Center for Resource Management's PESP Strategy

Describe your Organization’s Five-Year Goals Related to Pesticide Risk Reduction

CRM works as a catalyst, organizer, and facilitator in working with different industry sectors and related stakeholders to address environmental/natural resource issues in a collaborative way. We will continue our work with the golf industry, lawn and garden industry, and other sectors that use pesticides to reduce the use and impacts of synthetic pesticides. Our goals include:

Assist golf industry and its stakeholders to reduce the use and impacts of pesticides on existing and new courses.
Encourage awareness of stewardship practices including reduced pesticide use in residential landscapes.
Transfer knowledge and experience of the collaborative strategies in golf and residential landscapes to other relevant sectors such as agriculture, cemeteries, and parks.

What do you envision doing (broadly) to try to resolve your major issues?

In the case of golf, the question of the viability and practicality of organic golf courses is yet to be determined. A few courses are operating as organic but how widespread that becomes will be determined over time as new products become available and as the experience of a few is shared with others. CRM will play a role in sharing that information and helping to define organic standards for golf.

Beyond golf the challenge lies in information dissemination, networking, and developing consensus-based strategies. CRM will broaden its reach by working with key stakeholder groups and promoting practical win-win solutions.

Goal 1 and Tactics

Assist the golf industry and its stakeholders reduce the use and impact of pesticides on existing and new courses. In pursuit of this goal, CRM will work in three project areas:

Develop consensus-based definition and practical standards and guidance for organic golf courses. This will include the work of a multi-stakeholder committee and the development of a report on organic golf. This information will help those courses that want to operate as totally organic and those that want to simply reduce pesticide use as part of a larger strategy.
Educate golfers about environmental issues and stewardship practices so they can support IPM and pesticide reduction strategies on the courses they play.
Develop a consensus-based “environmental charter” for golf course development that will assist architects, builders, and communities employ pesticide reduction measures in new course development.

EPA can play an important role by participating in these activities and continuing to provide financial, human, and institutional resources.

Goal 2 and Tactics

Encourage awareness of stewardship practices including reduced pesticide use in residential landscapes.

CRM will continue the work of the Lawns & Environment Initiative by distributing L&E materials on the internet and to key groups such as master gardeners and landscape professionals. The measure of the success of this effort will be determined by the number of organizations and individuals exposed to this information and by national survey data such as that gathered by the National Gardening Association using the environmental scorecard.

EPA can assist by continuing to provide these materials to communities and stakeholder groups via the internet and other means.

Goal 3 and Tactics

Transfer knowledge and experience of the collaborative strategies in golf and residential landscapes to other relevant sectors such as agriculture, cemeteries, and parks.

CRM will identify key individuals and groups within these different sectors who can play a leadership role and introduce CRM into the policy development process. CRM will distribute information from previous projects to demonstrate effective collaborative strategies for pesticide reduction and consensus building across stewardship issues.