Suburban lawns are the worst thing that have ever happened to landscaping, according to Erin Gardner, Director of Keep Tyler Beautiful. They have nothing to contribute to the biome. Lawns are a monocrop, which does not exist naturally in nature. Lawns deplete the soil of nutrients requiring more and more fertilizer each year. The production of chemicals for use to maintain lawns and the topical application are additional ways in which we put stress on the environment. Herbicides and fertilizers pollute surrounding water affecting wildlife. Organic matter is reduced and can eventually lead to erosion. Insects, birds, bats and other pollinators are affected by these chemicals. In addition, well-maintained lawns have nothing to contribute to the life and well being of any other living creature who lives nearby.
It takes a tremendous amount of water to keep a lawn healthy and green. In increasingly drier states, watering of lawns is restricted as drought depletes water sources. According to a recent article in The Washington Post, data shows that, “Humans have used enough groundwater to shift earth’s tilt.” Although the earth has been tilted since impact with a large object in the earth’s distant past knocked the earth off its axis, further tilting may be contributing to the changing climate. We have seasons due to the tilt in the earth’s rotation. Increasing the tilt could cause unanticipated changes in the future.
Lawns have been accepted as a pleasing way to keep a yard neat, although they are not a healthy way to manage soil. Lawns are most frequently maintained by equipment that are powered by fossil fuels and contribute to greenhouse emissions in the atmosphere. Older equipment is apt to leak oil or fuel onto the lawn as it is being maintained and spillage of gas as the mower tank is filled is common. These fuels runoff during a rain and get into public waterways polluting creeks and streams. Although lawns absorb carbon from the atmosphere, the maintenance of the lawn offsets any carbon storage gains. Lawns actually contribute four times the amount of carbon into the atmosphere than it collects, according to a recent University of California-Irvine study.
As the earth warms, replacing one’s lawn might be a good item to add to the yard “to-do” list. Planting trees will provide food and shelter for our smaller neighbors, and depending on what trees are planted they can provide food for us as well. Blooming fruit trees are beautiful in the spring! Trees provide shade in the yard and absorb carbon. Urban areas that contain lots of trees and plants are significantly cooler than those that covered with mostly concrete.
Replace lawns with native perennial plants that are easier to maintain, tolerate the heat and require less water. Native plants will thrive with minimal care and provide food for the pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Lawns can also be replaced with meadow and prairie grasses as they are much more diverse and require less water. Environmentally friendly alternatives are available.