Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program

Environmental stewardship means safeguarding human health and the environment to sustain or improve the quality of life for ourselves and future generations. In the past decade, the Environmental Stewardship Branch (ESB), within EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs, has forged over 200 voluntary partnerships aimed at reducing potential risks from the use of both agricultural and non-agricultural pesticides.

ESB has funded grants to demonstrate the effectiveness and encourage the broader adoption of reduced-risk pest control practices, such as the use of biopesticides and Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Rather than a compendium of all of ESB’s partnership projects, this report contains summaries of some of the successes of those partnerships.

Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP) and PESP Champions

PESP is a voluntary partnership to reduce pesticide risk in both agricultural and nonagricultural settings. The program advocates the adoption of IPM practices and promotes the use of biopesticides. Created in 1994 with ten charter members, PESP today has over 160 members (see the new members in 2005) and is EPA’s premier partnership program for reducing potential pesticide risk.

Members develop a risk-reduction strategies, which are intended to help them move forward in a consistent, goal-oriented way. Each year, EPA recognizes PESP Champions based on the members’ outstanding efforts towards promoting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and reducing pesticide risk, and for their extraordinary level of commitment to protecting human health and the environment.

Biopesticide Demonstration Project

Since 2003 EPA has worked under an interagency agreement with USDA’s Interregional Research Project No. 4 (IR-4) to administer a competitive grants program to fund projects in the field demonstrating that biopesticides are effective within IPM systems.

National Foundation for IPM Education

From 1995 - 2005, NFIPME cooperated with EPA to fund nearly 70 projects for increasing the adoption of IPM through education, information, and research.

IPM in Schools

The goal for the National IPM in Schools Initiative is to protect children from unnecessary exposure to pesticides by implementing IPM in schools and daycare centers.

Strategic Agricultural Initiative

ESB coordinates participation from each of EPA’s ten Regions to forge agricultural partnership that encourage the adoption of pest management practices that transition growers away from high risk pesticides.

Lawns and Environment Initiative

L&E is an initiative to provide information to the public for their use in making informed choices to reduce pesticide use and practice more environmentally sustainable programs to maintain their lawns. EPA is a member of its steering committee.