By Liz Neroni, Naturalist
Sometimes I ask myself why? Why I have a specific habit or mindset? Why I feel and act a certain way about a situation? I ask myself these questions almost every day.
As a fairly new homeowner, I ask myself “why” more often than ever before. Such as, why does everything cost so much? In all seriousness though, the biggest question I ask is why it is so ingrained in our everyday lives to have and maintain a lawn.
I’m not saying that a lawn is a bad thing in all situations. Maybe sports are a part of your family’s life, and your grass is used to practice and play. Maybe you host large events and need that space to make it work. Yet, I’m going to guess that most us have a lawn because that’s “just what you do.”
We have so much going on in our lives and so many “whys” to be answered, that we don’t really need anything unnecessary added to that plate. But, I would challenge you to reevaluate and ask yourself if having a lawn is necessary? What does grass provide?
A lawn is a barren land that doesn’t help local fauna. It takes good habitat away from wildlife. It is also a source of pollution. Chemicals that we use to produce the perfect lawn negatively impact the environment. The gasoline we use to power the equipment is also a huge problem. Every time we accidently spill a little, it seeps into the groundwater supply. Running the lawnmower negatively impacts the ozone layer, which is linked to climate change. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a gasoline powered lawnmower puts out the same amount of emissions as 11 new automobiles in a one-hour time frame. That’s pretty bad.
The best thing you can do for yourself and the environment is to reduce or eliminate the size of your lawn and add Native Plants to your yard. So when you are pondering all the “whys” in life, you can add beautiful wildflowers, shrubs, and trees to your landscape and enjoy all the rewards that these plants have to offer. Less water and chemical use required, no time wasted mowing, much lower maintenance costs, an abundance of wildlife viewing opportunities, and the peace of mind that you are making a huge difference. To me, these all add up to a good reason to ask “Why?”
