[ECO]What Separates a Standard Lawn From an Eco-Friendly One?

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What Separates a Standard Lawn From an Eco-Friendly One? 

By 8 a.m. Saturday morning, your suburban neighborhood rings with the sound of leaf blowers and lawnmowers. Have you ever considered the impact of such behavior beyond disrupting your plans to sleep in? Eco-friendly lawns reduce pollution in numerous ways — including cutting back on all the noise.

What makes an eco-friendly lawn stand apart? Is there such a thing? Learn how to remodel your home’s exterior while minimizing your carbon footprint and reclaim some of those all too precious and fleeting weekend moments for relaxation instead of yard work. 

Is There Such a Thing as an Eco-Friendly Lawn? 

While your HOA may mandate grass, you are well within your rights as a citizen to inquire why. If not, have you ever stopped to ask yourself why you would spend oodles of money and hours of backbreaking labor growing a crop you can’t eat — especially when maintaining it contributes to greenhouse gas emissions? You already no doubt

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it has been the past few years every time you push your mower. 

The History of Lawns 

Once upon a medieval time, the lords of the castle destroyed the forest around their keep, clearing obstructions to see approaching armies more easily. As feudalism evolved into alternative economic systems, the lawn remained as a status symbol. While keeping bushes trimmed around your window still serves to deter theft, a wide swath of grass is a way of saying, “I have arrived. I have sufficient wealth not to use this acreage for crops.” 

However, given the reality of climate change, the role of the lawn is changing. Many people have begun to question its usefulness. Their lives have gotten busier, leaving less time for tending to outside chores, and they can no longer deny the toll emissions from lawn care equipment take on the planet. 

Benefits of Lawns 

However, you can make an argument for the utility of lawns in some cases. For example, grass is an excellent soft outdoor surface. Parents of young children and those with pets treasure its use as a play surface, as tiny tots just getting their sea legs can run, skip and jump with less chance of getting an “owie.” Moreover, a patch of grass comes in handy in certain sports, such as tennis and golf — a putting green is a fun addition to some backyards. 

 6 Ways to Make Your Lawn More Eco-Friendly 

There’s a difference between a patch of grass mindfully planted for a specific purpose and the great green swathes of suburbia that exist simply because “everybody has one.” Even if you live in a restrictive development, you can reduce your outdoor living space’s carbon footprint by using the following six tips to improve your lawn’s eco-friendliness. 

1. Xeriscape

One of the best ways to make your lawn more eco-friendly is to xeriscape. This landscaping style utilizes native plants that

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or other resources to thrive in your region. It also entails using details like river rock and natural ground covers to blanket large areas. 

Xeriscaping can exist side-by-side with a lawn, making it ideal for certain situations. For example, homeowners with young children or pets could plant grass only in a specified play area, creating the rest of their landscaped beauty with ground covers, various raised gardens and decorative stone. Those in HOAs can review their neighborhood’s approved plant lists, cross-referencing them to native varieties to choose the least water-intensive species. 

You can create a stunning, clean-looking lawn that requires next-to-no maintenance via xeriscaping. For example, you don’t have to water, fertilize, or mow decorative stone or native ground covers. Weeding a few times a year is sufficient, leaving you plenty of time to putter in raised decorative gardens where you can grow various flowers and maybe some fruits and veggies for your family. 

2. Control Weeds Naturally 

Even if you xeriscape, you must still control weeds. Besides helping you avoid a ****** HOA fine, keeping your lawn weed-free prevents invasive plants

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and resources with your desired ground cover. 

Commercial pesticides contain questionable chemicals that pose serious dangers to human health and the environment, and they linger on plants and in soils. However, you can control weeds naturally using concentrated vinegar and castile soap. Soak them before they grow out of control, choose a sunny day with no rain forecasted and use a focused sprayer to avoid hitting desired plants. Another reliable method is to dig them out by the roots. 

3. Go Electric 

Recently, the EPA passed new emissions standards that apply to gasoline engines. Although the decision mainly affects vehicle manufacturers, lawn equipment belches particle emissions

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over a year. Those leaf blowers don’t only disturb your weekend slumber — they also make the air in your neighborhood less clean for you and your children to breathe. 

However, there is an alternative. Electric, battery-powered lawn equipment produces zero emissions at the point of use. Furthermore, their production and shipment to your door promises to become cleaner in coming years as the grid switches to renewable energy and companies convert their fleets to electric vehicles. 

Electric lawn care equipment is generally many decibels quieter than those that ***** fossil fuels. Your neighbors will thank you, especially those who work the second or third shift and just want some blessed Saturday shuteye. 

4. Reduce Water Use 

Xeriscaping is only one way to reduce water use. Another method is to install an automatic drip system. These conserve water by ensuring you use only what’s required to keep your plants healthy. They also minimize your workload — another win-win for going green. 

If you want to go even further with water conservation, install a rainwater harvesting system for landscaping use. It’s relatively simple to DIY one of these devices with a PVC pipe and a couple of barrels attached to your downspout. The hardest aspect might be constructing a barrier to conceal your setup to comply with HOA regulations. 

5. Utilize Solar Power 

Even if your house doesn’t run on solar, certain lawn fixtures can. Solar has come a long way, and items like outdoor lights already utilize this technology to lower your electric bill and reliance on fossil fuels. You could also go larger, rigging up a battery, inverter and panels sufficient to run your pond filter, outdoor fountains or landscaping system, even if you keep your home connected to the grid. 

6. Get Circular 

Want rich soil that requires no artificial fertilizer? Get into the fine art of composting. This circular method of recycling organic waste also keeps it out of landfills, where it contributes to methane emissions, a deadly greenhouse gas. 

All you’ll need is a bin. Many people find the most success with a small indoor unit on their countertop and a larger outdoor model they can stir or rotate. Food scraps, unbleached paper products and lawn clippings go within, where occasional aeration helps them break down into rich, loamy soil perfect for your garden. You’ll save cash at the home and garden shop while greening your footprint. 

Eco-Friendly Lawns

Your outdoor living space need not contribute to a warming planet. The above six tips separate an eco-friendly lawn from the standard model, giving you proactive advice for upgrades that will decrease your footprint while enhancing your enjoyment of your yard.

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