Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (Lakewood, CO) announced a partnership with Beyond Pesticides (Washington, D.C.) for the Parks for a Sustainable Future Program.
The cities of Lakewood and Golden in Colorado launched organic land management demonstration sites at multiple city parks.
The chosen locations in Lakewood are The Link Recreation Center Baseball Field, The Mountair Dog Park and Belmar Traditional Park. The locations in Golden are DeLong Park, New Loveland Mine Park and Southridge Park.
“We are thrilled to have Lakewood and Golden, both of our home cities, committed to organic management of these treasured areas that are so important to their citizens,” said Alan Lewis, vice president advocacy & government affairs at Natural Grocers. “We know from long experience the parks managers will be happily surprised by the naturally weed-free landscapes and the cost savings due to lower water use. The biggest benefit, of course, will be for families with children and pet who will have safer green spaces to play on.”
Beyond Pesticides collaborates with communities across the country to transition parks, playing fields and public spaces to organic land management. The program’s goal is to further shift from synthetic weed killers and other pesticides to organic practices that support soil biology.
“We are excited to be working with the City of Lakewood and the City of Golden on organic land management practices that protect community health and the environment, including bees, butterflies, and birds, and support efforts to mitigate climate change and biodiversity decline,” said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides. “Organic practices eliminate fossil fuel petroleum-based products and sequester atmospheric carbon in the soil, combating the climate crisis.”
For more information, visit www.naturalgrocers.com or www.beyondpesticides.org.
