Methods & Techniques

Becoming pesticide free will have benefits for:

• ​The environment: reduced pollution (air, ground and water). Herbicide use in urban areas, and more specifically on impermeable surfaces, is actually a major source of water pollution, which generates significant costs for local authorities.
• Biodiversity: pollinating insects and other beneficial insects, soil micro-organisms, birds, amphibians, pets and so on.
• Citizens: protection for the most vulnerable groups, quality of life for residents and those entering the city and its green areas.
• Civil workers in parks and public spaces: short- and long-term health consequences from occupational exposure.

​Cutting out pesticide use in cities is common sense. Cutting out pesticides will lead to spontaneous plant growth occuring. The concept of allowing a few wild plant species to grow on pavements, along footpaths and in cemeteries is slowly gaining popularity, and hopefully one day we will see real nature developing in the towns.
 

Throughout this document there will be a number of good examples from towns, useful guidelines, as well as demonstrations of how other stakeholders can help to ensure the needed transition to pesticide free.

You can also watch the videos from our conference to get other ideas of what is already being done across Europe.

The main steps are as follows:

• Plan the transition
• Gather the various stakeholders together for a discussion
• Communicate before you act
• Make an inventory of all sites
• Proceed one step at a time

Plan The Transition

The public administration must plan the transition by drawing up guidelines and inspirational documents for its local administrations and it must engage partners, especially the gardeners, to give technical advice throughout the transition.

Many regional and/or national governments are assisting the transition, for example:

In Flanders: 

• The Flanders Environment Agency (VMM) has developed a campaign zonderisgezonder, encouraging good design and continous progress. 
• The Vereniging voor openbaar groen (VVOG), a non-profit organisation, is a key in ensuring implementation as it assists municipalities in the transition to become pesticide free. They organise networking events, study visits, lectures, courses and many other activities.  
• Inverde is an organisation that plays an important role in teaching the specifics of pesticide free management.

In Wallonia: 

• The Service Public de Wallonie (SPW) has developed a campaign and a number of guidelines and tolerance levels in weed management.
• The Pôle de gestion differenciée has drawn up a guide, which serves as a good source of inspiration.
• Adalia communicates about the transition to and the challenge of becoming pesticide free to the general public by developing short films.

There is a also FEREDEC Bretagne, a guide to alternatives to chemical weedkillers in municipalities. This guide gives details including transition and communication strategies and lists the pros and cons of all varieties of weedkillers as well as their costs.

Communicate the transistion to citizens

A number of municipalities are using their homepages to communicate to citizens about the move to become pesticide free. Among those:

• The town of Eupen, Belgium is explaining very clearly that being pesticide free is much better for public health and the environment, and they are showing clearly that healthy alternatives to pesticides already exist. 
• The town of Rennes, France, see the photos illustrating clearly why not to spray herbicides.
• The City of Strasbourg, France, became pesticide free in 2008. Several tips on transitioning are available on the website.
• Many Flemish towns (e.g. Poperinge, Knokke-heist, Assende, Kampenhout, Anzegem, Dondermonde, Evergem, Maasmechelen, Herentals, Keerbergen, Heuvelland, Londerzeel), inform citizens about the transition to become pesticide free on their homepages. A particularly interesting example is the homepage of the town of Gent where citizens are encouraged to stop using pesticides in their gardens. 
• The city of Lens in Belgium published a detailed announcement on its website regarding the transition to become pesticide free, explaining to citizens that the increased numbers of weeds in streets was not due to abandonment but a result of a transition using no pesticides; a new approach to management of the public space. 
• The town of Alken in Belgium explains to its citizens on the public homepage how to prepare a garden for the winter without using pesticides. 
• A few municipalities in Denmark, such as the municipality of Alleroed, are inviting their citizens to join local campaigns to become pesticide free together and they provide courses on organic gardening to their citizens while also offering labels to gardens without using pesticides, 
• The municipality of Hasselt has a demonstration garden project within the domain of Kiewit

Many towns are using articles in local newspapers to inform residents about the transition, for example:

