I was almost a teenager on April 22, 1970, the date of the first Earth Day. At that time, the day had a profound affect on many of my friends and me, but of the "old gang" I was the only one that ended up pursuing the environmental dream. I went on to earn multiple college degrees in horticulture, and eighteen years after that first Earth Day I started an organic fertilizer company with the hope that we could help make a difference.

EarthWorks was founded with the hope that we could change the way our industry goes to business and, that at least in a small way, we could make people a little more environmentally aware. Although we have done that, what's most interesting is that EarthWorks is not really an environmental company. We are simply a group of agronomists that know that by managing the soil correctly we can make changes that help our clients become more successful - and that just happens to be environmentally friendly.

We focus on carbon based fertility to help manage the important C:N ratio in the soil. Turf environments are notoriously weak in available forms of carbon, the energy source for microbial populations. Many of the necessary practices followed when managing turf, like sand construction zones, sand top dressing, salt fertilizers and pesticides all can damage the environment needed for the proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the soil. By doing the due diligence of good soil testing, balancing soil chemistry, and by providing programs rich in available carbon sources like compost, humic acids, fish and kelp meals we are changing the environment one green, one field and one lawn at a time. Through the years, our many clients have significantly cut back the use of both salt fertilizers and pesticides because the turf and soil are healthier. There is more available carbon in the root zone and microbial populations are much more active helping to better mobilize needed plant nutrients.

In 1988 we started with only a few basic products. Our 5-4-5 dry fertilizer came first and remains our flagship product today. It is a blend of rich compost, with a host of short chain carbons to jump start microbial activity. We added rock minerals because we knew; even back then, that when we grow a cover crop like turf it would be taking needed minerals out of the soil on a regular basis. Our second product was KICK, a liquid humic acid based product that we developed to help jump start soil biology, develop stronger rooting, and to help open up and flocculate tight soils. Today we manufacture almost 20 quality carbon based products all designed to help better manage our clients' soil situations. And it just so happens that they are all friendly to the environment. If only the "old gang" could see me now!