How Sustainable Is Your Home Landscaping

Posted by admin on May 21, 2009

Although it may not be the first thing that comes to mind when going green, your approach to how you care for your home landscape has a significant impact on your overall environmental impact. Natural landscapes operate in elegantly complete, closed loop systems. The closer your home landscape replicates these systems, the lower your impact. Unfortunately, many of today’s landscapes are energy intensive, wasteful, and polluted monocultures that fight against nature rather than work with it.

Consider the following statistics for the U.S.:

* There are currently over 40 million acres of turf grass.
* 800 million gallons of gas per year are used to power lawn mowers.
* The pesticide use per acre on home landscapes is 20 times more than used on farms.
* A gas lawn mower running one hour emits the equivalent pollution of eight new cars driving 55 mph for the same amount of time.
* Approximately one-half of residential water use goes to landscaping.
* The average percentage of landfill waste that is yard waste is 20%, and can be much higher during peak seasons.

These numbers add up to a significant negative impact, contributing to the problems of water and air pollution, water shortages, climate change, overflowing landfills, and material shortages. Fortunately a new attitude is emerging. Read on for ideas about how to address these concerns, and make your landscape more sustainable, a place that promotes environmental quality and conserves natural resources.

How to Grow a Sustainable Deep Green Lawn

One of the simple pleasures of summer is walking barefoot through a thick green lawn. But the typical residential lawn uses significant amounts of fuel, water, fertilizer, and pesticides, leaving a sizable environmental footprint to allow for that summer walk. Yet, there are many options to make your home lawn much more sustainable.

1. The first option to consider is to simply have less lawn. Adding or expanding planting beds, garden space, or patio areas all allow you to reduce the size of your lawn area and its many inputs.
2. Use a lower maintenance turf grass. They need lower inputs of water, nutrients, and mowing to keep them looking good.
3. Whenever possible, use organic fertilizers and pest controls. Growing demand for organics is being noticed, and the supply options are dramatically expanding.
4. Mow high. This shades the crown of the grass plant and the soil, retaining moisture, keeping the soil cooler, and reducing germination of weed seeds.
5. When mowing and cleaning up, consider scrapping your polluting, noisy gas-powered mower and blower and instead use a quiet, person-powered reel mower, rake, and broom. They all work just as well and give you exercise as well.
6. Leave the grass clippings on the lawn. As long as the grass doesn’t reach the jungle stage, leaving the clippings on will have no negative effect. In fact, as the clippings break down they contribute necessary nutrients that help keep your grass green and healthy.
7. If you water, water properly. Deep, infrequent watering is the most efficient, promoting deeper-rooted, more resilient grass. Water early in the morning when wind and evaporation losses are at their lowest. Also, if you have a sprinkler system make sure it is working properly, with no leaks, and spray patterns only on the lawn, not the street or sidewalk. And use a rain sensor, which will tell your system not to water if you’ve just had a nice rain.

By taking these steps, the simple pleasures of a home lawn can be enjoyed guilt-free.

If you’re in the South Florida area and want more details please let me know since that’s one of the Green Irene Eco-Consultant services I offer as part of a $99 Green Home Makeover.

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