Host of HGTV's ‘People, Places and Plants' to appear at flower and garden show

Tukey to discuss how to have safe and healthy lawns without chemicals AUGUSTA — Paul Tukey, host, of HGTV’s “People, Places and Plants,” will appear at the Springfest Flower and Garden Show on March 13 and will discuss how to have a safe and healthy lawn without using dangerous chemicals. As the founder of “People, Places and Plants” magazine, www.safeLawns.org (an international coalition of for -profit and non-profit organizations promoting environmentally friendly lawn care and resource conservation) and author of “The Organic Lawn Care Manual,” Tukey is one of the nation’s leading experts on organic lawn care. After becoming seriously ill with acute pesticide sensitivity from applying chemical lawn products in his own lawn care business, he became an outspoken advocate for alternatives to chemical lawn care. In March 2006, the American Horticultural Society named him the winner of the annual its Horticultural Communication Award. Tukey and the Springfest Flower and Garden Show will also be presenting the controversial — and 2009 NJ Film Festival award winning —“A Chemical Reaction.” The documentary tells the story of one of the most powerful and effective community initiatives in the history of North America. Dr. June Irwin, a dermatologist, noticed a connection between her patients’ health conditions and their exposure to chemical pesticides and herbicides. She brought her concerns to town meetings to warn her fellow citizens that the chemicals they were putting on their lawns posed severe health risks and had unknown side effects on the environment. His lecture is free with paid admission to Springfest at 1 p.m. in the Exhibition Hall at the Sussex County Fairgrounds, Augusta NJ. “A Chemical Reaction” will be shown at 2:45 and 6 p.m. on Saturday. A book signing will take place afterward. For more information, visit: www.springfestgardenshow.com