Politics & Government

Safe Grow Montgomery Seeks End to Lawn Pesticides in Public Areas

Safe Grow Montgomery wants legislation adopted to halt the use of lawn care pesticides in public spaces.

From a news release: 

Safe Grow Montgomery is currently meeting with County Council members to seek champions for county-wide legislation halting the use of lawn care pesticides in public spaces and to educate the council on the health and environmental risks associated with lawn pesticides.

Safe Grow Montgomery includes the coalition that brought the Safe Grow Act of 2013 to Takoma Park and new members representing all areas of Montgomery County.

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According to Julie Taddeo and Catherine Cummings, “Montgomery County is a pioneer in encouraging green landscaping companies in Maryland, but lags behind many areas in New England, California and the West Coast, where sustainable landscaping is a growth industry.”

The goal of Safe Grow Montgomery is to stop exposure to toxic lawn pesticides by passing legislation that would prohibit their use where residents live, work, and play.

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Safe Grow Montgomery encourages Montgomery County residents and environmentalists to call and write their representatives about the importance of this legislation.  

Health organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, World Health Organization, as well as the NIH’s President’s Cancer Panel, state that pesticides are linked to cancers, asthma, endocrine disruption, neurological disease, birth defects and other serious diseases. 

“Following the lessons learned from the tragic delays of tobacco legislation, how much proof do you need before you do something,” says Safe Grow Montgomery member Julie Taddeo.

In a unanimous vote for the protection of human health and the environment, the Takoma Park City Council on July 22, 2013, unanimously passed the Safe Grow Act of 2013, which generally restricts the use of cosmetic lawn pesticides on both public and private property throughout the city. 

The Takoma Park legislation was the first time that a local jurisdiction of this size in the United States used its authority to restrict pesticide use broadly on private property pesticide use on lawns and landscapes.  

Please visit Safe Grow Montgomery:

https://www.facebook.com/SafeGrowMontgomery on Facebook


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