Lawns For Life: Creating a Safe and Healthy Yard for People, Pets and Pollinators

Your lawn serves as more than just an aesthetic feature of your home—it's a play space for kids, a gathering spot for adults, and in most cases, a habitat for creatures great and small.  Darien Library, along with Darien Green Wave, Darien Pollinator Pathway, Darien Nature Center, Darien Land Trust and Garden Club of Darien, welcome industry professionals from various fields who will guide you to making healthy lawn care choices that are good for you, good for the environment, and not hard to implement.

You can create a thriving lawn and nurture your outdoor area without the use of harmful chemicals and loud gasoline powered blowers!  Join the discussion on best practices from leaders in the industry: Louise Washer, of the Norwalk Watershed Association, Dr. Michael Dietz, UCONN department of Natural Resources and Jeff Cordulack, Organic Ways & Means.

Making the healthy choice when it comes to lawn care is a smart decision!

About the Presenters

Louise Washer serves on the board of the Pollinator Pathway, which is now in over 350 communities across 19 states. She also serves as president of the Norwalk River Watershed Association, as a member of the Norwalk Mayor’s Water Quality Committee and on the steering committee of the Hudson-to-Housatonic Regional Conservation Partnership (H2H). 

Dr. Michael Dietz is an educator for UConn Extension and since 2018, is the Director of the CT Institute of Water Resources.  Mike oversees the Connecticut Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) program, in the Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR), and also is a joint faculty member in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment. He has a Ph.D. in water resources from the University of Connecticut, and his extension and research programs focus on protecting surface waters, with an emphasis on green infrastructure techniques.

Jeff Cordulack is the owner and founder of Organic Ways & Means, a Fairfield County based organic landscaping company.  OWM specializes in organic land care, including installation of pollinator garden beds, invasive plant management, and uses exclusively low-noise and clean air-friendly electric blowers with weekly yard maintenance.