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Are We Missing Something?
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If you have any stories, articles, notices or suggestions for this newsletter let us know! email akremser@ctnofa.org
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Watersense Releases Landscape Water Budget Tool! |
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Determine:
-The amount of water the designed landscape is allowed based on EPA criteria
-How much water the designed landscape requires based on climate, plant type, and irrigation system efficiency
-Whether the designed landscape meets the budgeted amount.
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DEADLINE for Reaccreditation
January 1st 2009!
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Many of you have earned your Continuing Education Credits but have not sent in your Reaccreditation fee. Please note this fee is due on January 1st. All payments made after that date are subject to a $25 late fee!
NEW! PAY YOUR ACCREDITATION FEE ONLINE. Click here!
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2009 OLC Guide: Call for Photos & Articles!
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Last year, Laurie Waite of Laurel Garden Designs submitted the photo
that was selected for the cover of the 2008 printed OLC guide. This
year it can be you! We are officially accepting both photos and
articles for the 2009 printed Guide to Organic Land Care!
We
highly encourage photographs of landscapes with native plants and watch out for those invasives! The winning photograph will be decided on by a vote of the Organic Land Care committee.
 We are also accepting articles for the Guide. The Guide is geared towards homeowners so please keep that in mind as you write.
Any article having to do with soil, wildlife, landscaping, edibles or any other land care related topic is welcome and subject to review of the OLC committee.
Your photo can be on the cover!
Please send all submissions to akremser@ctnofa.org by mid February!
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OLC T-SHIRTS & 'BUMPER STICKER' MAGNETS!
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The Organic Land Care Program is now selling merchandise!
T-SHIRTS
The T-shirts are made out of undyed, organic cotton! The "Naturally Beautiful" logo is displayed on the back in green & yellow and smaller on the front in green only. The t-shirts are available for sale. They come in sizes Small to Extra-Large and are only $20.00 each!
MAGNETS
We are also selling 'bumper sticker' magnets to our AOLCPs! They are 8 inches by 5 inches and depict the Accredited Professional Logo! The magnets are only $5.00 each.
To order call the CT NOFA office at 203-888-5146!
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Michael Nadeau Honored by NEWFS
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Michael Nadeau, co-owner of Plantscapes Inc., was recently awarded The Connecticut State Award for Conserving Nat  ive Plants and their Habitats by the New England Wildflower Society (NEWFS). This prestigious award was given to Nadeau for educating the public about organic landscaping methods, designing with natives, and the dangers of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers through his work with NOFA, ELA, and Plantscapes Organics. In presenting the award, the New England Wildflower Society noted Nadeau as an articulate practitioner of organic methods and an educator in his industry on the dangers of chemicals and the value of organic landscaping. He is also a founding member of the NOFA OLC program, an annual instructor at the NOFA 5-day courses and Lawn & Turf courses, as well as help author both the NOFA Standards for Organic Land Care and the NOFA Organic Lawn & Turf Handbook.Download the press release in its entirety |
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Letter to the Editor: Home Depot?
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Thank you to those who expressed concern about the Home
Depot information that appeared in our last newsletter. The article was not meant to be an endorsement of Home Depot or their products; it was
meant as commentary on how consumer demand for organics continues to grow,
especially in the Northeast.
While NOFA staff inserted the article as a point of information only, our
readers correctly pointed out that consumers need to be further educated on the meaning of organic and that running out to buy and apply a bag of organic fertilizer does not equate to an organic approach to caring for your lawn or garden.
In response, we would also like to direct our readers to a list of local suppliers of organic products. Stores listed here are likely to carry a mix of organic and non-organic products.
You can help us build this list by adding to it! Send an email to akremser@ctnofa.org and write "Organic Sources List" in the subject line. 
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Dear NOFA OLC,
I found it odd that you would advertise that Home Depot is going to be carrying
organic fertilizer as it goes against everything one would hear at a NOFA
event/course about buying from local farmers & local distributors. It's pretty much a known fact that Home Depot doesn't
treat their employees well and is a prime example of a corporation moving into
the area and taking business away from local operations because they can offer
materials & services at such a lower price because of the volume they sell
and the buying power it gives them.
Click here for the complete letter.
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Get Involved! Volunteer Opportunities
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Help Make the OLC Program Accessible to Everyone!
