Lawns are good for the environment (if taken care of properly)

Lawns take a lot of abuse. Both physically and mentally. Of course lawns don’t feel the mental abuse, but the people who love and tend to them do.
Lawns have been accused of everything from polluting the environment to causing cancer. Lawns are regularly persecuted for being unruly monocultures with an unquenchable thirst for water, fertilizer, and pesticides. Lawns did not invite any of this upon themselves, in fact, they would be much healthier and happier growing naturally. But nooooooo.
Like everything else in life, lawns have become commodified. Every year, billions of dollars are spent on lawns and it can be difficult to see through the barrage of advertising for all things lawn care. Making money is the primary function of any company, so it’s no surprise to see a business sell products that mask problems and create new ones (for which there happens to be another product for). Homeowners and lawn care professionals alike can get hooked on the routine of applying chemicals to sustain an artificial life support system for barely thriving grass.
How can lawns avoid the judgment cast down on them by their critics? The people who love and tend to them must be aware of the impact of every item put on a lawn. This includes but is not limited to; choosing the right grass species for the climate and location, having the soil tested, watering wisely, fertilizing with extreme care and at the proper rate, and limiting or eliminating the use of pesticides by implementing an IPM program. Better yet, go organic. Especially if your lawn is host to children and pets.
Lawns take a lot of abuse but they’re pretty to look at, they provide greenspace in urban areas, absorb noise pollution, filter and reduce runoff, and remove CO2 from the air replacing it with oxygen. Lawns provide a natural, living surface for playing games, entertaining, and relaxing. A natural, healthy lawn is teeming with life and is a unique ecosystem that lends itself well to being maintained and cared for. Lawns are good for the human spirit.

Lawns take a lot of abuse. Both physically and mentally. Of course lawns don’t feel the mental abuse, but the people who love and tend to them do.

Lawns have been accused of everything from polluting the environment to causing cancer. Lawns are regularly persecuted for being unruly monocultures with an unquenchable thirst for water, fertilizer, and pesticides. Lawns did not invite any of this upon themselves, in fact, they would be much healthier and happier growing naturally. But nooooooo.

Like everything else in life, lawns have become commodified. Every year, billions of dollars are spent on lawns and it can be difficult to see through the barrage of advertising for all things lawn care. Making money is the primary function of any company, so it’s no surprise to see a business sell products that mask problems and create new ones (for which there happens to be another product for). Homeowners and lawn care professionals alike can get hooked on the routine of applying chemicals to sustain an artificial life support system for barely thriving grass.

How can lawns avoid the judgment cast down on them by their critics? The people who love and tend to them must be aware of the impact of every item put on a lawn. This includes but is not limited to; choosing the right grass species for the climate and location, having the soil tested, watering wisely, fertilizing with extreme care and at the proper rate, and limiting or eliminating the use of pesticides by implementing an IPM program. Better yet, go organic. Especially if your lawn is host to children and pets.

Lawns take a lot of abuse but they’re pretty to look at, they provide greenspace in urban areas, absorb noise pollution, filter and reduce runoff, and remove CO2 from the air replacing it with oxygen. Lawns provide a natural, living surface for playing games, entertaining, and relaxing. A natural, healthy lawn is teeming with life and is a unique ecosystem that lends itself well to being maintained and cared for. Lawns are good for the human spirit.

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Published by Sebastian on Jan 26th, 2010 in Uncategorized

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