Schools Urged To Reduce Pesticide Use

EPA, USDA, and integrated pest management (IPM) organizations have released a strategic plan to reduce pests and pesticide use in schools by 70% over the next six years. That goal has been easy to achieve in pilot school IPM programs throughout the U.S., according to EPA. The plan calls for schools to use commonsense strategies to reduce the availability of food, water, and shelter for pests in and around school buildings. It does not call for an elimination of pesticides, but rather for schools to adopt an IPM program that relies on all pest-management strategies and uses pesticides only when necessary. Studies have shown that schools that adopt IPM practices have less pesticide residue, fewer pests, and lower allergen levels, with no overall increase in costs, according to EPA.