Studies show that gardening, listening to birds, and connecting with nature provide a whole host of health benefits—reducing stress, improving memory, and lowering blood pressure, glucose, and even cholesterol. Nature just makes us feel better. We can attest. It’s instinctive. Just watch any child chase a butterfly or smell a flower. But the way we care for our landscapes can negate these benefits—and cause us a lot of harm in the process.
When we use pesticides in our yards, we expose ourselves and our loved ones (our children, our pets!) to toxic chemicals that can cause diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. Pesticide use has also been linked to endocrine disruption, birth defects, and blood disorders. Plus, these chemicals kill the very insects that birds depend on to survive. No insects, no birds, no health benefits for us. Pesticides and fertilizers also seep into our waterways, like Georgica Pond, contributing to harmful algal blooms and damaging aquatic life. Residential lawns alone can have up to 10-times the amount of pesticides used per acre as on farmland. Fertilizer is the second highest contributor of nitrogen in Georgica Pond. But here’s the thing: You don’t need pesticides and fertilizers to have a beautiful yard. There is a simple and fulfilling alternative: nature-based gardening. It will change your world—for the better.
Perfect Earth Project offers free eco site visits, which is supported in part by Peconic Land Trust, to help homeowners on the South Fork get started. An expert from the Perfect Earth team will walk your property with you and talk to you about what you’re growing, how you’re caring for your landscape, what you can do to make it thrive without chemicals. They’ll then follow up with a detailed plan of action—all for free! As one site visit participant recently shared, “The visit has changed everything for me. I really understand now what changes can be made. It was all a bit daunting trying to figure it out on my own. Having the site report provides me with a detailed plan that I can figure out myself.” When you work with, not against nature, you’ll say ‘no’ to noise and poison and ‘yes’ to health, beauty, and happiness.
Help the pond. Help yourself. Help the planet.
Photos courtesy of Perfect Earth Project