NOFA/Mass received a $10,000 grant from the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at University of Massachusetts Lowell in October, to complete two municipal organic lawn demonstration projects in the Towns of Ayer and Stoneham.

October 14, 2009

BY MARY LANCASTER INDEPENDENT WRITER
 

The island's tranquil ponds, diverse marshes, scenic harbors and miles of pristine shoreline serve as the inspiration for a number of Nantucket artists. The protection of those resources is also a primary inspiration for the Nantucket Land Council, which for the last two years has focused the organization's mission to preserve the fragile environment and its rural character on the island's many water bodies.

By Mary Serreze

We've all seen it, in our visits to friends and relatives who live in the 'burbs. Astro-turfish lawns consisting of millions of soldier-straight, identical blades. Stern injunctions to the children and teenagers: no frisbee, no football, please. ChemLawn trucks at the curb.

NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals Chip Osborne and Bernadette Giblin will come together to host “Let’s Talk Turf: Organic Lawns” on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009 (snow date Jan. 29), from 1 to 3:30 p.m., at the Doyle Conservation Center, 464 Abbott Ave., Leominster, MA. This workshop is co-sponsored by the Ecological Landscaping Association (ELA) and the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA)’s Organic Land Care Program.

 The 8th Annual Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Course in Organic Land Care will be held on January 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 2009 (snow dates Jan. 22 and 23) at the Doyle Conservation Center in Leominster, Massachusetts, a sustainably-constructed “green” building featuring bamboo and cork floors, composting toilets and an on-site recycling center.

http://www.nantucketindependent.com/news/2008/1119/other_news/018.html
From Nantucket Independent Online, Nov 18, 2008

 
Organic landscaping school
 

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/09/11/where_lawn_pros_see_the_grass_is_greener/ In a region that still boasts lots of open space and its share of farms, a school of organic land-care professionals stakes their philosophy every time they plant a tomato seedling. "As time goes on, people understand more and more how what we do to our environment affects our health," said Frank Albani of Plymouth, an organic vegetable grower and former board president of the state chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association. "The last thing we want to do is spread poison on our

More than 180 additional land care professionals are now practicing organically throughout New England and beyond, following the most successful courses sponsored by the NOFA Organic Land Care Program, a project of the Northeast Organic Farming Association.

June 19, 2007
Jean Laquidara Hill
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Mr. Franczyk describes organic farming as an expression of love and respect for nature that produces healthy, fresh food.
And, he said, organic farming is growing.
But becoming a certified organic food producer requires following a detailed, documented process of rotating soil use, crop maps, soil histories, feed logs, harvest dates, records of crops sold and more.

April 19, 2007
JENNY HALL STAFF WRITER
The Daily Hampshire Gazette
[ Originally published on: Thursday, April 19, 2007 ] Chances are you’ve been recycling for years. You’ve been conserving energy and cutting back on fossil fuel consumption way before Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth” made the headlines. But what about your lawn? Are you – and it – as green as you could be?
If you’re like the majority of Americans, the answer is no. You’re conflicted. Sure, you want to do the right thing for the environment. But you also want lush green grass.

NOFA ANNOUNCES 6th ANNUAL NOFA ORGANIC LAND CARE COURSE
JAN. 9, 10, 11, 16 & 17, 2007 in LEOMINSTER, MASSACHUSETTS
Learn how to design ecological landscapes. Build your business on the health of the earth. Be one of the first in the country to become accredited in Organic Land Care.

n response to the rapidly growing demand for organic management of athletic fields, parks and lawns, the NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) Organic Land Care Program will hold an intensive day-long Organic Lawn & Turf Course at the South Shore Vocational Technical High School in Hanover, MA on August 17, 2006 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.