• The town of Watermaal Boosvoorde, dedicated a big part of their April 2015 newsletter to inform citizens about the move to become pesticide free; as part of that, highlighting the big value of having local gardeners.
• The town of Bruges launched a project in 2010 making citizens aware of the fact that they are responsible for removing the weeds on their sidewalk. They have developed a flyer instructing how to do this in an environmentally friendly manner. Also, in the month of March, all the inhabitants of the city are being reminded through articles in the city magazine, which is distributed for free.
• One mayor has been innovative and made a film documenting the transistion: “Bye Pesticides”: a documentary on eliminating the use of pesticides in the French city of Alençon.

A number of municipalities in both Denmark and the Netherlands are joining forces with the water companies to appeal to citizens to stop using pesticides. For a good example, see the video from Rien Kippen.

Preventative methods must be the first step before using techniques to counteract weed growth. It is essential to design, adapt, or re-adapt public and green spaces in order to reduce the establishment of wild vegetation, and to make it possible to use alternative methods for combating weeds.
 

The main methods used to reduce the need for weed killer are as follows:

• Avoid hardening of the soil
• Use proper dimension: not wider / larger than what will be used
• Use proper location: not right angles, people walking / biking / driving is not at right angles.
• Choose suitable surfaces and materials that limit the potential for vegetation development in areas where hard surfaces are necessary (however, be aware of the implications of impermeable surfaces and the ensuing effects in case of flooding). Particular attention should be paid to any spots where self-propagating plants could grow (in joints or gaps between pavements and walls, verges, roads, gutters etc., in the public transport networks, lampposts and road signs etc.) as well as roadwork carried out by third parties (in the water, gas, electricity, telephone, domains etc.).
• Laying grass and turf removes or reduces the surface areas where weed removal is required, by promoting coverage by desirable plants on areas such as park footpaths, cemetery paths and car parks.
• Use of relatively sharp-edged gravel on footpaths: as walkers use them, this will prevent unwanted weed growth.
• Densely planted areas and use of mulch and ground-cover plants in ornamental gardens (see questions 4 and 5 for more details on these two techniques).
• Installation of wildflower meadows. These areas will help to highlight certain strategic places (such as the border of the municipality). Make good choices for the species of plants, taking into account the rustic nature of the environment, environmental value (i.e. avoid invasive plants and prefer plants which are attractive to bees) and the aesthetic dimension. Citizen participation in planting around the foot of trees could be an added value (see question 6).
• Differentiated maintenance of lawns/sports grounds to eliminate the need for pesticides (see question 13).

If mulch needs to be applied, The following points must be analysed before choosing a suitable material:

• The current state of the soil
• The composition of the mulch material
• The environmental footprint of the mulch
• The impact of the mulch on the soil quality/structure over a period of several years. Will it encourage other kinds of weeds to grow at a later stage?
• The best type of mulch for the area in question. A mulch variety that suits one place will not necessarily suit another, because of varying technical and environmental constraints

Before planting, take time to make a careful selection based on soil type, exposure, water availability and the desired effect, both visually and physically.

Ground-cover plants need to propagate easily without becoming invasive (there is no sense in replacing one weed with another). Exotic invasive species (e.g. Cotoneaster horizontalis) should be avoided at all costs in favour of indigenous alternatives that are suited to local conditions and promote biodiversity. Non-indigenous plants (cultivars, exotic horticultural varieties, etc.) - as long as they are not invasive and serve a purpose to local fauna (flowers, fruits, pollen, nectar, etc.) - can be used sparingly in areas at which there is an ornamental need. Large surfaces should preferably be planted with indigenous species or wildflower meadows.

Wildflower meadows are often planted on large surface areas to save time when maintaining green spaces and areas along roadsides, or in small spots where weed removal is difficult, such as at the foot of trees.

