Who should sign this petition:

Anyone living in the US or Canada.

What is TruGreen:

TruGreen, formally known as ChemLawn, is the largest lawn "care" company in the US and Canada. It sprays harmful pesticides on over 2.3 million lawns each year.

Why I created this petition:

I am a concerned mother, living in a neighborhood that uses TruGreen. The smell of the pesticide spray permeates through my windows. The pesticide spray runs off into my yard, where my babies play.

TruGreen pesticide products are poisoning our families, our neighbors, and our pets. Their pesticides cannot be contained to the lawns that they spray. People and animals track the pesticides from one lawn to the next and into their homes. The spray mechanism can drift into neighboring homes and yards. The toxic chemicals create:

• Burning sensations in the nose and lungs
• Coughing
• Dizziness and headaches
• Stomachaches and vomiting
• Rashes on the skin

And that's not including the long-term effects, such as:

• Cancers, including Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
• Alzheimer's
• Parkinson's
• Huntington's
• Neurological disorders among children
• Learning disabilities among children
• Asthma

I may not be able to stop everyone from using TruGreen but my hope is that with this petition, I can get TruGreen to change its ways.

Here’s the truth about TruGreen (source):

TruGreen does not list all of the ingredients in their pesticides and chemicals. That's because:

• 53% of TruGreen’s products include ingredients that are possible carcinogens.
• 41% of TruGreen’s products include ingredients that are banned or restricted in other countries.
• 34% of TruGreen’s products include ingredients that are known or suspected endocrine disruptors.
• 28% of TruGreen products include ingredients that are known or suspected reproductive toxins.
• 100% of TruGreen’s products include ingredients that threaten our environment, including our water supplies. TruGreen says the drying process of their pesticide application takes 1-2 hours but the truth is, studies have shown that these chemicals are traceable several days later and that they run off into our water and drift into our air. Pesticide drift is real.

TruGreen's practices are dangerous:

• 0% of TruGreen’s pesticide application signs provide the exact time the lawn was sprayed, putting any human or animal at risk of touching the lawn before it’s dry. Also, birds and bunnies can’t read so how are they supposed to know the lawn is unsafe? There’s nothing stopping a squirrel from scampering through your neighbor’s TruGreen lawn and then into yours.
• TruGreen states that "All products used by TruGreen are registered for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and are selected based on a number of criteria, including health, safety and the environment." But, not all EPA-approved substances are consequence-free or safe. In fact, the EPA believes no pesticide can ever be considered perfectly safe.

In 2020, a lawsuit against TruGreen was brought up to the Superior Court of DC.

TruGreen and Roundup both contain the weed killer, glyphosate. Last month, Bayer (the maker of Roundup) reached a $2 billion settlement to resolve around 125,000 claims that Roundup caused non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Sign this petition to convince TruGreen to be more TRUthful and to switch to a non-toxic approach.

Share the TRUth about cosmetic lawn "care" applications with your friends, family, and neighbors, especially if they use TruGreen and/or synthetic fertilizers and pesticides like Roundup, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Schultz, and Pennington.

Related petitions:

• NYC - STOP "ALLOWING" A Pesticide That Increases Cancer Risk By 41% In Our Parks!
• Ban TruGreen use in Green Trails + Lisle Park Districts
• Ban Cosmetic Herbicide/Pesticide Lawn Treatments in Skaneateles, NY!
• Ban toxic lawn chemicals
• Weed control companies should stop using herbicides and glyphosate in their weed killer.
• Boulevard Gardens: STOP spraying toxic pesticides on our lawns

FAQs:

• What about pesticides used in agriculture? That is a big separate issue that warrants its own discussion/petition. This petition focuses on pesticides applied for cosmetic/aesthetic/individual purposes.
• What if I want more proof? There are thousands of studies that demonstrate the harm that synthetic pesticides and fertilizers cause people, wildlife, and the environment. At the end of the day, do you need more proof than how you feel when TruGreen is sprayed nearby, a father who has passed away from Parkinson's because of perpetual pesticide exposure, a child who has asthma because a neighbor uses TruGreen, a pet dog who has seizures every time TruGreen is sprayed next door, a TruGreen employee experiencing chronic pain? If there are studies showing causation, why even risk the harm TruGreen causes?
• What more can I do? You can:
  • Share this petition with as many people as possible.
  • Educate yourself on your state/local pesticide use regulations and on your city’s pest control and pesticide use. Pesticides can be found everywhere - in cities, suburbs, and rural areas. And legally, a neighbor's pesticide use should not infringe upon your property.
  • Write to your state/municipality/HOA/block about safer pesticide use, banning pesticides altogether or at the very least, providing a schedule of when pesticides will be used. Here are letter/flyer/brochure templates you can leverage.
  • Make “pesticide-free” or “ban TruGreen” signs for your lawn to raise awareness with neighbors and to let them know they can walk safely on your grass.