Demand that the City of Minneapolis promote its Pollinator Resolution

The City of Minneapolis passed a Pollinator Resolution last August. However, few residents and businesses were made aware of this historic Resolution by the city which urges the following key provisions:
1. Committing to not use pesticides, including systemic insecticides, on their property;
2. Avoid planting flowering plants that are treated with systemic insecticides;
3. Discontinuing the sale of pesticides and plants that are treated with systemic insecticides;
4. Planting more pollinator forage on their property and using organic or chemical-free lawn and landscaping practices.

Obviously, to be effective, this must eventually change citywide, not just on public property, otherwise what good will it do.

Glyphosate (Roundup) is one of the most toxic herbicides, and is the third most commonly reported cause of pesticide related illness among agricultural workers. Products containing glyphosate also contain other compounds, which can be toxic as well. The Minneapolis Park Board at their last meeting agreed to discontinue its use.

While the anecdotes are non-scientific, science backs them up. Study after study links the use of pesticides and herbicides to a host of cancers, nervous-system disorders and other illness. The evidence shows these dangers are particularly acute for children. Add to that the overwhelming scientific evidence of the damage synthetic fertilizers do to the environment and we have to ask: why do we continue to dump tons of these products in our backyards year after year?

In the American canon, lawns rank with mom, baseball and apple pie. It’s the place your children romp and wrestle, your friends and family gather for picnics and summer holidays, the place your dog loves to play go fetch. Babies learn to crawl in the grass and children love to run barefoot through the backyard. With this kind of contact, doesn’t it make sense that we make our yards as safe as possible?

Those of us who buy and raise organic produce for our families need also consider the impact of the chemicals we spread in the name of lawn care, some 50 thousand tons a year, the vast majority of it herbicide and pesticide. Reducing our use of fertilizer through organic methods and eliminating the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides can go along way towards saving the planet. Added bonus: organically cared-for lawns can actually be healthier and more attractive — not to mention cheaper to maintain — than those dependent on expensive, regularly-administered chemical fixes.

We are asking that the City promote the resolution through all venues possible and create action to follow through as well.