What a glorious spring we are having this year. One cannot help but admire the breathtaking beauty of cherry blossoms, daffodils and forsythia, the heady scent of hyacinths in bloom and the remarkable emergence of new leaves amongst our trees. Justifiably, the National Arbor Association has awarded Manhasset a "Tree City USA " designation.

Enjoying the beautiful outdoors is certainly one of the many assets of our town. However, one cannot help but notice, scattered among various lawns, those telltale flags indicating pesticide or insecticide use. Nor can one help but notice the use of chemical fertilizers and weed killers used on a regular basis by many homeowners. These chemicals leach into our soils and make their way down to our most precious resource of all, our water supply. As my fourth-grader reminded me, there is only a finite amount of water on our planet.

So on this Earth Day let us take a moment to re-think our use of these toxic and polluting chemicals. Let us ask the question, is it absolutely necessary? Is it so important to have a totally weed-free lawn? Can an alternative non-toxic method be used? I urge you, Manhasset, to question the use of all toxic chemicals, question your gardeners as to what they are using, switch to non-toxic and/or organic fertilizers. Let us keep Manhasset and our water supply as pure as possible for our and future generations.

Thank you and happy Earth Day!

Renee Brugal