the low down on green living
May 7th, 2008
Go Green with an Eco-friendly Lawn This Summer
Summer is just around the corner, and this is the time of year when we really ramp up our lawn activities– watering, fertilizing, mowing, etc. And all of these can have major negative environmental consequences. Did you know that over 50 million Americans mow their lawns each weekend, and contribute as much as 5% of the country’s air pollution? And it’s staggering to realize that the average American grassy lawn can use over 20,000 gallons of water each summer! So, a major part of any green home strategy should be to embrace eco-friendly lawn and garden care.
Here are 12 ways you can make sure you have an eco-friendly lawn this summer
1. Collect rain water and use it for your plants. Getting a rain barrel or two for your yard is a simple way to collect and reuse Mother Nature’s water. Just put it under your gutter’s down spout and you’ll be amazed how fast it fills up. Click here for rain barrels.
2. Make sure you’re not over-watering. Most of us over-water our lawns. Do you have moss growing on your driveway or sidewalk or in your garden? That’s a sign you’re watering too much. Do you have pools of standing water anywhere? Another sign. You can buy a very inexpensive lawn moisture meter that will tell you if you’re over-watering. You might also consider getting an intelligent irrigation control system that attunes your watering to the weather and your lawn’s needs.
3. Don’t hose down your sidewalks and driveway. That water is a valuable resource and the water you send into the gutter is carrying oil and a host of chemicals out as run-off that go on to pollute our rivers, lakes and oceans.
4. Get a push mower for your lawn. Traditional gas mowers are horrible for our air quality and contribute to global warming. They are major environmental offenders. A good-ole push mower is the eco-friendly solution. (Or if you can’t go all the way to push style, get a plug-in electric model– better than gas.) Find mowers here.
5. Say no to leaf-blowers! The gas-powered leaf blowers some people use are major carbon emissions culprits. Say yes to a broom! Your waist-line will thank you too.
6. And when you’re done mowing, leave your clippings on your yard. Those grass clippings make great mulch and will help you save water as well.
7. Be sure to compost your other yard waste. If your city doesn’t collect green waste for composting, please get a composter and do it yourself. It’s super easy and the composter will turn your waste into great mulch for use throughout your yard and garden. Find composters here.
8. Embrace native plants. Plants, flowers and grasses that are native to your region are the most atuned to soil, climate and water particularities. They are great water savers and will thrive with less care than tropical and other imported varieties. And they are gorgeous! Learn more about native landscaping here with our book collection. Or contact a green professional landscape designer or maintainance provider from our green services directory. We have eco-minded landscaping experts listed across the United States.
9. Are you addicted to the look of grass but live in a high-drought area? You may want to consider synthetic grass. It uses no water, lasts over ten years, and looks & feels surprisingly real. Learn more about synthetic grass here.
10. Why not start your own organic food garden? Nothing could be better for the planet or your health. Learn how to get started with organic veggies here.
11. Use non-toxic fertilizers and pest-control agents for your garden and lawn. Not only are these better for your plants (particularly any food you might eat), they reduce the amount of toxins that run-off into our waterways. Find safe alternatives here.
12. Use solar or LED lighting in your lawn. Solar lighting is obviously an energy-saver. If you don’t find solar lights bright enough, check out LED lights—they are very bright and use very little power. They will last 5-10 times as long as standard outdoor lights. Find energy-efficient lighting options here.
Comments
Susan
May 8th, 2008 at 10:02 am
I think Solar Lighting for your outdoors is such a brilliant and convenient idea, no wires!
Susan the Eco-Broker
May 9th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Great tips! We don’t have that many lawns here in NYC (and the ones we do are pretty small), but even greening those brownstone lawns helps!
Low Impact Living: Twelve Tips for Eco-Friendly Lawn Care : Sustainablog
May 12th, 2008 at 11:05 am
[…] have some tips for “greening” your lawn… while keeping it green. This post was originally published on May 7, […]
Brian
May 13th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Here in NorthEast US, solar lighting is nice, but through the winter, is pretty useless, with 6 hours of sunlight a day, and not much of it direct, it makes landscape lighting pretty dim, why can’t someone put a generator on some of those lawn spinning decorations, and have them power that lighting?
When the sun goes away, the wind comes up more, and even in summer, we get more charge at night time!
(Please let me know if someone can accomplish this, I’d love it!)
Leslie @ the oko box
May 13th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Lawns are such a waste of space, and money - when we could totally be growing native plants and organic veggies in that area. Or creating a beautiful rock garden oasis! I am all about “food not lawns” and also the NWF’s backyard wildlife habitat program… anything but grass. What about planting red clover too, like they did at the Real Goods Solar Institute?
Michele
May 13th, 2008 at 11:57 am
You should be careful about what you recommend. I don’t know about the super high-end kinds without the need for fill, but the fill is usually ground up old tires which cause a number of problems, not the least of which are that they create huge amounts of heat that not only scald children, but also emit more heat into the atmosphere. In addition, but putting plastic in where there used to be living plants (e.g. grass) you are taking away the oxygen producing give and take and supplanting it with more plastic fumes — not what I’d call an eco or person-friendly replacement.
Instead, you can replace a lawn with low growing native plants that will look pretty, are pretty durable and don’t require much water.
If you must keep a lawn, water in the morning, with just the amount needed — there are actually automatic watering systems now that gauge what you need by the heat and moisture in the air. Do not water at night or during the hottest parts of the day.
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