Although
Spanish- and Portuguese- speaking immigrants make up a large percentage
of the profession they are underrepresented in our organic land care
courses. To actively engage this group we propose to:
- Translate, print, and distribute our training materials
- Engage in both extensive outreach and individualized support
- Network with immigrant business resources
- Seek scholarship grants to defray course fees.
Volunteers Needed at NE Grows!
Volunteers are needed at the NOFA Organic Land Care Program's booth, #2675, at New England Grows! If you are registered to attend New England Grows, one of the largest and most popular green industry events in North America (www.negrows.org) taking place at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center from Feb. 4-6, 2009, and would like to volunteer a couple of hours, please contact Kathy Litchfield (413-773-3830 or kathylitch29@yahoo.com) to sign up! This is the third year NOFA has co-sponsored New England Grows, and we'd love to encourage YOU to get more involved with the program.
Volunteers (you MUST be registered and paid to attend NE Grows in order to volunteer) are needed for the following times:
Wednesday, February 4th
11 a.m. (help set up) to 2 p.m.
2-5 p.m.
Thursday, February 5th
8 - 11 a.m.
11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
2 - 5 p.m.
Friday, February 6th
8-11 a.m.
11-2:30 p.m. (help pack up)
The NOFA OLC Program will also be holding a special meeting, "Q&A with NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals" on Thursday, Feb. 5th from 10 to 11 a.m. in Room 204B. You must be registered and paid to attend NE Grows in order to participate in this panel.
If you have at least five (5) years of experience in organic land care and your accreditation is up-to-date, you are invited to participate on the panel. Seats will be awarded on a first come, first served basis. Panel participation counts for two (2) re-accreditation credits for 2009. Please contact Kathy Litchfield (kathylitch29@yahoo.com or 413-773-3830) to request participation.
Also, lots of good questions and input from the public will be essential to the panel's success! If you don't want to or cannot serve on the panel, come with your questions and bring some colleagues and friends! Thanks so much and we hope to see you there!
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NOFA and AOLCPs in the News...
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Turf Magazine - "A landscape company takes an organic approach"
October 2008: Grand News: The Eastside Neighbor Paper - "Grant to Help with School Pesticide Ban"
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Also of Interest...
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Organic Baseball Fields - Multi year organic project in Branford, CT is paying off
CT Garden & Landscape Trail - This new project will help show consumers the path to Connecticut's garden centers, nurseries, greenhouses, and landscapers.
More Info Needed? - New Canaan, CT feels more information is needed on CT pesticide ban
The End of rBGH? - Monsanto Announces Its Exit From the
Growth Hormone Business
How Green is Golf? - An excellent article on golf courses & the environment |
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Letter to the Editor cont., |
I would think that NOFA would never want to
have its name even associated with Home Depot whatsoever. On the other hand, I
understand that you are trying to spread the word and make it easier for
everyday homeowners to purchase organic materials. At what cost though because
all they are really doing is feeding the machine that is Home Depot which is
basically the Wal-Mart of the trades industry. I'm sure Home Depot doesn't give a
damn whether customers purchase organics materials or whether they are
purchasing chemicals. Whatever is going to make more money for Home Depot is all
that matters to them and that is a fact. I don't think it's a problem for them
to sell organic materials but I think maybe people should discover that
themselves rather than having an organization such as NOFA, which is known for
promoting buying from your local farm.
I found this very strange as did other people in our office. We
actually all brought it up because its seemed odd that NOFA would
advertise this. Also, for those companies that apply nothing but
chemicals they can now run down to a Home Depot a buy a bag of organic
fertilizer and call themselves "organic". It then hurts companies who
only buy from local sources & local farms compete with their
material prices. We actually always tell customers being "organic" is a
lot more than running down to Home Depot and buying a bag that says
natural or organic on the bag.
What could now happen is we will now
have all kinds of companies cropping up and offering an organic program without
taking a NOFA course or without any prior knowledge of organics whatsoever
because they now can simply run down to Home Depot pay for a bag and now they
are "organic". I feel like this is cheapening the whole organic movement. If it
gets around Home Depot is selling organics I think the NOFA program will suffer
greatly because no one will need to take the courses because they can just run
down to Home Depot and read the back of the bag. For those of us offering a true
organic program that will diminish what we are all about.
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