The American Dream

The Evolution of Lawns&Its Environmental Impact

Lawns Prior to the 18th Century Typically packed dirt Cottage garden

mix of flowers, herbs, and vegetables

Lawns During the Late 18th Century Inspired by the lawns of the English Weed free Cattle used “to mow” the lawn Well-kept lawn symbolized

Disposable wealth Ability to appreciate the finer things in life Status

Early 1900’s US Dept of Agriculture, US Golf

Association, & Garden Clubs of America Collaborated to find the right combination of

grasses

Elements of a Traditional Lawn Predominance of turf grass One large shade tree Hedge of foundation shrubs Annual plants such as pansies for color

Traditional Lawns Need Water Pesticides Fertilizers Maintenance

Application of Commercial Fertilizers 3,000,000 tons of the fertilizers

Estimated 60% of nitrogen applied to lawns ends up in groundwater

Contamination of the ground water Contribution to air pollution

Fossil fuels burned in their production and distribution

Expenditure of Fossil Fuels 580 million gallons of gas are used

annually for power mowers alone. Lawn care equipment is equivalent to the

emissions produced by 3.5 million 1991 automobiles driven 16,000 miles each.

Increased Use of Pesticides Up to 40% of the pesticides applied in

urban and suburban environments. $700 million spent on pesticides for

American lawn care Including both herbicides and insecticides

Reduce lawn area and living with "weeds,” Herbicide use can be eliminated.

Solid Waste US generates over 160 million tons of solid

waste annually. 2nd largest component of the solid waste

stream is yard waste 3/4 is grass clippings

Clippings don’t need to be removed. Nitrogen removed

Water Consumption American lawn requires large amounts of water. Inefficient water use Removing grass clippings exposes the soil to heat and the

air drying it out faster. Short, well manicured lawns

Does not have an effect of shading the soil More rapid water loss Shorter root system

Unable to tap into sources of water that are deeper in the soil Urban East Coast areas, 30% of the water used is devoted to lawn

care.

Loss of Biodiversity Monoculture of grass Landscaping plants/grass species can be

invasive Among the dozen or so main grasses that make

up the American lawn Almost none are native to America

Kentucky bluegrass comes from Europe & northern Asia Bermuda grass from Africa Zoysia grass from East Asia