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Kids Safe Pest Control Goal of Community and Patnership - October 2006
October 6, 2006
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Philadelphia School and Community IPM Partnership (PSCIP) was formed two years ago by the Pennsylvania IPM Program (PA IPM) as a community outreach initiative in Philadelphia to provide kid-safe pest control education.
IPM, or integrated pest management, is a safe, economical, and scientific approach to managing pests. IPM combines knowledge of pest identity and biology with pest monitoring so that action, if needed, can be taken at just the right time. In addition, IPM uses a combination of tactics that are more likely to be safe and effective. PSCIP’s goal is to promote IPM as a means to reducing the risks associated with pests and pesticides.
Hosted by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, the purpose of the meeting was to update members about PSCIP activities during the past year. Rhonda Griffin, home health educator with PA IPM, gave an update on the rowhouse community IPM project. The project aims to educate the community about how to deal with common household pests using IPM.
According to Griffin, the project is focusing on 19 homes in four Philadelphia neighborhoods. “We’re focusing on rowhouses because of their close proximity to one another and the fact that pests do not stay in one place. Sharing information with neighbors helps everyone deal more effectively with pests,” she explains.
At the beginning of the project, participants were surveyed about their attitudes and knowledge of pests and their control and home environment assessments were made. Participants were given “IPM Home Kits” consisting of buckets containing least-toxic pest control supplies and non-toxic cleaning products. The kits also contain information sheets and publications on the importance of least-toxic pest management and cleaning in relation to asthma, cancer and other health concerns. “Besides improved pest management, the project is increasing communication between neighbors,” says Griffin. “Post interviews with the participants showed enthusiasm and dedication to making positive changes in their lives.” PSCIP will conduct a wrap-up meeting with participants in September. The project is being funded by an EPA Region III Pesticide Environmental Stewardship grant.
In addition, the group was updated on the Shaw Middle School service-learning project in southwest Philadelphia. PA IPM and Nicole Webster, assistant professor of service learning at Penn State, initiated the project four years ago. According to Michelle Niedermeier, PSCIP coordinator, a group of ten students formed a “Pest Patrol” to learn about IPM in urban environments and to share their knowledge to other students and the surrounding communities. “In the curriculum, the students focused on insects and rodents, learning taxonomy and basic biology and the six steps of IPM to control pests. Projects from the past year include making posters of things they liked about their school and community, as well as things they didn’t like that needed to be fixed. Students also participated in three of NASA’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) nights at Shaw and made a presentation of their work at the National Service Learning Conference and to the statewide PA IPM Advisory Board.
Seven of the students also attended Advanced Bug Camp for Kids at Penn State. Students spent the week exploring the world of insects in many settings: farm fields, meadows, ponds, forests and homes. Students learned about entomology as well as honed their social skills and expanded their worldview.
The week-long day camp was supplemented with evening activities for the Pest Patrol students. Evening activities included swimming, diner at a sit-down restaurant, a trip to an Amish dairy farm, a cookout at a working organic farm, an exploration of Penn’s Cave and viewing a bat colony as it emerged for its evening “pest patrol.”
In addition, PA IPM is continuing to build and strengthen partnerships with key local groups, businesses and agencies having a vested interest in improving pesticide and pest management practices in Philadelphia. “We partnered with the South East PA Area Health Education Center and the Women’s Health Environment Network to provide “Safe Spaces” presentations to childcare facilities in Philadelphia,” says Niedermeier. “Twelve sessions at six child care facilities in Philadelphia were completed and included topics such as Green Cleaning and IPM and Indoor Air Quality.” PA IPM will continue meeting with and attending partner meetings and giving more IPM presentations and distributing IPM educational material in the months ahead. This project was funded by an environmental education grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection.
Also discussed at the meeting was a project initiated by PA IPM after being awarded an EPA Region III grant. PA IPM will be implementing EPA's Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools program in select Philadelphia schools and day care centers. According to Lyn Garling, PA IPM education specialist, children spend many hours indoors in schools and day care centers. “The quality of the air in these institutions can have a significant impact on children’s health and scholastic performance. We plan on strengthening the IPM sections of the kit by providing targeted education programs on IPM as a way to reduce exposure to both pest-borne allergens and asthma triggers plus reduce exposure to pesticides.”
Currently, PA IPM is working with Montgomery Early Learning Centers to assess their childcare facilities for IPM and IAQ. They have 22 programs located at five sites in Philadelphia, Montgomery and Delaware counties. “We are targeting the early childhood centers first because young children are more vulnerable to environmental hazards,” Garling explains. IPM assessments and air samples have been taken at all five sites.
Guest speaker Thomas Green, president of the IPM Institute of North America, spoke to the group about national IPM projects and programs such as the IPM Star Certification. Developed by the IPM Institute of North America, the IPM STAR certification is a rigorous process that includes an on-site inspection by an independent professional trained in IPM. The Pittsburgh Area School District received IPM Star Certification in 2003, and the process has been started in the Philadelphia School District.
According to Green, the IPM STAR Program was developed with funding from the USDA IPM Program, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the National Foundation for IPM Education. “In addition to schools, businesses, organizations, products and services may also be certified under IPM Star,” he explains. To find out more about the program visit Web site http://www.ipminstitute.org/ ipmstar.htm.
For more information on PSCIP, including meeting minutes, partners in the initiative, and current and future activities, visit Web site http://www.pscip.org.
For more information on PSCIP and community IPM, visit Web site http://www.pscip.org. Or, you may contact Michelle Niedermeier at the Philadelphia IPM office, phone (215) 471-2200, ext. 109, or e-mail mxn14@psu.edu.
The PA IPM Program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest management in both urban and nonagricultural situations. For more information, contact the program at (814) 865-2839, or Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu. To view our archived news releases, see Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/newsrelease.html.