The Revitalist

WSJ's Real Estate Journal reports on lawn wars in suburban communities around the country. To spray or not to spray, that is the question. In some neighborhoods the quest for a lush, green lawn is not a personal choice: "Lawn-care methods are the horticultural equivalent of secondhand smoke." The organics are sincere in their belief that pesticide-free is better for whole community and sometimes evangelical or militant about spreading their message. Meanwhile, the pesticiders complain about the slippery slope of intrusion and defend their right to purchase and use perfectly legal products. It became a whole different matter when the Canadian Supreme Court ruled that individual communities could declare themselves to be pesticide-free zones (public and private). As a result, the pesticide industry lobbied the states to enact legislation to prevent communities from banning private use, only nine states have not enacted such a law. Score one for the Round-Up wielding libertarians. The battle continues on the public front, coming soon to the Town Green near you.