Cheers to the city of Stamford for the progress it is making to go pesticide free. The Board of Representatives is expected to vote next month on whether to ban the use of nonorganic pesticides on city property.

Under the proposed ordinance, the city would be required to use only organic pesticides and fertilizers on any property it owns, occupies or controls, including streets, sidewalks, parks, athletic fields and beaches, according to the Stamford Advocate.

The proposed ordinance, which would go into effect next year, also singles out products that contain the herbicide glyphosate; the herbicide 2,4-D; the soil fumigant 1,3-D; the insecticide chlorpyrifos; and neonicotinoid insecticides.

In a statement of support, Beyond Pesticides, a national nonprofit, encouraged the passage of the ordinance: “This approach to pesticide reform will effectively stop the unnecessary use of hazardous pesticides applied for aesthetic purposes. While addressing urgent local concerns related to public health and the environment, implementing this program will highlight the ability of organic land care to contribute to reversing the escalating crisis in biodiversity, including pollinator declines and the climate crisis—which is exacerbated by petroleum-based, synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, the release of carbon into the environment, and the lost opportunity to sequester carbon in organic soil systems. “

Friends of Animals couldn’t agree more.