We are Maine citizens commited to end the use and sale of synthetic lawncare pesticides and fertilizers in our coastal city. We strive to protect our kids, pets, bees, soil and Casco Bay from these toxic chemicals, as they drift around neighborhoods and leech into the public water systems. According to WHO, RoundUp is a "probable carcinogen," and Portland spent $15,000 in 2015 spraying it on our public spaces--AND BECAUSE of education efforts and letters from our supporters, our group was able to convince the city to cease the use of Round Up on sidewalks in the shopping and arts district and switch over to the organic product, Avenger. Our purpose is to create a comprehensive city ordianance that bans the use and sale of synthetic lawncare pesticides and fetilizers. Along with that, the city would replace its armory of toxins with federally-approved organic alternatives. It will also ensure that lawncare professionals are provided with adequate training and certification. UPDATE: Portland Protectors and our passionate community persuaded the Mayor to form a Pesticide Task Force in June 2016, where a group of ten industry professionals and environmental activists meet monthly to draft a natural lawn care ordinance to present to the Sustainibility Committee. Our co-founder Avery was invited to and currently sits on this Task Force to represent the citizens who want an organic city. We created a petition and as of today we have over 1,000 signatures from residents who want Portland to ban these toxic lawn chemicals. UPDATE: As of Monday 2/27, the Task Force (made up of industry professionals and NO OPM experts) voted 10-1 to pass along a very weak IPM ordinance (that only focuses on sidewalks, parking lots and patios. Trees, gardens, flowers etc. was purposely left off) to the city Sustainibility Commitee, which luckily has two organic-supporting council members. As we move forward, the education piece will be vital. Portland Protectors will take on a community-expert role to educate on how to build healthy soil, use native plantings to attract pollinators and replace toxic chemicals with natural aternatives. This is vital and must happen quickly as once the ordinance leaves committee this summer, we will have to band together national experts to give a workshop to the entire council to help them realize that making Portland an Organic city must happen. And continuously gathering public support and getting our yard signs into even more yards will be a focus. Because of your generosity last year, we were able to make 500 Bee Safe lawnsigns that are happily dotted all over organic yards in the city. This was powerful as the city councilors saw them all over their neighborhoods and finally realized this is a topic their constituents are serious about.