Where the Grass Is Greener

Sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side. That's because many Americans are obsessed by who has the greenest, most velvety lawn. In fact, in June, the village of Massapequa Park in Long Island, N.Y., passed a law imposing fines and even jail time for those who don't keep up their lawns. Most communities, though, have little to worry about. Americans already buy 70 million pounds of chemical fertilizer every year to keep lawns lush, according to the EPA. In all, the Lawn Institute says Americans spend about $6.4 billion a year on lawn care.