 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grassroots
Action
|
| Download Materials |
Dear National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns activist,
Lawn season may be over in most parts of the country,
but our Coalition has a lot of work to do this winter for pesticide-free
lawns. This winter we have two very exciting initiatives to support you
in promoting pesticide-free lawns, one to educate your local officials
on organic land care, and one to help you pass local policies and pesticide-free
zones in your community.
A growing number of communities across the country, concerned about pesticide
impacts to public health, the environment, and wildlife, are taking actions
that you can replicate in your own city or town. From the north shore
of Massachusetts to San Diego, CA, municipalities are establishing pesticide-free
parks, piloting organic playing fields, passing policies that restrict
pesticides on municipal lands, or voluntarily for private land. As you
will see, these actions are usually spearheaded by a local activist. To
get inspired read our special Grassroots
Action Supplement: Organic Land Care Policies and Pesticide-Free Zones
Growing: Inspiring Stories from across the Country.
Join our Policy Work Group
If you would like to learn more about getting a pesticide-free zone, organic
playing field, or an organic land care policy passed in your area, please
join our Policy Work Group. We will be holding monthly conference calls
in which you will hear from successful activists about how they got started,
the steps they took, and what worked and what didn’t as they pursued
their particular policy goal. We will examine a number of options that
you can pursue, the content of different policies, discuss barriers, and
help you map out a strategy.
If this sounds like the next step you would like to take in your pesticide
activist work, please email info@beyondpesticides.org with a brief description of your community, the type of policy you are
interested in, your availability for phone conferencing (day, evening,
particular days), and your contact information.You are welcome to invite
other interested activists to join you.
Invite Your Municipal Official or Transitioning Landscaper to
an Organic Land Care Basic Training Online!
The market demand for
organic land care and availability organic land care products is following
the path of organic food into the mainstream. However, there is still
a lack of understanding about what organic land care is, and many myths
spoken about it being more expensive or impossible. As you will see from
the Grassroots
Action Supplement, this is simply not true.
To continue the strong trend towards pesticide-free land care, we need
municipal officials and landscape professionals who are knowledgeable.
Organic land care training opportunities are increasing in pockets of
the country, but in general it is difficult for the interested turf manager
to find the training and resources needed to get started on an organic
land care program.
The National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns is pleased to announce
our first online Organic Land Care Basic Training for Municipal Officials
and Transitioning Landscapers. This three-part teleconference will explain
the Simple Steps to beginning an organic turf program and will cover the
basic concepts, methods, and materials you need to get started. The training
is geared toward school and/or park and recreation officials. However
landscapers interested in transitioning are more than welcome to attend.
The Program will be taught by Chip Osborne, a professional horticulturist
with over 30 years experience and an expert on building and transitioning
turf to organic care. See more about our trainer in the Training Announcement
Letter below and at our registration site To register, please visit www.pesticidefreelawns.org/training.
We need you, our grassroots activists, to get the word out by sending
the invitation letter (see below and Download materials), and the Grassroots
Action Supplement to your town or city’s parks and recreation director,
and the manager of your school district(s) grounds. After you send the
letter, please organize others in your community to do the same, and follow
up with a phone call and meeting if possible.
Thank you!
Date
Dear MyTown Parks and Recreation Director,
Dear MyTown School Grounds Manager,
I am interested in exploring how our town could manage our town-owned
land organically, especially our play grounds and school playing fields.
The number of pesticide-free parks and town ordinances restricting pesticide
or fertilizer usage is growing, and so are the number of safer products
available. I am writing to alert you to a training opportunity that can
get us started on piloting a program.
The National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns is sponsoring an Organic
Land Care Basic Training for Municipal Officials and Transitioning Landscapers.
This three-part online training will explain the Simple Steps to beginning
an organic turf program and will cover the basic concepts, methods, and
materials you need to get started. The training is geared toward school
or park and recreation officials. However, landscapers interested in transitioning
are encouraged to attend.
The Program will be taught by Chip Osborne, a professional horticulturist
with over 30 years experience and an expert on building and transitioning
turf to organic care. He is accredited by Northeast Organic Farming Association
(NOFA) in organic land care, and has attended the University of Massachusetts
Green School for turf management. He converted his retail greenhouse operation
to an organic management plan, designed and constructed Marblehead’s
Living Lawn Demonstration site, and, as the elected Chairman of the Town
of Marblehead, Recreation, Parks & Forestry Commission, is currently
implementing an Organic Turf Management Plan for the town’s public
lands, including all athletic fields.
Chip lectures widely on natural turf management, both to homeowners and
municipalities, and has addressed many audiences nationwide, including
the National Turf Managers Association.
The cost of the training is only $45 for municipal officials and $95 for
professional landscapers. This course will be offered in three 75-minute
online sessions on February 28, March 5, and March 14, 2007 (12pm- 1:15pm
eastern standard time).
To register visit www.pesticidefreelawns.org/training.
For questions, please call or email Eileen Gunn at (202) 543-5450 or info@beyondpesticides.org.
Sincerely,