To ensure that wildflower meadows are accepted, it is important to bear the following points in mind:

• Start planting in one or two places, and ensure you communicate the reasons for doing so: biodiversity, pollinating insects (bees, butterflies), beauty of the countryside landscape etc. This information can be published on signs, posters, in local newsletters, or shared by gardeners or park caretakers (who also need to be made aware and informed) etc.
• Select indigenous plants so that they have a real impact on the development of pollinating insect populations. Pay close attention however, as certain commercial mixes include horticultural varieties of indigenous species (e.g. cornflowers) which are no longer attractive to pollinating insects.
• At the beginning of the process, avoid places with major restrictions, such as places where people walk frequently, or areas that are too shady, dry, or have a highly symbolic value etc. These areas can be tackled during a second wave, once the population has become familiar with the new look and planting services have sufficiently mastered the planting and management techniques.
• Trim the edges of the wildflower meadows so that people are aware that the site is maintained and has not been abandoned. This aspect is even more important in the case of spontaneous wildflower meadows. Information signs can also be put up.
• When sowing a meadow, choose a suitable mix, which will flourish throughout the year. Some mixes contain horticultural varieties that extend flowering times up until the first frosts (marigolds etc.) Leaving dried-up, wilted vegetation untouched for several weeks is rarely accepted.
• Reseed or over-seed the wildflower meadow regularly to ensure it retains all of it qualities.
• Scythe the area once or twice a year, making sure cut vegetation is removed (so that the ground does not become too enriched).

The number and diversity of pollinating insects has a significant impact on the biodiversity of vegetation and vice-versa, which contributes in the long term to overall biodiversity development (other insects, birds, amphibians, mammals, etc.). Pollinating insects are also crucial for food production as they participate in the reproductive process of most cultivated plants (grains, fruits, etc.).

There are several elements that can help encourage and prolong the presence of pollinating insects:

• Flowers and vegetation in general, preferably indigenous species, establishment of wildflower meadows (see previous question), hedgerows etc.
• Eliminating the use of complex or exotic “improved” horticultural varieties which do not (or no longer) produce nectar or pollen or whose morphology prevents insects from accessing them.
• A diverse range of plants from different botanical families and species: to encourage butterflies, consider plants that can host caterpillars (e.g. nettles, white nettles and bittercress).
• Extend the flowering season to ensure food resources are always available (from the very beginning of spring to the beginning of winter).
• Make appropriate habitats available: mounds of earth, heaps of sand, piles of dead wood and fascines, tunnels (logs with holes drilled into them), bunches of hollow sticks etc.
• Reduce noise pollution (e.g. for groups of solitary bees which nest between pavement slabs).
• Specifications provided by the suppliers of ornamental plants clearly state that pesticides should not be used when growing these plants.
• Careful selection of seeds not treated with fungicides.

The Dutch and French website vivelesabeilles.be includes an excellent summary of the actions to be taken, but also of the activities already underway at different levels (municipal, regional, etc.).

Furthermore, production by local gardeners has the following advantages:

• Availability of suitable and acclimatised plants, starting with local seeds (self-produced or bought from local producers of local varieties).
• Respect for the environment during the process of producing the plants and seeds that will then be used for the municipal green spaces.
• Involvement of gardeners in the local area: gardeners who produce the plant material, which will then be planted in local green spaces, feel more involved in the move to become pesticide free. As they have contributed to the production process, they know where this material comes from.

• A dolomite path can be replaced with a mown grass path
• Less frequented areas can be allowed to grow before being mown once or twice a year.

This means that more time and labour resources can be dedicated to other more prestigious areas such as town hall courtyards, monuments, memorials etc. where weeding will be needed. 

While this may seem like common sense to green space managers, this may not be the perception among the general public, hence the importance of good communication (see communication section).

​Research is currently being conducted to evaluate the most efficient methods and develop new ones. Methods are presented and discussed at workshops. 

The research project STERF together with the Nordic park and golf sector, universities, research institutions and authorities state on their homepage that they ‘take responsibility for ensuring that R&D activities that are important for integrated pest management (IPM) are coordinated and executed and that new knowledge is delivered’ and part of that a grass guide has recently been elaborated presenting research experiences of amenity turf for the Nordic countries made over the past 30 years. 

