“The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least not try to defy them. “
Paul Hawken
There is an adage that has long been associated with sustainability. To paraphrase it….”Sustainable practices come about through the individual actions of caring people.”
Pardon the pun but the entire sustainable organic industry is simply one of the largest ‘grass roots’ movements on the planet.
And like most grass roots movements whose aim it is to help preserve the quality of life on earth, every individual contribution is an important part of the whole.
Unfortunately, the chemical lawn care industry, which dominates the market, started at a time when people simply did not think through the potential risks involved with the widespread use of unsustainable fertilizers and sprays, and the negative effects it has on society.
Back then it was all about pride of ownership. Having a lush green lawn was as much a suburban status symbol as having a big gas-guzzling car in your driveway.
The Time’s They Are A Changin’
The reason I know what I am talking about here is that my company was originally part of the unsustainable chemical-based lawn care industry. And in the beginning we didn’t think much, if at all, about the consequences this would have, both in terms of people and the environment overall.
But I did have my suspicions, and as a result, I began to look deeper into the chemistry that made up all the products I was using on my customers’ lawns.
What I found was that these chemical fertilizers and sprays were genuinely toxic and while they might have been good at controlling weeds, they did little to actually provide soil nutrition or help the grass develop the strength it needed to sustain itself naturally.
The net result for me, was the realization that I was on the wrong side of my chosen industry, and I needed to so something about that.
Enter Stangl’s Enviro Lawn Care
My decision to switch gears, so to speak, and move into a more sustainable business was not something I did lightly.
First of all there was a good deal of education and research (and development) that needed to be done in order to find the right process and products to be used.
Then, and probably more importantly, there was the customer education process. Because so many people out there have for so long taken for granted the fact that chemical fertilizers and weed and insect sprays were just the way things got done and the shortest distance to a beautiful looking lawn.
These people had no idea just how much these fertilizers and sprays were depleting and destroying the life in the soil for nutrients, or how the runoff from these constant applications are affecting water tables and reservoirs which are the source of their drinking water.
People also had no idea of how toxic these fertilizers and chemicals could be to children and pets.
All they knew was what they were told. And that was that if you just keep up a constant program (the chemical treadmill) of applications your lawn will stay green and the weeds under control.
Our Solution
The approach we developed involved the application of our completely natural and certified organic Nature’s Brew that added the quality of life that the soil and plants need, which, in turn, increased infiltration and strengthened and deepened the root systems of the grass.
Once this was happening, the life within the soil will do the work of making and taking nutrients from the weeds, gradually reducing their ability to survive. This will also virtually eliminate the insect pests and disease pressures.
If it sounds incredibly simple, that’s because most great and effective ideas usually are simple ones. It was really just a question of figuring out the science to actualize the theory.
Sustainable Thinking Will Save The Planet
We all, as residents of this planet, have a responsibility to treat it with the kind of respect it deserves, especially when you consider how much it has actually given to us.
If you have a choice between a sustainable solution that takes a little longer to work but eventually makes your lawn self-sustaining or a chemical solution that has all kinds of negatives and basically never ends, I sincerely believe that the choice here is a complete no-brainer.
Michael Stangl