Eddie Woodin

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Eddie Wooden is the owner of Wooden Co. In South Portland. He is also a conservationist working with the Scarborough Land Trust, Maine Audubon and Friends of Casco Bay, and he helped to pass Scarborough Pesticide Ordinance last year. Thanks for coming in.

Eddie Woodin:

Oh, pleased to be here. Thank you Dr. Lisa.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, let's start with talking about the pesticide ordinance. Tell me a little bit about that.

Eddie Woodin:

Well, very interesting. I'm a lifelong nature birder, was sitting out in the month of June at my home on Grandin Pond near the Scarborough Marsh when I moved to Maine. Maine was known as the mosquito capital of the world and had eight brown bats that had been historically in the yard and all of a sudden I noticed there are no brown bats and this was in the early evening and I had noticed earlier that there were very few insects and it really caught my attention and probably two weeks later we had a nesting box of tree swallows and they abandoned the nest with young because there were no insects. So we've gone from the mosquito capital of the world to no insects. I immediately became suspicious of the state spraying as they do in Massachusetts. I grew up in Concord, Mass. And we had screech owls nesting in an ash Tree in the mid-50s polio was an issue, and so there was an overkill. And we would hear in the summer, the drone of this tank truck. And seated on top was a man with the spray hose with ddt. And you ran for cover, you closed the window, no warning. And it was incredible. The spray that was down the middle of the road killing the Baltimore Orioles eventually killed the screech owls. So made an impression on me. And I was aware of silent spring in 62 and having been involved in the bird world. So I said, you know, something's wrong. And I was at a land trust meeting a few months later, and there was Karen d', Andrea, a birding friend of mine. I said, karen, you know, there's something wrong. And I said, I think we really have to look at this pesticide, herbicide issue, because it's killing everything. And she said, well, that's interesting. Let me consider. And so she got back several weeks later and she said, you know, I think I want to go further, because she was involved with doctors and holistic doctor group. So in the end, she agreed that she would work on an ordinance. She was on the town council. She was on the ordinance committee. And six months later, a mother, Marla Zando, approached. So I'm from nature, but Marla said, gee, you know, I have a young son now, Karen. She know. I had spoken to Karen. I'm concerned about his future and about chemicals. So off we went. Off we went. And by 2011, after a year and a half work, an ordinance was created that was very effective, and we passed, and it was terrific. And we had a great group called Citizens for a Green Scarborough. And it's a great Margaret Meadow example of a committee of passionate, committed, impassioned people can change a community. And we did. We had a lot of opposition. And so it was quite a battle, and we did win. And that was only the beginning. We had a lot of press. My concept was if we could convince the town to go organic on their municipal property, including the athletic fields, they were the tip of the iceberg. And all the press, anything written is good, Press is good. It would then start to influence the homeowners. And that was our goal. And we've converted hundreds of homeowners from there. But in the process, we compiled 700 pages of documents. It was amazing. And we had a great. We had a dream team. We had a gentleman, Mark, who works for the epa. Elizabeth was a lawyer. Marla's husband was in the landscape, and she had been president of the land trust. And the list went from there. And we had a very flat horizontal organization, no president. We all took ownership and share and we completed and went a long way. We had opposition. I had glass of Oz's smashed in my driveway twice. So this is very contestuous between the chemical industry and the people. And they used the landscapers as their pawns. But in the end we were successful. Brought in Casco Bay. They do a great job. Kathy Ramsdale and Mary Cerulo and we were great friends talking anyway and handed off a power pack and the power pack were the key documents of our 700. And Mary had been very involved anyway as the field worker and she ran with the packet and then she started South Portland working with the folks there. I did, I spoke and I brought the power pack and our ordinance. And so it's easy now. And we just want more and more groups that might be fired up and want to commit to this and run with it. And I do have all the documentation as a starter kit. So we're still in it. Portland just passed, which was terrific. Ours was an ordinance. But Portland is a policy which is one step higher. So kudos to them. And they start now to say that homeowners even can't. So the pesticide herbicides are killers and organics become the key. On the bird side, the insectivore birds have dropped by 70% in population. Beyond pesticides is one of the groups involved in that movement. And they're saying 75% of the insect biomass has been eliminated, died. And there are so many chemicals going into the air. And so there's great concern there. Six pages were written on Long island. The lobster industry. If you're a lobster man or you're in the fisheries, you should be very concerned and jump into this fray. It's purported that their lobster industry collapsed because of pesticides. They were spraying malathion. The federal government, finally the EPA there are 800 toxins and in 20 years they have thoroughly investigated three. So the chemical companies still have too much influence. The Fisheries Marine Fishery Group Institute produced 3,700 pages that just recently. They've been fighting for 10 years. And finally the government is starting to take action on malathione. But this malathion in Long island, you spray mosquitoes and whatever purposes it washed into Long island. And six different studies have been produced that it killed the lobster industry. So we need to be careful in Maine too. On in malathion back in the 70s. Oh, this is the best. This breaks down quickly. It doesn't. So organics are the key. And then on the health side I learned a good lesson. I. There was a school, by the way, I just want to make the comment how important the women have been in this whole chase. We developed a group, Citizens of Green Scarborough. There were seven of us, five of them were women and they were great writing talents and great leadership. Karen d' Andrea and Portland Avery. So the women have been really key and important in this. So I'm at Augusta. Amy Volk and Mary Nelson from Falmouth introduce the schoolyard bill. Because we now in Scarborough, on the athletic fields, you have organics or you have abstinence. And the country of France, for example, has banned Roundup. Roundup. You're starting to see on TV class action suits for a number of blood diseases. And so Susie and Johnny slide into second base and they're ingesting Roundup. And so in the human aspects, go beyond that. So there was a schoolyard bill in which organics and the synthetics, the synthetics compared to organic are the killers. They last five times longer, they're more toxic. And in the organics you actually have some, a number of natural things that aren't killers but, but effect. Well, so I went to Augusta and I testified twice and I'll never forget it. We're sitting there for four hours, we had to wait our turn and a woman got up, she was probably late 30s, and she said, I'm here to tell you that organics are the way to go and that these pesticides and this bill should be passed. She said, we have an autistic son. And she said, my husband and I decided we would buy local organic food only and in two years later you would not know that he was autistic. She said, he is, but marked improvement. It's tremendous. And then for women, there was an article in 2011 that one of the three chemicals that now is being restricted by EPA finally, after a 10 year battle, is a derivative of a poison gas from World War I in between to World War II and they use a derivative of that in the apples, etc. And women with a child in the womb can be ingesting particularly from fruit. And if you have lead paint exposure, a child could lose 2 to 3 IQ points with the pesticides. It's 7 points significant. So the idea of apple juice and a number of these other things, it's just, I think important for people with youth to be careful and, and consider that. And the list of the human things goes on.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You have a large and beautiful garden that I visited a few years ago.