It focuses on recommended species for grass-covered slopes, lawns, football pitches and golf course.

Key points:

• Avoid introducing new species and prioritise indigenous plants
• Check soil origin and avoid importing infested soil
• Learn to recognise invasive plants and manage them at root-level
• Map and limit the spread

There are two main strategies for combatting invasive plants: prevention and management. Prevention consists in avoiding the introduction of new species into the environment, whereas management involves limiting the growth of certain species or eliminating them completely. Prevention is always cheaper and easier.

Other ways of managing invasive alien species: 

• An example from Washington, goats were used to combat Japanese knotweed, which had initially been introduced for feed.  

The setting up of a sponsorship system for areas infested by an invasive plant species. 

• Ideas on how to start mapping the establishment and the spread of invasive alien species:
• Many Danish towns use the Danish Road Directorate, which is already driving around the country managing roads, to map the invasive alien species.

Belgium’s push for more environmentally-friendly cemetery management has reached the stage where a few rare species are reappearing and there are a growing number of cemeteries which are managed like nature reserves.

Here are a number of key points for cemetery management with the intention of minimising weeds:

• Minimise mineral areas and seal the soil to facilitate maintenance.  
• Choose products and tools that enable the cemetery to blend in with its surroundings. Use locally-sourced products which have not been chemically treated.
• Add grass to paths.
• Plant ground cover in areas which are difficult to access, e.g. between tombstones, next to walls, steep gradients, etc.
• Repair joints to limit weed growth (e.g. gutter joints, joins between tombstones).

These have to be divided into two categories:

Sealed slabs/paving stones

These are Flagstones, paving slabs or stones with cement joints and sometimes used on walkways or at the foot of street furniture (such as benches, signs and bins). If the joints are damaged, unwanted weeds can grow in them. At this point, the best solution is to repair the joints.

Unjoined slabs/paving stones (drainage slabs, flowered pavements)

These might be installed in order to mark out access routes or car parks. Running a mower over them is usually enough to keep them maintained, assuming there is enough space to do so. In areas that are more difficult to access, different weed removal methods can be used, such as brushing or thermal weed removal.

There is still a lot to learn about how to manage sportfields in the future. First is probably to start asking the actual users what they expect and then work from there.

Inert grounds (bowling greens, tennis lawns, athletics tracks, etc.) are usually maintained through usage. Sometimes, weeds may need to be removed from waterproofed surfaces with thermal equipment, high pressure jets or sweepers.

The biggest problem is grassy sports grounds. Sport is constantly at odds with agronomic and horticultural logic. It is a major challenge for technical teams to find a solution.

Here are a few ideas:

• Ask users what kind of needs they have, and work from them
• Choose grasses that suit the soil and climate
• Choose grass varieties that provide good coverage
• Don’t mow too short
• Aerate the ground: beat, scarify
• Ensure the appropriate water content of the ground is maintained
• Overseed regularly
• Restock rapidly with suitable turf
• Train coaches to avoid harmful practices.

The answer to this question is far from clear and requires a deeper analysis:

• The purchase price for artificial turf is much higher, but the maintenance costs are much lower; especially when the ground is used intensively.
• The use of artificial turf can be a lot more intensive than natural grass, so it is important to consider usage rates and factor these into financial calculations.
• The use of artificial turf is less affected by weather conditions.
• Natural turf contributes towards biodiversity; it captures C02 and produces oxygen.
• Contrary to popular thought, artificial turf needs to be maintained regularly, by professionals, and chemical products are often used (anti-foaming and/or anti-algae biocides) to ensure longevity.
• The true environmental footprint of artificial turf compared to natural turf is still a controversial subject, particularly with regard to its lifespan.
• The sensation for sportsmen can vary depending on the type of terrain. (Those artificial grounds may cause some articular problems when regularly used).

According to several experts, using both is the ideal solution: artificial turf for training and natural turf for pleasure and high quality sports games. However, the two types of ground must be maintained in completely different ways.

