Chicago Botanic Gardens

Every outing with Bub that doesn’t involve a panic attack I consider a win. Today was another win for me. We spent the afternoon at the Chicago Botanic Gardens, which were absolutely beautiful. I’m sure they use pesticides and herbicides to maintain the gardens. A year ago, I would have inquired before visiting to confirm if they used harmful chemicals. And if they did, they were blacklisted. Today, I assumed they did and took my child there anyway. Who am I anymore?

Of course, pesticides and herbicides still anger and trigger me. I was still on my guard while walking around the gardens, trying to do my grounding exercises when Bub walked on the grass, holding my breath when he stopped to smell the flowers, panicking any time I saw a little flag in the ground. Walking through the maze of parking lots to get to the main entrance made me nervous, worried a car would drive by that would fill our air with exhaust.

I did my best to remind myself that some exposure is good for him and that I would remove him if I felt like he was in danger. I focused on the beautiful weather and being as present as possible. What I experienced in return was priceless. Bub loved the model railroad so much that we walked through it twice. He did a good job listening to me when I told him not to touch the gardening tools on display but tried to snap off a little pumpkin from the vegetable garden. While he liked smelling the concord grapes ripening over the arbor we walked under, he mostly liked chucking the grapes that had fallen. He was more interested in throwing rocks into the fountains than the gorgeous blooms around us. He is a ball of energy these days and it was glorious to let him run around in the sunshine. It’s a gift to be able to spend one of the last warm days of the year outside. We stayed longer than expected, a full three hours, and nearly avoided the only tragedy of the day: running out of snacks.

I’m learning that it is possible to feel a sense of peace in letting go of over-planning and over-analyzing. Perhaps every now and then, stopping to smell the roses is more important than worrying what might be on them.

Mom on a Mission

The smell of sweet grass in the morning. The crunch of grass under bare feet on a hot summer day. To walk and play freely in the grass, to not worry whether you’re stepping on carcinogenic chemicals, that’s how the world should be. That’s the world our children deserve.

But instead, we live in a country where homeowners are obsessed with weed-free, perfectly manicured lawns. So much so that they’re willing to pay companies like TruGreen to spray toxic chemicals and they’re willing to use Roundup to remove dandelions.

Here’s the irony: dandelions are actually quite nutritious and a small bunch of organic dandelion greens costs $2.99 at the store when we could get them for free in our very own yards.

We are killing ourselves purely for aesthetics and it’s infuriating.

The Truth about TruGreen

I didn’t realize how prevalent pesticide use was until I had a baby and I started caring about what he was exposed to. My stomach drops every time I see a pesticide application sign at the park or in someone’s yard. I wonder why people think TruGreen is safe, why they continue to pay for it. I wonder how we got to this place in society that feels so backwards and wrong.

TruGreen says the drying process of their pesticide application takes 1-2 hours but the truth is, studies have shown that these chemicals are traceable several days later and that they run off into our water and drift into our air. Pesticide drift is real.

Here’s the truth about TruGreen:

• 53% of TruGreen’s products include ingredients that are possible carcinogens.

• 41% of TruGreen’s products include ingredients that are banned or restricted in other countries.

• 34% of TruGreen’s products include ingredients that are known or suspected endocrine disruptors.

• 28% of TruGreen products include ingredients that are known or suspected reproductive toxins.

• 100% of TruGreen’s products include ingredients that threaten our environment, including our water supplies.

• 0% of TruGreen’s pesticide application signs provide the exact time the lawn was sprayed, putting any human or animal at risk of touching the lawn before it’s dry. Also, birds and bunnies can’t read so how are they supposed to know the lawn is unsafe? There’s nothing stopping a squirrel from scampering through your neighbor’s TruGreen lawn and then into yours.

In 2020, a lawsuit against TruGreen was brought up to the Superior Court of DC.

TruGreen and Roundup both contain the weed killer, glyphosate. Last month, Bayer (the maker of Roundup) reached a $2 billion settlement to resolve around 125,000 claims that Roundup caused non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Be the Change

The facts and cases against pesticides/herbicides/insecticides are mounting. A recent study found that even pesticides (e.g. DDT) banned over 20 years ago continue to show up in areas we least expect it, like nature preserves. These forever chemicals will outlive us. The damage has been done but we can stop the bleeding.

On the bright side, municipalities are slowly coming around to banning pesticides on city property - cities like Evanston, IL. Organizations like The Detox Project and Beyond Pesticides are promoting transparency and empowering individuals to create change. Companies like Sunday and Lawnbox are offering safer alternatives.

Here’s how you can help raise awareness:

1. Educate yourself on your city’s pest control and pesticide use. Pesticides can be found everywhere - in cities, suburbs, and rural areas.

2. Write to your state/municipality/HOA/block about safer pesticide use, banning pesticides altogether or at the very least, providing a schedule of when pesticides will be used. Here are letter/flyer/brochure templates you can leverage.

3. Sign the petition to demand that TruGreen switch to a non-toxic formula: www.change.org/bantrugreen.

4. Make “pesticide-free” or “ban TruGreen” signs for your lawn to raise awareness with neighbors and to let them know they can walk safely on your grass.

I often feel like an army of one challenging old ways of doing things. Or, that I’m sounding the alarm but no one wants to be inconvenienced. What keeps me going is knowing that the work I do to create a safer world for my loved ones is the most meaningful work I can do.

“A poison is a poison is a poison.”