Eddie Woodin:

Thank you.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And it's it's been important to you over the years, not just because of the plants, but also because of the birds, which you love and I guess the insects. I'm not sure if you love the

Eddie Woodin:

insects, but I do, I do their role.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So tell me how you keep that going because that is often one of the, the concerns people have about not using chemicals is how you are able to keep everything blooming and growing and happy and not be overrun by pests.

Eddie Woodin:

Great question, Great question. I bought a home 20 years ago. There wasn't a blade of grass. It was all sand. A former sand pit overlooking a 30 acre pond. And I said, wow, here's an opportunity and I'm spiritual. And I said, I want to plant one of everything God made, which would never happen, but, but I wanted a great variety. So in, in my college days, I had a lawn business which I started and I did some landscaping. So I had a little bit of experience and I really enjoyed it. And these were living things. And I recently realized that the earth has a soul. Everything does. And so I wanted to create habitat for birds. But interestingly, I wanted to plant as much as I could on 2 acres because of the conversion of oxygen and taking carbon dioxide out and converting. And a modest lawn, for example, in a home can produce enough oxygen for a family of four on a daily basis. So I had this view that if I could do spruce trees and a number of other things, coniferous trees, the winter that I'm doing my part and by the by National Audubon, their theme this year, pardon me, is do something. Take a piece of the puzzle in your home and your property. Plant something. Do something for nature. So it's a great concept. One by one. So that was my concept. So I started planting and it got bigger and bigger and, and bird houses and now nesting birds and bird feeders. And I decided, you know, I was going to have a successful property with nothing but water. I was not going to put fertilizer on the grass. I was not going to use pesticides or herbicides. Dandelions, I embraced, I, I enjoy them. It's the first natural flower for the bees. The bumblebees are out early in the honeybees, so I embraced it. And, and clover, I love clover. All the greens, it mixes and it's green. So I developed this two acre property with simply water. And my message is abstinence. You, you don't need the chemicals. And when, if, if you work on your health and you take probiotics, you know, you take this little capsule says like 20 billion probiotics. And it's like, wow, this is really mind boggling. Well, your lawn is the same thing, the microbes, billions and billions. And those are those, you can't see them, living organisms that then build on a chain. As the organisms become more sophisticated, when you stop all the chemicals, they come back to life. And then there's a wonderful ecosystem within that lawn and within your property that is self maintaining. I have garden beds, perennials, I use dehydrated compost. And that's it. That's the only, only enhancement on the property and it's a successful, great property. We're going to have an open house. If you are listening and you're interested in abstinence and how to have a lawn where you're not using the chemicals. July 28th of 18, we're having an open house and we have hundreds of people. We've had 600 people here at a time, but from 10 to 2pm and we'll run ads, but everyone's invited. If you really want to see it, all you need is water. Just, just say no. Abstinence is the key.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You also have dogs. How do they react to your property?

