• There’s no need to wait until Earth Day on April 22 to start celebrating our planet and becoming more engaged in taking care of its precious resources. This article is part of a series of tips on how to “go green†in Kane County — 15 in all, one for every business day before Earth Day. Use them to tap into your inner eco-mindfulness and let your green spirit shine brighter than ever!
• This article was contributed by Hannah Potter from the Kane County Health Department, on behalf of the Healthy Places Coalition

Tip #12 — Green Up Your Lawn Care!

As the spring weather kicks in, so does the beginning of lawn care responsibilities for many of us in Kane County, IL.

Residents of Kane County are pledging to Keep ON the Grass and choose eco-friendly lawn care products. If you’re unsure what you could use, check out the various local lawn care services. Doing so keeps their pets, children, and homes healthier. Join by taking the pledge for Midwest Grows Green here.

According to the National Gardening Association, 75 percent of U.S. households take care of their own lawn and garden. If you don’t fall within this percentage, maybe knowing that there are many lawn care companies out there who can make looking after your garden a lot less stressful may give you the push to use their services. Plus, knowing that some of them have implemented a jobber alternative means that their customers are their top priority. Why not make some greener choices in your lawn care routine this year, reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides so that it’s safer for your kids and pets to Keep ON the Grass? Specialist lawn care companies will be able to advise you on this.

This year the Kane County Healthy Places Coalition is partnering with Midwest Pesticide Action Center to help Kane residents create healthier homes.

Under this partnership, seven retailers in Kane County have enrolled in MPAC’s Midwest Grows Green program for the first time. This program is designed to help participating retailers with the promotion and sale of organic, eco-friendly lawn and landscape care products (read a full press release about this partnership here).

Check out displays at these stores to learn about the program and join the effort of protecting the environment and your family’s health:

Just look for the Midwest Grows Green label to identify green product options at these retailers.

Information on alternative lawn maintenance practices, natural weed control and fertilization, composting, grass cycling, and the use of electric tools will be available at these locations.

Midwest Pesticide Action Center works to implement long-term policy changes and to develop innovative, model programs for indoor and outdoor pesticide use reduction. For more information visit www.midwestpesticideaction.org.

For more information about the Kane County Healthy Places Coalition visit http://kanehealth.com/healthy_places.htm or call Terry Roman at the Kane County Health Department at 630-264-7670.

Read the Countdown to Earth Day Series!

• Countdown to Earth Day Tip #15 — Join the Fun
• Tip #14 – Go Native in Your Back Yard!
• Tip #13 — Capture the Rain!