic pesticides are twice as likely to develop canine lymphoma, to say nothing of the beneficial insect species that toxic pesticides WIPE OUT. These therapeutic insects are vital to a healthy lawn, and are left intact in high-quality natural lawncare programs.

And pesticides don’t just harm the wildlife. The Georgia State Government says that 50 percent of the U.S. population relies on ground water for drinking water, and children – who are more vulnerable to pesticides because of their small and growing bodies –remain more likely to be exposed to lawn pesticides than adults. The environmental dangers caused by toxic pesticides affect all of us… even those of us who never use them.

An organic lawn care program can break that cycle. Natural turf is stronger and healthier than a lawn treated with toxic pesticides, and a natural lawncare service can bring out the best in your lawn without harming the environment. At Natural Turf, we believe in the positive benefits of an eco-friendly lawn. Our pesticides work with the local ecosystem: keeping insects out of your lawn without blanketing the area in poisons. Our organic lawn care products enrich the soil and strengthen the roots of your grass, maintaining a healthy lawn for years and decades to come. Your organic grass will look great, and more importantly, you’ll safeguard your family and the nearby environment.

When you start today, you’ll be taking a small step to solve a BIG problem. Contact Natural Turf to discuss our natural and organic lawn care programs, inquire about pricing or schedule a free consultation. We’ll show you how green and beautiful a natural lawn can be!

Is Your New Jersey Yard Pet Safe?

A healthy NJ lawn should be something you and your family enjoy together. That includes your pets—who revel in the chance to play fetch, have a run, or take a rest on your emerald-green grass. But while certain chemicals and pesticides make your lawn thrive, they can have a detrimental – or even FATAL – impact on your pets.

The biggest concern, in terms of your pets, is lawn care pesticides. According to “Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats,” pesticide use has increased by over 13,000 percent since 1962! It’s an alarming number; and while some pesticides cause little more than a stomach ache, others can interfere with an animal’s metabolic process and even poison him. Pesticides impact both outdoor and indoor pets — since a lawn care service using toxic or misapplied chemicals will leave residue that you or your family can track inside. Dogs or cats are then exposed to it, ingesting it as they clean their fur.

Fertilizers follow the same pattern as insecticides. Organophosphates, used to grow plants, can create painful symptoms in a pet who ingests them. Symptoms may include drooling, uncontrolled defecation, breathing difficulties and even seizures. Even some organic fertilizers can create problems for pets. Blood meal, for instance, may contain bacteria that dogs and cats seek out, believing it to be a tasty treat. Bone meal, too, is instantly appealing – it’s ground-up bone, after all – but if your pet takes in too much of it, it can cause indigestion, pancreatitis and even worse symptoms.

The key to avoiding these hazards is to use a natural NJ lawn care company that understands the risks. At Natural Turf, we use organic fertilizers and pesticides that are guaranteed pet safe, while promoting seed germination and all-natural greening to make your lawn the envy of the neighborhood. Choosing between a beautiful yard and your pet’s safety is no choice at all: Natural Turf organic lawn care takes the guesswork out of the equation and gives you the safest, most beautiful lawn you can envision – while protecting your furry friends! Call our team of organic lawn care experts today to schedule your spring consultation!

Protecting Your Kids from Their NJ Backyard

As parents, we go to great lengths to safeguard our children from stranger danger, online predators and substance abuse. Unfortunately, many New Jersey families don’t realize that their kids face grave peril in the midst of their beautiful, green backyard.

Here are the FRIGHTENING FACTS:

1. Children are more vulnerable than adults to the dangerous pesticides used in New Jersey lawncare. Their internal organs are still developing and their small bodies are growing—so they’re less able to detox the poisons they’ve inadvertently absorbed. ¹ The National Academy of Sciences warns that 50 percent of lifetime pesticide exposure happens before kids turn five years old—so early protection is KEY.

2. While adults may experience slight breathing problems from pesticides and chemicals, these pollutants can cause serious breathing problems in children!

3. Studies have linked the pesticides common in NJ lawn care to child asthma, hyperactivity, developmental delays, behavioral conditions, immune suppression and motor disorders.²

4. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that residential pesticide use may increase childhood leukemia risk SEVENFOLD. ³

5. Developing cells are more sensitive to the synthetic poisons used by New Jersey lawn maintenance companies. As childhood cells divide quickly, mutations can spread—and increase cancer and disease risk. ⁴

In addition to environmental exposure, research indicates that NJ pesticides can pass from mother to child through breast milk and shared umbilical cord blood. It’s scary stuff—and the reason that neurologist and CNN correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta says: “Babies in this country are born pre-polluted.”

Heed the wake-up call! Your kids trust you to protect them, and you can start by exchanging poisonous pesticides for organic New Jersey lawn care. Using safe, natural products like corn gluten meal, Hi-Cal lime and organic fertilizers, Natural Turf works to make your backyard a safe place for kids, pets and adults, alike. Learn more about Natural Turf’s 100% organic lawncare program today by calling 1-866-558-LAWN today!

Natural Turf blog references:

¹ EPA. 1996. Environmental Health Threats to Children. Office of the Administrator. 175-F-96-001. ² http://www.beyondpesticides.org/lawn/factsheets/facts&figures.htm#xiii. ³ Lowengart, R. et al., 1987. “Childhood Leukemia and Parent’s Occupational and Home Exposures, “ Journal of the National Cancer Institute 79:39. ⁴ http://www.cehi.org/pesticides.html

What You Don't Know CAN Hurt You: Four Dangerous Things Your Lawn Care Company Is Hiding

Contrary to what mega-lawn care companies would have you believe, a lush, green lawn is not necessarily a healthy lawn. The truth is, 78 million U.S. households use chemicals to eliminate pests and beautify their lawn*--and studies show that most of those chemicals are MAKING US SICK.

So, before you hire that lawn company to coat your yard in herbicides and chemicals, check out the dangers they won’t bothering sharing:

1. Over 100 million pounds of pesticides are used EVERY YEAR on American homes and lawns. According to a U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study, 100 percent of 9,282 people tested positive for pesticide exposure. The average study subject carried at least 13 of 23 tested pesticides!

2. Most traditional lawn care companies use a toxic soup of fertilizers, weed killers and broad-spectrum biocides to green your lawn and kill off pests. What’s in the soup? Of 30 tested chemicals:

· 19 are carcinogens

· 21 are linked to reproductive effects

· 26 are tied to liver and kidney damage

· 15 are linked to neurotoxicity, and

· 11 are believed to disrupt human endocrine systems.**

3. While your children and pets aren’t actively “grazing” on your lawn, they’re absorbing pesticide poisons through the skin—or by breathing in pesticide vapors. Kids and house pets have a much greater rate of exposure than adults—since they’re frequently found sitting in the grass or playing in “pesticide drift” from neighboring lawns.

4. Many lawn care chemicals contain “inert” substances that aren’t listed on the active ingredients list. Federal law doesn’t require manufacturers to list these inert ingredients, but it’s important to understand that “inert” does NOT mean non-toxic. Some inert ingredients are toxins, and are hazardous to water supplies and to your nervous system.

It’s impossible to prevent exposure to pesticides due to their heavy use on golf courses, school campuses and other public spaces, but you can START WITH YOUR OWN BACKYARD. Here at Natural Turf, we believe that you shouldn’t have to sacrifice safety to enjoy a beautiful lawn and garden. Protect your family!

Call the natural lawn care experts to schedule your free consultation or inquire about CHEMICAL-FREE lawn maintenance.

*Info courtesy Beyond Pesticides (www.beyondpesticides.org).

**Info courtesy National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides.