California Safe Schools Sustains 8 Years of Healthier Students Celebrates Pioneering Pesticide Policy
May 01, 2007 — By
California Safe Schools
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — On Monday April
30, at Charles H. Kim Elementary,
California Safe Schools (CSS) celebrated
the 8th Year Anniversary of the Los
Angeles Unified School District's
groundbreaking Integrated Pest
Management policy called IPM. This
policy, the most stringent pesticide
policy in the nation for schools,
stresses least-toxic methods of pest
control, and has become a national and
international model.
Joining the
celebration and presentation of special
awards by CSS to Los Angeles Unified
Board Member Julie Korenstein and
Director of Environmental Health &
Safety Angelo Bellomo were Steven John,
LA Office Director, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and Javier Hinojosa of
the California Department of Toxic
Substance and Control, as well as other
officials.
California Safe
Schools is a grassroots children's
environmental health Organization formed
by parents who witnessed their children
walk through a toxic cloud of
insecticide at an LAUSD campus nine
years ago. Founded by activist Robina
Suwol, CSS has gained a national
reputation for its effective education
of parents, schools, and elected
officials about protecting children from
toxins.
"It takes a
village - and several bureaucracies! -
to protect children's health," said
Suwol, Executive Director of CSS. "I am
so pleased to see how far we have come
and grateful that so many school
districts, communities, and government
officials have contacted us for
assistance in replicating our policy and
protocol. All children everywhere
deserve the protection of IPM."
IPM is an
inherently sustainable method using low
risk measures to eliminate pest and
weeds. The CSS policy adopted by LAUSD
was the first in the United States to
embrace the Precautionary Principle and
Right to Know about pesticides used on
school campuses. To ensure
implementation, the policy includes an
IPM Oversight Committee. The fifteen
member team which has met monthly for
almost a decade, includes parents,
environmentalists, community members,
teacher, principal, physician, school
staff, County Health Representative and
an "independent IPM expert."
"As a physician
who practices Environmental and
Preventive Medicine, I appreciate LA
Unified's groundbreaking Integrated Pest
Management Policy," said Dr. Cathie
Lippman. I've enjoyed serving on the LA
Unified oversight IPM Team, and often
cite the successful program for
understanding the link between health
and the environment. Happy 8th Year
Anniversary!"
Last month CSS and
its founder Robina Suwol were honored by
Volvo of North America, and the US
Environmental Protection Agency, Region
9 for their "Outstanding Achievement "
to protect human health and the
environment.
Contact Info:
Robina Suwol
Executive Director, California Safe
Schools
Tel : 818-785-5515