LONDONDERRY, NH – Yogurt maker Stonyfield Organic announced it is collaborating with other organizations to help bring organic grounds maintenance to parks in New York City’s five boroughs.

The company shared that its StonyFIELDS program, established in 2018, already has helped parks in more than 40 cities convert to organic maintenance, which is implemented to decrease exposure to toxic chemicals.

Stonyfield is working with Osborne Organics, the Eco-Friendly Parks For All Coalition, Stop & Shop, and NYC Parks and Recreation to make eight parks in New York City organically maintained. The company said the process began in 2022 and is scheduled to be complete in fall of 2025.

“Many people recognize the benefits of organic food but aren’t aware of the potential dangers of spending time on fields that are sprayed with pesticides and other toxic chemicals,” said Gary Hirshberg, co-founder and chief organic optimist for Stonyfield. “Every neighborhood deserves a beautiful, healthy, organic park, and with our coalition, we’re excited about the progress we’re making in New York City to ensure all communities have this crucial access.”

The work to transition NYC parks to organic land management, Stonyfield shared, began with a collaboration involving Beyond Pesticides, Osborne Organics and Eco-Friendly Parks for All. Now the project has seen hands-on implementation with NYC Parks and Recreation. Stonyfield is paying $60,000 to Beyond Pesticides to underwrite work at NYC parks, where soil evaluations, plans for soil health, organic fertilization, organic-compatible management systems and training for park workers must be implemented.

The following NYC parks are part of the organic maintenance transition: Morningside Park (Manhattan), Canarsie Park (Brooklyn), Lincoln Terrace (Brooklyn), Rufus King Park (Queens), Rev. Dr. Maggie Howard Playground (Staten Island), Mahoney Park (Staten Island), Claremont Park (Bronx) and Jacobo Field at Mapes Playground (Bronx).

The yogurt maker’s StonyFIELDS program also offers an online portal where people can tag their own local parks for review. The company said any park chosen by the program will be provided with tools to test for harmful pesticides and offered resources to transition to organic grounds maintenance.