Environmental Groups Ask Big-Box Stores to Supply Organic Lawn Care Products

Today, Beyond Pesticides and 19 consumer and environmental groups asked the national headquarters of Home Depot and Lowe’s Home Improvement, two of the largest home and garden retailers, to carry a full range of organic, non-toxic lawn care products and to reconsider the sale of “weed-and-feed” products.

According to a Beyond Pesticides news release, recent surveys show almost half of all households buying lawn care products are seeking non-toxic alternatives.

“Children are particularly vulnerable to exposure from lawn chemicals,” says Dr. Routt Reigart, pediatrician at the Medical University of South Carolina, in the Beyond Pesticides release. “Many of the chemicals typically used on lawns present acute and chronic risks to children’s health.”

The 19 consumer and environmental groups participating in the lobbying of Home Depot and Lowe’s also announced the release of an online Declaration on the Use of Toxic Lawn Pesticides and formation of the National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns, a growing movement of consumer and environmental groups, coming together to educate the public, retailers, landscapers and policy makers about the hazards of lawn chemicals and the viability of safe alternatives.

The coalition's campaign began today at 1 p.m. today with a conference call for members of the press. Speakers included Reigart, as well as Warren Porter, Ph.D., Environmental Toxicology, University of Wisconsin; Steve Sheffield, Ph.D., Wildlife Toxicology, Virginia Tech; Steven Zien, owner, Living Resources Co.; and Jay Feldman, executive director, Beyond Pesticides.

The group’s request to the retailers, Home Depot and Lowe’s, follows on the heels of a widespread marketing campaign by the lawn care industry that aims to educate homeowners on the benefits of green spaces and their care, including the judicious use of pesticides.

More information on the conference call and industry response to the new coalition will be forthcoming on Lawn & Landscape Online.