MPAC’s Ryan Anderson recaps MGG’s progress the past two years and the work we still need to do in 2018. On October 21st, MPAC completed its last Midwest Grows Green Kickoff Event of 2018 with the help of Elmhurst Cool Cities Coalition. I’m happy that our last stop for 2018 was in Elmhurst, because in many
natural lawn care
The City of Urbana and Urbana Park District to pilot a chemical free lawn program!
No pesticides, no “Keep off the Grass” signs, and no environmental and health risks. That’s what the future will look like with the new Midwest Grows Green natural lawn care initiative adopted by both the City of Urbana and Urbana Park District this fall. “The City of Urbana strives to keep our community a healthy place
National Honey Bee Day: Save Our Pollinators
MPAC’s Intern Sibyl Pan covers the global decline of bees and how to help our fuzzy friends. With National Honey Bee Day on August 19th fast approaching, we want to celebrate the essential role bees play for the ecosystem and food production. Bees pollinate a third of the food produced by plants, 90 percent of all
Creeping Charlie: How natural lawn care providers control them
MPAC’s Ryan Anderson takes you straight to the experts for managing pesky Creeping Charlie naturally I’ve hosted plenty of MGG Kickoff Events, presented at many community meetings, and attended numerous fairs to know that Creeping Charlie (or Ground Ivy) is a problem. Perhaps the most pervasive weed and the toughest to eradicate. I could refer
Dieting your lawn
Your lawn’s out of shape! MGG’s Ryan Anderson constructs a workout and diet plan for your lawn with help from a soil test. We need to manage our lawn’s soil similar to how one approaches a diet. The best dieters do their research beforehand by weighing themselves, tracking their eating and exercise schedule from weeks
I Spy Green! Seven Kane County retailers eco-label lawn care products this growing season.
The blooming of forsythia shrubs and the sprouting of tree leafs signals the beginning of the lawn care season and the many critical decisions to grow strong, resilient grass this spring. This year, seven retailers in Kane County alleviate the anxiety lawn care may bring by eco-labeling effective organic and natural lawn care products and tools.
Top Ten Reasons Not to Poison Your Lawn
Jean-Marie Kauth, PhD, Associate Professor at Benedictine University, runs down the environmental and health concerns of synthetic lawn pesticides. Dandelions are pretty and edible Dandelions are good food for bees, which are struggling. Pesticides are harmful to wildlife, particularly amphibians. Lawn chemicals are expensive and consume fossil fuels. Pesticides have been shown to cross the placenta
MWRD’s Midwest Grows Green Resolution
The MWRD Board of Commissioners recognized MPAC’s natural lawn care efforts by passing a resolution June 16th A raindrop falls on your lawn. It trickles through the green, entrenched mass, absorbing whichever chemical, fertilizer, and sediment in its way. Jammed full of matter, the droplet jumps into a storm drain and joins the crowd of
Ignore your turf! Worry about the bottom-dwellers (literally)
MGG’s Ryan Anderson covers the amazing life and diversity found in the place you’d least expect: your lawn’s soil. The most bio diverse ecosystem on earth does not reside in the Great Barrier Reef or the Amazon. NO, it lives right in your backyard! Just one cup of soil can contain 200 billion bacteria, 20
Going Natural: The Whys and Hows
Too often, childhood pastimes like playing sports, rolling down a grassy hill, or running barefoot on the lawn bring children into direct contact with dangerous lawn care products like weed-killers and synthetic fertilizers. These chemicals don’t just stay outside; they can be tracked indoors by people and pets where they adhere to carpets, home furnishings,
