SOUTH ROYALTON — Vermont Law School has partnered with the Center for Food Safety’s BEE Protective Campaign, making it the first higher-education campus in the country to earn official neonicotinoid pesticide-free designation. BEE Protective promotes policies that protect pollinating insects from bee-toxic pesticides.
“Honey bees and other pollinators play a critical role in agricultural systems,” said Laurie Ristino, director of the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems and VLS associate professor of law. “Protecting their health and safety is a reflection of Vermont Law School’s commitment to the environment and CAFS’ mission to support sustainable food and agricultural systems. We hope more will follow our lead.”
Vermont Law School’s partnership with the BEE Protective Campaign follows an Obama administration directive, announced in June, to create a “Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators.” The presidential memorandum reports that “pollinators contribute substantially to the economy of the United States and are vital to keeping fruits, nuts, and vegetables in our diets. Honey bee pollination alone adds more than $15 billion in value to agricultural crops each year in the United States….”
For more information about the campaign, visit https://bit.ly/1kp3gSV.
