Non Toxic Dover, NH is a volunteer led citizen’s group dedicated to awareness, education and reducing pesticide use and pollution in the city.
We are an official project of Non Toxic Communities, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and part of The Partnership for Healthy Playing Surfaces, a collaboration with medical, scientific, educational and environmental education organizations with a mission to move knowledge into practice by providing science-based resources to help communities make informed decisions about healthy playing surfaces.
We’ve been advocating for an organic approach to land management on city and school property since 2013 after noticing a pesticide application sign on the library lawn listing a neonicotinoid insecticide and synthetic fertilizer.
Pesticide application sign on Dover Public Library lawn 7/16/13
As a result of our work, in 2014 the city voluntarily eliminated use of neonicotinoids, which since that time have been continually shown not only to be toxic to beneficial insects, but also to pollute water sources and to cause harm to the developing brain.
In 2015 the council accepted an invitation facilitated by our group to have representatives of a national non-profit organization to arrange municipal training to educate the city and contractors about least toxic methods of managing our public spaces.
Just prior to this in the Spring, 2015 the city awarded two sites, Lower Henry Law park and Sullivan Drive ball field to an organic lawn care company we located for a test pilot.
May-July 2015 Photo courtesy of Tom Kelly BeeSafe Organic
In early Spring 2016 the city hosted a public workshop on natural lawn and landscape management, and in February of 2018, the city voted unanimously to pass an organic land management resolution.
In 2019, the city purchased a steam weeding unit for curbside weed control and an organic program was implemented at Woodman Park School ball field through a gift from Stonyfield Organic.
In 2020, the city awarded our turf services contract to the vendor doing our Stonyfield site, putting all city owned athletic fields, parks, and more on an organic program. We’ve come a long way!
We will continue to support the city in moving forward, as well as working to promote awareness about environmental issues while educating about lawn care and other related pollution.
How to Show Your Support
- Stay up to date on the latest news by joining our group and following our Facebook page.
- Sign and share our petition to renovate Dunaway Field with natural grass.
Non Toxic Dover, New Hampshire 
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