Think twice (and hard) before using Roundup

Female swallowtail on Joe Pye weed (Naomi Sachs)

I love my fair city of Beacon, NY, but sometimes our little local newspaper, the Beacon Free Press, gets me down. This week, the garden column featured a long article about the benefits of the herbicide Roundup. This mentality elicits in me a combination of sadness and anger. 'I don't have time to respond to this, just let it go,' I thought, but here I am, several hours later, with a draft of the letter I'm going to send to the Beacon Free Press, with fingers crossed that they'll print it in full. As an aside, this is also a testament to Facebook and Twitter. When I did decide to write something, I put the word out in both places for help with building my case. Within 24 hours I had received over ten responses, more than enough for me to write my letter with solid research rather than just my own personal feelings. So, here it is. Feel free to share and comment!

Think twice (and hard) before using Roundup

I would like to respond to Mark Adams’ “Get Growing” column from August 4^th (“Special advice for dealing with overwhelming weeding issues”). Roundup is a poison. That's how it kills weeds! This herbicide is harmful to animals (including us), to our groundwater, and even to our gardens (more on this in a minute). Monsanto claims that Roundup is "as safe as table salt," but there is plenty of evidence to the contrary.

The active ingredient in Roundup is glyphosate, which has been found to be toxic to animals, including humans. Noticeable symptoms include eye and skin irritation, headache, nausea, numbness, elevated blood pressure, and heart palpitations. But wait, there’s more!

A new study in the respected journal Toxicology has shown that, at low levels that are currently legal on our food, Roundup could cause DNA damage, endocrine disruption and cell death (specifically embryonic, placental, and umbilical cord cells). The study shows that glyphosate-based herbicides are toxic to human reproductive cells. The potential real-life risks from this are infertility, low sperm count, and prostate or testicular cancer (so make sure to get yourself tested annually, Mr. Adams!). Exposure is associated with an increased risk of miscarriages, premature birth, and the cancer non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Recent studies have also found that Roundup’s inert ingredients – solvents, preservatives, and surfactants - are hazardous when combined with glyphosate. In other words, Roundup’s inert ingredients amplify its active ingredient’s toxic effect, especially at the cellular level.

Even New York State’s Attorney General isn’t so sure about Roundup. They sued Monsanto for claiming that the herbicide is "safe" and "environmentally friendly." This suit ended in a settlement, with Monsanto agreeing to cease and desist from using these terms to advertise Roundup in our state. Although Monsanto did not admit to any wrongdoing, they paid the state of New York $250,000 in settlement of this suit. When Monsanto violated the first settlement agreement by advertising within New York that Roundup is "safe," a second agreement was negotiated (see http://www.naturescountrystore.com/roundup/index.html).

Roundup, especially when used regularly, in large quantities, or incorrectly, is harmful to humans and to pets, to wildlife, to our groundwater, and even to our gardens! Yes, Roundup changes the pH of the soil, kills earthworms, and makes the plants we do want (flowers, shrubs, vegetables, etc.) less resistant to diseases and pests.

As both a landscape designer and an avid gardener, I understand the frustration with weeds growing where you don't want them. Roundup is, indeed, an effective herbicide, but especially for home gardeners who may not be aware of its harmful effects and best practices when applying, I urge people to err on the side of safety first. Weeding is just another part of gardening (and it’s good exercise!); mulch makes an effective weed barrier while also nourishing soil and keeping plants from drying out; white vinegar applied to weeds is a much less toxic solution. These are just a few of the many safer alternatives (for more, see http://www.beyondpesticides.org). Your family, your pets, the birds and butterflies, the water you drink, and your neighbors will all thank you!

Articles referred to for this letter:

http://www.naturescountrystore.com/roundup/index.html
http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/Roundup-Glyphosate-Factsheet-Cox.html
http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=463&bhcd2=1281192415
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/Roundup-Weed-Killer-Toxicity.aspx
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/roundup-weed-killer-is-toxic-to-human-cells.-study-intensifies-debate-over-inert-ingredients

Naomi Sachs, ASLA
Beacon, NY
Principal, Naomi Sachs Design
Founder & Director, Therapeutic Landscapes Network

Of the Sensual World

Loveliest of what I leave behind is the sunlight:

and loveliest after that the shining stars,

and the moon's face,

but also cucumbers that are ripe,

and pears, and apples.

- Praxilla of Sicyon (Greek poet 5th Century B.C.E.)

