15. January 2010 by Carol Whitaker.

Green Washing is a term which explains much of what is going on today in industry with relationship to our environment. Often products and practices are touted as green when in actuality they are detrimental to the environment often due to the pollution they contribute to or the pollution caused by the way they are produced.

Some fertilizers and other garden products, such as some mulches, are produced using hazardous wastes in dangerous quantities and this practice is encouraged by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Industry and the EPA call this Recycling. And we all know that recycling is good right.

Not so in this case. This is a dangerous practice.

To read more about it, click on the link to New York Times Fertilizer Articles by Duff Wilson here at the blog.

Though this practice was uncovered over a decade ago, it continues today.

Knowing about this practice empowers homeowners and gardeners to change the way they garden, and allows us to understand how our gardening practices could be harming our living landscape. We can begin to change the way we garden and look for Green solutions. As a landscaper, I no longer recommend granular fertilizers and build soil quality through amendments and organic products and practices which I will discuss further soon.

I want to hear your thoughts and ideas about what you read here, and would like to know what you are doing to keep your living landscape Green.

Posted in Sustainability Issues | No Comments »

15. January 2010 by Carol Whitaker.

Drinking water at Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale has lead levels higher than allowed by EPA regulations according to a letter issued by the powers that be, to at least one business in the vicinity of Port Everglades.

Though I have not received a similar letter and live in the area, I fear that my drinking water may be from this facility.

I have phoned Port Everglades and the Broward County Board of Commissioners to make some inquiries and share the information, and both offices are closed. One message says the offices are closed as an unpaid furlough day due to budget issues. The other message says please call back during office hours despite the fact that this is Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 3:15 p.m.

As I don’t have home numbers of these officials, I have made some contacts to ask that this be investigated so we can learn more about the danger that lurks in our water supply and who is affected.

Channel 7 - WSVN, Sun Sentinel and Broward edition of the New Times have been given a heads up. Watch them to see if they offer up the details.
Stand by for more. I will follow up as I learn more.

Posted in Breaking Environmental News | 1 Comment »