{"id":39691,"date":"2025-09-29T00:01:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T04:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=39691"},"modified":"2025-09-26T15:55:31","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T19:55:31","slug":"after-celebrating-public-lands-day-people-call-for-practices-safe-for-health-and-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2025\/09\/after-celebrating-public-lands-day-people-call-for-practices-safe-for-health-and-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"After Celebrating Public Lands Day, People Call for Practices Safe for Health and Environment\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

(<\/span>Beyond Pesticides<\/span><\/i>, September 29, 2025) With the theme \u201cOur Home Outdoors,\u201d the <\/span>National Environmental Education Foundation<\/span><\/a> (NEEF) launched <\/span>National Public Lands Day<\/span><\/a> this past Saturday\u2014defining this year\u2019s event as follows: \u201cOur public lands are more than just places to visit\u2014they are woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. From the trails we hike to the parks where we gather with family and friends, these spaces are our collective backyard, our shared front porch, our natural playground.\u201d At the same time, people are asking their local governments whether they are using petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers on their parks and playing fields that are known to threaten the <\/span>health<\/span> <\/a>of <\/span>children<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>pets<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>wildlife<\/span><\/a>, and the <\/span>environment<\/span><\/a>. Beyond Pesticides led a nationwide action to \u201cTell your local officials to make your parks organic<\/a>.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For those engaging with their local elected officials and parks departments, Beyond Pesticides, through its <\/span>Parks for a Sustainable Future<\/span><\/a> program, offers technical support to transition parks to <\/span>organic land management<\/span><\/a> through analysis of soil health, development of a plan to improve soil biology to cycle nutrients for healthy plants, training of staff to implement the organic plan, and ongoing consultation for plan adjustments when necessary. Organic systems focus on building organic matter and microbial life in the soil to solubilize nutrients for plant uptake, eliminating the use of petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides and increasing plant health and resilience.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Through this program and with supporters, including the <\/span>Parks for a Sustainable Future<\/span><\/a> program, Beyond Pesticides has assisted local leaders in converting the following parks and recreational areas exclusively to organic practices. Last month, as a part of a nationwide push to stop the use of petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, the City of Excelsior, Minnesota, joined Kansas City, Missouri, and <\/span>dozens of communities<\/span><\/a> across the country to <\/span>begin its organic transition<\/span><\/a> of demonstration sites on city park land. In addition, Beyond Pesticides has worked with <\/span>dozens of communities<\/span><\/a> to adopt land management policies in jurisdictions of nearly every state in the country. The goal is to create models that show the viability and cost effectiveness of organic management systems that eliminate petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers that contribute to the current\u202f<\/span>health crisis<\/span><\/a>,\u202f<\/span>biodiversity collapse<\/span><\/a>, and the climate emergency.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond Pesticides invites people nationwide to become a <\/span>Parks Advocate<\/span><\/a>. The organization advises the following actions:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n