Minneapolis, MN

ABOUT:

The vibrant city of Minneapolis, MN lies on both banks of the Mississippi River, with a whole lot to offer in the way of music, art, and outdoor adventure. The Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board oversees a renowned park system that spans nearly 7,000 acres, including 55 miles of parkways, 189 park properties, 22 lakes, and 49 neighborhood recreation centers (holy cow!). From disc golf and dog parks to sports complexes and gardens, the parks of Minneapolis host of wide variety of outdoor recreation all year round.

WHY:

Working towards freedom from harmful pesticides has truly been a grassroots effort in Minneapolis. Members of the Minneapolis Park Board and School Board have been working with employees and citizens to eliminate the use of pesticides for over five years, and have recently formed pesticide elimination committees to keep the transition to organic moving forward city-wide.

In October 2018, the Minneapolis Park Board voted unanimously to ban the herbicide glyphosate from all parks city-wide. Commissioners have also approved a trial run to use goats (you heard that right, goats!) to naturally target certain invasive species within two areas of the park system. The city plans to roll out these organic alternatives to harmful pesticides this year.

OUR COMMITMENT:

Beyond Pesticides and Osborne Organics, with support from Stonyfield Organic, will feature Minneapolis’s Franklin Middle School as an example of managing thriving organic landscape. Without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, this program will continue to encourage large scale pesticide reduction behavior change in Minneapolis and across the Midwest.