Events, News

Our Backyard War

The uphill battle against invasive weeds in our parks. Wilmette, Illinois, March 7, 2024 — Wilmette Park District’s 60-acre Gillson Park resides just north of the Baha’I House of Worship. This coastal park includes beaches, an outdoor Ampitheater, youth soccer fields, tennis courts and a wildflower garden. Wilmette Park District and uplandDesign ltd completed a

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News

MGG Technical Assistance Program in Action: Ray Elementary School

MGG transformed a schoolyard of weeds and bare soil to a dense, resilient grass field without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Since the fall of 2022, Midwest Grows Green’s (MGG) Technical Assistance Program has helped Ray Elementary School in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood to restore a section of their schoolyard using sustainable, pesticide-free landscape management. Vytas

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News

Green Shield Certified for Landscapes

Three companies pilot the first sustainable landscaping certification in the U.S. Madison, Wisconsin, April 10, 2023 – Three companies have taken action to eliminate harmful chemical exposure to people, pets and pollinators by achieving Green Shield Certified (GSC) for Landscapes recognition. The companies of Good Nature Organic Lawn Care, Natural Communities, LLC and Dig Right In Landscaping,

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News

Spring Lawn Care FAQ

Despite the snow, MGG’s Ryan Anderson looks ahead by answering your spring lawn care questions. Why is spring lawn care important? Proper spring lawn preparation will set down turfgrass roots that store nutrients and hormones so grass can survive drought conditions in the summer. Your lawn will risk dying if grass does not have deep

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News

Urbana Grows Green Weekend

Lawn and garden care experts share tips to manage your lawn and garden without pesticides September 7 – 11th   According to the Midwest Pesticide Action Center, a weed-free lawn doesn’t always mean a healthy lawn. “It often means incomplete,” said MPAC’s Assistant Director and Communications Manager, Ryan Anderson. “Dandelions provide a feast for honeybees

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News

Scrub out the Grubs

MGG’s Ryan Anderson describes the grub life cycle and how to monitor and disrupt it to protect your turf’s roots. For many lawn owners, brown grass works us into a frenzy. Did I kill the grass? Did I not provide enough nutrients and/or water? Or too much? Worse yet… does my lawn have grubs? Many times,

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News

The Lawn Ideal

MPAC’s Executive Director Ruth Kerzee discusses how to build a strong and healthy lawn from start to finish. A beautiful lawn is like cultivating a new idea.  It takes the right ingredients, maintenance, and time.  To start, you need a solid foundation of facts and information before elevating the glimmer of an idea into action.

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Fighting Enemies, Cultivating Active Educators in 2017

MPAC’s Ryan Anderson calls for an all-hands-on-deck effort to eliminate pesticide misuse in 2017. The MGG Forum’s active education approach builds the foundation. 2017 started with the worst possible news for us.  On January 2nd in Amarillo, Texas four children died in their trailer home from the misuse of the toxic pesticide Aluminum phosphide. The

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