<h3>During Stoughton Grows Green Day, citizen action groups, nonprofits, and advocates envision a future Stoughton landscape without synthetic lawn chemicals</h3>
No pesticides, no “Keep off the Grass” signs, and no environmental and health risks.  That’s the future that <a href="http://www.sustainablestoughton.org/">Sustainable Stoughton</a>, <a href="http://midwestpesticideaction.org/">Midwest Pesticide Action Center</a> (MPAC), and many others hope to demonstrate during <em>Stoughton Grows Green Day</em>, May 5<sup>th</sup>.

“The City of Stoughton has taken great strides in the past couple of years to improve the parks and reduce pesticide use. Sustainable Stoughton is proud and excited to support this initiative,” said Sustainable Stoughton’s board member Regina Hirsh.

Sustainable Stoughton and the <a href="https://healthylawnteam.net/">Healthy Lawn Team</a> will share their natural lawn care message in collaboration with MPAC, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Healthy-Children-Healthy-Communities-Stoughton-595879823923902/">Healthy Children Healthy Communities Stoughton</a>, and the <a href="https://ipminstitute.org/">IPM Institute of North America</a> to combat rising concerns of pesticide use in urban and residential areas. Scientific studies have <a href="http://midwestpesticideaction.org/the-problem/">linked pesticides</a> to various behavioral, reproductive, immune, and nervous system disorders.

“We are only beginning to understand the health risks like cancer and learning problems from cumulative exposures to chemicals in a <a href="http://midwestpesticideaction.org/the-problem/childrens-health/">child’s environment</a>. Reducing pesticides takes away some of that risk,” said Claire Gervais, MD, President of the Healthy Lawn Team.

<a href="http://midwestpesticideaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/MPAC-NLC-Calendar.pdf">Natural lawn care</a> practices focus on disrupting the life cycle of pests and weeds and restoring rich, vibrant soil, the essential building block for healthy grass.

“The natural lawn care approach stresses and addresses the root causes of weed and pest problems such as poor soil drainage, nutrient deficiency, or soil compaction, as opposed to the symptoms of just applying a weed or pest product,” said Ruth Kerzee, Executive Director of MPAC.

Kerzee and additional MPAC staff will begin Saturday, May 5<sup>th</sup>, by discussing eco-friendly lawn care products at <a href="http://ww3.truevalue.com/asleson/Home.aspx">Asleson’s True Value</a> from 10 am to noon.

Later that afternoon from 1 to 3 pm, <em>Stoughton Grows Green Day</em> moves to the pesticide-free Veteran’s Park to demonstrate the natural lawn care and integrated pest management approach through games, presentations, and a raffle for Patagonia items.

<a href="http://www.ci.stoughton.wi.us/">City of Stoughton</a> Public Works Director, Brett Hebert, explained, “Our ultimate goal is to reduce or eliminate the amount of pesticides that we use to maintain our green spaces while maintaining quality turf.  We want to show the general public that there are ways to manage turf without only using pesticides to control weeds in their lawn.  We are strong advocates for using the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to reduce or eliminate the need for pesticides over time.”

More information on <em>Stoughton Grows Green Day </em>can be found at bit.ly/SGGday. Visit MPAC’s Midwest Grows Green website (see <a href="http://midwestpesticideaction.org/midwest-grows-green/">bit.ly/MGGweb</a>) to learn more about the natural lawn care approach and make an actionable commitment to reduce your own synthetic lawn pesticide and fertilizer use by taking the MGG pledge (visit <a href="http://midwestpesticideaction.org/midwest-grows-green/community-engagement/take-the-pledge/">bit.ly/MGGpledge</a>). This work is proudly supported by the Brico Fund.