Boston Flora

Tag: Beyond Pesticides

  • Friday, January 11, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm – Organic Lawn and Turf Day

    The NOFA/Mass Organic Land Care Program is pleased to present this one-day intensive workshop on organic turf management on Friday, January 11, from 8:30 – 4:30 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston, Massachusetts.

    The 2013 Organic Lawn and Turf Day begins with an overview of the cultural practices for establishing a successful organic turf system, and then moves into a more in-depth look at technical specifics of fertilization and product inputs. We will close out the day with a discussion of the direction of the organic lawn care market, and a Q&A with a panel of Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals currently offering lawn care services.

    Speakers include:

    Chip Osborne is an AOLCP, the President of Osborne Organics and Chairman of the Marblehead, MA Recreation and Parks Department. Chip is one of the country’s leading experts on organic turf grass management. His current projects include consulting with the National Parks Service to pilot organic turf systems in 9 different parks. He serves on the Advisory Committee for the NOFA Organic Land Care Program and on as a board member for the non-profit organization, Beyond Pesticides.

    Mary Owen is the Turf Program Coordinator for the UMASS Lawn and Turf Extension as well as a Turf Extension Specialist. She is a regular lecturer for the Green School, a founding member of the New England Sports Turf Managers Association, and an educational leader in both the Massachusetts Association of Lawn Care Professionals and the New England Regional Turfgrass Foundation.

    Fred Newcombe is an AOLCP and the President of PJC Ecological, an organic landscaping company- turned natural fertilizer supplier, where he oversees product research and development as well as providing consulting services and lectures on the topic of ecological land care. He is also a former Vice President of the NOFA/Mass Board of Directors.

    Who Should Attend?  Municipal, Campus, and Grounds staff – Parks & Recreation personnel – Public Works staff – Elected officials – Landscaping company owners and employees.  You may register online at http://www.nofamass.org/programs/organic-land-care-program#.UNR4obakAz5 or call Caro Roszell at 508-360-0874.

  • Friday and Saturday, March 30 – 31 – Thirtieth National Pesticide Forum

    The 30th National Pesticide Forum, Healthy Communities: Green Solutions for Safe Environments, will be held March 30-31, 2012 at Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. The conference will focus on organic land care, urban/ suburban pesticide use, organic food, and protective national, state, and local policies. The conference is convened by Beyond Pesticides, Environment and Human Health, Inc., the Watershed Partnership, Inc., and co-sponsored by local, state and regional public health and environmental organizations.

    Sessions will be held in the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies’ Kroon Hall. This sustainable building is a showcase of the latest developments in green building technology, a healthy and supportive environment for work and study, and a beautiful building that actively connects those who use it with the natural world.

    More details and registration information is available on the National Pesticide Forum webpage, www.beyondpesticides.org.  Students $15, members $35, nonmembers $75, businesses $175.