Part 1: The Growing Problem

There is an oxygen-starved "dead zone" in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico in which no life other than toxic algae can survive. This lifeless expanse of water stretches from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the eastern coast of Texas, and has covered in recent years as much as 8,450 square miles, an area roughly the size of the state of New Jersey.¹ The dead zone continues to grow, especially when seasonal flooding increases chemical run-off, destroying marine ecosystems and key fisheries.

The dead zone in the Gulf is not unique. According to a study published in the journal Science, there are now over 400 such dead zones in the earth's seas and oceans, covering one-quarter of a million square miles.² "The growth of these dead zones is an ecological time bomb," said Dr. Donald Scavia, an aquatic ecologist at the University of Michigan.³ What is the cause of these dead zones? Nitrogen and phosphorous runoff from chemical fertilizers and livestock waste.⁴

"Artificial nitrogen washes in drainage water from almost every field in the world. It is as ubiquitous in water as man-made carbon dioxide is in the air. It is accumulating in the world's rivers and underground water reserves, choking waterways with algae and making water reserves unfit to drink without extensive clean-up efforts." – Fred Pearce, on Yale Environment 360⁵

Chemical fertilization (primarily nitrogen and phosphorous) is a serious, deadly threat not just to our waterways but to our soil and atmosphere as well. The alteration of both the phosphorous and nitrogen cycles made the list of the ecological disruptions caused by humans that most threaten the future habitability of our planet, according to a major international survey of research scientists published in the scientific journal Nature.⁶

"Why should a fertilizer kill? It is just too much of a good thing. It over-fertilizes the water, producing such large volumes of algae and other biomass that it consumes all the oxygen in the water, causing the ecosystem to crash. Coastal bays, inlets and estuaries around the world are succumbing." – Fred Pearce, on Yale Environment 360⁷

Isn't this just a problem for the agriculture industry?

All of our lawns, gardens, and greenhouses drain into the water table, ditches, creeks and sewer systems. Although commercial agriculture has often been criticized for its part in the fertilizer runoff problem, the traditional weed and feed practice of many homeowners contributes heavily to the damage. Most of the popular plant foods and lawn fertilizers we use add to the damage being done.

Is it really that bad?

As with other environmental threats, it's only the scale and timing of the consequences that are really up for debate. We encourage you to research for yourself the magnitude of the problem and to make decisions accordingly. In doing so, please consider the following questions:

• Is synthetic fertilizer really necessary in this day and age?
• Is there a smarter, better way to grow healthy plants and grasses with better results?
• Is it possible that growing naturally could be more cost effective than using chemicals?

» PART 2: The Need

¹ "Large 2009 Gulf of Mexico 'Dead Zone' Predicted", ScienceDaily, June 24, 2009. Available at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618124956.htm.
² Robert J. Diaz and Rutger Rosenberg, “Spreading Dead Zones and Consequences for Marine Ecosystems”, Science, August 15, 2008. Available at: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/321/5891/926.
³ See note 1.
⁴ See note 1.
⁵ "The Nitrogen Fix: Breaking a Costly Addiction", Yale Environment 360, November 5, 2009. Available at: http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2207.
⁶ Johan Rockstrom, et al., "A Safe Operating Space for Humanity", Nature, September 24, 2009. Available at: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v461/n7263/full/461472a.html.
⁷ See note 5.