A new petition has been started to get glyphosate, known commercially as Roundup, out of New York City Parks by NYC-based The Black Institute. Despite the information out there about health and environmental concerns related to the herbicide, manufactured by corporate behemoth Monsanto, the city agency thus far has been resistant to take the herbicide out of its, shall we say, arsenal (also the name of the building that houses NYC Parks offices at Central Park). The petition states:
In New York City, our parks are undeniable, timeless community magnets. Our parks provide recreation, relaxation, and a place to connect with others. Unfortunately, the New York City Parks Department has long used a chemical poison tied to causing cancer to control weeds. The toxic weed killer, glyphosate, widely used under its trade name, RoundUp, contains a chemical that is linked to irreversible neurological and endocrine-disrupting effects, severe kidney damage, asthma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and birth defects, amongst other grave and life altering conditions.
It is incumbent upon us to make our parks in NYC as safe as possible. Sign and share the petition today telling the Parks Department and New York City Council to stop poisoning our parks. We can and must do better because New Yorkers deserve poison free parks!
Photo:[October 5, 2015] – Coalition of activists led by Reverend Billy Talen stormed the Arsenal, which houses the offices of New York City’s Department of Parks and Recreation to raise the alarm of the unsafe use of toxic Roundup being sprayed by Parks personnel all over New York City.
Sign and share the petition today telling the Parks Department and New York City Council to stop poisoning our parks.