Essential points for ensuring effective communication

• Draw up a specific communication plan for each place (cemetery, roadsides, parks) to explain the process and future changes. Make sure this is in place sufficiently in advance of implementation.
• Communicate the reasons for the process: environment, quality of life etc.
• Clearly identify the target groups and adapt your messages accordingly.
• Be creative and use a variety of media (signs, posters, flyers, newsletters, a stand at the local market, etc.).
• Involve all of the stakeholders in the commune, including land management workers.
• Appoint a contact person for any questions, complaints etc. (i.e. an Environmental Advisor).
• Demonstrate that this works on the ground by carrying out pilot projects that people can visit. Hold awareness-raising sessions.
• Mistakes to avoid: Communicating after the fact, in a reactive manner, when it is a fait accompli, generally after receiving complaints from the public.

Both Wallonia and Flanders are proposing awareness-raising campaigns. 

The township of Accetaflore, France examined citizen’s perceptions of wildflower growth in the city, assisting managers to put pesticide reduction policies in place by publishing a number of instruction sheets on communication.

NGOs can also be helpful in illustrating the steps that must be taken to ensure a successful greening project.

Citizen involvement in greening a city

A sure-fire way of making sure wild plant growth will be tolerated is to allow citizens to plant at the bottoms of walls, at the foot of trees and on currently bare areas. Through a new outlook, green space can be better appropriated and part of the workload shared.

• Towns encourage citizens to grow plants around street trees. 
• The “neighbourhood tree project” allows residents to adopt the area at the foot of a tree and plant whatever they like. People who have no garden can therefore manage their own little piece of land. That creates a stronger bond with a pesticide free and greener city. 
• Town encourage citizens to engage in “verdissons nos murs” or “Let’s green our walls” projects.

Council workers must be involved in the project 

And be trained to deal with any verbal complaints they may receive during their work. In this way, they can become ambassadors for the local area’s pesticide free policy.

Sometimes, complaints from citizens can highlight problems on the ground of which council staff are unaware. In these cases, measures can be taken to resolve the issues. However, most complaints arise due to a general lack of awareness of the project. Good communication upstream of the process is therefore essential.

Complaints must not fall on deaf ears. Each complaint must be answered and, if necessary, analysed in order to fine-tune the work of green space managers. However, they must not be allowed to hinder the transition to being pesticide free.

Keep in mind that any new activity, whatever its nature, is bound to generate complaints: the unhappy few often shout the loudest. It would be a pity to halt a process, which aims to improve living conditions for all, for the sake of a handful of people.

How can we encourage gardeners in charge of green spaces to adopt the pesticide free approach? Is it useful to train them?

The majority of Belgian towns are already making sure that the various different management teams communicate, are in regular contact and work together with the same objectives in mind.

It will be necessary to explain in detail that the pesticide free approach is not a step backwards, and that the acquisition of new skills offers an opportunity for development. Some gardeners who have previously specialised in flora may think that their knowhow is being undervalued. However, this knowledge base can be used as a springboard for learning more about botany, whereby gardeners will be able to recognize useful and/or problem plants on site and quickly tackle the root of the problem. It is an opportunity for gardeners to learn new skills such as scything. Although some will lament the elimination of sprays, others will be glad to be able to work in peace without the need for a mask or protective equipment.

Rather than merely following instructions, gardeners must be fully integrated from the beginning in the transition process towards a pesticide free municipality. Their grassroots skills and knowledge must be appreciated and incorporated into the new plans. 

It is also important to engage workers by organising training sessions, visits to pesticide free towns nearby, exchanges with other gardeners etc.

Take a look at PAN Europe’s map to find an inspiring town near you, and contact us for help and assistance if needed.

Using pesticides also comes with a cost

• Studies in the US estimated $12 billion in environmental, biodiversity losses, and societal damages (David Pimentel (2009); Environmental and economic costs of the application of pesticides primarily in the United States).
• Studies in the UK and Germany have conservatively estimated annual external costs of pesticides use to be US$257million and $166 million, respectively, paid by sufferers of pesticide-induced poor health, by the environment and by citizens (Pretty & Waibel (2005), Paying the price: the full cost of pesticides. The pesticide detox. Earthscan, London). 
• A French study estimates the overall costs of water pollution from nitrogen and pesticides to be 1.5 billion Euros in France.

