Source: Grassroots Environmental Education: 
(New York City) A coalition of non-profit organizations and individuals has persuaded the New York City Council to pass a new law prohibiting the use of all toxic chemical pesticides in New York City parks. The coalition, led by Grassroots Environmental Education, Beyond Pesticides and The Black Institute, and joined by citizen activists for pesticide reform and environmental justice, claimed victory at a rally in New York this morning, just before the City Council voted unanimously to adopt the new law. 

"This year's theme for Earth Day is 'Restore our Earth,' and New York City is doing it's part by getting rid of chemical pesticides in all of the city's 1700 parks," said Grassroots' Executive Director Patti Wood, who personally lobbied more than 35 members of the City Council on behalf of the bill. "This is a big win for the people of New York, and we hope other cities will follow suit." 

In 2010, Grassroots was instrumental in helping to pass state-wide legislation in New York to prohibit the use of pesticides on all school playing fields and grounds for grades K-12 including day care centers. The organization was subsequently contracted by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to train facilities directors across the state in the science of natural lawn care. To date, the law remains the strongest one of its kind in the country. 

"We always felt that the children of New York City didn't really benefit from the NY State school pesticide  law, because in most cases, they play in the City's parks," says Patti. "With this new law, those kids will be protected from exposure to toxic chemicals that could seriously impact their health, just like the rest of the kids in this state."

For more information about pesticides and their potential impact on the health of children and everyone else, please visit our website, Grassrootsinfo.org. 

Plans call for organic maintenance of parks in communities nationwide.
In 2018, Stonyfield Organic launched the StonyFIELDS program in an effort to help keep families free from harmful pesticides in parks and playing fields across the country. To further the program’s impact, Stonyfield Organic announced a new goal to help convert New York City’s Central Park and Brooklyn’s Prospect Park to be organically maintained by 2025.
The yogurt brand found that around 69% of American parents want to lessen their children’s exposure to pesticides, but 67% of those same parents don’t consider exposure at sports fields, playgrounds and parks to be of concern. So far, Stonyfield has converted more than 35 parks across the country through this program and contributed over $2 million dollars to the initiative. Stonyfield teams up with communities nationwide to assist with their transitions to organic grounds management and bringing organic model fields to millions of people.
This year, Stonyfield Organics aims to help change some of the country’s urban parks, and is working with a coalition of organizations to get Intro 1524, which will prohibit city agencies from applying toxic pesticides to any property owned or leased by the city, passed in New York City. From there, Stonyfield will make a donation that will help organizations like Grassroots Environmental, Beyond Pesticides, Osborne Organics, The Black Institute, Parks for Kids NYC, to work with the city to provide training and begin organic maintenance.
Each community that is selected for the program will receive a monetary donation to use toward the purchase of organic inputs and/or landscaping equipment needed for organic grounds management, as well as technical support and guidance from Stonyfield Organics and their collaborators, including Beyond Pesticides, Non-Toxic Neighborhoods, Osborne Organics and Midwest Grows Green. 
Stonyfield Organics has also launched a pesticide portal for the community to tag a park in your community to have it reviewed by the StonyFIELD task force. If chosen, Stonyfield will provide local park officials in your community with the proper tools to test for harmful pesticides and offer resources for them to transition.

Source: https://www.amny.com/news/two-new-york-city-parks-to-become-free-of-pesticides-with-help-from-national-yogurt-brand/



Kids and pets will soon be able to play in the grass at some of the country’s largest parks without being exposed to pesticides.
Yogurt company Stonyfield Organic is continuing a major initiative to convert parks and playing fields nationwide into organic grounds. The recent effort includes Central Park in New York City, Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and Grant Park in Chicago. The company is working with a coalition of organization to pass a bill to allow the transition to take place in New York City parks.
The goal is to transform these famous parks and many other local parks by the end of 2025 as part of the company’s StonyFIELDS (emphasis on “fields”) #PlayFree initiative to keep harmful pesticides out of parks and playing fields around the country. Grant Park will be the first of the major parks to begin the transition by the end of this month.1
“At Stonyfield, we are obsessed with fields. Since 1983, we have prioritized providing green and organic pastures for our cows to roam and graze – always free from harmful pesticides,” Kristina Drociak, director of public relations for Stonyfield, tells Treehugger. “However, we realized that organically maintained playing fields and parks can have an even bigger impact on our families and pets.”
That’s why the company launched the nationwide initiative in 2018 to have parks, playgrounds, and playing fields managed organically.1
"Whether you eat on them, get your food or ingredients from them, or play on them – we believe all fields (both farms and parks!) should be free from harmful chemicals," Drociak says. 
The Dangers of PesticidesIn a 2012 study of managers of 66 athletic playing fields, about 65% reported applying pesticides. The majority used herbicides. Managers of rural fields were more likely to apply pesticides than managers of urban and suburban fields.2
An American Academy of Pediatrics statement on pesticides says: “Epidemiologic evidence demonstrates associations between early life exposure to pesticides and pediatric cancers, decreased cognitive function, and behavioral problems. Related animal toxicology studies provide supportive biological plausibility for these findings.”3
The group supports integrated pest management to minimize or possibly replace the use of harmful chemical pesticides.3
But it can be difficult to get governments and communities to make those changes.
“There are policy challenges in transitioning parks to organic grounds management,” Drociak says.
Stonyfield is working with a coalition of organizations, she says, to pass a bill that would ban all New York city agencies from applying toxic pesticides, including glyphosate, to any property owned or leased by the city, including parks and fields.1
The most widely used herbicide in the U.S., glyphosate is the active ingredient in the weed killer Roundup. In 2015, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”4 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), however, has consistently maintained that the pesticide is safe.5
The bill, called Introduction 1524-2019, has the support of City Council members but is waiting for a vote.1
Once the pill is passed, Stonyfield’s donation will help the coalition to work with the city to provide training and begin organic maintenance.
“Sometimes a city is hesitant to move to organic management because there is a learning curve, and it takes time to transition," Drociak says. "Sometimes, organic maintenance can be more costly at the start of a transition until the soil is brought back to its natural health."
She adds: “Eventually though, we’ve seen in many cases that by year two or three costs can actually decrease for a city. A great way to get over some of these challenges is to start with a pilot park which many of the cities we’ve worked with have done.” 
How to Transition a Local ParkSince the program’s launch, more than 35 parks have been converted to organic grounds management and Stonyfield has contributed more than $2 million to the initiative.1
“The ultimate goal is to help keep families free from toxic persistent pesticides in outdoor spaces across the country," Drociak says. "We also want to empower everyone to make changes locally and at home to protect the health of children, their pets, and the environment."
The program allows people to visit an online “pesticide portal” where they can tag a local park for review. If chosen, community officials will be given tools to test for harmful pesticides and the resources to transition to organic grounds management.
“In the end, our real goal and dream is to inspire and ignite a movement — where all cities and families manage their parks and backyards organically and free from harmful pesticides," says Drociak.

Source:https://www.treehugger.com/central-park-free-pesticides-5176590?utm_campaign=treehugger&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cn_nl&utm_content=23537683&utm_term=