TruGreen (Chemlawn) Sponsoring Earth Day?

So, it's no secret that I think lawns are a huge waste of space. I hate all of the toxins Americans douse them with in the name of keeping them looking green and weed-free (not to mention the millions of gallons of water we waste yearly on them.) The only thing lawns are good for is giving kids a place to play soccer. Other than that .... I have yet to come up with something.

And I'm not the only one. As more and more of us embrace "food not lawns" as a way of life, as more of us eschew the chemicals in the name of peace of mind, lawn care companies are trying to find ways to stay relevant.

I saw the first signs of it in my mailbox. The lady we bought our house from was a devotee of ChemLawn, a company that is famous for its mini tanker trucks full 'o chemicals. So we've been getting mailings like clockwork, spring and fall, trying to entice us to take advantage of this "service." In the beginning, they were from "ChemLawn." A couple years ago, they were from "TruGreen ChemLawn" (is that an oxymoron or what??) and now, finally, they've gone full greenwash and changed the name to "TruGreen."

Let's not be misled. This does not mean that they are an organic lawn care company. Quite the opposite. Despite their new tagline "Go Greener," TruGreen still makes its money the old-fashioned way -- through synthetic chemical pesticide and fertilizer application services. They do offer a "natural" regimen, so I guess that's where they get the "green" part from.

OK, greenwashing, we're used to that. But ChemLawn -- I'm sorry -- TruGreen, has taken it one step further. Are you ready for this:

They're sponsoring Earth Day.

Yeah.

A company that has built its empire on poisoning the planet is now sponsoring the one day a year when we can finally get just about everyone to think about the environment for at least a minute or two. Does this make anyone else as mad as it makes me?

I'm not really all that mad at TruGreen. I'm more upset that the powers that be in charge of Earth Day have let it happen. I know we all need money, but for crying out loud. Are they serious?

What You Can Do

If you're as annoyed as I am, there are a few things you can do:

1. Write to Katherine Rogers, the president of Earth Day (rogers@earthday.net) and tell her what you think of this sponsorship. They've reportedly had a number of complaints -- let's keep up the pressure.

2. If you're on Facebook, fan "STOP TruGreen from Sponsoring Earth Day." You can connect with likeminded folks over there and get updates on any news about the sponsorship.

3. Contact TruGreen and tell them where to stick their sponsorship.

I'm all for companies changing their ways. But you can't preach green and stay in the black by practicing your old ways. And green organizations need to get a little backbone and stop allowing this greenwashing B.S. to happen in the first place.

What do you think of TruGreen sponsoring Earth Day?

Related Posts:
Sustainable Lawn Care: The Do Nothing Approach
Minimize the Water You Use on Your Lawn
Keep Your Kids the Hell Away from Pesticides!