By the Bronxville Green Committee

May 10, 2023: Have you seen the new “Healthy Yard Toxic Free” signs on Village Hall’s lawn?!

These signs tell us that our local government has committed to maintaining public landscapes without chemical pesticides. The Bronxville Department of Public Works, which maintains public property in Bronxville, has been maintaining Village property without chemicals for many years – a shining example of how chemical treatments are not needed for beautiful results.

You can break the pattern of “landscaping as usual” on your own property by making a call to your landscape maintenance company and asking for more environmentally friendly treatments for your property. “Organic” treatments are available and effective!

If you pledge to eliminate routine chemical treatments to your lawn, please contact us and we will provide a “Healthy Yard Toxic Free” sign to show that you’ve joined our Village and the thousands of residents in Westchester who are choosing to have healthy yards.

Why is this important?

Residents of Westchester dump millions of pounds of chemical fertilizers and pesticides on their yards each year, with negative health effects for our environment and ourselves. These negative impacts include:

-Kills high percentages of beneficial insects

-Linked to canine cancers

-Damages soil health and kills natural predators

-Run-off of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus harms steams and ponds

-Leads to toxic algal blooms in waterways, which kill aquatic life and are a danger to humans

-Encourages plant growth but creates weaker root systems; used long-term, they weaken plants

Looking for other ways to improve the health of your lawn this year?

Join the No Mow May Movement – or, if an entire month without mowing is too daunting, simply mow less often, every other week with a high blade!

By mowing less often, your lawn can become stronger and more resilient to drought. It won’t require as much watering. Not mowing for a month means you’ll also get some flowers, like dandelions and clovers, which are good for your lawn! Dandelions have deep taproots that can help loosen and aerate hard-packed soil, providing essential oxygen.  Clover restores nitrogen to the soil, serving as natural fertilizer. The flowers of both plants provide nectar for local pollinator populations at a time of year when food sources are in short supply. Finally, less mowing equals less air pollution!

Learn More…

Sign up for the excellent, super informative newsletter provided by Healthy Yards Westchester, funded by Bedford2030. 

And check out our website or follow us on Instagram @bxvgreencommittee.

The Bronxville Green Committee is a volunteer organization that is part of the Village of Bronxville. We work to propose and implement environmentally sustainable programs in our community.