whyAt Stonyfield Organic we’ve cared about the organic fields where our cows graze and the fields where our fruits and veggies grow for over 35 years. Today we extend that commitment to new fields, the playing fields. Over 26 million kids play sports on fields* and 65% of fields are sprayed with harmful pesticides**. It’s time for a change!We are taking on our biggest mission yet - to help to make all playing fields organic and free from harmful pesticides. Together with the support of experts and advocates like Beyond Pesticides, Non-Toxic Neighborhoods, and Osborne Organics, we will be helping communities and families across America take the necessary steps to manage fields and our own backyards organically and free from the use of harmful pesticides. Many thanks to Non Toxic Neighborhoods, Osborn Organics, Beyond Pesticides, & Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc. who are helping make this project a reality. Learn more about them below.Because the air you breathe and the fields you play in are just as important as the food you eat In a recent survey†, we found that while the majority of American parents (69%) are looking to lessen exposure to pesticides in food, nearly the same number of parents (67%) do not consider sports fields, playgrounds and parks to be of concern. Yet most of the playing fields and parks kids play on are treated with a chemical cocktail of herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. Many of the commonly used chemicals are either proven or likely endocrine disruptors, which can interfere with the development of children’s immune, reproductive, and metabolic systems.Today, 68% of US parents are more likely to buy a product labelled organic, their primary reason being to avoid pesticides, but we believe food is just one part of the preventative health equation - and we want to help families and communities avoid toxic chemicals in their food and beyond. 1. Glyphosate is deemed a potential carcinogen according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a subdivision of the World Health Organization 2. Pochettino AA, Bongiovanni B, Duffard RO, Evangelista de Duffard AM. 2011 Mar 3. *2015 SIFA Trends **Potential Health Effects Related To Pesticide Use on Athletic Fields. R Gilden-E Friedmann-B Sattler-K Squibb-K McPhaul - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22512421 †Stonyfield and Lindberg International surveyed 1,000 adults age 18 and older, comprised of 500 parents with children living at home, in January 2018. Join The Movement All FieldsStonyFIELDs Initiative FieldsOther Fields Making Progress All Fields StonyFIELDs Initiative Fields Other Fields Making Progress apply TODAY We are making progress with communities across America to make all fields ORGANIC by stopping the use of harmful pesticides on playing fields, but we can’t do it without you.Even though our formal application process is currently closed, we are always assessing new towns to team up with! If you want your community to be a part of the initiative, click here, and send us a short note explaining where you live, and why you want your town to transition to organic. upcoming EventsThere are no upcoming events. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret MeadPlease join us in celebrating and supporting the towns across America who have already begun to take steps to reduce the use of harmful pesticides on the playing fields in their community. This map shows towns and cities that have comprehensive policies in place to restrict use of toxic pesticides in community spaces. For more communities that have passed ordinances restricting pesticide use, check out Beyond Pesticides map here. learn morePesticides 101Health Effects of PesticidesPesticides on Playing FieldsPets, Pollinators, and Pesticides act nowChanging Your CommunityChange Your Own Backyard meet Our ExpertsWe've teamed up with experts in the...field...to help us make our commitment a reality. Each one of these hand-picked team players believes in healthy soil, healthy people and the hope for a future without harmful pesticides or chemicals. Meet our A Team here!Chip Osborne“Chip” Osborne, Jr., President of Osborne Organics, LLC, and Founder of the Organic Landscape Association has over 17 years experience in creating safe, sustainable and healthy athletic fields and landscapes through natural turf management.Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MScLandrigan is the Professor of Biology and Director of the Global Public Health Program at Boston College and Professor Emeritus of Preventive Medicine and Pediatrics in the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. For four decades, Prof. Landrigan has been a thought leader in environmental medicine. His early studies of lead poisoning demonstrated that lead is toxic to children even at very low levels and contributed to the US government’s decision to remove lead from paint and gasoline, actions that reduced population mean blood lead levels in the USA by more than 90%. A landmark study he led in the early 1990’s at the National Academy of Sciences defined children’s unique susceptibilities to pesticides and other toxic chemicals and catalyzed fundamental revamping of US pesticide policy.Non Toxic NeighborhoodsFive parents in southern California, concerned about the ubiquitous use of pesticides and their children’s health, worked with their elected officials to have the City of Irvine adopt a historic organic-first landscaping policy in 2016, and Non Toxic Irvine (NTI) was born. NTI received an endorsement of support from Dr. Jane Goodall for their work. In 2018, Non Toxic Neighborhoods was created to expand their efforts nationally to help cities and school districts transition to organic landscaping policies. NTN can help your school district and city too! NTN provides their proven and replicable methods, step by step Playbook and offers a NTN Toolkit so you can get started today!Beyond PesticidesBeyond Pesticides is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., which works with allies in protecting public health and the environment to lead the transition to a world free of toxic pesticides. pesticides & playing fields in the newsLetter: Palm Beach should ban toxic pesticidesTo Mayor Coniglio: Thank you for recognizing the danger of fertilizers to our waterways and opening discussion on a possible ordinance limiting their use. While I applaud this great start, I believe the Town Council should go much further... Read more.Article: Palm Beach Daily News / Photo: Dombeya SeminoleCan Eating Organic Food Lower Your Cancer Risk?In a study, those who ate more organic produce, dairy, meat and other products had 25 percent fewer cancer diagnoses over all, especially lymphoma and breast cancer... Read more.Article: The New York Times / Photo: CreditCreditSteven Senne/Associated Press Show MoreMonsanto's Role in Roundup Safety Study Is Corrected by JournalBayer AG’s defense of Roundup weed killer may take a hit after an academic journal said Monsanto Co. didn’t fully disclose its involvement in published research finding the herbicide safe. Read more.Article: Bloomberg; Photo: Jasper Juinen/BloombergIrvine quit using synthetic pesticides in 2016, now a farm bill could block such local restrictionsA provision tucked into the 2018 federal farm bill could block local governments from making their own rules about pesticides, effectively neutering local control over what gets sprayed... Read more.Article: The Orange County Register / Photo: Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNGFood Companies, EWG Petition EPA for Stringent Limits on Glyphosate in OatsThe EPA’s legal limit on glyphosate residues is 30 parts per million, or ppm. The petition, joined by 8 industry leaders asks the EPA to set a more protective standard of 0.1 ppm, which was the legal limit in 1993. Read more.Article & Photo: EWGPesticide Studies Won E.P.A.’s Trust, Until Trump’s Team Scorned ‘Secret Science’Backed by agrochemical companies, the current administration and Congress are moving to curb the role of human health studies in regulation. Read more.Article: New York Times; Photo: Carlos Chavarría for The New York TimesBayer's Monsanto faces 8,000 lawsuits on glyphosateThe number of U.S. lawsuits brought against Bayer’s (BAYGn.DE) newly acquired Monsanto has jumped to about 8,000, as the German drugmaker braces for years of legal wrangling over alleged cancer risks of glyphosate-based weedkillers. Read more.Article: Reuters; Photo: REUTERS/Mike Blake/File PhotoNovato halts glyphosate use, joining Marin trendThe city of Novato has joined other Marin cities and local governments in eliminating the use of glyphosate, the key ingredient in the Roundup brand weed killer that puts users at a heightened risk of cancer. Read more.Article: Marin Independent Journal; Photo: Alan Dep/Marin Independent JournalCanada to phase out crop chemicals linked to bee deathsThe Canadian government said on Wednesday it would move to restrict use of two types of crop chemicals that have been linked to deaths of aquatic insects and bees, in a victory for environmentalists and the latest setback for companies that sell the pesticides. Read more.Article: Reuters; Photo: REUTERS/Dave StobbeJury orders Monsanto to pay nearly $290M in Roundup trialThe Canadian government said on Wednesday it would move to restrict use of two types of crop chemicals that have been linked to deaths of aquatic insects and bees, in a victory for environmentalists and the latest setback for companies that sell the pesticides. Read more.Article: NBCNEWS; Photo: Josh Edelson / Pool via Reuters file Sign up for our MooosletterWant to learn how YOU can help change your community? Sign up for our MOOOsletter below and stay tuned for more information about how you can change the world around you and your family.We’ll be sharing helpful tips and information over the next few months. You don't want to miss out!"We want to ensure that every kid in America is protected from harmful chemicals and toxins. It starts with food, but we believe all children should play free as well– free from worry, free from harmful chemicals, and free from toxic persistent pesticides." - Gary Hirshberg, Co-founder and Chief Organic Optimist
