Pesticides

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Top Reasons Shrewsbury should switch to an ‘Organic-first’ approach for Town-owned Property

Concerns About Pesticides

The demand for organic lawns and athletic turf is driven by concerns about human health and the environment. Organic management is beneficial to human health and the environment in many ways: eliminating the use of synthetic pesticides; building a diverse, robust ecological system that holds nutrients and water; reducing pollution due to leaching and run-off; and recharging groundwater and streams with clean fresh water.

The primary goals of organic land care are:

Maintaining soil health
Eliminating the use of synthetic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers
Increasing landscape diversity
Improving the health and well being of the people and web of life in our care.

glyphosate_bans_us

glyphosate_bans_global

For a lot more reasons, check out these lists from great resources:

ORGANIC-FIRST TOWNS

WELLESLEY

Organic Integrated Pest Management Policy for Land Owned by the Town of Wellesley, Massachusetts

Wellesley NRC and BOH Partner to Encourage a Pesticide-free Community

USPIRG – Thriving Communities Guide: 10 Places Where You Can Live Roundup-Free (includes Irvine & Wellesley)

Wellesley Grow Green Initative

MARBLEHEAD

Marblehead Board of Health Organic Pest Management Regulations

IRVINE, CA

CITY OF IRVINE – Organic Pesticides Program

CITY OF IRVINE Integrated Pest Management Program 2017 Annual Report

City of Irvine CA – Public Works Department Maintenance Operations Policies and Procedures for INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

HOW IRVINE BECAME SOCAL’S FIRST NON-TOXIC CITY

Irvine council decides to go organic on pesticides and herbicides

NEWBURYPORT, MA

Newburyport city councilors propose herbicide ban Ordinance would prohibit glyphosate in City

Newburyport BOH proclaims April ‘Alternate to Pesticide Month’

FALMOUTH, MA

Falmouth Health Board Approves Glyphosate Moratorium On Town Land

MARLBOROUGH, MA

Marlborough DPW is using goats to clean up the Holt’s Grove Conservation Land

NORTHEAST ORGANIC LAND CARE
Ten Reasons to Ditch Your Lawn and Garden Chemicals

GREENING OUR CHILDREN
Safe Lawns Campaign

BEYOND PESTICIDES
Map of U.S. Pesticide Reform Policies

ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION
Get Pesticides out of your Community

EFFORTS:

Trails Committee Minutes 2019-09-11

Other Business
Kevin Esposito explained that the Town will no longer allow spraying of pesticides on Town Properties.

PAST EFFORTS:

Annual Town Meeting (May 2019)

Citizens Petition for Town Property Pesticide Reduction By-law (DEFEATED 50-113 / 31%-69%).

Shrewsbury Town Property Pesticide Reduction Bylaw – Substituted Motion

Shrewsbury Town Property Pesticide Reduction Bylaw – PETITION for MAY 2019 ATM

LOCAL VIDEOS

VIDEOS

FACEBOOK VIDEOS

LOCAL NEWS

06/17/19 – Cape Cod: The uphill battle for communities that ban pesticides

05/23/19 – Shrewsbury town meeting rejects pesticide measure

05/17/19 – Shrewsbury Town Meeting members gear up to vote on FY2020 budget

Citizen petitions include requests for a Town Property Pesticide Reduction bylaw; resolving Hexavalent Chromium found in wells; resolving the overuse of Route 140 in the “Shrewsbury Town Common Historic District;” authorizing the establishment and appointment of a Town Comparison Study Committee; a Home Rule Amendment to increasing citizen opportunities to hold elective office; and an amendment to add a Shrewsbury historic preservation bylaw.

04/10/19 – Shrewsbury reviews petitions for town meeting on Rt. 140, water quality, pesticides, historic preservation

01/14/19 – Protect Our Cape Cod Aquifer (POCCA) asks towns to enact no-herbicide policy

05/14/18 – State medical society voices concern over pesticides’ safety

10/24/17 – Weed killer RoundUp banned in Warwick

09/15/17 – Rep. Fernandes Files Bill To Regulate Pesticide Use

10/25/15 – [Natick] Growing interest in organic

09/24/15 – Grant helps Natick start organic land care pilot program

04/21/15 – Springfield organic lawn care efforts at city parks, athletic fields expands to homeowner workshop

10/28/14 – UMass Lowell institute awards $20,000 grant to Springfield for organic land care practices at 6 parks and fields under pilot program

08/29/12 – Algea still unhealthy in Dean, Jordan ponds