Last night on a bit of a whim, Deb and I attended a showing of “A Chemical Reaction” up in South Portland, Maine.  We were able to send the kids down to Grammy’s and were looking forward to spending a few hours together, even if in the confines of a comfortable silence during a two hour car ride.

The event was being put on by a couple of groups in the Portland area who have been working hard to protect our environment from the perils of chemicals.  I was happy to be able to meet Mary Cerullo of “Freinds of Casco Bay” with whom I’ve chatted on the phone a few times.  I also ran into several other acquaintances, one being Bob Berger, who has almost perfected a system that analyzes home lawns for pesticide residues.  The event was also sponsored by “Green South Portland” and “The South Portland Land Trust.”  I guess when you scratch the surface, just about anywhere you can find a healthy and active movement to reform the way we treat our lawns.  Congratulations to those who put on a great event.

The event itself was fairly typical of many of the events I’ve attended before, especially during screenings of “A Chemical Reaction.”   A group of concerned citizens getting together to educate themselves about an important issue that they truly care about.  There is always a question and answer period after the movie and the typical questions usually revolve around compost, Japanese Beetles and drought stress.  I enjoy answering the questions and it’s always fun to meet new people.  This event, however, had a very important turning point in what I believe at it’s core is an argument that really isn’t even worth having.  About halfway through the question and answer period a gentleman stood up and instead of asking a question about how to kill grubs he somewhat tentatively went into an unrehearsed soliloquy about his job as head of sports turf management for the City of South Portland.  It was the first time I had heard of or seen Rick Perruzzi, but I could tell right away that he was, more than anything, just a “lawn guy.”  He looked like a “lawn guy,” sounded like a “lawn guy” and was just like plenty of other hard working “lawn guys” I know of that for some reason get involved with the industry, learn the trade and dedicate their professional lives to making grass look nice.

What was truly inspiring, at least to me, about Ricks five minute description of his practices at The Wainwright Recreation Complex wasn’t the fact that he’s been using strict organic methods for a few years.  What caught me a little bit off guard was the fact that this lawn guy was having a little bit of a coming out in front of a crowd and the crowd, including the moderators were almost completely taken off guard.  Here was a group of people coming together to promote safe lawn care in their neighborhoods and little did they know that their movement already had a true leader right in their own backyard.  Rick and his staff has been making a big time difference on city land and he should be applauded for his actions.

Here is the best part and the part that everybody needs to know about.  Rick treats his fields organically.  He treats them without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.  He probably does it partially because he believes that many chemical lawn care products are dangerous to the people who use his fields and he knows that chemical fertilizers will leach into his water, exactly what the “Friends of Casco Bay” want you to know.  But what most everybody needs to know is that the main reason Rick treats his fields this way is because it really works.  It really actually works and it isn’t terribly difficult to do either.  In fact, I’ll bet Rick would tell you that it’s just as easy as blasting the turf with chemical fertilizers and pesticides seven times a year.  I bet he’d even go a step further and tell you that the cost associated with maintaining his fields organically is similar, if not less than doing it with chemicals.  This is what I mean about the fact that we are all in the midst of an argument that isn’t even worth having.  Sure, activists  are always interested in a crusade and dinosaurs are always interested in selfishly preserving the status quo but when it comes to the health of our families and the environment, is it really worth the time spent?

I didn’t get a chance to talk to Rick after the event but I wanted to say publicly, “Thank you Rick.  Keep up the good work even if it is just second nature to you!”  I want to congratulate you on substance over symbol and I want to acknowledge the fact that caring for turf without the use of chemical fertilizers and dangerous pesticides is truly becoming the norm, especially all over the Greater Portland area!!!!!