Eddie Woodin:

Well, you know, that is a great question. We had a set of labs, chocolate labs. And back in 2011, there were some indigenous weeds in our 30 acre pond. And two neighbors took it upon themselves to put 2.4D herbicide, which was Agent Orange, the mainstay in the water pellets. And the puppies get into the pond and I didn't know what it was and I went in and pulled them out and then my skin started itching greatly. So we get a hold of the state, they came down, it was 2, 4D and on, believe it or not, 9, 11, that very day, these two were, were before the assistant attorney General for having broken the law and had to pay a fine. 2,4D was that toxic and serious to the state. So the puppies were exposed and we decided not to breed because of that, because it can create a lot of lymphomas, et cetera. So they did live long life, but of course they died of blood issues which probably came from the 2.4D. So Scotty dogs, boy, when you, when you lay down your chemicals on your lawn, Scottie dogs, for example, have seven times the liver cancer of normal dogs because they're low to the ground and their hair is brushing. I mean it's an unseen thing and, and it's time for people not to ignore it. 63% of all households have 2 4D in it. It's tracked in whether it's from their property or not and how. We ran some ads when we had a great marketing machine. I'm a marketing guy with CGS and ransom ads and one of them was of a little baby crawling on the lawn. And it's like, how can you do this? I mean, I have two sons and it's like, how can you do this? So they, they just. I just read another article out of the 700 pages where chemicals were applied on the lawn and shortly thereafter, 15% of the children had ingested in their lungs the chemicals. And MIT in 14, 15 and 16 wrote articles regarding pesticides, herbicides and autism. And having listened to this lady in Augusta, they were forced to withdraw them. I'm not sure what the science was or wasn't, but they're very bright people and I'm just concerned that this exposure is detrimental to kids, particularly younger ones in the athletic fields as well. Just say no.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Did you see the birds come back once you had started to create a natural habitat for them without chemicals?

Eddie Woodin:

I did. And the birds, the robins, you know, when this whole thing started in, I'm thinking I thought of a robin eating a worm from the soil and I'm thinking, what's in there? What's in that worm? It's ingesting all this stuff. And that was a driving point for me and it's rewarding. Now we have robin's galore feeding on the worms. We have worms galore. That's the other thing. I mean we've always been natural, but the number of worms. And now I'm so proud when I drive by our baseball field field up at the high school, the gulls, herring gulls are there and they're feeding on the worms and other organisms because everything isn't being killed. So I've seen the birds come back and I think the population still on the decline, but I've had good success. However, the butterflies have declined and probably one of the big canaries in the mind for me of the moths. If you go out at night, if you have a garden, it's fun and perennials and I'll go out with a flashlight at night around 9pm in the summer and you're going to see a whole new living group flying around and pollinating at night and those numbers are just down significantly. So it's a real issue. These pesticides, herbicides, honeybees, all the pollinators, boy, we need to wake up and just, just say no. Just say no. So that's a big concern. Monarchs did come back a little bit, but I'm creating a new monarch garden, new concept. You take swamp milkweed, butterfly weed. And I'm working with Broadway Gardens, Phil Roberts, the owner, to bring in common milkweed. When you try and pull it from the side of the road, the roots don't fully develop, but it's grown commercially. So I cut two new beds in the lawn. Not much grass left now. And going to use those three items from monarchs. And we had great success last year with monarchs and the swamp milkweed. So that's where we can all take a piece of the puzzle and create even if it's one swamp milkweed. You're helping nature, you're helping pollinators. And that's my current theme.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So in addition to swamp milkweed, what is maybe the most important thing that you would suggest to someone who is trying to. To have a nice lawn, but do it without the use of pesticides or herbicides?