Honest Scrap Awards

I've been "it" (not as in the "it" girl, but as in "tag, you're it!") for over a month since Jenny Peterson tagged me for Dan Eskelson's brainchild, The Honest Scrap Awards. I figure it's high time I get to my duties. So, in no particular order, ten truths about myself that people wouldn't learn from my blog or twitter:

1. The first is that this is my other blog! I mostly communicate through the blog of the the Therapeutic Landscapes Network, of which I'm the founder and director. Since that's the vehicle for the TLN, I don't feel comfortable posting personal stuff there. Luckily I just happen to have this other blog in my back pocket...

2. I live in a converted gymnasium. It was built in 1900 for a private boys' school, and it's brick with shiny wood floors. I work in a small building in the garden, which you can see some pictures of on my design website.

3. I work as a museum guide at Dia:Beacon, a large, beautiful art museum. I take people on tours and try to get them to be as excited about the work as I am.

4. I'm not great with indoor plants. My husband is. When the rosemary is outside in the garden, I take care of her. When we bring her inside for the winter (zone 5), J. takes over until spring.

5. I love snorkeling. I haven't been somewhere warm and snorkle-able in a very, very long time. There is this whole other world under water, and when I can be not terrified of sharks and other large swimming creatures with big sharp teeth long enough to enjoy it, I am just absolutely enchanted.

6. I do not have a favorite color.

7. Even though I'm a big advocate for spending time in the garden "doing nothing" - just being, taking in the light and sounds and smells and other sensations - I'm not very good at it, especially in my own garden. I sit still for a few minutes, then I notice something that should be weeded or pruned or moved...

8. My profile picture is six or seven years old. I think I look pretty much the same, at least from that distance and at that scale, but like Lisa Gustavson, I'm not wild about having my picture taken. Still, getting a more recent picture of me is on my to do list. Promise!

9. I love Hostess desserts. I don't indulge very often, but every once in awhile, I can't resist the temptation of the Hostess Cupcake (chocolate), or Ring Ding, or Yodel. I draw that line at Snowballs and Twinkies, though. Those are just wrong.

10. I love jigsaw puzzles. It's become a yearly tradition that I get one or two for Chrismukkah. Puzzles teach me a lot about how I want to live: Work patiently; look at things from more than one angle; take a break and then look again. Also, unlike real life, with puzzles - assuming all of the pieces are there - everything fits neatly together in the end. I find this comforting. I also like the impermanence of puzzles: I put it all together, make it whole, leave it there for a few days, and then take it apart and give it to someone else to enjoy.

And now, I get to tag seven more people for this illustrious award. The magic wand is now passed to:

1. Andrew Keys, of Oakleaf Green

2. Bethe Almeras, the fabulous Grass Stain Guru

3. Alana at Momku, because I want to see her make this into a Haiku. Or she can use her blog, LetterB.

4. Liz McLellan at Hyperlocavore.

5. Stevie at GardenTherapy

6. Christina Salwitz, or Arcadia1, the indomitable (and why would you want to try?) Garden Coach.

7. The Shibaguyz!

Enjoy!

May

Things were in full swing in May. But I still took time to photograph - and more importantly, smell - the snowbells (Styrax japonica) that bloom outside of the guest apartment window. This tree also happens to be between the door of the house and the door of my studio (which is in the garden), strategically planted in that location so that when I walk by, the wafting fragrance forces me to stop, bury my nose in the blossoms (watching out for bumble bees) and get a little tipsy from the sweet scent. Delight.

April: Serviceberries in Bloom

One of my favorite things about our garden is our five serviceberries that we planted in our rain garden. A rain garden is a small detention pond that catches runoff, in this case from our roof, and holds it there while the water slowly seeps into the ground rather than flooding our neighbors:

I have written several posts on the Therapeutic Landscapes Network Blog about these trees, including one called "Serviceberries Make Me Happy." And they do. They flower early, with delicate white blossoms that only last for about a week or so. The leaves emerge soft and downy, like little pale green rabbit's ears.

Faulty camera

My camera started misbehaving in April. Early on, if it was acting up I could just shake it or wait a couple of minutes and it would calm down and take normal pictures again. This is our front yard, with the coral maple all bright spring green and the white redbud (yes, I know, funny name) blooming in the background. The sculpture is by our friend Eric Tillingast.

After awhile the shaking and waiting didn't work and I thought my camera was dead. Luckily (sort of), Canon was very nice and they fixed it, cleaned it, and sent it back to me. So much for my excuse to buy a new camera...

Hudson Valley Light

People are always going on about the Hudson Valley light. Having moved from Santa Fe, New Mexico, another place known for its enchanting light, this one aspect of the area doesn't usually strike me. But on this day in February, close to sunset, the light really was pink. This is not my faulty camera (I know you won't believe me when you see the next post, but it's really true!); the light was pink and made everything else pink as well. It's a terrible picture, but at least you see the light, and our witch hazel in bloom.