When looking for a lawn care service that’s safe for dogs, it’s important to ask what ingredients are in the products being applied to the yard. Some of the insecticides and herbicides that are currently under public scrutiny for their potential to harm people, pets and pollinators include: neonicotinoids, glyphosate, 2-4D and pendimethalin. If a lawn care company doesn’t want to share information about product details, that’s a definite red flag.

Project Green, a local lawn care company owned and operated by Mark Tavares and Alex Kepner, makes safety a priority. They carefully research each product they apply to yards, knowing that dogs, cats and even chickens spend a lot of time on the lawns around Richmond. The company doesn’t use any synthetic fertilizers, opting instead for 100 percent organic, plant-based fertilizers. They apply liquid fertilizer that is quickly absorbed by the soil and doesn’t sit on top of the lawn like pellet fertilizers.

Project Green has done extensive soil testing throughout Central Virginia to create customized fertilizer blends that provide just the right amount of nutrients to the soil. This knowledge prevents the over-application of fertilizers, which can lead to runoff into our waterways. Project Green continuously re-evaluates products to make sure they’re delivering healthy green lawns, without compromising on safety.