By now, you’ve probably heard that many of the harsh chemicals that we spray, wipe, and scrub our homes with are not so good–for us or the planet. But maybe you’re a little fuzzy about why or what you should do to protect yourself and maintain a modicum of cleanliness.
First, here are some reasons why [...]
Founded in 1981, Beyond Pesticides is a non-profit organization devoted to assessing and publicizing the risks of conventional pest management practices and identifying and promoting healthy and environmentally-friendly non-chemical alternatives. Beyond Pesticides provides a wealth of information about pesticides including the Pesticide Gateway, a database of 80+ pesticides, and fact sheets on non-chemical treatments for a range of pests, from ants to rodents to wasps.
If you’d like to eat home-grown veggies but don’t know how or have time to plant your own garden, Green City Growers can build and plant a bed for you. They can also maintain it or teach you how to maintain it yourself. Gardens start at $450, which seems steep, although Green City Growers claims that it would cost less than buying organic at the supermarket or buying at farmer’s markets. Green City Growers also installs gardens for schools and community groups and provides educational programming to teach children and adults about the benefits of sustainable agriculture.
Greenscapes provides organic lawn care and irrigation management services to residential customers in the Greater Boston area. If you are considering switching to an organic lawn care provider and/or would like to make sure that you are watering you lawn and garden only when and as much as you need to, Greenscapes is a great company to consider.
The owner, Frank Knoll, is certified by NOFA (Northest Organic Farming Assocation) as organic lanscape professional and by EPA’s Water Sense Program as an irrigation auditor. Frank knows his stuff and is passionately committed to what he does.
For many observant Jews, the personal meaning and value of kashrut (dietary laws or customs) is connected to the ethical treatment of animals. Now that the veil of secrecy surrounding industrial farming has been lifted, many observers of kashrut are finding it hard to reconcile their personal commitment to kashrut with their knowledge of the inhumane and unsustainable practices of factory farms and slaughter houses that supply kosher meat. And some are choosing sustainably sourced meat over kosher meat.
Fortunately, Boston-area Jews no longer need to forgo observance in order to uphold their commitment to the humane treatment of animals. There is LoKo, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing Boston-area Jews with local, kosher, free-range, humanely raised chicken and meat. LoKo is still just getting off the ground and will be offering chickens beginning at the end of June.
Minuteman Landscaping provides organic landscaping services to residents in the Greater Boston area. In addition to offering organic lawncare, Minuteman also provides organic mosquito and winter moth control. We have used Minuteman at my house for several years and have been extremely happy.
They do not provide irrigation services. If you are interested in outdoor water conservation, you may want to consider Greenscapes.
The Northeast Organic Farming Association is a non-profit, membership organization that supports sustainable agriculture in the Northeast. NOFA MA is one of seven NOFA chapters that provide a variety of services farmers, land care professionals, and consumers. Consumer programs include workshops on topics such as organic gardening, food preservation, and winter gardening. They also publish an organic food buying guide and a list of MA CSAs (CSA stands for community supported agriculture. A CSA supports itself by selling seasonal shares; shareholders pay an upfront fee for a certain amount of farm-grown or raised food each week).
How would you like to feast on homegrown blueberries, raspberries, apples and pears? This may sound like something out a dream, but with the help of Risa Edelstein, a sustainable landscape designer with a strong interest in edible gardens, this dream can come true. Risa provides a wide-range of services including design, installation and maintenance. She also maintains a blog called Garden and the Good Life