Thank you for your interest in and support for our cause. However, our POA has requested that we only take signatures from current residents of Governors neighborhood in Chapel Hill, NC. Please only sign this petition if you reside in the neighborhood.

Dear Governors Residents,

Carrboro and Chapel Hill have moved to safe pest-control/weed-control methods, and so can we!

We all love our community and want to keep and ideally raise our home values. Part of what makes our community desirable is how aesthetically pleasing it is. Lawns are green and nicely landscaped and sidewalks are well-kept and generally without crack-weeds. 

With current methods, this beauty comes with a high cost. Roundup and other extremely harmful herbicides and pesticides (please note that herbicides are considered pesticides-( http://vtpp.ext.vt.edu/faq/consumer-questions/are-herbicides-weed-killers-considered-pesticides ) are used frequently as spot treatments and pre and post-emergent sprays in public spaces where people walk, play volleyball, near where they swim, and where children and dogs run, roll, and play.

Many studies have proven the negative health-effects of exposure (even in small and infrequent amounts) to pesticides like Roundup and other weed-killers, ranging from asthma and allergies to learning and behavioral disorders and various types of cancers. In fact, children who are raised in homes where owners use pesticides are more than two times as likely to get cancer as those children who are raised in homes where pesticides are not used. According to the National Academy of Sciences,“50% of lifetime pesticide exposure occurs during the first five years of life” (CPDM).

Children, developing fetuses, pregnant women, the elderly, the immune compromised, and animals are at an especially high risk from this exposure to toxic pesticides. However, everyone's health is compromised by the exposure we have to these dangerous carcinogens daily because they remain in the soil for years, seep into our drinking water, and get tracked into our homes (where they can remain for at least a year) (CPDM).

Various places around the globe have banned Roundup and other harmful chemicals or are largely restricting their use.  Locally, the town of Carrboro does not allow any pesticides on public grounds (for instance in parks, schools, and playing fields), and neighboring communities at a similar price-point have already banned Roundup (and its off-brand counterparts containing glyphosate). 

It took years before DDT was proven to be unsafe, and people are only now beginning to learn the true dangers associated with the pesticides we commonly use to keep our homes beautiful and pest-free. However, the longer we wait to make a change, the more damage we risk doing to ourselves, our children, our pets, and to our environment.

There are a number of natural, effective, safe, and affordable alternatives to the chemicals Greenscape uses, and a change could take effect if enough people are interested in this cause. Numerous residents here in Governors already make use of organic products for their own yards and are extremely happy with the results.

Though we do not have exact figures yet because Talis Management has refused to share with us any specific numbers regarding spray amounts and costs, we are in close contact with the owner of Pleasant Green Grass and the people from HOMS, which manufactures safe pest-control products, and we have been told that the cost to move from toxic pesticides to safe and natural alternatives would be comparable if not less in the long-run. If there were any increase in cost, it would be negligible when divided by over 500 domiciles. Organic lawns use 30% less water and, once the soil is healthy, require less maintenance. So, eventually the cost would certainly be less than it is currently.

We believe that paying a small amount more per month at first, if necessary, is more than worth avoiding a lifetime cost of prescription drugs or rounds of chemotherapy that may eventually be needed due to the diseases and conditions exposure to these pesticides is known to cause. And, we cannot put a price on the emotional pain families with sick or lost loved ones suffer. 

Though it may take some time during the change-over for the grass and root system to adjust after years of chemical treatments (and during this period lawns may not be as flawless as they are now), with time natural treatments can yield the same results (and even better!), and they can do so without posing harm to our health.

Our goal is to ban Roundup and all other harmful pesticides (herbicides) from Governors public grounds so that we can enjoy our community without it costing us our health. We can do this while ultimately maintaining the beauty and increasing the value of our neighborhood by marketing ourselves as being truly a "green" and safe place for families to live. For, 85% of people state that they are concerned about pesticide exposure (Consumer Reports). 

We need your help to make this change possible. If you would take a moment to show your support and sign this petition, we would greatly appreciate it.

If you are not ready to sign the petition, we are still interested in hearing any thoughts and concerns you may have. We will listen, and it will all be helpful.

All the Best,

Kyra Ramirez, Linda DeJongh, Leda Werrell, Sara Paukovich, Geovani Ramirez, and the rest of us with Non Toxic Governors