Kim Konte Email & Phone Number

Irvine, Ca, Us

Non Toxic Neighborhoods - In Irvine, CA we worked to have Irvine Unified School District's end the use of glyphosate and 2,4-D in 2015 and take a Progressive Pest Management Policy online.After launching a campaign to raise awareness of the City of Irvine’s pesticide use in late November 2015, the City of Irvine adopted an historic organically driven landscaping policy in February 2016. Since then the City of Irvine has successfully and organically maintained all pest pressure from weeds to rodents, on more than 570 acres of community and neighborhood parks, athletic fields; over 6,000 acres of open space, over 800 acres of public right-of-way, including street medians and parkways; 70,000 trees; and nearly 1.5 million square feet of facilities. Awarded the City of Irvine's Civic Leader award in 2017 and was added to the Wall of Recognition. In 2018 we worked with the City of Irvine to utilize goats in their open space for effective and adorable fire mitigation and weed control. Thankfully the City of Irvine was the first of now many municipalities that we have worked with and trained to successfully and their use of glyphosate and shift how they control pest pressure in the landscape. These municipalities have demonstrated that you can have beautiful parks, athletic fields, and open space that meet community expectations, without the use of harmful and synthetic pesticides. Non-Toxic Neighborhoods Advisors: Dean Baker MD, Bruce Blumberg PhD, Bruce Lanphear MD, Philip J. Landrigan MD, Zach Bush MD, and Dele Ogunseitan MD Non-Toxic Neighborhoods and our advisors believe that it should be a basic human right that our children are protected from harmful and synthetic pesticides where they live, learn, and play. #playfreeBoard Member of the Herd Foundation - advocating for Holistic Planned Grazing https://theherdfdn.org

The District’s PPM Advisory Committee assists with implementing and optimizing the IUSD's Progressive Pest Management policy.

The District’s IPM Advisory Committee assists with developing and implementing the District’s pest management policy.

Irvine, Ca

www.nontoxicirvine.org

Irvine, Ca

I was able to bring forward a synthetic turf moratorium, 2017 City of Irvine Wall of Recognition Honoree as a Civic Leader, lobbied in Washington, DC successfully to have Sec. 9101 removed from the House Farm bill, and worked to have "Organically Maintained" signage added to the City of Irvine's 19 community parks and over than 40 neighborhood parks. To celebrate the City of Irvine adopting an historic organics-first landscaping policy on February 23, 2016. Since then the City of Irvine has successfully, and organically, maintained all pest pressure from weeds to rodents, on more than 570 acres of community and neighborhood parks, athletic fields; over 6,000 acres of open space, over 800 acres of public right-of-way, including street medians and parkways; 70,000 trees; and nearly 1.5 million square feet of facilities. The organic landscaping policy protects Irvine's residents, open space reserves, multiple wildlife habitats, and pets from exposure to harmful pesticides in all city-maintained space. The City of Irvine has demonstrated that you can have beautiful parks, athletic fields, and open space, that meet community expectations, without the use of harmful pesticides. Lastly, worked to bring forward a Shelter Buddies Reading Program pilot for Irvine Animal Care Center. The Shelter Buddies Reading Program helps foster compassion and empathy, while providing a supportive environment in which to develop children's reading skills. The program co-benefits the children and the shelter animals.It was a great opportunity to serve the City of Irvine.