Both the Flemish and the Germans have been asking towns about potential extra costs linked to the move to become pesticide free 

Both inquiries have been focused on the shorter-run changes which means investing in new knowledge and training while buying new machineries.

The German inquiry made by the NGO BUND from 2015 concludes that using pesticides often turns out to be cheaper than employing alternative methods, with the latter entailing higher staff and increased machine costs, among others;

• The municipality of Bielefeld acquired a Wave hot water device and calculated a cost of €0.07 per m2.
• The municipality of Recklinghausen calculated a cost of €0.11-€0.13 per m2 for its Wave device. 
• The municipality of Münster purchased in 2012 an Ecoflame hot air drum, a device that can be attached to a tractor. While the machine costed €25,000 the cost per m2 was lower than for any alternative method.
• The Municipality of Göttingen undertook comprehensive conversion measures to reduce maintenance costs, with emphasis placed on orderly appearance and extensive environmental diversity, and as a result was able to reduce costs through appropriate planting.

The Flemish inquiry done by the Inter-municipal Development Agency for the Kempen area, Flanders, Belgium (IOK) in 2011 looked into whether or not pesticide free management entails extra work, municipalities argued:

• For pavement maintenance, responses varied from 0% to 500% extra work. 
• For green areas, the workload varied between 25% less or 0% difference in workload, to 100% extra work.

Transitioning to pesticide free is a matter of changing management and planting methods, and over time certain investments can yield rewards

The question of how and when to get organised is important. The key to achieve cost equivalence depends on when to get started, and while it comes to management of invasive alien species cost levels are seriously reduced when interventions start early.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the front running towns have taken time to identify new technologies and to test them. By spreading this experience to others, the sale of the alternative techniques might lower, and prices might be further reduced in the future. 

So our advice is, see the potential temporary costs as an investment for the future, consider more periannual, new working methods etc, and do it all step wise, our planet needs it.

PAN Europe will help spread knowledge of new technologies and rediscover already existing ones in the move to make towns pesticide free. We have, therefore, developed a European homepage highlighting pioneers across Europe (link) and lessons learned.

For further information: 

Stories & principals #3

http://www.eupen.be/Leben/Umwelt/Null-Pestizide.aspx
http://www.mce-info.org/Pdf/expo_communessanspesticides.pdf
http://www.strasbourg.eu/environnement-qualite-de-vie/nature-en-ville/ze...
https://stad.gent/natuur-milieu/nieuws-evenementen/pesticiden-het-gezond...
https://stad.gent/natuur-milieu/u-houdt-van-gent/creëer-meer-groen/stoep-én-tuin-zonder-pesticiden
http://www.lens.be/news/zero-pesticides-en-wallonie
http://watermaal-bosvoorde.be/nl/Bestanden/1170/avril2015.pdf
Trailer: https://youtu.be/Veu7Dikqr4g or www.byebyepesticides.flowers 
http://vandigrunden.dk/om-kampagnen/
http://www.alken.be/product/1843/maak-uw-tuin-winterklaar-zonder-pesticiden
http://www.dgga.dk/Venstre_side/Have/Havekursus.html
http://www.hasselt.be/nl/content/8317/ambertuin.html

Stories & principals #4

Turf laying: http://www.gestiondifferenciee.be/files/Fiches/Fiche-Enherbement.pdf
Flower meadows: http://www.gestiondifferenciee.be/files/Fiches/Fiche-FleurissementDiff.pdf
Lawns/sports grounds: http://www.gestiondifferenciee.be/files/Fiches/Fiche-TerrainsSport.pdf
Guide to pesticide free design: https://www.vmm.be/publicaties/pesticidenvrij-ontwerpen