Eddie Woodin:

Boy, great question. I like the idea of a green lawn which is green because of nature and water. The dandelions, I dig some of them, but they're great for nature. And so I plantings. I have over 260 species of trees, shrubs, etc, and, and I think a combination in them. Perennial flowers and of course the crocuses, etc. But have fun with it. I mean, empower yourself and, and enjoy nature. And we start with the crocuses and it's like, oh man, they're coming up through that ice. How can this be? And then there's a process. We actually have blooming, flowering from April into October. But I think the shrubs in particular have great beauty. We have coniferous trees in oak trees and a number of trees. But then you layer down and build a perimeter if you will. But rhododendrons are beautiful. The PJMs, which in the Rhodey family. But those are those pink ones that you see in all the commercial properties. They came in early. Azaleas will work here. And boxwood. I'm out feeding the birds, very icy right now. But here are these boxwood plants that look so frail, but they're pure green against the contrast and living things. They're a great item. So my method was to go to Broadway Gardens in ODonnell's. Who ODonnell's. By the by the by is all organic. Number of hardware stores will not sell synthetics anymore. There's a real move and a real change. Eldridge Lumber. Kudos to all of them. And we, the consumer, drive that Bus, so ask for it. But I would, I'd hang out. I go over, I see Phil, and I spend like an hour walking around saying, wow, this is great. And then fill the car with perennials. So it's great fun. Go, go take a look. See what is in your palate and what you like. And crocosmia, when we have open houses that we've had now for 15 years, the favorite of everyone is the perennial called crocosmia. And it's like a bird of paradise with red hummingbirds low. Love it. So if you're looking for some fun in April, May go to the nursery and look for crocosmia. That would be. I think it's the most appreciated aesthetically from my experience. So go find some crocosmia. Plant one, enjoy it.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Sounds like what you're suggesting is to really focus on the reason why one would want to have a pesticide free lawn and home and do it by really engaging with nature and saying, here's some beautiful flowers, here's some beautiful shrubs. And making this and the health of your children and the health of your pets the reason for doing it rather than having it be entirely sort of against thing against.

Eddie Woodin:

Absolutely, absolutely. That's a key point. You know, it's really interesting. I just, you know, I'm spiritual and born in 88, so I have a historic Bernard collection. So I go to the PVD Museum in Massachusetts and there was an interest and we were discussing. And so we went into the nature area and Eskimo curlew and their case and you know, they had some good things. And then I thought, I don't know, this is a little strange. And they had. It was more geared for children than it was in my art collection type of thing. So I'm embracing it. And a gentleman had a display on trees and they had different activities for children regarding wood and trees. And here was this main placard of information and it said, come and listen to the voice of the sound of the tree. And I'm going, no way. Come on. So Jerry, great nature friend worldwide, great warrior. So we go and we listen to this thing and it was like. It just was pretty mind boggling. It was this high pitched, not eerie, but sound that was incredible. So, so I digested that and. And then I realized nature has a soul. The earth has a soul. The living things have a soul. You think of it as dirt and this thing. No, it's a living thing with soul. You see it through psalms, especially in the Bible. And so I embrace nature as an appreciation for what it is, but also to inspire me to keep going and to be charged up and going. And I think our soul, it's soothing to the soul sitting out there in the evenings and seeing the leaves rustling and the birds and nature and the bats. It's enriching for the soul.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I've been speaking to Eddie Wooden, who is the owner of Wooden Co. In South Portland, who is also a conservationist working with the Scarborough Land Trust, Maine Audubon and Friends of Casco Bay. Eddie helped pass Scarborough's pesticide ordinance recently. Thank you so much for coming in.

Eddie Woodin:

Thank you. Pleasure. Nice to see you. Thank you.

Eddie Woodin:

Sam.