First Representative Markey, now NY Governor Paterson!
I see the beginning of a little trend, and I like it!
First we see Representative Edward Markey (D-Mass) fired up and taking on the FDA regarding Triclosan. Now this past month on May 18, 2010, NY Governor Paterson signed the Child Safe Playing Fields Act, eliminating the use of toxic pesticides on playing fields and green spaces at schools throughout New York State.
Beyond Pesticides reported that while the earlier versions of the legislation included all outdoor school grounds, the scope was narrowed to include only playgrounds and playing fields to help ensure passage. To further help passage of the act, Patti Wood of Grassroots Environmental Education presented data that showed that after the first two years, schools save 7 percent to 25 percent annually by not purchasing toxic chemicals but instead using organic turf management.
This was a wise move to get this important piece of legislation signed and help to get this on the radar in New York and beyond. This bill sends the message that the health of our children is more important than the aesthetics of our lawns. It says that the toxicity of the things we are using around children have to be considered.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 at 1:01 pm and is filed under Clean Kids, Triclosan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
