Pesticides Free Campaign

Pesticide Free Zones (PFZ)

As part of NJ Environmental Federation's and Clean Water Fund's Healthy Schools and Towns campaign, we are working to reduce the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers and promote Integrated Pest Management , Pesticide Free Zones (PFZ) and fertilizer reduction policies throughout New Jersey's parks, playgrounds, and communities.

PFZ's are important for places where children and pets play--public parks, school yards, and home lawns. PFZ provides safe, healthy, living lawns and landscapes that protect the health of children, families, pets, wildlife and the environment from unnecessary exposure to toxic pesticides. Ideally, PFZ means that no chemical pest controls at all are used, but will consider the use of organically certified materials and USEPA-exempt pesticides. Print out NJEF's Pesticide Free Zone Brochure

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) uses a wide variety of practices to reduce pests without the use of toxic pesticides. In an IPM program, pest control includes: prevention of pests by reducing food, water, and access used by pests; application of pesticides only as needed; selecting the least toxic pesticides effective for controlling pests; and, restricting pesticide use to areas not contacted or accessible to children, faculty and staff. The New Jersey School IPM (IPM) Act (effective date June 2004) requires all public, private and charter schools to adopt a school IPM program that provides 72 hour parental and staff notification of a chemical pesticide application, 7 hour reentry delays and a shift to low-impact pest control methods. Print out NJEF's School IPM Brochure

Fertilizer

The use of fertilizers containing phosphorus, and their eventual presence in stormwater runoff, constitutes a threat to New Jerseys water quality. Phosphorus fertilizers often end up on impervious surfaces such as sidewalks and driveways, causing direct polluted runoff into sewers and then out to rivers, streams and lakes.

There are two ways you can help protect NJ's waterways and keep your lawns health. 1) Select a low or no phosphorus fertilizer designed for lawns and 2) Apply it to your lawn properly.

Follow these lawn care best practices to do your part to improve the quality of NJ's water:

Choose a low or no phosphorus fertilizer. Check the second number on the package formula, 26-0-3, for example, means no phosphate.Bags of lawn fertilizer have 3 numbers on them (Example 26-0-3).Find the phosphorus percent by looking at the middle number. A "zero in the middle" means no phosphorus, a 2 or 3 in the middlemeans low phosphorus.
Avoid use of "all-purpose" type fertilizer products on your lawn.
Apply fertilizer at the spreader setting shown on the bag. Following Application,
return any unused product to the original container for future use. Do not apply fertilizer products if eavy rain is expected.
Use a drop spreader or a rotary spreader with a side guard to keep fertilizer on the
lawn. Keep fertilizer off walks, driveways, and roadways where it can be washed into storm sewers.
Mow your lawn at a high or the highest mower setting and leave the grass clippings on
your lawn. Mowing high allows the grass to develop a deep root system that retains and uses water ore efficiently. Returning clippings to the lawn recycles nutrients and moisture back into the soil.
Fertilize in the spring after the first lawn cutting. Only apply fertilizer when your grass is
growing enough to be mowed. Fall is the best time to fertilize your lawn, for a healthier, greener lawn next spring.
Soil tests can help identify if other nutrients are needed. Contact your County Extension Agent or details and other helpful lawn and garden information. (Visit http://njaes.rutgers.edu/county/ )

Concern with excess nutrient runoff has led a number of NJ municipalities and counties to ban or restrict phosphorus fertilizers. If your town or county has not done so, please print out our sample ordinance and ask that your municipality pass it. Print out the model Fertilizer Ordinance

In August 2010, we were successful in getting a fertilizer reduction bill passed out of the Senate and Assembly Environment Committees, which is a tremendous victory for Barnegat Bay and New Jerseys Waters.

Pesticide Free Zone Success Stories

Listed below are towns/schools/counties that have adopted a PFZ resolution and/or designated parks as PFZ. 37 total as of August 2010. *Denotes towns that have natural organic policies (natural organic for fertilizer as well as pest management).

2010:

2009:

Hamilton
St. Matthews Lutheran Church (Cherry Hill)
Bernars Township Board of Education
Cherry Hill
Collingswood
Montclair

2008:

Asbury Park
Bernards Twp*
Dennis Twp*
Keyport
Mansfield School District
Newark
Pittsgrove
Raritan
Voorhees
West Orange

2007:

Cape May County
Colts Neck
East Windsor Township
Fair Lawn
Hazlet
Highstown
Manasquan
Neptune Township
Red Bank
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Monmouth County
West Windsor
Wood Ridge

2006:

Brick
Burlington County
Chatham
Clifton Township
Irvington
Hazlet
Ocean City
Pine Beach
Wall Twp

Passing a Pesticide Free Zone and IPM Policy in Your Town

Find allies and champions for PFZ and Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This could include friends, neighbors, concerned parents/groups, gardeners, neighborhood associations, environmental commissions, town managers, and parks department representatives.
Gain support from elected officials, mayor, council and your environmental commission. Call them and/or attend one of the regular public meetings and give a five minute "pitch" during the "public comment" period (usually at the end of the meeting, but sometimes at the beginning). Suggest they support the concept of Pesticide Free Zones and Integrated Pest Management. Bring a copy of the Pesticide Municipal Policy to the meeting.
Schedule a vote on PFZ! Ask your town when the resolution can be scheduled for a vote. Clarify what other steps need to be taken to get that to happen.
Promote the PFZ Ladybug Signs. Let your town officials know about the friendly pesticide free zone ladybug signs. To obtain a PFZ sign at a discount of $10 each, to put up in your yard or take to a meeting, email janogaki@cleanwater.org. NJEF will provide one free sign to any town who designates a park as a Pesticide Free Zone! See a PFZ ladybug sign in action in Chatham Township!
Conduct a letter-writing campaign! Handwritten letters and/or emails to the mayor, council, and environmental commission or a phone call blitz can get things moving! View NJEF's PFZ Sample Alert
Thank the town for passing the resolution and contact the media. Write a letter to the editor (LTE) of the local paper praising the town government for its forward action to protect the public from pesticide exposure. To find your local paper, visit the NJ Press Association Website. It contains contact information for daily newspapers and weeklies. It's important to submit your LTE to a statewide paper, as well as your local newspaper (weekly). A nice touch might be including a photo at a park bearing the Pesticide Free Zone sign preferably with some children in the photo can be emailed to the local paper with a caption--Town Goes "Pesticide Free" To Protect Kids Where They Play.