The dilemma was apparent on the sign a protester was waving: "WE WANT BEAUTIFUL LAWNS CHEMICAL FREE."
To get what they want, about two dozen protesters met at a playground in Sarasota to put pressure on TruGreen ChemLawn to stop using pesticides and go exclusively to organic fertilizers and more natural methods for lawns.
The Toxic Action Center is targeting TruGreen ChemLawn because it is the biggest lawn care company in the nation. The group hopes that if it can convince the company to change its practices, then other lawn-care companies will follow suit.
But TruGreen ChemLawn said the kind of lawns Floridians want don't come naturally. The company offers natural products, but they're not as popular because they're more costly and not as fast and effective, it says.
Toxic Action Committee members said that if residents understood the harm they were doing to the environment and the potential harm to their children and pets, they would stop hiring companies that use chemicals.
Committee members said they have gathered 700 pledge cards from area residents who say they won't use TruGreen ChemLawn's services until the company stops using pesticides.
Norman Goldenberg, corporate vice president for TruGreen, said the public isn't buying it.
"We have experimented with every kind of natural ingredient," Goldenberg said. "It takes much, much longer for them to take hold and they don't make the lawn greener. People want a lawn looking good as fast as they can and for as long as they can have it."
The company uses pesticides that are available at home improvement stores everywhere. He said his company follows all the safety guidelines and regulations for applying the chemicals and will even inform neighbors before applying lawn chemicals.
Florida's climate simply isn't conducive to the kinds of lawns popular in the northeast. A Florida-friendly yard requires less fertilizer and allows for water conservation. It usually includes more plants than grass and doesn't feature grass that needs a lot of water or fertilizer.
Goldenberg said that concerned residents can lobby the state and federal government to limit pesticides. But rather than go through the lengthy process of getting state and federal laws changed, the Toxic Action Committee says TruGreen ChemLawn can be a leader in the industry and set the example for other companies.