Why is Lakewood Spraying Chemicals in Their Parks?

Today while taking my son on a walk I decided to stop at Edward's Park in Lakewood to let him play. As I pushed the stroller to the park entrance I noticed some little white signs in the lawn saying "Keep Off -- Lawn Chemical Application."

I did a double-take. Lawn chemical application? Signs showing no kids or pets allowed on the grass? In a park?

The park reeked of toxins. I felt sick. And we immediately left.

Why is Lakewood doing this? Why do they feel the need to spray toxic chemicals in a park? Do they really expect kids to stay off the grass in a park? Do they know of any consequences of simply inhaling this chemical concoction?

I'd like to find the Park Dept.'s stance on using chemicals. Do all parks allow this? I'm going to contact my Councilperson and complain.

As I walked past Edward's Park on our way back home, the park was packed with kids all playing around the little white signs specifying "no kids allowed."

Just great.

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It's nice I'm not the only one pissed about lawn chemicals. A blogger on RealNeo posted some interesting facts about these toxins. I really think lawn chemicals should be illegal. Why do people care that their lawns consist only of 100 percent grass? Why do people obsesses over a tiny plot of land? Get a life!

[No, I didn't take that photo. It's brought to you via Clare Wilkinson.]

An Intro (Of Sorts)

Since I've been such a transient blogger, it's only proper that I introduce myself to my newest (and now only) blog. Here's a bit about what my family and I stand for and some decisions we have made:

1 - We're all about veganism and animal rights. Both my boyfriend and I are vegan (you may be thinking "duh" at the moment) and we're raising a vegan son in a meat-eating world. He's only 11 months so his diet basically consists of breast milk, but there will be a day when he realizes his diet is at odds with the world. We're not saying "you're not allowed to eat this;" instead we're going to let him know the specifics about animal products and hope he chooses a vegan lifestyle (odds are that he will).

2- We're anarchists at heart. When I say our family is liberal, I don't mean we're Democrats. Hell no. Think anticapitalist socialist anarchists. (And try saying that five times fast.)

3- We hug trees, but don't call us hippies! We're enviromentalists who prefer to bike and walk (well, at least I do...). I try to conserve resources wherever possible (breastfeeding, using cloth diapers, cloth baby wipes, and other reusable products).

4- We questions doctors' orders. We've chosen not to vaccinate or circumsize our son. Vaccines are full of scary ingredients that shouldn't be injected into the human body (fetal cow serum, anyone?). As for circumcision, if you can't explain why you're doing it--don't do it. There was no reason for our son to be cut--none whatsoever--and I have no clue why this practice is still in place.

5- We're weird. We wear a baby in a sling, we plan on homeschooling (unschooling) our child, and I did everything in my power to have a birth without medication.

6- But we ain't hatin'. Even though I just listed some topics we're passionate about, we don't expect everyone to make the same decisions as us. We're not always right, but we make decisions that are right for us. I'd like to think we're not snobs who think we're better than everyone else. I tend to hate overly judgmental and pretentious people so I try to avoid being like one.

So there you have it. Nice to meet you.