Stories & principals #5

http://www.zonderisgezonder.be/bestrijdingsgids/ongewenste-planten/tusse...
http://www.gestiondifferenciee.be/files/Fiches/Fiche-Paillage.pdf
http://www.terre-horizon.fr/uploads/media/Fichespaillages.pdf

Stories & principals #6

List of ground-cover plants: http://www.cthgx.be/couvre-sols
http://www.alterias.be
http://www.gestiondifferenciee.be/files/Fiches/Fiche-Plantes_couvre-sols...
http://ecowal.be/fleurissements-urbains-champetres/plantes-couvre-sols

Stories & principals #7

http://www.gestiondifferenciee.be/files/Fiches/Fiche-PrairiesFleuries.pdf and http://www.gestiondifferenciee.be/files/Fiches/Fiche-FleurissementDiff.pdf
http://ecowal.be/main/files/pdf/prairies-fleuries-11645-fr.pdf
http://www.apisbruocsella.be/fr/prairiesfleuriesurbaines
http://beweegt.velt.be/plantenzoeker
http://www.velt.nu/vraag-antwoord/siertuinvragen/hoe-leg-je-een-bloemenw...
http://www.lne.be/themas/natuur-en-milieueducatie/nmerond/vergroening/ei...
http://www.velt.be/vraag-antwoord/siertuinvragen/bloemenweide-bloemenakk...
Suppliers of wildflower seed mixes (p.26): https://data.inbo.be/purews/files/2230508/INBO.A.2012.80.pdf

Stories & principals #8

http://www.weekvandebij.be/

Stories & principals #9

http://www.morgensterzaden.nl/
http://www.ecosem.be/nl/activities.php
http://www.cruydthoeck.nl/
https://www.debolderik.net/
http://www.medigran.nl/
http://www.deheliant.nl/page.php?textid=1
http://www.dekeltenhof.nl/main.php

Stories & principals #11

http://www.wageningenur.nl/nl/Onderzoek-Resultaten/Projecten/DOB-verhard...
http://www.brrc.be/nl/artikel/a8412
http://sterf.golf.se
http://www.edenn.fr/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/EA-0phyto-Fiche_Entretien...
http://forskning.ku.dk/find-en-forsker/?pure=files%2F146659300%2FPestici...

Stories & principals #12

http://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2013/08/goats-replace-herbicid...
Examples from France: http://www.anvl.fr/phyto-eco/ and http://conservatoire-botanique-fc.org/doc-cbnfc-ori/flore-franche-comte-...

Stories & principals #13

http://biodiversite.wallonie.be/fr/cimetieres-nature.html?IDC=5930
http://www.natureparif.fr/attachments/forumdesacteurs/guide_cimetiere/Gu...
http://zeropesticide.brussels/fr/cimetieres
http://www.natuurenbos.be/natuurbegraafplaatsen

Stories & principals #14

http://www.gestiondifferenciee.be/files/Fiches/Fiche-Desherbage.pdf
http://www.zonderisgezonder.be/bestrijdingsgids/ongewenste-planten/op-op...

Stories & principals #17

http://www.gestiondifferenciee.be/professionnel/campagne-0-pesticide/416/2
Zonder is gezonder: http://www.zonderisgezonder.be/campagnemateriaal
http://www.ecophytozna-pro.fr/data/recommandation_outils_com_ind.pdf
http://www.velt.behttp://velt.nu/vraag-antwoord/overzicht-siertuinvragen
http://www.natagora.be/reseaunature/index.php?id=2288
or www.natureaujardin.be
http://www.mce-info.org/upload/File/methodo_vegetalisons.pdf
or http://sauvagesdemarue.mnhn.fr/sauvages-de-ma-rue/presentation)
www.zeropesticide.brussels

Stories & principals #18

http://www.schaerbeek.be/vivre-schaerbeek/logement-urbanisme-environneme...
http://ecohuis.antwerpen.be/Ecohuis/Ecohuis-Hoofdnavigatie/Bewoners/Nieu...
http://www.lille.fr/cms/accueil/cadre-vie/parcs-jardins-promenades-lille...

Stories & principals #22

http://www.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/ED52-2.pdf